My father, Stanley William Vitkavage, was assigned to the 701st Bombing Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group flying out of Tibenham, England. He was flying a B-24J Liberator (tail number 42-51506) when the aircraft was lost on 27 Feb 1945. There is a MACR #12778. http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbmpilot.asp?Pilot=vitkavage&Sub…

We have various first-hand reports of the events of the day of his last mission. One such report states that Lt. Koupal was the navigator on the last flight my father piloted before being shot down and captured by the Germans. They departed from England on a bombing mission to Halle, Germany, that day. The bomber was last sighted at 2:45 p.m., South of Koblenz, Germany. At this time, the plane was observed to be having difficulty and was lagging behind the formation, however it appeared to be under control. My father's oral history given to me after the War includes his recollection of the plane having been struck by enemy fire. Upon ejection from the plane, my father was reported missing in action over Germany in both a telegram and a letter sent to his sister, NOK, Antoinette Hicks, by J. A. Ulio, Major General, The Adjutant General, from the War Department in Washington, D.C. on 23 March 1945. In fact, my father recalled to me that one member of his crew was killed instantly upon ejection and another who - during the time of their capture - they had not known his whereabouts, was later discovered to have been shot and killed by a German soldier. Upon landing on the ground in the Black Forest, my Dad told me he and the other crew members who survived were taken captive by the Germans. The official documents and records we have concur with his description of conditions as a POW. He also recounted that on the night before their return to US military control, he and the other POW's were taunted by the German soldiers who had been telling them they would be killed in the morning. In fact, when they awoke the morning of 29 April 1945, they discovered the camp (Stalag 7A, Moosburg) had been abandoned by the Germans, who he presumed fled so as not to face charges or trial for War crimes.

Prisoner of War (POW) crashed on 27 Feb 45 in B-24 #42-51506 at Betzenhausen.