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.