ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 149984
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Saturday 24 February 1945 |
| Time: | 18:30 |
| Type: |  Martin B-26C Marauder |
| Owner/operator: | 575th BSqn / 391st BGp USAAF |
| Registration: | 42-107576 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 8 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Engers (Rheinland-Pfalz) -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
On 24 February 1945, the 2nd mission of the day by 391st BGp was a raid by 27 B-26s againt Irlich, Germany. The B-26C-45 42-107576 of 575th BS was hit by Flak just before reaching the bomb release point. A burst of Flak hit the left engine, and it caught fire. The plane veered to the right and went down in a spiral dive. Other crews saw the left wing break and one man watched the aircraft until it crashed to the ground. Only one chute was seen to leave the plane, and actually there was only one survivor. The German crash report KU 3740 reported that it crashed in flames and exploded at around 1830 hrs near Engers, close to several Flak batteries. The only survivor was captured after parachuting by a pioneer unit stationed in Engers.
Crew:
Capt Burton C Hanish (pilot) KIA
2nd Lt Lew F Littlejohn (co-pilot) KIA
Capt Arthur F Rauschenberger (bombardier) KIA
1st Lt John C Vurgaropulos (bombardier) KIA
Sgt Paul Broffman (radio gunner) KIA
T/Sgt Ernest H Pennington (engineer gunner) KIA
S/Sgt Valentine P Rivoli (air gunner) POW
1st Lt Harold Elsworth Harsin (air gunner, squadron gunnery officer) KIA
Harsin volunteerd as a gunner on that flight. The other crew members came from several crews. Apparently Capt Hanish’s original crew had probably gone home upon completion of missions. Hanish told another member of the group that, as a West Point graduate, he had no set tour of duty, that his tour was until the end of the war. This day, the other crew members came from four other crews: Harlow’s, Willis’, Lippincott’s and Lakin’s. After his original co-pilot left, Carpenter, of Schreiber’s crew, became Hanish’s co-pilot but was not on the mission described above, and survived the war.
Harold Harsin was buried as an unkown soldier in 1946. His remains were indentified on 2 February 1949 and he was reburied in the cemetery in the American War Cemetery of Margraten on 19 July 1949. Allo other killed members of the crew have been reburied in the USA after the war.
Sources:
MACR 12611 (available online at https://www.fold3.com/image/1/28828727)
http://www.391stbombgroup.com/575crew.htm
https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php/en/american-war-cemetery-margraten-h/63142-harsin-harold-e*
http://www.abmc.gov/database-search
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engers
http://www.maplandia.com/germany/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/neuwied/engers/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Oct-2012 01:14 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 11-Oct-2012 01:26 | Uli Elch | Updated [Date, Registration, Location, Country, Narrative] |
| 29-Feb-2016 16:58 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Jan-2020 17:57 | Uli Elch | Updated [Operator, Location] |
| 03-Feb-2020 19:37 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation