O padu zrakoplova B 24 Liberator kod sela Brnjice
The crash of the B 24 Liberator aircraft near the village of Brnjica

Summary/Abstract: This paper discusses the events of October 13, 1944, when an American bomber type B 24 H Liberator, serial number 41-28866, crashed not far from the village of Brnjica in the hinterland of Šibenik. The aircraft was damaged by the German anti-aircraft defence over the cities of Vienna and Graz. Since the aircraft could not follow the flying formation of the other planes from the group on the return flight, the pilot estimated that he would not be able to return to the home port, and decided to save the crew by parachuting, while the aircraft crashed shortly after. All 11 crew members survived the crash. Nine were soon captured by the Ustaše army and sent to Drniš, from where they were transferred to German camps for Allied prisoners. The remaining two crew members were taken over by the partisans, who bandaged their wounds, and after some time, escorted them to the island of Vis. These data were obtained from statements given by the witnesses to the event, a field trip to the crash site, and an analysis of the recovered aircraft parts. Along with several other written sources about that event, the biggest role in the identification of the aircraft and its crew was played by the declassified files of the United States Department of War, the Missing air crew report (MACR), and the Escape and Evasion report (E&ER).

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