SSGT. Joseph E. Kerbow was an Engineer and Gunner with the 12th Air Force; 57th Bombardment Wing; 321st Bombardment Group; 445th Bombardment Squadron; stationed in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, (MTO). His Hometown was Dallas, Texas. His brother, SSGT. Earl L. Kerbow, was Killed In Action on 03 January 1943. Nine months later, SSGT. Joseph E. Kerbow joined his brother in death.

08 October 1943
Friday, 8 October 1943
445th BS: Extracts from Missing Air Crew Report # 1307: Aircraft 42-64590, was seen to go down and hit the water in the Gulf of Korinthos, at the mouth of the Livadhostra Bay, after a break from the target following the bombing of Eleusis Airdrome in Greece, 8 October 1943.

A/C B-25; No. 42-64590; MACR-1307' missing crews – at sea
P Hartmeister, Joel T., 2Lt - rescued by fishing boat, ALW in Greece
CP Frey, Ernest A., 2Lt - rescued by fishing boat, RTD
N None
B Flynn, Thomas H., S/Sgt - rescued by fishing boat, EUS
E Kerbow, Joseph E., S/Sgt - KIA
R Wright, Warren D., T/Sgt - KIA
G O’Neill, Phillip W., Sgt - KIA
F Chaney, Kenneth Morgan, T/Sgt, 9th Combat Camera - rescued by fishing boat, ALW in Greece

Eyewitness Accounts: Joyce, Bryan A., 2Lt, navigator, 448th BS

2nd Lieut. Bryan A. Joyce, 0-798814, navigator in no. 2 plane (42-64668), 4th element of the 4th flight, states: “I observed the airplane flying beneath us with the left engine feathered. The plane that I was in was going at approximately 150 mph and plane 590, in which Lt. Hartmeister was the pilot, was falling back of us and losing altitude quickly. While making a water landing, the bomber was strafed by enemy fighters and burst into flames upon hitting the water. I plotted the position where the plane hit on my map”.
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Eyewitness Accounts: Robinson, Jefferson D. “Jeff”, S/Sgt, radio-gunner, 448th BS

S/Sgt. Jeff D. Robinson, 33141188, tail gunner in the lead plane (41-12995 “Charlie’s Aunt”), 4th element of the 4th flight, made the following statement: “I first saw plane 590 beneath the tail of my plane. The left engine was feathered and the plane was quickly losing altitude and falling behind the formation. It appeared that our pilot was trying to keep his element back to protect the bomber, as we were slowing down and losing altitude. I saw several fighters attack the plane and I attempted to cover him with my gun but he dropped back to far out of range. Plane 590 continued to lose altitude and began to make a landing in the water. I saw the wake made by the tail dragging along the water and then the nose hit. The plane bounced, hit the water again and immediately burst into flames and exploded.
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Eyewitness Accounts: Flynn, Thomas H., S/Sgt, bombardier-gunner, 448th BS

CASUALTY INFORMATION

SUBJECT: Thomas H. Flynn, S/Sgt. ASN 31124434 DATE OF INTERROGATION: 19 Feb 1944

KNOWN INFORMATION

After completion of bomb run, on target in France, the ship was attacked by enemy fighters, damaged and forced out of formation. A landing was made on the sea.

After the plane was brought down, Lt. Hartmeister the first man out, followed by Lt. Frey, Sgt, Flynn and Sgt. Chaney who was the photographer on the mission. The other members of the crew were all dead. The plane was on fire and although the life raft came out of the ship, the tide carried it over toward the plane and it was consumed in the flames. Lt. Hartmeister did not have a Mae West and was unable to swim, so Sgt. Chaney gave him his Mae West to Lt. Hartmeister. Lt. Frey could not swim either and Sgt Flynn assisted him. After swimming for nine hours toward shore, the flyers sighted a fishing boat and were picked up.
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Eyewitness Accounts: Cook, Bailey C., Col, pilot, Operations Officer, HQ 321st BG

Hqs 321st Bomb Gp (M), O of the Opns O, 30 November 1943. TO: Commanding General, Hqs, Twelfth Air Force, APO 650, US Army. (THRU: Commanding General, XII ASC, APO 766, US Army).

1. It is felt that a narrative of the details of this casualty by the undersigned eyewitness might aid in the interpretation by Intelligence of the diverging views mentioned in 6th Indorsement.

a. The “Missing Air Crew Report” is correct.

b. Heavy accurate flak severely damaged Lieutenant Hartmeister’s plane over the target. He feathered one engine, left the formation and lost altitude toward the Gulf of Korinthos. One element (3 planes) of my flight detached itself and dropped back and down to protect this cripple. I (in 4264575) left the formation (48 planes) with my flight of (7 planes) to cover this element and the crippled # 42-64590 as they were being aggressively attacked by enemy fighters. Lieutenant Hartmeister retained control of his plane from 10.000 feet to the water’s surface but continued to drop back farther and farther until our tail guns no longer covered him. I did not actually see him hit the water, as did witnesses in the element behind me and nearer the cripple, because we entered a rain storm and the visibility became relatively poor. However, Lieutenant Hartmeister could not have bailed out his crew from the altitude at which I last saw him. His gradual dropping back leads me to suppose that he retained control of the plane despite one feathered engine and another damaged.

c. At the time Lieutenant Hartmeister (42-64675) was forced to leave his element and try for a water landing, bombing had been completed and a breakaway to the left was being effected. At this point his element leader, Lieutenant Fisher, peeled out of formation in a suicidal attempt to singlehandedly save his wing-man by joining on and flying formation with him. Before Lieutenant Fisher could maneuver into this position, enemy fighters shit out one of his engines. He feathered it and continued to close fast on Lieutenant Hartmeister (I am told).

d. Hence we have a flight of seven (7) planes at zero altitude, entering a storm, followed by an element of 3 planes a mile behind, trailed by two planes each having one engine feathered. According to other witnesses, one of these two exploded - they could not agree which. At this time a P38 crashed into the water near by and exploded. Three other P-38’s, flying on one engine, fell in on my wing for navigation home as I entered the storm.

e. In a water landing, the B-25 type airplane usually cracks open just abaft the wing. The engineer-gunner, radio-gunner and turret-gunner have their posts in this part of the plane. Their avenues of escape are (1) downward through hatch (usually jammed in belly landing) (2) through small port hole (provided no parachutes are worn) (3) via the waist-gun ports (after first removing the gun and mount) and (4) through the cracked fuselage itself (if they are not wounded, panicky or rendered unconscious). The pilot, co-pilot and bombardier ordinarily escape through the pilot’s hatch which opens upward. The average length of time this type plane remains afloat after crash landing is three (3) minutes.

f. Lieutenant Fisher’s crew follows:

P. Lt. J. B. Fisher
CP. Lt. J. W. Carmine
N. Lt. H. G. Osburn
B. Capt. C. H. Corning (S-2, 82nd Fighter Gp)
E. S/Sgt. T. C. Kunis
R. S/Sgt. H. L. Garthwaite
G. S/Sgt. J. Woronuk

BAILEY C. COOK,
Lt. Colonel, Air Corps
Group Operations Officer

Joseph E Kerbow