US ARMY AIR FORCES WORLD WAR II
Bombardier1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual KIA
Hometown: New York
Squadron: 856th 492nd Bomb Group
Service# O-668755
Awards: Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
Pilot 1st/Lt. David P. McMurray KIA
Target: Bernburg
MACR #7231
Mission Date: 7-Jul-44
NOTE: Declared KIA on July 8, 1945
Serial Number: #44-40145
Aircraft Model B-24J
Aircraft Letter:
Aircraft Name:
Location: Westeregeln, Germany
Cause: German fighters Crew of 9 KIA
Most of the men in the McMurray Crew had served with the 12th AS (Anti-Submarine Squadron) in Langley, Virginia, which became the cadre source for the brand new 492nd Bomb Group. Lt McMurray flew sub patrols as a co-pilot and was promoted to pilot at Alamogordo, New Mexico. We have been able to confirm Lt Hedges, Lt Pascual, T/Sgt Ray and S/Sgt Stiglitz had flown with the 12th AS, too. T/Sgt Ray had the most seniority with the outfit as he was an original Maryland guardsman in Baltimore. He flew anti-sub patrols out of Atlantic City, New Jersey, before they were relocated to Langley. One could say that the McMurray Crew 801 was one of the original original crews of the 492nd.
The McMurray Crew was formed at Alamogordo, assigned to the 858th BS and designated as Crew 801. We are still trying to confirm how the other crew members came into the 492nd. We suspect they had served at Langley, too, but we need confirmation.
McMurray signed out for B-24J, 44-40145. To our knowledge they didn't give their plane a nickname. They flew their assigned ship to England using the southern route. Their ground crew chief S/Sgt Castelletti flew with them, thus bumping Pfc Corbin onto the Queen Elizabeth.
Shortly after arriving in England, Lt Hedges requested to be reassigned to the Lewis Crew 813. He and Capt Lewis had grown up together in Cheyenne, Wyoming, living only a few streets away from each other. They wanted to fly combat together. With permission from their squadron commander and all parties involved, he and Lt Farrell from the Lewis Crew switched places. This was done before any combat missions were flown.
By our count the McMurray Crew 801 flew 15 missions. We aren't sure who was on each of these missions, but we do know that some changes were made to their crew roster. It's always possible that their bombardier may had missed some of the Pathfinder-led missions.
The McMurray Crew 801 was known as the tough luck or hard luck crew. It seemed as if they always came back being the most battered plane on every mission. This wasn't exactly true but they were probably battered more often than the others and certainly had more than their fair share of death nipping at their heels. But this crew also had the reputation of being able to survive anything much like the Timex watch slogan, "takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
Their mission to Politz on 29 May 1944 was a rough one. S/Sgt Tracey was killed inside his ball turret and S/Sgt Corbin was severely wounded. Corbin was sent to the US for recovery. Lt Col Mahoney's book, Reluctant Witness, has an excellent chapter about this crew. Col Mahoney knew Tracey well and his first hand account of pulling his dead body out of the ball turret is both chilling and sobering. He learned the hard way that Tracey had literally been cut in two.
Tracey and Corbin were replaced by Sgts Flood and Cotey from the Shalvoy Crew 618. They had something in common with their new crew as they, too, had survived a near-death experience when their plane crashed on 11 May 1944. They began flying with the McMurray Crew on 31 May 1944.
The Crew participated on D-Day and their next missions were milk runs over France. These missions were designed either in direct support of the ground forces or they bombed airfields in Central France in order to keep the Luftwaffe out of the area.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Crew's last mission bombed an aircraft manufacturing plant at Bernburg, Germany. On their way home, the Luftwaffe caught the Group again without any fighter protection and put the hurt to them. The 492nd lost a dozen more of their planes. The McMurray Crew was among the lost, killing everyone on board. Their tough luck history is extremely well-painted in a "Stars and Stripes" article (see the Stories link on the right). It gives some examples of the scraps of information they had, plus a summary of their final mission. The initial MIA reports thought the Crew might have gone down in the Baltic Sea. Later reports suspected they have gone down in the North Sea. Almost sixty years later the wreckage was discovered near the initial battle zone.
The excavated remains of the McMurray Crew were sent to Hawaii for DNA identification. Everyone in the crew was positively identified except for S/Sgt Cotey. However his ring and dogtags were found in the wreckage and forensics was able to conclude his remains are among the parts from which DNA could not be extracted.
