Background (MIL-Downed In Austria-2a)
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---------------------------------------- START HERE “THE AUSTRIAN STUDY” as referred to as such thru-out this se FORMAL AUSTRIAN RESEARCH in AUSTRIA ON MISSING ALLIED PERSONS - IMPORTANT! Bundesheer dot at Missing in Action – Failed to Return: Members of the American and British Air Forces Killed in the Air War Over Present-day Austria (1939–1945) A Memorial Book. By Nicole-Melanie Goll Georg Hoffman Includes a Foreword Federal Minister of Defense and Sports [Note from PF: This appears to be critical research from scholars and investigators inside Austria. The work done on this subject is greatly appreciated.] https://www.bundesheer.at/download_archiv/pdfs/missing_in_action.pdf Excerpt: …This commemorative book is part of this initiative and is the result of a long research process on the part of the authors, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Defense and Sports. For the first time, this commemorative book lists the names of all the American, British, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and South African air crewmembers who lost their lives in the air war over what is today Austrian soil, fighting against the rogue National Socialist regime. This is an important new contribution that brings a whole group of victims out of obscurity, commemorating their names in Austria. The book is a worthy epitaph. It gives the soldiers’ families a chance to know for certain what happened to their loved ones and reminds us of the terrible consequences of dictatorship, war and violence. It shows how important it is to remember as a way to prevent such events from taking place again. This commemorative book shows our deep bond with the former Allied States, which Austria has to thank for her rebirth. https://www.bundesheer.at/download_archiv/pdfs/missing_in_action.pdf found in Stripes 2016/05/26 List of Allied airmen who died in Austria during WWII now online https://www.stripes.com/list-of-allied-airmen-who-died-in-austria-during-wwii-now-online-1.411622 [both found and extracted from Internet on Aug. 31, 2022] Under photo caption: Austrian historians Nicole-Melanie Goll and Georg Hoffmann wrote "Missing in Action: Failed to Return," which documents Allied airmen who died during World War II. Excerpt: In April, U.S. Ambassador to Austria Alexa Wesner accepted from Austrian Defense and Sports Minister Hans Peter Doskozil the commemoration book “Missing in Action: Failed to Return” with the information compiled by historians Georg Hoffmann and Nicole-Melanie Goll during more than eight years of research. “It will serve as a valuable resource to the U.S. government and professional historians, as well as to the many family members who wish to know more about their loved ones, their sacrifice, and the people they committed their lives to,” Wesner said…Hoffmann said the names of American and British airmen have not been part of an official commemoration in Austria – they had, he noted, been “forgotten.” The commemoration book honors them now as those “whom Austria and all Austrians owe their freedom,” Hoffmann said. “They were very young men, who fought in a war – far away from their hometowns and families – in order to liberate Europe and therefore also Austria from a tyranny and dictatorship.” The airmen lost their lives not only in air battles and crashes of their planes. “They also became victims of war crimes and violence, which the Nazi regime set loose under the name of ‘lynch law’ and as a revenge for Allied air attacks,” said Hoffmann, who wrote “Fliegerlynchjustiz,” a 2015 book focused on violence against downed Allied airmen. https://www.stripes.com/list-of-allied-airmen-who-died-in-austria-during-wwii-now-online-1.411622 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUSTRIA Austria Background History Just Before and at Time of Nazi Invasion Start Here A period color video and a2014 article on possible secret Nazi underground atomic weapon program, along with its nearby major concentration camp, catapults us right into the Upper Austrian situation Orian and his crew found themselves in Youtube In May 1945 in color and HD (Gramastetten and Linz) Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO1QCSnXzsE This footage is taken on May 5 and May 6, 1945 in Austria, mainly in Linz. [Extracted from Internet on 10-2-2022] J Post 2014/12/29 Austrian filmmaker uncovers apparent secret Nazi nuclear