US cargo aircraft shot down January 1944

[Brian]

Hi guys

Only one way to sort this out!

Can anyone provide me the MACR numbers for 41-37274 (lost 25/3/44) and 42-72346 (lost 23/3/45), please? I can't seem to locate these either!

Cheers
Brian

[Brian]

Hi guys

Further to my enquiries (excuse my ignorance) but could these two C-54s have been Air Transport Command aircraft? If so, did they come under the command of USAF? If not, could this be why no MACR references can be found? I believe the pilot of 41-37274 was Charles Gerber. Was he USAF?

Could the 23 March 1945 - the friendly fire shooting down of 42-72346 - have occurred in the Pacific? Possibly even by HMS 'Striker's' aircraft?

Hopefully someone will have the answers!

Cheers
Brian

[Leendert]

Brian,

The pilot of the 25 March 1944 erroneous shoot down (C-54, 41-37274) was Charles S. Garber.

As you can see on following link http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/WWII_MIA/OTH_M_G.HTM he was a civilian and is still listed as missing.

The C-54 operated with AT or Air Transport Command according aviationarchaeology.com.

Will look if I can find something more on 42-72346 and its w/o on 23 March 1945 (info Joe Baugher's website).

Regards,

Leendert

[Brian]

Thanks Leendert

Were all Air Transport Command aircrew civilian?

Cheers
Brian

[Leendert]

Brian,

I received word that C-54 42-72346 and 42-72368 were both assigned to transport units in the Pacific in November 1944 and that both were condemned there on 23 March 1945 for unspecified reasons.

So far I think that when HMS Striker is involved, only the shoot down of 41-37274 off the Azores on 25 March 1944 holds.

Regards,

Leendert

PS ATC must have had a mix of civilian and military pilots.

Hi,

I have a copy of a newspaper clipping from a Washington, DC newspaper detailing the date and crew members lost on the C-54 shot down by RN fighters. I have spent two days digging through my boxes trying to locate it. Will get back to you by Monday with the clipping.

Where are the ship's log for the HMS Striker kept? Surely they will detail if any accidental events occurred on the dates appearing in this thread?

Norman Malayney

[Brian]

Hi Norman

Thanks - I look forward to that.

If its survived, 'Striker's' log should be available at Kew, so I believe. Something to search during my next visit.

Cheers
Brian

[Six Nifty .50s]

A March 1944 date seems likely for the transport in question. The C-54 was downed when Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier was touring 8th Air Force bases with a specially equipped P-38, retrofitted with anti-compressibility flaps.

The Lightning combat groups were supposed to get the same modification to their planes, but the 200 sets of dive flaps were lost with the crashed C-54. One source says the C-54 was misidentified as a FW-200 and shot down by the RAF. Possibly there is more information in the biographies of LeVier or Kelly Johnson.

[Brian]

Thanks Six Nifty - I trust you are keeping well. Long time, no hear!

I don't have access to the biographies of LeVier or Kelly Johnson. Any chance you might check these for any information?

Cheers
Brian

[Franek Grabowski]

Now the question, if Republic or North American were involved into this accident.
Brian, have you got my email send a few days ago?