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Parker P. Crater

Navigator · 329th Squadron

2nd Lt. Parker P. Crater served as navigator aboard B-24D 41-23111 on the 9 October 1943 Danzig mission. When the aircraft suffered engine failures and began heading toward Sweden, Crater bailed out of the bomb bay doors at approximately 1430 hours over the Baltic Sea.

Crater bailed out approximately 80 miles southeast of Kalmar, Sweden, in the Baltic Sea. His parachute was reported to have opened and he was equipped with a Mae West life preserver, but visibility was good and no shipping was seen in the area. He was listed as Missing in Action and his fate was unknown.

Missing in Action

Sortie Log

1 CATALOGUED SORTIE
09 OCT 1943

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
—
09 OCT 1943
Danzig, Germany (submarine pens)
B-24D serial 41-23111, assigned to the 329th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bombardment Group (H), departed AAF Station 104 on 9 October 1943 on a bombing mission to the submarine pens at Danzig. The aircraft was last sighted at coordinates 5557N 0809E at 1110 hours, when it left formation and turned toward England with no apparent trouble observed by other crews. According to pilot Capt. Thomas W. Atkinson's casualty questionnaire, the aircraft reached the target area approximately 10 miles north of Danzig before one engine ran away and the other three stopped. The navigator, 2nd Lt. Parker P. Crater, bailed out over the Baltic approximately 80 miles southeast of Kalmar, Sweden, at around 1430 hours. The aircraft made a forced landing approximately two miles south of Logaby, Sweden. All remaining nine crew members were uninjured. The crew was interned in Sweden, and their status was subsequently reported through the American Embassy via diplomatic channels. As of 12 November 1943, all surviving crew members were reported living at Korshus, Sweden in perfect condition. The navigator who bailed out over the Baltic was listed as Missing in Action. No search was conducted for the aircraft.
41-23111