Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

Hello together ,
I need the help of the experts again:

On 09.04.1945 the C-47 A 42-23604 "SAD SACK" of the 27th Air Transport Group / 86th Air Transport Sq. took off from France for a supply flight to the areas in Germany already occupied by the USA. It was carrying 5,000 pounds of fuel and was reportedly en route to Eschwege. The last sighting was "335 km west of Frankfurt" (according to MACR).

The aircraft probably came under flak near Cologne and crashed near Porz-Wahn.
The crew: T/Sgt Joseph A. Filkins . 14036533 is considered missing
T/SGT John T. Huddy, 35420885 buried in Wahn-Heide
1st Lt John D. Lampman , O-713798 buried in Wahn-Heide
1st Lt. Paul E. Mellers, O-737824 buried in Wahn-Heide

To date, the crash site is unknown, but it must have occurred here on the right bank of the Rhine.
At that time the left side of the Rhine was already occupied by American troops (505th PIR / 82nd ABD). And they were watching the right side of the Rhine very closely, yet there is no mention of a C-47 crash in the daily reports. German documents on the crash do not exist either. Eye-witness reports or post-war records of the crash do not exist either.
The area on the left bank of the Rhine was not taken by American troops until 14/15 April!
Also very mysterious: on 09.04.1945 four more American soldiers were buried in Wahn-Heide! Were they passengers on board ? According to MACR they are not listed.
They were:
Reginald D. Wood, 32734207 ?
1st Pvt. Harvey Larson, 37564390
Lawrence Blackwell, 33672273
Eward A. Cummings, ?

Who can tell me something about the flight mission of the crew ? Who has information about the crash site ? Who can tell me about the whereabouts of T/Sgt Filkins ? Who has further information on this crash.

Thank you in advance and best regards
Manni

Re: Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

Obit on Wood:

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1165...and-chronicle/

Newspaper clip on Blackwell: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1166...nati-enquirer/


Page 9 of the MACR lists the passengers (5 of them), your list does not have Wm B Mitchell. 34771564, from North Carolina.

Crew:
Mellers: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...-evans-mellers
Filkins https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...xander-filkins (Not Missing)
Huddy: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...n-thomas-huddy
Lampman: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...john-d-lampman

Passengers:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...eginald-d-wood 32734207 (Find A Grave has wrong date of death, he was a T/5 in the 258th Quartermaster Corps, Railhead Company)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...iam-b-mitchell[ 34771564
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...arvey-g-larson 37566309
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...stine-cummings 42001386
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...liam-blackwell 35672275 Clip (above) says he was in Quartermaster Corps.

Larson also on ABMC site: https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/larson%3Dharvey He was also in 258th Quartermaster Corps, Railhead Co.

MACR:

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/91145443

Re: Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

MACR 13702.

Re: Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

Hello Roland,

thanks for the first hint ! but now for the first time I have an answer to the crash location and the cause of the crash.
So the plane did have passengers on board, probably all boarded in Eschwege.....

hellp Edwest2

I know the MACR, so thanks for the tip.

manni

Re: Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

Roland,

I have seen this page 9, but I cannot decipher it.....

And I don't have Mitchell on my list because he wasn't buried in wahnheide. Is he considered missing ?

what does the note ( ( PW AGO ) tell me ? Returning prisoners of war ?
Manni

Re: Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

I think page 9 text is:

"The following unauthorized passengers were aboard C-47A 42-23604 which crashed 9 April 1945, according to ?record? this MACR (?PW AGO?) (?Prev A 6 0?)"

I don't think there is a reference to prisoners of war but I am not sure exactly what the final "word" or abbreviations are.

I think the plane took off from France, delivered fuel at Eschwege and was taking the 5 passengers back to France. They may have been wounded, but I don't know. The plane got off course and flew directly over the area on the East Bank of the Rhine where the Germans were still fighting.

Re: Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

97% certain "AGO" is Adjutant General's Office (of the U.S. Army). It looks like a note meaning the AGO has the information that the individual(s) is/are prisoners of war. The AGO was involved in the handling of much of the paperwork concerning American POWs.

L. deZ.

Re: Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

Hello Larry,

that's very interesting. Can I see these documents somewhere ? E.g. in the National Archives or elsewhere ? If so, under which keyword do I have to search ?
Where can I find out which military unit the passengers belonged to ? Ancestry an fold3 don't give much.

Thank you and greetings
Manni

Re: Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

Yes you can, Manni. The AGO abbreviation is here:

https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/...:text=AGO,Almt

Go here to see the Record Group 407 AGO content list:

https://www.archives.gov/research/gu...roups/407.html

L. deZ.

Re: Crash C-47 A at 09.April 1945 in Wahn
 

I found this link (see 2nd page about halfway down).

https://www.moravianarchives.org/wp-...ember-2003.pdf

Basically, it says that William Mitchell was in the 258th Quartermaster Railhead Company and he lost his life along with 4 other men in the company in a plane crash on 9 April, 1945. So all the passengers were in the same unit.