Supports 1 fact
Missing Air Crew Report 12008
Military Record · United States Army Air Forces · 1945 · Missing Air Crew Reports
Sortie2ADB-24Missing in Action
42-78486.Over Dortmund.
Mission 787 · 08 January 1945
Serial
42-78486
B-24J
Fuselage Code
GO
Squadron
328th
Ted's Traveling Circus
Aboard
10
men
The crew.
§ 10 aboard
Name
Position
Serial
Hometown
On this flight
Joseph J. Rosacker
Pilot
Station 1
O-700547
—
Prisoner of war
Returned
→
Glenn Teasmer
Co-Pilot
Station 2
—
—
Returned
→
John Pace
Navigator
Station 3
O-722876
—
Prisoner of war
Returned
→
2LtFrederick D. Worthen
“Dusty”
Bombardier
Station 4
O-773038
St. Paul
Prisoner of war
Returned
→
Charles Philage
Radio Operator
Station 6
33080095
—
Prisoner of war
Returned
→
Tyrus Gibbs
Waist Gunner
Station 8
34428803
—
Prisoner of war
Returned
→
Charles Metro
Waist Gunner
Station 8
35751698
—
Prisoner of war
Returned
→
Charles Conley
Tail Gunner
Station 9
32931200
—
Prisoner of war
Returned
→
Bonnie Hayes
Nose Gunner
—
—
Returned
→
Otis Hale
Top Turret Gunner
—
—
Returned
→
In their own words.
§ 10 entries
Joseph J. RosackerPilot
Pilot of B-24J 42-78486. Between five and ten minutes before bombs-away, Rosacker radioed that he was headed for 53-B and was unable to keep up with the formation. Captured on 28 January 1945 when the aircraft went down on Schouwen Island, Holland. Transferred to Dulag Luft West on 30 January 1945.
Glenn TeasmerCo-Pilot
Co-pilot of B-24J 42-78486. Born 7 July 1917 per German POW records. Captured 28 January 1945 on Schouwen Island, Holland. Transferred to Dulag Luft West on 30 January 1945.
John PaceNavigator
Navigator of B-24J 42-78486. Born 9 September 1923 per German POW records. Listed as "Face" on the original MACR form due to OCR/transcription error; correct name confirmed as Pace across German records and next-of-kin lists. Captured 28 January 1945 on Schouwen Island, Holland. Transferred to Dulag Luft West on 30 January 1945.
Frederick D. WorthenBombardier
Bombardier of B-24J 42-78486. Listed as "Werthen" on the original MACR form; correct spelling confirmed as Worthen across German records and next-of-kin lists. Captured 28 January 1945 on Schouwen Island, Holland. Transferred to Dulag Luft West on 30 January 1945.
Charles PhilageRadio Operator
Radio operator of B-24J 42-78486. Born 2 March 1918 per German POW records. Captured 28 January 1945 on Schouwen Island, Holland. Transferred to Dulag Luft West on 30 January 1945.
Tyrus GibbsWaist Gunner
Waist gunner of B-24J 42-78486. Born 17 June 1921 per German POW records. First name appears as "Tyros" and "Tyree" in some documents; "Tyrus" is used per the official MACR form. Captured 28 January 1945 on Schouwen Island, Holland. Transferred to Dulag Luft West on 30 January 1945.
Charles MetroWaist Gunner
Waist gunner of B-24J 42-78486. Captured 28 January 1945 on Schouwen Island, Holland. Among the second group of four transferred to Dulag Luft West on 2 February 1945.
Charles ConleyTail Gunner
Tail gunner of B-24J 42-78486. Middle initial appears as both "F." (MACR form) and "P." (German documents); "F." is used per the official MACR. Captured 28 January 1945 on Schouwen Island, Holland. Among the second group of four transferred to Dulag Luft West on 2 February 1945. Home address appears as both 1127 North First Street, Glencoe, NY and 312 North First Street, Olean, NY across the two next-of-kin pages.
Bonnie HayesNose Gunner
Nose gunner of B-24J 42-78486. First name varies across documents ("Bonnie," "Benny," "Benno," "Dennis"); "Bonnie" is used per the official MACR form and the next-of-kin list on page 13. Witness S/Sgt. Donald V. Codling reported that aircraft 486-G left the formation just before bombs-away and peeled off to the right. Among the second group of four transferred to Dulag Luft West on 2 February 1945.
Otis HaleTop Turret Gunner
Engineer and top turret gunner of B-24J 42-78486. Listed as "Hale" on the official MACR form; German records and the next-of-kin list consistently render the name as "Hair." The correct surname requires further verification. Among the second group of four crew transferred to Dulag Luft West on 2 February 1945, after the first six were transferred on 30 January 1945.
The flight.
§ Ship’s Record
The Day
Took off fromHardwick (Sta. 104)
The Record
ResultMissing in Action
Record confidenceValidated against a source
Formation
Flew with328th Squadron
Fuel & Equipment
H2X scope photoNo
The target.
§ As Briefed
Dortmund
As the log wrote itDortmund
Notes.
§ From the Record
B-24J serial 42-78486, marked "486-G," departed Hardwick on a bombing mission to Dortmund on 8 January 1945. The aircraft left the formation just before bombs-away and peeled off to the right, apparently still under control when last observed. German records (Downing No. KU 3628 / H 131) indicate the aircraft crashed and burned on the southwest point of Schouwen Island, Holland, on 28 January 1945 at 1400 hours. Markings were not identifiable as the aircraft burned in the combat area. All ten crew members survived and were captured. They were processed through the POW Concentration Point of the Air Forces, Holland, and transferred to Dulag Luft West (Evaluation Center West, Oberursel) beginning 30 January 1945.
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 · 1945
Official record