Loading List 1, Box I




Loading List 2, Box II




Loading List 2, Box III

This short YouTube video shows 2 different aircraft (A/C) from 3 different camera view angle clips. The initial portion of the video (Time Start through 0:03 seconds) shows the severely damaged and burning left wing of a four-engine A/C since there are two engines visible on this one wing. The last portion (Time 0:04 seconds to End), shows twin-engine 669th Bomb Squadron (fuselage code "2A"), 416th Bomb Group (vertical white stripe at the back of the tail) Douglas A-20G-35-DO Havoc A/C Serial Number 43-10148 which was shot down and crash-landed under pilot control on 416th BG Mission #68 on D-Day, June 6, 1944 (MACR 6046 / 9832). All 3 crew members - 2Lt Charles Church (Pilot), S/Sgts Peter P. Maciulewicz (Airplane Mechanic-Gunner) and Herbert E. Shatzer (Airplane Armorer-Gunner) - were taken POW and were liberated after V-E Day. Video discovered by Roger Robbins, Wethersfield Airfield Museum; Published on YouTube Sep 6, 2014 by by Zoran Petek.
Duration (Min:Sec): 0:05

Missing Air Crew Reports, Aircraft Accident Reports, and other incidents

Date	Report		A/C Serial # Type	Mis- sion #	Bomb Sq	Location	Personnel (Status when available)
Jun 6, 1944 Tuesday	No_Report		43-9439 A-20J	68	670	Wethersfield/Sta 170	Meng, William Jones (WIA) Powell, Vernon H. (Not Injured) Glynn, Frances Patrick (Not Injured) Stobert, Ralph F. (Not Injured)
Jun 6, 1944 Tuesday	No_Report		43-9689 A-20G	68	670		Atkinson, Paul Gregory Jr. (Not Injured) Swafford, Joseph O. Jr. (WIA) Glynn, Patrick Frances (Not Injured)
Jun 6, 1944 Tuesday	No_Report		43-10154 A-20G	68	668	Southern English coast	Mish, Charles Clark (WIA) Clark, Claude J. Jr. (WIA) Chustz, Roy F. (WIA)
Jun 6, 1944 Tuesday	MACR 6045		43-21468 A-20J	68	669	Forges-les-Eaux, France	Campbell, Murdoch William (MIA, POW, RMC, RTD) Palin, William Harmond (MIA, POW, RMC, RTD) Hatch, Harold Finlay (MIA, POW, RMC, RTD) Thompson, James Bryan (MIA, POW, RMC, RTD)
Jun 6, 1944 Tuesday	No_Report		43-9743 A-20G	68	669		Clark, Hiram Bovee (Not Injured) Sabadosh, John Walter (Not Injured) Floyd, Claredon F. (WIA)
Jun 6, 1944 Tuesday	MACR 6046 / MACR 9832		43-10148 A-20G	68	669	SW Forges, France	Church, Charles NMI (MIA, POW, RMC, EUS) Maciulewicz, Peter Paul (MIA, POW, RMC, RTD) Shatzer, Herbert Erdman (MIA, POW, RMC, RTD)
Jun 6, 1944 Tuesday	MACR 6047		43-10164 A-20G	68	671	Near Buchy, France	Wipperman, Ronald Alvin (MIA, POW, RMC, RTD) Ahrens, Henry S. (MIA, KIA) Mazza, Louis C. (MIA, POW, FOD, KIA)

To view more information regarding an Incident/Report, click on the Report hyperlink.
( = Entries having actual Reports available for review.   = Entries having additional Images or Photos.)
To view an individual's Memorial page, click on the "Name" hyperlink.

Included are Box, Flight and Position; Bomb Squadron; Aircraft Serial Number, Fuselage Code and Model; and Crew Members
transcribed from individual mission Loading List documents by Chris and Mary Adams and Carl Sgamboti.
Some information, such as Squadron, Serial Number, etc. has been expanded from other documents.

