Information about this photograph:

  1. Aircraft No: 42-97387
  2. Tail Letter: H
  3. Fuselage ID: K8-H
  4. Group/Squadron: 398th, 602nd
  5. Official Name of Aircraft: Maude Maria
  6. Date of Photograph: 2 November 1944
  7. Photo Location: Nuthampstead
  8. Crew at time of Photograph: Grinter Crew
  9. Final Disposition of A/C: Assigned as an original operational aircraft on 28th April 1944. Assigned to the 602nd as K8-H and named Maude Maria. Out 3rd Feb 1945, MIA, after mid-air collision with 43-38697.
  10. Interpretive Comments: The following information was provided by Malcolm Osborn during October 2004.

    This was the Grinter crew returning from their 6th mission, they had just been to the dreaded Meresburg. Louis J. Stoffer in his mission list has described this day as follows:

    Louis J. Stoffer - Crew Here's Hopin
    Mereseburg Nov 2 - 400 fighters, 180 shot down, 13 out of 36 bombers failed to return (From Newsprint ljs)

    We were out of position when the Germans hit 15 - 25 abreast firing head on. (This was a vicious air battle ljs). First we had half-hour of intense flak, then a colored streamer and the fighters hit. This was our original pilot 1st Lt. Don Grinter's 1st mission, he had broken his arm on a bicycle accident. We had lots of small holes, lost our hydraulic brake system and landed with trailing parachutes for brakes.

Source Information:

  1. Photo Source: The Vic Jenkin's Photo Collection and now part of the 398ths Photo Preservation Project in England.
  2. Photo Reference: HALS CD I: ACC 3910 1 of 5/Aircraft/Aircraft3
  3. Photographer: Unknown but probably 398th Base Photographer.
  4. Information compiled by the 398th Web team with special thanks to Malcolm Osborn and Geoff Rice.
  5. If you would like to add information about this photograph, please contact our Aircraft Photo Coordinator. Please include the title.