16 August 1943 - 44th Bomb Group - Roll of Honor and Casualties : Zimmerman, Wesley L. ASN 34312350 Ela, Deforest L. ASN 31157299 Shafer, Raymond C. ASN 35354093 Hughes G.R. Assigned 32468888. Zoller, Harper F. Jr. ASN 36529756 Radio Operator. T/Sgt. POW, escapee, returned Asst. Rad. KIA Asst. Eng. KIA Gunner , S/Sgt. S/Sgt. S/Sgt. KIA, buried Sicily/Rome (J-13-57) Gunner S/Sgt. Winston Salem, North Carolina, Quincy, Massachusetts Anderson, Indiana Bogeta, New Jersey Detroit, Michigan 2nd Lt. R. Curelli and crew were newly arrived replacements, and like several others lost on this mission, were on only their second mission. The MACR states that this plane was hit by flak over the target. While in a spin, it was attacked by enemy aircraft. Three to five chutes were seen to open. Later Glenn C. Hickerson [the tail gunner on the Austin crew, who was for a time a POW at Bari, Italy until he escaped] stated that all of the crew were killed except Zimmerman, who eventually returned to the 44th BG on 4 November 1943. Sgt. Zimmerman, radio operator on this crew, sent this description, “Contrary to the MACR report, I do not recall our ship being hit by flak. After passing over the target and dropping our bombs, one of the engines went out due to an extreme oil leak. When this #3 engine failed and we fell out of formation, that is when we were hit by enemy fighters. After several direct hits from the fighters, we tried to get out of the plane, but could not. The main hydraulic system would not operate, and we could not get the bomb bay doors open in order to jump. “At that point, Sgt. Grinde, engineer, went out the sliding door to the bomb bay without a parachute on, to try to open the bomb bay doors manually. This was the time that the ship went into a dive or spin and the sliding door came down and we could not get out. Since I was on the flight deck I don’t know if any of the crew in the rear got out before the plane exploded. But when it did explode – which I think was caused by the fire in that burning engine reaching the gas tanks – I was somehow blown clear, and opened my chute and came down safely. I had several small cuts on my head and arms, and was black and blue over most of my body for two or three weeks. “I was taken prisoner by the Italians and was in several camps before escaping and returning to Africa – and later back to England; and then the States. “Also, contrary to the reports, I saw only one other chute and that landed several hundred yards from where I did. I went to it, and it was Lt. Curelli. He was badly torn up and was dead.” Two men in the town of Ruoti, Italy, stated that the plane seemed to partly explode in mid air. Several crew members were seen to parachute from the plane. When these two men arrived at the scene of the crash and landing parachutists, they saw several civilians taking many articles, such as watches, rings and even identifications papers from the bodies. Only five of the nine bodies could be identified due to these thefts. They were: Lts. Curelli and Papadopulos; Sgts. Hughes, Grinde, and Shafer. 67th Squadron : The B-24D, 41-24278, named, Miss Delores, was assigned to the 67th Bomb Squadron, in the 44th Bomb Group (The Flying Eight Balls), in the 8th Air Force, USAAF. It failed to Return (FTR) after being hit by flak over Kiel, Germany, which destroyed all four of it's engines. It crashed into the Baltic Sea south of Ærø, Denmark. 3 KIA. 7 POW. 14 May 43. MACR 16558