About the Airplane

The Missing Air Crew Reports No.
1520
The type of the plane.
B-17F
The plane ID.
42-5948
The name of the plane.
Thunderbolt
The squadron the bomber belongs to.
342nd Bomb Squadron
The date of the bomber's crash.
1943-12-19
The reason for the bomber's crash.
Jäger
The place the bomber targeted.
Innsbruck
The place where the bomber crashed.
Brenner-Pass
Coordinates of the site the bomber was last seen at.
46°50'N, 12°05'E
The city or village the bomber was last seen at.
Raum Lienz
The country or county the bomber was last seen at.
Italien nahe Osttirol
Time of the day the bomber was last seen at.
Time of the crash.
Comments.
Das Flugzeug wurde von mehreren Jägern angegriffen und dabei mehrfach getroffen. Dabei explodierte die Maschine und schleuderte einige Besatzungsmitglieder nach draußen. Die Crew wurde bei Meran festgenommen, verhört und schließlich die Offiziere von den Unteroffizieren getrennt.

Map of related places

The Crew

Name Rank Function Destiny
Barth, George F. S/Sgt Gunner 1 EUS
Dawson, Robert M. 1st Lt Pilot EUS
Dean, Robert J. S/Sgt Gunner 2 Rmc
Dobrzanski, Joseph A. S/Sgt Gunner 6 Rmc
McHugh, Thomas J. 2nd Lt Bombardier EUS
Novak, Harold R. 2nd Lt Co-Pilot DOW
Radanovic, Joseph L. Sgt Gunner 5 EUS
Schroll, Kenneth A. Sgt Gunner 3 EUS
Sommerfeld, Clarence L. S/Sgt Gunner 4 EUS
Sullivan, Earl B. 2nd Lt Navigator KIA

How to cite

DAACDA – Downed Allied Air Crew Database Austria, edited by Nicole-Melanie Goll, Georg Hoffmann and Peter Andorfer, Vienna 2025 (https://daacda.acdh.oeaw.ac.at/a-00019.html)