Gibson and crew took off early on the morning of July 11, 1944 to partake in a mission to bomb railroad marshalling yards in Munich, Germany.  Their aircraft that day was B-24H 41-29300, LORELEI, borrowed from the 753rd Squadron.  After entering a cloud bank shortly after takeoff, the crew and their B-24 were never seen or heard from again.  Records from the 458th offer no information. The entire crew was declared dead (DED) on July 12, 1945.  In July of 1949 Eugene Bair's parents received a letter from the Department of the Army oficially declaring him killed in action with the explanation that their plane must have gone down in the North Sea (see below).  No contact with any other relatives of this crew has been made, but it is assumed that the families of the other crew members received similar letters.

Date	Target	A/C Serial	RCL	SQDN	A/C Name	458th Sortie #	Pilot Msn #	Notes
27-May-1944	NEUNKIRCHEN	42-50320	J	J4	UNKNOWN (if any)	48	1
28-May-1944	ZEITZ	42-50320	W	J3	UNKNOWN (if any)	49	2
30-May-1944	ZWISCHENAHN	42-51095	Q	Z5	SHOO SHOO BABY	51	3
31-May-1944	BERTRIX	42-100425	D	J3	THE BIRD	52	4
4-Jun-1944	BOURGES A/F	41-28735	V	J3	UNKNOWN (if any)	54	5
6-Jun-1944	PONTAUBAULT	41-29305	N	Z5	I'LL BE BACK	58	--	MISSION #3 - ABORT
8-Jun-1944	PONTAUBAULT	41-29359	J	J3	TAIL WIND	60	6
11-Jun-1944	BLOIS	41-29288	L	J3	BIG-TIME OPERATOR	62	7
12-Jun-1944	EVREUX/FAUVILLE	42-51097	T	J3	UNKNOWN (if any)	63	8
14-Jun-1944	GUYANCOURT	41-29359	J	J3	TAIL WIND	65	9
20-Jun-1944	OSTERMOOR	41-29359	J	J3	TAIL WIND	71	10	MISSION #1
21-Jun-1944	BERLIN	41-29359	J	J3	TAIL WIND	73	11
23-Jun-1944	3 NO BALLS	41-29359	J	J3	TAIL WIND	74	12	BLANE-PIGNOT-FERNE
24-Jun-1944	2 NOBALLS	42-95183	U	J3	BRINEY MARLIN	76	13	MISSION #2
25-Jun-1944	ST. OMER	42-51179	P	J3	GIPSY QUEEN	78	14
28-Jun-1944	SAARBRUCKEN	42-51179	P	J3	GIPSY QUEEN	79	15
29-Jun-1944	ASCHERSLEBEN	42-50320	W	J3	UNKNOWN (if any)	80	16
6-Jul-1944	KIEL	42-95316	N	J3	PRINCESS PAT	85	17
8-Jul-1944	ANIZY, FRANCE	41-28735	V	J3	UNKNOWN (if any)	87	18
11-Jul-1944	MUNICH	41-29300	Y	J3	LORELEI	88	19	LOSS UNKNOWN CAUSE

Compiled from 458th BG formation plans on which pilot's name appears (all missions may not be a credited sortie)

S/Sgt Eugene A. Bair

Des Moines, Iowa
March 30, 1947

Dear Mrs. Bair,

I read your notice in the April issue of Foreign Service regarding information of S/Sgt Eugene A. Bair.  I’m not sure that I can be of too much help to you, but I might be able to supply a little additional information to you that will help supplant any other information you do have.  I did not know Eugene personally, but he and his crew members lived in the same building as we did, and I was also a member of the 755th Bomb. Sqdn.  Our crew participated in the raid to Munich on July 11th ’44 in which Eugene’s crew was reported missing.

They took off immediately preceding us that morning at about 4:00A.M.  There was a cloud bank at 2000 feet which extended to approximately 8000 feet in altitude.  We saw their plane enter the clouds and that is the last we saw of them.  The clouds weren’t unexpected, as we had been briefed for them, and we were to climb over them to form for our mission.  When we met the rest of the squadron, we noticed they weren’t there.  With so many aircraft in the air, it is sometimes confusing to find your own squadron, so we anticipated they perhaps flew with someone else.

But there was never any report as to anyone else seeing their plane.  It was presumed by the squadron that something ill-fated happened while in the clouds.  I hope this doesn’t appear too harsh or cold, but that is the facts to the best of my knowledge.  I know this doesn’t give you a lot of information, but perhaps it does help supplant other information you do have.

Our crew completed that mission to Munich on the 11th.  The next day we returned on a raid to Munich and were shot down over the target.  Fortunately I was never a prisoner of war, but escaped to Allied lines with the aid of the underground organization.  Approximately three months time lapsed from July 12th ’44 until I returned to our base.  When I did get back I do recall comment of Eugene’s crew, and that there was still no other word of them.

I do not want you to regard this as anything official, but it is the facts to the best of my knowledge.  I have discussed this with my family, and they believe that if the tables were turned, they would be happy to know even a little, thus I have written to you.

Please feel free to write and ask any questions, and I’ll endeavor to answer them.

Sincerely yours,
Gerald K. Miller

Former
T/Sgt Gerald K. Miller
755th Bomb Sqdn.
458th Bomb Group
37657645