I'm looking for any information on the plane Bum's Away, 42-40822. I believe my grandfather, SSgt Charles Lever, was on this plane and shot down 4/21/1945. Any information would be appreciated.

John Lever

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John:
Can you please tell me who the pilot was?  Do you know any other crew?  Do you have a photo?  Thank you.

John:

The only information I can find regarding April 21, 1945 is the following:

The only uncompleted mission occurred on 21 April when two Snoopers turned back. One aircraft had a runaway prop on take-off and the other had a bad gas leak. One Snooper was lost and its’ entire crew killed in action when the aircraft collided with an enemy fighter.

Enemy Opposition – Enemy aircraft:  On 21 April two Snoopers were intercepted by two Tojos and one Zeke in the vicinity of MAKASSAR TOWN. A total of five passes were made during which time phosphorous bombs were dropped inaccurately by interceptors. One Tojo turned into the lead plane attacking from 1 o’clock high in a dive. The Snooper nosed down and turned into the fighter bringing the attack to 12 o’clock low. Neither aircraft veered from course and the fighter first hit the B-24 under the nose, chewing along the underside of the Snooper and nosing up into the bomb bay. The fighter appeared to disintegrate and the Snooper burst into a ball of flame, nosing up and falling off on its’ left wing. The Snooper settled into a tail flat spin and crashed in the water six miles from MAKASSAR TOWN. Two other passes were made on the other Snooper but no damage was inflicted.

Losses:  One crew of ten men was killed in action on 21 April when an enemy fighter collided with our Snooper.

Crew rammed by Jap fighter was Lt. William H. Beaver and crew (No names listed).

I do not see the MACR Report number listed on ArmyAirForces but if you contact Maxwell AFBase and provide the date and pilot name (Lt. Beaver)you can obtain a free copy of that report.  If you do that would you please give me a copy?
 
The aircraft was number 081 and was not Bum's Away from what I have discovered.  #081 does not have a name to my knowledge.


Thank you. 

John:
 
I would very much like to locate a picture or the members of Lt. Beaver's crew.  To date the crew is unknown as all records are by Pilot.  Can you help out on this?
 
Thanks
 
Romeo

I'll look in the photos to see if there is one of the entire crew.

-John

Hi All,

I got this from the late Harlan Price

Scrapped at Nadzab.  BUMS AWAY was Butch Werner's plane, they brought from Langley and after the war, he went to Nadzab and found it in the scrap yard and cut out the nose art and took it home.
 
The pic is the best I have

Pete

[image]local://upfiles/3539/DC9DF9741A7E4B66B3B3837B21E7182A.jpg[/image]

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Hi Pete:

Dear Harlan, I miss him.  Did Harlan happen to provide you with crew names?  I show Werner was a navigator but I have no idea whose crew he was on.  (Nevermind Pete, I do have him on Lehti's crew--one of the originals).  His name-- Crowell (Butch) Werner.

This thread had started looking for a Sgt Lever who supposedly was shot down on Bum's Away.  Sgt. Lever, from the date of accident was on Lt. Beaver's Crew on A/C 081 not Bum's Away.

Thanks, Pete.