406th BS
The Pipkin crew arrived at Alconbury
late in December of 1943 and logged fifteen missions before running into trouble
on the first Carpetbagger mission over Denmark. On the night of 6/7 May 1944 the
crew were shot down by a German fighter after a successful drop in Denmark. Only
the Navigator was killed, and two escaped capture and returned to Harrington by
the end of the month to pick up their effects and lecture the men of the newly
arrived 788th and 850th BSs on effective escape and evasion methods.
Pipkin and Barron were imprisoned in
Stalag Luft III, while Galozzi, McCaskey and Helmer were interned in Stalag Luft
IV until the end of the war. Standing,
L-R: Kneeling,
L-R:
ASNs so-colored
for EMs link to their NARA Enlistment Record. Preferred Aircraft:
B24-D 42-40530 First appearance in the
Early Period MRs: MR 0043
Additional Crew Data sources:
Group-Related Downloads:
Redirect to: Crews Main Agents Honor
Roll
Pipkin Crew
Israel M. Barron
- Copilot ASN 0684468
(POW)
Clair D. Vanderschaaf - Navigator
ASN 0689700
(KIA)
George Pipkin
- Pilot
ASN 0743274
(POW)
Floyd N. Holmes -
Bombardier ASN 0686430
(EVR)
James
F. Mc Caskey - Gunner
ASN 35742741
(POW)
Vincent C. Gallozzi - Gunner
ASN 33112725
(POW)
Dale Helmer
- Engineer
ASN 16087932 (POW)
Jack G. Wengert - R.O.
ASN
15338709 (EVR)
Not pictured:
Clarence W. Tubbs - Gunner
ASN
19159839 (Orphaned)
An ex-479th ASW plane, it had been modified at
Burtonwood and entered the Carpetbagger inventory on 17 Dec 1943. Never named,
it was lost west of Skjern, Denmark after a successful drop on the Danish
resistance group at Rugard, island of Fyn, Denmark.
Last appearance in the Early Period MRs:
MR 0367
Pipkin
Crew Personnel Files
MACR 4603
(transcribed)
Pipkin Crew Mission Reports
Stalag Luft 4 - "Barbed Wire Interlude"
AAFRH-21 "AAF Aid to
European Resistance"
Allied Leaflets Index
"Carpetbaggers" by Parnell
"They Flew by Night" editor Robert Fish
Serial Number Index of B24s
Station 179 Operations Log (handwritten
Apr44-Jul45)
Station 179 Operations
Log (transcribed
Sep44-Jul45)
Available on Request:
Group Mission Reports Jan-Sep44 (On
disk $12ea - $10ea via Paypal)
"Chronology of SOE
Operations with the Resistance In France During WWII" by
Foot & Boxhall
"Spies,Supplies &
Moonlit Skies Vols 1&2" by Ensminger (On
disk $12ea - $10ea via Paypal)
