90th BG loss on 29 June 1944

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello,

I started researching Sgt Alfred Elmer Schmitt of 319th BS, 90th BG who was KIA on 29 June 1944, but have not found the circumstances of his death.

The only site on which I found some more data was http://usaafdata.com/ that says he was lost aboard B-24J # 42-73165 with nine other men:
Daliso Louis T CPL32906364
Fielder Clifford SGT14097434
McCrea, Jr Roscoe R CPL19100640
Nestler Joseph D 2LTO-697368
Sauer Clarence J 2LTO-707331
Schroeder Paul B SSGT19193326
Severson Harold I 2LTO-703403
Sprague Edward G 2LTO-764494
Worthington Lester R SSGT31079678

8 of them are buried in a common grave at Fort Scott National Cemetery, while 2nd Lt Sauer is buried in Illinois.

Findagrave has a page for each of these men, but gives no unit and not much details about their loss: for three of them, newspapers say they were lost on a "Wake mission", but two other are listed to have died in New Guinea, with one showing an official document saying he was reburied to Finnschafen, New Guinea, to USA.

I would like to know more about these men and their aircraft. There is no MACR and no accident report for this aircraft, so a possibility is a crash in friendly territory during an operational flight, presumably in New Guinea.

If someone has one of the books about the history of 90th Bomb Group, can you please check the date of 29 June 1944 ?

Thanks in advance

[Revi16]

42-73165 Landing Accident New Guinea Dec. 21, 1943

https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/dbSearchAF55.asp
431221 Perrotti, Michael (NMI) B-24J 42-73165 _ _ 5 _ LAC 2 NGU _ _


https://www.historyofwar.org/air/uni...ent_Group.html
In August 1944 the group moved onto a newly completed base at Biak. This had been a rather stretched out move - on 22 June part of the air echelon moved to Wakde, while some of the ground personnel were already onboard ships waiting to sail for Biak.


Perhaps Wakde instead of Wake. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wakde

[Leendert]

Laurent,

Short narrative of fatal take-off accident at Wakde of B-24 in Morning Report here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4785...objectPage=985

Leendert

[Leendert]

Just to add that full names and crew positions were mentioned here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4785...ect-thumb--984

Leendert

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks a lot Revi16 and Leendert

Both morning reports pages gave the details I searched, confirming the unit of the 10 casualties and the serial number.

Best regards