Vehslage Crew – Assigned 752nd Squadron – August 8, 1944

A crashed American bomber was quite an event, as Belgian civilians look the plane over.  The nose turret took the brunt of the damage by the flak burst, as the crew takes a break and speculates on their close call..

(Photos: Ben Vehslage & Ryan Lemke)

1Lt Anthony W. Hurtenbach, co-pilot January 28th

Entry from the diary of 1st Lieutenant, Anthony W. Hurtenbach,  January 28, 1945  at Horsham-St. Faith Airdrome,  England.

January 28

Dortmund – what a mission!  Over 300 heavy caliber flak guns.  Pretty accurate too.  The whole Ruhr Valley was visual, too.  We had a burst a few feet in front of the nose, shattering the nose turret, blowing all the windows out of the nose, tearing huge holes (about 300) all over the right wing and the nose.  Engines no 1 and 3 had the induction systems knocked out.  No. 3 and 4 both had oil leaks and no. 3 had to be feathered.  No. 2 engine and no. 4 had ignition cables and valve stems cut and several cylinders were damaged.  The electrical system was out and the radio equipment was destroyed by flak.  The hydraulic system was a total washout.
 
The crew fared a little better.  The nose gunner suffered only minor scratches and a little frostbite (Temp  – 53 degrees C).  His clothing was torn by flak.  The navigator was blown out of the nose back to the bomb-bay.  One of his gloves, his oxygen mask and helmet were torn off by flak.  He also suffered frostbite.  The pilot was seriously injured by a piece of flak which penetrated the left side of his neck directly above his collar-bone.  He bled rather profusely and had to be lifted out of his seat and given first-aid.  The top gunner was injured by flying bits of plexiglass which cut him about the eyes.  The rest of the crew escaped unhurt except for minor frostbite due to the electrical failure.
 
Immediately after being hit we lost about a thousand feet of altitude and I took over the controls while the navigator began to give the pilot first aid and the engineer checked over the ship to determine the extent of damage.  We decided that our best chance would be to head directly in the general direction of France because we had lost all means of navigation and had to trust to blind luck.  We decided that the ship would not last long so we took the most direct route – straight across the Ruhr Valley!  That was the beginning of a perfect nightmare.  We were under fire the greater part of the next twenty minutes as we made our way slowly, trying to lose altitude as slowly as possible and doing the best evasive action possible with our crippled ship, sacrificing precious altitude with every turn ‘til we were down to 15,000 feet.  We made it, tho, and I’m sure none of us mind admitting that we did plenty of praying.
 
After flying for an hour in a general west – southwest heading we estimated that we had crossed the lines and began to think about getting down.  This didn’t prove as easy as it sounds.  We found that now we had a solid undercast below us with no signs of an opening and it was a safe bet that it was snowing below those clouds.  Nothing to do but keep flying and look for a break in the clouds.  We found a small hole after another hour’s flying and started down.  We found that we were flying in a snowstorm with a 700 ft. ceiling.  Next problem was to keep what altitude we had left and find a field.  We cruised about for another hour and finally decided that finding an airfield wasn’t going to be so easy.  After a hurried conference we all agreed to take a chance on a crash-landing.  We found a field near what appeared to be an Allied ammunition dump.  We circled the field once and decided that it was all right.  The engineer then went back to crank the gear down with the emergency crank.  Flaps were out of the question.  I couldn’t put them down and fly at the same time.  The engineer was about to start putting the nose wheel down when another engine stopped.  The ship quit flying right then and there and there was nothing to do but set it down.  There was a long field ahead of us and I managed to get it up to the field without doing more damage than knocking down a few trees.  The ship settled down easily enough even tho we were going downwind with no flaps and traveling probably 160 M. P. H. As the ship slowed down the nose settled down on the ground and began tearing away in big chunks.  By the time the ship stopped the nose had ground down to where my feet were on the ground and the cockpit was full of stones, dirt and snow.
 
