Gentlemen,

Some additional information from my manuscript on the 25th BG history.

On 8 February 1945, two Joker night-photo ships were dispatched by the 25th BG to photograph Misburg and Hamburg. The Deurog Synthetic Oil Refinery at Misburg had 10/10ths clouds so Hanover was photographed as a target of opportunity by the first Mosquito. The second aircraft conveyed Capts. Victor s. Doroski/Jacob Hochman (NS583). Both men were airborne at 0158 hours and last contact with the crew occurred at 0255 by the continental ground station Nuthouse. When the crew failed to return, Watton contacted 12 Group but the RAF maintained no plots on this aircraft. A search conducted in the area covered by the Mosquito resulted in no trace of either plane or crew.

Later, a Luftwaffe report delivered through the International Red Cross stated: A Mosquito crashed near Obershonhage, 6 km east of Detmold. Fired destroyed 99% of the aircraft. Hochman and an unknown body were buried in a cemetery at Leistrup-Meirsfeldon.
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Apparently a partially hung PFB detonated in the bombbaby and the ensuing fiery explosion immolated both officers. Doroski previously flew secret OSS Joan-Eleanor missions. An ex-RCAF trained pilot, he hailed from River Head, Long Island, New York state.

This officer was flying a night-photography mission dropping Photo Flash Bombs (PFB) to illuminate the area below the aircraft. The PFBs were attached at two points to a shackle in the bombbay. A small prop on the nose of the PFB spun a certain number revolutions before causing the PFB to ignite and produce a 700,000,000 candle power illumination. To prevent the Mosquito from being illuminated from below with each flash, the aircraft's undersurfaces were painted glossy black.

When the bombbay doors were opened to discharge the PFBs at timed intervals, the small propellor on the PFB was prevented from spinning by a small wire attached to the schackle

Sometimes, the front attachment-point released the PFB from the shackle, but the rear attachment-point did not. This resulted in a partially-hung PFB, with its nose drooping downward, allowing the small prop to be released from the wire and begin spinning from wind entering the bombbay. Eventually, if the PFB did not fully release, it would ignite. And this is the scenario for the loss of this crew--a hung PFB.

Therefore, it was imperative that all pilots count the seconds from release to illumation of each PFB. If the PFB failed to illuminate within a designated time-interval, the entire load of PFBs were instantly salvoed to prevent ignition in the bombbay.

An intersting bit of history. In late November 1944, Capt. Doroski took three B-26 Marauders configured for night photography, to Denain, France. Since the Marauders had limited range operating from the UK, Col Elliott Roosevelt, CO 325 Photo Wing planned operations from the continent, and offered to provide photo intelligence for 12th Army Group. But the Director of Reconnaissance, HQ Ninth Air Force--a Republican-- had no intentions of allowing the son of a Democrat president infringe upon his area of responsibility. Therefore, he refused to provide any assignments to Roosevelt's aircraft. They sat on the ground for December and January.

At this period the Germany Army, under cover of darkness, transfered troops and tanks into the Ardenes region. Had the B-26s been allowed to perform their night photography role, it is quite possible they would have detected/discovered these night troop movements and forewarned the impending Ardenes Offensive and saved thousand of American lives. It is difficult to imagine any officer in command would squander his limited night-photography capabilities by denying its operational implementation because of either professional jealousy or political bias.

Norman Malayney