Missing Air Crew Report 13869
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Pagina 1, Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
13869
War Department Headquarters Army Air Forces
Important: This report will be compiled in triplicate by each Army Air Force organization within 48 hours of the time an air crew member is officially reported missing.
1. ORGANIZATION:
Location, by name: Nuthampstead, England. Group: 398th Bomb Gp (Hv). Squadron: 600th Bomb Sq.
Detachment: None
Command or Air Force: 8TH AIR FORCE.
2. SPECIFY:
Place of Departure: Nuthampstead, England. Course: (Blank). Target or Intended Destination: Derben, Germany. Type Of Mission: operational Bombing.
3. WEATHER CONDITIONS AND VISIBILITY AT TIME OF CRASH OR WHEN LAST REPORTED: Weather - Target 4/10 to 6/10 tops 6000 feet. Visibility aloft unrestricted vertically 18 miles. No contrails.
4. GIVE:
(a) Day: 8, Month: April, Year: 1945; Time: Not applicable, and location: Not applicable, of last known whereabouts of missing Aircraft.
(b) Specify whether aircraft was last sighted (X); Last contacted by radio ( ), Forced down ( ); seen to crash: ( ) or information not Available ( ).
5. AICRAFT WAS LOST, OR IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN LOST AS A RESULT OF: (check only one); Enemy Aircraft ( ); Enemy Anti-Aircraft ( ) Other Circumstances as follows: ( ).
6. AIRCRAFT: Type, Model and Series: B17G. AAF Serial No.: 44-8811.
7. NICKNAME OF AIRCRAFT: None.
8. ENGINES: Type, Model and Series: (blank) AAF Serial No. (a): (Blank) (b) (Blank) (c) (Blank) (d) (Blank).
9. INSTALLED WEAPONS: 50 Cal Aircraft Machine Guns as follows:
| Make | Serial Number | |
| (a) | Buffalo Arms | Serial: 1321299 |
| (b) | Buffalo Arms | Serial: 132112 |
Note; This A/C returned to this field, just the two tail guns were lost.
10. THE PERSONS LISTED BELOW WERE REPORTED AS: (a) Battle Casualty (X) or Non Battle Casualty ( )
11. NUMBER OF PERSONS ABOARD AIRCRAFT: Crew 9, Passengers 0, Total 9.
Following information listed for personnel aboard Aircraft:
| Crew Position | Name in Full | Rank | Serial Number | Current Status |
| CA | Edwin B. Daily | Lt. Col | O-437440 | RTD |
| Pilot | John L. Hahn | 1st Lt. | O-774634 | RTD |
| Navigator | Robert H. Kuchta | 2nd Lt. | O-2069042 | RTD |
| VN | Edgar H. Agnew | 1st Lt. | O-2060183 | RTD |
| Bombardier | Christian Clements | 1st Lt. | O-1052296 | RTD |
| Engineer | Harry M. McDaniel | T/Sgt. | 17024250 | RTD |
| Radio Operator | Norman Kogen | T/Sgt. | 11138382 | RTD |
| LWG | John McFarlane | S/Sgt. | 16177076 | RTD |
| Tail Gunner | Wallace E. Kasch | S/Sgt. | 35895845 | MIA |
Pagina 2, Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
CONFIDENTIAL
12. IDENTIFY BELOW THOSE PERSONS WHO ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE LAST KNOWLEDGE OF AIRCRAFT AND CHECK APPROPRIATE COLUMN TO INDICATE BASIS FOR SAME:
| Name in full | Rank | Serial No. | Contacted by Radio |
Last Sighted |
Saw Crash |
Saw Forced Landing |
| 1. John McFarlane | S/Sgt. | 16177076 | X | |||
| 2. Dawn A. Woodmansee | 2nd Lt. | O-715114 | X | |||
| 3. Norman Kogen | T/Sgt. | 11138382 | X | |||
| 4. Harry J. Dover | S/Sgt. | 14135617 | X | |||
| 5. Ralph F. Will | S/Sgt. | 16142739 | X |
13. IF PERSONNEL ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE SURVIVED, ANSWER YES TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS: (a) Parachutes were used (Blank); (b) Persons were seen walking away from scene of crash (Blank); or (c) any other reason (Specify) (Blank).
