About the Airplane

The Missing Air Crew Reports No.
5047
The type of the plane.
B-24H
The plane ID.
42-52416
The name of the plane.
Lucky Strike
The squadron the bomber belongs to.
762nd Bomb Squadron
The date of the bomber's crash.
1944-05-10
The reason for the bomber's crash.
Flak
The place the bomber targeted.
Wiener Neustadt
The place where the bomber crashed.
Gornja Rijeka
Coordinates of the site the bomber was last seen at.
46°25'N 16°80'E
The city or village the bomber was last seen at.
Jugoslawien
The country or county the bomber was last seen at.
Time of the day the bomber was last seen at.
13:00
Time of the crash.
14:30
Comments.
Das Flugzeug wurde von Flakgeschossen getroffen und verlor noch über Wr. Neustadt an Geschwindigkeit. Unter Begleitschutz flog der Pilot bis nach Kroatien, wo die Besatzung abspringen musste.

Map of related places

The Crew

Name Rank Function Destiny
Beckett, Donald E. Cpl Gunner 7 0
Chittenden, Robert A. 2nd Lt Bombardier 0
Clarke, Maurice E. 2nd Lt Pilot 0
Frank, Herman I. S/Sgt Gunner 2 Rtd
Louder, Billy J. S/Sgt Gunner 6 0
Madaris, Henry P. S/Sgt Gunner 3 0
Mahoney, Walter F. 2nd Lt Co-Pilot 0
Romano, Samuel S/Sgt Gunner 5 0
Smith, Norman W. S/Sgt Gunner 4 0
Smith, Sidney R. 2nd Lt Navigator 0
Stoklosa, Frank P. T/Sgt Gunner 1 0

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-00193.html)