Sortie2BDMissing in Action

Unidentified ship.Over Ploesti.

Mission 115 · 01 August 1943

Aboard
10
men

The crew.

§ 10 aboard

In their own words.

§ 10 entries

1st Lt. Milton Teltser (ASN 0792633) served as pilot of the aircraft on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. Sgt. Doll listed him as "Feltzer, Milton" in his E&E questionnaire, noting he was alive and back in the UK — a phonetic OCR or handwriting rendering of the surname. The 15th Air Force release orders of September 3, 1944, confirm his name as Teltser and assign him to the 93rd Bomb Group. Teltser was interned in Romania following the Ploesti raid and was repatriated in September 1944, listed in the 15th Air Force release orders dated September 3, 1944, alongside other former internees being returned to the UK via ETOUSA.

2nd Lt. Wilmer H. C. Bassett (ASN 0670490) served as co-pilot on the Ploesti mission of August 1, 1943. Sgt. Doll listed him as "Bassett, Wilmer" and noted he was alive and back in the UK. Bassett was interned in Romania and repatriated in September 1944. He is confirmed in the 15th Air Force release orders of September 3, 1944, assigned to the 93rd Bomb Group.

2nd Lt. Sanford Reback served as navigator on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. Sgt. Doll listed his status as unknown at the time of the E&E debriefing. Reback does not appear in the 15th Air Force repatriation orders of September 3, 1944. His ultimate fate is not established by this document.

Robert B. WardBombardier

2nd Lt. Robert Ward served as bombardier on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. Sgt. Doll listed his status as unknown at the time of the E&E debriefing. Ward does not appear in the 15th Air Force repatriation orders of September 3, 1944. His ultimate fate is not established by this document.

Willard R. BeaumontBall Turret Gunner

2nd Lt. Willard N. Beaumont (ASN 0670491) served as ball turret gunner on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. Sgt. Doll listed him as "Blaumont, Willard" (a phonetic OCR or handwriting rendering) and noted he was alive and back in the UK. His correct surname is confirmed as Beaumont in the 15th Air Force release orders of September 3, 1944. Beaumont was interned in Romania and repatriated in September 1944, listed in the 15th Air Force release orders assigned to the 93rd Bomb Group.

Wallace D. MilliganRadio Operator

T/Sgt. Wallace Milligan served as radio operator on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. Sgt. Doll reported him as dead in his E&E questionnaire. Milligan does not appear in the 15th Air Force repatriation orders of September 3, 1944, consistent with Doll's report of his death.

Francis W. DollWaist Gunner

Sgt. Francis W. Doll served as the right waist gunner aboard a 93rd Bomb Group B-24 on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission (Operation Tidal Wave). He was born July 28, 1923, and listed his home address as 1310 Admiral Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri. He had served approximately two years and worked as a meat cutter as a civilian. This was his 12th mission. Doll was wounded during the mission, sustaining burns on his right arm and face as well as a flak wound in the muscle of his right arm. He survived the crash and was captured, with Romanian civilians or forces taking away his aids box, purse, and escape equipment shortly after the aircraft went down. Doll was interned in Romania following his capture. He was released from internment in Romania and processed through Italy, signing his security certificate in Bari on September 4, 1944 — more than a year after being shot down. He arrived in Spain on September 5, 1944, and at Gibraltar on September 6, 1944, departing for the UK by air that same day. In his E&E debriefing, Doll noted that he had been lectured on evasion and escape at Benghazi on August 1, 1944, by British officers, but found the lectures of no value. He advised that evaders should seek help from the wealthy class rather than peasants, as the former spoke English and understood Americans. He completed his E&E report on September 7, 1944, witnessed by S/Sgt R. F. Lockey and 2nd Lt. J. Jarant.

Robert LockerWaist Gunner

S/Sgt. Robert Locker served as left waist gunner on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. Sgt. Doll listed him as "Locker, Robert" and noted he was alive and back in the UK. The questionnaire witness signature also shows an "R. F. Lockey" as S/Sgt — this may be the same individual. Locker survived the loss of the aircraft and returned to UK. His serial number is not recorded in this document.

S/Sgt. R. R. Murray served as tail gunner on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. Sgt. Doll reported him as "believed dead" in his E&E questionnaire. Murray does not appear in the 15th Air Force repatriation orders of September 3, 1944, consistent with Doll's report that he did not survive.

Vance TaylorTop Turret Gunner

S/Sgt. Vance Taylor served as top turret gunner on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. Sgt. Doll reported him as "believed dead" in his E&E questionnaire. Taylor does not appear in the 15th Air Force repatriation orders of September 3, 1944, consistent with Doll's belief that he did not survive.

The flight.

§ Ship’s Record
The Day
Took off fromBenghazi (Benina Main)
The Record
ResultMissing in Action
Record confidenceValidated against a source
Fuel & Equipment
H2X scope photoNo

The target.

§ As Briefed
Ploesti
As the log wrote itPloesti

Notes.

§ From the Record
The aircraft was lost on August 1, 1943, during the low-level mission to Ploesti, Romania — Operation Tidal Wave. The plane departed Benghazi at 7:40 a.m. and was hit over the target area. No. 1 engine was windmilling and No. 2 engine was on fire when the crew was forced out of the aircraft. The wing buckled and the plane crashed with flames covering it. The aircraft did not explode on ground impact. None of the crew bailed out by parachute. The crash site was in or near Ogresnie, Romania. Sgt. Doll reported seeing four members of the crew alive on the ground after the crash, accompanied by an observer, but did not examine the wreckage.

Read the records.

1 document

Original documents behind what this page says about this sortie — reports, records, and histories the archive holds and is free to reproduce. Check the sources for yourself.

Supports 1 fact

Escape and Evasion Report 1621

Military Record · United States Army Air Forces · 1943 · Escape and Evasion Reports

Sources.

§ Provenance
United States Army Air Forces · National Archives and Records Administration · 1943
Official record
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