Casualty Report from March 21, 1945
Detail
MACR: 13572
Target: Ruhland, Grmany
Base: Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk, England
Crash: Lost engine to mechanical failure 15 minutes prior to the target. The aircraft lagged behind the formation as was attacked by several Me-262's. The uncontrollable fire in the nose section and with the loss of an engine the pilot issued the bail out order. Lt. Painter and five others bailed out, it has always been assumed the remaining three were killed in the air. (See Crew Notes for more informatin)
Squadron: 350th BS - 100th BG(H)
Aircraft
Aircraft #: 44-8613
Aircraft Type: B-17G
Aircraft Name: Aircraft name N/A
Aircraft Code: LN-?
Pilot: 2Lt Bernard L. Painter | O-926812
POS: P
Status: POW
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
Copilot: 2Lt Charles W. Higginbotham | O-929352
POS: CP
Status: KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: Final Internment - USA
NAV: F/O Daniel Martin | T134724
POS: NAV
Status: KIA
State: New York
Notes: Final Internment - Ardennes A-44-28
BOM: SSgt Herbert Singer | 32873869
POS: BOM
Status: KIA
State: New York
Notes: Final Internment - Ardennes A-17-12
ROG: SSgt Arthur B. MacNeil | 33745629
POS: ROG
Status: KIA
State: Virginia
Notes: Final Internment - Arlington National Cemetery - USA
TTE: SSgt Virgil S. Downing | 34614808
POS: TTE
Status: KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: Final Internment - USA
BTG: Sgt Wallace R. Matzdorf | 36842280
POS: BTG
Status: KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
RWG: Sgt Emil E. Havelka | 68561388
POS: RWG
Status: KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: Final Internment - USA
LWG: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | 00000000
POS: LWG
Status: MIA/KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
TG: Sgt Donald A. Becker | 15400756
POS: TG
Status: KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
EX1: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: N/A
Status: N/A
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
EX2: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: N/A
Status: N/A
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
Crew Notes
After the war Lt. Painter reported that the survivors had been executed. (Source: Interrogation Officer at Weimar.) The fact that five crewmembers could not be identified by the Germans lends weight to his statement. There are few, if any, cases where parachutists coming down on the land, found immediately, were not identified. The only other possible scenario would be that they failed to bail out and crashed with the plane. More likely they were killed by civilians before the military could intervene. The TTE, BTG, WG, and TG received a Group Burial, Section I/8 in the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky. (paul west)
Report Notes
Notes on this report N/A
