Searching for details about Boeing B-17 F Ser. Nr. 42-5885, Mission April 11th 1944

[Rolfeb]

Hi All,
presently searching for more information about the mission dated April 11th 1944.
Unfortunatelly the MACR consists just of the two front pages with info of the palne and short info about the relatives of the crew member.
What I know is the following.
The plane pilototed by 1st Lt. Harry E. Johnson flew a misson at April 11th 1944 together with 917 bombers - mainly to targets in the North East of Germany.

Johnsons plane crashed into the Baltic Sea, no survivers. It seems to me the plane attacked the Heinkel Werke near Warnemünde/Rostock.
On board was the radio operator James H. Learn.
I am looking for the following infos:
Are there any details avialable about James Lean?
What caused the crash? Where they attacked by German fighters of FLAK?
Did the plane belonged to 337th BS that day?
Was the plane ever found?
Is the crew still MIA?

Thank you a lot,
Rolf

[RSwank]

From the Fort Log on 384th bomb group site:
https://www.384thbombgroup.com/_cont...ds/FORTLOG.pdf

B-17 42-5885 Del Long Beach 20/4/43; Lowry 5/5/43; Smoky Hill 25/5/43; Dow Fd 2/6/43; Ass 338BS/96BG [BX-T] Snetterton 12/6/43;

MIA Rostock 11/4/44 w/Harry Johnson, cp-Luther Bailey, n-Herb Springer, bBill Hopkins, ettg-Bill McAnear, ro-Jim Learn, btg-Floyd Jenewein, wg-Mike Marenelis, wg-Walt Chmiel, tgDick Moore (10KIA); e/a, cr Baltic Sea. MACR 3809. KIPLING'S ERROR III.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...edward-johnson

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...r-ellis-bailey

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...ert-l-springer

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...am-j_d-hopkins

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...m-paul-mcanear

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...s-harold-learn

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...s-harold-learn

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...-carl-jenewein

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...eter-marenelis

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...alter-j-chmiel

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...ichard-c-moore

All the crew members are still listed as MIA.

[Rolfeb]

Thank you very much for your reply. I tried to find the MACR but there are just two pages I could find.
Thanks again.
Rolf

[Buckeye30]

Rolf the MACR says 337BS but she was 338th maybe flying with the 337th. This was Mission 298 and Rostock was a Target of Opportunity, the Group lost 11 B-17s. Some shots of "Kipling's Error the III" here, named after the Rudyard Kipling poem " East is East and West is West".


https://americanarchive.iwm.org.uk/a...rcraft/42-5885


https://www.upsala65.com/96bg/index.html


Regards
Nick

[RSwank]

It is possible that Aviation Archaeology website has a more complete MACR report. I believe that site used a different source than Fold3 (and the online gov archives.)

See MACR link here and report order link at the bottom of the page. They may tell you how many pages they have before you order any.

https://aviationarchaeology.com/dbSelectAirForce.asp

Also, since all the crew was killed there will not be any crew statements in the MACR that were done postwar that we often see in the MACRs.

[Leendert]

Crew of 42-5885 along with other squadron members reported missing that day here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4696...objectPage=173 and following sheets.

MACR is just two textual pages indeed: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/9094...bject-thumb--2

Leendert

[RSwank]

It is interesting that the MACR shows code D/R for Jenewein (Discharged or Relieved) when the rest of the crew are marked DED (Declared Dead). Jenewein should have been marked DED. I ran across an interesting file on the IPDF website. The file is found here:

https://catalog.archives.gov/search-...0?q=borradaile

With the detail file here:

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/330544341

The man was lost on another plane that flew that day.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...e-l-borradaile

The IDPF file is not only about Borradaile, but contains lots of pages on the search efforts for other missing crewmen. The pages are interesting to read. You can download the whole file if you wish or page through it online. (See lower left of the page for the complete pdf file you can download). On page 144 are listed the crew of 42-5885, but nothing else I could find in the file related to that crew.