complex Documentary filmmaker discovers 1944 CIA report that revealed the existence of underground atomic weapon program in the area of St. Georgen an der Gusen, according to local media. By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL https://www.jpost.com/International/Austrian-filmmaker-uncovers-apparent-secret-Nazi-nuclear- complex-386006#:~:text=Prisoners%20work%20in%20the%20Mauthausen- Gusen%20concentration%20camp%20during,part%20of%20a%20secret%20atomic%20weapons%20devel opment%20system. History On February 12, 1934, the new Austrofascist regime provoked the Austrian Civil War by ordering search warrants for the headquarters of the socialist party. At that time the socialist party structures were already weakened and the uprising of its supporters was quickly defeated. Subsequently, the socialist party and all its ancillary organisations were banned. On May 1, 1934, the Engelbert Dollfuss cabinet approved a new constitution that abolished freedom of the press, established a one party system (known as "The Patriotic Front") and created a total state monopoly on employer-employee relations. This system remained in force until the Anschluss in 1938, when Austria became part of Nazi Germany. The Patriotic Front government frustrated the ambitions of Nazi sympathisers in Austria who wished both political influence and unification with Germany, leading to the assassination of Dollfuss on July 25, 1934. His successor Kurt Schuschnigg maintained the ban on Nazi activities in Austria, but was forced to resign on March 11, 1938, following a demand by Hitler for power-sharing with pro-German circles. On March 12, German troops entered Austria, who met celebrating crowds, in order to install Nazi puppet Arthur Seyss-Inquart as Chancellor. With a Nazi administration in place and the country integrated into Nazi Germany, a referendum on April 10 approved the annexation with a majority of 99.73%. As a result, Austria ceased to exist as an independent country during World War II. Technically, this annexation was forced by military invasion, but large parts of the Austrian population were in favour of the Nazi regime. The large Jewish population (about 200,000 Jews were living in Vienna at that time), which had had considerable significance for science and culture at that time, was killed or forced into exile, as were many socialist and Catholic Austrian politicians. Approximately 1.2 million Austrians either volunteered or were drafted into the Wehrmacht, of which about 250,000 were killed. Nearly 67,000 Austrians served in the Waffen SS, a disproportionately high number viz. its population compared with Germany's at the time. Austrian troops made up the bulk of seven alpine and infantry divisions, three armoured divisions and three garrison divisions. Anschluss included renaming country and parts of it, and erasing memory of Austrian existence https://www.britannica.com/place/Austria/Anschluss-and-World-War-II Excerpt: Austria was completely absorbed into Germany. Any official memory of Austrian existence was destroyed and suppressed. Austria was renamed Ostmark (Eastern March); Upper and Lower Austria became Upper and Lower Danube. Immediately after the invasion, the Nazis arrested many leaders of the anti-Nazi Austrian political parties and a great number of political opponents, particularly communists and socialists. Many Austrians, especially those of Jewish origin, were forced into exile. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ DOWNED PLANES AND CREWS INDING PEOPLE & DOWNED PLANES; NAME LISTS & LIKELY SOURCES Pilot Lists of Various Kinds Enlisted Pilots: WW2 (A few of Orians friends and colleagues were pilots, including Jess Coppedge and Morris Silverman) Enlisted Pilots: 1912-1945 National Museum of the United States Air Force https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196120/enlisted- pilots-1912-1945/ Faamilypedia dot fandom dot com https://familypedia.fandom.com/wiki/Category:United_States_Army_Air_Forces_pilots_of_World_War_II?fr om=C Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:United_States_Army_Air_Forces_pilots_of_World_Wa r_II&from=C Accident-Report dot com http://www.accident-report.com/MACR/1944/m194404.html DPAA DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/battlefield-archaeology-world-war-ii/ Excerpt: Mark Noah. A commercial pilot with a consuming interest in lost U.S. servicemen from World War II, Noah had founded a private nonprofit organization called