Missing Air Crew Report number 5264
Description : The year is listed as 1944. The point of departure is listed as Etousa. The location is listed as 49°47' N - 2°10' E. The serial number is listed as 42-31741.
Creator : War Department. Office of the Quartermaster General. Memorial Division. Identification Branch. ca. 1942-ca. 1947
CHAMBERLAIN command Pilot flying as co-pilot B-17
Grade or Rank : Lt. Col.
Organisation : 8th AF 388th Bomb Group, attached to Gp Operations
Date and place of death : 25th may 1944, Poix, near Rouen (France)
Cause of death : Plane blew up just as I was bailing out. Lt. Col. CHAMBERLAIN was standing in the well about five feet from the escape hatch at that time, and I believe that he must have been trapped in the plane. None of the crew ever saw him again or had anymore news about him.
Place of burial (unkown)
14th August 1945
Name and Serial number : First Lieutenant William F. MORAN, 0-699224,
2133 Ryder Street, Brooklin, N.Y.
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Prisoners of War :
Crash B-17
at Campneuseville, 25 km northwest of Poix ???
Name : T/Sgt LAZAR William J. (John),
Serial number : 0-33290024
Result : captured by armored detail
Place and time of capture : immediately after jump
Place, date and time for interment :
Transferred to Dulag Luft : 26 May 1944
Prisoner was wearing pilot's cover-all
T/Sgt BIBBENS Albert Hamilton Jr.,
Serial number : 12201690
radio operator
Result : captured by flak
Place and time of capture : immediately after jump
Transferred to Dulag Luft : 26 May 1944
Prisoner was wearing pilot's cover-all
LEONARD Edward Henry
Sergeant
Serial number : 13107396
Result : captured by armored detail
Place and time of capture : immediately after jump, 5 km southwest of crash
Transferred to Dulag Luft : 26 May 1944
Prisoner was wearing pilot's cover-all
First Lieutenant TRAVIS Walter M.
Serial number : 0-809772
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Report on captured aircraft
Post : Air base Hq. 226/XI
Location : Poix North 19/XI Beauvais
Date 26 May 1944
Date and time : Aircraft was shot down 25 May 1944 08.30
Place of crash : near Campneuseville, 25 km northwest of Poix
Kind of capture : Flak, crashed and burned
Type of aircraft B-17 F
"Later in day, after being captured I was united with the following members of my crew desides the two member at there fore mentioned
Captain Wayne R. BARNETT (bomb), captain (then Lieutenant) Walter N. TRAVIS (Nav.), S/Sgt Edward H. LEONARD, Asst engineer also Lt W M F MORAN-NAU (Extra). At this time none of us knew the status of the remaining members of our crew : Lt. Col. CHAMBERLAIN (command pilot) - captain James E. ZENGERLE, pilot - captain (then Lieutenant) Albert B. WILLIN, tail observer"
Plus tard dans la journée, après avoir été capturé, j'ai été uni aux membres suivants de mon équipage, à l'exception des deux membres mentionnés ci-dessus.
Plus tard dans la journée, après avoir été capturé, j'ai été uni aux membres suivants de mon équipage, à l'exception des deux membres mentionnés ci-dessus.
Capitaine Wayne R. BARNETT (bomb), capitaine (alors lieutenant) Walter N. TRAVIS (Nav.), S/Sgt Edward H. LEONARD, (asst) ingénieur, également Lieutenant W M F MORAN-NAU (Extra). A ce moment aucun de nous ne connaissait le sort des autres membres de notre équipage : Lt. Col. CHAMBERLAIN (commandant pilote) - capitaine James E. ZENGERLE, pilote - capitaine (alors lieutenant) Albert B. WILLIN, observateur de queue.
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Casualty questionnaire
Your name : Eugene John BENSON
Rank : T/Sgt
Serial number : 37429547
388th BG
What year, month, day did you go down ? 1944 May 25th
What was the mission ? 23rd, LEIGE (sic) LIEGE (Belgium) - target time, Aprox 09. 30 - altitude : 21.000
route scheduled : Trough France-Belgium - route flown : as scheduled
mitrailleur latéral (Waist gunner), prisonnier de guerre
Where were you when you left formation ? Flying as group lead
Did you bail out ? Yes
Did other members of crew bail out ? Yes
Tell all you know about when, where how each person in your aircraft for whom no individual questionnaire.
Radio-man W. J. LAZAR - T/Sgt Assist radio-men, Albert B. BIBBENS Jr. - T.Sgt bailed out waist door of plane at same time, I did. LAZAR ahead of me, BIBBENS right after me (continued on other side).
Le radio-man W. J. LAZAR - T/Sgt Assist radio-men, Albert B. BIBBENS Jr. - T.Sgt ont sauté par la porte latérale de l'avion en même temps, que je le fit. LAZAR devant moi, BIBBENS juste après moi.