Leonard Ray was buried in Maryland on 5 Oct 2007. Robert Flood was buried in Pennsylvania on the following day. Hyman Stiglitz was buried on 28 Dec 2007 in Tucson, Arizona. The other five identified through DNA were buried together at Arlington on 12 June 2008 along with a mass burial for the entire crew which contains all of the remains that could not be identified. On its headstone are the names of all nine men.
Lt. McMurray Crew
1st/Lt. David P. McMurray Pilot
1st/Lt. David P. McMurray Pilot
2nd/Lt. Millard C. Wells Jr. Co Pilot
2nd/Lt. Millard C. Wells Jr. Co Pilot
1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual Bombardier
1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual Bombardier
T/Sgt. Leonard J. Ray Engineer
T/Sgt. Leonard J. Ray Engineer
T/Sgt. Hyman L. Stiglitz Radio Op.
T/Sgt. Hyman L. Stiglitz Radio Op.
S/Sgt. Francis E. Larrivee Gunner
S/Sgt. Francis E. Larrivee Gunner
S/Sgt. Walter O. Schlosser Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
Bombardier1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual KIA
Hometown: New York
Squadron: 856th 492nd Bomb Group
Service# O-668755
Awards: Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
Pilot 1st/Lt. David P. McMurray KIA
Target: Bernburg
MACR #7231
Mission Date: 7-Jul-44
NOTE: Declared KIA on July 8, 1945
Serial Number: #44-40145
Aircraft Model B-24J
Aircraft Letter:
Aircraft Name:
Location: Westeregeln, Germany
Cause: German fighters Crew of 9 KIA
Most of the men in the McMurray Crew had served with the 12th AS (Anti-Submarine Squadron) in Langley, Virginia, which became the cadre source for the brand new 492nd Bomb Group. Lt McMurray flew sub patrols as a co-pilot and was promoted to pilot at Alamogordo, New Mexico. We have been able to confirm Lt Hedges, Lt Pascual, T/Sgt Ray and S/Sgt Stiglitz had flown with the 12th AS, too. T/Sgt Ray had the most seniority with the outfit as he was an original Maryland guardsman in Baltimore. He flew anti-sub patrols out of Atlantic City, New Jersey, before they were relocated to Langley. One could say that the McMurray Crew 801 was one of the original original crews of the 492nd.
The McMurray Crew was formed at Alamogordo, assigned to the 858th BS and designated as Crew 801. We are still trying to confirm how the other crew members came into the 492nd. We suspect they had served at Langley, too, but we need confirmation.
McMurray signed out for B-24J, 44-40145. To our knowledge they didn't give their plane a nickname. They flew their assigned ship to England using the southern route. Their ground crew chief S/Sgt Castelletti flew with them, thus bumping Pfc Corbin onto the Queen Elizabeth.
Shortly after arriving in England, Lt Hedges requested to be reassigned to the Lewis Crew 813. He and Capt Lewis had grown up together in Cheyenne, Wyoming, living only a few streets away from each other. They wanted to fly combat together. With permission from their squadron commander and all parties involved, he and Lt Farrell from the Lewis Crew switched places. This was done before any combat missions were flown.
By our count the McMurray Crew 801 flew 15 missions. We aren't sure who was on each of these missions, but we do know that some changes were made to their crew roster. It's always possible that their bombardier may had missed some of the Pathfinder-led missions.
The McMurray Crew 801 was known as the tough luck or hard luck crew. It seemed as if they always came back being the most battered plane on every mission. This wasn't exactly true but they were probably battered more often than the others and certainly had more than their fair share of death nipping at their heels. But this crew also had the reputation of being able to survive anything much like the Timex watch slogan, "takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
Their mission to Politz on 29 May 1944 was a rough one. S/Sgt Tracey was killed inside his ball turret and S/Sgt Corbin was severely wounded. Corbin was sent to the US for recovery. Lt Col Mahoney's book, Reluctant Witness, has an excellent chapter about this crew. Col Mahoney knew Tracey well and his first hand account of pulling his dead body out of the ball turret is both chilling and sobering. He learned the hard way that Tracey had literally been cut in two.
Tracey and Corbin were replaced by Sgts Flood and Cotey from the Shalvoy Crew 618. They had something in common with their new crew as they, too, had survived a near-death experience when their plane crashed on 11 May 1944. They began flying with the McMurray Crew on 31 May 1944.