History Flight. He had made multiple trips to the South Pacific to unearth the bodies of lost Marines—one of a variety of efforts, both public and private, to recover missing servicemen around the world. The U.S. government’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) estimates that the remains of more than 80,000 U.S. servicemen are still undiscovered, and the total of undiscovered remains is many times that when fallen troops from other nations are included. Using a combination of traditional excavation methods and newer ones like ground-penetrating radar, History Flight and similar organizations around the world have found hundreds of servicemen once deemed unrecoverable. The Association for the Recovery of the Fallen in Eastern Europe, for example, has retrieved the remains of World War II servicemen in a variety of countries, including Germany, Poland, and Russia. With government programs sometimes falling short, privately funded recovery efforts and public-private ventures have come to play a central role in efforts to return missing service members to their home countries. https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/battlefield-archaeology-world-war-ii/ DNA Testing https://www.family-tree.co.uk/dna-testing/new-dna-test-will-help-identify-soldiers-still-missing-from- world- war#:~:text=New%20DNA%20test%20will%20help%20identify%20soldiers%20still,accurately%20and%20r eliably%20than%20current%20DNA%20testing%20methods. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/11/us/us-military-soldiers-dna.html Identifications - Examples (Some ways WW2 people were identified years later) Examples include: Marshall, Appleby, Nelson, Schlegel, etc. Air Force Mag dot com [Charles R. Marshall of KY found] 2013/06/10 World War II Airman’s Remains Recovered https://www.airforcemag.com/world-war-ii-airmans-remains- recovered/#:~:text=Of%20the%20crew%2C%20six%20airmen%20parachuted%20to%20safety,Marshall%20 and%20another%20crewman%20remained%20missing%20in%20action. Excerpt: Defense Department forensic scientists identified the remains of Army Air Forces Sgt. Charles R. Marshall, 19, of Martin, Ky., who had been missing in action since 1944, announced the Pentagon. DOD returned Marshall’s remains to his family for burial with full military honors, states the Pentagon’s June 3 release. Marshall was a member of the nine-person crew of a B-24H Liberator bomber that was shot down on July 21, 1944, southwest of Munich while on a bombing raid against enemy targets in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, according to the release. Of the crew, six airmen parachuted to safety and a seventh airman’s remains were recovered near Hadorf, Germany. Marshall and another crewman remained missing in action. In 2012, a DOD recovery team excavated the suspected crash site after DOD received human remains from a German national and a tip on the suspected crash site several years prior, states the release. The team found additional human remains and aircraft wreckage, including military identification tags bearing Marshall’s name. DOD scientists used dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA testing to help identify Marshall. https://www.airforcemag.com/world-war-ii-airmans-remains- recovered/#:~:text=Of%20the%20crew%2C%20six%20airmen%20parachuted%20to%20safety,Marshall%20 and%20another%20crewman%20remained%20missing%20in%20action. ABMC dot gov [Appleby, Nelson, Schlegel, etc. found] 2017/01/06 Identifying Our Missing: December 2016 Identifications https://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/identifying-our-missing-december-2016-identifications Excerpt: Because of the geographic challenges, the use of air and naval power, and the inherent dangers of an active war zone, Americans that lost their lives were not always recovered. Today, nearly 83,000 are unaccounted for from these conflicts. But the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is working to change this. DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) also has a role in the history of honoring the missing individual. Every American that was considered missing in action, or lost or buried at sea from World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War is commemorated on Walls of the Missing at an ABMC cemetery or memorial. The names of the missing remain permanently inscribed, even after the individual is recovered, identified and accounted for. To denote that the person is no longer