Operation: Berlin, Germany

Date: 29th April 1944 (Saturday)

Unit No: 787th Bombardment Squadron (H), 466th Bombardment Group (H), 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force

Type: B-24H Tell Me More

Serial No: 41-28754

Code: 6L:N

Location: About 4 km (2½ mls) south of Teuge near Apeldoorn, Holland

Base: Attlebridge (Station #120), Norfolk, England

Pilot: 1st Lt. Carl Edward Hitchcock O-664597 AAF Age 29. PoW *

Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Lloyd G. Young O-680791 AAF Age 26. PoW **

Navigator: 2nd Lt. Robert Edwin Willson O-698245 AAF Age 24. PoW **

Bombardier: 2nd Lt. Vito Joseph Bochicchio O-682047 AAF Age 27. PoW **

Radio/Op: S/Sgt. Thomas J. McCue 12188732 AAF Age 24. PoW ***

Engineer: T/Sgt. Carmine Gerard DiManno 31276739 AAF Age 21. PoW ***

Ball Turret: S/Sgt. Charles Graham Browne 19116027 AAF Age 25. PoW **

Right Waist Gnr: S/Sgt. David Leon Smith 13213749 AAF Age? PoW **

Left Waist Gnr: S/Sgt. Alex Paul Lugosi Jr. 36631214 AAF Age 23. PoW Unknown camp

Tail Gnr: S/Sgt. Thomas George Dorrian 12121740 AAF Age 25. PoW **

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 7a Moosburg, Bavaria (Work Camp 3324-46 Krumbachstrasse and Work Camp 3368 Munich)

** Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland. (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser, Bavaria)

*** Stalag Luft 4 Gross-Tychow, Pomerania, Prussia now Poland (Moved from Stalag Luft 6 Heydekrug. Moved to Wöbbelin near Ludwigslust and then to Usedom near Swinemünde)

Above: S/Sgt. Alex P. Lugosi Jr. Originally a member of 1st Lt. John A. Jakob’s Crew (#702), (Credit: American Air Museum)

Above: S/Sgt. Thomas J. McCue. Originally a member of 1st Lt. Richard E. Huyck’s Crew (#767). (Credit: American Air Museum)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Tell Me More took off from Attlebridge on the morning of the 29th April 1944 along with 21 other aircraft from the 466th Bombardment Group tasked with bombing the city area of Berlin. Tell Me More was one of two aircraft lost by the Group on this mission.

Above: B-24H 'Tell Me More' (Credit: American Air Museum)

Above: B-24H 'Tell Me More' (Credit: American Air Museum)

The circumstance leading to the emergency landing of the aircraft about 4 km (2½ mls) south of Teuge near Apeldoorn in Holland are unknown. The aircraft came to rest with minimal damage and the crew escaped unscathed.

S/Sgt. McCue, S/Sgt. Browne, S/Sgt. Lugosi Jr. and S/Sgt. Dorrian were captured near Apeldoorn shortly after the forced landing. 2nd Lt. Young and 2nd Lt. Bochicchio were captured a few days later on the 3rd May 1944 in the suburb of Tiel some 56 km SW of the forced landing by an offizier Heitzwebel.

1st Lt. Hitchcock managed to evade captured but was arrested some two months later on the 22nd June 1944. S/Sgt. Smith evaded capture until January 1945. The circumstances surrounding their capture are unknown.

There is no information regarding the capture of 2nd Lt. Willson and T/Sgt. DiManno.

Burial details:

None. The entire crew survived the forced landing.

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew

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