42-50679
B-24J Liberator, AAF serial 42-50679, departed Hardwick on 28 January 1945 on a bombing mission to Dortmund, Germany.
After bombs away over Dortmund the aircraft was struck by flak, knocking out engines No. 1 and No. 2 and badly damaging the port rudder. Oil pressure on the two remaining engines also dropped. The pilot ordered the crew to bail out.
The aircraft was last sighted near Lippstadt trailing behind the formation, approximately 2,000 feet below, heading north. Engines 3 and 4 were milling intermittently. No major visible battle damage was noted by the eyewitness.
German records (KU 3632) show the aircraft went down near Hoevel, district of Arnsberg, on 28 January 1945 at 1226 hours. The wreckage was recovered by German forces; no body was found in or near it.
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.