Ploesti Airmen with the Chetniks

[researcher111]

I am searching realiable information regarding :

Lt's Donald Parkerson and Fred Barrett down sometime in June or
July 1944 over Serbia ,hosted by Mihalovic fighters. What are the
correct downing dates , which BG's and when were they
evacuated back to Foggia ?

1st Lt.Robert I Wilson also with Mihailovic( downing date and BG )

Also I have a numerous 15th AF airmen photos
which I was unable to ident. can anyoen help ?

Alex K

[Laurent Rizzotti]

1st Lt Frederick H Barrett and 2nd Lt Donald H Parkerson of 772nd BS, 463rd BG were both aboard the B-17G 42-38114 when it was was shot down on 6 June 1944 during a raid on Belgrad airfield. A sentence in the MACR confirms that they were helped by Chetniks.
Source: MACR 5847

2nd Lt Robert I Wilson was the radar navigator aboard the B-17G 42-97653 of 840th BS, 484rd BG, lost on 15 July 1944 during a raid on Ploesti.
Source: MACR 6826
Wilson's shotdown story is in the book "The forgotten 500". Another crew followed his bomber when he fell down and crashed into the mountain. The whole crew of Wilson survived, while the whole other crew was killed.

[researcher111]

Laurent

Thank you very much , useful info and happy puzzled solved. By the way allow me a small correction it was 483rd and not 484th .

Thanks very much again

Alex K

[vathra]

Barrett and Parkerson were evacuated on August 10, first Halyard evacuation. Source: Evaders form.

Wilson was evacuated on August 28.
He was in 483bg, not in 484.

Regarding data in "Forgotten 500", I would advise care since proper archival research in it is practically non-existent.

[vathra]

Originally Posted by researcher111

Also I have a numerous 15th AF airmen photos
which I was unable to ident. can anyoen help ?

Are they with chetniks?

[researcher111]

Yes they were with Mihailovic, I have many such photos if you can help , send me a Pvt I will be glad to send you some

Thanks
Alex K

[vathra]

PM sent.

[researcher111]

Here is the shot, perhaps someone can identify those airmen hosted by Mihailovic ?

[vathra]

Guy on the left is obviously Waldo Koo, only Asian American guy I am aware of being with chetniks. He is wearing strip on the nose, which is not present later, so I am guessing this pictured closer to their shoot down.

Next to him looks to be William Crawford.

That puts him in group of 20 airmen being evacuated on September 17.

Their crew members evacuated by chetniks:
William Crawford
Waldo Koo
Rudolph Schmidt
Gerald Wagner
Howard Ford
Curtis Diles
Leland Porter
All from 42-51624, 455bg, 740sq.

And there were also 3 Mustang pilots with them:
John Nelson (31fg)
James Beckham (31fg)
Lloyd Garland Hargrave (52fg)

Another crew joined them, but I think they came later on.
You should first check those I mentioned.

[researcher111]

Great Stuff and thanks for the ID, however can you name for me the respective BG's of the airmen ,
the ftr pilots ID is not of interest because were not related to Romanian campaign. Waldo Koo was
a bombardier but what S/N plane he went down with ? and who is who on that photo from L 2 R after
Waldo ?

Alex K