B-24 Bomber 'Puck' And Crew

$On May 20, 1944 the B-24 bomber 'Puck' took off on a sea sweep mission under leadership of the lanky pilot, Donald Richardson. The plane (#42-73317) and crew disappeared. The crew were: 1st Lt. Donald G. Richardson, Pilot 1st Lt. Frank L. Munson, Co-pilot 1st Lt. James P. ‘Jim\' Gilbert, Navigator 1st Lt. Linus J. Austin, Bombardier TSgt. Cecil L. Olson, Radio Operator SSgt. Arthur Regal, Asst Radio Operator TSgt. Harold W. ‘H.W.\' Case, Engineer Cpl. Jordan L. Daley, Asst Engineer (not shown in image abov$

On May 20, 1944 the B-24 bomber 'Puck' took off on a sea sweep mission under leadership of the lanky pilot, Donald Richardson. The plane (#42-73317) and crew disappeared. The crew were:

1st Lt. Donald G. Richardson, Pilot
1st Lt. Frank L. Munson, Co-pilot
1st Lt. James P. ‘Jim' Gilbert, Navigator
1st Lt. Linus J. Austin, Bombardier
TSgt. Cecil L. Olson, Radio Operator
SSgt. Arthur Regal, Asst Radio Operator
TSgt. Harold W. ‘H.W.' Case, Engineer
Cpl. Jordan L. Daley, Asst Engineer (not shown in image above)
Cpl. Walter S. Polchlopek, Gunner/Armorer
SSgt. Clifford T. Hamilton, Gunner/Armorer,
1st Lt. Russell T. Breckenridge, Sq S-2 Officer (not shown in image above)

See the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) for this loss here. See an alternative image of the crew here.

Originally Sgt. Pasquale 'Patsy' Gerrone (kneeling second from left in front row in image above) was to be on that flight, but was grounded by the flight surgeon because of illness that day, and was thus the only survivor of the original crew.