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WW2 bomber downed on the territory of former Yugoslavia

Maximus700

I'm looking for the information about downed USA bomber of WW2 on the territory of the former Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina). I know it was a mission of bombing oil refinery in Ploesti, Romania and I assume it was B24 Liberator. The crew was rescued by Tito's partisans. I even have a photo of the crew with the local population. It was from the summer 1943. And I even have a part of the plane that my late grandfather brought home from the crash site.
I would like to contact one of the descendants of the crew members or donate this part of the plane to one of the American museums.

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    Below is a list of US Amy Air Forces bombing missions during July 1944, to Ploesti.   There were no bombing missions to Yugoslavia on July 20, 1944.   If you have the names of the crew members or the plane's number, you can obtain the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) from the National Archives.  Searching by crew member name and/or plane number is much easier than trying to find information by the date of the crash.  Please note that both B-17s and B-24 bombers were used on most missions.  Do you have some reason to think that the plane is a B-24?

    U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II Combat Chronology 1941 - 1945

    Compiled by

    Kit C. Carter Robert Mueller

    SUNDAY, 9 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):In the Fifteenth's first Pathfinder-led mission, 222 B-17s and B-24s bomb Xenia and Concordia Vega oil refineries at Ploesti, Rumania; P-38s and P-51s fly escort; other P-51s sweep the Ploesti area during the attacks; the bombers and fighters claim destruction of 14 of the 40-50 opposing fighters; 6 AAF aircraft are shot down.

    SATURDAY, 15 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):In Rumania, 600+ B-17s and B-24s bomb 4 oil refineries in the Ploesti area and the Teleajenul pumping station; and P-51s and P-38s fly 300+ escort sorties.

    SATURDAY, 22 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):In Rumania, 76 P-38s and 58 P-51s begin the second Fifteenth Air Force shuttle missions, attacking airfields at Zilistea and Buzau (claiming the destruction of 56 enemy aircraft) and landing at Operation FRANTIC bases in the USSR; 458 B-17s and B-24s (with fighter escorts) bomb an oil refinery at Ploesti and other bombers hit alternate targets of the Verciorova marshalling yard, Orsova railroad bridge, and Kragujevac, Yugoslavia marshalling yard.

    WEDNESDAY, 26 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):Fighters on the second shuttle mission leave USSR Operations FRANTIC bases, strafe enemy aircraft in the Bucharest-Ploesti, Rumania area, and return to bases in Italy. In Austria, 330+ B-17s and B-24s attack the Wiener Neudorf aircraft factory, the airfield at Markersdorf, Thalerhof, Zwolfaxing, and Bad Voslau, and targets of opportunity in the Vienna area. Also hit are Szombathely Airfield, Hungary and oil storage at Berat, Albania. Fighters fly escort and carry out patrols and sweeps in the Brod-Zagreb, Yugoslavia and Ploesti-Bucharest, Rumania areas; bombers and fighters claim 70+ enemy aircraft shot down.

    SUNDAY, 30 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):300+ bombers attack targets in Hungary and Yugoslavia: B-24s bomb Duna Airfield; B-17s bomb the aircraft factory at Budapest, and marshalling yards at Brod, Yugoslavia; P-38s and P-51s escort the missions.

    MONDAY, 31 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):360+ bombers attack targets in Rumania; B-17s hit an oil refinery at Ploesti; B-24s bomb 2 oil refineries at Bucharest, 1 at and Doicesti, and oil storage at Targoviste. Fighters escort the bombers.

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  • 0

    Below is a list of US Amy Air Forces bombing missions during July 1944, to Ploesti.   There were no bombing missions to Yugoslavia on July 20, 1944.   If you have the names of the crew members or the plane's number, you can obtain the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) from the National Archives.  Searching by crew member name and/or plane number is much easier than trying to find information by the date of the crash.  Please note that both B-17s and B-24 bombers were used on most missions.  Do you have some reason to think that the plane is a B-24?

    U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II Combat Chronology 1941 - 1945

    Compiled by

    Kit C. Carter Robert Mueller

    SUNDAY, 9 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):In the Fifteenth's first Pathfinder-led mission, 222 B-17s and B-24s bomb Xenia and Concordia Vega oil refineries at Ploesti, Rumania; P-38s and P-51s fly escort; other P-51s sweep the Ploesti area during the attacks; the bombers and fighters claim destruction of 14 of the 40-50 opposing fighters; 6 AAF aircraft are shot down.

    SATURDAY, 15 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):In Rumania, 600+ B-17s and B-24s bomb 4 oil refineries in the Ploesti area and the Teleajenul pumping station; and P-51s and P-38s fly 300+ escort sorties.

    SATURDAY, 22 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):In Rumania, 76 P-38s and 58 P-51s begin the second Fifteenth Air Force shuttle missions, attacking airfields at Zilistea and Buzau (claiming the destruction of 56 enemy aircraft) and landing at Operation FRANTIC bases in the USSR; 458 B-17s and B-24s (with fighter escorts) bomb an oil refinery at Ploesti and other bombers hit alternate targets of the Verciorova marshalling yard, Orsova railroad bridge, and Kragujevac, Yugoslavia marshalling yard.

    WEDNESDAY, 26 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):Fighters on the second shuttle mission leave USSR Operations FRANTIC bases, strafe enemy aircraft in the Bucharest-Ploesti, Rumania area, and return to bases in Italy. In Austria, 330+ B-17s and B-24s attack the Wiener Neudorf aircraft factory, the airfield at Markersdorf, Thalerhof, Zwolfaxing, and Bad Voslau, and targets of opportunity in the Vienna area. Also hit are Szombathely Airfield, Hungary and oil storage at Berat, Albania. Fighters fly escort and carry out patrols and sweeps in the Brod-Zagreb, Yugoslavia and Ploesti-Bucharest, Rumania areas; bombers and fighters claim 70+ enemy aircraft shot down.

    SUNDAY, 30 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):300+ bombers attack targets in Hungary and Yugoslavia: B-24s bomb Duna Airfield; B-17s bomb the aircraft factory at Budapest, and marshalling yards at Brod, Yugoslavia; P-38s and P-51s escort the missions.

    MONDAY, 31 JULY 1944

    MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

    STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

    (Fifteenth Air Force):360+ bombers attack targets in Rumania; B-17s hit an oil refinery at Ploesti; B-24s bomb 2 oil refineries at Bucharest, 1 at and Doicesti, and oil storage at Targoviste. Fighters escort the bombers.

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