About the Airplane

The Missing Air Crew Reports No.
2621
The type of the plane.
B-17G
The plane ID.
42-37970
The name of the plane.
The squadron the bomber belongs to.
20th Bomb Squadron
The date of the bomber's crash.
1944-02-24
The reason for the bomber's crash.
Jäger
The place the bomber targeted.
Steyr
The place where the bomber crashed.
Pfarrkirchen
Coordinates of the site the bomber was last seen at.
47°29'N, 14°28'E
The city or village the bomber was last seen at.
Trieben
The country or county the bomber was last seen at.
Time of the day the bomber was last seen at.
12:15
Time of the crash.
13:15
Comments.
Das Flugzeug wurde von deutschen Jagdmaschinen angegriffen. Das zweite Triebwerk sowie das Ruder wurden dabei schwer beschädigt. Der Pilot gab sofort das Signal zum Notwurf der Bomben, bevor das Flugzeug aus der Formation absackte. Von weiteren deutschen Jägern attackiert, geriet das Flugzeug in Brand und explodierte noch in der Luft.

Map of related places

The Crew

Name Rank Function Destiny
Beene, Otha G. Sgt Gunner 5 EUS
Clark, John C. S/Sgt Gunner 1 DED
Coppinger, John M. 2nd Lt Co-Pilot EUS
Foust, Paul A. 2nd Lt Pilot KIA
Hammond, Dariel G. S/Sgt Gunner 3 EUS
Harvey, Chester A. S/Sgt Gunner 4 EUS
Kurtz, Reginald W. 1st Lt Navigator Rmc
Mork, Kendall E. 2nd Lt Bombardier EUS
O'Leary, Cornelius J. S/Sgt Gunner 6 EUS
Riccio, Silvio A. Sgt Gunner 2 EUS

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-00054.html)