Hello everybody!
I got informations of the crash of B-17 G  ser.no. 42-103395, which crashed on May 12th. 1944 near the village Watzenborn in the south of Giessen, germany.
The newest informations are, that one man was found killed in action in the wrack and 400 meters from the crashplace of this B-17 were crashed a Me 109 and this german pilot has killed in action, too.
Have anybody informations, who were the both airmen, killed near Watzenborn? The MACR said all airmen of this B-17 returned to U.S.A. after the war.
 
Best wishes from germany,
Sincerely yours,
Dirk

From "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story":
 
42-102395:  Del Cheyenne 27/2/44;  Gr Island 15/3/44;  Grenier 2/4/44;  ass 711BS/447BG Rattlesden 8/4/44;  MIA Brux 12/5/44 w/Mandrell;  e/a cr Giessen, Ger, 10POW;  MACR 4771.

Howard Keller (LTC, USA, Ret)

Dirk,
At a quick glance, it appears all 10 crewmen were POW.  That is all I can add for the moment. 
 
Pilot: Thomas C. Mandrell  POW
CP:    William C. Popovich  POW
N:    Donald V. McDougall  POW
B:    Okley N. Wheeler        POW
TT:  Roy E. Jones            POW
RO: Roy H. Wood        POW
BTG: Rae H. Womack  POW
LW: Robert S. Garrett  POW
RW: Joseph F. Martin   POW
TG:  Alan C. Jones      POW

 
42-102395 711SQ; MIA Brux 5/12/44 w/Mandrell; e/a, cr Giessen, Ger; 10POW
 
12 05 44 FTR GF CR Giessen, Germany - Lt Thomas C. Mandrell - 10 POW - MACR 4771

-Keith

-Keith Hardie
Nephew of John David Hardie, 447th BG waist gunner.
www.447bg.com

Dirk,
Some additional info.
 
Mandrell: O-665073   1LT from Iowa   Pilot school was KY 43J.
 
McDougall: O-711445
 
Wheeler: graduated from bombardier school at San Angelo, TX  class 43-09
 
Dave

Link to: Bombardiers of WWII Website

New email address as of Feb 2006: hfhmsite@comcast.net

Thank you very much all together!
 
Have anybody photographes of the crew or the aircraft?
 
Merry Christmas to all and a happy new year !!!

Dirk,
Sorry I have not been able to locate any photos of the Mandrell Crew nor 42-102395. 
If you run across anything please let me know.
 
Thanks,
Keith

-Keith Hardie
Nephew of John David Hardie, 447th BG waist gunner.
www.447bg.com

Hi Dirk
 
I have had a look for the POW Records relating to the Thomas C. Mandrell crew who were lost on May 12th 1944 and can only find details for nine of the crewmembers. All attempts at locating Sgt. Joseph F. Martin have drawn a blank. Maybe he could have been the crewmember found in 42-102395?
 
Here are the details:
 
1st Lt. Thomas C. Mandrell O-665073 Pilot - POW.
1st Lt. William C. Popovich O1010924 Co-Pilot - POW.
2nd Lt. Donald V. McDougall O-711445 Navigator - POW.
2nd Lt. Okley N. Wheeler O-685140 Bombardier - POW.
S/Sgt. Roy E. Jones 18061435 Top Turret Gunner - POW.
S/Sgt. Roy H. Wood 6294086 Radio Operator - POW.
Sgt. Rae H. Womack 38431093 Ball Turret Gunner - POW.
S/Sgt. Robert S. Garrett 35578005 Left Waist Gunner - POW.
Sgt. Joseph F. Martin Right Waist Gunner - NO POW RECORD.
Sgt. Alan C. Jones 13151616 Tail Gunner - POW.
 
Hope this helps you.
 
Regards
 
Chris.

Dirk - CA, 8th AF Roll of Honor
Sgt. Joseph F. Martin - New York , NY.
Listed as POW
MACR #4771
No listing at ABMC.Gov
???
Mike

Hi Mike

No NARA POW Record either. 

Also looked on the National WWII Memorial and the National Cemetery Database and nothing here either.

Perhaps a member of the 447th BG Association might have a members list and have details of him?

Regards

Chris.

Joseph F. Martin appears in the roster in the 1946 447th BG History with a street address in New York City.  I believe that only men who survived the war were included in this roster.  The latest roster of the 447th BG Association that I have is from 2003.  He is not on that list.
 
Hal

Hal - Good Job !
Mike

Hi Hal
 
Thanks for that. That means that NARA either doesn't have his POW Record for whatever reason (damaged etc) or perhaps his name is spelt wrong? I did look for an Enlistment Record but there were a few that could have been Joseph F. Martin's!!
 
Raises the question of just who was found near the crashed B-17?
 
Regards
 
Chris.

I am wondering too -
Civilian on the Ground ?
Also - I have found in a couple cases , an Observer was assigned and was not
added to Crew List
Mike

Hi Mike
 
That crossed my mind as well. May even have been a photographer?
 
Regards
 
Chris.

Thank you so much!
I will research in the next week at the village of Watzenborn and hope to get new informations. The german fighter pilot who crashed on the same day near the same village is not the man, who was found on the crash place.
The killed person was no a civilian on the ground, because he was found in the waist of the aircraft.
When I got more informations I will let it know to you.
 
Sincerely yours with best wishes from germany,
Dirk

Hi Dirk
 
You are welcome. Sorry it hasn't given you a definite answer on the body found in the fuselage, but it does appear to be a bit of a mystery!
 
Perhaps it might be possible to narrow down who he was by going through the 447th BG KIA list, if any 447th BG Association members have such a list, and crosschecking their losses for May 12th 1944.
 
According to 'The Mighty Eighth Combat Chronology Supplment' the 447th BG lost seven aircraft on May 12th 1944, and from these eleven crewmembers are shown as being KIA.
 
I think that the 447th BG KIA list would be a good starting point, if someone has one?
 
Regards
 
Chris.

Hi Dirk and Chris

the original MACR 4771 and KU 777A list the complete Crew of 10 as POW.
Bomb 2nd Lt. Wheeler, Okley N. was captured and transferred in a Hospital at Giessen
The entire Crew was captured in the Giessen Area

More you can find under the link below

http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=29038040&query=42-102395&words=42-102395

best regards Hartmut

Hi Hartmut
 
Thanks for the information and website details.
 
Still leaves one question though, who was in the fuselage??
 
Regards
 
Chris.

Hallo and thanks to you!
In the MACR I found the name Robert E. Garrett for one of the Waist Gunner. The german KU-Report have nine names of these crew but not his name. Therefore the following man: S/Sgt. Stanley J. Rosinski and these man is from another crew.
 
Best wishes
 
Dirk

Hi Dirk

Have found S/Sgt. Stanley J. Rosinski listed as the Right Waist Gunner on B-24 42-110042 from the 44th BG. The date they went down was also May 12th 1944. The B-24 crashed at Friedberg, Germany, according to 'Heavy Bombers of the Mighty Eighth'. 

Pilot was 2nd Lt. Lewis I. Vance and the crews loss is covered by MACR 4850. One crewmember was KIA and the remaining nine became POW's.

Regards

Chris.