B24H details please
 

Hello,
Have looked but cannot find anything about this B24H.
Serial number 42-52177.
Anything known ?
Many thanks
Alex

Re: B24H details please
 

Alex,

The plane number shows up on this page (search for 42-52177).

http://archive.is/af4ax#selection-95.78-95.95

If info is correct, the plane was in the 456th BG and was called "The Texas Ranger". It was hit on April 3, 1944 during a mission to Budapest. Six crew members bailed out but the plane with the remaining four crew members made it back. (No MACR found on fold3 but it "may" be 3708 ).

Re: B24H details please
 

MACR 3708 03 APR 1944 see : http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/s...456&Submit4=Go

http://b24boojum.com/

http://b24boojum.com/lastmission.html
The crew was not flying in Boojum that day. Instead, they where flying in The Texas Ranger, tail number 42-997849. Below is a direct quote from page 14 of the 456th Bomb Group 1943 – Steed’s Flying Colts – 1945 history book dated April 3, 1944:

Aircraft No. 177 “The Texas Ranger” , a 745th Squadron plane, manned by the crew of 1st Lt. Emil S. Laszewski was severely damaged by anti-aircraft. Lt. Halberstadt the navigator was wounded. When it appeared that the ship would not likely make it back to the base, six of the crew bailed out over Yugoslavia.
The following crewmen were carried as missing in action:

2d Lt. Howard N. Hartman Co-pilot POW
2d Lt. Edward C. Bonham Bombardier POW
Sgt. Samuel Fischler Radio Operator MIA
Sgt. Edward L. Dement Upper Turret POW
Sgt. Frederick G. Abner, Jr. Ball Turret MIA
S/Sgt. Edward O. Thompson Tail Turret MIA

[tail number cannot be 42-997849 (out of range), so no way to check what was intended]

http://archive.is/af4ax
The members of this crew were separated on April 3, 1944 during group mission #25 to Budapest, Hungary. The plane they were on, "The Texas Ranger" 42-52177, took a flak hit in the nose which severely injured the navigator and took out engine #2. The plane lost altitude until six members of the crew had bailed out over Mostar, Yugoslavia. After the sixth man jumped, the plane started gaining altitude and was able to limp back to Italy. The six crewmen who bailed out were captured and placed in POW camps in Germany. Four crewmen were able to stay on the plane and complete their assigned number of missions. The entire crew made it home after the war, with the exception of Reinaldo C. Garza who was killed in action on a mission with another crew.

Re: B24H details please
 

Hello, Swank and Udf 00,
Thank you both, that is just what I wanted.
It confirmed my thoughts on the "not lost" a/c.

However I do have a request.
For some reason although I can access the links you gave, I cannot access other pages from the 456"BG site. I only get an unknown notice.
So to my request.
If you would be so kind as to find the 456BG details of 1Lt. Robert S. Ensign, O-805423.
He was pilot I believe of the a/c noted in MACR 4398.
2Lt. Abrams and S/Sgt. Mordick became POW's.
Date was 25th April,1944.
I cannot also make out the a/c name given in the MACR, looks like "Dusky" or "Bunky" ?
Many thanks
Alex

Re: B24H details please
 

Alex, the links we gave are for the archived pages of the 456th BG website. The original site apparently no longer exists. It appears that only a few pages from the original site were archived.

Re: B24H details please
 

Hello Rolland,
Many thanks for the explanation, very sad that the info is no longer available.
Alex

Re: B24H details please
 

Hello Alex,

to your post #4 (a/c name in MACR 4398):
In the MACR loss list for April 1944 page 44 is noted:
25 Apr 44 1130 Liberator "Bunky" San Giovanni nw of Arezzo ME 1073/1076.

Regards
Leo

Re: B24H details please
 

Hello Leo,
Thanks for the "name" confirmation.
Which MACR Loss List is your reference ?

I eventually managed to find this on the WWW.

https://web.archive.org/web/20110724....org/index.htm

But it did not help find the answer to my enquiry. It did however fill out the events of the mission.
One a/c lost MACR 5640, another ditched as well as the "Bunky" event.
"Porky" was a 746 Sqn a/c serial 42-78306,
But no mention of a "Bunky" ?

There was a "Bunky" but not with the 456 BG, it was 42-31542 of the 457BG,then 92BG to the 91BG, MACR 7417, 19 July 44.

However there may have been more than one ?

Thanks
Alex

Re: B24H details please
 

Hello Alex,

aside from the serials of lost aircraft, [BLANK] and [ILLEGIBLE] in the documents „MACR 1944“ you also find the monthly lists (translated extracts of the captured German documents/Luftgau reports and the casualty numbers). In the list „April“ on page 44 is the quoted entry of the „Bunky“.

Regards
Leo

Re: B24H details please
 

Hello Leo,
You mean the documents are in "Fold3" ?

I see the page now - "Bunky" - OK.

The April 44 KU lists.

Thanks
Alex