missing, ABMC adds a rosette next to the name. During December 2016, DPAA accounted for 32 men who lost their lives in World War II or the Korean War. ABMC will add a rosette next to each of the following names: World War II [this list is truncated to show Air Force or air related persons] Pvt. Gene J. Appleby, Company A, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Tablets of the Missing: Netherlands American Cemetery SSgt. Byron H. Nelson, 721st Bomb Squadron, 450th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force Tablets of the Missing: Florence American Cemetery Capt. Albert L. Schlegel, 335th Fighter Squadron, 84th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force Tablets of the Missing: Lorraine American Cemetery Sapiens dot org 2017/12/7 Archaeologists at Florida's History Flight have dedicated themselves to a singular quest: finding lost World War II servicemen and bringing them home. Elizabeth Svoboda https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/battlefield-archaeology-world-war-ii/ Dog Tags US Military Person Small Metal Name Labels Military dot com 2020/09/02 German Family Discovers WWII-Era Dog Tags Near US Garrison https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/09/02/german-family-discovers-wwii-era-dog-tags-near-us- garrison.html#:~:text=German%20Family%20Discovers%20WWII- Era%20Dog%20Tags%20Near%20US,2%20Sep%202020%20Military.com%20%7C%20By%20Bing%20Xiao Fox News World War II dog tags found in Saipan may solve 70 year old mystery https://www.foxnews.com/us/world-war-ii-dog-tags-found-in-saipan-may-solve-70-year-old-mystery MIAs or Bodies Without Identification: Recovery of Remains - MIA (see also Recovery-General) Stories involving survivors, downed plane and crew circumstances Downed Allied Planes in Austria in WW2 - Stories Baltimore Sun world-war-ii-pilot-saga-Former Army pilot recalls little-known WWII tragedy, the mates who didn’t make it https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bs-md-world-war-ii-pilot-saga-20170304-story.html B-24 bomber was shot down over Graz, Austria, on March 4, 1945. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US ARMY AIR FORCES Training Schools Gunnery https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/b-17-flying-fortress-top-facts-wwii-american_bomber.html?edg- c=1 Bombardier https://military- history.fandom.com/wiki/Army_Air_Forces_Bombardier_School#:~:text=A%20Army%20Air%20Forces%20Bomba rdier%20School%20%28%22%20Bombardier,members%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Army%20Air%20Fo rces. Bombardiers Bombardiers (Orian was a bombardier; he trained in Texas, Kansas and Washington) AAF Collection 2012/10/07 Bombardier and Navigator Training Requirements https://aafcollection.info/comm/2012/10/07/bombardier-and-navigator-training-requirements/ Excerpt: like pilots, cadets who trained to be bombardiers and navigators were assigned to different air fields for different phases of their training. They had preflight, gunnery and either bombardier or navigator training, or both. Here are the phases of bombardier and navigator training as they were in 1944, adapted from The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces (New York: Pocket Books, Inc., May 1944). Units Bomber Groups 301st Bomber Group 4 squadrons, 419th included Orian’s: “The 301st BG completed the war in Europe attached to the 15th Air Force. The 301st Bombardment Group Heavy was comprised of 4 bomb squadrons. The 32nd, 352nd, 353rd and 419th.” (from Faces Beyond Graves see more below) Faces Beyond the Graves 301st Bombardment Group http://www.facesbeyondthegraves.com/301st%20bomber%20group.html#:~:text=The%20301st%20Bomba rdment%20Group%20was%20a%20highly%20decorated,of%20the%208th%20AF%2C%20Bomber%20Com mand%2C%20in%20England. Excerpt: World War II: The 301st Bombardment Group was a highly decorated group of B-17 Flying Fortresses that served primarily in Africa and Italy. The (H) designation stands for Heavy Bombardment, and that means B-17's, the Flying Fortress. The 301st BG flew its first missions as part of the 8th AF, Bomber Command, in England. They were transferred to the newly created 12th AF and sent to North Africa in November of 1942. In October of 1943 the 12th AF was merged into the new 15th AF. The 301st BG completed the war in Europe attached to the 15th Air Force. The 301st Bombardment Group Heavy was comprised of 4 bomb squadrons. The 32nd, 352nd, 353rd and 419th. Assigned to