Group and Unit Histories

Mission # 68 -- June 6, 1944, Tuesday PM
Serqueux, France -- Marshalling Yards (S.1689)

"416th Bombardment Group (L) - Group History 1944"
Transcribed from USAF Archives

Going back again in the late afternoon mission, our crews flew through some of the most terrifying flak fire ever thrown up by the Germans. The target was a marshalling yard at Serqueux. Even now the crews talk about the superior evasive action taken by the three box leaders, Maj. Meng, Maj. Campbell, and Maj. Clark. Forced down to three thousand feet by clouds, the formation had to fly through continuous fire from small arms, light AA guns, and heavy guns. Two box leader's planes, Maj. Meng's and Maj. Campbell's, were hit even before they reached the target. By displaying skill and courage far above the ordinary, they led their boxes over the tagget to lay a good concentration of bombs in the target area. Only then did they begin to appraise their own damage and drop out of formation. Maj. Meng nursed his badly damaged plane, with one engine ablaze, back to the Base, but Maj. Campbell was unable to make it. As the crews reported it, he kept his plane under control and appeared to make a normal landing in an open field in France. With him were Lt. William H. Palin, S/Sgt. Harold R. Hatch, and S/Sgt. James B. Thompson. Two other planes were lost at the same time. Lt. R.A. Wipperman's plane crashed, but three chutes were seen to come out of it and open. His two gunners were S/Sgt. H.S. Ahrens and Sgt. L.C. Mazza. The third plane, piloted by Lt. Charles Church, was last seen leaving the target area in trouble. Several crews reported seeing a big explosion in the woods nearby that might have been his plane. His gunners were S/Sgt. H.E. Shatzer and S/Sgt. P.P. Maciulewicz. D-Day was over---we had paid heavily for our successes. We could all hope but one thing---that those men who had been lost were lost to make ours a winning cause.

"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
Pages 93 - 94

Mission #68 - 6 June - Late PM - Serquex Marshalling Yard. Again, 39 aircraft took off at 2007 with Major Meng, and Lt. Powell, BN leading the formation. Captain McNulty and Lt. Burseil BN were deputy. Available records are not available to identify all the other box leaders, but Major Campbell and Lt. Palin, BN, were probably Box II leaders. The Mission Summary states that only 34 planes dropped their bombs, 164 x 500 General Purpose bombs on the primary target. Two aircraft failed to drop; one, a leader, because of personnel error and the other because leader did not drop. Three aircraft landed away from base unaccounted for.

Three aircraft and 10 crew members are missing, presumably due to enemy action. 25 ships sustained flak battle damage and 2 crew members are wounded. Bombing was by twelves from 3000 to 3500 feet. Three boxes were dispatched.

One story has to be told, regarding the heroics of Major Meng. As he, the leader of the formation, neared the target, a flak burst knocked out his left engine and it started to burn. With the possibility of the engine blowing up momentarily, he continued on the bomb run. Intense, heavy flak was experienced, knocking three planes out of the air. Major Meng, turned away from the target, heading toward base, when he dropped out of the lead position, trying to douse the engine fire. He managed to bring the plane back to base on one engine. The entire formation suffered some damage, some worse than others.

Major Campbell of the 669th squadron was shot down. Lt. R. A. Wipperman with gunners Sgt. L. C. Mazza and S/Sgt. H. S. Ahrens went down over the target. All three were listed as MIA, but made POWs. Major Campbell was also made a POW but all returned for repatriation.

"668th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives

On the evening of the 6th of June the Squadron received its most hazardous assignment. The Marshaling Yard at Serqueux was in use by three Panzer Divisions who were being hastily transported to the front in an effort to stem the rising tide of Allied Invasion. It was vitally necessary that the Yard be destroyed, and A-20's of our Group were given the job. With a 10/10 cloud cover over the target and most of Normandy, low-altitude flying was a necessity. Bombing from three-thousand feet, the formation successfully attacked the target. Severe and accurate German anti-aircraft was encountered during virtually the entire sortie over enemy-held territory. Our aircraft suffered 100% battle damage. Unable to reach Home Station, Second Lieutenant Charles C. Mish crash-landed his battered aircraft on the Southern English coast. Faced with a similar situation, Captain Richard B. Prentiss was forced to land at an RAF field on a runway where Mosquito bombers were taking off on a mission.

