{"id":16035,"date":"2019-11-10T00:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-11-09T23:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/?post_type=b17database&p=16035"},"modified":"2026-05-02T19:38:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T17:38:07","slug":"44-6421","status":"publish","type":"b17database","link":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/b17\/44-6421\/","title":{"rendered":"44-6421"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eyewitness Statements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were on the bomb run when #1 engine of ship #421 started to flame. Their pilot put in into a steep right dive and dove across our tail with the fire growing larger. They went into a thin cloud to our right and I saw the explosion through the mist. Immediately we passed the cloud and I saw the burning parts falling. It looked like two wings, the fuselage and many small parts. I could only see two open chutes and one that had opened but didn’t blossom out. Then another cloud came between and I couldn’t see anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\/Sgt. Floyd W. Musolf\u2028
Tail Gunner<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Was watching the flak from the tail position when I saw ship #421 flying baker # 6 slip over behind baker #5. As he passed in front of me I noticed his number one engine aflame and gas pouring from all tanks on the left side. He flew behind Baker #5 for a few seconds and then seemed to fall off to the right losing altitude as he went away, the last I saw of them was the ship headed straight down in a spin. I watched for parachutes but didn’t see any. The plane disappeared in the clouds two or three thousand feet below us and that is the last I saw of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sgt. Orville W. Cavins\u2028
Tail Gunner<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ship 421 was last seen on ship 780 by tail gunner, Sergeant O. Cavins. Number 1 engine was on fire and ship was losing altitude fast, finally going into a spin. Due to poor visibility ship disappeared 200 to 300 feet below us. No chutes were seen. The ship was at approximately 28,000 feet and a mile or so north of the target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2Lt. John W. Thompson\u2028
Navigator\u2028<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I believe KIA members of my crew went down with the aircraft when it exploded. I bribed a German guard to show me the report of my crew’s status and found those members which I report KIA as having been found dead. I can read a limited amount of German. The report made no mention of Sgt. Wallace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

F\/O Dominic Cavaliere\u2028
Navigator<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: MACR 13052<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Delivered Kearney 1\/8\/44; Grenier 9\/8\/44; Assigned 773BS\/463BG Celone 16\/8\/44; Missing in Action Vienna 20\/3\/45 with Sam Ark, Co-pilot: Lyle Stegink, Bombardier: Bob Fisher, Waist gunner: Bill Wallace, Waist gunner: Art Van Wyk, Tail gunner: Doug Jackson (6 KIA); Navigator: Dominick Cavaliere, Flight engineer\/top turret gunner: Bob Dvorak, Radio Operator: Fred Fassnacht, Ball turret gunner: Ray Babcock (4 POW); flak, crashed Lobau\/Muhlleiten(M\u00fchlleiten), 14km south-east of Vienna, Austria; Missing Air Crew Report 13052.","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"airplane-status":[135],"status-date":[982],"status-day":[1887],"status-month":[1872],"status-year":[1844],"production-block":[107],"manufacturer":[131],"delivered":[1828],"project-number":[],"bomb-group":[499],"bomb-squadron":[709],"raf-service":[],"b17tags":[],"class_list":["post-16035","b17database","type-b17database","status-publish","hentry","airplane-status-lost-by-aa-flak","status-date-20-03-1945","status-day-1887","status-month-march","status-year-1844","production-block-b-17g-50-dl-44-6251-44-6500","manufacturer-douglas","delivered-kearney","bomb-group-463rd-bomb-group","bomb-squadron-773rd-bomb-squadron"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.0","language":"en","enabled_languages":["de","en"],"languages":{"de":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":true},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":true}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/b17database\/16035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/b17database"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/b17database"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"airplane-status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/airplane-status?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"status-date","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/status-date?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"status-day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/status-day?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"status-month","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/status-month?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"status-year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/status-year?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"production-block","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/production-block?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manufacturer?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"delivered","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/delivered?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"project-number","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project-number?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"bomb-group","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bomb-group?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"bomb-squadron","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bomb-squadron?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"raf-service","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/raf-service?post=16035"},{"taxonomy":"b17tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/b17tags?post=16035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}