Operation: Vienna, Austria

Date: 17th March 1944 (Friday)

Unit No: 756th Bombardment Squadron (H), 459th Bombardment Group (H), 304th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force

Type: B-24H Smokey

Serial No: 42-52406

Code:-

Location: Vienna, Austria

Base: Giulia airfield (Cerignola satellite #1), Italy

Pilot: 2nd Lt. Lawrence Clayton Baldridge O-683644 AAF Age 22. KiA

Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Horace George White O-692980 AAF Age 23. KiA

Navigator: 2nd Lt. Sigmund Edward Bobinski O-757452 AAF Age 26. KiA

Bombardier: 2nd Lt. Max Pinsky O-689506 AAF Age 25. KiA

Radio/Op: Sgt. Loys Paul 18137429 AAF Age 23. KiA

Engineer: S/Sgt. Vernon Earl Bissonnet 18187205 AAF Age 31. KiA

Ball Turret: Sgt. William Chris Anderson 16021661 AAF Age 25. KiA

Right Waist Gnr: Sgt. Andrew Buckle 33479197 AAF Age 20. KiA

Left Waist Gnr: S/Sgt. James Wilson Mitchell 15376004 AAF Age 37. KiA

Tail Gnr: S/Sgt. Charles Wesley Bell 38451305 AAF Age 19. PoW * (1)

The B-24 had 10 crew positions. Crew complements evolved during the war and generally comprised 9 personnel who were typically, but not always, Pilot, Co-Pilot, Bombardier, Navigator, Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner, Radio Operator/Waist Gunner, Nose Gunner, Ball Turret Gunner, Waist Gunner, Tail Gunner.

* Stalag Luft 4 Groß-Tychow, Pomerania, Prussia now Tychowo, Poland (Moved from Stalag Luft 6 Heydekrug on 28th May 1944. Moved to Wöbbelin near Ludwigslust and then to Usedom near Swinemünde).

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 17th March 1944 Smokey took off from Giulia airfield to join a force of two hundred-thirteen B-24s to bomb Vienna, some targeting the Henschel aircraft factory in the Schwechat section.

There was intense accurate flak and five liberators were lost on this mission, three from the 459th Bombardment Group.

B-24H 42-52406 Smokey was last sighted at 13:15 hrs at 48 10N, 16 20E, which is some 6 km (3½ mls) SSW from the centre of Vienna.

2nd Lt. Samuel Pearson Lutjeans, O-668987 reported what the saw regarding the circumstances leading to the loss of Smokey and her crew:

“After ship 406 was struck by 319, the tail of 319 struck the right rudder of 406 and seemed to have damaged it considerably. Then the tail of 406 started to disintegrate. The right rudder came off first; then the left rudder, and finally the horizontal stabilizer; as the last part of the tail came off the ship started to roll over on its back and go into a vertical dive. No one was seen to bale out of the aircraft before it went through the overcast”.

Ship 319 was B-24H 524319 La Borracha whose crew of eleven all perished.

(1) S/Sgt. Charles Wesley Bell described his perspective of the collision and his escape.

“Another plane in formation was hit by flak and collided with our plane shearing the tail from our ship. I was in the tail and baled out. After my chute opened I looked around for the rest of the ship but could see nothing due to clouds. I landed near a German airfield and was picked up immediately. The interrogator at this airfield told me that my ship was found and that my crew members were dead. At Stalag Luft IV I met a T/Sgt. Martin who was from my Squadron witnessed the collision. He said the front part of my ship went into the clouds in a dive and another ship buckled in the middle and disappeared into the clouds. He had also seen one man fall from our ship who he believed to be Sgt Paul”.

T/Sgt. Martin was close enough that he could recognise the general features of the airman and believed that this was Sgt Paul.

Note: Identified as T/Sgt. William T. Martin 33528780, the Radio Operator aboard B-24H 42-28771 (756 BS, 459 BG).

Above: Newspaper report of the untimely death of Charles Wesley Bell (Courtesy of The Central New Jersey Home News, dated 22nd August 1974)

Burial Details:

Above Courtesy of the Des Moines Tribune, dated 7th December 1944

2nd Lt. Lawrence Clayton Baldridge. Repatriated and interred in a joint grave at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Section 84, Site 416-418 on the 6th December 1951. Born on the 27th June 1921 in Providence, Rhode Island. Son of John Percy and Elsie Lydia (née Erikson) Baldridge of Des Moines, Polk, Iowa. Husband to Phyllis J.(née Mayfield) Baldridge of Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Above: Grave marker for 2nd Lt. Horace George White (Used with the written permission of Jeni (#47733487) at FindAGrave)

2nd Lt. Horace George White. Repatriated and interred at the Memory Gardens Cemetery, Colonie, New York. Born on the 16th December 1920 in Schenectady, New York. Son of James and Alice E. (née Priddle) White of Schenectady, New York, USA.

2nd Lt. Sigmund Edward Bobinski. Repatriated and interred in a joint grave at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Section 84, Site 416-418 on the 6th December 1951. Born on the 17th November 1917. Son of Feliksa D. Bobinski of Bayonne, New Jersey, USA.

2nd Lt. Max Pinsky. Repatriated and interred in a joint grave at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Section 84, Site 416-418 on the 6th December 1951. Born on the 16th April 1919 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Son of Mr and Mrs Samuel Pinsky of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Sgt. Loys Paul. Purple Heart. Repatriated and interred at the Bethsaida Y Cemetery, Bethsaida, Texas. Born on the 8th January 1921 in Cass County, Texas. Son of Charlie Kelly and Melvine Priscilla (née Eargle) Paul of Cass County, Texas, USA.

Above Grave marker for S/Sgt. Vernon Earl Bissonnet (Courtesy of LKat - FindAGrave)

S/Sgt. Vernon Earl Bissonnet. Repatriated and interred at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas, Section P, Site 77 on the 17th march 1950. Born on the 2nd November 1912 in Galveston, Harris County, Texas. Son of Henry Bogg and Angie Gertrude (née Spinks) Bissonnet of Harris County, Texas. Husband to Pauline Marjorie (née Weaver) Bissonnet of Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA.

Above Grave marker for Sgt. William Chris Anderson (Courtesy of Michael V. Drachman 2000-2021- FindAGrave)

Sgt. William Chris Anderson. Air Medal, Purple Heart. Lorraine American Cemetery, Plot D, Row 29, Grave 27. Born on the 5th March 1915 in Edgar, Wisconsin. Son of Chris and Lilly Molly Anderson of White Lake, Wisconsin, USA.

Sgt. Andrew Buckle. Repatriated and interred at the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery, Valley Township, Pennsylvania. Born on the 27th September 1923 in South Coatsville, Pennsylvania. Son of Thomas and Bessie (née Kosyck) Buckle of South Coatsville, Pennsylvania, USA.

S/Sgt. James Wilson Mitchell. Repatriated and interred at the Marion Cemetery, Ohio. Born on the 3rd August 1908 in Marion, Ohio Son of Clyde and Etta S. (née Geyer) Mitchell of Marion, Ohio. Husband to Alice (née Peters) Mitchell of Marion, Ohio, USA.

Researched by Ralph Snape and dedicated to the relatives of this crew.

Other sources list below:

Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them. Franklin Delano Roosevelt