“Let 'er Rip”.Over Ploesti.

1st Lt. Victor E. Cliffe served as pilot of the B-24D (s/n 41-24121) in the 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bombardment Group. He had completed 11 missions prior to the Ploesti raid of August 1, 1943. The Missing Air Crew Report was transmitted by the Ninth Air Force under his name. Cliffe did not bail out and was almost certainly killed in the mid-air collision with MACK 334 over Bulgaria. He was in the cockpit when the aircraft struck the ground in mountains southwest of Sofia. His individual casualty questionnaire noted he was probably killed in the mid-air collision. His next of kin was his wife, Mrs. V. E. Cliffe, of Pawtucket, California. Note: The name appears in documents variously as "Olliffe," "Chliffe," and "Cliffco" due to OCR and transcription variation across pages, but the serial number 0-731644 and rank 1st Lt. are consistent across sources. The correct surname is Cliffe.

Flight Officer Nelson R. Collins flew aboard 41-24121 on August 1, 1943, as a passenger listed with the designation "Extra Co-Pilot." He was the eleventh person aboard the aircraft, which carried a crew of ten plus one passenger. Collins is listed as a survivor ("YES") in the status column of the MACR crew manifest from page 12, suggesting he bailed out or otherwise survived the loss of the aircraft. However, no individual casualty questionnaire for Collins is included in this MACR document, and his ultimate fate following the loss of the aircraft is not recorded here.

2nd Lt. Claude H. Ifner served as co-pilot aboard 41-24121 on the August 1, 1943, Ploesti mission. He had completed 12 missions. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs. Fannie D. King, of Huntington Hills, Pennsylvania. Ifner did not bail out and was killed in the mid-air collision. His individual casualty questionnaire recorded he was probably killed in the collision. He was among those in the cockpit when the aircraft struck the ground in the Bulgarian mountains. Note: the name appears variously in documents as "Isher," "Izbor," and "Jaher" due to OCR errors; serial 0-736224 identifies him as Ifner.

2nd Lt. Harry R. Savage served as navigator aboard 41-24121 during the Ploesti raid of August 1, 1943. He had completed 12 missions. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs. Clarence M. Savage, of Concord, Michigan. Savage did not bail out and was killed in the mid-air collision over Bulgaria. His individual casualty questionnaire noted he was "probably killed and injured in mid-air collision." He was among those found in the nose/cockpit section when the aircraft struck the ground.

2nd Lt. Louis M. Nicholson served as bombardier aboard 41-24121 during the Ploesti mission of August 1, 1943. He had completed 12 missions. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs. Frank P. Flanagan, of 257 South Main Street, Greenville, Mississippi. Nicholson did not bail out and was killed in the mid-air collision. His questionnaire stated he was "probably killed or involved in mid-air collision." He was positioned in the nose section and was among the crew members confirmed as being in the aircraft when it struck the ground in Bulgaria. The name appears as "Richalcon" and "Dickinson" in some OCR pages; the correct name Nicholson and serial 0-732649 are consistent across the primary documents.

T/Sgt. Edward J. Haller served as engineer aboard 41-24121. He had completed 12 missions. Last contact with him was approximately one hour before the collision, shortly after leaving the target. His next of kin was his wife, Mrs. Joyce G. Keller, of 200 Hickory Street, Oakland, California. Haller did not bail out and was probably killed in the mid-air collision over Bulgaria. He was among those in the aircraft when it struck the ground. The name appears as "Muller" and "Keller" in some OCR pages; the serial number 39090167 and position of engineer confirm his identity as Haller.

T/Sgt. John D. Crimmins served as radio operator aboard 41-24121 on the Ploesti mission of August 1, 1943. He had completed 12 missions. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs. Catherine M. Grimley, of 100 Harwell Street, Little Falls, New York. Crimmins did not bail out and was probably killed in the mid-air collision. He was last seen at the base in Africa before departure. No hearsay information was available. He was among the crew members confirmed as being in the aircraft when it struck the ground. The name appears variously as "Grimmins," "Grimley," and "Grimmings" across pages due to OCR errors; serial 34167965 identifies him as Crimmins.

S/Sgt. Clifford E. Koen served as a gunner aboard 41-24121. He survived the August 1, 1943, Ploesti mission by bailing out over Bulgaria. According to the casualty questionnaire completed by S/Sgt. Harold R. Murray, Koen bailed out but injured his leg and was captured almost immediately by Bulgarian forces. His next of kin was his wife, Mrs. Timmie C. Ross, of Box 189, Gleeter, Mississippi. The name appears as "Keen," "Loen," and "Koen" across various document pages; serial 34343238 is the most consistent identifier. His status is recorded as a survivor (EUS) on the primary MACR form, and cross-referenced with Murray's testimony as captured.

S/Sgt. Harold R. Murray served as a gunner aboard 41-24121 and was one of three survivors of the August 1, 1943, Ploesti mission. He bailed out over Bulgaria and appears to have evaded or was later repatriated, as he was the primary respondent to the MACR Casualty Questionnaire (Section 1 form), providing detailed testimony about the fates of other crew members. Murray's questionnaire confirmed that the aircraft went down in the mountains southwest of Sofia, that Koen was captured after injuring his leg, that Engrah landed near him, and that Pearson was killed when his parachute collapsed. He identified six crew members as being aboard the aircraft when it struck the ground. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs. Mary P. Surrey, of 120 Madison Avenue, Greenville, New Jersey.

S/Sgt. Edgar J. Pearson served as right waist gunner aboard 41-24121. He had completed 12 missions before the Ploesti raid. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs. Mary J. Pearson, of 400 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Pearson attempted to bail out after the mid-air collision but was killed when his parachute opened and then collapsed. He had been searching for his parachute at the waist window when last seen by fellow crew member Murray. Bulgarian Army soldiers confirmed that his chute opened but later collapsed, and that he was killed. His wallet, ring, and other personal effects were later seen in Sofia, Bulgaria.