MACR PILOT: 1Lt Arthur R. Calder O-812544
MACR #: 13718
Fiche #: 05011
Organization
Location: AAF Station #139
Group: 100th Bomb Gp (H) AAF
Squadron: 418th BS
Command: VIII AF
Detachment:
Detail
Departure/Base: AAF Station #139
Initial Course: SE
Intended Destination: Ruhland
Mission Type: Operational
Weather
Weather: CAVU
Give
Date: April 7, 1945
Time: 13:02
Location:
Specify: 5243N - 0945E
Confirmed or believed reason for loss
Loss due to: Enemy aircraft
Other reason for loss:
Engines
Model: R-1820-97
A: SW-014490
B: SW-008707
C: SW-013172
D: 41-41285
Weapons
A: 949596
B: 948706
C: Missing
D: 632822
E: 658622
F: 638785
G: 638010
H: 358770
I: 949922
J: 398048
L: 925912
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 | Arthur R. Calder | 1Lt | O-812544 |
| CP | Kenneth R. Carr | 2Lt | O-761218 |
| NAV (N) | William J. Burbach | F/O | T-131804 |
| BOM (B) | Victor Hoffman | F/O | T-5754 |
| RAD | Joseph C. Haller | SSgt | 33324324 |
| ENG | Leonard Piepgras | TSgt | 37550919 |
| BAL | Carl J. Donnell | Sgt | 38516351 |
| WG (W) | Dwayne H. Cary | Sgt | 37534772 |
| WG (W) | |||
| TG (T) | Leon E. Briggs | Sgt | 38588185 |
Persons who are believed to have last knowledge of aircraft
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| Name | Knowledge | Rank | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl E. Hellerich | Last sighted | 1Lt | O-778803 |
| Donald J. Wallish | Last sighted | 1Lt | O-028681 |
Personnel who are believed to have survived
Reason:
Other:
Eyewitness description of crash
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| Last Name | First name | Report |
|---|---|---|
| EYEWITNESS: (On 7 April 1945) " ME - 109 attacked aircraft #071 from six o'clock high and shot the left wing completely away from the fuselage. The ME - 109 (sic FW-190) collided with the severed wing and both the wing and enemy fighter exploded. The remainder of #071 spun down flaming to explode either just before impact or immediately there after. Approximately seven (7) chutes - all white- were counted in the area." | ||
| No Data | (The reference to the color white denotes USAAF airmen, the German chutes were a dirty brown color. It was not possible to positively determine the seven (7) chutes came from aircraft # 42-97071." Note: This crew has always thought to have been involved in a mid-air collision with a FW-190, this may not be technically correct - in any case there were no survivors and the chutes reported were not from 42-97071. 418th Sqdn. A/C # 42-97071 (MACR #13718, Microfiche #5011) Crew joined 100th Gp on 24 Dec 44. On their first mission they were forced to bail out over Belgium (10 Jan 45) 7 Apr 45 Kenneth R. Carr (KIA) from the crew of J. L. Wofford was flying as CP. Leonard Piepgras was flying as TTE in place of Pitarra and was KIA. Sgt Dwayne E. Cary was aboard in the place of J. J. Whipple and was KIA. The dead are buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium with the exception of Hoffman, buried in a private cemetary in New York and Piepgras is buried in a private cemetery in Minnesota. |
Description of search effort
Detail: No search made.
Preparing Officer
Prepared by: WALTER G. BURKE 1st Lt. Air Corps Assistant Adjutant
Date prepared: April 12, 1944
