Supports 1 fact
Missing Air Crew Report 2858
Military Record · United States Army Air Forces · 1944 · Missing Air Crew Reports
Sortie2BDB-24Missing in Action
“Lonesome Polecat”.Over Siracourt, France.
Mission 218 · 11 February 1944
Serial
42-63978
B-24D
Fuselage Code
AG
Squadron
330th
Ted's Traveling Circus
Aboard
9
men
The crew.
§ 9 aboard
Name
Position
Serial
Hometown
On this flight
CaptOmar A. Turner
Pilot
Station 1
O-669815
Atlanta, GA
Killed in action
Returned
→
1LtWilfred J. Koehn
Navigator
Station 3
O-795263
—
Killed in action
Returned
→
1LtTheodore H. Olson
Bombardier
Station 4
O-669387
—
Killed in action
Returned
→
Herbert J. Carrow
Ball Turret Gunner
32561821
—
Returned
→
T/SgtMitchell W. Powell
Radio Operator
Station 6
38181478
Cotobo, OK
Killed in action
Returned
→
S/SgtRuel A. Boone
Waist Gunner
Station 8
6923409
SC
Killed in action
Returned
→
S/SgtRobert E. Hagey
Waist Gunner
Station 8
12103517
South Bend, IN
Killed in action
Returned
→
S/SgtWillis D. King
Tail Gunner
Station 9
14005640
Tallahassee, FL
Killed in action
Returned
→
T/SgtClifford A. Stafford
Top Turret Gunner
37211296
Thayer, KS
Killed in action
Returned
→
In their own words.
§ 9 entries
Omar A. TurnerPilot
1st Lt. Omar A. Turner (O-669815) served as pilot of B-24D 42-63978 with the 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H). Turner was killed in action on 11 February 1944 when his aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire near Dieppe, France. German burial records list him in individual grave No. 804 at the English Memorial Cemetery Les Vertus. His next of kin was listed as George I. Turner of 129 Flora Ave., Atlanta, Georgia. Identification tags recovered at the crash site confirmed his identity.
Wilfred J. KoehnNavigator
2nd Lt. Wilfred J. Koehn (O-795263) served as navigator aboard B-24D 42-63978, 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H). Koehn was killed in action on 11 February 1944 near Dieppe, France. German burial records note him as 'W. W. FRED J.' (likely OCR corruption of Wilfred J.) and assign individual grave No. 800 at the English Memorial Cemetery Les Vertus. No next-of-kin address is legible in the surviving documents for Koehn.
Theodore H. OlsonBombardier
2nd Lt. Theodore H. Olson (O-669387) served as bombardier aboard B-24D 42-63978, 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H). The MACR spells his name 'Olson'; German burial records render it 'Lindore R. Olsen' — the MACR spelling and serial are taken as authoritative. Olson was killed in action on 11 February 1944 near Dieppe, France. German records assign him individual grave No. 801 at the English Memorial Cemetery Les Vertus.
Herbert J. CarrowBall Turret Gunner
S/Sgt. Herbert J. Carrow (32561821) served as gunner (listed as Tail Gunner on the MACR) aboard B-24D 42-63978, 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H). German burial records (AV 706) spell his name 'Garrow' with serial 37551821 — the MACR figures are taken as authoritative. Carrow was killed in action on 11 February 1944 near Dieppe, France. German burial records assign him individual grave No. 806 at the English Memorial Cemetery Les Vertus. His next of kin was Theodore Carrow at 813 Niagara Ave., Niagara Falls, New York.
Mitchell W. PowellRadio Operator
T/Sgt. Mitchell W. Powell (38181478) served as radio operator aboard B-24D 42-63978, 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H). The MACR lists his serial as 38181478; German records render it as 36181478 — the MACR figure is taken as authoritative. Powell was killed in action on 11 February 1944 near Dieppe, France. German burial records assign him individual grave No. 799 at the English Memorial Cemetery Les Vertus. His next of kin was Pearl E. Powell at Rt. 1, Cotobo, Oklahoma.
Ruel A. BooneWaist Gunner
S/Sgt. Ruel A. Boone (6923409) served as right waist gunner aboard B-24D 42-63978, 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H). German burial records list him as 'RUEL K. BOONE' — the MACR middle initial 'A.' is taken as authoritative. Boone was killed in action on 11 February 1944 near Dieppe, France. German burial records (AV 706) assign him individual grave No. 808 at the English Memorial Cemetery Les Vertus.
Robert E. HageyWaist Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert E. Hagey (12103517) served as left waist gunner aboard B-24D 42-63978, 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H). The MACR spells the surname 'Hagey'; German burial records (LV 857 / page 008) render it 'Engey' and give the first name as 'Robt. E.' — OCR corruption is likely; the MACR spelling is authoritative. Hagey was killed in action on 11 February 1944 near Dieppe, France. His identification tags were recovered at the crash site (recorded serial 15103517 on the tag card — likely an OCR error for 12103517). His next of kin was Mrs. Alvin Hagey at 738 Cottage Grove Ave., South Bend, Indiana.
Willis D. KingTail Gunner
S/Sgt. Willis D. King (14005640) served as tail gunner aboard B-24D 42-63978, 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H). King was killed in action on 11 February 1944 near Dieppe, France. German burial records assign him individual grave No. 807 at the English Memorial Cemetery Les Vertus. His identification tags were recovered at the crash site, confirming his identity. His next of kin was Mrs. Bessie King (listed as 'Jessie' on one tag card document) at Rte. 5, Box 294, Tallahassee, Florida.
Clifford A. StaffordTop Turret Gunner
T/Sgt. Clifford A. Stafford (37211296) served as top turret gunner aboard B-24D 42-63978, 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H). Stafford was killed in action on 11 February 1944 near Dieppe, France. German burial records (AV 707) assign him individual grave No. 801 (some records say 803) at the English Memorial Cemetery Les Vertus. His identification tags were recovered at the crash site. His next of kin was Cleo Stafford of Thayer, Kansas.
The flight.
§ Ship’s Record
The Day
Took off fromHardwick (Sta. 104)
The Record
ResultMissing in Action
Record confidenceValidated against a source
Formation
Flew with330th Squadron
Fuel & Equipment
H2X scope photoNo
The target.
§ As Briefed
Siracourt, France
As the log wrote itSiracourt, France
Notes.
§ From the Record
B-24D serial 42-63978 was assigned to the 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group (H), based at AAF Station 104. On 11 February 1944 the aircraft departed on an operational mission to Siracourt, France. At approximately 0954 hours the aircraft received a direct flak hit just aft of the waist windows at position 49° 57' N, 01° 42' E. The tail section separated and the remainder of the aircraft dove straight down into cloud cover. No parachutes were observed by other crews. A body struck the trailing edge of the wing of ship #41-24109 C flying in the element behind 42-40985 G, consistent with the catastrophic break-up of the aircraft. German salvage records (AV 707, KU 857) confirm the crash site was approximately 1.5 km south of Dieppe (locality: Les Vertus/Roumesnil-Languedoc area). The fuselage was 100% destroyed; wings, tail assembly, and landing gear were each approximately 50% destroyed. All four R-1830 engines were 100% destroyed. All ten crew members were killed in action. German records indicate the crew were interred in individual graves (Nos. 799-808) at the English Memorial Cemetery Les Vertus near Dieppe on 11 February 1944.
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.
Sources.
§ Provenance
United States Army Air Forces · National Archives and Records Administration · 1944
Official record