Military
Irvine Balsam was Left Waist Gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret Department), 40km NE of Orléans, France. Killed In Action (KIA).
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Shirley Berry was Co-Pilot on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Evaded capture with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance. Taken in charge by the Shelburn evasion line, he and 23...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 389th Bomb Group
William Carraro was Navigator on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer, Top Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Francis Krueger was Engineer/Top Turret gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of...
Military | Lieutenant | B-24 Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
B-24D pilot, Lt. Carl Mattson, was shot down in the B-24D, 42-40747, Heavy Date, and was killed in action - KIA. After being hit and damaged by German fighter cannon shells, Heavy Date, fell out of control with it's cockpit on fire. Some of the crew...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 389th Bomb Group
David Neilson was Radio Operator on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Russell Paquin was Ball Turret gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Evaded capture with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance. Taken in charge by the Shelburn evasion line,...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 389th Bomb Group
Manuel Rogoff was Bombardier on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Evaded capture with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance. Taken in charge by the Shelburn evasion line, he and 23...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Robert Rugh was Right Waist gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Keith Sutor was Tail Gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Landed near Sully-la-Chapelle (Loiret Department), France and evaded capture with the help of French citizens and members of the...
Group
The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943...
Squadron
567th Bombardment Squadron, 24 December 1942 - 13 September 1945
...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, 42-40747, was named, 747, and later, Heavy Date. It was in the 567th Bomb Squadron, the 389th Bombardment Group, in the 8th Air Force, in the U.K. It was temporarily detached (TDY) to the 9th Air Force in North Africa to fly on the Ploesti...
7 January 1944
The industrial areas of Ludwigshaven, Germany are the primary target for this mission. The formation has three elements. The bomber gunners of the entire force claim 30-6-17 of attacking German aircraft.
...
Military site : airfield
Construction of Hethel airfield began in 1941, and was finished in late 1942. The number of hardstandings was increased from the planned 36 to 50 in 1942, in order to accommodate a full heavy bomb group. The 320th Bomb Group occupied the base for ten...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Kings Co, New York | |
| Killed In Action (KIA) | 7 January 1944 | |
|
in the crash of B-24 # 42-40747, 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret Department), 40km NE of Orléans, France |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 01 May 2020 13:54:24 | ED-BB | Changes to role, biography, events, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 1851 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 September 2015 11:37:38 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to firstname, events and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Merged with duplicate entry to include details from : |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:13:31 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1851, 8th AF Losses, WWII Memorial |
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