Fifteenth Air Force in November 1943, moved to Italy in December, and afterward directed most of its attacks against European Theatre of World War II strategic targets such as oil centers, communications, and industrial areas. Received another DUC for a mission to Germany on February 25, 1944 when, in spite of vicious encounters with enemy fighters, the group bombed aircraft production centers at Regensburg. http://www.facesbeyondthegraves.com/301st%20bomber%20group.html#:~:text=The%20301st%20Bomba rdment%20Group%20was%20a%20highly%20decorated,of%20the%208th%20AF%2C%20Bomber%20Com mand%2C%20in%20England. Other Bomb Groups - (similar to Orian’s, raid types (but probably different focuses), downed planes, POWs, MIAs, etc.) 449 Bomb Group - Flying Horsemen https://449th.com/ Excerpt: THE 449TH ASSOCIATION [NOTE FROM PF: I have decided to excerpt the roster below because it gives people the understanding this is a substantial project.] The 449th Bomb Group Association (BGA) was formed in 1983 through the efforts of Dick Downey. The 449th BGA was initially composed of the veterans of the 449th BG. Recently the organization has been expanded to the 2nd Generation to include family members and others interested in the preserving the history and the heritage of the 449th. 449TH BOMB GROUP ASSOCIATION OFFICERS – 2017 President: Floyd H. Trogdon, BrigGen/Retired, 719th Vice President: Richard Lapham, 2nd Gen, 719th Secretary: Mary Crowley, 2nd Gen, 717th 449thSecretary@gmail.com Treasurer: Richard Lapham, 2nd Gen, 719th Historian: Mark Coffee, 2nd Gen, 718th 449historian@gmail.com [NOTE: This individual has been quite helpful] Archives Manager: Denise Riegel, 2nd Gen, 718th 449th BG Musem: David Duane Livingston Memorial Museum Dan & Carol Livingston, 2nd Gen, 718th Chaplin: Rev. Denise Trogdon, 2nd Gen, 719th Executive Assistant: Rod Miller, 2nd Gen, 716th Public Relations: Sandra Latta, 2nd Gen, 718th PX Officers: Gary Smith & Debbie Utz, 2nd Gen, 717th Reunion Chairman: Lloyd Rosen, 2nd Gen, 719th Veterans Correspondence: Deborah Hill, 2nd Gen, 718th Legacy Project: Alan Davis, 2nd Gen, 716th 449thlegacy@gmail.com Social Media Research: Tad Garner, 3rd Gen, 717th https://449th.com/449th-bg-association-officers-history/ 352 BG - 352BS, 301BG, 15AFdowned Feb 24 1944 listing of names and plane Orian and crew might have known them and of their plight - 42-31437B-17 FLYING FORTRESS Delivered Cheyenne 3/11/43; Assigned 352BS, 301BG, 15AF Cerignola 7/12/43; Lucera 1/2/44; Missing in Action 31m Steyr, Austria 24/2/44 with Charles E Abramson, Edward Barsditis, Meyer Markowitz, Roland Parker, Alfred Barilotti, Alex Ciegler, Richard... https://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/244666 Planes B17 https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/b-17-flying-fortress-top-facts-wwii-american_bomber.html?edg- c=1 B17G see photo to slightly above right https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_Boeing_B-17_Flying_Fortresses#/media/File:Boeing_B- 17G_Flying_Fortress_%E2%80%9944-6393%E2%80%99_%E2%80%9CStarduster%E2%80%9D_(26948137531).jpg Wartime Facility Lucera Airfield - temporary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucera_Airfield#:~:text=Lucera%20Airfield%20is%20an%20abandoned%20W orld%20War%20II,after%20the%20end%20of%20the%20war%20in%201945. The major tenant of the airfield was the 301st Bombardment Group, which arrived from either Torretta, San Giovanni, Giulia or Stornara Airfield in the Cerignola area of Italy on 1 February 1944. It was equipped with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.[2]There may have been some temporary hangars and buildings; however, it appears that personnel were quartered primarily in tents, and most aircraft maintenance took place in the open on hardstands. It also had a steel control tower.