U.S.A.A.F. crew member of 97 Squadon aircraft.

Apparently the fellows could double their pay if they made the switch to the USAAF…

I believe that RCAF personnel were also paid double the amount of their RAF equivalent.

Maybe the answer is more prosaic, like access to benefits; sending and receiving mail (parcels, cost) from family in US, access to US-only clubs (PX), post-war service grants (education), compensation and notification of family in event of death.

Thanks, very interesting.

If your man was one of the Americans who’d joined the RCAF (or RAF, though for obvious reasons the former seems to have been more common), then later transferred to the USAAF (I’ve read that there was sometimes some arm-twisting involved) during the middle of his tour, it’s likely he was left where he was to avoid breaking up the crew.

That seems to have been the policy, at least according to Lou Luma, who flew Mossies with 418 Sqn and who mentions the policy here:

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=gzzoc3KOiQoC&pg=PA150&lpg=PA150&dq=%22lou+luma%22&source=bl&ots=AwufFMqhMB&sig=kEDS9L-A5ds7sxTOGPGS-lSgeS0&hl=en&ei=XJbETNKDFYWOvQPB5r3ACA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCsQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22lou%20luma%22&f=false

I also thought it was a comment from Luma which I remembered re: the strong-arming, can’t find it now.

Apparently the fellows could double their pay if they made the switch to the USAAF, snazzier threads too.

Not the only time that the Russians had refused to help with the recovery of remains;

http://www.bringsconiershome.com/the_search_for_sconiers

On a visit to Durnbach i was interested to see that there was at least one American buried there, how commonplace was it for USAAF crew to fly with the RAF post America’s entry in the war?

Many thanks, I have come up with the following.

97 Squadron orbs states ………

“10601625 Tech Sgt. B.H. Stedman (USAAF) AG to 97 Squadron from No.12 US Replacement Control Depot. 1.1.44”

In the autumn of 1943 the orbs record 12 opertional flights by H.B. Steadman, the last being made in October.

The 12th US Replacement Control Depot was the initial U.S.unit that American Airmen who were in either the R.A.F. or the R.C.A.F. were assigned to.

Stedman enlisted in the Air Corps on 23 December 1944

I know that you have probably seen this David,but interesting for others ?

from RAFCOMMANDS forum

T/Sgt Ben H. STEDMAN – 10601625 was the rear gunner of Lancaster ND367, still missing and his name commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, US Mil. Cem., Margraten, The Netherlands.
He left the aircraft with a burning parachute and found dead near Egsdorf close to the ‘Teupitzersee’ (a lake), 8 km SE of Wünsdorf, SE of Potsdam.
He was buried 22-1-1944 in a burial ground (locally known as ‘Anglo-Amerikaner Feld’) in a ‘Gemarkung’ (an area) named Zehrensdorf, community Wünsdorf (Grave 25).
In December 1946 twenty bodies were exhumed from twelve graves and after identification reinterred in the Berlin War Cemetery (Graves V-G.1 – V-G.6-8 – VIII.Z.20-35).
Later on Russian authorities refused the allies any further access to the burial ground and the remains from Stedman may still be there.
Local historians are working on it but a letter sent to the CWGC for help and co-operation with US-authorities remained unansawered sofar.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CDYQFjAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rafcommands.com%2Fforum%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D3480&ei=RS3ETJ_eEtWk4AbD0pW6Aw&usg=AFQjCNFeGSuV0cuDKEuUWOP631Nntje5Xw

rgds baz

Thanks mhuxt. I have located the files but am having trouble navigating the site to download them. I am waiting for an e mail reply from the site administrator.

There’s a digital copy (available for $) at footnote.com

http://www.footnote.com/search.php?f_ancestor_id=28597484&df_ancestor_id=Within%3AMissing+Air+Crew+Reports%2C+WWII&query=9842

You may be able to sign up for a week’s free access, but you have to pony up your credit card number to do so, IIRC.

The last couple of years, the website has had a freebie month on MACRs around Xmas / New Year’s. Don’t know if they’ll do it again this year, as they’ve just been bought by ancestry.com, and the concept of “free stuff” may now be anathema.

Don’t have an answer for you, however apparently MACR (Missiing Air Crew Report) 9842 deals with this man’s loss.

I’m not familiar with that, where is it located?

Don’t have an answer for you, however apparently MACR (Missiing Air Crew Report) 9842 deals with this man’s loss.