Incident Overview

Date: Friday 21 July 1944
Aircraft Type: Douglas C-47-DL (DC-3)
Owner/operator: United States Army Air Force – USAAF
Registration Number: 41-18388
Location: near Vocin – ÿ Croatia
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 5
Component Affected: Aircraft (C-47-DL 41-18388)Aircraft (C-47-DL 41-18388)
On July 21, 1944, a C-47-DL 41-18388 aircraft of the 10th TCS, 60th TCG, USAAF, was approaching a landing ground in Croatia. The pilot, Lt. Morris R. Houser, observed a yellow light indicating an attack, and subsequently, 20-mm shells struck the left wing and engine, causing fire and subsequent explosion. The pilot ordered a bail-out, but only Lt. Pinkney C Largent was able to escape before the airplane detonated. Largent was rescued by partisans, who shot him down by Hptm Leopold Fellerer of Stab III./NJG 6, who claimed the DC-3 shot down at 2342 hrs at 1000 m in area coded 14 Ost N/OQ-29 (west of Brod) as his 37th victory.On July 21, 1944, a C-47-DL 41-18388 aircraft of the 10th TCS, 60th TCG, USAAF, was approaching a landing ground in Croatia. The pilot, Lt. Morris R. Houser, observed a yellow light indicating an attack, and subsequently, 20-mm shells struck the left wing and engine, causing fire and subsequent explosion. The pilot ordered a bail-out, but only Lt. Pinkney C Largent was able to escape before the airplane detonated. Largent was rescued by partisans, who shot him down by Hptm Leopold Fellerer of Stab III./NJG 6, who claimed the DC-3 shot down at 2342 hrs at 1000 m in area coded 14 Ost N/OQ-29 (west of Brod) as his 37th victory.

Description

In the evening of 21 July 1944 the C-47-DL 41-18388 of 10th TCS, 60th TCG, USAAF, was approaching a landing ground in Croatia. The pilot, Lt. Morris R. Houser, saw a yellow light on the ground – the signal that the field was under attack. As he increased speed and began to climb, 20-mm shells from a German Ju 88 night fighter struck the left wing and engine and set them on fire. The pilot ordered his crew to bail out, but only the copilot, Lt Pinkney C Largent, was able to bail out before the airplane exploded in the air at 23.35 and spun into the ground 300 yards from drop zone (by 45 37 N 17 35 E, near Vocin), killing Houser and the three other crew. Largent was then rescued by partisans. They were shot down by Hptm Leopold Fellerer of Stab III./NJG 6, who claimed a DC-3 shot down at 2342 hrs at 1000 m in area coded 14 Ost N/OQ-29 (west of Brod) as his 37th victory. Crew: 2nd Lt Morris R Houser (pilot) KIA 2nd Lt Pinknet C Largent (co-pilot) rescued 2nd Lt Alfred W Gunthner (navigator) KIA S/Sgt James J Warren, Jr (flight engineer) KIA Sgt Dick J Tschantz (radio operator) KIA The four killed crew are now buried together in a common grave in Baltimore National Cemetery, Maryland, USA.

Source of Information

http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/Fueling_the_Fires_of_Resistance.pdf, http://www.lesbutler.ip3.co.uk/tony/tonywood.htm, https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/807243, https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/732602, https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/1296580, https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/1264102http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/Fueling_the_Fires_of_Resistance.pdf, http://www.lesbutler.ip3.co.uk/tony/tonywood.htm, https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/807243, https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/732602, https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/1296580, https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/1264102

Primary Cause

German Ju 88 night fighter attack.German Ju 88 night fighter attack.

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