Help required with 355th P51B crash details

Dear Julian,
 
In my area crashed on the 30th May 1944 a P-51B from 363 FG.
The pilot 2/Lt.Carroll Adam Stearns had a mission to Maagdenburg,Germany.
This P-51B's had extra drop-tanks under the wings.So it was possible.
 
best regards Jaap

I believe the ship was OSE 43-6654 and crashed on 9 March, 1944 while climbing away from F-122 right after take off.

The mission was FO 64, a Ramrod to Berlin.  This P-51B was equipped with 85 gallon fuselage tank and easily capable of going to Berlin.

The cause was believed to be loss of orientation or icing while climbing in 100% overcast/cloud cover.

The accident report number is 44-03-09-515

I believe 43-6649 was YF-H flown by Ralph Michela and downed strafing on 11 August 1944 on FO 187. The mission was a Ramrod to Saarbrueuken, then strafe on way back. Michela was hit by RR flak and crashed near Pont-A-Mousson near Metz.

German Report J-1917 has 'near Suriauville, 10 km sw Vittel" - Luc is correct although that fits with Pont-A-Mousson

Regards,

Bill Marshall

Hi all, many many thanks for the help you guys apologise I messed up it was indeed 43-6654 and not what I wrote earlier. However all the info supplied is superb, which is really great. If ever I can help anyone particularly with crash sites in Herts, or Cambs areas from an archaeological (photographs if I have them etc) please do email me, only too glad to help....
Regards Julian

Hi Jack
The UK authorities do require formal requests, to the Ministry of Defence, for a licence to excavate a recorded crash site, as in a lot of cases there may still be human remains or partial remains, wich were not recovered a ie of crash. Equally a important and potentially more hazardous is the likely consequences of live ammunition and other ordnance. Many wartime crash sites were not cleaned up properly, there as a war on and they had no time to complete such a clean as the ight do today. The licences only last for that one application. Returning, another year for example, will necessitate a new application. You could rightly say its red tape as usual. But, when there may be a prospect of airmen's remains still being at the site in question is a deffinately necessity.
 
Of course good initial research by the people concerned involved in such excavations, will produce hard facts about the circumsances of the event subject; such as any crew killed, records of the time indicating the extent of work done at the time of event. If you do the ground work first it will become clear what is likely to be found there.
 
Its been touched upon a lot on here, so called enthusiasts grubbing about in hedgerows and around old airfields as just one example. Sneaking on property with metal detectors in what amounts to little more than  modern day grave robbing..... Yes most know EXACTLY what they are doing. 
 
One of the worst Ive heard of is the plundering of TONDERLAYO, a formerly 422nd Sqn-305thBG B-17G, which transferred out when part of the 422nd were sen to Cheddington to create a whole new special unit, the 858th Group Leaflet - Properganda Unit. Major Earl J. Aber Jr, later to be Lt. Col Aber, started the unit, having been the 422nd Sqn Commander at the time of moving to Cheddington June-July of 1944. Anyway I digress...
 
Aber's plane, TONDERLAYO was shot down just a few weeks before end of war, friendly fire, over Essex Coast. He and his Copilot Maurice Harper didnt escape in time and they remained MIA until a few years ago. The wreck of their '17 had lain in the River Stour, in mud flats and until then not accessible. The tides over the years had brought the plane closer to the shore, and you guessed it... people started going out in rowing boats at low tide, digging about. Warnings started popping up when I'm told, the wrist watch of Harper was seen for sale on Ebay..... The US authorities had to act, and a big operation finally recovered Aber and Harper and a good amount of the forward fuselage in the process. But not before the so called enthusiasts had done their usual work, looting what was known by everyone to be a war grave...
 
So, sadly it happens and will continue to happen.
 
Ian W

I think i should make it clear that while i have never had any contact with Ians 305th BGMA, i have no doubt that they, like the majority of researchers over here are sincere and do a good job of preserving the memory of those who came over to fight against hitlers war machine. i do not mean to implicate any of the recognised museums or groups in any underhand work
 
below is a link to some information on the laws concerning aircraft recovery in the UK
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba75/feat1.shtml
 
Roy

If you have personal issues with a forum member, take them elsewhere.   The AAF Forum is not the place to air them out.

This thread is closed.
 
Edit:  Jaap, my post here was not in reply to your post but rather to others in this thread.  Sorry if it reads that way.