[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello,

I will comment your phrase "That isnt particularly close and reported far too early, but I have not found anything else."

For me E Ravenna or N Rimi is roughly the same sea area. Maybe 241 Sqn pilots were sent closer of the coast as the dinghy may move in this dimension, and then will search more east.
As for the time, according to the three US MACR available, both B-24s were last seen around 1130 hrs heading for Switzerland and the P-51 was lost on the return leg at 1230 hrs at Miane, in Trevise area. So the formation should have reached the area where they saw a B-24 ditching around 1300 hrs. Is it possible that 241 Sqn kept an alert pair to react to any emergency reported by the 15th Air Force ? In this case, they were very fast to react.

The fact that the lat/lon are given twice in the report probably confirm the numbers, as do the fact that the 241 pilots were sent there. I can't find any other aircraft or ship lost that may have required a dinghy search in the area.

In 1944, the usage of MACR was routine, and I have so far not found a case when a MACR should have been produced and was not (contrary to what happens often in 1942 and early 1943). Still a B-24 could have been lost with a MACR, if the crew were all rescued from the sea by Allied forces. But there is no trace of rescue either in the available documents.

My guess at this time is that the report by 332nd FG of a B-24 ditching in Adriatic was wrong, and no B-24 was lost there. Still they saw something and 241 Sqn pilots were sent to investigate.