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Gerry Brown-Family
to remember
Brown, Owrie Vernon, TSgt.
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Contact Info
Home Town San Fernando, CA
Last Address Littleton, CO
Date of Passing Jul 04, 1996
Location of Interment Fort Logan National Cemetery (VA) - Denver, Colorado
TSgt. Brown served as a flight engineer with the 783rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 465th Bombardment Group (Heavy, 15th Air Force, flying out of Pantanella Airfield, Italy flying missions aboard a B-24 aircraft. His unit had arrived on station in April 1944.
On 16 February 1945, the mission of the day was to bomb Regensberg Airdrome. TSgt. Brown's B-24 (tail number 42-51871) was hit by FLAK, causing an explosion on board. It came down 1 km east of Haselbach and 15 km north of Straubling, Germany. He and SSgt. Allen Honey managed to parachute from the aircraft following an initial explosion on board, both were wounded. The rother seven crewmen perished in the crash.
Sgt. Brown was captured at Neukirchen Haggn near Steinberg, Lower Bavaria according to the German capture documents. Also captured was SSgt. Allen Honey, captured near Mitterfels, They were transferred to Stalag VIII, Nuernberg.
Crew:
2nd Lt. William B. Lyon, Pilot, (KIA), Oakland, California
2nd Lt. William D. WIne, Co-Pilot, (KIA), Flushing, New York
2nd Lt. Leslie P. Turner, Navigator, (KIA), Atlanta, Georgia
SSgt. Owrie V. Brown, Flight Engineer, (POW), Pasedena, California
SSgt. Charles A. Mangan, Radio Operator, (KIA), Missouri, Montana
SSgt. Raymond J. Collins, Armorer/Gunner Nose Turret, (KIA) West New York, New Jersey
SSgt. Allen A. Honey, Armorer/Gunner, (POW), Vancouver, B.C.
Sgt. David L. Busch, Armorer/Gunner, (KIA), Butte, Montana
Sgt. Herbert M. Gatling, Tail Gunner, (KIA), Portsmouth, Virginia
Other Comments:
see Sources/Notes
1944-1945, B-24 Liberator
From Year 1944
To Year 1945
Personal Memories
Not Specified
Image
B-24 Liberator Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
Specifications
Model Consolidated B-24J Liberator Length 67.16 ft | 20.47 m Width 110.01 ft | 33.53 m Height 18.01 ft | 5.49 m Engine(s) 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 radial piston engines generating 1,200hp. Empty Weight 36,500 lbs | 16,556 kg MTOW 65,001 lbs | 29,484 kg Max Speed 290 mph | 467 km/h | 252 kts Max Range 2,001 miles | 3,220 km Ceiling 28,002 ft | 8,535 m | 5.3 miles Climb Rate 800 ft/min (243.84 m/min) Hardpoints 0 Armament 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose assembly. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in tail assembly. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in upper-fuselage turret. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in under-fuselage assembly. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in left-waist fuselage position. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in right-waist fuselage position.
Up to 8,800lbs of internal bombs. Accommodations 10 Operators the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
* Model 31 - Flying Boat Model whose wing assembly would become the basis for the B-24 design. * Model 32 - Base B-24 Model Series Designation. * XB-24 - Initial Prototype Model Designation fitted with R-1830-33 radial piston engines generating 1,200hp. * YB-24 - Preproduction Model Designation * B-24A - Fitted with 2 x 7.62mm tail guns, 6 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose assembly, dorsal and waist gun positions. * B-24C - Fitted with turbocharged R-1830-41 engines; 8 x 12.7mm machine guns - nose (single gun), ventral, waist (left and right), dorsal turret (two guns) and tail turret (two guns). * B-24D - Based on the B-24C model but fitted with R-1830-43 engines; later models of this series would feature the twin 12.7mm ball turret gun assembly in the ventral fuselage position; self-sealing fuel tanks; 2,381 produced. * B-24E - Modified propeller systems; 801 produced. * B-24G - Fitted with R-1830-43 engines; powered nose turret with 2 x 12.7mm machine guns. * B-24H - Improved Model with extended nose section; 3,100 produced. * B-24J - Fitted with R-1830-65 engines; improved bombsight; autopilot functionality; 6,678 produced. * B-24L - Based on B-24J model but fitted with hand-operated tail guns; 1,667 produced. * B-24M - Based on B-24J model with lighter mounting for hand-operated tail gun; 2,593 produced. * XB-24Q - General Electric Conversion Model of B-24L model fitted with radio-controlled tail turret. * B-24Q - Final Production Model Designation * B-24Q * LB-30 - Transport Variant * C-87 - Air Force Transport Variant * RY - Navy Transport Variant * C-109 - Fuel Tanking Model * F-7 - Photographic Reconnaissance Model * PB4Y-1 - Patrol Bombing Model * PB4Y-2 - Specialized Model with single vertical tail surface assembly. * GR - British Maritime Reconnaissance Model.
