On the mission to Berlin, Germany, on 21 June 1944, I was pilot of aircraft 42-102569 which was flying in #3 position in the low squadron of the low group of the 41st \u201eB\u201c Combat Wing. The missing aircraft, #42-97096, was flying in #1 position in the same squadron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just after bombs away, the missing aircraft received a direct hit from anti-aircraft gunfire. The missing aircraft then slid out of formation to the left. Then I saw three men come out of the main door of the fuselage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did not see them pull their chutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Either this aircraft or the aircraft flying in #4 position which went down at the same time, I am not sure which, then went into a steep dive. Then it pulled out and leveled off. The missing aircraft was not seen thereafter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When last seen, it was still flying, was not on fire and had no feathered propellors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1Lt. Chester N. Oranges<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My radio man name was John Reed, from Douglas, Arizona. He was told to bail out and when last seen he was hanging over the target. The next day after my capture I saw all the crew except Reed and neither the crew nor I saw or heard anything from him again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
S\/Sgt. Robert L. Bohenstiel<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: MACR 5986<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Delivered Cheyenne 27\/1\/44; Alexandra 22\/2\/44; Grenier 20\/3\/44; Assigned 427BS\/303BG [GN-T] Molesworth 8\/4\/44; Missing in Action Berlin 21\/6\/44 with Chas Allen, Co-pilot: Jim Parham, Navigator: John Thurmon, Bombardier: Lou Bourgeault, Flight engineer\/top turret gunner: John Kelley, Ball turret gunner: Lee Knedler, Waist gunner: Bob Bohenstiel,Tail gunner: Ed Stansbury (9 Prisoner of War); Radio Operator: John Reed (Killed in Action); flak, crashed Schweilowsee Lake, five miles S of Havel, SW of Potsdam, Berlin, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 5986.","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"airplane-status":[135],"status-date":[187],"status-day":[1880],"status-month":[1873],"status-year":[1892],"production-block":[87],"manufacturer":[130],"delivered":[1813],"project-number":[],"bomb-group":[277],"bomb-squadron":[371],"raf-service":[],"b17tags":[],"class_list":["post-5147","b17database","type-b17database","status-publish","hentry","airplane-status-lost-by-aa-flak","status-date-21-06-1944","status-day-1880","status-month-june","status-year-1892","production-block-b-17g-40-bo-42-97058-42-97172","manufacturer-boeing","delivered-cheyenne","bomb-group-303rd-bomb-group","bomb-squadron-427th-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\/5147","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=5147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"airplane-status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/airplane-status?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"status-date","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/status-date?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"status-day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/status-day?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"status-month","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/status-month?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"status-year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/status-year?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"production-block","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/production-block?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manufacturer?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"delivered","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/delivered?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"project-number","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project-number?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"bomb-group","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bomb-group?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"bomb-squadron","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bomb-squadron?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"raf-service","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/raf-service?post=5147"},{"taxonomy":"b17tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/b17flyingfortress.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/b17tags?post=5147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}