[1] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAMPS - Prisoner and Concentration (slave, work, etc.); POWs and their related topics POW Camps, Prisoners Stalag Luft https://www.nationalww2museum.org/liberation-stalag-luft Austrian Concentration Camps Orian or other Americans could have ended up there rather than a POW camp https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Holocaust/0117_Mauthausen-Gusen-Death-Book.html https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/tags/en/tag/austria Treatment of US POWs https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/film/treatment-of-us-pows A former US prisoner of war (POW), United States Navy Lieutenant Jack Taylor, testifies to the treatment he and other American POWs received in the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Experiences as POWS Memoirs, Diaries, Recollections Germany and related areas in Europe Stripes dot com 2004/09/15 World War II POW recalls hardships, will to survive By JESSICA INIGO https://www.stripes.com/news/world-war-ii-pow-recalls-hardships-will-to-survive-1.24206 Robert E. Ball, a former Army Air Corps first lieutenant who spent nearly a year as a prisoner of war in Germany, spoke Tuesday during the National POW/MIA Recognition Day luncheon on Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany. (Jessica Inigo / S&S) Though Ball kept to the facts while relating life in a German POW camp, he ended the luncheon nearly in tears as he recalled how he and the rest of the 130,000 POWs held on to any shred of light to survive and keep from being in despair. He painted grim pictures, but then spoke of how even the slightest bit of humanity kept him and others like him going. Little things, like singing carols through camp during Christmas; having a midnight Mass outside in knee-deep snow; or even sleeping with a B-28 pilot from Wisconsin to stay warm. PTSD Warfare History Network Americans returning from German POW camps suffered from PTSD. By Duane Schultz https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/americans-returning-from-german-pow-camps-suffered- from- ptsd/#:~:text=There%20were%20nearly%2094%2C000%20American%20POWs%20in%20Germ any.,price%20in%20the%20form%20of%20PTSD—post-traumatic%20s August 22, 2022 had goosebumps come up on this when I came to this website. I take it that this information or site or exploratory/investigative trek has some value for Orian T. Wynn. Perhaps the goosebumps are a link to him directly. Slave camps - this example has same last name as my great-uncle Orian’s real grandfather CNN 2008/11/20 After 63 years, vet learns of brother's death in Nazi slave camp https://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/11/20/worldwar.two.folo/ Highlights U.S. soldier, Bernard "Jack" Vogel, died at a Nazi slave camp in April 1945 His younger brother, Martin, had long sought details about his final moments With CNN's help, Martin was put in touch with the medic who held his brother The U.S. Army has never officially recognized the 350 soldiers held at the slave camp --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REPATRIATION Repatriation of the Living SHIPS - REPATRIATION Drottningholm https://www.salship.se/mercy.php Gripsholm [Note: The reason this is listed here is that Pilot Zuidema mentioned in his letter that he had lcome home using the Gripsholm.] Excerpt: One specific event of note details the Gripsholm Exchange and Repatriation Voyages during World War II (WWII). The MS Gripsholm, a ship that serviced the Swedish-American cruise line and was originally built in 1925, was used from 1942 to 1946 for repatriation efforts by the United States Department of State. A second ship called Drottningholm also helped with these efforts. Gripsholm served under the International Red Cross with a Swedish captain and crew. Making thirty- three trips to exchange women, children, diplomats, prisoners of war, and other nationals between Japan/Germany and the United States/Canada, the ship carried over 27,000 repatriates. https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/burke/2012/09/17/the-gripsholm-exchange-and-repatriation-voyages-2/ New York Times 1944/03/15 663 due here today on the Gripsholm, wounded soldiers and US. https://www.nytimes.com/1944/03/15/archives/663-due-here-today-on-the-gripsholm-wounded-soldiers- and-us.html Excerpt: Six hundred and sixty-three men and women, many of whom have spent months or years in Nazi internment and prisoner-of-war camps, will arrive here today on the diplomatic exchange liner Gripsholm, which is scheduled to dock at Pier F, Jersey City, at about 12:30 P.M Ally McCormick Repatriation Ship List http://allymccormick.com/fepow-repatriation-ship-list/ Wikipedia From 1942 to 1946, the United States Department of State chartered Gripsholm as an exchange and repatriation ship, carrying Japanese[4] and German nationals to exchange points where she then picked up US and Canadian citizens (and British married to Americans or Canadians) to bring home to the USA and Canada. She also made at least two voyages repatriating British and Commonwealth POW's in the