The Crew participated on D-Day and their next missions were milk runs over France. These missions were designed either in direct support of the ground forces or they bombed airfields in Central France in order to keep the Luftwaffe out of the area.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Crew's last mission bombed an aircraft manufacturing plant at Bernburg, Germany. On their way home, the Luftwaffe caught the Group again without any fighter protection and put the hurt to them. The 492nd lost a dozen more of their planes. The McMurray Crew was among the lost, killing everyone on board. Their tough luck history is extremely well-painted in a "Stars and Stripes" article (see the Stories link on the right). It gives some examples of the scraps of information they had, plus a summary of their final mission. The initial MIA reports thought the Crew might have gone down in the Baltic Sea. Later reports suspected they have gone down in the North Sea. Almost sixty years later the wreckage was discovered near the initial battle zone.
The excavated remains of the McMurray Crew were sent to Hawaii for DNA identification. Everyone in the crew was positively identified except for S/Sgt Cotey. However his ring and dogtags were found in the wreckage and forensics was able to conclude his remains are among the parts from which DNA could not be extracted.
Leonard Ray was buried in Maryland on 5 Oct 2007. Robert Flood was buried in Pennsylvania on the following day. Hyman Stiglitz was buried on 28 Dec 2007 in Tucson, Arizona. The other five identified through DNA were buried together at Arlington on 12 June 2008 along with a mass burial for the entire crew which contains all of the remains that could not be identified. On its headstone are the names of all nine men.
Lt. McMurray Crew
1st/Lt. David P. McMurray Pilot
1st/Lt. David P. McMurray Pilot
2nd/Lt. Millard C. Wells Jr. Co Pilot
2nd/Lt. Millard C. Wells Jr. Co Pilot
1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual Bombardier
1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual Bombardier
T/Sgt. Leonard J. Ray Engineer
T/Sgt. Leonard J. Ray Engineer
T/Sgt. Hyman L. Stiglitz Radio Op.
T/Sgt. Hyman L. Stiglitz Radio Op.
S/Sgt. Francis E. Larrivee Gunner
S/Sgt. Francis E. Larrivee Gunner
S/Sgt. Walter O. Schlosser Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
US ARMY AIR FORCES WORLD WAR II
Bombardier1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual KIA
Hometown: New York
Squadron: 856th 492nd Bomb Group
Service# O-668755
Awards: Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
Pilot 1st/Lt. David P. McMurray KIA
Target: Bernburg
MACR #7231
Mission Date: 7-Jul-44
NOTE: Declared KIA on July 8, 1945
Serial Number: #44-40145
Aircraft Model B-24J
Aircraft Letter:
Aircraft Name:
Location: Westeregeln, Germany
Cause: German fighters Crew of 9 KIA
Most of the men in the McMurray Crew had served with the 12th AS (Anti-Submarine Squadron) in Langley, Virginia, which became the cadre source for the brand new 492nd Bomb Group. Lt McMurray flew sub patrols as a co-pilot and was promoted to pilot at Alamogordo, New Mexico. We have been able to confirm Lt Hedges, Lt Pascual, T/Sgt Ray and S/Sgt Stiglitz had flown with the 12th AS, too. T/Sgt Ray had the most seniority with the outfit as he was an original Maryland guardsman in Baltimore. He flew anti-sub patrols out of Atlantic City, New Jersey, before they were relocated to Langley. One could say that the McMurray Crew 801 was one of the original original crews of the 492nd.
The McMurray Crew was formed at Alamogordo, assigned to the 858th BS and designated as Crew 801. We are still trying to confirm how the other crew members came into the 492nd. We suspect they had served at Langley, too, but we need confirmation.
McMurray signed out for B-24J, 44-40145. To our knowledge they didn't give their plane a nickname. They flew their assigned ship to England using the southern route. Their ground crew chief S/Sgt Castelletti flew with them, thus bumping Pfc Corbin onto the Queen Elizabeth.
Shortly after arriving in England, Lt Hedges requested to be reassigned to the Lewis Crew 813. He and Capt Lewis had grown up together in Cheyenne, Wyoming, living only a few streets away from each other. They wanted to fly combat together. With permission from their squadron commander and all parties involved, he and Lt Farrell from the Lewis Crew switched places. This was done before any combat missions were flown.
By our count the McMurray Crew 801 flew 15 missions. We aren't sure who was on each of these missions, but we do know that some changes were made to their crew roster. It's always possible that their bombardier may had missed some of the Pathfinder-led missions.
