P-51D 44-14274

15 missions

Not Known

0-0-0

0-0

From Montour Falls, New York.
MACR No. 15907

1/Lt. David H. Courtney reported: "Our squadron was over the Frisian Islands on a course of 240 degrees when I realized that my gas was too low to make it back to England.  I was flying Red #3. Red#4 and I went to 'C' channel and headed for Manager, getting good fixes from Sweepstakes and Manager.  Yellow #4, (F/O Russell), was also low on gas and started home with us. In the vicinity of Dordrecht, Holland he said he had insufficient gas to make St. Trond and got a steer to an R.A.F. base at Antwerp.  He broke off to our starboard on a Sweepstakes steer and we could hear him every 30 seconds or so in response to Sweepstakes fixes.  His last call said he only had 5 gallons of gasoline and still about 35 miles from Antwerp.  Sweepstakes made several additional calls to no avail and Lt. Jones, Red #4, called for him on all channels with no response.  It is believed he jumped just east of Walcheren or vicinity."

F/O. Russell's name is on the Wall of the Missing, Henri-Chapelle American Military Cemetery and Memorial, Henri-Chapelle, Belgium.
Reproduced with kind permission of Mr. Robert M. Littlefield from the author's book Double Nickel - Double Trouble