My uncle flew C-47's for the 12th AF in Italy (at least). I have a accident report where my uncle was the pilot of the above aircraft in a mid-air with B-26C 41-31595. It appears that everyone survived.
 
Does anyone know my Uncle? He retired from the USAF Air Transport command as a full Colonel. I would like any information about him that I can get. His brother was assigned to B-17s in the 8th as a bombadier.
 
Thanks,
 
Kelly J. Marion
 
kelmbaker@msn.com

I have some info about the involved aircraft; website Aviation Archaeology says Taxiing Accident at Ciampino, Italy on July 15th 1944. C-47 41-18368 of 64th TCG 17th TCS was condemned on July 22nd 1944 after the crash. The B-26 was 41-31595 of 320th BG 441st BS, B/N 12 "Flyin' Florence", pilot Jerome M. Asher from 441st/HQ. Does this correspond to your accident report?

That is the one, but it was a mid-air. Here is my Uncle Leo's report:
 
"2nd Lt Wayne J Jones and myself were on a local training flight, shooting landing. I called in to tower for clearance to land, when we were at 700 feet on base leg. The tower answered in the affirmative with the caution to watch out for B-26 landing. The tower then told us not to land. I pulled the wheels, and we started to break of the pattern to the left. At one thousand feet, when the tower called to look out for the B-26. Both Lt Jones and myself had looked for it on the base leg, and again on the 90 degree turn we started to break traffic. As soon as the tower called we felt a severe jolt (I BET), The left wing and left aileron were cut off. Using full power and trim, we kept the plane level, though losing altitude; it was impossible to turn the ship either to the left or right, as it showed spinning tendancies beneath 135 MPH. I set the plane down in the nearest open field (at 135 MPH!?), ten miles from our home field (Ciampino). The damage resulting from the collision was approximately eight feet of the left wing cut of (F) and the entire left aileron cut off. The damage resulting from landing were (a) fuselage buckled, (b) Propellors and engine torn off, (c) the rest of the aircraft is good for nothing but salvage.
 
I was personnally responsible for all the decisions made on the flight and am positive about the altitudes stated above, which are altitudes above ground level, and not sea level, and I checked both on the base leg and immediately after the collision.
 
      There was no injury to personnel.    "
 
Leo J. Hagerty, Jr. 0-789710
Captain, Air Corps,
17th Troop Carrier Squadron
64th Troop Carrier Group,
Pilot 
 
Leo retired from the AF as a full Colonel. Reading the rest of the report, the board does not assign Leo the full guilt, but a portion to the B-26 and a greater portion to the tower. But it was like Leo to shoulder the full responsibility.     KM

Thank you for the detailed description! The 320th BG website has another date for crashlanding for the B-26, that can indicate that it did not suffer major damage in July 1944, or that the date is wrong. I've therefore have contacted the 320th BG to hear if they can add something here.

Kelly,
  I have a copy of Leo J. Hagerty's recommendation for a Distinguished Flying Cross on 4 June 44 for "participating in operational flights totaling more than two hundrred hours"  if you want me to scan a copy of it and send it I can. His name is on page 4, my father-in-law was a sergent and is on page 12. This is on General Order 68, Headquarters Tenth Air Force.
  Joe