14. ATTACH ARIAL PHOTOGRAPH, MAP CHART, OR SCETCH, SHOWING APPROXIMATE LOCATION WHERE AIRCRAFT WAS LAST SEEN OR HEARD FROM.
15. ATTACH EYE-WITNESS DESCRIPTION OF CRASH, FORCED LANDING, OR OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES PERTAINING TO MISSING AIRCRAFT.
16. GIVE NAME, RANK AND SERIAL NUMBER OF OFFICER IN CHARGE OF SEARCH, IF ANY, INCLUDING DESCRIPTION AND EXTENT.
Date of report: 15 April 1945
Wallis L. Campbell, Capt. AC
17. REMARKS OR EYE-WITNESS STATEMENTS:
(See attached statements)
Bomb were away from 20,000 feet at 1214. Coordinates of the target bombed were 5226N – 1200E.
CONFIDENTIAL
Pagina 3, Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
Statement concerning aircraft B17G 44-8811, Pilot, Lt. Col. Edwin B. Daily, O-437440, 600th Bomb Sq, 398th Bomb Group (Hv) on combat mission to Derben, Germany, 8 April 1945.
We just turned off the bomb run and were heading away from the target. The tail gunner reported flak at 6 o’clock and three. He said it was not near enough to worry about, then there was a loud explosion and I felt a strong wind blow up through the waist. One of the windows had broken so I looked for flak damage there first. Then I looked back at the tail. There wasn’t anything there but a large hole. The tail gunner was no longer there as the complete tail section from the escape hatch back had been blown away. I couldn’t see whether he had a chance to use his chute or not. I don’t believe he did.
John McFarlane, 16177076
S/Sgt. 600th Bomb Squadron
Waist Gunner,
B17G 44-8811
Pagina 4, Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
Statement concerning aircraft B17G 44-8811, Pilot, Lt. Col. Edwin B. Daily, O-437440, 600th Bomb Sq, 398th Bomb Group (Hv) on combat mission to Derben, Germany, 8 April 1945.
I was flying on the left wing over the lead ship and at about five minutes after bombs away I saw a bright flash about the center of the vertical fin on the lead ship, and the rudder and tail gunners compartment fell away from the ship. I did not see the tail gunner fall out, as I was flying about even and the section that fell away was out of my line of vision.
Dawn A. Woodmansee, O-715114
2nd Lt. 600th Bomb Squadron
Pilot, B17G 44-8699
Pagina 5, Missing Air Crew Report (M.A.C.R.) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
Statement concerning aircraft B17G 44-8811, Pilot, Lt. Col. Edwin B. Daily, O-437440, 600th Bomb Sq, 398th Bomb Group (Hv) on combat mission to Derben, Germany, 8 April 1945.
After turning off the target I took off my flak suit and was preparing a bomb strike message to send into Division. All of a sudden the ship started to lurch and it pushed me about a foot off my seat. I realized there was flak in the area and that we were hit. Thinking that it was under the radio room, I lifted the door to the camera well to see the damage but there wasn’t any to be seen. I sat down again only to find my radio had gone completely dead. Finding the antenna shot away, I tried to use the trailing wire but found that it was stuck. I then went into the waist to roll out the trailing wire manually and then I noticed the tail had been shot away.
Norman Kogen, 11138382
T/Sgt. 600th Bomb Squadron
ROG, B17G 44-8811
Pagina 6, Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
Statement concerning aircraft B17G 44-8811, Pilot, Lt. Col. Edwin B. Daily, O-437440, 600th Bomb Sq, 398th Bomb Group (Hv) on combat mission to Derben, Germany, 8 April 1945.
I was flying as radio operator in the deputy lead ship of low squadron, with Lt. Robert Nolan. We were flying on the right of the lead ship, I can’t give a full account of everything that happened for I was busy in the radio room throwing out my chaff. Here is a brief account of what happened. After dropping out chaff, I looked out the right window of the radio room to look at the flak. This was the third pass at the target and flak was heavy and accurate. Ships were getting hit all around us. I saw one ship get a direct hit on the left wing. The ship went into a spin at 4 o’clock and then exploded before it hit the ground. No chutes were seen. This one was “Caput”.
