461st plaque

461st Bombardment Group (H)

764th Crews 765th Crews 766th Crews 767th Crews

 Anderson - #12/2  Arbuthnot - #39-1  Avery - #25  Baker - #22-1  Baran - #118  Barnes - #9/16  Beatty - #26-1  Bennett - #31  Blake - #7/26  Bloxom - #7/3-1  Brady - #24R  Brewster - #1/22  Bruning - #29R  Butler - #4/16-3  Caran - #3/3  Carr - #25  Chalmers - #23-1  Childrey - #36  Cooper - #4614  Crossman - #5993  Cunningham - #26R  Demmond - #4/16-2  Ford - #29  Frattone - #??  Fulks - #31  Garrison - #28  Githens - #21-1  Gray - #27-1  Green - #20-1  Grimm - #35  Hayes - #119  Heinze - #23-2  Holly - #4/16-1  Huber - #37  Hughes - #90R  Jenkins - #30-1  Johnson - #7/23  Kelleher - #28-1  Kelliher - #89R  King - #39-?  Kostka - #33  Louches - #9/2  Marshall - #7/24  McDonnell - #4/7  McMillen - #90R  Michaelis - #1/6  Miller - #37R  Mixson - #24  Mohan - #7/24 Moore #31-2  Moss - #27  Myllmaki - #34R  Nixon - #30  Norris - #20  Peterson - #26  Phillips - #38-0  Porch - #150  Presho - #25R  Reiland - #4/16-10  Robinson - #21-1  Sage - #32  Schweisberger - #7/271  Schwisow - #7/27  Simons - #6230  Skinner - #38-2  Smith - #6409  Specht - #22  St. John - #30-1  Stanko - #448  Staples - #??  Stegeman - #22-2  Summers - #7/25  Tallant - #21  Taylor - #23  Traetta - #12/2-1 Turvey - #(25)  Vladyka - #36R  Waggoner  Warren - #5007  Weems - #34  Welton - #27R  West - #38-1 Wester - #26  Whalen - #39R  Wnukoski - #5/7-3  Wojkowiak - #25-2  Woodruff - #33R  Yancey - #24-

Crossman - #5993

MACR #10677

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Crossman crew #5993 

Front row L-R: Sainio Jr., John (RWG);  Freeman, Bernard C.; Geier, Leonard G.; White, William C. (BG); Barnson, Valden A.; Eidsmore, Lawrence M.

Back row L-R: Hanley, Hugh H.; McLain, William L. (N); Kreps, Earl W.; and Crossman, Philip J. (P)

Mary Hanley Hallock has provided the following missions flown by her father, Hugh Hanley:

Date Target
October 13, 1944 Vienna North Marshalling Yard, Austria
October 17, 1944 Vosendorf Oil Refinery, Vienna, Austria
November 16, 1944 West Marshalling Yard, Munich, Germany
November 17, 1944 Blechhammer South Synthetic Oil Refinery, Germany
November 18, 1944 Villafranca Airdrome, Italy
November 20, 1944 Blechhammer South Synthetic Oil Refinery, Germany
December 2, 1944 Gyor
December 6, 1944 Maribor South Marshalling Yard, Yugoslavia
December 15, 1944 Rolling Stock at Linz Main Marshalling Yard, Austria
December 17, 1944 Odertal Oil Refinery, Germany

Attached is a photocopy picture of 461st Bomb Group, 765th Squadron, Crew # 5993, "The Flying Finger" Captain: Philip J. Crossman.

AAF# Type Group Sq Sq# Nickname
42-50953 B-24J 461 765 Unknown Flying Finger

PILOT:    2nd Lt. Phillip J. Crossman, Lima, Ohio, Single

MISSIONS:    10

LAST SIGHTED:    1145, Muglitz

DOWN:    1200

WHERE:

8 miles SW of Kutzendorf, CZ (CZ Police)

2 KM south Neutitso-Neutitschsin?Machrisch, Welke

Weisengard, Kutzendorf, CZ. Mahr. Northern border of CZ. 20 minutes from IP 4-bodies in wreckage.

The "Flying Finger" was flying number three position.  (Capt. Robert T. Chalmers was flying number two position.)  Capt. Jack Riley Cody (gunnery officer, 0560800) was in upper turret when B-24 left formation.  According to Chalmers the formation was hit by 50 plus fighters in the Muglitz area.  Sgt. Bernard C. Freeman, tail gunner on "Flying Finger" said, "Got him!", but sounded like he himself was hit bad.  Freeman shot down an ME-109.  Ball turret was up at time of fighter attack.  Crew unable to get it into action before order to bail out came.  Enemy fighters criss-crossed underneath the bomber almost at will.  "Tail shot up bad, controls were very bad.  Ship in very bad shape."  Navigator said, "I gave him (Crossman) a heading to fly towards the Russian lines, then the interphone went out."  Aircraft riddled, went down fast."  Crew started to bail out at 22,000 feet, last one out at 1,500 feet.  Ball, tail, and both waist gunners went in with bomber.  Most of crew rounded up by Germans at 2PM, Crossman wasn't captured until 950AM 12/18/44.

The Czech Republic erected a memorial to the Crossman crew in Palacov, near Hostasovice.  Information about the memorial may be found at http://www.dvrbs.com/monuments/brooklawn/BrooklawnWW2-JohnArthurSainioJr.htm.

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