Hi,

I hope I'm in the right place. I recently bought an old log book at a used book store and thru my research I believe it to be from the 447th. The log book is leather bound with about 20 pages in it, the first two have missions listed. Top column has Date, Mission, Hours and Remarks. First mission listed is Leipzig on 5/29/44. It has something pencilled in next to Leipzieg that I cant really make out. Starts with a Z. Remarks section reads "1 plane lost, 9 damaged and 22 planes". On 6/6/44 2 missions were logged. Times are both listed as 6 hours but there is a pencilled notation that reads 11:30 PM 6/5 to 5 PM 6/6. In remarks it says "Zima goes down." It appears they flew 2 missions in support of the FFI, 1 on 7/14 at Area 10 and the other on 8/1/44 to Areas 10 and 14. I can supply photos and more details. Am I right in thinking this is from the 447? Is there anyone that could help me narrow it down further? Any and all help is appreciated.

Brian
"If you pahked your cah in Hahvad Yahd and its on fiyah, call us."

Anyway you could email photos to me directly?
pd.minton@sbcglobal.net
Thanks,
Jess

Jake - 5/29/44 -  447th BG target Liepzig. 1 A/C Lost .
Lt. Moran Crew B - 17 # 2107052 " Paper Doll II "
6/6/44 - 2 Max effort Missions flown -  1 other Mission with 4 A/C
7/14/44 - Supply Drop Area 10
8/1/44 - Supply Drop SE France
Source - 447th BG Mission Reports
Mike

This may not be the place to post this note but my wife's uncle was Lt. Burt Moran who was pilot of "Paper Doll II".  I have the missing crew report that lists those KIA: Lt. John Higgs; lt Rudloph Jacob; and Lt. Raymond MaGuire.  All of the enlisted men survived,  They were William Mitchell, Nicholas Taglaiaferri, Charles Bebb, Leroy Beckman, Connolly O'Brien, and Eugene Wachter.  I also have a photgraph of a crew including Uncle Burt.  Would be happy to share.  447th fan

Fan,
 
Would love to see your photos.  Can you post here?  JPG format 200kb max file size.  Here is the entry from Bits & Pieces regarding the loss of Paper Doll II One man's fate appears different from the MACR you mentioned.
 
  2107052    MACR 5303     P      2Lt Bert (NMI) Moran                   KIA     Chicago, IL
  2107052    MACR 5303     CP    2Lt John F. Higgs                       KIA     Stephenville, TX
  2107052    MACR 5303     N      2Lt Rudolph L. Jacob                  KIA     South Orange, NJ
  2107052    MACR 5303     B      2Lt Raymond R. Maguire             KIA     Granford, NJ
  2107052    MACR 5303     TT     T/Sgt Nicholas A. Tagliaferri         POW   Cleveland, OH
  2107052    MACR 5303     RO   T/Sgt William P. Mitchell              KIA     Bristol, TN
  2107052    MACR 5303     BT    S/Sgt Charles E. Bebb                 POW   Kansas City, MO
  2107052    MACR 5303     LW   S/Sgt Eugene E. Wahter              POW   Norfolk, VA
  2107052    MACR 5303     RW   S/Sgt Connolly R. O’Brien            POW   Sumner, TX
  2107052    MACR 5303     TG    S/Sgt Leroy J. Beckman              POW   Chicago, IL
 
 
Hal

Hal, Your right. William Mitchell did not survive.  Lt. John Higgs was the son of a newspaper publisher in Texas.  Eventually, I'd like to track down the families and give them a copy of the report and a copy of the picture.             Note that they have the air force patch but not one from the 8th.  Also, the cowling is light in color.  Could this be the 447th colors?  The sargeant on the right is holding papers.  There are mountains in the background, England?  Wish there were more to zero in on and enlarge for more clues.   After 5 attempts to reduce the size, I've got it.           By the way, on what plane was the email image?  Just after we moved to Hendersonville, NC, I read in an obitauary that a man from our church was a member of the 447th.  To bad I didn't find out earlier.  Let me know if the picture arrived OK.
 
