Crew Roster · Personal File

Robert B. Ward

Navigator · Howard Kleinsteuber · 330th Squadron

On March 18, 1943, Hot Freight flew out on a mission to the Vegesack shipbuilding works in Germany. The B-24 held the diamond position in the lead element. Over the target, ME-110 fighters attacked from the front while anti-aircraft fire came up from below. The plane was hit hard and went down west of Seefield.

The entire crew was killed in the crash. Their names were recorded in the files, and their loss was noted in MACR 15595.

Nine years later, in May 1952, the crew was buried together. By then the war had been over for seven years, but their service and sacrifice were remembered.

Killed in ActionPASSED 18 MAR 1943

Sortie Log

2 CATALOGUED SORTIES
01 AUG 1943 — 01 AUG 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

№ 115

01 AUG 1943

Ploesti

The aircraft departed Bengasi, Libya at approximately 07:30 AM on August 1, 1943, as part of the low-level mission against the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. The plane was from the 93rd Bomb Group, 330th Bomb Squadron. The aircraft crashed at approximately 4:00 PM, approximately 15 miles southwest of Bucharest, Romania. At the time of the crash the plane was entirely in flames, with the exception of part of the tail. The aircraft exploded approximately 30 seconds after striking the ground. No crew members bailed out. The co-pilot (Bassett) reported that the bombardier and navigator were believed killed in the crash as both were in the nose of the plane. The radio operator was killed by enemy fighter action before the crash. The engineer, tail gunner, and top turret gunner were also believed to have died in the crash. Romanian authorities subsequently reported one man died; the method of identification was unknown.

The aircraft was lost on August 1, 1943, during the low-level mission to Ploesti, Romania — Operation Tidal Wave. The plane departed Benghazi at 7:40 a.m. and was hit over the target area. No. 1 engine was windmilling and No. 2 engine was on fire when the crew was forced out of the aircraft. The wing buckled and the plane crashed with flames covering it. The aircraft did not explode on ground impact. None of the crew bailed out by parachute. The crash site was in or near Ogresnie, Romania. Sgt. Doll reported seeing four members of the crew alive on the ground after the crash, accompanied by an observer, but did not examine the wreckage.

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