You can Search the 450th Website from here Enter Your Search Criteria and click on the Magnifying Glass


Home Page «
Contact Us «
Terms of Use «


Current Newsletter «
Film & Books «
Reunion Pictures «
Site Updates «


Main Roster «
POW's «
Escape Statements «
Cemetery Listings «
Orders «
TAPS «


450th History «
Missions Flown «
S2 Reports «
Pilot-Bombardier Reports «
Operational Analysis «
Navigator Logs «
Aircraft Pictures «
Accident Reports «
M.A.C. Reports «
Crew Pictures «
Ground Personnel «
Veteran's Biographies «
Unidentified Personnel «
Veteran's Stories «
Target Pictures «
Maps «
Miscellaneous Pictures «
Newspaper Articles «
47th Wing Documents «
331st Air Service «
1st C.C.U. «


Current Guest Book «
Archived Guest Book «


Search Page «
Links Page «

 
Impatient Virgin
721st Squadron



In 2019 we completed a school project (BRG Kirchdorf high school) about the loss of Impatient Virgin (MACR 3205), collecting about 100 parts of the plane, that remained on the site, having them examined by an expert in Texas and presenting results to the public at our school. Before that I communicated with Clenton Chain´s son – his father was one of the survivors. There were two men in the audience who had witnessed the crash when they were five and seven. The presentation took place in February 2020 shortly before our lockdown.

Crash Site

Crash Site

School Display

Part of the display students presented to members of the public.

Extract of the message from Mr Clay to Markus Steindl, who forwarded this information to our students after the students had sent him the pictures they took of the parts we found:

I had a chance to sit down with some friends who have worked on aircraft from this era.  Unfortunately much of these items are a nearly impossible task to identify.  Much of the riveted structural components are very repetitious throughout the structure, so they could be from any number of places.  Someone undergoing a deep restoration of a B-24 might know better, even then possibly not.  I can try another place to see if they can identify more of the parts.  For now at least here are some of the parts we ID'd or at least gave a very good guess on.  I didn't get a chance to try and dig into the exact aircraft history but I will do that as well and see if there is possibly another perspective I can give you on it; although I'm sure you have a far greater understanding of its history right now than I do!   Parts:


1)25: A portion of a cylinder head showing 2x spark plugs in it.  Aircraft use dual plugs for redundancy and more thorough ignition at high altitudes.


2) 26: A possible portion of an ignition harness, for both heat protection and physical protection against damage they are often ran through hard tubes like this.  Hard to say for sure though as there are any number of possibilities for small tubes on these aircraft of course.


3) 30: We are unsure of this as none of us are avionics guys, but it must be some type of coil from a radio.


4) 36: This is likely a fuel or oil tank strap, as they are often hung inside the structure in this manor, it is stainless steel and the strong ductile nature of this would be necessary in this application.  


5)203: This welded tubing cluster is likely related to the oil system.  The ends of the tubes have a bead rolled flare on them, you wouldn't see this type of connection on fuel lines and such.  Not exactly positive on this one.


6)205: This appears to possibly be a portion of asbestos, used as an anti-chafe material in many areas on the aircraft.  Due to vibration and closely moving components here and there these kinds of things are necessary.  You see a lot of this type of stuff around the flaps etc where you have large moving structure etc.


7)210: Appears to be an engine pushrod still inside the shroud tube.


8)94: This is an annunciator light, you can see the multiple color lenses in it.  Not specifically sure which function this particular one served as there would be many, but these are common with landing gear indicating etc. This indicator would also have a push to test feature to make sure the system is working properly and all the lights would light at once when you push it.


9)70: This is for sure an ignition harness and spark plug, being a 14 cylinder engine with 2x plugs per cylinder, you will have 28 spark plugs per engine, or 112 spark plugs on the entire aircraft!  You can see the shielding on the wire harness, this is to reduce signal interference from the ignition system over the aircraft radios and communication systems.  This works good but you can still hear a small ticking in your headset on smaller aircraft.  


10)99: This is a “nut plate” there will be thousands of these on the aircraft, they are riveted to the aircraft structure on the inside and have the actual nut fastened on the back side to allow the blind installation of fasteners.  Basically every access panel on the aircraft will be secured in this fashion.
 This is a far more antiquated style of this fastener, they are quite a bit different these days, and I can tell you we change out a LOT of them haha.


11)190: Again, no positive ID on this one but it appears to be another radio coil of some sort.


12)191: This is the end portion of a cable drive.  These would be used in many applications but allow the direct cable drive/transfer of a physical movement in the cockpit.


13)194: This is a so called “cannon plug” the common aircraft style electrical connection, again there will be hundreds across the entire aircraft.


14)199: This is an exhaust flange and stub portion, the intake side of the engine will use a similar tube but they will be aluminum so this rusted portion is definitely exhaust.  


15) 39a: Nearly impossible to ID except it's engine related, given the steel studs in aluminum, this likely came off the back side of the engine around the accessory case or possibly part of the induction system.  


16)41: Not 100% sure but this might be a break related component or possibly a mass balance of some sort, it appears to be lead filled as the metal is corroding away at different rates, the drilled holes in it, appear to indicate either a balanced rotating system, or simply lightening holes drilled again for possible usage as a mass balance.  I think I am leaning toward a mass balance.  Such things are necessary for smooth control function and to reduce control flutter at high speeds if that is indeed what this is.

That's about all we were sure of or fairly confident on.  Here are some pictures out of a 1942 Engine manual to help illustrate some of these mentioned components.  Have a good one! Clay







MACR 3205 analysis with help from Mark COURT – information gleaned from MACR

crew member

Serial

number

function

rank

status

16.3.46

status

fate after attack

last contact

additional information

information given by

where were the ones who stayed in the plane?

information on plane

Harold J. Amye

MRs Odile H: Ayme

Boise, Louisiana, wife

0-670683

Co-pilot

2nd Lt.

