B-24 lost 24.02.1944 near Kortenberg

[Peter T]

Hi,
I'm searching information on a B-24 shot down near Kortenberg (Belgium) on 24.02.1944. Who can help me?
Many thanks

[Alex Smart]

2100282
446 BG
704 BS
P Lt. Carl J Kroells jr
CP 2Lt. Richard J Paquette
N 2Lt. James J Toolan
B 2Lt. Abraham B Dorsman
TT S/Sgt. Rudolph Vidmar
RO T/Sgt. Earl S Minnoe
BT S/Sgt. Marshall J Murray KIA
LW S/Sgt Richard McAuley jr
RW S/Sgt. Claude J Fisher
TG S/Sgt. Jack Renner KIA

apart from the two KIA, the rest became POW's.
I think this might be your B24 as it is noted as being hit by fighters and AA and crashing at Brussels, Belgium.

Kortenberg ? could not find it in my Atlas.

Alex

[Laurent Rizzotti]

http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichel...y=eur&google=1

Kortenberg is just near Brussels airport (today) E of Brussels.

[Peter T]

Many thanks, this could be the one, Kortenberg is indeed close to Brussels. That day another B-24 was lost in Vilvoorde, and as this is also close to Brussels, little doubt subsists. Do you have any information on this second plane?

[pointedeflèche]

Hi Peter,
B-24 s/n 42-100282 is the one that came down in Vilvoorde, 24 February 1944.
Returning from Gotha-Eisenach/Germany (Messerschmitt factory), it got hit over Vilvoorde at 14.52 hours by Flakbattery 2.-6/514. The aircraft had been hit previously, near Fulda/Germany and Jack Renner was badly injured. Renner's condition was critical and the crew decided to drop him by parachute, hoping the Germans would find him and take him to hospital. Renner received medical care of German doctors, but died that same evening at 19.00 hours. Over Vilvoorde 42-100282 got hit midships, mortally wounding S/Sgt Murray. The remaining 8 crewmembers vacated the plane by parachute. S/Sgt Murray was burried at Evere. The B-24 came down behind the houses nrs. 20, 22, 24 and 26, along the Mechelsesteenweg, Vilvoorde.
I know of a crash that happened near Kortenberg (Erps-Kwerps) in the fall or winter of 1944-45. It was an allied or American bomber and it crashed in a field, situated near the Leuvensesteenweg and the Wijnegemhofstraat. Another bomber crashed at Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, the 23 of June 1944, near the steenweg Brussel-Leuven.

I hope this information is of use to you,
Dirk

[Peter T]

In the missing air crew reports, Air crashes by date, fiche 5972, the crash is listed as Woluwe-St-Etienne, 24 Febr. 1944. The report on this crash is AV 953/44. Does anybody have this one?
many thanks