MACR PILOT: 2Lt Charles C. Webster O-740992
MACR #: 11361
Fiche #: 04181
Organization
Location: AAF Station #139
Group: 100th Bomb Gp (H) AAF
Squadron: 350th BS
Command: VIII AF
Detachment:
Detail
Departure/Base: AAF Station #139
Initial Course: E
Intended Destination: Hamburg
Mission Type: Operational
Weather
Weather: CAVU
Give
Date: December 31, 1944
Time: 11:55
Location: 5340 - 0920E
Specify: Seen to crash
Confirmed or believed reason for loss
Loss due to: Enemy aircraft
Other reason for loss:
Engines
Model: R-1820-97
A: SW-025403
B: SW-013424
C: SW-0211470
D: SW-025613
Weapons
A: 1120783
B: 1220902
C: 1476639
D: 166663
E: 413399
F: .414520
G: 110874
H: 414643
I: 147885
J: 141638
L: 1221161
Persons are listed as
Casualty Type: Battle casualty
Number of persons on board
Crew: 9
Pass: 0
Total: 9
Personnel
Use your thumb to scroll through the results box below.
| Position | Name | Rank | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | |||
| P2 | Charles C. Webster | 2Lt | O-740992 |
| CP | Virgil J. Whitt | 2Lt | O-776167 |
| NAV (N) | John C. Little | 2Lt | O-694568 |
| BOM (B) | Lowell R. Hendrickson | 1Lt | O-676275 |
| RAD | Grant Lakin | SSgt | 39699618 |
| ENG | Morris L. Burkhart | SSgt | 18308701 |
| BAL | Richard H. Meehan | SSgt | 314237291 |
| WG (W) | Sylvester Duke | Sgt | 33768047 |
| WG (W) | |||
| TG (T) | James F. Anthony | Sgt | 14142305 |
Persons who are believed to have last knowledge of aircraft
Use your thumb to scroll through the results box below.
| Name | Knowledge | Rank | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan A. Porter | Saw crash | 1Lt | O-822991 |
Personnel who are believed to have survived
Reason:
Other: Unknown
Eyewitness description of crash
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| Last Name | First name | Report |
|---|---|---|
| A/C 43-38436 was shot up by enemy aircraft. A/C peeled out of the formation to the right and went down in flames; exploded on the ground. (Ethan A. Porter) | ||
| No Data | Letter from Anne Webster to Mike Faley (April 2003): I found a few letters from surviving crew and others, including R. Meehan. You had forwarded an email from his daughter looking for signs of her dad. I am sending on to her two letters of condolence, one from her father and one from her mother, to my mother. I also have letters from Mrs.Whitt, Lt.Little, Mrs.Weaver, Mrs.Lakin, Mrs.Anthony, Lt.Hendrickson, and Mrs. Duke. I would be happy to send those on to their survivors as well. Lt. Hendrickson wrote: We were hit by fighters after we left Hamburg and started home. The first group knocked out our oxygen and one of our engineers, then things happened so fast I can hardly remember. Some of the crew had already left the ship. I started back to see if I could help Chief. By the time I had got to where I could see his feet, the ship went into a spin and the nose and a section of the side tore off, throwing me through the side. The next thing I knew I was floating in space; I pulled my rip cord and my chute opened and I was picked up as soon as I hit the ground." Cpl Meehan wrote: "One of the crewmembers said that just before he bailed out he saw (Lt. Webster) helping Lt. Whitt out of the cockpit." His wife quoted him as saying "they were supposed to meet an escort ...but they were 25 minutes late getting there & there was no one in sight. So Richard was wounded, the first one, & Whitt gave him oxygen and brought him back; Duke and Lakin stood in front of Richard to save him as he had no Flak suit on. They got it and were killed right in front of him & he crawled out on his hands and feet ove rtheir dead bodies to gett o the door. Then it wouldn't open - it was frozen. He wasn't able to walk so he made it to the other side of the ship and then bailed out. The sky was so thick with flak that you couldn't hardly see anything. The Germans met them that day with everything they had. So when he left (Lt. Webster) was in the ship still, getting them all out and Whitt was then shot in the leg and Webster was putting his chute on Wh itt. He said the ship went on fire just when he got out....the way he told it, it was the 13th mission on New Year's Eve, and Webster had a place all hired for a big party for the crew when they got home that night." I hope this information is helpful for your records, and I will let you know if I learn anything more of interest. Thanks for all your help. Anne Webster |
Description of search effort
Detail: No search made.
Preparing Officer
Prepared by: GEORGE D. ALLEN Capt Air Corps Assistant Adjutant
Date prepared: January 6, 1945