 

dead

unable to get out of the plane

ordered Carroll to leave ball turret down?

remained in plane

door to flight deck from bomb bay was hard to open

giving orders from cockpit

last seen by Lindsay

 

Oklahoma Carroll Jr.

X11

X12

Lindsay

flight deck,

cockpit

cockpit

cockpit

 

Oklahoma V. Carroll, Jr.

Eva L. Caroll Marshall Oklahoma

mother

38995855

AR

Sgt.

RTD

eus

was in ball turret, bailed out with Ludwig and Purcell through camera hatch, was last to get out, landed on other side of mountain and did not see crash site or comrades (Weinzierler Brücke!)

contradiction: only saw Purcell after the attack and bailed out with him

bailed out before Waste lost control

 

Lindsay and Chain bailed out through nose wheel door

Oklahoma Carroll Jr.

Purcell

 

engines 1 and 2 were burning, 3 and 4 were running out of control. Aileron control was shot off of left wing, plane went into a spin

Clenton J.L. Chain

Pearl V. Chain, Bastrop, Lousiana

mother

34155718

AG

Sgt.

 

eus

he bailed out with X and was arrested with Lindsay and X went to Kiefhiede, Germany, repatriated months later, went slightly insane

Stalag luft 4

Lindsay pulled him out of the nose turret and opened the emergency hatch

last seen in Austrian beer hall or at Frankfurt interrogation center

Chain bailed out through nose wheel door

 

Oklahoma Carroll Jr.

X11

X12 in Stalag Luft 4

Lindsay

 

 

Stanley J. Dryla

Nellie Dryla 765 Farsley Street Swedesburg Pennsylvania

33186438

Engineer

S/Sgt.

 

dead

unable to get out of the plane

was hurt in turret couldn´t release himself

reported enemy fighter at 12 o´clock

was heard talking to pilot about turning off gasoline to burning engines by ball turret man

top gun turret

door to flight deck hard to open

Oklahoma Carroll Jr.

X11

Lindsay

flight deck

 

Lawrence H. Kravetz

Esther S. Kravetz

188 Chester

Brooklyn, NY

wife

0-689612

Navigator

2nd Lt.

 

dead

KIA!

supposition:

did not bail out, unable to get out of spinning plane

door to flight deck hard to open

gave us position at 12:20

last seen at take off

we were attacked at 12:25

25 miles southwest of Steyr

Oklahoma Carroll Jr.

X11

Lindsay

flight deck

command deck

command deck

 

Bruce C. Lindsay

Margaret S. Lindsay

505 Vandover Ave

Wilmington Delaware mother

0-749649

Bombardier

2nd Lt.

RTD

eus

bailed out before Waste lost control

 

 

Lindsay

Purcell

 

plane went into a flat spin

Robert L. Ludwig

Mrs. Edwar d C. Ludwig

140 Clark Ave Clarks Green, Pennsylvania

mother

33956052

Radio operator

S/Sgt.

RTD

eus

bailed out before Waste lost control

German camp Mooseburg

 

Ludwig

 

 

Bruce I Mahar

Margarethe Mahar 23 Maple Street South Portland, Maine

31220444

AAG

Sgt.

 

dead

unable to get out of the plane

trapped in tail turret, his gun jammed,

trapped behind camera hatch

he was sitting on floor trying to put his chute on – was not seen outside plane

talked to him on interphone during attack

 

Oklahoma Carroll Jr.

X11

X12

Purcell

at tail gun

 

Richard A. Purcell

Mrs. Roberta P. Purcell

Irral Route Number One

Vinciennes Indiana

mother

35477212

AR

Sgt.

RTD

eus

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert L. Waste

Mrs. Frances W Thegerson,

Bank Street, Tampa, Florida mother

0-670683

Pilot

2nd Lt.

 

dead

unable to get out of the plane

gave order to bail out

gave orders to let down ball turret

last seen by Lindsay

 

Oklahoma Carroll Jr.

X12 Sgt. Slg luft 4

Lindsay

flight deck,

trapped in cockpit

cockpit

cockpit

 

plane was flying in 5 position of the high right bow, ten minutes before target hit attacked by 13 enemy fighters Me 109, Me 110, Ju 52, in the four minutes while making the run on the target the enemy was successful in knocking out five of the six ships in the high box position. Sergeant Dryla´s ship was observed to be going down at a pretty rapid rate of descent smoking profusely. Due to the intensity of the attack, gunners in other ships were unable to observe the destroyed ships. It must be assumed that Sgt. Dryla either was 1) injured in enemy action in the air and parachuted out or 2) that he was injured in the air and was killed when the plane crashed or 3) that he parachuted out and was taken prisoner of war.

Willoughby J. Hodge, 2nd Lt. and William H. Glavin, 2nd Lt. saw crash (722nd): in the turn to the initial point Wels the entire squadron led by Major Miller slipped slightly out of position and was attacked by enemy fighters, Waste´s aircraft was hit and fire was seen coming out from the upper portion of the fuselage and the waist window.

 The plane left formation and crashed at 47 55N 14 25 E – five declared dead 18 Oct 45



Information courtesy of Mag. Manfred G. MARTIN, History Teacher at BRG Kirchdorf an der Krems, Weinzierlerstrasse 22, A-4560 Austria

Return to Main Page
 




If any information is being used out of context or if you would like to use some of this information, please contact the Webmaster

Terms of Use and Disclaimer Statement

Copyright © 1999 - 2024, Mark Worthington & the 450th Bomb Group Memorial Association