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Houssiere Wood

Crash site

Detailed history

B-24 Liberator 42-52764 of the 486th Bomb Group crashed in Houssiere Wood, Belgium on 28 May 1944 on return from a mission to Luztkendorf. German forces captured the remains of the aircraft, which was largely destroyed, along with 5 members of the crew, wrongly concluding the other crew members had perished.

The crash site of 42-52764 was later discovered by Marcel Dubois of Belgium.

Connections

People

  • William Kozulak

    Military | Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
    Shot down 28 May 1944 in B-24 42-52764 'Mike, Spirit of LSU. ' Prisoner of War (POW). Awards: POW

  • John Lawrence

    Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 486th Bomb Group
    Shot down 28-May-44 in B-24 42-52764 'Mike, Spirit of LSU. ' Prisoner of War (POW). Awards: POW

  • Louis Lujan

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
    Shot down 28-May-44 in B-24 42-52764 'Mike, Spirit of LSU. ' Prisoner of War (POW). Awards: POW

  • Fred Morley

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 486th Bomb Group
    Four missions. Shot down 28-May-44 in B-24 42-52764 'Mike, Spirit of LSU. ' Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft III. Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory.

  • Daniel O'Connell

    Military | Flight Officer | Bombardier | 486th Bomb Group
    Shot down 28-May-44 in B-24 42-52764 'Mike, Spirit of LSU. ' Evaded. Hidden by the Belgium people, liberated in September, 1944 by the American Army. Awards: WWII Victory.

  • Alfred Sanders

    Military | Major | Pilot | 486th Bomb Group
    Named his A/C after LSU's mascot Mike the tiger, as he was a former track star at Louisiana State University. ...

  • James Sizemore

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
    Shot down 28-May-44 in B-24 42-52764 'Mike, Spirit of LSU. ' Evaded. Hidden by the Belgium people, liberated in September, 1944 by the American Army.

  • Autley Smith

    Military | Sergeant | Nose Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 832BS, 486BG, 8AF USAAF. Fellow Louisiana State University Alumni, influential in the naming of Lt Alfred Sanders B-24. Only flew 5 missions. Shot down 28-May-44 in B-24 42-52764 'Mike, Spirit of LSU. ' Evaded. Lived with Belgian...

  • Robert Swaffield

    Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
    Shot down 28-May-44 in B-24 42-52764 'Mike, Spirit of LSU. ' Prisoner of War (POW). Awards: POW, WWII Victory.

  • Thomas Zoebelein

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 486th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 832BS, 486BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 28-May-44 in B-24 42-52764 'Mike, Spirit of LSU', Evaded (EVD). Lived with Belgian Underground from May till September 1944. Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.

Aircraft

  • 42-52764

    B-24 Liberator
    Assigned to 833rd Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomb Group, 8th AF USAAF. ...

Missions

  • 376

    28 May 1944

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
05 October 2021 13:58:10 Emily Created entry with name, latitude, longitude, history, person associations, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources

486th.org, Missing Air Crew Report 5390

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