Crew Roster · Personal File
Walter E. Ries
Tail Gunner
S/Sgt Walter E. Ries served as a gunner on B-24J 42-100294 on the 24 June 1944 mission to Dreux Airdrome, France. His surname appears in documents as Ries, Rice, and Bies due to OCR and clerical variation.
Ries returned to U.S. military control in August 1944. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs. Anna Rice (Ries), 6643 Edward Street, Detroit, Michigan.
Missing in Action
Sortie Log
6 CATALOGUED SORTIES
25 FEB 1944 — 24 JUN 1944
25 FEB 1944 — 24 JUN 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
№ 235
25 FEB 1944
FürthA/I
Nancy Lee42-100329
№ 237
28 FEB 1944
Target unrecorded
Nancy Lee42-100329
№ 244
02 MAR 1944
Frankfurt Am MainM/Y
One row of crew data replaced by XXXXX redaction line between Bombardier and Engineer positions; likely an Engineer/Top Turret entry was crossed out or redacted.
42-500000
№ 439
24 JUN 1944
Dreux Airdrome, France
B-24J serial 42-100294 was the lead aircraft on a mission to Dreux Airdrome, France on 24 June 1944. The plane was piloted by Captain Norman A. Roggenkamp, with Lt. Col. Clarence R. Porter aboard as acting commander. Over the target at approximately 0840 hours, the aircraft received a direct burst of flak in the bomb bay, causing a series of explosions. The plane broke up in the air at approximately 21,000 feet altitude. Witnesses reported seeing the bomb bay catch fire, bombs dropping, and then the aircraft swinging out of formation before exploding. The only recognizable part observed was the right outer panel spiraling down. Wreckage came down approximately 20 kilometers south of Dreux, France. Between two and five parachutes were observed. The crash site was near an airfield at Trron, south of Dreux. German capture records (KW Case Nr. 2371) confirm the aircraft was shot down at Air Base Dreux on 24 June 1944 at 0840. Of the 11 crew, 5 were killed, 5 returned to U.S. military control, and 1 was a prisoner of war. Report prepared by 1st Lt. George J. Meisel on 28 June 1944.
Victory Belle42-100294
№ 439
24 JUN 1944
Dreux Airdrome, France
B-24J serial 42-100294 was the lead aircraft on a mission to Dreux Airdrome, France on 24 June 1944. The plane was piloted by Captain Norman A. Roggenkamp, with Lt. Col. Clarence R. Porter aboard as acting commander. Over the target at approximately 0840 hours, the aircraft received a direct burst of flak in the bomb bay, causing a series of explosions. The plane broke up in the air at approximately 21,000 feet altitude. Witnesses reported seeing the bomb bay catch fire, bombs dropping, and then the aircraft swinging out of formation before exploding. The only recognizable part observed was the right outer panel spiraling down. Wreckage came down approximately 20 kilometers south of Dreux, France. Between two and five parachutes were observed. The crash site was near an airfield at Trron, south of Dreux. German capture records (KW Case Nr. 2371) confirm the aircraft was shot down at Air Base Dreux on 24 June 1944 at 0840. Of the 11 crew, 5 were killed, 5 returned to U.S. military control, and 1 was a prisoner of war. Report prepared by 1st Lt. George J. Meisel on 28 June 1944.
Victory Belle42-100294
№ 439
24 JUN 1944
Target unrecorded
On 24 June 1944 the aircraft was hit by a direct flak strike in the nose at approximately 21,000 feet altitude. The nose caught fire immediately and the plane blew up. The aircraft departed Hardwick at approximately 0530 and the loss occurred in the vicinity of Tréon, south of Dreux, France. Approximately seven crew members bailed out. The plane blew up in the air before striking the ground. According to the bombardier, Capt. Schilling, the pilot, co-pilot, top turret gunner, and nose gunner were observed in the plane and were likely killed before or during the explosion.
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