P-38 crash in Drvar, Bosnia, in September 1944.

[RSwank]

Alex, is that Jan 3 1944 or March 1 1944? At any rate either loss date seems to rule him out.

I also found a MACR for Leroy Strader, 145g FG with a FOD date 1945-08-20.
The MACR is in the "blank" section on fold3.com, 10 pages long. No plane number, the MACR number is 10005.
For those with fold3 access, here is a link to the first page.
https://www.fold3.com/image/139144183


He was lost on 1944-08-19 on a ferry flight from England to Italy. There were a group of pilots from the 1st , 14, and 82nd FG ferrying planes back from England. Strader's gyro horizon went out soon after take-off from England. At that time the group had separated somewhat as they tried to climb through heavy clouds between 15,000 to 32,000 feet. Strader apparently went into a spin and bailed out.

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
Yes, January 3rd, 1944.
If I recall these were also lost that date.
43-2437 - David C. Fritz - 14FG.
42-12732 - Jack P. Muffitt - 1FG.
For some reason now forgotten I had 2Lt. Darrel K. Stoyke linked to MACR 10005 (August 19th,1944).
Strader is also MACR 8341, a/c 43-28336.
Alex

[RSwank]

Darrel K Stoyke was lost near the mouth of the Rhone on 19 August 1944, same day as Strader.
I cannot find a MACR for Stoyke, but he is not MIA.

MARCs 8341 and 10005 are both for Strader on the 19 August 1944 loss. 8341 has a plane serial number and 10005 does not.

10005 has the eyewitness statement of what happened. Odd they issued two MACRs for the same crash, but when you read through 10005 there was a lot of "back and forth" about missing info.

[Rainer]

So it seems the aircraft of those pilots of 1st FG, 14th FG or 82nd FG still listed as MIA by DPAA that were lost during the second half of 1944 are known now, but none fits the serial numbers mentioned in the X-55 case. However, there is little doubt that the numbers belong to a late built P-38J from one of these batches:
43-28248/29047 Lockheed P-38J-15-LO Lightning (MSN 422-3263/422-4062)
44-23059/23208 Lockheed P-38J-15-LO Lightning (MSN 422-4063/422-4212)

The first aircraft lost in the MTO from the two batches were in May 1944 resp. July 1944, so I extended my earlier search for MIA cases from the three P-38 equipped FGs in the MTO in the DPAA data to include May to July 1944. I found no cases with an unknown MACR during the three months and only four were about aircraft with serials in the ranges we look for:
1944-06-10 2LT SMITH, ALBERT F (O-750703) 71 FS/1 FG MACR 5762: P-38J 43-28732 lost over Romania on 10 Jun 1944
1944-07-09 2LT VANDIVER, JOHN J (O-822182) 95 FS/82 FG MACR 7103: P-38J 44-23201 lost over Italy on 9 Jul 1944
1944-07-13 2LT MICHELI, HOWARD G (O-762384) 94 FS/1 FG MACR 7192: P-38J 44-23147 lost over Adriatic Sea on 13 Jul 1944
1944-07-28 1LT KUYKENDALL, JIM L (O-423077) 27 FS/1 FG MACR 7008: P-38J 43-28645 lost mid-air collision with 43-28370 over Romania on 28 Jul 1944

MACR 7008: 43-28645 had engines A-045500 & A-045110, 20mm 123470 and .50cal 1075736, 1076537, 1079558 & 1075068
MACR 5762: 43-28732 had engines A-045570 & A-045258, 20mm 116740 and .50cal 1294184, 1294112, 1293457 & 1294268
MACR 7192: 44-23147 had engines A-047741 & A-047203, 20mm 120594 and .50cal 734993, 1190428, 1190821 & 1190385
MACR 7103: 44-23201 had engines A-047677 & A-041745, 20mm 119201 and .50cal 1179394, 1179600, 1179595 & 1176966

There are still three MIA cases on my earlier list that could not be linked to an aircraft loss yet, but all were probably lost in early 1945:
1945-02-17 1LT GRAHAM, CARL G (O-769804) 97 FS/82 FG >> no MACR found, listed as missing in Adriatic Sea on 17 Feb 1945
1945-04-08 1LT ZIMMERMANN, RICHARD (O-684597) 48 FS/14 FG >> no MACR found, listed as missing in Adriatic Sea
1945-04-22 1LT ANDERSON, ERNEST L (O-767063) 95 FS/82 FG >> no MACR found, listed as missing in Mediterranean Sea on 22 Apr 1945

[RSwank]

For Zimmermann I have him lost on 7 April 1944, MACR 3705 in 42-104017.

http://aviationarchaeology.com/src/d...ard&Submit7=Go

I don't think there are any other 14th FG possibilties.

