ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 49538
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| Date: | Saturday 16 December 1944 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Boeing B-17G-45-BO Flying Fortress |
| Owner/operator: | 95th BGp /412th BSqn USAAF |
| Registration: | 42-97232 |
| MSN: | 7705 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | North Sea - |
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Horham/AAF Sta.119, Suffolk |
On 16 December 1944, during Eighth Air Force Mission 752, 236 B-17s were dispatched to attack rail targets at Stuttgart, Germany but extremely poor weather conditions resulted in many aborts; 81 crew managed to reach and attack the marshalling yard at Stuttgart, 33 other bombed Bietingheim and another hit a target of opportunity. One B-17 of 95th BG was lost with its 9 crew, another, of 303rd BG, was wrecked in a crash on return (2 KIA) and 9 were damaged (1 KIA). Escorting were 106 of 114 P-51s without loss, while 10 other P-51s flew a scouting mission.
_________________________________________
The missing bomber was the B-17G 42-97232 QW-O "Sandy’s Refueling Boys" of 412th BS, 95th BG. On the route back from the target clouds up to 23,000 feet were met by its formation and forced a turn northwards by 50° 30’ N 04° 00’ E. Because the aircraft of the group were low on oxygen and gas they broke off individually to return to base. This crew broke off as did the others but was never seen or heard of after that. There was no contact made by radio at any time with the aircraft.
The next that was seen of this crew was on 14 May 1945 when the body of the co-pilot, 2nd Lt Leonard W. Beadle, was washed up at Zoutelande, Netherlands, near beach post 14. This was another sign that the bomber crashed in the North Sea. None of the other 8 crew was ever found and they all are commemorated on the Wall of the Missing of the Cambridge American War Cemetery. In 2009 a B-17 propeller was found just off the coast of Zeeland and was thought to have come from this bomber. It is now on display in the museum of the Wings of Victory foundation.
Crew (all lost):
1st Lt Harold C. Coffman (pilot)
2nd Lt Leonard W. Beadle (co-pilot)
2nd Lt Thomas J. Reid (navigator)
2nd Lt Neil E. Vediner (bombardier)
T/Sgt Edward W. Gallagher (top turret gunner)
T/Sgt Dominick J. Lanni (radio operator)
S/Sgt Robert W. Pellow (ball turret gunner)
S/ gt William E. Hooser (waist gunner)
S/Sgt John J. Jones (tail gunner)
Sources:
http://paul.rutgers.edu/~mcgrew/wwii/usaf/html/Dec.44.html
http://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/item2.php?SGLO=T4808
http://www.303rdbg.com/h-memorial.html
http://wingstovictory.nl/database/pdf/466-story.pdf
MACR 11259 (available online at https://www.fold3.com/image/30326120)
"The Wild Blue Yonder and Beyond: The 95th Bomb Group in War and Peace", by Rob Morris, Ian Hawkins. ISBN 978-1-59797-712-8
http://www.maplandia.com/netherlands/zeeland/zoutelande/
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/10336
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2008 11:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 01-Sep-2011 04:51 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Dec-2015 07:19 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Feb-2019 06:22 | rlanni65 | Updated [Narrative] |
| 26-Oct-2019 09:51 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source] |
| 26-Oct-2019 09:51 | TigerTimon | Updated [Country] |
| 31-Mar-2020 09:49 | Reno Raines | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 05-Apr-2020 10:10 | Reno Raines | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator] |
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