What happened on December 22, 1943?

Through all of the information that can be seen below, we can depict a pretty good understanding of the events that occurred on this fateful day.
At 1400, the B-24 bombers of the 44th dropped bombs on Munster, Germany. The target was an 'M factory' (a machine factory). After the bombs were dropped, A/C 533 began lagging behind and was losing altitude. A/C 548 pulled up alongside and saw that all engines were running and under control. However, the pilot of A/C 533, 1st Lt. Oakley, reported to his crew that 3 superchargers were out. These superchargers would not make the plane as effective at high altitudes. Therefore, A/C 548 was correct that the engines were running, but they were doing so with insufficient power. Oakley knew that his aircraft could not keep up with the formation and waived for A/C 548 to leave them. The next chain of events is hard to determine without contact with a crew member of one of the two planes.

A/C 548 reported the plane began its spiral down to earth at 1431 hours. They did not report seeing any fighters attacking A/C 533. However, through the accounts of Byers and Fleischman, we see that they bailed out after they noticed the tail assembly was shot off. However, the tail assembly could have been destroyed by flak, but again, no reports of flak were given by crew members of either plane.

The superchargers alone would probably not bring the plane down, so it does make sense that there could have been other damaged areas of the plane. The plane plummeted to the ground with 4 crew members bailing out.

Frank Powers and James Christian, bailed out through the escape hatch in the nose of the plane, while Abel Fleischman and John Byers jumped through the bomb bay. However, Christian would perish in the fall.

Richard Collins, Warren E. Oakley, Robert F. Smith, Arthur Timme, Weaver, and Sondag would all remain on the plane, as it crashed near Vroomshoop, Holland.

This incredible story of true heroes is one of hundreds and hundreds, as the B-24 was a major instrument in the defeat of Hitler's Germany. These men fought and died to preserve our freedom.

I have tried to contact members of this crew as well as anyone involved with the 44th BG with little success. If you have any additional information or any knowledge of people who may please contact me at: jcollins@acusd.edu.

Below are maps of the region we are considering in this bombing raid.

"Missing Aircrew Report # 1713 for 1st Lieutenant Richard Collins shows a mission of the 44th Bomb Group, 66th Bomb Squadron. This mission was on December 22, 1943. The place of departure was Shipdham, Norfolk and the destination was Munster, Germany. Apparently, the plane, a B-24-H, went down at 1431 hours, 4km. north-west of Vroomshoop (Holland). 1st Lt. Collins was the co-pilot on this mission."

-National Archives (Washington, DC)

A basic summarization lies in the previous statement, however, through more research, a few questions will arise.

First, we will meet the crew and through the acquired paperwork to try to figure out the position of each crewmember.

To determine who was the port waist gunner, starboard waist gunner, tail gunner, and the nose turret gunner was virtually impossible even with all of the research.

Now, we will look at the statement of aircraft 548 about Richard Collins' aircraft 533.

A/C 533 was reported as lagging in the rear of the formation, just after the target. Bomb doors were still open. Different crew members (of A/C 548) observed this A/C (533) at various times between 1400 and 1431, and each one reports that it was losing altitude and lagging further and further behind but with all motors operating and apparently under control (this comment will be analyzed later). A/C 548 was flying on the right wing and the pilot of this ship reports that he pulled up alongside A/C 533 to determine why they were not keeping up with the formation. The pilot of A/C 533 motioned for him to go ahead and catch the formation. At 1431, the tail gunner of A/C 548 saw the ship begin to spiral down below the clouds. No chutes were seen to open (later we will see that 4 crew members did bail from the plane). It is not believed likely that any of the crew survived (we will see that 3 did).

The following are accounts from crew members who survived of what happened to a few of those that perished.

About Richard Collins from Frank Powers

-Did he bail out?
No.
-Where?
Mission was to Munster, Germany; Crashed in Holland.
-Last conversation/contact with him?
Recall no conversation with him after take-off.
-Was he injured?
Not to my knowledge.
-Where was he last seen?
In remains of ship.
-Any hearsay information?
Reported to me by Hollander's who detained me.
-Any explanation of his fate?
Oakley and him tried to straighten plane out but couldn't, and did not get out because plane was in tight spin.

About Warren Oakley (pilot) from Frank Powers

-Did he bail out?
No.
-If not, why?
Crashed in attempt to regain control of ship.
-Last conversation/contact with him?
1400, word was that we had lost 3 superchargers.
-Was he injured?
Not to my knowledge.
-Where was he last seen?
In remains of ship.
-Any explanation of his fate?
My assumption is that he fully expected to regain control of the ship, and never even rang the warning bell. I jumped on the decision of the bombardier and myself. I saw his dogtags (Oakley) in the hands of German Crash Inspectors and they were charred. I am sure he perished in either the crash or the burning of the ship.

About James Christian (bombardier) from Frank Powers

-Did he bail out?
Yes.
-Where?
Eastern Holland.
-Last conversation/contact with him?
He asked me if I was going to jump, I decided to and so did he. He left right after me and I saw his chute open, but he was killed by the fall.
-Where was he last seen?
I verified his death. He was lying about 25 yards from the burning ship.

Next we will look at casualty questionnaires from Fleischman and Powers. A lot of it is repetitive, so I will take out the key points.

Abel Fleischman

-What was the mission?
Bombing Munster, Germany on Dec. 22, 1943 at 1400. at an altitude of 23,000 ft, from a route scheduled over North Sea into Germany, out through Holland.
-Where were you when you left formation?
Just coming away from target.
-Did you bail out?
Yes
-Tell all you know about when, where, how each person in your aircraft for whom no individual questionnaire is attached bailed out.
T/Sgt John Byers bailed out through the bomb bay just a while before me over Holland - 1st Lt. Frank Powers bailed out about the same time as me through the escape hatch in the nose just inside of Holland - T/Sgt. James Christian bailed out but perished in fall.
-Where in the aircraft were those who did not bail out?
The pilot and co-pilot on flight deck, and the rest in the rear.
-When, where, and in what condition did you last see any members not already described above?
I saw Lt. Frank Powers in P.O.W. camp Stalag-Luft #1 Germany when we were liberated on May 1, 1945 and he was all right at that time.

Frank Douglas Powers

-First three answers same as Fleischman
-Tell all you know about when, where, how each person in your aircraft whom no individual questionnaire is attached bailed out.
Byers and Fleischman both bailed out when they observed part of the tail assembly was shot off. Fleischman later turned up in my prison camp and reported he had been injured.
-Where in the aircraft were those who did not bail out?
As far as I know they were in their regular positions