MACR 3939

B-17G " Fool's Luck III " 42-31511 612th

10 April 1944 Mission # 48 Target: Brussels , Belgium

                  April 10, 1944 , 06:00 engines are on , 21 aircraft were airborne by 06:55
                  target today is an airfield in Brussels, Belgium.

                  After some formation difficulties the Group was shortly reformed and bombed in good formation with good results.
                  The aircraft piloted by Lt. Gaston M. Fox (42-31511) went down in the English Channel but the wind blew them back
                  to the French coast, where the crew were taken prisoner.

Missing Air Crew Report : 3939

1.    Organization : AAF Sta 128.


       Command : 8th Air Force.
       Group : 401st.
       Squadron : 612th.

2.    Place of depature : AAF Station 128.
       Course :East.
       Target : Brussels.
       Type of mission: Operational Bombing.

3.    Weather conditions when last sighted : Clear.

4.    Last know date : 10 April 1944
       time : 08:50
       location : Enemy coast near Dunkirk, France.

5.    Aircraft believed to have been lost as a result of : Enemy anti-aircraft

6.    Aircraft type : B-17G
       serial no. : 42-31511

7.    Nickname of aircraft : Fool's Luck III

8.    Engines : R-1820-97.

10.  Persons listed below listed as : Battle Casualties.

11.  Persons on board : Crew : 10.

12.  List crew position , name , rank , serial no. and current status :

Pilot Gaston Meredith Fox 1st Lt 0-802737 POW

Copilot Francis Warren Hoad 2nd Lt 0-685332 POW

Navigator Darrel Dean Wilson 1st Lt 0-750174 POW

Bombardier Leonhard Jack Mendelson 1st Lt 0-749917 POW

Radio Operator Duane Gibbons Brandt T/Sgt 39193489 KIA

Engr / Top Turret Allen Doyle Brown T/Sgt 38294097 KIA

Ball Turret Gunner Donald William Van Booven S/Sgt 37232922 POW

Tail Gunner Cecil Clint Estess S/Sgt 34425600 KIA

Left Waist Gunner Joseph Gallas S/Sgt 33394658 KIA

Right Waist Gunner Charles Paul Sierra S/Sgt 12155142 POW

13.  Person believed to have last knowledge of missing aircraft :

Stephen J. Lozinski          2nd Lt      0-803236       615 th
John B. Norris                    S/Sgt.      14093939       612 th
Roy G. Sanders                  S/Sgt.      37499328       613 th

-    After being hit by flak , A/C peeled off to left with no. 2 Engine smoking badly ,
      lost altitude , and headed North along coast.
      A/C was under control , left wing was evidently hit and six to eight spoutns of gas were coming from the tank.

Mission to Brussels, Belgium, after being hit by flak, the plane went down in the English Channel
but the wind blew them back to the French coast, where the crew were taken prisoner.

Will be continued soon

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