Lost in the Bulge
By Horst Weber
19 September 1997
Niederstedem, Germany
Dear Mr. Cook,
The History Club of Bitburg County, Germany is planning to publish a book about the air-war events during WWII over the county limits. We want to make it like a diary and want to mention all events thoroughfully (if possible). We researched now more than four years and could clear most of the events. But a few mysteries remained.
The most remarkable event during WW II in my County was the downing of 35 B-26 ,,Marauders on 23 December 1944, during their attack to important railway bridges in the back of the ,,Ardennes" salient. . The majority of these aircraft came down in the County of Bitburg and the nearby Counties of Daun and Wittlich, but also in Luxemburg, which border is alongside to our County.
Besides the losses of the other 9th AF Marauders that day (391st BG: 16 lost, 387th BG: 5 lost, 322nd BG: 2 lost), 323rd BG: 1 lost and 394th BG: I lost ), the 397th BG lost 10 B-26 over enemy territory.
The aircraft of 397th BG were shot down mainly by German FW-190 fighters of I./JO 11. Two B-26 for sure and probably one further were shot down by flak. The German side lost 8 FW- 190 with 1 missing, 4 dead and 3 wounded pilots from your return-fire. Two more wounded pilots returned to their home bases with damaged FW-190's.
Research in the last four years in various American and German files together with a large number of eyewitness statements could now clear up the the fate of the majority of the crew and their aircraft and reconstruct the missions of the involved B-26 Groups that fateful 23 December 1944.
I could locate 33 of the 35 B-26 crash-sites together with the crews' fate after the crash and the initial burial location of the killed crew members on 23 December 1944 in Germany, Belgium and Luxemburg. Two remain still unsolved:
There were a number of ideas, what could have had happen with the Cook-crew and their aircraft. One was, that the aircraft was seen to explode in midair aDer hitting by flak prior the IP. The next was, it could have fallen in one of the crater-lakes near Daun. (marked blue in the attached map) Last, but not least, the U.S. Grave Registration team, which investigated this case in 1948 came to the conclusion, that Cook's aircraft exploded in midair over Oberraden near Bitburg and the crew was perished. They found some aircraft debris in the location.
None of this ideas does satisfy really convincing, because there is not a single indication for one of these ideas. But now, after all the other cases could be solved sucessfully, one event in my area could be tied-in with Lt. Cook's loss. Let me tell about it.
On a day, short before Christmas 1944, three youngsters and a girl of Niederstedem, 4 km south of Bitburg went out in the moming to cut a Christmas tree in the woods. Just before they reached the wood, it was between 10:30 - 11:00 h in the morning, they saw a twoengined U.S. bomber under fire from a single German fighter. The right engine was shot aflame and then the U.S. bomber crashed head-down into a field near a quarry in the villagelimits of Esslingen, which is the neighbour village of Niederstedem. (see map)
The crash-site is about 6 km due south of Bitburg. The party went up onto a ridge, to overlook the scene. Suddenly after that, one bomb exploded and set the remains of the aircraft afire. Then they went to the scene of the crash and found the crew dead and badly mutilated, some also very badly burnt. Three bombs with the dimensions 1.00 -1.50 meters long and about 50 centimeters diameter were visible. At least four parachutes were also Iying around. The remains of the aircraft didn't seem to be camouflaged, but natural-metal-finish.
The present mayor of Esslingen, who was then a fourteen year-old boy, still remembers, that two radial engines were Iying around and that one crew-member had a pistol with such a big caliber, he had never seen before. Two weeks after this event, the remains of the crew were still around. None of the whitnesses remembers aburial by German military persnnel or civilians or a search of an American team at this location postwar.
In fact, this event must have taken place on 23 December 1944, because there was never an attack prior and past that date by German fighters against B-26 ,Marauder" in the area of Bitburg, Daun, Wittlich and Trier during WW II. By my opinion, all the other facts are also leading to the conclusion, that Lt. Cook and his crew crashed at this location. I simply have no others left!
But now a question to you and the experts. 1st Lt. Robert E McCarthy's ship, 397th BG, 599~ BS, crashed during the same mission near Ammeldingen, which is about 19 km WNW of Bitburg and about 22 km NW of Esslingen. He was buried there initially close to the wreckage of his ship. McCarthy's B-26 had it's full bomb load on board, when it came down. This fact is stated by eyewhitnesses.
But the fighter attack occured after bombing the Eller railraod bridge. What could have happened, that the bombs were not released?.
The same circumstances occured in Esslingen, where also the full bomb load appears at the crash location. Could it be, that Lt. McCarthy and Lt. Cook were hit by flak, left the formation and tried to make it home. On their way home, they were attacked by fighters and shot down at the mentioned locations. Lt. McCarthy's and his crews fate was cleared postwar, but Lt. Cook's fate together with his crew wasn't.
Now I ask you for a favour. Would you please try to contact the crew-members of the McCarthy crew, who survived the crash. The names are: Charles F. Abel, (1944: Weippe, Idaho); Ellis J. Williamson, (1944: Houston, Texas) and David R. Hyro, (1944: Dayton, Ohio) for a statement. I am interested to know if they did bomb or not. It is also very important to know, who shot down their ship, flak or fighters. Unfortunately, the MACR and the attached statements don't clear that fact.
Maybe your Kansas City reunion on 15 October would be an excellent place, to clear my questions. If you are interest in further information, I'll be pleased to provide you with.
Enclosed is a map, scale 1:250.000, with the briefed route of 397~ BG, Eller-mission on 23 December 1944 with all the crash-locations. The finally flown route is a bit different. This fact may explain the distance of some crash-sites from the route.
Well, Sir, I want to thank you very much for your help. If ever possible, please send me the copy of a photo of Lt. Cook's and Lt. McCarthy's ships and/or the crew with the permission to publish them in our book. With the best wishes to you, your family and your association. All the best to your reunion and have a good time there.
Sincerely,
H. Weber