Date: 1944 Jun 20/20			A/C Type: B-17G   Fortress		SN: 42-97245		Code: PY-O		A/C Nickname:
File: 255		Airforce: USAAF		Sqn/Unit: 92 BG - 407 BS			Mission/Raid: Brunsbüttel (opposite Cuxhaven) near Hamberg
1	Pilot	1Lt. George H. Wareham Jr.    MIA					9	RWG	not carried
2	Co-pilot	2Lt. Val L. Otterson           MIA					10	TG	S/Sgt. Howard W. Holmes    buried Petten
3	Nav.	1Lt. Norman Pipkorn       POW					11
4	B	1Lt. Ben Van Denelzen      MIA					12
5	E	Sgt. John F. O'Donnell   buried Wangerooge					13
6	RO	S/Sgt. Robert W. McKendry        MIA					14
7	BTG	Sgt. Norman C. Levy            MIA					15
8	LWG	T/Sgt. Steve Mzyk             MIA					16
Bombed the target Hamburg but was hit by Flak. Followed course home north over the Frisian Isles and then southwest to base in Norfolk. The washing ashore location of S/Sgt. Holmes suggest crash in the North Sea northwest of Bergen aan Zee.

20 June 1944, the 8th Air Force attacked Hamburg, Pölitz northeast of Hamburg and Magdeburg. All raids used the island Heligoland as waypoint. Pilot 1Lt. George Wareham was in trouble on the route home and sent a distress call out to England at 10:02 hours at position red 1 on below map. He must have made a starboard turn out of the bomber stream, because at 10:13 he was at position red 2. He then followed his own course direct to Great Yarmouth, a course direct north over the Dutch Frisian Isles, a course home that also the Magdeburg bombers followed, see 2nd map below.
























































At 11:07 another fix was made on Wareham's 42-97245. At position red 3. This is north of Terschelling island. It is believed that the only POW, navigator Norman Pipkorn used his parachute here. He was rescued. Maybe others used their parachute here also, because engineer Sgt. John F. O'Donnell washed ashore one month later at position blue 4, the German island Wangerooge. The aircraft can have maintained course to Norfolk and can have come down much further south in the North Sea, between Holland and Norfolk, because the body of tail gunner S/Sgt. Howard W. Holmes washed ashore upstream 2 months later at position blue 5 on above map. This was at Callantsoog on date 13 August 1944. He was buried at this coast, maybe in Bergen (aan Zee), Petten or Callantsoog, but his remains could not be found after the war. He is MIA and commemorated on the Wall of Missing in Margraten, Netherlands. The other 6 MIA are commemorated on the Wall of Missing in Cambridge, which also suggest that this aircraft was lost close to the British coast.     


























































File Callantsoog: http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/906.html

File Petten:   http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/965.html













© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War)









.