Final Mission of the "Freeloader"

After Action Report - February 18, 1943

The B17 "Freeloader" from the 381st BG was shot down out bound over the English Channel on its 14th mission.

Three FW 190s and an Me 410 got through the fighter escort and attacked the B17 "Freeloader." One of the FW 190s attacking from 6 o'clock low, struck the starboard wing outer fuel tank with cannon shells which caused an immediate explosion, disintegrating the entire starboard wing.

At this point the crew had to attempt to bail out of an uncontrollable B17. Only three made it out of the aircraft, pilot Kurt Hsu, the engineer, and the right waist gunner. Air Sea Rescue was only able to rescue the waist gunner. Pilot and engineer were presumed lost as sea.

Bombardier Dick Beigel and Radio Operator Bill Beigel were unable to exit the doomed aircraft along with the remaining crew.

Maybe in a few decades, somebody will start a website and research the details on how this B17 was shot down.

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Dick Beigel was later found alive at a LuftStalag in Germany. He elected to stay in Germany after the war, and eventually became an East German border guard. Moving back to America in the mid 1960s, he was hired as a creative consultant on the hit US TV series, "Hogan's Heroes".


William Beigel