Name of the crew member :
HURDLE John Paul
T/Sgt
Serial number : 14133857
Position crew : Eng. TTG
Did he bail out : No Knowledge
Last contact or conversation just prior to or at time of loss of plane :
Several minutes prior to loss of plane (Quelques minutes avant la perte de l'avion)
Where was he when last seen ? in his position
=======================================================
Casualty questionnaire
Your name : Albert H. BIBBENS
Rank : T/Sergeant
Serial number : 12201690
What year, month, day did you go down ? 1944 May 25th
What was the mission ? R.R. Yards, LIEGE (Belgium)
Target time : 9.35, altitude 22.500
route scheduled : in north of Paris ans Seine (?) - route flown : as planned
Where were you when you left formation ? 2 miles north of The Trieport (sic) France
Did you bail out ? Yes
Did other members of crew bail out ? Yes
Tell all you know about when, where how each person in your aircraft for whom no individual questionnaire.
"Only two I can certain of are - R. Waist Gunner who left waist ahead of me and Ball Gunner who Followed me."
"Il n'y en a que deux dont je soit sûr : Le mitrailleur latéral droit (Right Waist Gunner) qui a sauté devant moi et le mitrailleur de la tourelle bulle qui m'a suivi."
where did your aircraft strike the ground ? Believed it explosed
What members of your crew were in the aircraft when it struck the ground ? I'm not sure but believe T/Sgt J.P. HURDLE (engineer) and command pilot, Lt. Col. CHAMBERLAIN to have died in ship.
Where were they in aircraft ? T/Sgt HURDLE in top turret, Colonel CHAMBERLAIN in co-pilot seat
What was their condition ? O.K. befote we were hit
When, where, and in what condition did you last see any members not already described above ?
"Saw all members were captured except captain James E. ZENGERLE, pilot, captain Albert B. WILLIN, tail gunner. These two evaded. T/Sgt HURDLE (engineer) and Lt. Col. CHAMBERLAIN (command pilot).
Please give any similar information on personnel of any other crew of wich you have knowledge.
Have no other knowledge
Individual Casualty questionnaire
Name of crew member : HURDLE John Paul
Rank : T/Sergeant
Serial number : 14133857
position : Eng. TTG
Did he bail out ? In my opinion, he did not jump
Where ? Two miles north of Le Trieport (France)
Last contact or conversation just prior to or at time of loss of plane :
Being radio operator, I was on Wason ??? band
Where was he when last seen ? In the turret
Any heresay information : Believed to have been helping Lt. Col. CHAMBERLAIN who was believed wounded.
Il aurait aidé le lieutenant-colonel CHAMBERLAIN qui devait être blessé.
Sources : other crew members
Any explanation of his fate based in part on wholly or supposition : believed to have been killed when ship explosed in air
Traduction "Toute explication de son sort basée en partie sur une supposition"
(Je) suppose qu'ils sont morts quand l'avion a explosé dans les airs.
Individual Casualty questionnaire
Name of crew member : HURDLE John Paul
Rank : T/Sergeant
Serial number : 14133857
position : Eng. TTG
Did he bail out ? No
If not why not ? Plane in fire, wing (left) dropped off, hull explosed.
Last contact or conversation just prior to or at time of loss of plane. -
HURDLE spoke to first pilot over interphone "Sir, you better do something about that fire in number three"
"Monsieur, vous feriez bien de faire quelque chose contre cet incendie au numéro trois"
Was he injuried ? Not that I know of.
Where was he when last seen ? In cockpit
Any explanation of his fate based in part on wholly or supposition :
"Since the Colonel CHAMBERLAIN, HURDLE and myself were the only crewmen left in the plane, and he was not picked up by Germans, nor brought out thru underground, I can but assume that he and the Colonel were killed in the exploding plane which blew me clear of wreckage."
"Étant donné que le Colonel CHAMBERLAIN, HURDLE et moi-même * étions les seuls membres d'équipage restants dans l'avion, et qu'il n'a pas pu être récupéré par les Allemands, ni sorti par la clandestinité, je ne peux que supposer que lui et le Colonel aient été tués dans l'explosion de l'avion qui m'a fait sortir indemne de l'épave"
Total number of missions of above crew members : 23 plus credit for one fighter destroyed
* 1st Lt Walter H. Travis
https://dp.la/item/ee6dea30136bfc6907e3 ... eport+5264
Voir sur la fin de ce bombardier le récit très détaillé de J.P. Ducellier, La guerre aérienne dans le Nord de la France, 19 mai - 26 mai 1944, Paillart éditeur 1998 abbeville, pages 415-418.
Cordialement
Eric Abadie
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