MACR 14221

Added a connection to the 525th BS as listed in the A/C description.

Changed spelling of 'Meilke' to 'Meikle'.
See: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Meikle+&GSfn=will…;

Information provided by Norman Cooler's nephew, Wes:
'Like many sources, your site has the crews of these two aircraft confused, most likely due to the fact that 1) they had a mid air collision and 2) the MACR on the two aircraft have the serial number transposed.'

'On mission 300 of the 8th Air Force, her last mission, Seattle Sue was piloted by Claire Evans. My Uncle, Norman Cooler, was the Flight Engineer no top turret gunner on that aircraft. I have a photo from the National Archives that clearly shows both the name Seattle Sue and the serial number 43-38178. My uncle, Norman Cooler, and Abe Teller both parachuted from the aircraft and survived. All other crew members perished when the aircraft crashed just past the target area southwest of Pilsen, CZ. I have been to the crash site and have photos of the wreckage taken just after the crash. I also have a photo of my uncle after his capture by the Luftwaffe.'

'The only crew member of Thumper to die was the tail gunner, Bill Mielke who was last seen in the wreckage in the tail of the aircraft. All other crew members parachuted from the crippled plane over allied territory and survived. '

Personal research. See previous sourcing by me..

Based on personal research, including photos of Seattle Sue, the MACR for Seattle Sue, a personal visit to the crash site and personal papers of SGT. Norman B. Cooler.

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 14221 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database