Mission

B-24J serial 42-110081, piloted by 1st Lt. Robert W. Brown of the 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group, was lost on 19 June 1944 during a mission to the synthetic oil refinery at Politz, Germany. The aircraft was hit by an 88mm flak shell in the wing just aft of the #4 engine as the crew crossed the Belgian coast near Brugge at approximately 1708 hours. The plane entered a long spiral. The crew dumped bombs, cleared the gunners from their turrets, and prepared to bail out. Lt. Brown managed to briefly stabilize the aircraft using the autopilot after retarding the #1 throttle. At approximately 12,000 feet with a descent rate of 1,500 feet per minute, Brown rang the bail-out bell and tapped his co-pilot to exit, but Co-Pilot Cook refused to leave. The wing then fell off the aircraft. Brown dived out horizontally through the bomb bay doors. After his parachute opened he counted seven chutes including his own. German personnel informed Brown that Co-Pilot Cook and Navigator Pietruccioli were found dead in the wreckage. Nose turret gunner T/Sgt. Kenneth Ehrhart was not in the plane when it crashed but was later confirmed dead, believed to have been killed by parachute failure or insufficient time to deploy. The aircraft's last known position was 51°10N 03°25E at 1740 hours at 20,000 feet altitude.