I looked out the other radio room window about that time and saw our lead ship (Col. Daily’s) get a direct hit on his tail. The tail scattered all over the sky. I saw the tail gunner go out of the tail somersaulting head over feet in mid-aid about 150 feet from me. He almost hit the plane flying beneath him. He did not have his chute on. I watched him until he faded out of sight. This was all I saw. I have never seen flak so accurate.
They really had our range this time. However we did not get a single burst of flak until after we had made our third pass at the target.
Harry J. Dover, 14135617
S/Sgt. 600th Bomb Squadron
Radio Operator,
B17G 44-6157
Pagina 7, Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
Statement concerning aircraft B17G 44-8811, Pilot, Lt. Col. Edwin B. Daily, O-437440, 600th Bomb Sq, 398th Bomb Group (Hv) on combat mission to Derben, Germany, 8 April 1945.
I saw flak bursting all over. One sound I heard and I saw the tail of the lead ship shatter. Almost instantly it started to weave and lose altitude slowly. Another burst of flak very close hit our ship. I turned to see if our tail was hit as bad as the lead ship, it wasn’t, but our tail gunner got hit. At that time I saw a b17 at 5 o’clock get hit between number one and number two engines, blowing the wing off at that point. He rolled to the left and started spinning down on fire. I then called out flak bursts to the pilot so he could use evasive action when it cleared. I left the turret to fire flares. I saw no chutes from either ship.
Ralph F. Will, 16142739
S/Sgt. 600th Bomb Squadron
TTG, B17G 44-6157
Pagina 8, Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
CONFIDENTIAL
SUMMERY OF EYE-WITNESS ACOUNTS
Instruction:
1. If aircraft returned, only questions 6 and 7 are applicable. 2. Question number 5 not applicable to Fighter Groups. 3. Summery will be prepared in five copies, four of which will be forwarded. 4.
Interrogating Office will sign original and second copy.
GROUP: 398th Bomb Gp., SQ: 600 Bomb Sq., A/C: 448811-C, MISSION DATE: 8 Apr 45, FIRST PILOT: Hahn, John L. 1st Lt. O-774634, DESTINATION: Derben, Germany.
1. Condition of missing aircraft when last sighted or contacted:
a. By coordinates: Not Applicable
b. Approximate Altitude: Not Applicable
c. Last Noted Heading: Not Applicable
d. If out of formation, approximate distance from formation: Not Applicable
2. Describe enemy opposition (intensity of flak, intensity and method of enemy fighter attack, etc., with particular reference to missing aircraft:
Flak – meager and inaccurate.
No enemy aircraft opposition.
3. Description of extent of damage to missing aircraft (including fires, explosions, etc):
Tail section blown off (inboard half of elevator, right hand horizontal stabilizer, rudder and vertical fin to front spar blown off, dorsal fin rivets sheared skin loose to 3 stations, left elevator warped, tail cone completely away – fuselage from station 94 to 11 shot off)
4. If aircraft was out of control describe appearance:
No control on rear of plane except that which was left of elevator.
(Over)
CONFIDENTIAL
Pagina 9, Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
5. If distressed aircraft was out of formation as it last seen with escort? None. If so, give distinguished markings of Fighter Group if noted (Group number, color and/or fighter aircraft numbers, nicknames, etc.).
None
6. Number of parachutes seen and description of jumps (approximate altitude, time between jumps, etc.):
No parachutes seen.
7. Any other remarks not covered by above:
When tail section was blown off the tail gunner went with it. No observations were made by crews concerning this plane. The A/C returned to this base minus the tail gunner S/Sgt. Wallace E. Kasch, 35895845.
8. Date of report: 15 April 1945
EYE-WITNESSES: None
INTERROGATION OFFICER (Sign Original and one copy):
Charles H. Kroh
Captain, Air Force
O-568990
Asst. Intel. O.
Pagina 10, Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 13869
SSGT Wallace E. Kasch, ASN 35.895.845
© 2009 Stichting Missing In Action (MIA)., Nederland
