Warbird Information Exchange

About DZUS FASTNER TOOL or "Snoopy" I find this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzus_fastener

The original:

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SALERNO 1943 AIR FINDERS www.1943salerno.it

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Further research shows that the 79th TCS was part of the 436th Troop Carrier Group. At the time of the crash, the group's main base was Membury in southern England but it was detached to Voltone airfield in Italy from July 20 to August 23 1944. It then returned to Membury. I can't find an accident report listed for this C-47 but there may not be one because it was counted as a combat loss.

Scott,

No sweat. It could be a cotter pin remover. While laying in bed last night it finally dawned on me that it looks like a current day brake adjuster tool for drum brakes. I have one for turning the star adjuster inside the drum.

Speculation might say there likely was a small traveling tool kit onboard the plane.

John

Dear friends,
If you indicate me the object you are discussing I can do a better photo.

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Thanks Dave.
Your informations are precious. Do you have some idea for me to identify men on this aircraft? Do you know if is possible to search USA military cemetery with date of death?
Every suggestion will be appreciate!

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Found this in an old database:

19619 43-15153 D11Feb44 - 8thAF 11Mar44 - 9thAF - Cond 29Aug44 missing in action.

I find this curious as the previous post quoting the C-47 Bible gives:

"...the entry says that it went to the 9th AF's 79th Troop Carrier Sqn on March 11, 1944 and crashed on [i]August 1, 1944[/i] into a mountain near Montevergine, Italy."

The original poster wrote in a follow up..."There 19 men on this aircraft. 11 or 12 deceased."

I find it hard to believe that with this many casualties, a lost aircraft and all this carnage that this plane fell through ALL the cracks in the reporting system! No MACR...no A/R.

Something just ain't right here.

I also am very curious about this piece of metal stamped RADIO CALL 315153. 315153 would have been the serial number as written on the tail--dropping the 4 and hyphen from the aircraft serial number. I have only ever seen the serial number of a C-47 displayed on the stanchion behind the co-pilots seat, and sometimes on a small credit card size plate aft of the cargo door on the outside fuselage.

A "serial number" is not a "radio call" just as a construction number is not a serial number.

I would be very interested to know where on the plane this plate would have appeared? In the radio room?

Since there is no reference to this loss in AMERICAN aircraft databases....maybe she was on transfer to the RAF? Or we are looking at the wrong plane?

How does the original poster know what the number of personnel was onboard....and how many were killed? What is his source?

Thanks for your reply.

I know of this crash site from a book of a local historian that wrote in 1945. He take informations from eyewitnesses, sheperd that are on this high mountain and that go to help survivors. This historian is very precise. From his book we take informations to find 2 other crash site of 10 crash site we find. He wrote that 9 men were kill in the crash and 2 or 3 other deceased in next days for injuries. He also wrote that a fineral service was do from the authority of the village under the mountain (but we not find records because them was lost).
Surely on the aircraft there are USA soldiers because of equipment we find. About the label RADIO CALL I already seen it from other crash site but I'm not a expert of aircraft equipments.

I hope will be possible to gibe a name to these men and perhaps contact someone of theri relatives. We are planning to return to crash site to do a deep research in the mountain with the hope to find some tag of soldiers or something other can help us to identify these men.

I hoep also in your expert help.

Thanks.

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Our FB group: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/129119250509719/

I dug out my 43 dated "hand tools" manual and there it was the cotter key extractor. I never thought about it, it DOES look like the brake adjust tool. CHEERS!

Scott

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Scott Dunkirk
AZGCLHU Inc.

http://arizonagroundcrew.org/

1940's Army Air Force ground crew living history
(A 501 C 3 organization)
(IYAMYAS)

"Yes sir, it's suppose to look like that"

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The radio call plate was evidently a standard fit on USAAF aircraft as described here:

http://forum.armyairforces.com/Radio-Ca ... 79215.aspx

I believe the serial number prefixed by 'Army' was normally used for flights in the ZI and maybe also for internal flights within, say, the UK. For combat ops, what would be known today as a tactical callsign was used, totally unrelated to the aircraft serial number.

Sorry, I cannot help with crew details. These are likely to be on the microfilmed squadron records obtainable form Maxwell AFB. The lack of an accident report or MACR is certainly strange but it could also mean that they were accidentally missed out when the official records were transcribed onto a database.

The Wiki entry for the 436th TCG says that the group was sent to Italy to take part in the airdrops for Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France which began on August 15.

Thanks!

Do you have e-mail of Maxwell AFB so I can concatc him? Thanks again.

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Dave--

EXCELLENT clarification on the Radio Call plate. Never knew that such a number was placed at or around the R/O position and/or pilot's instrument panel.

What is most amazing is that out of 15 odd tons of crashed aircraft, this piece of readable identifying metal survived.

I thins we were very lucky. In 10 crash site we investigated we just find this radio call label. It is very small, 3,5x1,5 cm. However, as you can see damage from flames on it are very clear.

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Do you have e-mail of Maxwell AFB so I can concatc him? Thanks again.

Earlier today I wrote to my friend Pat Elie who maintains the excellent D-Day website referenced above, that had the a/c identification for pilot Wank.

I suggested to Patrick to check in here at WIX on this topic.

Patrick has the AAF history on the 436th TCG, but on microfilm. Requires a trip to the regional library to read it. Hopefully he can provide some additional detail.