44-50389         B24 (MACR 14732)

 

On 28 June 1945, a B-24M, # 44-50389, assigned to 10th Air Force, 7th Bomb Group, 493rd Bomb Squadron, departed the airfield at Pandaveswar, India, on a bombing mission over Bantakli, Thailand. It had to fly IFR through monsoon weather conditions. Its last known location was in the vicinity of Akyab, Burma. Like others, it most likely went down in the Bay of Bengal. The crew were:

 

                                        Pilot                             2ndLt Wesley H. Sommers                  0-826986

                                        Co-Pilot                       2ndLt James C. McGinty                     0-2062003

                                        Navigator                    2ndLt Frederick P. Prevot Jr.               0-2068463

                                        Bombardier                  2ndLt James M. Moore                        0-2065383

                                        Radar Observer           2ndLt Kenneth E. Swanson                 0-931113

                                        Engineer                      PFC Arthur H. Feinberg                      32467608

                                        Radio Operator            Sgt Leo D. Kahoe                                37083430

                                        Armorer-Gunner          Sgt George R. Oberlander Jr.               33871527

                                        Gunner                        Sgt Lewis P. Annabalini                       31411344

 

Last radio contact was with Headquarters, R.A.F. 231st Group (British), Calcutta, India. Search was led by the 222nd Air Sea Rescue Group. The next-of-kin listed were:

 

                                       Sommers          William E. Sommers, F, Cottage Grove, Wisc.

                                       McGinty          Gertrude V. McGinty, W, 239 S. Maple Ave, Maple Shade, NJ

                                       Prevot              Frederick P Prevot, F, 155 Harborview Ave, Bridgeport, Conn.

                                       Moore              Jennie L Moore, W, 1108 Elm St, Coffeyville, KS

                                       Swanson          Edith Swansdon, M, 2460 N 29th St, Milwaukee, Wisc.

                                       Kahoe              James L Kahoe, F, 927 W Reed, Moberly, MO

                                       Oberlander      Lois J Oberlander, W, 725 Edison St, York, PA

                                       Annabalini       Aurelia V Annabalini, M, 15 Walbach St, New London, Conn.

                                       Feinberg          Edith Feinberg, M, 50 W Mann Ave, Newark, NJ