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Cornelius Pas

Tail Gunner · 409th Squadron
HometownPA

Sgt. Cornelius Pas served as tail gunner on B-24D 41-23810 on the 4 January 1944 mission to Kiel. The MACR form renders the surname as 'Pat' with a parenthetical '(HMI)'; the correct surname is Pas, confirmed by German casualty documents.

Pas was killed in action on 4 January 1944. German records buried at least some of the dead at the Friedenskengel cemetery in Flensburg. A German administrative error attributed his serial number to pilot Reynolds when listing him as killed in action, requiring multiple inter-agency inquiries to resolve.

Killed in ActionPASSED 04 JAN 1944

Sortie Log

2 CATALOGUED SORTIES
04 JAN 1944 — 04 JAN 1944

The sorties below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.

8AF Mission
Date
Target
Aircraft
№ 174
04 JAN 1944
Kiel
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. Unmatched crew (not in DB): Reynolds (pilot, RTD), McElrath (co-pilot, RTD), Adams (engineer, RTD), Gordon (radio operator, KIA).
Tarfu41-23810
№ 174
04 JAN 1944
Kiel
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. Unmatched crew (not in DB): Reynolds (pilot, RTD), McElrath (co-pilot, RTD), Adams (engineer, RTD), Gordon (radio operator, KIA).
Tarfu41-23810
§ Interment
Cemetery
Ardennes American Cemetery
Location
B 13 19