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MACR PILOT: 1Lt  Ronald W  Hollenbeck  - O-729857
MACR: 00676 FICHE : 00223

ORGANIZATION
LOCATION: AAF Station #139 COMMAND: VIII AF GROUP: 100th Bomb Gp (H) AAF
SQUADRON: 350th BS DETACHMENT:  
     

DETAIL
DEPARTURE:AAF Station #139 INITIAL COURSE: Regensburg  
INTENDED DESTINATION: North Africa    
MISSION TYPE:Operational    

WEATHER & VISIBILITY AT TIME OF LAST REPORT
CONDITION: CAVU    

GIVE
DATE: 1943-08-17 TIME: 10:30 LOCATION: Verena

SPECIFY:

Last Sighted

CONFIRMED OR BELIEVED REASON FOR LOSS
LOSS DUE TO : Enemy aircraft

OTHER REASON FOR LOSS:

AIRCRAFT: 42-3232
TYPE: B-17 SERIES: F  
     
     

ENGINES:
MODEL: R-1820-97    
A: 42-79784
B: 43-57384
C: 41-66432
D: 41-58002
    

INSTALLED WEAPONS:
A: 503383
B: 504179
C: 503224
D: 503296		 E: 313655
F: 313725
G: 313769
H: 313613		 I: 503171
J: 504082
K: 313367
L: 313773

PERSONS BELOW ARE LISTED AS:
CASUALTY TYPE: Battle casualty  
NUMBER OF PERSONS ON BOARD:    
CREW: 10 PASS: 0 TOTAL: 10

PERSONNEL:

POSITION NAME RANK SERIAL
P1
P2 Ronald W  Hollenbeck 1Lt O-729857
CP John L Williams F/O T-60810
NAV (N) Harold L Weintrabb 2Lt O-667465
BOM (B) Zeak M Buckner 2Lt O-731359
RAD Emile A Reimherr TSgt 34290593
ENG Rush S Mintz TSgt 14062348
BAL Glen H Keirsey SSgt 38089004
WG (W) William A Rouse SSgt 20123753
WG (W) John Q Paciotti SSgt 33057029
TG (T) Thomas E Flounders Sgt 16034059

PERSONS WHO ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE LAST KNOWLEDGE OF AIRCRAFT

Bernard A DeMarco 1Lt O-791290
Last sighted
   

PERSONNEL WHO ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE SURVIVED

REASON: Any other reason OTHER: Plane believed to have landed  

EYEWITNESS DESCRIPTIONS OF CRASH

Report: 
B-17 #232 was hit in Bomb Bay and jettisoned its bombs fifteen minutes before the target.  The bombs fell in a wooded area.  It stayed with formation until we circled at Verona to pick up stragglers where it continued on Route alone.  No. 4 engine feathered as A/C pulled away.  It appeared that one of the crew was injured and was being worked on in the nose of A/C. It is thought that this A/C may have landed at Sardinia.
   
   
Second Witness: No Data  
Report: 

      

    





  
DESCRIPTION OF SEARCH EFFORT

  

    

      DETAIL:No search made.
      

  







PREPARING OFFICER


PREPARED BY: Claude L. Hosford
1st Lt., AC
Personnel Officer  


DATE PREPARED:
  1943-09-05


  



TRANSCRIBER NOTES



    
    REPORT: 
On the Regensburg mission, this crew was flying as left wingman to Norm Scott and "Bucky" Cleven who led the low squadron. Bennie Demarco was flying as right wingman and gives this account: "B 17 #232 was hit in Bomb Bay and jettisoned its bombs fifteen minutes before the target. The bombs fell in a wooded area. It stayed with formation until we circled at Verona to pick up stragglers where it continued on Route alone. No. 4 engine feathered as aircraft pulled away. It appeared that one of the crew was injured and was being worked on in nose of aircraft. It is thought that this aircraft may have landed in Sardinia."

Glen Keirsey was taken prisoner but eventually escaped and made is way back to England. On 22 June 1944 in a statement to Military Intelligence Service ETO Glen gave the following statement:

"On August 17, 1943, at about 1300 hours near Ghedi, Italy and at approximately 3000 feet I bailed out. The ship had #3 and #4 engines shot out the former was wind milling. The entire crew bailed out safely and the plane crashed into a mountain. The enlisted men all escaped from Camp 54, but Reimherr, Mintz, Paciotte and Flounders were soon recaptured. Rouse was not recaptured until 27 February 1944."

A 1979 letter from Bill Rouse reads as follows:..jb

"August 17, 1943 (Regensburg),we were low squadron trail group. We made it over target, one engine out, badly shot up. We tried to go on to North Africa. We could not keep up with formation. All alone we tried for Switzerland. We were forced to bail out as we were unable to make Switzerland. We bailed out as soon as we cleared down to 3,500 feet over Milano, Italy. All of the crew were able to get out. We were picked up by German and Italian troops. I ended up in Camp 54 (POW) then escaped. I was picked up six months later and sent to Germany. I finally escaped in April 1945 and went back to England. I stayed in the Air Force for over 30 years and retired at Eglin A.F.B. Florida."