“Tarfu”
Circus pilot Earl Hurd, a 22-mission veteran, flew Tarfu home from the low-level Ploesti raid of August 1, 1943, helping carry out a wounded gunner, Thomas D. Gilbert, who was flying his first combat mission that day. Shaken by what he'd seen, Gilbert asked Hurd if every mission was like that; Hurd told him no, some were rougher, before quickly softening the remark. Gilbert would be shot down over France six weeks later and spend the rest of the war as a German prisoner.
B-24D serial 41-23810, call sign 810-R, piloted by 2nd Lt. Andrew M. Reynolds, departed AAF Station 104 (Hardwick) on 4 January 1944 on an operational mission to Kiel.
The aircraft was last seen flying in formation approximately 20 minutes inside the Dutch Coast. Anti-aircraft fire severed the control cables, causing the aircraft to enter a spin. The crew had little time to exit; those who were wounded could not be assisted by those who were able to escape.
German casualty records indicate the aircraft came down approximately 2 km southwest of Gunderschenck, south of Flensburg, near the German-Danish border. Four members of the nine-man crew were killed in action; three were taken prisoner.
The Missing Air Crew Report was compiled on 26 April 1944. Engines were R-1830-43 series, serial numbers 42-57807, 42-36683, 43-32833, and 42-32880.
Sortie Log
A sortie is a single combat mission flown by an aircraft and its crew. The entries below document known sorties associated with this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. This list represents verified flights but may not be complete; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.