464 BOMB GROUP

Looking for info on Clarence G Westley, was on 7/7/44 mission to Blechammer, North Synthetic Oil Refinery,  Taken prisoner when shot down over Hungary.  I have MACR for four planes that day but how do I find out which one he was on and who his crew was.  6572, 6588, 6590 abd 6594.  I don't know how to open up anything after I find it.  Please help.  He is in our local Ex-Prisoner of War group.

[url "http://www.armyairforces.com/dbgroups.asp?Group=276"]Click here for Unit History[/url]. Association contacts: Anthony Schneider (membership, but unknown if current) 4640 Freys Lane York, PA 17406-9394 Reunion news: A reunion is reported to be planned for 2004. Web sites: [url "http://www.zplace2b.com/464th/"]http://www.zplace2b.com/464th/[/url], unit mission list, photos, and other nice details. [url "http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/5173"][font "Verdana"][#0000ff]http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/5173[/#0000ff][/url][font "Verdana"], detailed tribute page to James D. Waldrop of the 777th BS. [url "http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Base/2036"][font "Verdana"][#800080]http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Base/2036[/#800080][/url][font "Verdana"], another 777th BS tribute page, this one to copilot and former POW, Lt. J.J. Ryan. 
 
Contact
 
464 BG
 
Mr Anthony Schneider
Rt 4 Fry's Lane
York PA, 17406-9502
 
(H)  Ph  717-755-6729
FAX       717-291-4401
 
VFW 8/04 
 
Jim :-)

James S. Peters Sr. T/Sgt B-17 Flt Engr, 27 missions 99 BG, 348BS, 5th Wing, 15th AAF Tortorella, (Foggia#2), Italy My Tour was from 12/03/44-06/19/45 M/Sgt USAF (Retired)

Dusty,

Hope the following helps in your search:

7/7/44  Target:  Blechhammer, Ger.    Northern Synthectic Oil Refinery
B24G  Serial # 42-78350  Nickname:  Princess Pat    Recall Letter:  Black R
464th BG, 779th Bomb Squadron

Pilot:  Scott S. Murphy
CoPilot:  Paul S. Dunn
Bombardier:  Morris D. Keesee
Navigator:  Owen S. Stroud
Eng/Gnr: Herschell A. Bramel
Rad/Op:  Robert W. Luden
Armorer:Gnr:  James W. McGaughey 
Gunner:  Clarence G. Westley
Gunner:  James D. Vinolus
Gunner:  Harold R. Coffer

All Returned to Duty after release from POW camp.

The MACR is only 6 pages long.  If you would like a copy you can sign on to:
http://www.zplace2b.com/464th

I, and the Webmaster, have posted all 104 MACRs for the 464th, in .PDF format and free for the downloading.

I have checked the 464th Bomb Group Association, Membership Roster for 2006 and find only one crew members name and that name is Clarence G. Westley.

Hope this helps a bit.

Regards

Bob Hoskinson
464th BG, 778th BS

Bob
Thanks so  much for the information.  Truly appreciate it. 

Hi all,

Anyone knows the exact crash place of "Princess Pat".  Hungary? Or maybe target area?

Regards,
Edward

Nagyberky, in Hungary....

Thanks Peter,
 
Are there any documents confirming this location?
 
Ed

The B-24 "Princess Pat" went down just outside Gyor, Hungary.  My father, Scott Murphy, was the pilot and his wartime log documents quite a few things.  The sequence of events (as told to me) were this: Hit by flak over the target area and dropped out of formation.  Feathered #3 engine and headed for home.  Could not keep enough altitude to make it over the mountains so my father ordered most of the guns and ammo jettisoned.  A single Me-109 showed up and realized that the B-24 was helpless.  Flew on the left wing of Princess Pat and signaled for the crew to bail out.  My dad shook his head and pointed straight ahead.  The fighter pilot then flew behind Princess Pat and shot the #1 engine out.  He then resumed his left wing position and again signaled the crew to bail out.  My father nodded and, over the intercom, ordered the crew to bail out.  Nine of the 10 men jumped at that point over Gyor.  The fighter pilot then proceeded to shoot Princess Pat out of the air.  The Bombadier, Morris D. Keesey, still had his nose guns and was waiting for a shot at the fighter.  Many years later he said that his headset was around his neck and he didn't hear the bailout order.  Just as the German came into his sights the B-24 lurched to the side and he never got any rounds off.  He looked back and couldn't see the pilot's and co-pilots feet and figured averyone bailed out.  He bailed out several miles away from the rest of the crew and never got back with them as a P.O.W.  My dad knew who the fighter pilot was because of the paint job on the Me-109.  I never heard the name, but only that he ended the war as one of the top aces in the Luftwaffe. (Barkhorn??)   The Princess Pat was named after my oldest sister, Pat Murphy.  She was born in 1941 and recently moved from Sacramento to France.   Some scans of the logbook are attached.
 
Steve

Attached Image(s)

Here are a couple more scans from the logbook.
 
Steve

Attached Image(s)

I've been doing some research on the Princess Pat and have discovered that the fighter pilot most likely to have shot her down was Col. Aladar Heppes, the commander of the 101st FG (Polish).  He became the oldest first ace ever at age 43.  I believe that Princess Pat was his eighth and final kill of the war.  His group was responsible for intercepting the bombers returning from Czechoslovakia.  Polish records report that his eighth kill was a B-24 on July 7 1944.  Apparently he intercepted this B-24 as it crossed the border onto Polish airspace.  This would have placed the kill over Gyor.  According to American records all of the B-24 crash sites (except one) that day were accounted for and none were in Poland.  The crash site of Pricess Pat was unaccounted for in the reports and wasn't known to be Gyor until after the war.  I thus conclude that Aladar Heppes shot down Princess Pat.  In 1937 he designed the "Puma" that appeared on the nose of all the 101st FG ME-109s.  His first 4 kills were on the Russian Front and the second 4 were B-17s and B-24s.
I have attached a picture of him taken in 1944.

Attached Image(s)

Here is a very good source for much of the activity on July 7 1944.  It details what happened from records of all the combatants, including American bombers and fighters, German Luftwaffe, and the Polish 101st Fighter Group.
 
http://www.internetmodeler.com/awn/98-march/ambush.htm
 
 
I also apologize for the errors in my last post.  I wrote Poland when I meant Hungary.  Col. Heppes was Hungarian.

101.FGr. "Puma" was not Polish as you wrote but Hungarian and A. Heppes was also Hungarian pilot. That is very big difference...

Steve,
 
Thanks for all this info about Princess Pat. You've been very helpful.
 
Did you receive my Private Message?
 
Edward,
 
 
BTW,
As Peter has already mentioned 101st was Hungarian unit. There were no Polish Air Force units, cooperating wirh Germans during WWII