B-17G 42-39893 615th
11 January 1944 Mission #14 Target: Oschersleben
11 January 44 , 0845 hours , engines are on.
33 planes are off on mission #14 , target today is a aircraft plant in Oschersleben , Germany.
The plane was attacked by enemy fighters.
Just before target the plane of 2nd Lt D.C. Sprecher and crew exploded.
2 Men died during combat and 8 men bailed out and are POW`s
Missing Air Crew Report : 2505
1. Organization : AAF Sta 128.
Command : 8th Air Force.
Group : 401st.
Squadron : 615th.
2. Place of depature : AAF Station 128.
Course : N-East.
Target : Raid on Oschersleben, Germany.
Type of mission: Operational Bombing.
3. Weather conditions when last sighted : visibility good.
4. Last know date : 11 jan 1944
time : 11:40
location : 51° 50' N- 11° East.
5. Aircraft believed to have been lost as a result of : enemy aircrafts
6. Aircraft type : B-17G
serial no. : 42-39893
7. Nickname of aircraft : No nickname.
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 |
Donald Charles Sprecher |
2nd Lt |
0-804752 |
POW |
Copilot |
Zaven Noobar Masoomian |
2nd Lt |
0-687313 |
POW |
Navigator |
Kenneth Newton Tinklepaugh |
2nd Lt |
0-690506 |
POW |
Bombardier |
Glen Albert Weiss |
2nd Lt |
0-747630 |
POW |
Radio Operator |
Robert Eugene Allen |
S/Sgt |
35091629 |
POW |
Engr / Top Turret |
Ole Andersen |
S/Sgt |
39455398 |
POW |
Ball Turret Gunner |
Donald Wesley Smart |
Sgt |
36409240 |
POW |
Tail Gunner |
James Rothwell White |
Sgt |
37130388 |
KIA |
Left Waist Gunner |
Raymond George Vindhurst |
Sgt |
19085085 |
POW |
Right Waist Gunner |
Charles Robert Schmader |
Sgt |
33409014 |
KIA |
13. Person believed to have last knowledge of missing aircraft :
Crew of Fred D. Grinham 1st Lt. 0729337 615th
- Not long before target ( about 11:40 ) aircraft had a fire in No. 4 Engine.
It went along for about 5 minutes with this fire and then opened bomb by doors.
Fire came out of doors and increased as the plane went along.
Two men got out from up forward and opened chutes immediatly.
Then plane left formation and turned to right. It stayed with Wing formation for about 3 minutes.
Then plane started coming apart. (These may have been men , it was hard to tell because of distance)
Ship then exploded.
|
Missing Air Crew Report by Captain Ken W. Dauble.
Mission to Oschersleben, germany, fire in No. 4 Engine, plane left formation and turned to right and exploded
Casualty questionaire
This is the report a crewmember writes after he was back in England
- Your name : DONALD CHARLES SPRECHER.
- Rank : 1st Lt.
- Serial number : 0-804752.
- Mission : Oschersleben.
- Target : FW 190 factory.
- Target time : 12:05 PM.
- Altitude : 23.500 Ft.
- Where were you when you left formation : On bomb run.
- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes - 8 of crew bailed out.
- Tell all you know ? : Radio - Left waist and Ball Turret gunners bailed from rear of ship.
Bombardier - navigator - co-pilot left from bombardiers escape hatch.
- When did you last see any members : Saw other seven crew members after capture. Bombardiers left hand
badly shot up. Others in fair condition.
Also saw all crew members on route back to States after being freed.
|
- Your name : KENNETH NEWTON TINKLEPAUGH.
- Rank : 2nd Lt.
- Serial number : 0-690506
- Mission : Oschersleben.
- Target : FW Factory.
- Target time : About 11:30 AM.
- Altitude : 20.000 Ft.
- Where were you when you left formation : About twenty miles south of Oschersleben.
- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : The other seven left alive , did.
- Tell all you know ? : Sprecher from waist, Masoomian from navigators hatch, myself from navigators hatch.
Weiss from navigators hatch , Andersen from navigators hatch,
Allen , Smart and Vindhurst from waist window.
|
- Your name : ZAVEN NOOBAR MASOOMIAN.
- Rank : 2nd LT.
- Serial number : 0-687313.
- Mission : Oschersleben.
- Target time : 12:00.
- Altitude : 27.000 Ft.
- Where were you when you left formation : On the bomb run.
- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes , Eight in all.
- Tell all you know ? : We all bailed out within a few seconds of each other.
Dont remember the others.
- When did you last see any members : They were all well and were last seen by the Pilot in Le Havre
waiting to be sent home.
|
- Your name : OLE ANDERSEN.
- Rank : S/Sgt.
- Serial number : 39455398.
- Mission : Bombing.
- Target : Oschersleben.
- Target time : 11:30 AM.
- Altitude : 24.000 Ft.
- Where were you when you left formation : Halle , Germany.
- Did you bail out : Yes.
- Did other members bail out : Yes.
- Tell all you know : No knowledge.
- When did you last see any members : About a week later at Dulag Luft Frankfurt, Germany.
All were in pretty good shape.
Masoomian,Tinkelpaugh,Weiss,Sprecher,Allen,Smart,Vindhurst.
Weiss lost one or two fingers, Allen had flak in leg.
|
Donald Sprecher |
Illinois |
1919 - |
POW |
|
Stalag Luft 1 South |
Zaven Masoomian |
Massachusett |
1921 - |
POW |
|
Stalag Luft 1 South |
Kenneth Tinklepaugh |
New Mexico |
1917 - |
POW |
|
Stalag Luft 1 south |
Glen Weiss |
South Dakota |
1916 - |
POW |
|
Stalag Luft 1 South |
Robert Allen |
Indiana |
1922 - |
POW |
|
Stalag 4 |
Ole Andersen |
Washington |
1913 - |
POW |
|
Stalag 4 |
Donald Smart |
Michigan |
1922 - |
POW |
|
Stalag Luft 4 |
Raymond Vindhurst |
California |
1917 - |
POW |
|
Stalag Luft 4 |
James Rothwell White |
Missouri |
1924 - 1944 |
KIA |
OAK |
|
Charles Robert Schmader |
Pennsylvania |
1921 - 1944 |
KIA |
MC |
|
OAK = Oakland , Missouri, USA MC = st mary Crown, Clarion County
|
If you have questions, remarks or information , please feel free to Email me
or leave a message in my guestbook