[researcher111]

I am searching details on the 98 BG crew's fate enroute to bomb Ploesti on
June 6,1944 . The aircraft was hit near the alternate target Craiova by AA and
by Romanian IAR-80 fighters putting the Lib on fire at about 15'000 ft killing the
right waist gunner.

Being the under the impression that the aircraft was about to be lost the pilot
ordered the crew to bail out however some of the crew elected to remain on board
who then managed to estinguish the fire and regain control over the aircraft,
5 crew members however bailed out over Bulgaria NNW of Vidin ( according MACR )

The pilot and reminder of the crew managed to return to Lecce and perform a
hard landing with hydraulics out. Years later the pilot committed suicide for reasons
suspected to be linked to his decision of that date.

Question
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Lt.Vlachos & SSgt's and SGts Mazzara,Mitchell , Martin and Staub are
not listed on my Romanian and Bulgarian POW's camp nor hospital roasters .
According various records the 5 crew members did not bail out over Romania
but elsewhere nor are listed on Turkey internee roasters 1943- 1944 .

Staub's family suggesting that he reached as far as Turkey though this information
can not be verified fact is that all the 5 crew members returned in due course
eventually by war's end to their unit. I was wondering if there are any details on those
5 crew members .

This is what Mr Staub's family has to say about the
event :

Celestino H. Garcia the man who just minutes prior.... asked to switch seats with my
grandfather who was now a Missing in action soldier. The rest of the gunners were soon
picked up by friendly civilians and freedom fighters and snuck out of Romania.

However my Grandfather at just 20 years old was 1500 miles behind enemy lines.
He travelled only at night. He traded my grandmas shawano high school class ring for
a pair of sandals to a local farmer. He was MIA for 15 months and presumed dead.

He was captured on two separate occasions by Germans and they never made it back
to any type of prison camp. Grandpa did what he needed to survive. Our family has a
Germans officers side knife that gramps took from one that he overtook. It is hard for
me to even imagine the hell and mind struggle yet the strong will to survive that he had.
He ended up walking from Romania to Turkey.

Where he was then in US held territory. 15 months he survived. He was brought back to
the US and had to spend several days at a base in Florida being questioned on how he survived.