| Name | Higdon, Philip Earl ‡ |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant / First Lieutenant |
| Serial Number | O-794662 ‡ |
| Unit Assignments | Assigned to the 546th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #42 dated 4 July 1943, effective 4 July 1943. |
| Duty | Pilot |
| MOS | 1091 - Pilot, B-17 |
| Last Duty Date | 23 September 1943 |
| Results |
Prisoner Of War POW Camp: Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia 54-12 |
| Additional Information |
|
| Related Documents | Missing Air Crew Report # 748⇓ (24.645 MB) |
| Photo Album: | Crew Photo Album⇗ |
| CREWMEMBER | POSITION | RESULTS |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Lt. Higdon, Philip Earl | Pilot | POW |
| 2nd Lt. Boyce, Ernest Marshall, Jr⇗ | Co-pilot | POW |
| 2nd Lt. Begab, Meyer (NMI)⇗ | Navigator | POW |
| 2nd Lt. Johnston, Lawrence Edwin, "Larry"⇗ | Bombardier | POW |
| T/SGT. Boehm, Richard John⇗ | Radio Operator / Gunner | TR |
| T/SGT. Jett, James Loveless⇗ | Engineer / Top Turret Gunner | POW |
| S/SGT. Cunningham, Kenneth Henry⇗ | Ball Turret Gunner | TR |
| PVT. Klonowski, Francis Dominick⇗ | Tail Gunner | POW |
| S/SGT. Cronin, Willard John⇗ | Flexible Gunner | POW |
| S/SGT. Jacobson, Joseph (NMI)⇗ | Flexible Gunner | KIA |
| Number | Date | Target | Position | Aircraft | Mission/Sortie Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9⇗ | 24 July 1943 |
Target: Aluminum & Magnesium Plants Type: Industry Location: Herøya, Norway |
Co-pilot | 42‑30033⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 10⇗ | 25 July 1943 |
Target: Blohm & Voss Aircraft Works and Shipyard Type: Industry Location: Hamburg, Germany |
Pilot | 42‑29927⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 11⇗ | 28 July 1943 |
Target: Aircraft Engine Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Kassel, Germany |
Pilot | 42‑29728⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 12⇗ | 29 July 1943 |
Target: Naval Base Type: Military Location: Kiel, Germany |
Pilot | 42‑29927⇗ |
Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off Did not take off: aircraft apparently not in flying condition. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 14⇗ | 12 August 1943 |
Target: Synthetic Fuel Hydrogenation Plant Type: Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany |
Pilot | 42‑29927⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Flak damaged three engines preventing full power. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 15⇗ | 15 August 1943 |
Target: Poix-en-Picardie and Amiens-Glisy Airfields Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Poix-de-Picardie & Amiens, France |
Pilot | 42‑29651⇗ |
Aborted Mission After Taking Off Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑29703. Turned back for unknown reasons. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 16⇗ | 16 August 1943 |
Target: Le Bourget Airport & Air Depot Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Paris, France |
Pilot | 42‑3440⇗ |
Aborted Mission After Taking Off Turned back at Splasher 11 at 0830 hrs because of an excessive amount of oil coming from #2 engine, which was then feathered. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 17⇗ | 17 August 1943 |
Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany |
Pilot | 42‑3074⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Turned back when #2 engine failed. Supporting documents reveal that the crew received combat credit for this mission. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 18⇗ | 27 August 1943 |
Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Watten, France |
Pilot | 42‑29914⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 19⇗ | 31 August 1943 |
Target: Fighter Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Romilly-sur-Seine, France |
Pilot | 41‑24507⇗ |
Aborted Mission After Taking Off Turned back with #1 engine very rough and #3 engine oil pressure dropped 40 lbs. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 20⇗ | 3 September 1943 |
Target: Air Park and Aerodrome Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Romilly-sur-Seine, France |
Pilot | 42‑3459⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 21⇗ | 6 September 1943 |
Type: Industry Location: Stuttgart, Germany |
Pilot | 42‑3459⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Landed at Grafton Underwood. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 22⇗ | 7 September 1943 |
Target: Bruxelles-Evere Airfield/Repair Depot Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Brussels / Bruxelles, Belgium |
Pilot | 42‑3459⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 23⇗ | 9 September 1943 |
Target: Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Lille-Vendeville, France |
Pilot | 42‑3459⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 24⇗ | 16 September 1943 |
Target: Blockade Runner Ship (in Loire River) Type: Transportation Location: Nantes, France |
Pilot | 42‑3459⇗ |
Aborted Mission After Taking Off Turned back; unable to locate formation after passing through cloud layer. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 25⇗ | 23 September 1943 |
Target: Submarine Repair Ship Type: Submarine Facility Location: Nantes, France |
Pilot | 42‑3459⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Failed To Return Shot down by enemy aircraft shortly after crossing the coast of France, crashed near Pontivy, France; MACR 748. Co-pilot Ritt was pilot of a newly assigned crew, flying his first orientation mission. Sortie Report⇗ |