The McMurray Crew 801 was known as the tough luck or hard luck crew. It seemed as if they always came back being the most battered plane on every mission. This wasn't exactly true but they were probably battered more often than the others and certainly had more than their fair share of death nipping at their heels. But this crew also had the reputation of being able to survive anything much like the Timex watch slogan, "takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
Their mission to Politz on 29 May 1944 was a rough one. S/Sgt Tracey was killed inside his ball turret and S/Sgt Corbin was severely wounded. Corbin was sent to the US for recovery. Lt Col Mahoney's book, Reluctant Witness, has an excellent chapter about this crew. Col Mahoney knew Tracey well and his first hand account of pulling his dead body out of the ball turret is both chilling and sobering. He learned the hard way that Tracey had literally been cut in two.
Tracey and Corbin were replaced by Sgts Flood and Cotey from the Shalvoy Crew 618. They had something in common with their new crew as they, too, had survived a near-death experience when their plane crashed on 11 May 1944. They began flying with the McMurray Crew on 31 May 1944.
The Crew participated on D-Day and their next missions were milk runs over France. These missions were designed either in direct support of the ground forces or they bombed airfields in Central France in order to keep the Luftwaffe out of the area.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Crew's last mission bombed an aircraft manufacturing plant at Bernburg, Germany. On their way home, the Luftwaffe caught the Group again without any fighter protection and put the hurt to them. The 492nd lost a dozen more of their planes. The McMurray Crew was among the lost, killing everyone on board. Their tough luck history is extremely well-painted in a "Stars and Stripes" article (see the Stories link on the right). It gives some examples of the scraps of information they had, plus a summary of their final mission. The initial MIA reports thought the Crew might have gone down in the Baltic Sea. Later reports suspected they have gone down in the North Sea. Almost sixty years later the wreckage was discovered near the initial battle zone.
The excavated remains of the McMurray Crew were sent to Hawaii for DNA identification. Everyone in the crew was positively identified except for S/Sgt Cotey. However his ring and dogtags were found in the wreckage and forensics was able to conclude his remains are among the parts from which DNA could not be extracted.
Leonard Ray was buried in Maryland on 5 Oct 2007. Robert Flood was buried in Pennsylvania on the following day. Hyman Stiglitz was buried on 28 Dec 2007 in Tucson, Arizona. The other five identified through DNA were buried together at Arlington on 12 June 2008 along with a mass burial for the entire crew which contains all of the remains that could not be identified. On its headstone are the names of all nine men.
Lt. McMurray Crew
1st/Lt. David P. McMurray Pilot
1st/Lt. David P. McMurray Pilot
2nd/Lt. Millard C. Wells Jr. Co Pilot
2nd/Lt. Millard C. Wells Jr. Co Pilot
1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual Bombardier
1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual Bombardier
T/Sgt. Leonard J. Ray Engineer
T/Sgt. Leonard J. Ray Engineer
T/Sgt. Hyman L. Stiglitz Radio Op.
T/Sgt. Hyman L. Stiglitz Radio Op.
S/Sgt. Francis E. Larrivee Gunner
S/Sgt. Francis E. Larrivee Gunner
S/Sgt. Walter O. Schlosser Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
Bombardier1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual KIA
Hometown: New York
Squadron: 856th 492nd Bomb Group
Service# O-668755
Awards: Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
Pilot 1st/Lt. David P. McMurray KIA
Target: Bernburg
MACR #7231
Mission Date: 7-Jul-44
NOTE: Declared KIA on July 8, 1945
Serial Number: #44-40145
Aircraft Model B-24J
Aircraft Letter:
Aircraft Name:
Location: Westeregeln, Germany
Cause: German fighters Crew of 9 KIA
Most of the men in the McMurray Crew had served with the 12th AS (Anti-Submarine Squadron) in Langley, Virginia, which became the cadre source for the brand new 492nd Bomb Group. Lt McMurray flew sub patrols as a co-pilot and was promoted to pilot at Alamogordo, New Mexico. We have been able to confirm Lt Hedges, Lt Pascual, T/Sgt Ray and S/Sgt Stiglitz had flown with the 12th AS, too. T/Sgt Ray had the most seniority with the outfit as he was an original Maryland guardsman in Baltimore. He flew anti-sub patrols out of Atlantic City, New Jersey, before they were relocated to Langley. One could say that the McMurray Crew 801 was one of the original original crews of the 492nd.
