B-17G " Fancy Nancy III "   42-37856     613th

30 January 1944   Mission #18   Target: Brunswick


                  30 January 44 , 0840 hours , engines are on.
                  26 planes are off on mission #18.
                  Target today is the aircraft plant at Brunswick , Germany.

                  Just before target the plane was hit by a FW 190 , German fighter.
                  5 men survived and were POW's , 5 men died.

Missing Air Crew Report : 2276

1.    Organization : AAF Sta 128.                  
               

       Command : 8th Air Force.
       Group : 401st.
       Squadron : 613th.

2.    Place of depature : AAF Station 128.
       Course : South.
       Target : Brunswick , Germany.
       Type of mission: Operational Bombing.

3.    Weather conditions when last sighted : 10/10 undercast.

4.    Last know date : 30 Jan 1944
       time : 12:04
       location : Few miles north of Brunswick.

5.    Aircraft believed to have been lost as a result of : Enemy aircrafts.

6.    Aircraft type : B-17G
       serial no. : 42-37856

7.    Engines : R-1820-97.

9.   Persons listed below listed as : Battle Casualties.

10.  Persons on board : Crew : 10.

11.  List crew position , name , rank , serial no. and current status :
Pilot Ronald Roger Rohner 2nd Lt 0-803692 KIA
Copilot Frank Marco Leonard Sr. 2nd Lt 0-687311 POW
Navigator Stanley William Johnson Fleet Off. T-61292 KIA
Bombardier Emil Smetana 2nd Lt 0-688496 KIA
Radio Operator John Phillip Morreale S/Sgt 36631508 KIA
Engr / Top Turret Ray Lawrence Surowski S/Sgt 13128780 POW
Ball Turret Gunner Kenneth Gerard Dickerson Sgt 31188990 KIA
Tail Gunner Harold Francis Cyr Sgt 16095835 POW
Left Waist Gunner Clifford Eugene Barker Sgt 35368934 POW
Right Waist Gunner Lowell Arthur Reif Sgt 16111816 POW
13.  Person believed to have last knowledge of missing aircraft :

Cougar, Carroll A.           2nd Lt.        0-808038
Gardner, Edward T.        2nd Lt.        0-745981
Durben, Francis J.                 Sgt.        17154979

-Aircraft pulled up when hit by FW 190 just before target.
  It turned on its back and went into spin.
  The No. 2 engine was on fire as it was lost in the clouds.




Mission to Brunswick, germany, just before target the plane was hit by a FW 190 , German fighter.


Telegram from Oberursel

                                  30 Jan. 1944 , 21:20 Hrs. to HQ. Air District II, Hamburg , Blankensee.

           Reporting downing of a Boeing B-17 Fortress.
           Markings of aircraft : B , Insignia : SC , Yellow letters. A large grey triangle on fin.
           Capital S in dark blue in triangle, under triangle license number 237856 in yellow couler.
           Under number capital B in light yellow couler.

           By dayfighter on 30 Jan. 1944 , between 1205 and 1210 hrs , at beinrode , 3 km north of koenigslutter.
           Condition of aircraft : 95% crash, scattered around for 3 km.
           Center part with engines completaly destroyed by crash.
           Parts of the fuselage crashed flat on the ground in a distance of about 500 meters.
           Aircraft lost parts in the air already.
           Parts of radio equipment found and secured.

           Equipment and salvage material sent to Dulach Oberursel-West :

            - 3 oxygen masks
            - Remaining parts of an English newspaper
            - 1 code book
            - 1 radio instruction book
            - 3 calibrations maps.

                                                       HQ. Local Air Base Braunschweig - Waggum.




Lt. Ronald R. Rohner Crew

Standing L to R: Ray Surowski, John Morreale, Homer Arbogast, Cliff Barker. Kenneth Dickerson, Lowel Reif.
Kneeling L to R: Stanley Johnson, Emil Smetana, Ronald Rohner, Frank Leonard.

Taken at Redmond Oregon in final days of training.





Casualty questionaire

This is the report a crewmember writes after he was back in England


- Your name : RAY LAWRENCE SUROWSKI.
- Rank : S/Sgt.
- Serial number : 13128780.

- Mission : Brunswick
- Target : Focke Wulf assembly factory.

- Time : 12:20 PM
- Altitude : 23.000 Ft.

- Where were you when you left formation : Upper Turret ( B-17 ).

- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes 4 others : R + L waist gunners , Tail Gunner and Co-Pilot.

- Where did aircraft strike the ground ? : Near Helmstedt , Germany.

- When did you last see any members : Before bailing out , I saw Lt. Rohner (Pilot) and S/Sgt Morreale (radio)
                                                                        alive and well.



- Your name : LOWELL ARTHUR REIF.
- Rank : Sgt.
- Serial number : 16111816.

- Target : Brunswick, Germany.
- Time : 12:30 PM
- Altitude : 23.000.

- Where were you when you left formation : Over Brunswick.

- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes.

- Tell all you know ? : Barker bailed out after me , that is all I know of.

- Where did aircraft strike the ground ? : Unknown.




  
Frank Leonard Sr. New York       1918 - POW   Stalag Luft 1 North 1
Ray Surowski Pennsylvania       1922 - POW   Stalag Luft 4
Harold Cyr Wisconsin       1916 - POW   Stalag Luft 4
Clifford Barker Indiana   POW   Stalag Luft 4
Lowell Reif Michigan       1923 - POW   Stalag Luft 4
Ronald Rohner California       1920 - 1944 KIA NE D - 6 - 6
Stanley Johnson Illinois       1924 - 1944 KIA NE D - 1 - 17
Emil Smetana Michigan       1921 - 1944 KIA NE M - 17 - 16
John Phillip Morreale Illinois       1922 - 1944 KIA    
Kenneth Gerard Dickerson Connecticut       1922 - 1944 KIA NE P - 13 - 13

NE = Margraten , Netherlands

If you have questions, remarks or information , please feel free to Email me
or leave a message in my guestbook

Top