I was wondering if anyone had the accident report for this aircraft crash or photos of the crash,or ship?
 
There is no MACR # on this fatal crash because the ship crashed behind friendly lines and was salvaged...
 
From one of the very helpful forum members I have learned the following;" it's not listed in the original "Contrails" history book on the 95th BG. Also in the "operational Record of the 95th Bomb Group (H)" there is a little more info. This book lists all of the missions flown by the 95th,each of the planes flown on each mission,and who the pilot was for each of the planes. In the back of the book,they also have a summary for this plane is as follows:
2107204  412 B 87 Stand By
              336B      Goin my way
12.05.44 FOS
             FTO
24.06.44  FTO
17.10.44 TRN-335BS
22.10.44 REM-Number 4 engine failed
16.12.44 FL- Thorpe Abbotts
27.12.44 REM-wind screen frosted over
29.12.44 WIA-S.J. McConnell,NT
28.01.45 REM-Number 1 propeller ran away
10.03.45 WIA-G.R.VanBrocklin,B.
15.03.45 REM-engine failed
20.03.45 REM-number 2 engine failed
24.03.45 REM-oxygen leak
06.04.45 LOC-Circumstances are unclear,but aircraft CR behind "friendly lines". No MACR issued.
 
P   KIA Robert L. Davis
CP KIA  Lawrence H. Morgan
N   KIA  John D. Coalson
NT KIA  Frederick T. Gunnard
TT KIA Archie L. Stice
RO KIA Albert J. Kennedy
BT KIA  Dale J. Kennedy
WG KIA William O. Bailou
TG KIA Jacob Brooks
 
In the day by day summaries,it has the plane LOC (landed on the continent) on April 6,1945 and was SAL (declared beyond repair) on April 7,1945
 
In Forman's Name Directory,the plane is listed under both names ("Stand By" and "Goin my way") with no photos in the Forman collection."
 
Any other info known on this aircraft and crew?
 
 
 
Jack        
 
 

GREMLIN2
1st Lt. W. Griswold "Gris" Smith crew
March 14,1945-December 8,1945
100th Bomb Group (H),349th BS,Thorpe Abbotts,UK
http://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews3/smith.htm

Jack,

Site aviationarchaeology.com says that 42-107204 came down at Foret de Solgars, Belgium. 

I'll try to figure out where that location might be...

Regards,

Leendert

Brugge, Belgium

Jack,

You may want to read this one as well: http://www.com-web.com/wwwboard/messages/14480.html

A person in Belgium itself is researching this crew and crash as well.

Regards,

Leendert

Jack,

"Foret de Solgars" should read Forêt de Soignes, or Zoniënwoud in Dutch.

It's the forest directly on the SE side of Brussels.

Regards,

Leendert

Leendert,

Thank You for that information!

Regards,

Jack

GREMLIN2
1st Lt. W. Griswold "Gris" Smith crew
March 14,1945-December 8,1945
100th Bomb Group (H),349th BS,Thorpe Abbotts,UK
http://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews3/smith.htm

Dear Jack,
 
sorry for this late reply
 
7204 crashed in the Sonian Forrest (in Dutch Zoniënwoud, in French Fôret de Soignes - hence probably the mistake Solgars ?).
 
The accident report has all of 2 pages, one with the crewnames, the engine and the machinegun serial numbers, the second stating only that the crew gave the correct abortion phrase just before crossing enemy lines. last contact was at 9.30 when the radio-operator let the base now they were near Russels.  Base asked to confirm that he meant Brussels, but no answer was given.
 
reason for the crash: unknown
 
there are no photos of the crash(site), or report of the salvage to be found in the National Archives.
 
pictures of the plane and the crew I obtained through vetarans (The Davis crew was the 41st crew to fly her) were posted at the 95th.org website and the website of the Horham airbase.
 
For the Davis-crew it was their 1st mission. Except for the Co-Pilot Morgan who started flying with the Oehlert-crew but choose to leave it as it was assigned for lead-crew training. His father had died on March 20 and he wanted te return to Kansas asap to help on the farm. The Navigator, Coalson, was flying his second mission, as he had flown with another crew on April 5.
 