The McMurray Crew was formed at Alamogordo, assigned to the 858th BS and designated as Crew 801. We are still trying to confirm how the other crew members came into the 492nd. We suspect they had served at Langley, too, but we need confirmation.
McMurray signed out for B-24J, 44-40145. To our knowledge they didn't give their plane a nickname. They flew their assigned ship to England using the southern route. Their ground crew chief S/Sgt Castelletti flew with them, thus bumping Pfc Corbin onto the Queen Elizabeth.
Shortly after arriving in England, Lt Hedges requested to be reassigned to the Lewis Crew 813. He and Capt Lewis had grown up together in Cheyenne, Wyoming, living only a few streets away from each other. They wanted to fly combat together. With permission from their squadron commander and all parties involved, he and Lt Farrell from the Lewis Crew switched places. This was done before any combat missions were flown.
By our count the McMurray Crew 801 flew 15 missions. We aren't sure who was on each of these missions, but we do know that some changes were made to their crew roster. It's always possible that their bombardier may had missed some of the Pathfinder-led missions.
The McMurray Crew 801 was known as the tough luck or hard luck crew. It seemed as if they always came back being the most battered plane on every mission. This wasn't exactly true but they were probably battered more often than the others and certainly had more than their fair share of death nipping at their heels. But this crew also had the reputation of being able to survive anything much like the Timex watch slogan, "takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
Their mission to Politz on 29 May 1944 was a rough one. S/Sgt Tracey was killed inside his ball turret and S/Sgt Corbin was severely wounded. Corbin was sent to the US for recovery. Lt Col Mahoney's book, Reluctant Witness, has an excellent chapter about this crew. Col Mahoney knew Tracey well and his first hand account of pulling his dead body out of the ball turret is both chilling and sobering. He learned the hard way that Tracey had literally been cut in two.
Tracey and Corbin were replaced by Sgts Flood and Cotey from the Shalvoy Crew 618. They had something in common with their new crew as they, too, had survived a near-death experience when their plane crashed on 11 May 1944. They began flying with the McMurray Crew on 31 May 1944.
The Crew participated on D-Day and their next missions were milk runs over France. These missions were designed either in direct support of the ground forces or they bombed airfields in Central France in order to keep the Luftwaffe out of the area.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Crew's last mission bombed an aircraft manufacturing plant at Bernburg, Germany. On their way home, the Luftwaffe caught the Group again without any fighter protection and put the hurt to them. The 492nd lost a dozen more of their planes. The McMurray Crew was among the lost, killing everyone on board. Their tough luck history is extremely well-painted in a "Stars and Stripes" article (see the Stories link on the right). It gives some examples of the scraps of information they had, plus a summary of their final mission. The initial MIA reports thought the Crew might have gone down in the Baltic Sea. Later reports suspected they have gone down in the North Sea. Almost sixty years later the wreckage was discovered near the initial battle zone.
The excavated remains of the McMurray Crew were sent to Hawaii for DNA identification. Everyone in the crew was positively identified except for S/Sgt Cotey. However his ring and dogtags were found in the wreckage and forensics was able to conclude his remains are among the parts from which DNA could not be extracted.
Leonard Ray was buried in Maryland on 5 Oct 2007. Robert Flood was buried in Pennsylvania on the following day. Hyman Stiglitz was buried on 28 Dec 2007 in Tucson, Arizona. The other five identified through DNA were buried together at Arlington on 12 June 2008 along with a mass burial for the entire crew which contains all of the remains that could not be identified. On its headstone are the names of all nine men.
Lt. McMurray Crew
1st/Lt. David P. McMurray Pilot
1st/Lt. David P. McMurray Pilot
2nd/Lt. Millard C. Wells Jr. Co Pilot
2nd/Lt. Millard C. Wells Jr. Co Pilot
1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual Bombardier
1st/Lt. Raymond Pascual Bombardier
T/Sgt. Leonard J. Ray Engineer
T/Sgt. Leonard J. Ray Engineer
T/Sgt. Hyman L. Stiglitz Radio Op.
T/Sgt. Hyman L. Stiglitz Radio Op.
S/Sgt. Francis E. Larrivee Gunner
S/Sgt. Francis E. Larrivee Gunner
S/Sgt. Walter O. Schlosser Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert L. Cotey Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
S/Sgt. Robert J. Flood Gunner
Inscription
1LT 856 BOMB SQ 492 BOMB GP
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Arkansas.
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