WW2 USAF airmen MIA over Yugoslavia

[vvkj41]

Hi Guys,

Could someone help me with names of the American airmen who are still listed as missing in operations over Yugoslavia during WW2? Thank you in advance.

Aleks

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
To all of you I wish loads of health, happiness and clear blue sky!

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

Have you any particular date, month or year in mind ?

Alex

[Allan125]

Without wishing to be pedantic - it was the USAAF, as the USAF was not founded until September 1947 - until then the USAAF had been part of the US Army.

But, to reiterate what Alex has written - what time frame do you have in mind.

Wishing you, and other members of this forum, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

regards

Allan

[vvkj41]

Hello Alex/Allan,

Maybe my question wasn’t formulated properly. I collected some data from MACRs and IDPFs related to US airmen KIA/MIA over Yugoslavia during WW2 (1943-1945). After the war US commission visited Yugoslavia during 1947-1948 in attempt to investigate and collect bodies of US airmen KIA/MIA with known burial locations. They managed to collect some of them but not all of them.
So, I’m looking for the names (if such data exists) of those that are STILL buried on the territory of former Yugoslavia. They were overlooked by commission from one reason or another. Like Brewer/Coulson case.
Allan, it seems that those “A” was also MIA… Thanks.

Aleks

[Larry deZeng]

Aleks -

This will not help you very much, but many years ago, 30 to be exact, I spent two weeks at the U.S. National Archives in Washington researching the U.S. Army Graves Registration files looking for incidents where the Ustasa Vojnica and the Chetniks had captured and murdered American airmen who had baled out of their aircraft and come down in the former Yugoslavia.

These records as well as those of the U.S. Embassy Beograd and the U.S. Consulate Zagreb for the 1945-49 period have a huge amount of correspondence on your subject. If you cannot fly to Washington for a week, perhaps you can contact them through the NARA website.

Good luck!

L.

[researcher111]

Larry

Just for own curiosity when and according to your research the Chetniks murdered US airmen coze from 1944 on under D.Mihalovic they were called saviours and their leader was even awarded a US presidential medal for saving more that 550 US airmen lives . If the Chetniks were split in more fractions under separate leaders then that would make more sense . If the event took place in 1943 with limited US air campaigns over Yugoslavia please advice.

Happy Holidays
Alex K

[Larry deZeng]

Originally Posted by researcher111

Larry

Just for own curiosity when and according to your research the Chetniks murdered US airmen coze from 1944 on under D.Mihalovic they were called saviours and their leader was even awarded a US presidential medal for saving more that 550 US airmen lives . If the Chetniks were split in more fractions under separate leaders then that would make more sense . If the event took place in 1943 with limited US air campaigns over Yugoslavia please advice.

Happy Holidays
Alex K

This subject is so thoroughly discussed and well covered on Axis History Forum that it would be very tiresome and time-consuming to try and recapitulate it all here. I'll just say that the Chetniks rescued and protected downed Allied airmen during 1943-44 a good 95% of the time. However, there was a very independent group of Chetniks in Dalmatia that did not always see eye-to-eye with this policy. I found at least two cases of Chetniks in Dalmatia murdering Allied airmen in spring 1944. There were still numerous local witnesses there in 1945-47 who gave statements on these incidents. I also found several cases of Ustasa from the Obrana Zdrug (think Jasenovac) in the Sava Valley SE of Zagreb doing the same thing in fall 1944.

L.

[vvkj41]

Hi Larry

Many thanks for your respond. Somehow I was always thinking that some sort of list “must” exist. I’m quite sure that at that time US postwar commission must have their list of unfortunate airmen that they were looking for. That’s the one I have and most of you interested in the subject I believe. They also made the list of the airmen that they found I suppose (that’s the one I’m looking for). I’ll try with NARA, thanks for your suggestion.

Alex, Chetniks issue is quite complicated. I’ll absolutely agree with Larry that more or less crucial details were already discussed in life, time and nerve consuming topic on Axis forum years ago. There was couple of fractions as you said. Unfortunately I don’t have any info regarding 1943 period. Operation “Halyard” was the one that you are speaking about as largest rescue operation during WW2 behind enemy lines. There is no blockbuster movie about that one. Only very good US author book. US and other friendly airmen picked up by General Mihajlovic forces were in safe hands as far as I know. As Larry mentioned, in some cases other fractions killed US aviators, even exchange them with Germans for ammunition, food, etc. There were also cases that leaders and members of mentioned fractions were caught, trialed and executed by Gen. Mihajlovic forces. It’s not exactly my point of interest and knowledge so I don’t want to go off topic and provoke reactions.
I hope that there is someone on the 12’o clock who can help us to send those guys back home.
Mary Christmas to both of you!

Aleks

[researcher111]

Larry & Aleks

Thanks for updating me , while this may be boring and certainly time consuming
for you, for me this a new subject , because I have a complete list of the US airmen
which rescued by Mihalovic Chetniks ( Halyard ) and those by Tito partisans including
some captured by other fractions and Germans in 1943 ( Ops Tidalwave ) and 1944 enroute to or
returning from Romanian targets. I was not aware of any Dalmatian Chetniks which
may have operated near Austrian border and their atrocities against US airmen . In any
case thanks for the update again

BR
Alex K

[Alex Smart]

Hello Aleks,

I have a list of some 500 or so US losses over Yugoslavia between 1943 and 1945.
Some 100 plus are where there are KIA's and MIA's. Also some aircraft do not have an MACR possibly because the crew came down in "Friendly" area's.

You may find this link helpful

http://www.7tharmddiv.org/docrep/ima...es/YUGOSLAVIA/

Also here are the Fighter Group losses - easier as only one man each aircraft.
18/10/43 - P38J-15 - 43-2552 - 97 FS/82FG - 2Lt J. Homan - KIA - MACR 990.
25/10/43 - P38G-13 - 43-2354 - 97FS/82FG - 2Lt R.B. Williams - MIA - MACR 1011.
10/01/44 - P47D-10-RE - 42-75006 - 319FS/325FG - Lt. Beverly E. Miller - Adriatic Sea - MACR 2061.
14/01/44 - P38G-15 - 43-2436 - 97FS/82FG - 2Lt Robert T. Voelker - KIA - MACR 1813.
14/01/44 - P38G-15 - 43-2556 - 97FS/82FG - 2Lt James T. Rogers - KIA - MACR 1812.
24/05/44 - P51B - 42-106595 - 309FS/31FG - Lt Harrison (NMI) Mann - Vis - MACR 6316.
02/07/44 - P51B-5 - 43-6746 - 334FS/4FG - Lt Ralph "Kidd" Hofer - KIA - MACR 6801.
03/09/44 - P51 - 2FS/52FG - Lt William R. Cowan - KIA - MACR ?
03/09/44 - P51 - 307FS/31 FG - Lt Sterling T. Zimmermann - MIA - MACR ?
07/11/44 - P38L-1-LO - 44-24035 - 95FS/82FG - 2Lt Philip Brewer - KIA - MACR 9694.
15/11/44 - P38J-10 - 42-67959 - 96FS/82FG - 2Lt Bowen Lindsay - KIA - MACR 10941.
04/01/45 - P47D-20-RE - 42-25296 - 85FS/79FG - Lt Wiliam Holding - KIA - MACR 10949.

Have a great Christmas
Alex