"669th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives

In the late afternoon, three boxes of fourteen planes went in to attack the marshalling yards at Serqueux. Maj. Campbell and Maj. Clark, with Lts. Palin and Jones, B-N, let the second and third boxes. From the moment that the planes hit the enemy coast, and until they left it, they were caught in a terrifying cross-fire from light and heavy guns. The attack was made from 3,000 feet. Only the superb evasive action of the leaders enabled the planes to get back home with as few losses as we did sustain. Maj. Campbell's plane was hit before it even reached the target. By displaying skill and courage that was an inspiration to the men he led, he guided the planes over the target to help lay a good concentration of bombs in the target area. Unable to stay in formation, he broke away and was forced down. As the crews reported it, he kept his plane under control and appeared to make a normal landing in an open field in France. Two other planes were hit at the same time and were lost--one of which was flown by Lt. Church of our Squadron. He was last seen leaving the target area in trouble. Several crews reported seeing a big explosion in a woods nearby that might have been his plane. Thirteen of our crews flew on this mission. Two of our gunners, S/Sgt R J Colosimo and S/Sgt N Radlich, flew with Lt Col T R Ford.

         BOX II-------Flight I 



1.  Major M.J. Campbell                    4.  Lt H.E. Clark 
    Lt Wm. H. Palin                            Sgt J.W. Sabadosh 
    S/Sgt J.B. Thompson                        Sgt C.F. Floyd 
    S/Sgt H.L. Hatch 



2.  Lt N.V. Shainberg                      5.  Lt R.L. Bahlmer 
    Sgt R.W. Rice                              T/Sgt W.E. Kelly 
    Sgt C.E. Young                             S/Sgt W.G. Ferguson 



3.  Lt E.E. DeMun 
    S/Sgt M. J. Rosenstein 
    S/Sgt H.O. Carney 



                       Flight II 



1.  Lt R.J. Morton                         2.  Lt W.H. Land 
    S/Sgt J.L. Rogers                          S/Sgt S.F. Alden 
    S/Sgt G.L. Fleischmann                     S/Sgt R.L. Ballinger 



                        3.  Lt Peter Dontas 
                            S/Sgt A.L. Nielsen 
                            S/Sgt W.E. Fields 



                       Flight III 



1.  Lt Wm. A. Peck                         2.  Lt J.F. Smith 
    S/Sgt A.E. Bergeron                        Sgt C. Vafiadis 
    S/Sgt H.E. Kelton                          Sgt R.C. Hoffman 



                        3.  Lt C. Church 
                            S/Sgt H.E. Shatzer 
                            S/Sgt P.P. Maciulewicz 



         Box III-------Flight I 



1.  Major Robert A. Clark                  2.  Lt J.S. Connor 
    Lt C.W. Jones                              Sgt H.C. Rodgers 
    Sgt J.C. Scott                             Sgt J.E. Van Duyne 
    S/Sgt D.F. Mallory 

"670th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives

During a stand down on 5 June, all our airplanes were painted the battle color of the day - the black and white "zebra" stripes which they were to wear into the affair we knew was coming soon.

D-Day arrived on June 6th. After listening a good part of the previous night to the roar of fleets of airplanes going over, we awoke to the full realization that the long awaited day had arrived. Lt Geffinger and Lt Gruetzemacher had served as alert officers in Group Operations during the night, which was truly something to be remembered in the way of administrative activity. The tempo of work on D-day was speeded up. There was added zest as the men went to their work in high spirits.

The first mission on D-Day was a fifty-six ship attack on a highway intersection at Argantan. The second mission was another fifty-six ship attack. This time the target was the Serqueux marshalling yards. It was a late evening attack and probably the roughest mission yet flown. Major Meng led the group, which included eleven crews from the 670th squadron. Because of unfavorable weather and the lateness of the mission it was necessary for Major Meng to lead the attack in at low level. Approaching the target, the left engine of Major Meng's aircraft was hit and started to burn. However, with a flaming engine which could blow up at any moment, he stayed on course and led the formation into the bomb run. A hail of intense cross-fire of light and heavy flak greeted the planes as they made the bomb run at 3,000 feet. Three airplanes were shot down. The bombs dropped on the target area, starting wide-spread fires and explosions of nazi equipment destined for the coasts of France to be used in opposing the allied forces. Major Meng then turned off the target and started his formation homeward before he dropped out of formation and extinguished the blazing engine. On one engine he returned to the base and landed. The formation returned to its home base with almost 100% battle damage. Lts Atkinson, Harrold and Ostrander displayed skill in bringing their ships in for landings with flat tires and shot-out hydraulic systems, which caused all three planes to swerve off the runway on to the soft ground. The work of our gunners and bombardiers on this mission was outstanding. It is believed that S/Sgt Stobert of Major Meng's crew knocked out a German machine gun emplacement which was shooting at them. The other gunner of the crew, S/Sgt Glynn, recorded excellent scenes of D-Day activities with the planes camera. Major Meng and Sgt Swafford were awarded the Purple Heart for flak wounds sustained on this mission.

