2/Lt Reed, 362.FG, 377.FS, lost 03/23/45

[Heuser]

Gentlemen,
I recieved informations about the loss of a single-enigined fighter which was shot down in march 1945 in the Bingen area.
Possibly 2/Lt Reeds P-47, 44-33234, 362.FG, 377.FS?

Every further information is valuable!

Heuser

[shooshoobaby]

Heuser - 10 P - 47s shot down this day - none listed from 362d.
Mike

[Flupke]

Hello
2nd Lt Reed Billy C.(EVD?)O-830313 crashed at Boppard WL906820
Regards
Phil

[Heuser]

Mike, Phil,
thank you very much for your relplies. AFAIK, "my" P-47 was shot down from ship- or train-based Flak during an armed reconnaisance mission. The pilot bailed out and and tried to evade, but was taken as POW. There was no located crashside of his a/c, I only had a few eyewitness reports about an US fighter wreck which was found between 1952 and 1955 some kms south of Boppard at the right side of the Rhine. Reeds a/c was one possible in this time frame (late february - march 1945).
Is there any recommendable source about the 9.AF losses in 1945?

Best regards

Heuser

[shooshoobaby]

On forum www.armyairforces.com - Home page click MACR database. You can get list by Month , Day , Year.
Mike

[Heuser]

Hi Mike,
I know this page, very helpful. But it's diffucult, sometimes impossible to identify a downed a/c with these datas or a MACR only. The informations about the area of a loss are mostly given with "...last seen...", wich means that there could be differences up to 100 kms (or more) to the real crash place. Sometimes the German KU-reports are the best source, if included. If there were any KIA, you could order the IDPF to find out something about the first burial place. But you need luck to identify an a/c with POWs only. Or in another case: a P-51 was shot down by own AAA over the front lines, the pilot bailed out and was recoverd from own troops. In this case there's no MACR and no IDPF. Where could I find informations about such losses?


Heuser

[vzlion]

P-47D 44-33234 MACR 14043.
Source: 9AF Losses-MACRs
I think this site is no longer on line. At least I can't find it.
Hope this helps,

Walt

[Heuser]

Walt,
thank you very much for your reply. I just found the following in a recently bought book: "On march 23rd Flak damaged the P-47 of Lt. Paul Read, crash landing near Trebur (wich is about 15 km SE of Mainz). Taken as POW, he was liberated shortly after." There is attached a photo in poor quality, all I can see is a P-47 turned over with a drawing of a naked woman upon the red(?) cowling.

Is it possible that "Billy Reed" and "Paul Read" are one person?


Regards

Heuser

[Stephane Muret]

Sorry, but i've found in my files for march 23 1945, Lt Reeds from 367 FG, 394 FS, downed over Germany ...
Stephane
nonpilote évadé

[Heuser]

Stephane,
thank you for your reply. I found a Robert Reed of 377.FS mentioned here:
http://www.absa39-45.asso.fr/362FG/377_fs.html

But I am not sure if this is Lt. Reed / "Paul Read" which was shot down on 23 march.

The P-47 of 367.FG, 397.FS was 44-33570, MACR 14044

It seems like something was mixed up...

The original info a had from a friend of mine was an unconfirmed claim of ship-based Flak on Rhine river about an P-47 in the Kaub-Oberwesel area with an pilot trying to evade, but taken as POW (dated with march 23rd) .The crashplace of the a/c could not be located in 1945. But I have several eyewitness reports about a discovered wreck of an "US-Jabo" in the 1950's, located some miles SSE of Kaub.

Heuser