MACR 1650

[JohanSWE]

Hi.

I am looking for clues of correct plane and serial for MACR 1650
41-11905 is a B-24D that served with 5th AAF, 90th BG, 400th BS. Scrapped in 1943-07-23.

But the MACR has listed it as C-87 with the serial 41-11905 and 4 airmen killed.
1943-12-15
I haven't found a correct match yet for the C-87 or serialnumber.

Does anyone know?

[Revi16]

http://joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1941_2.html

Consolidated B-24D-CO Liberator 41-11865/11906
41-11905 lost 12/15/1943, India/China MACR 1650

[Revi16]

While this aircraft is being salvaged, it doesn't look like it "crashed" after leaving its base. And since it's being salvaged, there shouldn't be a MACR for it. The date doesn't necessarily reflect the day it was scrapped.

Perhaps this isn't 41-11905 and/or 41-11905 had been converted to a C-87 like 41-11907 & 41-11908?
http://www.b24bestweb.com/yard_bird.htm

http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/s...1650&Submit=Go

[JohanSWE]

It might be possible that is was converted, i wish there were any source that could confirm that converting though.

[Revi16]

After more review, I would lean towards the photo of the salvaged aircraft being improperly identified.

The original source doesn't list a S/N.
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C17505

https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-sear...ype=Photograph

[RSwank]

On the 90th BG website there is this page where they are searching for photos.

http://www.90thbombgroup.org/photoswanted.htm

They are searching for a photo of "Yard Bird" but they have it listed as 42-40905.

I wonder if possibly the crashed plane in the Best Web photo is 42-40905 "Yard Bird".

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

41-411905 B-24D-CO "Yard Bird" 90BS/400BS. Used as spares and scrapped at Iron Range, Queensland.

AL515 LB-30 "Yard Bird" (Ex- Java, 19BG) DAT Call Sign VHCBN. Crashed Milne Bay, 20/8/42. Strafed and destroyed by Zeros Milne Bay, 27/8/42.

Col.

[JohanSWE]

I got some breakthrough on the C-87 serial number, with the 4 killed airmen.
The airmen listed in MACR 1650, is also listed in MACR 1243 on page 22.
Correct serial number on the C-87 is 41-23905, reported missing 17 December 1943.

Next question is, was B-24D 41-11905 listed in 90th BG or else?

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello, sorry to bump a thread almost two years old, but I have wandered into this issue too and I am wondering what was your conclusion.

What I have:
_ The one-page MACR 1650 with a C-87 serial number 41-11905 and four names (1st Lt Ernest C Grasser (pilot), 2nd Lt Kenneth C Snowden (co-pilot), S/Sgt Ralph H Phillips (radio operator) and Pfc Ernest C Crew (air engineer)). Few details, take off from Jorhat, India, towards Yangkai, China on 15 December 1943.
Note that the aircraft type and serial is on the engine line, while the engine type with no serial is on the aircraft line in the MACR.
There is nothing related to the fate of the crew.
So overall a poorly filled MACR.

_ the USAAF personnel data database (http://www.usaafdata.com/?q=search) list the four same men, adding ASN and state of origin) and link them to C-87 # 41-11905, also on 15 December 1943.

_ but none of these men are listed in the ABMC database, and neither is listed in the findagrave website, or in the WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualty Lists for their states. The former is listing only US war dead buried abroad or missing, and the two latter are including war dead brought home for reburail (findagrave has a high proportion of them).

_ as pointed by JohanSWE above, the four airmen are listed in MACR 1243 on page 22 (with the same ASN as in the personnel data database) with the C-87 42-23905 and the date of 17 December 1943.

_ I found them in the accident list at http://airforcehistoryindex.org/data/000/877/243.xml: "*GASSER, ERNEST C.; SNOWDON, KENNETH S.; PHILLIPS, RALPH H.; CREWS, ERNEST W. (44-12-16-515)", meaning file 515 of 16 December 1943 (and not 1944).

_ and then I found them again on https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/.../Dec1943O.htm:
431216 C-87 41-23095 S 4 IC MIS 5 Gasser, Ernest C CBI

So we have two sources confirming the serial 41-23905, two sources giving the date as 16 December 1943 and all sources agreeing on crew names.

Still the fate of the crew remains a mistery. Are they still missing ? Or were they found ? I wonder if this was not a civilian air crew pressed into AAF service (and so being allocated USAAF ASN) but as civilians they are not listed in the ABMC files or the WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualty Lists.

I have tried to check 1943-1944 newspapers, but with no luck so far.

If someone has the book "The Aluminum Trail: China-Burma-India, World War II, 1942-1945 : how & where They Died", by Chris Quinn, I will be interested to know if this aircraft is listed and what was the crew fate ?

Thanks in advance

[RSwank]

Here is Kenneth S Snowden, who died in 2016:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...sharon-snowden


From his obit:

"He served in the United States Air Corp as a pilot during WWII where he spent 1 year in India flying supplies mostly gasoline and bombs to China over the Himalaya Mountains. He had to bail out in China and was missing in action during Christmas in 1943. His twin brother Harold who was also a pilot in the Navy was also missing in action at the same time. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal and the Chinese Service Medal from the Peoples Republic of China as well as being a member of the Hump Pilots Association."

A little on Earnest C (Monk) Gasser, who died in 1966:

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4069...asser_aged_56/

"During World War II His plane conked out over the Burma jungle. The army declared him officially dead, but 23 days later Gasser and his crew emerged from the jungle on foot."

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4069...he_tennessean/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4069...he_tennessean/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4069...he_tennessean/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4069...hville_banner/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4069...he_tennessean/



https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...eveland-gasser