As for the reason: I have a piece from inside the bombbay with a 40mm hole in it. Friendly fire perhaps ?  This piece raised some other questions, as 7204 was a G-model and the piece was used in the bombbay of the F. Answer to this anomaly: 7204 was license build by Douglas, ordered as a F-model. So probably the armement was changed into G, but Douglas kept using the pieces it had for the F-model until the new pieces, molds etc were delivered by Boeing. 
 
I started doing this research into this plane in 2001. My interest was aroused because my mother, who was 10 at the time, saw an American bomber moments before it crashed. She always wondered who and what ...
 
If you should have more info, I hope you are willing to share as I'm trying to write a book on the aircraft and it's crews.
 
I'm still trying to figure out which crew flew her over in Feb/March 1944 and with which aircraft the Davis-crew made the crossing, probably in January 1945.
 
Hope this information helped. If you have more questions, let me know.
 
Jürgen
Bredene - Belgium

Hi Jurgen,

Thanks very much for the detailed reply.

I share your thoughts and comments on saying a prayer for this crew (and their loved ones) today.

I have more questions than answers for you.All I know is what that forum gentleman supplied me as posted. Since your writing a book on the crew I'll be forwarding anything I find on the crew in the future. I have viewed your photos of the crew and ship you provided to the www.95thbg.org website.

Have you been able to determine the nature of the crash? LOC (landed on continent) on the group summary suggests the ship was under some control when it went down. On your photos the ship have the after Jan,1945 Red rudder and the nose squadron band. Did Douglas stencil any production codes or lot numbers on the exterior nose of the ship. What color Sqdn. code was painted on; the 412thBS RED or the 335thBS Blue? (can't tell from the photo if the ship had a later Sqdn code also applied to the tail gun position) Was any nose art or name applied to the aircraft on the starboard side? Finally how were the mission marks painted on,color style.

As I said I have questions for you right now and hopefully some additional answers will surface on this Forum from others.

Best Regards,

Jack O'Leary

GREMLIN2
1st Lt. W. Griswold "Gris" Smith crew
March 14,1945-December 8,1945
100th Bomb Group (H),349th BS,Thorpe Abbotts,UK
http://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews3/smith.htm

Dear Jack,
 
the aircraft must heve been under some control. losing altitude for some time. Following is my theory on the crash, putting together the pieces   obtained. The crew was probably trying to reach one of the allied airfields around Brussels (their route suggests Evere).  Flying low, they must have missed the vastness of the Sonian Forrest as the first row of trees is much higher than the forrest behind it.  Flying over the forrest they must have decided to turn back, but flying low, the wingtip hit the tree tops and the plane cartwheeled (nose in direction where it came from) before hitting the biggest tree in the vicinity and disintegrating, killing all 9 crewmembers.  (trees replanted in 1948 show the destroyed area).
 
7204 wore the markings of the 412th (QW)
 
there was no nose art and no markings of the 87 missions flown. As the name suggests, Stand By was a reserve plane without an own crew. Being used as necessary by all crew in need of an aircraft.  She was war-weary and that maybe played a role in the crash or the trouble(s) the crew encurred
 
I do not know of any Douglas markings, none of the veterans I corresponded with mentioned any.
 
Hope this helped you along.
 
Do you have any idea where I can find info on which crews flew which planes from the States to the UK ?
 
Best regards,
 
Jürgen 

Jurgen,

I noticed the few engine failures on the aircraft summary for "Stand By"

What specific time period are you looking for info on crews flying a/c over to the UK? I would think the crews flying aircraft over to the ETO were determined at the Air Force level in the US where they were put together as a crew and trained... 3rd Air Force for example.
In 1945,late war a number of air crews were not flying a/c over to the UK but traveling by ship;Queen Elizabeth,etc.

Thanks for painting a picture of this war weary aircraft. I at first though your photo showed mission marks on the port side,but it looks to be a fold in the photo. Your theory on the crash is very interesting.

Someone on the Forum that is an expert in aircraft flying to the ETO from the ZI and procedures involved from that time period might have more for you. All for now.

Jack

GREMLIN2
1st Lt. W. Griswold "Gris" Smith crew
March 14,1945-December 8,1945
100th Bomb Group (H),349th BS,Thorpe Abbotts,UK
http://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews3/smith.htm