474.FG losses on 02.03.1945

[Heuser]

Gentlemen,
I've informations about two P-38 losses of 474.FG on 02.03.1945, Lt. G.W. Alge and Lt. R Strong, and the Serialnumbers 44-23589 and 42-104333. Is there any information available which pilot flew which a/c?

Thanks in advance

Heuser

[Eagle0025]

Hi Heuser,

I am working to get copies of all 474th FG MACRs, then I can verify which pilot flew which P-38 when I get them. I'll let you know when I do.

Cheers, Gary Koch

[Alex Smart]

Hi,
Robert H. Strong I beleive was in 42-104333.
Alex

[Horst Weber]

Good evening, Heuser !

2nd Lt. Robert H. Strong piloted P-38 USAAF-s/n 42-104333
(MACR # 12840). He was shot up by German Flak on 2nd March 1945 at about 10:05 hrs. According whitnesses of his flight, the aircraft pulled up to 1.000 feet and went in afterwards. Lt. Strong did not bail out. This happened at appx. F-998228.

2nd Lt. George W. Alge flew P-38 USAAF-s/n 44-23589 (MACR # 12839)
He was probably caught in a bomb-blast of proceeding aircraft, targeting locomotives. MACR gives time 9:30 hrs, but statement of flight leader is a bit tricky. The same time and location of Lt. Strong is also strongly possible.

Hope, this helps !

Horst Weber

[Heuser]

Gentlemen,
thank you very much for your efforts!

Lt. Alge crashed about 1 km W of D35614 Asslar / Werdorf while attacking a locomotive between Werdorf and Ehringshausen. The reason was most likely that this a/c was caught in the bomb blast of Cpt. Hansen. Or, as mentioned by an eyewitness, a/c 44-23589 was hit by a burst of a/c No. 4. Lt. Alge did not bail out and was killed in the crash.

According to a local researcher, Lt. Strong was hit by Flak while strafing a locomotive near Burgsolms and crashed in the area of D35619 Braunfels.

Best regards

Heuser

[Eagle0025]

Hello all,
This is very interesting info and will help me to update my database of 474th operational losses. Here is some additional information on the 2 March 1945 mission out of the 428th FS history, entitled "The Geyser Gang":
"The month's most costly mission for the 428th was an armed recce that got off at 0844 on March 2, a trip to the Bonn-Dresseldorf-Dillenberg-Wetzlar area. Only eight aircraft participated; Capt. Hanson led, and Lt. Hitter handled Yellow Flight. The mission was far from unproductive, Maj. Beauchamp doing most of the damage; he shared the knocking out of a locomotive with Lt. Strong, blew a second off the rails, damaged another and scored a cut in the triple tracks. Capt. Hanson damaged another locomotive and two cars, and most of the formation shared the damaging of five passenger cars and a warehouse by strafing.
The results fell far short of compensating for two losses sustained on the mission. Capt. Hanson's wingman, 2Lt. George W. Alge, a newcomer to operational flying with the 428th, crashed while following his leader down in a bombing run, the victim of either a bomb blast or unseen small arms fire. Apparently, he had no chance to jump from his airplane, which crashed and burned not far from the town of Selters. Within a matter of minutes, 2Lt. Richard H. Strong, who only a few weeks before had jumped safely from his flak-torn P-38 near Maastricht, crashed in the vicinity of Mundersbach, the victim of small arms fire or light flak that caught him at low altitude. He, too, was not seen to get away from the blazing wreckage."

Bob Hanson would later recall: "Although I had seen many of my friends die since we started flying together at Van Nuys, California, the mission of March 2, 1945 was second only to "Red" Frodenberg's fatal accident on November 30, 1943 in shaking me up. The mission was my 76th but only the 4th since returning from R&R leave in the US. I had been away from combat for over 10 weeks. It was Alge's first mission and Strong's unlucky thirteenth. I felt our briefing had been complete, including the standard warning not to follow directly behind another in a bomb run. As I pulled off of the target, I glanced up in the mirror and saw George directly behind me as he flew through a bomb blast at a low altitude and crashed almost immediately. I don't know if it was my bomb blast or his that got him, but he really got it hard. Although flak was a standard hazard when flying at low altitude over enemy territory, to lose Bob Strong on the same mission was almost too much."

Hope this helps. Cheers, Gary

[Heuser]

Hello Gary,

thank you very much for your sharing your informations! "Mundersbach" should be a misspelling of Mudersbach, which is about 20 km NE of Braunfels.

Best regards

A. Heuser

[Eagle0025]

Herr Heuser,

Your information has been very helpful in narrowing down the areas where Alge and Strong crashed. As you know, pinpointing exact locations of crashes by pilots in combat was often erroneous.

Quick question: do you know the exact crash site location for Alge's and Strong's P-38's? If so, can you plot them on a map for me? I have been using Google Earth to pinpoint all of the 474th FG crash sites that I have researched thus far. This could help me solve two more crashes. Thanks!

Cheers, Gary

[Heuser]

Gary,

Lt. Alge crashed around 50° 35' 30" N, 8° 24' 11" E. Sorry, I've no exact location for Lt. Strong, only "near Braunfels".

Hope this helps

Alexander