Source:
photos.384thbombgroup.com
| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Douglas |
| Production-Block: | , B-17G-45-DL: 44-6126 to 44-6250 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 384th Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 544th Bomb Squadron |
| RCL | SU-F |
| Fate: |
, Battle damaged (30 November 1944) |
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History of
B-17 44-6141 / Sneakin’ Deacon
Delivered Tulsa 12/5/44; Kearney 25/5/44; Dow Fd 1/6/44; Assigned 544BS/384BG [SU-F] Grafton Underwood 10/6/44; battle damaged Merseburg 30/11/44 with ?; crash landed France, Salvaged.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
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B-17 44-6141 / Sneakin’ Deacon Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2LT | Warren Gray Fleshman | UNK | - |
| CP | 2LT | John Neal Laney | UNK | - |
| NAV | 2LT | John Edward Cochran, Jr. | UNK | - |
| ENG/TT | SGT | Walter C. Woddruff, Jr. | UNK | - |
| RO | SGT | William H. Richardson | UNK | - |
| BT | CPL | Oreal H. Mitchell | UNK | - |
| WG | CPL | Anthony J. Galetto | UNK | - |
| TG | SGT | Frederick H. Baumann | UNK | - |
| TOG | SGT | Floyd Virgil Decker | UNK | - |
This page was last updated on 09 August 2019
26. August 2020 access_time 21:52
Lost US Bomber crash site verified, WWII Battlefield Research and Preservation Group changes history through discovery
The story of two planes and events leading to the discovery are long and is still a work in progress. The details are filled with twist, turns, highs and lows. It started out as a two part mission in 2017.
1. Locate and verify the identity of a US Army Air Force bomber (A), which its location is still undisclosed and unverified.
2. Establish facts and evidence to support the probable location of two missing crew members from it (A). For simplicity, we’ll say BOMBER A. Bomber B is the aircraft site now verified.
The search began in 2017 with limited knowledge that (A) was somewhere in 4.5km square area of dense forest and open fields. Over 6 months this area was 80% searched with just 5 pieces of debris being found that fit in a ziplock bag.
Confident as to the location as it’s where a significant piece of wreckage was photographed and the remains of 3 crew members were found and removed. After the 2017 season, a change in direction of search in 2018 was as follows: to the NE in a direction with known wreckage/remains found at the furthest point north (12 km) in February 1945 by US forces, also evidence and remains removed in March, 1945 to the SW, to include found wreckage evidence of 2017 in the SW area.
It was advised that there was another wreck site nearby of an aircraft of same type, downed 30 November, 1944. Information and location was requested, but no information was known as to site location, name of crew members,’ serial number of ship and there were no Missing Air Crew Report available. Of course one had to wonder how then this would be known. Thoughts turned to it could very well be the aircraft (A) in search for. It was told that it was not, but again without any data to support. For aircraft (A), I had the Missing Air Crew Reports, names, serial number, and exact date of crash, plus numerous more documents.
My suspicions were that we had two aircraft, two different dates and several locations, or one aircraft spread over several locations. The only way to be sure was to recover non-disputable evidence from the crash site to verify the identity of the site and establish a fact based presentation of events.
With a permit granted from the Luxembourg state Ministry of Culture, vetted by the office of Center of National Archaeological Research I began my quest in a new location. The 2018 goal was to establish with no doubt the true identity of the aircraft in question, and if it was aircraft (A), hope to find evidence of two missing crew.
The moment came just this month, June 2020, when the RADIO CALL plate was found. The call plate read 46141, what, what was this? It was at first dismissed as a radio ID. The RADIO CALL tag is put on at the time of building of the aircraft with the serial number of the plane it represents and is located on the dash of the cockpit in front of pilot and co-pilot.
Further research at the office turned up the number in the B-17 Boeing Fortress Registry, data compiled by Joe Baugher . It listed the serial number as 44-6141, Sneakin Deacon, 384th BG, 544th BS, crashed 30 November 1944, what? but crashed in France.
Now is the confusion, what’s a radio call tag doing here if the aircraft went down in France and was salvaged? Through conversing with the great folks at the 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in World War II website, the issue was solved.
I suggested that the plane had to have come down over Luxembourg, and the survivors probably were picked up by Belgian nationals, who speak French and they assumed they were in France.
All crew did survive and returned to Army Air Station 106 back in Grafton Underwood England as noted on the squadron Morning Report, 7 December 1944.As far as documentation goes, it was found that they bailed out over Luxembourg, and were picked up in Belgium as thought.
* (Fayers-Hallin and Bland), the crew reported that they had bailed out over “no man’s land” in Luxembourg and were safe in Belgium*.
Mission Details:
MISSION DATA:
DATE: 1944 11 30
384th BG Mission # 233
8th AF Mission # 731
384th PRIMARY TARGET:REFINERY
TARGET: SYNTHETIC OIL
TYPE: OIL INDUSTRY
LOCATION: ZEITZ, GERMANY
TRAFFIC AND WEATHER: THE INITIAL BOMB RUN USING PFF WAS TERMINATED WHEN TRAFFIC CONGESTION FORCED THE FORMATION TO ALTER COURSE. A SECOND (VISUAL) BOMB RUN WAS MADE AFTER SIGHTING THE TARGET, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE TOWNS OF MEUSELWITZ AND WINTERSDORF, GERMANY, ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE PRIMARY TARGET. THE HIGH SQUADRON BOMBED THE ‘LAST RESORT TARGET’ OF FULDA, GERMANY, USING PFF.
SORTIE DATA:
COMBAT CREDIT STATUS TARGET ATTACKED (MODE)
YES COMPLETED MISSION
COMMENTS: FORCED LANDING IN FRANCE DUE TO BATTLE DAMAGE; SALVAGED.
LAST RESORT TARGET (PFF)
LOCATION: FULDA, GERMANY
– SORTIE AIRCRAFT DATA:
TYPE SERIAL NUMBER SQ CODE NAME
B-17G 44-6141 SU*F SNEAKIN DEACON
CREW DATA:
POSITION CREWMEMBER
PILOT FLESHMAN, WARREN GRAY
CO-PILOT LANEY, JOHN NEAL
NAVIGATOR COCHRAN, JOHN EDWARD, JR
TOGGLIER DECKER, FLOYD VIRGIL
RADIO OPERATOR RICHARDSON, WILLIAM H
ENG/TOP TURRET WOODRUFF, WALTER C, JR
BALL TURRET MITCHELL, OREAL H
TAIL GUNNER GALETTO, ANTHONY J
WAIST GUNNER, BAUMANN, FREDERICK H
Search efforts are still ongoing for Aircraft (A), 2 locations are suspect for investigating, and when more data develops announcements will be sent out. Case details will be put into the final mission report consisting of data generated by evidence found and documents obtained.
Conducting research is never a ending discovery of facts, clues and evidence that can take you further into the unanswered, create new mysteries solve some old ones, and support or take a turn to theories and ideas till the final outcome is established, there’s no right or wrong answers, justified closure. That’s the driving force to do it.
President, WWIIBRPG
For more details in the story:
https://www.wwiibrpg.org/site-verified