Rachunas, Joseph George

Individual Personnel Data
Name	Rachunas, Joseph George ‡ ⇗
Rank	Technical Sergeant
Serial Number	6847286 ‡
Unit Assignments	Assigned to the 6th Service Squadron, per 6th Service Squadron, 304th Service Group Initial Overseas Roster, effective 15 January 1943. Assigned to the 545th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #91 dated 7 September 1943, effective 7 September 1943.
Duty	Engineer / Top Turret Gunner / Tail Gunner
Last Duty Date	13 April 1944
Results	Prisoner Of War POW Camp: Stalag 17B Braunau Gneikendorf Near Krems Austria 48-15.
Additional Information	Placed on seven days Temporary Duty on or about 5 April 1944 to Moulsford Manor near Cholsey, Berkshire (a FLAK House) per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #64 dated 3 April 1944.
Related Documents	Missing Air Crew Report # 3869⇓ (24.961 MB)

Missions, Aircraft, Crews
This individual was credited with 24 Combat Missions.
Number	Date	Target	Position	Aircraft	Mission/Sortie Information
--⇗	30 October 1943	Target: Marshaling Yard Type: Transportation Location: Geilenkirchen, Germany	Waist (Flexible) Gunner	42‑29632⇗	Sortie Report⇗
34⇗	3 November 1943	Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Wilhelmshafen, Germany	Waist (Flexible) Gunner	42‑29632⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
36⇗	16 November 1943	Target: Knaben II Molybdenum Mine Type: Industry Location: Knaben, Norway	Engineer/Top Turret	42‑29632⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
37⇗	26 November 1943	Target: City Center Type: Non-Military Location: Bremen, Germany	Tail Gunner	41‑24557⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group deputy. Sortie Report⇗
41⇗	11 December 1943	Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Emden, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑29632⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
47⇗	30 December 1943	Target: I. G. Farben Industrie, Chemical/Synthetic Rubber Plants Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany	Togglier	42‑3259⇗	Combat Mission Credit Landed away at Gatwick with #4 engine out; bombed target; sent to 2 Strategic Air Depot at Little Staughton for repair. Sortie Report⇗
58⇗	4 February 1944	Target: Alfred Teves Main Works: Aircraft Parts Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany	Waist (Flexible) Gunner	42‑97477⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron deputy, high group, 41st B Combat Wing. Sortie Report⇗
60⇗	6 February 1944	Target: Nancy/Essey Aerodrome Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Nancy, France	Togglier	42‑29809⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off Turned back at 1031 hrs due to defective bomb racks; bombs were released when bombardier released bomb bay tanks over North Sea. Sortie Report⇗
62⇗	11 February 1944	Target: Propeller Factory (Foundry) Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany	Togglier	42‑37885⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
63⇗	20 February 1944	Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Leipzig & Bernburg, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑31375⇗	Combat Mission Credit 41A Group, High Squadron Deputy. Sortie Report⇗
64⇗	21 February 1944	Target: Fighter Field & Aircraft Storage Depot Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Werl, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑29809⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
66⇗	24 February 1944	Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑29809⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off High Squadron deputy, lead group. Turned back at 0950 hrs because of a sheared fuel transfer selector valve shaft. Sortie Report⇗
67⇗	25 February 1944	Target: Aircraft Assembly & Ball Bearings Plants Type: Industry Location: Augsburg & Stuttgart, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑29809⇗	Combat Mission Credit 41C Group, High Squadron Deputy, Low Group. Sortie Report⇗
68⇗	28 February 1944	Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Preuseville, France	Tail Gunner	42‑29809⇗	Combat Mission Credit Lead Squadron. Sortie Report⇗
69⇗	2 March 1944	Target: Alfred Teves Main Works: Aircraft Parts Plant and Machine Shop Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑29809⇗	Combat Mission Credit This aircraft dropped 'Nickles' (propaganda leaflets) in addition to regular bombs. Sortie Report⇗
71⇗	4 March 1944	Type: Military Location: Berlin, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑31926⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
72⇗	6 March 1944	Target: Erkner Ball-Bearing Factory Type: Bearings Industry Location: Berlin, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑37789⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off Returned to base after group leader abandoned attempt to join assigned combat wing. Sortie Report⇗
73⇗	8 March 1944	Target: Erkner Ball-Bearing Factory Type: Bearings Industry Location: Berlin, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑31048⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
74⇗	9 March 1944	Target: Heinkel Aircraft Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Oranienburg, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑31871⇗	Flying Spare, Returned As Briefed Sortie Report⇗
75⇗	16 March 1944	Target: Aircraft Assembly & Repair Works Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑38112⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
76⇗	18 March 1944	Target: Aircraft Assembly & Repair Works Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑38112⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
77⇗	19 March 1944	Target: NOBALL (V-2 Storage and Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Wizernes, France	Tail Gunner	42‑29809⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
79⇗	22 March 1944	Target: Heinkel Aircraft Assembly Plant at Annahof Airfield Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Oranienburg, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑31166⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
80⇗	23 March 1944	Target: Airdrome and Airpark Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Gütersloh, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑37785⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
81⇗	24 March 1944	Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑38112⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron lead. Sortie Report⇗
83⇗	27 March 1944	Target: Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Tours & Chartres, France	Tail Gunner	42‑38112⇗	Combat Mission Credit 94 Group, High Squadron Lead. Sortie Report⇗
84⇗	28 March 1944	Target: Dijon-Longvic Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Dijon, France	Tail Gunner	42‑38112⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
85⇗	29 March 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Brunswick / Braunschweig, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑38112⇗	Combat Mission Credit Landed away at Nuthampstead, due to weather. Sortie Report⇗
89⇗	13 April 1944	Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany	Tail Gunner	42‑38112⇗	Combat Mission Credit Failed To Return Shot down during fighter attacks which lasted from 1354 to 1357 hrs; crashed near Lindenfels, Germany. MACR 3869 Sortie Report⇗

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