Sortie2BDB-24Aborted
“Solid Comfort”.Over Duppach.
Mission 769 · 29 December 1944 · Duppach, Germany
Serial
42-50501
B-24J
Fuselage Code
AG
Squadron
330th
Ted's Traveling Circus
Aboard
10
men
The crew.
§ 10 aboard
Name
Position
Serial
Hometown
On this flight

1LtWalter F. Hughes
Pilot
Station 1
O-764680
Santa Barbara
Completed his tour
Returned
→
LtDouglas A. Schetter
Co-Pilot
Station 2
—
—
Returned
→

2LtLouis H. Windsor
Navigator
Station 3
O-712976
—
Returned
→

2LtRalph Hendershot
Bombardier
Station 4
O-0768958
—
Returned
→

SgtConway Thorstenson
Engineer / Top Turret
Station 5
39464774
—
Returned
→

T/SgtNorbert L. Ecclesfield
“Eck”
Radio Operator
Station 6
3904111
—
Returned
→

SgtMichael J. Kusnir
Waist Gunner
Station 8
35236546
—
Returned
→

SgtBoyd L. Justice
Tail Gunner
Station 9
38440786
—
Returned
→

SgtRobert T. Lee
“The Old Man”
Nose Gunner
18215267
—
Returned
→

SgtCarroll F. Ruby
Gunner
33734687
—
Returned
→
The load.
§ 6,000 lb aboard
AN-M64
500-pounder
12× 500 lb
TypeGeneral Purpose · TNT/Amatol
Weight6,000 lb
FuzingRDX - Hughes Memoir
The flight.
§ Ship’s Record
The Day
Took off fromHardwick (Sta. 104)
Landed atHardwick (Sta. 104)
The Record
ResultAborted
Record confidenceValidated against a source
Formation
Flew with330th Squadron
Fuel & Equipment
H2X scope photoNo
The target.
§ As Briefed
DuppachUnknown
LocationDuppach, Germany
As the log wrote itRailroad bridge near Kirchweiler
Notes.
§ From the Record
On December 29th the target was a railroad bridge near Kirchweiler. Crossing the coast at Ossoe, Belgium, an antiaircraft battery found them and put flak through the aircraft. Within minutes the oil pressure on the number two engine dropped and the head temperature climbed. They feathered the engine and turned back. The group was still climbing and they couldn't keep up.
Back at the base, an inspection found that a piece of flak had clipped the oil line between two cylinders. All eight gallons of oil had pumped out. The quick shutdown had prevented any further damage, and a five-cent length of hose had Ship A-Able ready to fly the next morning.