Staff Sargent James L. Shiffer Lost with his crew over the North Sea. His body was never recovered. Son of William Jacob Shiffer (1891-1972) and Virginia Mae Cook (1894-1976) and the brother of Alice Shiffer Vogrin, Lillian Shiffer McKennas, Edward Shiffer, Glenn Shiffer, Bill Shiffer, Jr., Jean Shiffer Mislevy, Betty Shiffer Fargo, Doris Shiffer Solanick, and Jessie Barber.
From Find-A-Grave and a Military Website we get this account:

Birth: 1920 (Tunkhannock, PA)
Death: Oct. 4, 1943 (Over the North Sea)

Gunner S/Sgt. James L. Shiffer MIA/KIA
4 OCTOBER 1943
TARGET: NORTH SEA DIVERSION
MISSING AIRCREW REPORT: #00891
AIRCRAFT: #42-7474 "SATAN'S FLAME" "M-Bar" 3rd Mission

This mission was one of the most notable and successful, executed by the 392nd during its early operations. The mission was a planned feint by higher headquarters to de-concentrate the German defenses, primarily fighter forces, from the main bomber waves assigned targets over the continent with the 392nd's track up over the North Sea approaches. Thirty-two (32) aircraft were dispatched with (28) flying the entire route. Four aircraft returned early for mechanical and personnel reasons. For the first time in combat, the unit encountered enemy aircraft and heavy flak defenses. Of the (3) aircraft lost that day, all were due to fighter attacks with (15) others damaged by 20MM cannon. The unit suffered the first casualties in combat on this mission; a total of (31) crewmembers MIA with an additional (6) injured.

AIRCREW: SMITH * SQUADRON: 579th 392 Bomb Group
CREW POSITIONS AND STATUS:
P l/LT Brian T. Smith KIA
CP 2/LT Donald L. Sederquist KIA
N 2/LT Hyman Wasserstein KIA
B 2/LT John S. Irvine Jr KIA
EnG T/S Walter F. Kuziora KIA
R/O T/S Edwin J. Gott KIA
NG S/S Herbert L. Tucker KIA
WG S/S Harry D. Weiner KIA
WG S/S James L. Shiffer KIA
WG S/S John J. Senk KIA

MISSION LOSS CIRCUMSTANCES:
Smith's ship was last seen losing altitude with one or more engines on fire. At around 9,000 feet, combat with enemy fighters was still in progress. Three to four parachutes were reported seen at 1018 hours. No other combat reports were available on this aircraft and aircrew.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS OF CREWMEN FATES: As in the case of the Morphew crew, none were available including any possible German reports.

BURIAL RECORDS: No reports of interment were available probably because no crew member, as in the case of the Morphew crew, was ever recovered on land or from the North Sea. U.S. National Cemetery records do reflect the following remembrances: At NETHERLANDS (Margraten), Netherlands on the WALL OF THE MISSING: Smith; Sederquist; Wasserstein; Irvine; Gott; Shiffer; and Senk. At CAMBRIDGE, England: Tucker; Kuziora and Weiner on the WALL OF THE MISSING. All Members were awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart, except Sgts. Gott and Shiffer in this record.

Note: Entered the service from Pennsylvania.

Burial:
Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial
Margraten
Eijsden-Margraten Municipality
Limburg, Netherlands
Plot: Tablets of the Missing

Maintained by: John Dowdy
Originally Created by: CWGC/ABMC
Record added: Aug 07, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 56303820 MISSING AIR CREW REPORT: #00891 AIRCRAFT: #42-7474 "SATAN’S FLAME" "M-Bar" 3rd Mission

AIRCREW: SMITH * SQUADRON: 579th
CREW POSITIONS AND STATUS:

P l/LT Smith, Brian T. KIA
CP 2/LT Sederquist, Donald L. KIA
N 2/LT Wasserstein, Hyman (NMI) KIA
B 2/LT Irvine, John S. Jr KIA
R/O T/S Gott, Edwin J. KIA
NG S/S Tucker, Herbert L. KIA
EnG T/S Kuziora, Walter F. KIA
WG S/S Weiner, Harry D. KIA
WG S/S Shiffer, James L. KIA
TG S/S Senk, John J. KIA

MISSION LOSS CIRCUMSTANCES: The 392nd BG letter of 6 October summarizing the Morphew crew loss noted this crew’s loss circumstance as reported by other formation ships: Pilot Smith’s ship was last seen losing altitude with one or more engines on fire. At around 9,000 feet, combat with enemy fighters was still in progress. Three to four parachutes were reported seen at 1018 hours. No other combat reports were available on this aircraft and aircrew.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS OF CREWMEN FATES: As in the case of the Morphew crew, none were available including any possible German reports.

BURIAL RECORDS: No German reports of interment were available probably because no crew member, as in the case of the Morphew crew, was ever recovered later on land or from the North Sea waters. U.S. National Cemetery records do reflect the following remembrances: At NETHERLANDS (Margraten), Netherlands on the WALL OF THE MISSING: Smith; Sederquist; Wasserstein; Irvine; Gott; Shiffer; and Senk. At CAMBRIDGE, England: Tucker; Kuziora and Weiner on the WALL OF THE MISSING. All Members were awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart, except Sgts. Gott and Shiffer in this record.

NEXT OF KIN DATA IN WWII: No record exists. However, the home State of each crew member was as follows: Smith (California); Sederquist (California); Wasserstein (New York); Irvine (Tennessee); Gott (Pennsylvania); Tucker (New York); Kuziora (Pennsylvania); Weiner (New Jersey); Shiffer (Pennsylvania); and Senk (New Jersey).

James L Shiffer