[Frank Olynyk]

The MACR form was intended to be used starting on July 1, 1943. Aircrew losses before that point may or may not (usually not) have a MACR. If there is an earlier one it is usually because someone wrote the Army asking for information on a loss, and the request was passed back to the unit to "prepare something like a MACR." If you look through the MACRs numbered say from 15000 up you will find many of them refer to much earlier dates (last MACR # is about 16607). A number of these appear to be losses which should have been covered by a MACR at the time.

MACR 15725 is for the loss of the SS Paul Hamilton, but is just a list of the men lost; there is no actual MACR form.

MACRs were assigned numbers when they arrived in Washington, not by the sending Air Force. There was no way for 8th and 14th Air Forces (for example) to coordinate the numbering.

MACRs were mailed to Washington by the originating command, consisting of anything from one to 20-30 MACRs (the cover letters for such shipments can frequently be found among the MACRs). It is possible that a MACR package could get lost. I have never attempted to compare the list of aircraft serials and pilots given in the cover letter to the collection of MACRs to see what is missing. The 332nd FG lost five P-51s on August 12, 1944, for which there is only one MACR (pilot DED). Three of the others were POW and should obviously have had a MACR prepared, while the fifth pilot is noted as KIA (I have no locations on these as yet; that is a task for MAW6).

MACRs were prepared without regard to the rank of the casualty. If an enlisted man bailed out of a damaged aircraft which none the less managed to return to Allied territory, a MACR would be prepared for him.

In addition to the MACR form, units were also supposed to prepare a Battle Casualty Report for any injured, wounded, or lost aircrew. These sometimes show up in the unit records. But I have never found a collection of these reports, which would be rather large.

Enjoy!

Frank.