| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17F-95-BO: 42-30232 to 42-30331 |
| Delievered: | Cheyenne |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 301st Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 352nd Bomb Squadron |
| MACR: | 2595 |
| German Document: | ME-784A |
| Fate: |
, Lost by enemy aircraft (25 February 1944) |
| Missions: | 60 |
History of
B-17 42-30329
Delivered Cheyenne 15/5/43; Gore 17/5/43; Cheyenne 20/5/43; Smoky Hill 30/5/43; Morrison 7/6/43; Assigned 352BS/301BG St Donat 9/6/43; Oudna 6/8/43; Cerignola 7/12/43; Lucera 1/2/44; Missing in Action {60m} Regensburg with John Van Nortwick, Power, Thompson, Baronas, Martyniak, Moye, Ballard, Wiand, Murray, Sbaschnig (10 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft, crashed 2,5 km north of Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer, Austria; Missing Air Crew Report 2595.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
B-17 42-30329 Details
As co-pilot on B-17 type aircraft assigned serial number 42-31839, flying lead position of 301st Bombardment Group, 25 February 1944, I observed the following: Aircraft was seen to drop out of formation, during severe enemy fighter attack, with #1 and #4 engines in flames. Aircraft was observed on course until lost from sight of formation. Aircraft was at approximately 23,000 feet and at an estimated position 60 miles north of Klagenfurt.
It is believed that as aircraft was under control when last sighted that all personnel were able to bail out successfully.
Source: MACR 2595
B-17 42-30329 Crew
| Position | Rank | Name (First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name) | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 1LT | John E. Van Nortwick | POW | - |
| CP | 1LT | William D. Power | POW | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Thomas J. Thompson, Jr. | POW | - |
| BOMB | F/O | John C. Baronas | POW | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Otis B. Moye | POW | - |
| RO | T/SGT | Peter P. Martyniak | POW | - |
| BT | S/SGT | Gail F. Wiand | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | John C. Ballard | POW | - |
| TG | S/SGT | Harold J. Sbaschnig | POW | - |
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This page was last updated on 03 August 2026
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19. July 2026 access_time 20:20
Hi!
The place where this ship crashed is noted incorrect. In fact #42-30329 went down in Saalfelden/Austria.
Please see not of W.D. Power, (MACR #2595, Page 9) who stated that the aircraft crashed “about 2 miles from bail-out (Saalfelden).
The debrief of Wayne L. Daniel (MACR #2595 Page 4 also states that the ship was last seen some 60 miles north of Klagenfurt. This statement also points to Saalfelden as Trebon in the Czech report is too far away.
There also is a picture of the crashed ship in the Saalfelden Chronicles.
01. August 2026 access_time 9:37
Hello,
there are two Saalfelden northwest of Klagenfurt. Couldn’t find the Saalfelden north of Klagenfurt.
Do you have the coordinate of the correct Saalfelden?
Cheers
Jing
02. August 2026 access_time 15:13
Hi!
According to the Saalfelden Chronicles (Volume 1, Page 376) the Crash-Site must have been in the northern part of Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer, as the town is called with full name.
The ship crashed on February 25th, 1944 near a small village called Bachwinkl slightly above the farm called “Exenleit-Bauer”.
The estiamted coordinates of the crash-site are 47°27’03.05″N 12°50’57.4″E, which placed them some 142km (88 mi) northwest of Klagenfurt.
In the same Chronicle Book (Volume 1, Page 371) there also is a picture of the crashed ship, that clearly shows the yellow or white (?) rectangle common to 352nd BS/301st BG on the rudder.
Lest i forget: Keep up the great work on this page!
I stumbled upon your page when I started to research the fates of 3 bombers (two B-24J and the one B-17F we are talking about) that crashed near my home.
Cheers!
Michael
03. August 2026 access_time 7:14
Hello Michael,
thank you for the details.
I have added the crash site to my map and updated the information in my database.
I have found the German report about this B-17. See “German Document”.
—-
Hallo Michael,
vielen Dank für die Details.
Ich habe es auf meiner Karte der B-17 Absturzorte hinzugefügt und diesen Eintrag in der Datenbank aktualisiert.
Außerdem habe ich das deutsche Dokument zu dieser B-17 gefunden. Link ist oben bei der tabellarischen Übersicht unter “Deutsches Dokument”.
Cheers
Jing