Posted:
By: Win Bryson
On: 04/02/2005
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Patrick:
You may be able to answer your questions 'from the other, albeit long, way around':
1. With your Dad's list of Missions flown, and
2. The original 401BG Mission Reports in the National Archives (College Park, Md.);
3. You could request copies, for each of your Dad's missions, of their:
- 'Loading Lists'(lists, by Squadron, with A/C Serial Number/Crewmen's names flying); and
- 'Formation Plan'(layout, by Squadron, listing the Pilot, A/C Squadron ID (IY-J (615SQ) or SC-0 (612SQ)), and (last 4-digits of the) A/C Serial Number - in the formation 'placement' in formation that day.
4. And since Crews didn't fly 'their airplane' on all their missions, this could:
- Confirm which Squadron your Dad was in; and
- ID Which A/C your Dad flew, and when.
It also may answer if there is one or two aircraft involved (at the time your Dad was flying). As Don Byers notes, some A/C changed squadron assignment (and Sq.ID (IY-J to or from SC-0)), but if it's one A/C, it certainly couldn't fly in 2-Squadrons on the same Mission.
This info may or may not 'solve' the A/C's name (or names), though.
And after all that, there are some caveats:
- Not all Mission REports have all the same information - the earlier reports seem to not have as much detail as the later ones; and
- There are some errors in the official records, too. As Norm Sisson and I found out recently, the official Politz Mission Report had his (and another Crew) A/C 'swapped': in the 'Loading List' it was one way and in the 'Formation Plan' the reverse.
It also may pay to contact the 401BG Historian, Dale Anderson - I just don't know what info he has or has available.
But reardless, there's lot of info 'out there' so Good hunting!
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