Fate of USAAF bomber/fighter crews sought

[Dénes Bernád]

I am looking for the fate of the following USAAF bomber/fighter crews, lost in 1944 over the Balkans (only the number of KIA, MIA, POW, or escaped needed):

Date of loss Type S/N BG/BS MACR Notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.05.1944 B-17G 42-106991 99/347 5066
18.05.1944 B-24H 42-52253 455/743 4843 Note: pilot Clarence A. Davis?
22.07.1944 B-24H 41-29362 461/764 6853 Note: crashed in Rumania?
17.08.1944 B-24G 42-78229 484/827 7682
26.08.1944 P-38J 43-28795 82/97 N/A Note: pilot Lt. Melvin L. Fernow

Thanks, in advance.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

42-106991: 8 KIA, 2 POW, 1 EVD
There is a long article on this bomber at https://www.99bombgroup.org/newslett...r-Dec-2012.pdf
To see the 8 KIA: http://www.usaafdata.com/search, type the serial number in Details before launching the search

42-52253: 10 POW, according to http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...t=47459&page=2

41-29362: 1 KIA, 10 POW
The MACR is available online at http://www.461st.org/Aircraft/Origin...ACR%206853.pdf. It clearly says one crew member died while bailing out and the other landed safely in Rumania, so should have been captured, but nothing on the MACR for this.
All ten survivores are listed as POW on the page http://www.461st.org/Kriegsgefangene...gefangenen.htm

42-78229: 10 POW
Crew list available at http://www.484th.org/Missions/images.../440817.11.jpg
For the cases above, I searched sources available for free, but for this one the MACR on fold3 was the only place I could find the fate of the crew, at https://www.fold3.com/image/29407365

43-28795: pilot survived, crash in Allied territory
Plane destroyed during forced landing, Manfredonia, Italy, according to http://raf-112-squadron.org/82ndfghonor_roll.html
Same data at https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/...y/Aug1944O.htm (probable source of the above, to be honest)
Fernow died on 22 September 1944 in a mission over Germany (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...elvin-l-fernow, http://raf-112-squadron.org/82ndfghonor_roll.html)

[Dénes Bernád]

Thank you, Laurent, for the details. This is exactly what I was looking for.

[Dénes Bernád]

I have one more case, where certain details are lacking:
I am interested in what happened to B-17G, S/N 42-31622, 97th BG, 414th BS, during the mission to Rumania on 23.06.1944. I have 2 x POW, but don't know if it returned to its base, or crashed, and if yes, where.
Interestingly, S/N 42-31622 is listed as assigned to cargo transport from 9
Oct. 1944, salvaged on 30 May 1945.
Perhaps MACR 6374 can shed light to the question: https://www.fold3.com/image/28989268?terms=42%5C-31622

[Frank Olynyk]

Dénes,
MACR 6374 says it was an accidental bailout; two crew POW, the other 8 remained with the aircraft and returned safely to base. Time of bailout was 1113, at 43-10N, 22-08E. Pilot was 1st Lt Jack DeHaas. POWs were T/Sgt George W Fanning (radio operator/gunner) and S/Sgt Henry E Fretwell, Jr (left waist gunner).

Enjoy!

Frank.

[Dénes Bernád]

Thanks, Frank, for the prompt answer. Case clear now.

However, I have another similar case: on 26 Aug. 1944, B-24H, S/N 42-52635, of 484th BG, 825th BS, pilot 2nd Lt. Wallace LeMay, reported 4 x POW (MACR 7955). However, the bomber returned to base in Italy. It was lost on 7 Febr. 1945 in Hungary.
Why did the four crewmembers bail out?

[Frank Olynyk]

Dénes,
MACR says one hour before target #3 turbo went out; ten minutes later #1 turbo also went out. Power increased to keep up with formation. Five minutes later top turret gunner reported flames from #3 engine. Repeated calls to flight engineer got no response. Navigator went back and found both waist gunners, ball turret and tail gunners missing (Waist gunners were engineer and radio operator). Position 43-54N, 24-38E.

Enjoy!

Frank.

[Dénes Bernád]

Thanks, again, Frank, for the quick reply at such an early time in the USA.

A final question (posted in another thread) is about the name of the pilot of B-24H, 42-52253, lost on 18.05.1944. MACR 4843: https://www.fold3.com/document/28636501/

[Frank Olynyk]

1st Lt Ernest Francis Turner (POW) pilot of 42-52253.

Enjoy!

Frank.

[Dénes Bernád]

That's it! Thanks, Frank.

What is officially given as the cause of the bomber's demise?