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
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