Crew 2 – Assigned 752nd Squadron – October 14, 1943

Crew 2 under 1Lt Elwood Claggett trained in the fall/winter of 1943 with the 752nd Squadron in Tonopah, NV.  In early January 1944 they flew B-24H-15-FO 42-52364 via the Southern Route to England and to the 458th’s base at Horsham St. Faith.  The aircraft they brought over went on to the 445th Bomb Group and was lost on February 24, 1944 on the mission to Gotha, Germany during “Big Week”.

Crew 2 flew eleven missions including seven lead missions, with Claggett as their pilot.  He then became a command pilot, flying with various pilots in the group.  It is not known who took over Crew 2, but a likely candidate was 1Lt Kenneth N. Gorrell, the pilot of Crew 15.  On the first combat mission the 458th flew on March 2, 1944, Gorrell crashed on takeoff.  Seven of the crew were killed.  Of the three remaining crew, the engineer became a ground crewman, the radio operator was interned in Switzerland in May, and Gorrell completed a number of additional missions before being transferred to HQ 458th.

On June 29, 1944 four of the enlisted men, Edward Murphy, George Mack, David Hunter, and James Fitzpatrick flew a mission to Aschersleben, Germany with Gorrell as the pilot.  Their aircraft took a flak hit and smoke filled the cockpit.  The navigator and nose turret gunner bailed out before the fire was put out.  The rest of the crew made it safely back to base.  The navigator was captured and the nose gunner was murdered by a German official.

It is assumed that most of the crew completed their tour of 30 missions at some time in July 1944, but records are incomplete.

Capt Elwood T. Claggett completed 30 missions and stayed with the 752nd Squadron through October 1944.

F/O Gunnar H. Stromsborg, co-pilot, and S/Sgt George Mack, top turret gunner, both received the DFC in August 1944.

2Lt Shepherd L. Shelton, navigator, was sent to AAF 143 and the 2nd Bomb Division’s Inst School.

2Lt Richard R. Biegel, bombardier, was transferred to the 93rd Bomb Group with 1Lt Burton O. Bush and Crew 14.

Sgt William R. Proteau, tail gunner, was reclassified as an Airplane Armorer (MOS 911) in June 1944 and reduced to the grade of Private.  He stayed with the group until April 1945, when he was transferred for training in the infantry.

DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT

The pilot received orders from Group Operations to ferry aircraft B-24J #2100431 to Watton for modification.  Enroute to the take-off position, the pilot taxied off of the perimeter strip in the soft ground with the right main landing gear.  At this point, the pilot tried to bring the aircraft onto the perimeter strip by the use of throttles.  The resulting shearing action caused the nose wheel main leg strut to break causing the collapse of the nose wheel.

It was also discovered in later investigations, that a flaw existed in the tube fork of the nose gear assembly.  An Unsatisfactory Report (Form 54) was submitted by the Sub-Depot concerning this defect.

The pilot and failure of material were responsible for the accident.  It is recommended that hereafter, when any airplane at this station taxi’s off of either the runway or the perimeter strip, that the engines be stopped and the airplane towed out by a tug.

Click image on left for full accident report

February 10, 1944: The result of a taxiing accident on a practice mission.

This aircraft seemed to be a “favorite” for this crew in the early days.