Date:	Saturday 29 April 1944
Time:	14:14 LT
Type:	Boeing B-17G-50-BO Fortress
Owner/operator:	94th BGp /332th BSqn USAAF
Registration:	42-102520
MSN:	8022
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 10
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea 5 km W of Texel, Noord-Holland -   Netherlands
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Bury St.Edmunds/AAF Sta.468
Destination airport:	RAF Bury St.Edmunds, Suffolk

Narrative:
Lost, Germany. MACR 4468. All crew bailed out at 11,000 feet with the exception of 3 crew members, who were KIA onboard the aircraft and the pilot (Plane Captain) who was manually flying the aircraft: no autopilot, no electrics. Aircraft had suffered FLAK damage over Berlin (target), resulting in loss of oxygen system, requiring decent to safe altitude (11,000). Aircraft flew at this altitude in a thin overcast cloud layer to avoid detection by fighters until reaching the Dutch coast, where the sky cleared and the aircraft was attacked by coastal FLAK batteries. Result was loss of at least one engine plus fire on board the aircraft. Bail-out procedure was initiated for all that were able. The pilot, who could not leave his station due to an unstable aircraft with no working autopilot apparently attempted to ditch the aircraft in the water off Texel Island, but was lost in the process. All crew members that bailed out were lost in the water, hypothermia, except the copilot, who was rescued by a German patrol vessel. Flight Officer Edward I. Knowlden from Vestal, NY survived the war after spending exactly one year in a series of German POW camps. He is still alive as of this date, Jan. 23, 2016 at age 93 !! The crew and B-17G model (42-102520) were assigned to the 94th Bomb Group (H), 332rd Bomb Squadron based at Bury St. Edmunds, Station No. 468, England. Ship Code was XM-Q

* Note differing COUNTRY in source B).

The Fortress was on an operation to marshalling yards at Berlin, Germany.
Crew:
Pilot 2nd Lt. J.K. McClurkin O-806283 USAAF Margraten WOM
Co-Pilot F/O. E.I. Knowlden T-122810 USAAF Survived POW
Navigator 2nd Lt. C.L. Dulin O-757474 USAAF Margraten WOM
Bombardier 2nd Lt. C.E. Meekin O-738712 USAAF Margraten WOM
Engineer S/Sgt. L.J. Rock 15377582 USAAF Margraten WOM
Radio Operator S/Sgt. J.G. Fanning 32607405 USAAF Margraten WOM
LW Gunner Sgt. J.P. Mc Cabe 13167962 USAAF Margraten O-14-8
RW Gunner Sgt. D.G. Leogrande 13145030 USAAF Margraten WOM
BT Gunner Sgt. R.L. Johnson 15066126 USAAF Margraten WOM
T Gunner Sgt. A.C. Gambardella 12192269 USAAF USA

A) https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T3639&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=

B) JF Baugher
Source of the added information was taken from official USAAF records of the mission recorded after the war from interviews with the only surviving crew member, F/O Edward I. Knowlden, and from further interviews with Mr. Knowlden taken years after World War II.

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/1571
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/mission/34

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Dec-2008 11:45	ASN archive	Added
01-Sep-2011 06:07	Uli Elch	Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Source, Narrative]
03-Sep-2011 02:56	Uli Elch	Updated [Location, Narrative]
23-Jan-2016 21:13	Mike Woodham	Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
25-Apr-2019 16:03	TigerTimon	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
05-Apr-2020 09:51	Reno Raines	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]
15-Jun-2022 05:37	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]