MACR: 3369

Date: 03/03/1944

Aircraft Type: B-24
Aircraft Number: 41-28677
Nickname:

Group: 459BG
Squadron: 759
Command: 15AF

Location:
Country:
Time:

"The other plane that dropped out of formation,"Ten Hits and a Miss", piloted by Lt Henry Rutters, hit by flak over the target, was downed by German FW 190 Fighters a few minutes later. Both inboard engines afire, it lost altitude rapidly as it headed toward the Tyrrhenian Sea coastline in a relatively well controlled descent. The crew members bailed out and the burning aircraft crashed into the water and ultimately sank quite close to shore. Parachutes came down on land and water and survival chances for the members of the crew seemed pretty good at that time". Whatever happened next is not revealed in the U S AAF records but the "Coffee Tower" book has a footnote on the same page, "MACR 3369 provides no information on the fate of Rutters and his crew. Much later we have learned that the only survivor among Rutter`s crew was Tail Gunner Sgt John Harrigan. Injured and taken prisoner, Harrigan was given no details about the rest of his crew members, only that they died at the time of the crash".


Crew

  • Henry Rutters Pilot
  • Halbert Brown Co-pilot
  • Aldo Misik Navigator
  • Philip Klein Bombardier
  • John Stout Engineer/Gunner
  • Eugene Warren Radio Operator
  • Frederick Siegrist Waist Gunner
  • William Springett Waist Gunner
  • Howard Moore Ball Turret
  • John Harrigan Tail Turret

  • Please contact us with any information about this MACR, pictures of the servicemen or aircraft.





    Search MACRs

    Enter Leading Zeros (0) in some MACR Numbers.

    MACR Number: MACR Date: (mm/dd/yyyy) A/C Tail:


    Search Missing In Action For Additional Information


    Help support the Army Air Corps Library and Museum including this Missing Air Crew Report Project. Donations can be made with a credit card in any amounts.

    Make A Secure Donation Now

    The Army Air Corps Library and Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit; your qualifying donations are tax deductible.


    VOLUNTEERING

    Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks. Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one. We also need assistance with retyping unit history documents.

    Contact About Volunteering