Still working on the 82nd list.

[RSwank]

Carl G Graham appears several times in Montana newspapers, which follow his progress through training and on to the 15th AF in Italy. For example, in a Nov 28, 1944 newspaper his promotion to 1st Lt in a P-38 fighter group in Italy is noted.

He appears on a death list printed April 2, 1945, which would suggest a loss in Feb 1945.

[RSwank]

Anderson has a eye-witness statement in a MACR from March 1945, so he definitely died in 1945.

[Alex Smart]

Hello Roland,
Some time ago I did some research together with Roland in Austria. As a result I emassed a list of over 5 thousand P38 & F4&5's, sadly due to my computer failure in January this year all was lost. However if it helps I still have much on paper.
Example: 82nd FG
From June 1944
Kia/Mia Macr's
5856; 5760; 5763; 5769; 6132; 7103; 7070; 7042; 7003; 7147; 7010; 7460; 7671; 7695; 7681; 8100; 8956; 8752; 9588; 9696; 9694; 9894; 9935;
1945
11088; 12111; 12148; 12147; 12669; 13071; 13070; 13259; 13648; 14023.
There were others but have not names+ serial number+ macr match anymore.
Example yesterday I spent some time searching for pilot named Chiek without success, today I found on paper the correct name Cwiek 2Lt. Mitchell S. 108/22/1944- 42-104105, POW.
All for now
Alex

[RSwank]

I have competed working through the 82nd FG list. I started by pulling all 82nd FG MIAs listed as from the abmc website. (Done by Squadron including the Headquarters Squadron).

There are NO MACRs on fold3 for the following two men:

Coulson, Eldon E O-715478: but on Aviation Archaeology he is listed with plane 43-28662, MACR 9696 and loss date of 1944-11-7. His FOD date per the abmc is 1945-11-8.

Brewer Philip O-715462: but on Aviation Archaeology he is listed with plane 44-24035, MACR 9694 and loss date of 1944-11-7. His FOD date is give as the date of death 1944-11-7.

I may decide to pay the fee to order the above MACRs. but neither serial number is in our “suspected” range.


For Bortner, Robert W there is no MACR and no info on Aviation Archaeology. The 82nd Website
here: http://raf-112-squadron.org/82ndfghonor_roll.html
has him in plane 42-68007 and and a loss date of 1944-3-13. His FOD date per the abmc website is 1945-3-13 .
http://abmc.gov/node/547209#.V7Gy21QrJ1Y

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=56306732


http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=22483987


For the following two men there is no additional info other then what is mentioned in posts 66 and 67 above.

Anderson, Ernest L. FOD date of 1945-4-22 and probably? also death date. No MACR and nothing on Aviation Archaeology. He is listed on the 82nd website but with no other info.
http://abmc.gov/node/529196#.V7G4A1QrJ1Y

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=56362112


Graham, Carl G. FOD date of 1945-2-17 and probably? also death date. No MACR and nothing on Aviation Archaeology. He is listed on the 82nd website but with no other info.
http://abmc.gov/node/529749#.V7G4QFQrJ1Y

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=56363840

[Alex Smart]

Hello Roland,
Well I found that I could not download the whole thing but could do it a state by State.
Result -
Yugoslavia
Lindberg, Donald I. 1Lt. O- 770328 - 27FS/1FG. MACR. 9074 - 43-28630
Coulson, Eldon E. 2Lt. O- 715478 - 95FS/82FG. MACR 9696( I do have it) - 43-28662 .
Follett, John R. 1Lt. O- 762304 - 27FS/1FG. MACR 9970. - 44-24444.
Valley, Day R. 1Lt. O-739368 - 71FS/1FG. MACR 3700 - 42-67070.
Steffani, Edward. 2Lt. O-708161 - 71FS/1FG. MACR 9892 - 44-24429
Brewer, Phillip . 2Lt. O-715462 95FS/82FG. MACR 9694 - 44-24035.
Coulson and Brewer were seen to have been s/d by Yak-9's it seems( In a now forgotten sky).
Then this man
Crawford, Robert W. 1Lt. O-579877 - ÀAFHQ(Med). 5/25/1944.
Alex