B-24 41-24278 Q - The Baltic Sea                                                                       Updated: 17 AUG 2021

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
o888604.htm Bishop R H Capt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 o888 o888.htm POW
o888616.htm Brown R I 1stLt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 o888 o888.htm POW
e777923.htm Cate R E Sgt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 e777n e777n.htm NO - NET
o888618.htm Haywood H R 2ndLt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 o888 o888.htm POW
e777784.htm Klingler R L S/Sgt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 e777c e777c.htm NO - CAM
e777785.htm Millhousen G R S/Sgt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 e777n e777n.htm NO - NET
o888620.htm Susan J L T/Sgt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 o888 o888.htm POW
o888621.htm Ullrich A S/Sgt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 o888 o888.htm POW
o888619.htm Wandtke G A T/Sgt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 o888 o888.htm POW
o888617.htm Westbrook H 1stLt USAAF 067 p456.htm B24 24278 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d140543 o888 o888.htm POW


Den 14. maj 1943 styrtede B-24 41-24278 i Østersøen syd for Ærø (måske omkring her) på hjemvejen fra et bombetogt til Kiel. (Kilde: FT 85-76-12)
Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver: "Under angrebet blev 5 maskiner fra 44 BG skudt ned. Flyet blev ramt af flak over målet, og kort efter standsede alle fire motorer.

Agterskytten, Sgt Roy Klingler (44 BG: S/Sgt Roy L. Klingler), og maskinisten, Sgt Mulhausen (44 BG: S/Sgt George R. Millhousen), blev dræbt, medens navigatøren, Lieutenant Bob Bishop (44 BG: Capt Robert H. Bishop) og en såret tysk jagerpilot blev samlet op af danske fiskere i farvandet syd for Ærø." (FT 85-76-12)

44th Bomb Group  Roll of Honor pages 65-67 har meget mere og detaljer om alle 10 besætningsmedlemmer!
T/Sgt John L. Susan fortalte at B24-flyene blev ramt af en masse flak over målet, og de blev fulgt af 6 eller flere tyske fly. B-24 41-24278 blev svært beskadiget.
Samtaleanlægget var ude af drift, så hver mand måtte klare sig selv. Susan stod foran det åbne bomberum. "Så jeg tumlede ud, og da jeg vidste at nogle tyskere
ville angribe min faldskærm, forsinkede jeg udløsningen i omkring 60 sekunder. Da jeg trak i udløseren var højden omkring 2.400 m - -." Han blev reddet af en fisker.

3 flyvere fra B-24 41-24278 har ingen kendt grav. 7 flyvere blev reddet op af vandet. De blev ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre.

On 14 May 1943 B-24 41-24278 crashed into the Baltic Sea south of Ærø (maybe about here) on the return flight from a bombing raid on Kiel. (FT 85-76-12)
(Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes:
"5 planes from 44 BG were shot down during the attack. The plane was hit by flak over the target, and shortly after all four engines stopped.
The Tail Gunner, Sgt Roy Klingler and the Engineer, Sgt Mulhausen (44 BG: S/Sgt George R. Millhousen) were killed, while the Navigator, Lieutenant Bob Bishop
(44 BG: Capt Robert H. Bishop) and an injured German fighter pilot were picked up by Danish fishermen in the waters south of Ærø." (FT 85-76-12)

44th Bomb Group  Roll of Honor pages 65-67 has much more and details of all 10 crew members!
T/Sgt John L. Susan related that the B24s took a lot of flak over the target and they were followed by 6 or more "Jerries". B-24 41-24278 was severely damaged.
The Intercom had been knocked out, so everyone was on his own. Susan was standing in front of the open bomb bay. "So I tumbled out, and knowing that some
Jerries would attack my chute, I delayed my opening for about sixty seconds. When I pulled the cord the altitude was about 8,000 feet - -." He was rescued by a fisherman.

3 airmen from B-24 41-24278 have no known grave. 7 airmen were rescued from the sea. They were taken to German POW-Camps.
This B-24 was from 67 BS, 44 BG, 2 BW, 201 PCBW, 8 AF. See A Big Data History of the 44th Bomb Group. See also B-17 vs. B-24.