Need help with research

I will have to dig this. Laon (Northern France) was already liberated on Jan 8th 1945, so the crew landed in a friendly area. I suppose the first crash happened in 1944 or 1943 in occupied territory. Therefore I think your father was helped by Resistant fighters the first time (date unknown)

 

Skipper,

Thanks for any and all help you can give.

Martin,

That's what I was thinking. There's no mention of my Uncle ever flying fighters.

Gunny

 

B-B-17G "44-8419" (code "G")
Actually the Laon site could be aproximative. The damaged B-17 could have flown another 100 miles and forced landed just accros the Belgian border near Ypres. The Laon location is probably the place where the aircraft got crippled not where it crashed.

 

Skipper,
Thanks. I was wondering, would there be any records as to where it was landed

Would anyone know, and this is a long shot, what Luftwaffe squadron operated in that area?

Please forgive my ignorance on these questions but I was a Mud Marine not an Airedale.

 

when in doubt try :

ArmyAirForces.com > Home

join on the forums and ask away.

yes checkerboard cowls on Mustangs - 78, 353rd f.g.'s

as to LW unit hard to say they had been battered so bad on 1-1-45 Operation Bodenplatte and they were recovering from their wounds till the 14th of the month

will tell you on the 8th of January the 8th and 9th AF put up 229 Mustangs for protective escort

 

Difficult indeed. It would be possible to list the Geschwaders that were operating in the Reich Defense , but saying exactly would was where would need a German claim list rather than a loss list and those are mostly not available for this chaotic period. I will see what I can get. Are you positive it is an aircraft , not Flak?

 

Skipper,

Not at all positive. It could have been any reason. The account from him was he was shot down by aircraft. He states he was over Germany when he was hit so I can see flak or aircraft. If he was over France when he was hit, would enemy flak still in be in operation in a liberated area?

Two other questions come to mind.

In his accounts he mentions he was trained to fly the B-29 near the end of the war. He flew a few missions in it with no mishaps. I think I had read somewhere and I could be wrong, the 447th changed their group number after the 29's came in. Do you know anything about this?

Also, how would I go about finding out the names of his crewmen. I have their pictures but no names. I would like to find them, dead or alive to pay my respects.

Gunny

 

Ok I will focuss on the units first. With the unit we have the aircraft and the missions. So once we have the mission we can check the casualties and then the places. Finally the cause. I will check for both flak and fighter attacks.