spring of 1944 to Belfast and summer of the same year to Liverpool. In this service she sailed under the auspices of the International Red Cross, with a Swedish captain and crew. The ship made 12 round trips, carrying a total of 27,712 repatriates. Exchanges took place at neutral ports; at Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) in Mozambique or Mormugoa (now Goa) in Portuguese India with the Japanese, and Stockholm or Lisbon with the Germans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Gripsholm_%281924%29#Exchange_and_repatriation_ship Repatriation of Dead Bodies Also see MIA-Recovery of Remains Washington Post 2022/05/30 A massive repatriation of World War II dead — and one body’s long journey. By Kim Clarke https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/05/30/repatriation-world-war-ii-zombas/ Excerpt: [caption under photo] The U.S. Army transport ship Joseph V. Connolly moves into New York Harbor in 1947, bearing 6,200 World War II dead being returned from military cemeteries in Europe for reburial in the United States. (AP) …Years would pass before Zombas was buried for the last time. As the country shipped home hundreds of thousands of war dead to be mourned and buried, Zombas was repeatedly interred and exhumed, first by the military and then by parents so paralyzed by grief they could not bear being apart from their only child. As Americans observe Memorial Day, few are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the start of the return of the dead from World War II. But in the early postwar era, this massive act of repatriation — the largest in history — reunited hundreds of thousands of families torn apart by war and death and created its own series of wrenching dramas like the one that saw Zombas moved back-and-forth across the Atlantic Ocean. …When the return program ended in 1951, more than 171,000 bodies — 60 percent of America’s World War II fallen — were reunited with waiting families. The remaining overseas dead were reinterred in new, permanent cemeteries, including Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. The repatriation plan cost $163 million. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/05/30/repatriation-world-war-ii-zombas/ RESISTANCE MOVEMENT Comet Line Monique Hanotte, Member San Diego Tribune (Wash. Post via San Diego Union Trib) 2022/03/06 Belgian Resistance Member who rescued 135 downed allied aim https://www.pressreader.com/usa/san-diego-union-tribune-sunday/20220306/281960316211038 [2022/09/28PF: first found in hard copy where very strong Goosebumps started up and continued this was a copy sitting on the floor with other earlier 2022 newspapers waiting for gong over - right in line with what’s been being studied here on downed WW2 airmen and their plight - adds the resistance movements to the overall mosaic-goosebumps again now writing this] Cemeteries Lorraine - St. Avold Bombing in 1944 Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Avold Excerpt: The abbey also suffered bombing damage during World War II, but much of the church has been restored. The Saint-Avold Synagogue is a Jewish synagogue near Place Paul-Collin. The current synagogue building, completed in 1956, replaces a nearby synagogue which was also destroyed during World War II. St. Avold - Third Army HQ USA https://www.80thdivision.com/AfterActionReports/80thDiv_StAvoldTime-BombIncident_27NOV44- 04DEC44.pdf Jewish Interrogators of Nazi War Criminals - Same name as one of Orian’s colleagues looks like this one was in the infantry not Air Forces Cleveland Jewish News dot com 2018/12/28 ‘Ritchie Boy’ breaks silence about WW II heroism [95th birthday celebration] https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local_news/ritchie-boy-breaks-silence-about-ww-ii- heroism/article_9d4a411c-0ad9-11e9-890b-db07dcc164c5.html UPDATES: 2022/10/28-divided page-added 2b; 2022/09/23 some cleaning up of menu2022/09/21-22 MACR list; 2022/09/13 AAF Collection info added on bombardier training, and US Army Air Forces section added; 2022/09/10 added Anschluss; 2022/09/07 incl Wash. Post article on repatriation of the dead after WW2 to US; ; 2022/09/02 Bombardier Group-449 added; 2022/08/31; 2022/08/29; 2022/08/27-PAGE STARTED-Orian T. Wynn-Background Information
START HERE o Research - Austria area downed Allied planes and captives Austrian Commemorative Book Bundesheer dot at: Missing in Action – Failed to Return: Members of the American and British Air Forces Killed in the Air War Over Present-day Austria (1939–1945) A Memorial Book. Stripes article - discusses Bundesheer o Down in Austria - Stories
