B-24 crash in Morocco, 1st March 1943

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello,

I am researching the loss of a B-24 of 59th Ferry Squadron, 4th Ferry Group in the Atlas Mountains, French Morrocco, on 1st March 1943 with the loss of six airmen aboard. All sources I have give the serial as 41-24021. According to findagrave.com, five of the six airmen belonged to the 67th Bomber Squadron, 44th Bomber Group, Heavy.

Problems:
1) the five men above don't appear in the roll of honor for 44th BG.
2) in this honor roll, there is a loss for 67th BS, 44th BG on 16 August 1943 for an aircraft 42-41021, but some sources (for example MAW4) say it was 41-24021.

So I wonder if a some time there was not a confusion.

PS: there is a MACR (15295, so filled after the war), but it has only two pages on fold3, one header page with number and one page with the crew list and their next of kin data. The crew are al buried in a collective grave in Chattanooga National Cemetery, Tennessee, USA.

I woudl like to confirm that the airmen who died on 1st March 1943 belonged to 44th BG. At that time the unit was still based in England, having not moved to North Africa, but the plane might have been ferried through South Atlantic, Morocco, then England, but I don't know if this route was already used in March 1943.

[RSwank]

These stories seems to imply the pilot, Charles R Clow was in ferry command.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7237...emocrat-times/


https://www.newspapers.com/image/23949682/

The Accident Report for the crash, shows the plane was with the 4th Ferry Group, 59th Ferry Squadron and gives the number as 41-24021.
https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/...y/Mar1943O.htm

The accident report is available for a fee. ;-)

Knipling (in Ferrry Command) is mentioned in a news story here, in a story about a different crash "Greenfield Pilot Killed":

https://www.newspapers.com/image/89513464/

Ray E Bailey: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7238...a-daily-times/



ASN First Name Last Name Rank State Day Mth Year Details
O-794744 Ray E Bailey 2L GA 1 3 1943 B-24 # 41-24021
13024809 Charles O Bantz TS MD 1 3 1943 B-24 # 41-24021
O1699343 Charles R Clow Capt MS 1 3 1943 B-24 # 41-24021
O-443082 Herman Cohen 1L TX 1 3 1943 B-24 # 41-24021
13038339 Henry W Knipling SS PA 1 3 1943 B-24 # 41-24021
O-501856 Charles S Pitcher 2L FL 1 3 1943 B-24 # 41-24021