Target: Magdeburg - 9 February 1945 - Mission #235

For the third straight mission, the vital oil refineries north of the city were ordered for strikes. On this raid, the 392nd led the entire 2nd Air Division and forecast clear weather promised good bombing efforts. Colonel Johnson flew in the lead aircraft as Command Pilot of the mission. Between 0445-0600 hours, (30) crews were given general briefings. At 0800, Group bombers began launch with assembly of the formation being orderly. Enroute, however, towering cumulus forced the Group formation to climb to 25,000 feet for bombing which caused the lead ship to overshoot the primary and release with poor results for the squadron on a Target of Opportunity at Parcheim. The other two squadrons released on the secondary of the marshalling yards by H2X with results unobserved. Fighter support was good and no enemy aircraft encounters were experienced. AA fire, however, was moderate and fairly accurate which caused the probable loss of (1) aircrew and the battle damage to (2) other bombers. From the 577th, Lieutenant Wade’s crew in #841 (Z for Zebra) was last seen at position 5240N-0415E around 1356 hours, over the channel and apparently short of fuel. The bomber was seen to turn back toward the coast of the Continent, flying around 14,000 feet. Little else was known of the missing crew or ship from this time. Other aircraft which had to land short of Wendling due to low fuel was Major Barnes flying with Captain Daley’s crew as Deputy Lead which had lost (2) engines and was forced to land at Brussels. In addition to this ship, #151 (C for Charlie) from the 577th with Lieutenant Jackson’s crew had to land at A-83 on the Continent also short on fuel. All remaining Liberators safely recovered at base around 1430 hours.

MISSING AIR CREW REPORT SECTION

9 FEBRUARY 1945 - TARGET: MAGDEBURG

MISSING AIRCREW REPORT: #12216 AIRCRAFT: #41-28841 "THE PHILLY FOLLY’ "Z-Plus" 1st Mission

AIRCREW: WADE    *    SQUADRON: 577th

CREW POSITIONS AND STATUS:

P   2/LT Wade, Burton L.        KIA
CP  2/LT Zeigler, Richard H.    KIA
N   2/LT Sanders, Lewis L. Jr   KIA
B   F/O  Somerhalder, Walter R. KIA
R/O SGT  Luniewicz, Theodore E. KIA
EnG SGT  Pergande, Bradford E.  KIA
WG  SGT  Kudej, Robert W.       KIA
WG  SGT  Jamar, James L. Jr     KIA
TG  SGT  Townsend, Edward S.    KIA

MISSION LOSS CIRCUMSTANCES: A returning crew member, 1/Lt K.E. Cline, gave a brief account on last seeing this aircraft: "Aircraft 841 was seen to peel off and head back toward the Continent at 1354 hours (52-40N; 04-15E) at 14,000 feet. Ship was probably low on gas." There were no German reports on this loss or other U.S. force sightings. It is speculated beyond a reasonable doubt that this aircraft and crew went down in the North Sea. This reasoning stems from the fact that the bodies of four crewmen eventually washed ashore and were buried while the names of the other five crew members are listed on the WALL OF THE MISSING at US cemeteries overseas.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS OF CREWMEN FATES: None; all members were lost on this mission.

BURIAL RECORDS: The body of Sgt Kudej washed ashore near the coastal village of Petten, The Netherlands, and was buried on 9 April 1945 at the local cemetery. The body of Sgt Jamar washed ashore onto the beach of Castricum, The Netherlands, and was buried on 25 April 1945 in the local cemetery. The body of Sgt Pergande washed ashore or was brought in by a ship at the harbor of Ijmuiden and he was buried on 26 April 1945 in Havenkade Cemetery. On 25 June 1945, F/O Somerhalder was buried next to Sgt Pergande. F/O Somerhalder was reinterred in the Ardennes American Cemetery in Grave B-17-10, with a posthumous award of the Purple Heart. 2/Lt Wade, 2/Lt Zeigler, 2/Lt Sanders, and Sgt Luniewicz are listed on the Wall of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Sgt Townsend is listed on the Wall of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery. All five men had been awarded the Air Medal and a posthumous Purple Heart. After the war, Sgt Jamar was buried in Mt Olivet Cemetery in Ft Worth, TX.

NEXT OF KIN DATA IN WWII: Wade (Mother, Edith A., 2210 Ruth Street, Houston, Texas); Zeigler (Mother, Susan W., 638 East Maple Street, Armville, Pennsylvania); Sanders (Father, Lewis L., Box 167, Grand Cane, Louisiana); Somerhalder (Father, John, Route #2, Gridley, Kansas); Luniewicz (Father, Broalislaw, 755545 West 61 st Street, Argo, Illinois); Pergande (Mother, Ruth L., RFD #1, FaIls Church, Virginia); Kudaj (Father, John C., Route #1, West Des Moines, Iowa); Jamar (Grandmother, Pearl Pitman, 2810 27th Street, Fort Worth, Texas); Townsend (Father, Warren N., RFD #2, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania).

CREW LOADING LIST - MISSION #235