The Aircraft

Judith Ann, B-24 #44-49771, was the first of fifteen bombers shot down over Linz on April 25, 1945. The crew bailed out and spent the rest of the war as guests of the Soviets.

Flak tore into the aircraft, under the command of Fred Ade, forcing him to land at a Soviet-held airfield near Vienna. The crew was repatriated through Odessa.

Jim Counsilman was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for successfully landing the heavily damaged Liberator at Prkos in Yugoslavia.

Miss Lace - B-24L #44-49511 of the 461st Bomb Group - was shot down over Linz, leaving one crewman dead and nine wounded.

The tail section of B-17 "Old Folks" comes to rest in Muhlbach, Austria, after sustaining heavy damage over Linz. First Lieutenant Dick Schwarz, the badly wounded pilot, bailed out only a few hundred feet above the ground and was quickly captured.

Consolidated Mess - B-24H #42-52475 - was the beloved war-weary Liberator that nearly carried the men of Crew 8431 to their deaths on their Transatlantic journey home.