Loss record

MACR 6955: 42-102429

840th15 July 1944flak

Aircraft: 42-102429 (B-17G)
Mission: mission 50, 15 July 1944
Target: Ploesti, Romania oil refinery
Record: Missing Air Crew Report
Sources: National Archives Catalog, NAID 91022273 (7 pages) · Association aircraft page

Flags. only 5 crew names read from OCR; see page images

Crew, as read from the report

Position	Name	Rank	Serial
Engineer	Navarro, Charles P.	Sgt	19163057
Asst Engineer	Stewart, Leolass C. Cpl		39567415
Asst Radio Oper.	Watkins, Robert I.	T/Sgt	15098296
Gunner	Barton, Stephen H.		31126614
Asst Armorer Gunn	VanDeren, Alfred L. Jr.		18162968

Names and serials are the machine's reading of the typed form; a linked name is the man's record.

Statements, questionnaires and capture reports

Eyewitness statement, page 3 · 15 July 1944

1955
C
I
in
5. Engineer
Navarro, Charles P. /I/Sgt 19163057 Mary Novarro, wife,
606 E. Munroe St.,
Phoenix, Arizona.
6. Asst Engineer
Stewart, Leolass C. Cpl 39567415 Mrs. Doris Stewart,
wife, 811 Olympic Blvd,
Montebello, Calif.
7. Radio Operator
Fletcher, Bernard B.
I/Sgt
3746975
Clara M. Fletcher,
9
mother, 922 W 4th St.,
Grand Island, Nebraska.
8. Asst Radio Oper.
Watkins, Robert I.
T/Sgt 15098296
Thelma Watkins, mother,
RFD #1, Adrian, Mich.
9. Arnorer Gunner
Barton, Stephen H.
s/sst 31126614
Edward B. Barton, fathery
269 Lincoln Ave.,
Amherst, Massachusetts.
10. Asst Armorer Gunn. VanDeren, Alfred L. Jr. s/sgt 18162968 Vera Pauline VanDeren,
mother, 3501 McFaulin
Blvd, Dallas 5 Texas.
11. IDENTIFY BELOW THOSE PERSONS WHO ARE DELIEVED TO HAVE LAST KNO-VLEDGE or AIR-
CRAFT AND CHECK APPROPRIATE (cnly one) COLULN TO INDICATE BASIS FOR SAME:
Contacted Last
Saw
NALE IN FULL
RANK
SERIAL NO. by Radio Sighted Crash Forced Landing
1. Jack H. Leatherman 2nd Lt. 0807466
2. Louis E. Guerrina lst Lt. 0436450
X
3. Peter E. Mendoza
T/Sgt. 39265653
12. IF PERSONNEL ARE believed TO HAVE SURVIVED, CHECK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
( ) Parachutes were used ( ) Persons seen walking away from scene of crash
() Any other reason (specify)
Unknown.
13. ATTACHI, AS IN INCLOSURE TO THIS REPORT, EITHER AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH, MAP, CHART,
OR SKETCH, SHOWING APPROXIMATE LOCATION WHERE WAS LAST SEEN.
14. ATTACH, AS INCLOSURES TO THIS REPORT, EYEWITNESS DESCRIPTIONS OF CRASH,
FORCED LANDING, OR OTHER CIRCURISTANCES PERTAINING TO MISSING AIRCRAFT. Attached.
15. ATTACH, AS AN INCLOSURE TO THIS REPORT, A DESCRIPTION OF THE EXTENT OF
SEARCH, IF ANY, AND GIVE NAME, RANK, AND SERIAL NUMBER OF OFFICER IN
CHARGE HERE: (If no search, so state giving reason) Air Sea Rescue conducted
search but to no avail.
DATE OF THIS REPORT: 17 July 1944.
WLL Shin
W. L. LINN,
Kajor, Air Corps,
4
Incls:
Operations Officer.
Incl 1 - Overlay
Incl 2 - Statement of Lt. Leathernan
Incl 3 - Statement of Lt. Guerrina
Incl 4 - Statement of T/Srt. Mendoza
n
- 2 -
32

National Archives, MACR 6955, page 3 · Machine-read from microfilm, uncorrected.

Eyewitness statement, page 4 · 15 July 1944

CONFIDENTIAL
6955
34011 (:)
Of.ice of the Operations Officor
APO 520
16 Jul: 19h4
Lt. Vlahov en lost the 12 ongino :lo. the et
aros. dowever, to seemed CO have no other di bight
formation.
then It. K no follo 02 it at least ant
or bie Then U. niva cloud Vic otartol to
clinb and 10 had of who 1,,aw st. sau a -17 flying
a course para el to ours. le was lower then we were and to 01 I'i tht.
We continued cli joing and - lost si tht
About live mimutes altor we it the Adriatic the broke. No were
abont 21,000 it an onco agai.1 - sa. all irolane vor low and to oul right.
carmot postudvel; licetts It as a -17. 3 lost sight of that plano
after a while.
Men we were hal itter across the Administer Lt. Scott called and said that an
airolone had iss ditchol, .ediatel scarted 60 do 360° svirals and came
down 60 1500 St. On une cal od All', Gea and ave them our pos- -
ition and all the particulars. During the we spirale down I saw no signis
of any dircraft, dingly or personell in the waser. As we onl: had bliree gool
engines and limited Tuol we finali resundo our course. A short disuance from
the scene of the dischin we sau a PDY or some sort naval aircraft. it was
at
ubo t 2,0 0 Ct. altitude and a beaded 00 be flying a varying course.
Jack Learnard LEAT
JAC
2nd Lt, AC
CO-Pilot (999) )
P)
33

National Archives, MACR 6955, page 4 · Machine-read from microfilm, uncorrected.

Eyewitness statement, page 5 · 15 July 1944

CONFICENTIAL 6955
040th
403rd BOUDARD ENT GROUP (I))
Office of the Operations Officer
APO 520
15 July 1944
OF WITNESS
Airplane No. 42-102429 was one of the five ships in our box. The
ship was apparently device, by ovor the berget, about five minutes later
653
1 noticed that No. 2 Engine was feuthered. The ship, biloted by Lc.
Kilpatrick re ained with the formation for a while and then the ontiro
crew bailed out. About ten minutes bast this point the remoinder of the
box scattered due to clouds that extended approximately 6,000 foet
to 18,000 feet. Our shio climbed through this front antil we reached an
altitude 01 about 21,000 feet. The 1 st timo that I saw 429, the pilot
seemod bo be trying to got undor the overcast.
Louis Generrina
LOUIS E.
lst Lt., Air Corps
34

National Archives, MACR 6955, page 5 · Machine-read from microfilm, uncorrected.

Eyewitness statement, page 6 · 15 July 1944

69555
CONFICENTIAL
84OTH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON (H)
483RD BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H)
APO
520
15 July 1944
STATEMENT OF WITNESS
I saw an unidentified airplane about eight or ten miles to our left,
on our way back to the Italian coast. I saw it hit the water twice and
then disappear. This was about forty three miles from the coast according
to our Navigater.
PETER E. MENDOZA, T/Sgt.
Engineer, Crew 810
CONFIDENTIAL
35

National Archives, MACR 6955, page 6 · Machine-read from microfilm, uncorrected.

Loss sheets and photographs

B-17 42-102429 B-17 G 50 BO · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 B-17 G 50 BO · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 B-17 G 50 BO · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
B-17 42-102429 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
Loss sheet or report scan for B-17 42-102429, mission 50 Ploesti, Romania · 15 July 1944 · view at 15thaf.org
and 9 more on the source pages

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