USAAF WORLD WAR II
Bombardier 1st/Lt. Vernon E. Forseth POW
Squadron: 66th 44BG PFF aircraft, which was flying deputy lead for the 857th 492nd Bomb Group
Hometown: Iola Wisconsin
Service #0-701588
Awards: Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Command Pilot Captain Austin P. Byrne MIA/KIA

MACR #8081
Target: Hamburg
Mission Date: 6-Aug-44
Serial Number: #42-95661
Aircraft Model B-24
Aircraft Letter: I+
Aircraft Name: STORMY WEATHER
Location: over the target
Cause: Flak Crew of 12 4MIA/KIA 1 KIA 7POW

The MACR includes this information: "Just after target, this aircraft was hit by flak and went into a tight spin. Two chutes were seen at first, then eight more. Plane was seen to blow up when it crashed. Pilots apparently were able to pull it of the spin once or twice, but then it would go back into a dive again. It crashed in the target area, with seven of the twelve men on board surviving." There was no accounting for the other three chutes observed (ten chutes). 2nd Lt. Vincent W. LeRoux, navigator-radar on board this stricken aircraft, adds, "The mission was routine until we hit Germany – all equipment was working beautifully. We came in over the North Sea and flew south into Germany. It was a thousand-plane raid and shortly after entering Germany, we split in two. 500 planes went on to Berlin and our 500 hit Hamburg. "We had extensive flak all the way in but received no damage. Shortly after bombs away, I heard someone yell, ‘Look out!', and we dropped about 1500 feet out of Formation. We had sustained a hit in the nose knocking out the intercom. Later, I was told the #3 plane (in our element) came up and over us, then dropped down on us, forcing us out of formation to avoid a collision.
"Both of the men in the nose section watched helplessly while they observed one German Battery begin tracking their plane. With the intercom out, they couldn't warn Lt. McKenna. Just as we were about to rejoin our formation, they hit us with all four guns. We were hit in the nose, the waist and the #3 engine. This engine exploded and two cylinder heads from it came through the side of our ship and landed in my lap! I lost six to eight layers of skin from my palm when I tried to dislodged those burning hot objects. "Immediately, the flight deck floor ignited, with flames two to three feet high. Lt. Goo seemed to have been hit by the flak as he kept staggering around, holding his stomach. I pushed him back into his seat several times, but he wouldn't, or couldn't stay there. The fire extinguisher was behind Lt. Greno, co-pilot, and I tried to reach it. However, Captain Byrne was frozen to the bulkhead and I couldn't get past him. I tried to pry his hands loose but was unable to do so. Finally, I gave up and turned around to see the flames were licking at Sgt. Sheldon's feet – and he was still in the top turret operating his guns.
"Escape from the flight deck through the bomb bay was impossible by now, and my hand was so badly burned I doubted if I could pull myself up and out of the top hatch. So I was in a quandary. Finally, I saw the hole that the cylinder heads made in the side of the plane and decided that was my way out. "I was fortunate that day as I had just picked up my new back pack chute and had worn an asbestos-lined suit for the first time. Without that fireproof suit, I probably would have lost my right leg. If I had had my old chest pack, I would have been unable to exit through the hole in the side of the ship. I threw myself out head first, but caught my feet in my chair or something. I kept swinging back and forth in the slipstream until I finally tore loose. "Shortly after I ripped free, the plane went into a dive that turned into a spin. I was captured shortly after landing."
Douglas Hobbs, right waist gunner, sent additional information, "We were a ‘mickey ship' radar equipped for bombing through cloud cover. But being clear weather over the target, this equipment was not necessary and not utilized. "Just after bombs away, someone observed another B-24 in an extreme attitude, practically upside down and above us. The pilots put our ship in a nose down attitude, diving down to avoid the other ship. Then, when we were attempting to return to the formation, we were hit by anti-aircraft artillery fire just before we were returning to our slot in the formation. Our ship was struck two or three times in the area forward of the bomb bay – and perhaps in the bomb bay as well. The result of these hits was that something in the bay exploded and started to burn. Fire was streaming back past the right side waist window where I was. This all happened immediately after the flak hit. "Someone said, ‘Let's get out of here!' and we left the ship. There was never any communication from the front of the ship to advise us to jump. (Intercom knocked out?) The action of the ship at this time was not violent, but more like a falling leaf. "The officers went to Barth, Germany, to Stalag Luft I and the enlisted men to the new Stalag Luft VI and Stalag Luft IV. We were liberated by the English in early May, 1945."
Lt. Emmett Tucker said, "I was flying a make-up mission to catch up with my regular crew (Lt. Peterson) and was in the nose turret. When the plane went into that tight spin, I was unable to move for quite a while. But when the plane came out of the spin, I bailed out. The bombardier, Forseth, went out first, then the navigator and then me. I think the pilot and co-pilot were killed by the flak hits because when I went out of the bomb bay, I could see no movement in the upper part of the plane. Smoke was very bad, though."
Major Heaton, the Command Pilot in a 66th Squadron aircraft piloted by Capt. Raymond Craig, wrote, "On the bomb run flak was intense. We were briefed for a descending left turn after bomb release. This we did, only to plunge into the densest flak I saw in 25 missions. As Command Pilot, I was sitting in a sling between the armor plates behind the pilot and co-pilot. We took a 155 through the fuselage forward of the tail turret. Fortunately, it went off above the plane, but we lost one engine and the ship was well perforated. The deputy wing lead, with Byrne aboard, had been on our right wing. In the dense flak he swooped above us and to the left. He looked okay, but started to slip toward us. I put my left foot on the pilot's control column and shoved, sending us down and out of the way. We lost about 4,000 feet, feathered the bad engine and limped back to the 44th on the remaining two and a quarter engines, landing on one good and one flak-shattered tire. Nobody aboard was scratched."

Note: Heaton describes Byrne's role as Deputy Command Pilot and states that Byrne was the Operations Officer of the 492nd's 857th Squadron.
In 1946, a British salvage team visited the crash site and removed two bodies (Byrne and Greno). They were buried in the Ardennes National Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium. (This is not confirmed.)

#42-95661 Crew
Captain Austin P. Byrne Command Pilot KIA
1st/Lt. James P. McKenna Pilot KIA
1st/Lt. Paul J. Greno Co Pilot KIA
1st/Lt. William L. Y. Goo Navigator KIA
Emmett Z. Tucker Jr. Pilotage -
Navigator POW
2nd/Lt. Vincent W. Leroux Nav-Radar POW
Vernon E. Forseth Bombardier POW
T/Sgt. Stanley W. Sheldon Engineer KIA
T/Sgt. Raymond J. Kovach Radio Op. POW
S/Sgt. Douglas U. Hobbs Gunner POW
S/Sgt. Donald R. Miller Gunner POW
S/Sgt. Percy J. Gaudin Gunner POW