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Military
William Carraro was Navigator on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret Department), 40km NE of Orléans, France. Killed In Action (KIA)
AM, PH
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Irvine Balsam was Left Waist Gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Shirley Berry was Co-Pilot on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Evaded capture with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance. Taken in charge by the Shelburn evasion line, he and 23...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer, Top Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Francis Krueger was Engineer/Top Turret gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of...
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-24D #42-40747 'Heavy Date'. Killed in Action (KIA). Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed near Vrigny, 40km NE of Orléans, Fance.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 389th Bomb Group
David Neilson was Radio Operator on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Russell Paquin was Ball Turret gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Evaded capture with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance. Taken in charge by the Shelburn evasion line,...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 389th Bomb Group
Manuel Rogoff was Bombardier on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Evaded capture with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance. Taken in charge by the Shelburn evasion line, he and 23...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Robert Rugh was Right Waist gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Keith Sutor was Tail Gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Landed near Sully-la-Chapelle (Loiret Department), France and evaded capture with the help of French citizens and members of the...
Group
The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943...
Squadron
567th Bombardment Squadron, 24 December 1942 - 13 September 1945
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B-24 Liberator
B-24D 42-40747 'Heavy Date' 567th BS, 389th BG, 8th AF, flew Ploesti oil refinery raid on 1st August 4, 3piloted by William M Selvidge, returning safely to Libya. On 7 January 44, its assigned target was the Ludwigshaven Oil Refinery in Germany,...
7 January 1944
The industrial areas of Ludwigshaven, Germany are the primary target for this mission. The formation has three elements. The bomber gunners of the entire force claim 30-6-17 of attacking German aircraft.
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Military site : airfield
Construction of Hethel airfield began in 1941, and was finished in late 1942. The number of hardstandings was increased from the planned 36 to 50 in 1942, in order to accommodate a full heavy bomb group. The 320th Bomb Group occupied the base for ten...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Jefferson Co, Kentucky | |
| Killed In Action (KIA) | 7 January 1944 | |
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in the crash of B-24 # 42-40747 |
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| Buried | Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial | |
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William Carraro rests at Plot B, Row , Grave |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 01 May 2020 13:29:29 | ED-BB | Changes to biography, events, person associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 1851 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:28:15 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Combat Chronology Supplement p. 223, 8th AF Losses , WWII Memorial / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia |
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