We lost no time in getting out of the plane and started looking over our surroundings.  There were Frenchmen coming towards us from every direction and, Praise the Lord, an American jeep with two real, live, G.I.’s. We explained our predicament to them and they took off to the nearest town for an ambulance.
 
While we waited, we made the wounded men as comfortable as possible and looked over the remains of our ship.  I found the navigator destroying what was left of his confidential radio equipment.  On the flight deck, the radio operator was attacking his transmitter with a crash after chuckling with fiendish glee.  I never saw a man enjoy himself so thoroughly.

Distinguished Flying Cross

General Orders Number 88

LOUIS B. VEHSLAGE, 0-705546, First Lieutenant, Army Air Forces, United States Army.  For extraordinary achievement, while serving as pilot of a B-24 aircraft on a bombardment mission over Germany, 28 January 1945.  Just prior to bombs away, an anti-aircraft shell burst close under the nose of Lieutenant Vehslage’s aircraft, seriously reducing the manifold pressure on two engines rendering ineffective the electrical, hydraulic and auto pilot systems, and shattering the plexi-glass in the nose.  Lieutenant Vehslage was wounded in the neck and an artery cut.  Nevertheless, he retained control of his aircraft, saw that his bombs were dropped with the group and turned toward the rally point with the formation.  The courage, coolness and devotion to duty displayed by Lieutenant Vehslage on this occasion were a source of inspiration to all flying with him, and reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.  Entered military service from Indiana.

ANTHONY W. HURTENBACH, 0-823593, Second Lieutenant, Army Air Forces, Unites States Army.  For extraordinary achievement, while acting in his capacity as Co-Pilot of a B-24 aircraft on a bombing mission to Germany, 28 January 1945.  At bombs away an anti-aircraft shell burst close under the nose seriously reducing the manifold pressure on two engines, rendering ineffective the electrical, hydraulic and auto pilot systems and shattering the plexi-glass in the nose.  The Pilot was severely wounded in the neck, and weak from loss of blood, turned the over the damaged plane to Lieutenant Hurtenbach three minutes after the blast.  Lieutenant Hurtenbach was forced to feather number three engine, and with only two engines pulling full power effected an emergency landing on a frozen sugar beet field after a third engine failed completely at low altitude.  The initiative, skill and superior flying ability demonstrated by Lieutenant Hurtenbach on this occasion, reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.  Entered military service from Illinois.

Maj Gen William E. Kepner, 2nd Air Division CO, decorates Lt. Hurtenbach

An Eighth Air Force Liberator Station, England – 1st Lt. Anthony W, Hurtenbach of Glenview, Ill., and formerly of Des Plaines, Ill., has been decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross by Maj. Gen. William E. Kepner, commander of the Second Air Division.  The DFC was awarded Lt. Hurtenbach for heroism as a co-pilot on a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber of the 458th Bombardment Group.

Lt. Hurtenbach, who is the son of Mrs. Maria H. Buellesbach, Villa Redeemer, Glenview, Ill., was cited for initiative, skill and superior flying ability during a mission to Germany on January 28.  At bombs away an anti-aircraft shell burst close under the nose seriously reducing the manifold pressure on two engines, rendering ineffective the electrical, hydraulic and auto pilot systems and shattering the plexi-glass in the nose.  The Pilot was severely wounded in the neck, and weak from loss of blood, turned the over the damaged plane to Lieutenant Hurtenbach three minutes after the blast.  Lieutenant Hurtenbach was forced to feather number three engine, and with only two engines pulling full power effected an emergency landing on a frozen sugar beet field after a third engine failed completely at low altitude.

Lt. Hurtenbach has been overseas since August 8, 1944.  He entered the Army October 3, 1942, was commissioned second lieutenant February 8, 1944, and promoted to first lieutenant February 5, 1945.  He was graduated from the Maine Township High School in 1939, and attended aeronautical university for one year.

The 458th Bombardment Group which is part of the Second Air Division has completed more than 200 combat missions over enemy targets in the European Theatre of Operations.

Courtesy: Maria Hurtenbach Sharpe