Paul

[image]local://upfiles/15540/18712671A0E8438FAD5B130F41083AF7.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

Paul -
I would say Photo was Taken in U.S. before they
shipped over.
Note Brand New Uniforms
With the Crew Hometowns you have - you could search for
them or relatives on www.whitepages.com
Mike

Paul,
I show Leroy J. Beckmann listed in my association member list, I will pass his contact information on to you via a PM, Private Message. 

Here is a copy of the Moran Crew's original assignment to the 447th BG, April 6, 1944. 

-Keith

Attached Image(s)

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

Hi Paul,
 
Photo came through fine, just rotated 90 degrees.  I have straightened and re posted below.  Would you be kind enough to e-mail me a full resolution scan?  The posting is fine for looking at but rapidly loses it when I try to enlarge for details.  Will send you my e-mail address via the PM system.  The other photo you mention, I assume you mean the photo mentioned in the original post by CFDjake last year.  Don't know what happened there, that was his one and only post.  Will try to contact him and Pdminton via PM to see if either of them is still around.
 
Regards,
Hal

[image]local://upfiles/12384/2F4A380A5FD84E08ABFAC668A1912392.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

Test

Terry -
Good Job!
On Left - Crew # 864 ?
Mike

Terry,
 
Thanks for the 'test'.  Looks great on the screen.  Problem is still that if you download the picture then try to zoom in to examine some detail it turns into mud before you get close enough to see it.  The 'test' performs exactly the same as Paul's original post.  57kb just isn't enough to allow much enlargement.  Thanks anyway.
 
Regards,
Hal

Jake,

    It looks like the logbook you found belonged to one of the surviving members of this crew who then must have returned to service to log the additional missions on June 6th.  If I am interpreting the records I've found correctly, Lt. Moran's crew was shot down on their first mission--Leipzig on May 29th.  If this supposition is correct, then the POW notations must be incorrect....?  Or, perhaps someone else in the hut who may have been on the May 29th mission themselves started using the logbook for their own missions.  Interesting mystery, or have I missed something here?

Rowdy

1. Three of Lt. Moran’s original crew, as shown on the April 6, 1944 transfer orders assigning Lt. Moran and his crew to Rattlesden, were not aboard the aircraft (7052) that went down on May 29.  Those 3 members shown on the transfer orders are:  2Lt. James T. Baird (CP) O816202; 2Lt. Duane A. Kesterke (N) O700153; and 2Lt. Charles H. Oulehla (B) O757741.
2. Looking through Shields’ book, it appears that Lt. Moran flew his first mission on April 19 and also Lt. Baird, now a pilot flying his first mission to the Bremen area the same day.
3. As noted in earlier postings, the crew members that substituted for Lts. Baird, Kerterke, and Oulehla, on the May 29 mission were Higgs, Jacob, and Maguire.
4. Question:  Any idea where Lts. Baird, Kersterke, and Oulehla might have gone?  Perhaps with Lt. Baird...
5. Question:  The crew picture that almost certainly was taken in the USA must then include the three members of the original crew—Baird, Kersterke, and Oulehla.  Are the crew members identified on the back of the picture?  Or, which man is Lt. Moran?
   

Rowdy

Boy, this was a hard luck crew.  Besides the loss of Mitchell and Moran on the 29th, the others taken prisoner, both Kersterke and Oulehla were lost while flying with Lt. Town's crew on the 20th in a friendly fire accident according to Shields' book and the 447th website.  I don't know about other 2Gens, but this one is beginning to better understand why these guys didn't talk too much about their experieces.

Rowdy 

Hi it was with great excitement that I found your web page.  Connolly R. O'Brien from Sumner, Tx was my father.  He is standing on the back row on the end - right.  Mitchell was my father's best friend & his loss was a great sorrow.  I even have letters that my grandmother wrote (after she found out that my father was in Stalag Luft IV) to Mrs. Mitchell expressing her sorrow.  I have the crash report & some pictures that were taken on the ground by the Nazis.  There is a web page honoring Mitchell written by another friend of his & it tells a lot of details of his life.  My father was eventually able to escape during the long death march during the winter of 1944/45 and make his way to France.  Thanks again & let me know if you have any questions. 

Gina Radighieri