Target: Kiel - 6 July 1944 - Mission #126

For the fourth time, the Group’s assignment on this day was to hit this target again. At 0230-0330 hours, (31) crews were given briefings for a PFF led mission and at 0550 hours all commenced take-offs. While undercast conditions were encountered once more, most of the (372) 500# GPs released fell close to the aiming point on the northwest edge of the city. No GAF fighters came up to intercept on this raid, but flak over target was intense and accurate. As a result, (1) B-24 and crew were lost. From the 578th Squadron, Lieutenant E. E. Clapper in ship #041 was hit by flak at 1030 hours and reported his #2 fuel tank had been shot out and the intent was to ditch in the North Sea on coast-out because of fuel shortage. The ship managed to stay with the formation outbound until 1130 hours with the Deputy Lead then dropping down to fly with the crippled ship at 10,000 feet. The Deputy could not locate Lieutenant Clapper’s ship and nothing else was known about the loss of this crew. In another ship flown by Lieutenant K. W. Peifer, #511 from the 576th, the S-27 operator was wounded in the hand. Aircraft recovered at base around 1255 hours.

MISSING AIR CREW REPORT SECTION

6 JULY 1944 - TARGET: KIEL

MISSING AIRCREW REPORT: #07496 AIRCRAFT: #42-95041 (NO NICKNAME) "D-Bar" 15th Mission

AIRCREW: CLAPPER    *    SQUADRON: 578th

CREW POSITIONS AND STATUS:

P   2/LT  Clapper, Elwin E.   KIA
CP  2/LT  Green, Carson W.    KIA
N   2/LT  Losse, Roy A.       KIA
B   2/LT  Murray, JohnP, Jr   KIA
R/O S/SGT Kaplan, Murray      KIA
EnG S/SGT Bowman, Frederic N. KIA
WG  SGT   Fought, Robert C.   KIA
WG  SGT   Beutler, Kenneth L. KIA
TG  SGT   Sabaca, Joseph J.   KIA

MISSION LOSS CIRCUMSTANCES: The eye-witness account on the loss of this aircrew is sketchy. A summary report was given by Lt. Stroble, crew Pilot, 578th, Lead Squadron, on whose right wing Lt. Clapper’s ship was flying and Lt. Caldwell, another crew Pilot, 576th, flying in the Low Squadron. The reports indicated that Clapper’s plane had evidently been hit by flak over the target and that Clapper had called Stroble on VHF radio at 1030 hours saying that two gasoline tanks had been shot out and he was going to ditch the ship in the North Sea. The crippled aircraft was reported again at 1130 hours by Lt. Caldwell as still being in formation, but dropped out (of formation) at this time. The Deputy Lead of the (Lead) formation was then told to fly at 10,000 feet (probably to find and fly with the Clapper plane over the North Sea return route home). The Deputy Lead did drop down to accompany the crippled aircraft as instructed, but could not find it thereafter. Nothing further was ever determined about this missing aircrew and aircraft.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS OF CREWMEN FATES: Nothing of record exists about any of these crew members and their fates.

BURIAL RECORDS: U.S. National (overseas) Cemetery records reflect that all (9) names of the crew are inscribed on the Wall Of The Missing at the CAMBRIDGE Cemetery (Madingley), England. All members are noted to have been awarded the Air Medal, and the Purple Heart.

NEXT OF KIN DATA IN WWII: Clapper (Mother, Louise M., Box 42, Belmont, Washington); Green (Sister, Anna B. McCoy, 731 East 109 Street, Los Angeles, California); Losse (Wife, Elvie M., Southampton, Pennsylvania); Murray (Mother, Mary O’Neill, 19 Rosalind Avenue, Elmont, New York); Kaplan (Father, Samuel, 261 Pacific Street, Brooklyn, New York); Bowman (Mother, Margaret I., General Delivery, Hart, Michigan); Fought (Father, William B., Shreve, Ohio); Beutler (Mother, Alma L., 633 North Walnut Avenue, Alliance, Ohio); and Sabaca (Wife, Jeanne M., 710 B Street, Petaluma, California).

CREW LOADING LIST - MISSION #126