“Buckeye”.Over Ludwigshafen.

2nd Lt. James R. Carnahan served as pilot of B-24 serial 42-7519 in the 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 following the loss of his aircraft on a mission to Ludwigshafen. Carnahan's status was later updated to prisoner of war (P/W). Co-pilot Miller reported hearing that Carnahan had been captured and beaten by German forces after bailing out. His next of kin was his father, Ralph W. Carnahan, of 2815 Forest Grove Avenue, Dayton, Ohio.

2nd Lt. Edward C. Miller served as co-pilot aboard B-24 serial 42-7519, 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 after the aircraft was lost on a mission to Ludwigshafen. Miller bailed out at approximately 13,000 feet at around 1330 hours, between Paris and Melun. He evaded capture and returned to duty (RD). He was the source for E&E Report #693, dated 30 May 1944, in which he described the aircraft's condition at bailout: No. 3 engine on fire, Nos. 2 and 4 feathered, No. 1 out of control. Miller reported personally checking the entire front of the airplane before bailing out and finding it empty. He saw the radio operator and top turret gunner bail out. French helpers on the ground told him that seven parachutes had been counted. He heard from helpers that German ground troops had fired on some crew members. His next of kin was his father, Melville W. Miller, of 8705 Ridge Boulevard, New York, New York.

2nd Lt. Sigmund Spritz served as navigator aboard B-24 serial 42-7519, 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 following the loss of the aircraft over France. His status remained listed as MIA in both the Miller (E&E #693) and Spellman (E&E #484) reports. Note: his surname appears as both "Spritz" and "Pritz" in different documents due to OCR and transcription variation; "Spritz" is used here based on the home address page. His next of kin was his father, Benjamin H. Spritz, of 3261 Beaman Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland.

2nd Lt. William Hansen Jr. served as bombardier aboard B-24 serial 42-7519, 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 following the loss of the aircraft on a mission to Ludwigshafen. Hansen's status was later updated to prisoner of war (P/W) per E&E Report #693. His next of kin was his mother, Genda Hanson, of 237 Clayton Street, San Francisco, California. Note: the surname appears as both "Hansen" and "Hanson" in the documents; "Hansen" is used per the serial number record.

S/Sgt. Willis E. Spellman served as radio operator aboard B-24 serial 42-7519, 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 after the aircraft was lost over France. Spellman evaded capture and returned to duty (RD). He was the source for E&E Report #484, dated 20 March 1944, in which he reported seeing one parachute open. French helpers told him that Stearns, Varbese, and Wahrheit were believed killed, and that Carnahan and Long had been captured. Co-pilot Miller reported seeing Spellman bail out of the aircraft. His next of kin was his mother, Rosilda Spellman, of 301 West 16th Street, Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Sgt. Jay W. Stearns served as ball turret gunner aboard B-24 serial 42-7519, 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 after the aircraft was lost over France en route to Ludwigshafen. Both E&E reports contain hearsay information indicating that Stearns, along with Long and one other crew member, was shot by German ground troops after bailing out. Spellman's E&E #484 report, citing French sources, lists him as MIA, while Miller's E&E #693 also lists him as MIA. Status is recorded as KIA based on the consistent hearsay evidence from multiple sources. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs. John R. Stearns, of Orwell, Ohio.

S/Sgt. Robert A. Fruth served as a waist gunner aboard B-24 serial 42-7519, 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 following the loss of the aircraft over France. Fruth evaded capture and returned to duty (RD) per E&E Report #693. His surname appears as "Truth" in the home address page due to an OCR error; "Fruth" is the correct spelling confirmed by both E&E reports. His next of kin was his father, John A. Fruth, of Route No. 3, Napoleon, Ohio.

Sgt. Daniel J. Varbese served as a waist gunner aboard B-24 serial 42-7519, 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 after the aircraft was lost over France. Varbese's status was later updated to prisoner of war (P/W) per E&E Report #693. Spellman's E&E #484 report, citing French sources, listed him as believed killed, though the more authoritative PWIB record in #693 shows P/W. His surname appears as "Parveso" in the home address page, which is an OCR error; "Varbese" is confirmed by both E&E crew lists. His next of kin was his mother, Flora B. Varbese, of Pine, New York.

S/Sgt. William D. Wahrheit served as tail gunner aboard B-24 serial 42-7519, 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 following the loss of the aircraft over France. Both E&E reports list Wahrheit as MIA. French sources cited in Spellman's E&E #484 indicated he was believed killed. Status is recorded as KIA based on this consistent hearsay evidence. His next of kin was his mother, Theresa Wahrheit, of 817 South 18th Street, New Hyde Park, New York.

S/Sgt. Warren H. Long served as top turret gunner aboard B-24 serial 42-7519, 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 following the loss of the aircraft over France. Co-pilot Miller reported that Long (top turret gunner) was believed to have been slightly wounded before bailout, and saw him bail out. Both E&E reports contain hearsay information that Long, Stearns, and one other crew member were shot by German ground troops after bailing out. His PWIB record in E&E #693 listed him as P/W (prisoner of war), but E&E #484 listed him as MIA, and the hearsay information in both reports indicates he was shot. Status is recorded here as KIA based on the weight of hearsay evidence. His next of kin was his mother, Ruth V. Long, of Rural Delivery No. 3, Napoleon, Ohio.