Elvern Rae Seitzinger

Military

Assigned to 856BS, 492BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bechammer in B-24 44-40142 'Sknappy' 20-Jun-44; fell out of formation after target, diverted to Bulltofta Airfield, Sweden. Interned (INT)

Lt Elvern Seitzinger took over as aircraft commander of the Kuntz Crew 616 after Lt Kuntz was injured from falling off the wing during a post-mission inspection. Seitzinger had come to the 492nd as a pilot, bringing his own crew with him. His original crew was disassembled in Alamogordo and the personnel was reassigned to other crews. He himself was demoted to co-pilot to serve on the Val Preda Crew 601.

Seitzinger led this crew (616) on 9 more missions plus an aborted one, bringing the Crew's combined total to 13. 

On the 20 Jun 44 mission to Politz, they got badly banged up by German Me-410s as they reached Rugen Island. Seitzinger quickly realized their only chance of survival was to try making it to Sweden. They limped their way across the Baltic Sea up to Sweden where they were interned. MACR 7077. 

Awards: AM(OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

A Swedish Soldier guards a B-24 Liberator (serial number 44-40159) nicknamed "Boulder Buff" of the 492nd Bomb Group that has landed in Sweden.

492nd Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

Willis Kent Dickson

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 17091281 / O-693014
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot

Andrew Stanley Gall

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 12093090 / O-691982
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator

Marion Thomas Kelley

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 36415028
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Eugene Victor Kollinger

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 14080728 / O-684172
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier

John Joseph Kristynik

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 18190174
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner

Aircraft

42-110152

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Lady Will
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Bomb Squadron

42-95160

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Air Engineering Squadron 2033rd Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon
A Swedish soldier guards the nose of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 44-40142) nicknamed "Sknappy" of the 492nd Bomb Group that has landed in Sweden. First handwritten caption on reverse: '44-40142 "Sknappy", 492BG, Down Sweden 20/6/44.' Second handwritten caption on reverse: '492 BG Lib "Sknappy" interned after forced landing in Sweden.'

44-40142

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Sknappy
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Bomb Squadron

44-40150

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Ruptured Duck
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Bomb Squadron
Nine men in Air Force uniform posed in front of a Air Force bomber plane. Five men standing in rear and four men seated in front

44-40227

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Four Beers Doc
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 856th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Sandwich, IL 13 August 1922 Son of Vernon William and Ruth Seitzinger.

Enlisted

Chicago, IL 12 November 1942 Chicago, Illinois

Other

Interned (INT)

Bulltofta,, Sweden 20 June 1944 Failed to Return (FTR) Bechammer in B-24 44-40142 'Sknappy' 20-Jun-44; fell out of formation after target, diverted to Bulltofta Airfield, Sweden. INT

Enlisted

12 January 1947 Re-enlisted USAF.

Other

Discharged USAF

19 August 1955 Honourable discharge.

Died

DeKalb County, IL 24 June 2006

Buried

Fairview CemeteryDe Kalb, DeKalb County, IL 27 June 2006 Fairview Cemetery De Kalb, DeKalb County, Illinois

Other

Discharged USAAF

Honourable discharge.

Based

North Pickenham Assigned to 856BS, 492BG, 8AF USAAF.

Revisions

Date
Contributoracbernstein1
Changes
Sources

http://www.492ndbombgroup.com/cgi-bin/pagepilot.cgi?page=showCrewPage&crewPage=616-Seitzinger&crewTitle=Seitzinger%20616&nav=c2c 

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/28664573
https://www.fold3.com/image/28703154
https://www.fold3.com/image/660873351
https://www.fold3.com/record/40637700-elvern-r-seitzinger
https://www.fold3.com/record/84460232-elvern-r-seitzinger
https://www.fold3.com/record/621582182-elvern-seitzinger-1922
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/179521113/elvern-seitzinger

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/28664573
https://www.fold3.com/image/28703154
https://www.fold3.com/image/660873351
https://www.fold3.com/record/40637700-elvern-r-seitzinger
https://www.fold3.com/record/84460232-elvern-r-seitzinger
https://www.fold3.com/record/621582182-elvern-seitzinger-1922
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/179521113/elvern-seitzinger

Date
Contributorjmotley
Changes
Sources

daughter

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

MACR 7077 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database