"671st Bomb Squadron (L) Unit History"
Gordon Russell and Jim Kerns

This Is It

June 5th brought a complete standdown, on which day no planes were to fly. Battle paint was being put on and all the ships were to be in the best possible condition...they were. Late that night hundreds of planes going out and returning were heard, and everyone had the feeling that something was up, and it was. About 0500 on June 6th , 1944 the crews were alerted for a special stand-by. No one was allowed in or out of the Briefing until almost noon, and by that time the radio had announced that the big show was on û the invasion of the continent by land forces.

The first D-Day mission was off at 1300 and this Squadron was furnishing 15 crews of the 54 that went out. Ceiling was low and the ships crossed over the channel and beaches covered with landing barges, men and equipment, at just some 2,000 feet. The target was a cross-road located in the center of the town Argentan, about 60 miles inland. Dropping from 1700 feet not only the crossroad, but practically the whole town was blasted of the face of the earth. Everyone was sweating it out, going in and out at such an unorthodox altitude, but not a shot was fired at the ships. The ships all returned safely to the base, and each had their story to tell about the show they had seen.

At 2015 the ships went out for the second time in weather which even birds were grounded and under normal conditions the mission would have been scrubbed. The formation flew at low altitude again, making their entry at Coyeaux at 3000 feet. A few seconds passed and it seemed as if all Hell broke loose. Light flak, heavy flak, tracers and small arm fire were met continuously on the route, and all there was to do was pray. However, Major Meng, leading the first box of three box formation, stuck to the course, for the target... a vital Marshalling Yard on the main line southeast of Dieppe, and hit it, amid the greatest concentration of defenses this Group has ever seen. It was impossible to avoid the stuff. Lt. Wipperman's ship caught fire and went down over the target with Sgt. Mazza and Sgt. Ahrens. One chute was seen to have opened. Another plane conked out from one of the other Squadrons, and three chutes were seen opening. Then Major Campbell, Commanding Officer of the 669th Bomb Squadron, went down, but no one knew exactly what happened to him or the ship. Finally the coastline was in sight, and with a few odd shots at the ships for a farewell greeting, the channel was crossed. Two ships from another Squadron crash landed on the coast of England. Everyone was glad to get home from this battle, although there will probably be many more like it.

June 6th , 1944

First Mission: Argentan Results: Good

Evening Mission: Sergveux Results: Unobserved

"671tst Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcribed from USAF Archives

Shortly after June 1st the white markings of Allied aircraft was painted on all the ships. There was some speculation as to the purpose of the markings but since our aircraft had been marked and remarked so many times previously no one thought seriously that this was the final preparation for the invasion. On June 6th however, the combat crews assembled for an early morning mission were given the entire plan by Colonel H. L. Mace. Our part in the first phase of the attack was to destroy lines of transportation immediately behind the beach-head. On the morning of the first day we attacked road junctions and marshalling yards at Argentan and Ecouche, attacking for the first time from an altitude of 3000 feet. Later in the day crews of the squadron attacked the heavily defended Marshalling Yards at Sergveux. Both missions were successful, although the aircraft flown by Lt. R. A. Wipperman was lost due to enemy flak. S/Sgt. H. S. Ahrens and S/Sgt. L. C. Mazza were also missing.

[June 6, 1944], HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map Map showing Western Allies and Axis troop position details in Western Europe as of approximately 1200 hours, June 6, 1944 World War II Military Situation Maps Collection Library of Congress

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