Info P-47 44-20069

[Desert Rat]

Hello,
I'm looking for information about P-47 44-20069 from 366th FG, 390th FS witch crashed down 11/19/1944.
The Pilot was 2LT John E. Gallagher.

Can anyone tell me where he crashed down?
Any other information is also appreciated.

Thanks, Desert Rat

[Stephane Muret]

According MACR, seems to be downed near Düren, Germany.

Good luck
Stéphane Muret

[Desert Rat]

Hello Stephane,
thanks for your answer.
If I understand right he has been downed near Düren. But can it be that he didn't crashed there?
Maybe this plane crashed down in the village I live (Montfort, The Netherlands)
The pilot believes to be still MIA.

Thanks, Tom

[Paul]

Tom,

From the ABMC website:

John E. Gallagher

Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces

Service # O-767185

390th Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Group

Entered the Service from: Colorado
Died: 19-Nov-44
Missing in Action or Buried at Sea
Tablets of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery
Margraten, Netherlands Awards:

[Desert Rat]

Hello Paul,

thanks for the reply, I found it also myself.
But at an website of the 366th FG there was saying he was KIA. Is this because he has been Missing so long? That they change MIA in KIA?

Thanks, Tom

[Paul]

Tom,

That's right. It could take more than one year to declare a MIA dead...and in some cases the date of death don't correspond with the date actually reported MIA.

Fijne feestdagen !

Paul

[Desert Rat]

Paul,

thanks for your respawns again.

ja u ook fijne feestdagen! (Merry Christmas)
Tom

[Joerg Dietsche]

I have two sources. Firstly the Mission Report and secondly the event described in Brulle's book. So far we have not found the crash site.

S T A T E M E N T
390th Fighter Squadron
21 November 1944

I was flying Relic Yellow two on Mission Y21-3 on 19 November 1944. I saw Red flight go down on their strafing attack on a column of vehicles on the road. I saw an explosion and a large sheet of flames which slid across the road and into a field beyond. I believe the plane to be that of Lt Gallagher, who was flying Relic Red No. 3. This happened at approximately 1610 hours, about 3 miles Northwest of Düren.

Sanford A. Ross

Flight Officer
Crashed into railroad yard during strafing run (366th FG).

He was last seen strafing three miles north of Düren. No calls from him were received and no one knew what happened to him. Postwar records indicate that he crashed into a railroad yard while strafing and the aircraft desintegrated over a wide area. His body was never found.

Source: “Angels Zero”

P-47 close air support in Europe
Robert V. Brulle

Merry X-mas

Joerg

[Paul]

Joerg,


Interesting case ! I hope you will find something.


Merry Christmas,

Paul

[Desert Rat]

Hello Joerg,

thank you very much for your detailed information.
Can it be that this plane maybe crashed at Montfort, close to Roermond (The Netherlands), because they didn't find the crashsite yet.

Stories of eyewhitness tell me that a plane crashed down in my village around the 19th of November 1944. I also got a story what happened to the pilot. Maybe 2lt. John E. Gallagher is the one.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Tom