Supports 1 fact
Escape and Evasion Report 1616
Military Record · United States Army Air Forces · 1943 · Escape and Evasion Reports
The crew.
§ 9 aboard
Name
Position
Serial
Hometown
On this flight
1LtMilton Teltser
Pilot
Station 1
0792633
—
Completed his tour
Returned
→
2LtWilmer H. Bassett
Co-Pilot
Station 2
O-670490
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Completed his tour
Returned
→
2LtSanford Reback
Navigator
Station 3
O-796598
Providence County, Rhode Island
Killed in action
Returned
→
1LtRobert B. Ward
Bombardier
Station 4
O-885296
—
Killed in action
Returned
→
SgtBernard A. Higgins
Ball Turret Gunner
19080947
Los Angeles County, California
Killed in action
Returned
→
T/SgtWallace D. Milligan
“Bud”
Radio Operator
Station 6
14128805
Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia
Killed in action
Returned
→
SgtFrancis W. Doll
Waist Gunner
Station 8
17060485
Kansas City, Missouri
Completed his tour
Returned
→
S/SgtRichard R. Murray
Tail Gunner
Station 9
14064053
Polk County, Florida
Killed in action
Returned
→
S/SgtVance Taylor
Top Turret Gunner
37333802
CO
Killed in action
Returned
→
In their own words.
§ 9 entries
Milton TeltserPilot
1st Lt. Milton Teltser served as pilot on the Ploesti mission of 1 August 1943. He is referenced in E&E Report No. 1619. His aircraft was shot down during the raid and he was reported missing in action.
Wilmer H. BassettCo-Pilot
2nd Lt. Wilmer Bassett served as co-pilot on the Ploesti mission of 1 August 1943. He is referenced in E&E Report No. 1619. His aircraft was shot down during the raid and he was reported missing in action.
Sanford RebackNavigator
2nd Lt. Sanford Reback served as navigator on the Ploesti mission of 1 August 1943. He is referenced in E&E Report No. 1619. His aircraft was shot down during the raid and he was reported missing in action.
Robert B. WardBombardier
2nd Lt. Robert Ward served as bombardier on the Ploesti mission of 1 August 1943. He is referenced in E&E Report No. 1619. His aircraft was shot down during the raid and he was reported missing in action.
Bernard A. HigginsBall Turret Gunner
S/Sgt. Bernard Higgins served as ball turret gunner on the Ploesti mission of 1 August 1943. He is referenced in E&E Report No. 1619. His aircraft was shot down during the raid and he was reported missing in action.
Wallace D. MilliganRadio Operator
T/Sgt. Wallace Milligan served as radio operator on the Ploesti mission of 1 August 1943. He is referenced in E&E Report No. 1619. His aircraft was shot down during the raid and he was reported missing in action.
Francis W. DollWaist Gunner
S/Sgt. Francis Doll served as waist gunner on the Ploesti mission of 1 August 1943. He is referenced in E&E Report No. 1619. His aircraft was shot down during the raid and he was reported missing in action.
Richard R. MurrayTail Gunner
S/Sgt. Richard Murray served as tail gunner on the Ploesti mission of 1 August 1943. He is referenced in E&E Report No. 1619. His aircraft was shot down during the raid and he was reported missing in action.
Vance TaylorTop Turret Gunner
T/Sgt. Vance Taylor served as top turret gunner/engineer on the Ploesti mission of 1 August 1943. He is referenced in E&E Report No. 1619. His aircraft was shot down during the raid and he was reported missing in action.
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 departed Bengasi, Libya at approximately 07:30 AM on August 1, 1943, as part of the low-level mission against the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. The plane was from the 93rd Bomb Group, 330th Bomb Squadron. The aircraft crashed at approximately 4:00 PM, approximately 15 miles southwest of Bucharest, Romania. At the time of the crash the plane was entirely in flames, with the exception of part of the tail. The aircraft exploded approximately 30 seconds after striking the ground. No crew members bailed out. The co-pilot (Bassett) reported that the bombardier and navigator were believed killed in the crash as both were in the nose of the plane. The radio operator was killed by enemy fighter action before the crash. The engineer, tail gunner, and top turret gunner were also believed to have died in the crash. Romanian authorities subsequently reported one man died; the method of identification was unknown.
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 · 1943
Official record