(menu continued from above) DOWNED PLANES & CREWS - Finding, name Lists, Likely Sources Checklist -Potential Sources for Investigating downed planes and crews. (These items might be found under other menu categories) MACR o Austria April 2 1944 downed planes 449 Bomb Grp Flying Horsemen o Also see Bundesheer dot at list of planes crews downed locations DPAA - Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Archives dot gov NPRC.Vetrecs - nara.gov Any POW lists showing Americans in foreign territory - camps o Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Red Cross records Repatriation records - ships, planes Cemeteries Private collections - letters, documents, etc. Dog Tags (can show up later) DNA testing for unknowns Cemeteries (Americans Overseas) o See also Repatriation - Dead Bodies after war o St. Avold Bombing 1944 Time Bombs-80th Div o Lorraine Cemetery o Bombing in 1944 Planes - Downed, Loss Lists, Accient Lists o Wikipedia-Accidents and Incidents Flying Fortresses o Pilots - Downed Pilots in Crews, Recovery, Lists o See also Stories o Pilot Lists-Accident Report dot com Stories involving survivors, downed plane and crew circumstances -similar to that of Orian and his crew o Found, Recovery in Process https://www.swtimes.com/story/news/2021/05/02/excavation-arkansans-world-war-ii-p-38-crash-site- austria-unearths-possible-human-remains/7412364002/ o Plane Wreck Research - General Germany https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/world-war-two-aircraft-plane-wrecks-search- continuesgermany.html?edg-c=1&A1c=1 o Recovered WW2 soldiers o Gray, William: Army Air Forces 1st Lt., 21,of Kirkland, WA fighter pilot crashed in Germany --Fox News- 2017/09/27-World War II pilot's remains found in tree, return for burial 72 years later o Marshall, Charles R., Army Air Forces Sgt., 19, of Martin, Ky, missing since 1944-Air Force Mag-2013/06/10- World War II Airman’s Remains Recovered o Norris, Frank Ardith: Army Air Force pilot killed in Romania on August 1, 1943-Dallas Express-2022/04/26- World War II Veteran’s Remains Recovered After 79 Years o Red Cross-WW2 moved to Wynn-4 o Nurses-WW2 moved to Wynn-4 US ARMY AIR FORCES o Training Schools Bombardier o Planes B17 Flying Fortress - Orian was on War History Online B17 Top Facts B24 Liberator Flying Horsemen o Pilots See also Downed Planes & Crew Enlisted Pilots: 1912-1945 o Units Groups 301st Bomber Group Other Bomb Groups (Like Orian’s - Similar Missions, planes, downed locations, POW experiences, MIA’s, etc.) o 449 Flying Horsemen Wartime Facilities Lucera Airfield-tempor CAMPS o POWs (in general) POWs in Germany or Europe - Memories, Diaries POW Camps PTSD o Americans returning from German POW camps suffered from PTSD Austrian Concentration Camps POW Camps - Names, Locations, Stories The Liberation of Stalag Luft 1-May 1, 1945 o MIA (also see Recovered WW2 Soldiers) Recovery of Remains-MIA (Also see Recovery-General/Repatriation Efforts Postmortem) REPATRIATION o Living Repatriation Ships Drottningholm Gripsholm (Zuidema was on one to get back to US) o Dead Bodies Efforts after war Washington Post-2022/05/30-A massive repatriation of World War II dead — one body’s long journeyPlanes Rest Camps (Orian stayed at one) Ships also see Repatriation SHips Liberty Ship (Took Orian over to N. Africa, mentioned in letter) Resistance Movements Belgian Comet Line o Monique Hanotte 1920-2/19/2022 member Jewish Interrogators of Nazi War Criminals - another Morris Siberman name like Orian’s colleague Lucera Air Base, Italy o Where Orian and 301st stayed
COMMEMORATIVE WW2 STUDY OF AN APRIL 2, 1944 DOWNED US ARMY AIR FORCES PLANE AND CREW IN THE AUSTRIAN STEYR
Resources and Input Policing, Borders, Drugs, Cartels and System Corruption
DOWNED WW2 1-Crew, Pilots, Others 1a-Bombardier OT Wynn 1b-Pilot Albert Zuidema 1c-Crew 1d-Others o Squadron, Relations o Input on Crash o MACR 3707 2-Background Info o 2a Background o 2b 3-Nurse Corps 4-Docs-all o 4a-Orian o 4aa-Orian Schooling o 4b-Zuidema o 4c-Crew o 4d-Key Others 5-Comments 6-Links List )
AUSTRIA o Start Here Video in color of Austria during battle, casual marching in streets Possible secret Nazi underground nuclear facility near major concentration camp o History just before, during, Nazis; Allied presence Anschluss
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