MACR PILOT: Capt Richard A. Carey O-1699495
MACR #: 00117
Fiche #: 00040
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 NE
Intended Destination: Warnemunde
Mission Type: Bombing
Weather
Weather: 10/10 Overcast
Give
Date: July 25, 1943
Time: 16:25
Location: Probably over Kiel
Specify: Information not available
Confirmed or believed reason for loss
Loss due to: Enemy anti-aircraft
Other reason for loss:
Engines
Model:
A: 41-67875
B: 41-55762
C: 41-57829
D: 41-57828
Weapons
A: 372049
B: 372013
C: 372143
D: 371976
E: 371699
F: 372069
G: 372052
H: 372086
I: 371631
J: 371017
L: 166806
Persons are listed as
Casualty Type: Battle casualty
Number of persons on board
Crew: 10
Pass: 0
Total: 10
Personnel
Use your thumb to scroll through the results box below.
| Position | Name | Rank | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | |||
| P2 | Richard A. Carey | Capt | O-1699495 |
| CP | William J. Styles | 2Lt | O-798047 |
| NAV (N) | Calvin H. DeFevre | 2Lt | O-731278 |
| BOM (B) | William E. Giffith | 2Lt | O-731369 |
| RAD | Steven S. Kopczewski | TSgt | 12095186 |
| ENG | Lester I. Berg | TSgt | 36170576 |
| BAL | Norman C. Eddy | SSgt | 31128180 |
| WG (W) | Maynard T. Parsons | SSgt | 19077242 |
| WG (W) | Charles J. Mayville | SSgt | 34264560 |
| TG (T) | Robert D. Lepper | SSgt | 37372452 |
| Asst Engineer |
Personnel who are believed to have survived
Reason:
Other:
Eyewitness description of crash
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| Last Name | First name | Report |
|---|---|---|
| No Data | On July 25, 1943, Bill Desanders was either ill or on leave and, Captain Richard Carey Operations Officer of the 350th, flew in his stead and became a POW. Another replacement on the crew this day was, T/Sgt. Steven S. Kopczewski the regular radio operator on Crew #11. He was killed in action. Unable to bomb Warnemunde, the primary target, the Group flew to Kiel where intense flak was met. Plane was so damaged by flak that Captain Carey decided to ditch in the sea. All the crew except for pilot and copilot were in radio room when ship hit the water. Apparently, Parsons and Lepper, both of whom were wounded, got out of the overhead hatch but the others in the radio room were trapped and went down with the ship which rapidly sank. A subsequent report by William Styles said that, "Griffith was struggling to get out of hatch as the plane was sinking, that is the last I saw of him. " During a search for survivors, Danish fishermen found the body of Sgt. Kopczewski but, after making certain of death, left it in the water. A Danish fishing boat picked up Carey, Styles, Lepper and Parsons and the latter two were taken to a hospital in Schleswig. It was mission #8 for this crew who were flying in "Duration Plus Six" and not their regular plane, "Alice From Dallas". | |
| All information on MACR below Last Knowledge is not legible. Crew positions not standard on report. |
Description of search effort
Detail: No search made.
Preparing Officer
Prepared by:
Date prepared: Unknown
