1st lt. albert w. pines; 324 fg / 315 fs

[Laurent Rizzotti]

As far as I know, there was no MACR for him. I can't find him on findagrave or the ABMC database, or the USAAF personnal database.

http://raf-112-squadron.org/324thfghonor_roll.html has him dying on 21 February 1945.

The book "Brennendes Land" by Fred Trendle has the following, at the date of 2 February 1945:
_ original German text: "Die 324th Fighter Group greift erneut Bahnziel im Schwarzwald an. Beim Angriff auf den Bahnhof Hausach, schiesst die Heimat-Flakbatterie 46/VII die Thunderbolt von Lieutenant Albert W. Pines ab. Pines stürzt mit seine P-47 tödlich getroffen auf dem Sportplatz in Hausach ab."
_ my translation: "The 324th Fighter Group again attacked railway targets in the Black Forest. During the attack on the Hausach station, Heimat-Flakbatterie 46/VII shot down the Thunderbolt of Lieutenant Albert W. Pines. Pines crashed to his death with his P-47 on the sports field in Hausach."

The book will usually give serial numbers for aircraft shot down, so the serial of Pines' P-47 was probably not available to the author.

Why there is no MACR for Pines is a mistery to me, as Hausach was only taken (by French troops) in April 1945, two months later.

There is a chronicle of Hausach available online. No entry for 2 February 1945, but a Jabo attack on 28 february is described. The entry on 23 December 1944 is about the Flak defences, and one gunner says his battery claimed 9 victories defending Hausach. See https://www.hausach-chronik-online.d...s-flakhelfers/

On this site, I found at https://www.hausach-chronik-online.d...erinnert-sich/ a confirmation of the death of an US pilot in Hausach on 2 February 1945:
"Am 2. Februar wurde von der um Hausach in Stellung gegangenen Flak ein amerikanisches Flugzeug abgeschossen, wobei ein Leutnant als Pilot den Tod fand. Ein Propellerflügel wurde im Mannesmann-Gelände aufgefunden."

Edited: in the link below, you will find a contact for someone presenting himself as the historian for the 324th FG. Maybe you can contact him.
https://gregsmodels.wordpress.com/20...hter-squadron/

[ghostwriter]

laurent,

thank you very much ...
there are interesting approaches that can be used for further research!?

greetings
ghostwriter