About the Airplane
- The Missing Air Crew Reports No.
- 8253
- The type of the plane.
- B-24J
- The plane ID.
- 42-51729
- The name of the plane.
- The squadron the bomber belongs to.
- 724th Bomb Squadron
- The date of the bomber's crash.
- 1944-08-23
- The reason for the bomber's crash.
- Jäger
- The place the bomber targeted.
- Markersdorf
- The place where the bomber crashed.
- Türnitz
- Coordinates of the site the bomber was last seen at.
- 47°40'N, 15°50'E
- The city or village the bomber was last seen at.
- Semmering
- The country or county the bomber was last seen at.
- Time of the day the bomber was last seen at.
- 12:20
- Time of the crash.
- Comments.
- Die Maschine wurde über dem Ziel von deutschen Jägern angegriffen und in Brand geschossen. Sie ging sofort in einen spiralförmigen Sturzflug über. Im Inneren brach Feuer aus. Der Pilot gab den Befehl "Bail out". Die gesamte Besatzung konnte den Bomber verlassen. Am Boden erwartete die Flieger eine sehr feindselige Stimmung. Der Pilot wurde vom Bürgermeister in Annaberg als "Gangster" beschimpft.
Map of related places
The Crew
| Name | Rank | Function | Destiny |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beach, Robert L. | 2nd Lt | Pilot | EUS |
| Brust, Kenneth F. | S/Sgt | Gunner 2 | EUS |
| Callanan, Michael J. | Sgt | Gunner 4 | KIA |
| Cooper, James L. | Sgt | Gunner 3 | EUS |
| Jensen, Robert W. | 2nd Lt | Bombardier | EUS |
| Kelly, Donald V. | Sgt | Gunner 5 | EUS |
| Klossner, Herbert O. | 2nd Lt | Navigator | EUS |
| Pratt, Philip W. | 2nd Lt | Co-Pilot | KIA |
| Ransom, Benjamin R. | S/Sgt | Gunner 1 | Rmc |
| White, George M. | Cpl | Gunner 6 | EUS |
How to cite
DAACDA – Downed Allied Air Crew Database Austria, edited by Nicole-Melanie Goll, Georg Hoffmann and Peter Andorfer, Vienna 2025 (https://daacda.acdh.oeaw.ac.at/a-00508.html)