MACR PILOT: 1Lt Glenn H. Rojohn O-819322
MACR #: 11550
Fiche #: 04246
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: 5430N 0800E
Specify: Last Sighted
Confirmed or believed reason for loss
Loss due to: Other circumstances
Other reason for loss: Aircraft lost due to collision (Piggy Back Incident)
Engines
Model: R-1820-97
A: 43-57907
B: 42-??517
C: ???
D: SW-007196
Weapons
A: 069300
B: 727324
C: 587216
D: 727147
E: 727081
F: 727423
G: 727757
H: 725857
I: 6463688
J: 643574
L: 727754
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 | Glenn H. Rojohn | 1Lt | O-819322 |
| CP | William G. Leek | 2Lt | O-767335 |
| NAV (N) | Robert Washington | 2Lt | O-769234 |
| BOM (B) | James R. Shirley | Sgt | 34645311 |
| RAD | Edward G. Neuhaus | TSgt | 35547171 |
| ENG | Orville E. Elkin | TSgt | 38390860 |
| BAL | Joseph Russo | SSgt | 16135410 |
| WG (W) | Roy H. Little | SSgt | 16134359 |
| WG (W) | |||
| TG (T) | Francis R. Chase | SSgt | 31326812 |
Persons who are believed to have last knowledge of aircraft
Use your thumb to scroll through the results box below.
| Name | Knowledge | Rank | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|
| David C. Railford | Saw crash | 1Lt | O-798029 |
Personnel who are believed to have survived
Reason: Parachutes were used
Other:
Eyewitness description of crash
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| Last Name | First name | Report |
|---|---|---|
| At 1250 hours, 19,000 feet two B-17's believed to be A/C 43-38457 and 42-31987 XR-A pancaked together, circled and crashed still attached to each other. Six chutes were seen before the A/C landed, most of them believed to have fallen on land. There was no fire from the A/C either in the air or on the ground although there was some smoke. (Lt. David C. Railford) | ||
| No Data | LT GLENN ROJOHN; PIGGY BACK LANDING AFTER THE 31 DEC 1944 HAMBURG MISSION. COLLISION WITH LT MacNAB WHILE BOTH WERE ATTEMPTING TO FILL THE SLOT IN THE FORMATION CAUSED BY THE LOSS OF LT WEBSTER. ACCOUNT GIVEN IN "CENTURY BOMBER" FOLLOWS: AT 1244 HOURS AND AFTER LEAVING THE ENEMY COAST, NAVIGATOR DANNY SHAFFER, WHO FLEW WITH THOMAS HUGHES, NOTED IN HIS LOG: "TWO 17'S HOOKED TOGETHER, 43-31987, PILOTED BY GLENN ROJOHN, HAVING CLOSED UP INTO THE SPACE LEFT BY THE LOSS OF LT WEBSTER. UNFORTUNATELY B-17 43-38457, PILOTED BY WILLIAM MacNAB, HAD RISEN SLOWLY FROM BELOW TO FILL THE SAME POSITION.." ANOTHER PILOT, ETHAN PORTER, WHO IS LISTED AS HAVING NO KNOWN ADDRESS BY THE VA(1992), IMMEDIATELY SHOUTED A WARNING VIA RADIO, THE TWO FORTRESSES COLLIDED AND LOCKED TOGETHER, CONTINUED FLYING PIGGY-BACK OVER THE SEA.' FINDING THE ELEVATORS AND AILERONS STILL WORKING, ROJOHN AND HIS CO-PILOT WILLIAM LEEK, 'CUT THIER ENGINES, AND BY USING THE ENGINES OF THE LOWER AIRCRAFT, THREE OF WHICH WERE STILL RUNNING, SLOWLY TURNED THE TWO AIRCRAFT TOWARD LAND. FOUR OF THE CREW BAILED OUT ON ORDERS AND ROJOHN DECENDED TO RECROSS THE ENEMY COAST AT 10,000 FEET. ON LANDING NEAR WILHELMSHAVEN THE TOP SHIP (43-31987) SLID OFF MacNAB'S 43-38457 WHICH EXPLODED. BARELY HURT ROJOHN AND LEEK WALKED AWAY FROM THE WRECKAGE OF 43-31987 AND INTO CAPTIVITY. AS FOR THE MEN WHO BAILED OUT, THE ROG EDWARD NEUHAUS CAME DOWN ON AN ISLAND; TTE ORVILLE ELKIN CAME DOWN IN THE WATER TEN MILES OFF SHORE AND WAS DRAGGED TO THE SHORE BY HIS CHUTE. REPLACEMENTS NAVIGATOR ROBERT WASHINGTON AND GUNNER JAMES SHRILEY LANDED ON THE COAST. ALL SURVIVORS WERE TAKEN PRISONER. NOTHING WAS FOUND OF BTG JOSEPH RUSSO AND WG FRANCIS CHASE. |
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
