42-96184 was on its second mission of the day on 6 August 1944. The target were fuel dumps near the Forêt d'Andainne, East of Domfront, Calvados, France. Hit by 88mm Flak shell above Le Havre, causing fire in the right engine. Three parachutes were observed. The pilot held the ship in formation for a time but was slowly losing altitude and the engine was burning brightly. As the plane began to lose altitude more rapidly, two chutes were seen coming out of the front. When about 1 mile off shore (near Trouville-sur-Mer), the wing and right engine came away from the ship, which was seen spiraling into the Channel. Pilot Captain Walter E. Payne, Co-Pilot 1st Lt Hubert M. Altvater and Bombardier/Navigator 1st Lt Edward W. Roggenkamp were all on their 63rd mission. All three were made prisoner. The three other men on board were experienced gunners, who had flown on earlier missions and were replacing the Payne crew’s regular ones who had flown more than the 65 required missions (some with other crews) and had completed their tour. Thus flying their first mission with Payne were : Radio Operator/Mechanical Gunner T/Sgt Joseph D. Weaver (POW); Ap. Armorer Gunner Cpl William L. Salyer (POW) and Ap. Armorer Gunner Sgt Franklin E. Swanson (hit by Flak, his chute failed to open - Killed In Action - KIA). Missing Air Crew Report - MACR 7875.
Service
Units
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Group
The 386th Bomb Group flew B-26 Marauders for the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. Whilst with the Eighth, the Group developed the formation release procedure for the B-26 on missions that targeted aerodromes, marshalling yards and V-weapon sites along the...
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People
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Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 386th Bomb Group
Hubert Altvater was a Co-Pilot in the 386th Bomb Group. He was on B-26 # 42-96184 on his 64th mission on 6 August 1944 when it was hit by Flak and crashed into the sea off Trouville-sur-Mer, France. Gunner Franklin Swanson was killed and the five...
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Military | Captain | Pilot | 386th Bomb Group
Captain Walter Payne was a Pilot in the 386th Bomb Group. He was piloting B-26 # 42-96184 on his 64th mission on 6 August 1944 when it was hit by Flak and crashed into the sea off Trouville-sur-Mer, France. Gunner Franklin Swanson was killed and the...
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Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier/Navigator | 386th Bomb Group
Edward Roggenkamp was a Bombardier/Navigator in the 386th Bomb Group. He was on board B-26 # 42-96184 on his 64th mission 6 August 1944 when it was hit by Flak and crashed into the sea off Trouville-sur-Mer, France. Gunner Franklin Swanson was killed...
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Military | Corporal | Armorer Gunner | 386th Bomb Group
William Salyer was an Armorer Gunner in the 386th Bomb Group. An experienced gunner who had flown on dozens of missions with the Robert Fry crew, Salyer was on his first mission with the crew of Lt Payne, replacing the regular gunner who had completed...
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Military | Sergeant | Armorer Gunner | 386th Bomb Group
Franklin Swanson was an Armorer Gunner in the 386th Bomb Group. An experienced gunner who had flown on dozens of missions with the Robert Fry crew, Swanson was on his first mission with the crew of Lt Payne, replacing the regular gunner who had...
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator/ Mechanical Gunner | 386th Bomb Group
Joseph Weaver was on a local training flight on board B-26 #41-17961 on 27 December 1943. Flown by Lt Robert C. Fry, the plane was involved in a landing accident at Froome airfield - Station 236, near Antrim, Northern Ireland. Weaver and four others...
Places
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Military site : airfield
The airfield, two miles north-west of Great Dunmow, was built in 1942-1943 by the US Army's 818th Engineer Battalion (Aviation), alongside British contractors. B-26 Marauders of the 386th Bomb Group moved in in September 1943, and in October the Group...
Events
Event |
Location |
Date |
Failed to Return (FTR) |
Trouville-sur-Mer, France |
6 August 1944 |
Hit by Flak, crashed at sea, about 1 mile off the coast, Trouville-sur-Mer, Calvados, France.
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