WW2 bomber downed on the territory of former Yugoslavia

Maximus700,

Hundreds of U.S. bombers attacked the Ploesti oil installations between November 1942 and August 1944, when the Soviet Army occupied the the oil fields and refineries.  You mention that the aircraft in question was a B-24 Liberator and was shot down in the summer of 1943, presumedly during the Operation Tidal Wave mission of 1 August 1943.  You also mention that the crew was rescued by Tito partisans. 

The Tidal Wave force lost over 40 bombers over Romania during the mission.  The Army Air Forces reported that of the 400 plus crew on these downed aircraft, only four were rescued by partisans.  All the rest were either killed or captured.  So if the picture of the crew has more than four crewmen, then they may have come from one of the many other bombers shot down on Ploesti missions later in 1943 or 1944. 

The best way to establish the identity of the aircraft among all of the bombers shot down over Romania may be found in the wreckage your late grandfather found.  Each U.S.Army Air Force aircraft has a data plate that identifies the aircraft type as well as its Army serial number.  That data plate would most likely be located in the area of the cockpit.  Once the aircraft is identified, then there is a chance to identify the crew.  

I hope you find this information useful.

A. J.

Maximus700,

Hundreds of U.S. bombers attacked the Ploesti oil installations between November 1942 and August 1944, when the Soviet Army occupied the the oil fields and refineries.  You mention that the aircraft in question was a B-24 Liberator and was shot down in the summer of 1943, presumedly during the Operation Tidal Wave mission of 1 August 1943.  You also mention that the crew was rescued by Tito partisans. 

The Tidal Wave force lost over 40 bombers over Romania during the mission.  The Army Air Forces reported that of the 400 plus crew on these downed aircraft, only four were rescued by partisans.  All the rest were either killed or captured.  So if the picture of the crew has more than four crewmen, then they may have come from one of the many other bombers shot down on Ploesti missions later in 1943 or 1944. 

The best way to establish the identity of the aircraft among all of the bombers shot down over Romania may be found in the wreckage your late grandfather found.  Each U.S.Army Air Force aircraft has a data plate that identifies the aircraft type as well as its Army serial number.  That data plate would most likely be located in the area of the cockpit.  Once the aircraft is identified, then there is a chance to identify the crew.  

I hope you find this information useful.

A. J.

Dear Mr. A.J.,

Thanks a lot for the info you shared with me. I did some further research on this event and realized that I got the date wrong (which is always the most important thing) :-)

The plane crashed on July 20, 1944, over northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 5 crew members were saved. You can check out the picture attached.

Unfortunately, I only have a very small part of that plane, so I can't conclude anything more from it. I'm not even sure if it was a B24 Liberator; that's just my guess.

Is there a central registry somewhere with all the downed planes during World War II or something similar?

Do you have any idea where I could research this in more detail?

Thanks in advance,

Maximus700, 

The U.S. Army Air Forces Command responsible for the strategic bombing campaign in southern Europe was 15th Air Force, with bombers flying from airfields in the Foggia, Italy area.  15th Air Force had five Bombardment Wings (Heavy), the 5th (B-17), 47th (B-24), 49th (B-24), 55th (B-24), and 304th (B-24).  Each bomb wing contained 3-4 bomb groups ( the B-17 equipped 5th had six bomb groups), and each bomb group usually had three squadrons.  Each squadron could have 8-12 aircraft.  

On 20 July 1944, 15th Air Force sent 450 bombers against aircraft and engine factories at Friedrichshafen, Germany and the Luftwaffe airfield at Memmingen, Germany. Bosnia-Herzegovina would have been to the east of the flight path of an aircraft returning from southern Germany to Italy; however, a damaged bomber would have sought any level ground on which to crash land, even if it were miles out of the way.  The aircraft you seek is a casualty from that mission.  Unfortunately, identifying a specific aircraft on the mission is a difficult task.  Unlike 8th Air Force missions, which have been covered extensively over the years, there are few specifics on 15th Air Force missions readily available to the public.  I have not been able to find more specific information—I presume all of the 15th’s bomb groups contributed aircraft to the mission.  There is a 15th Air Force website out there (https://15thaf.org), but it is primarily a veterans’ website and has information on few missions.  The Air Force Historical Research Agency (https://www.afhra.af.mil) maintains the mission reports for 15th Air Force, but without more specific information about the bomb wing and the bomb group, it would be a long and frustrating  search to find a specific plane and crew.

I wish I could be of more assistance.  Good luck on your research project!

A. J.