SSgt Tage Regnar Nielsen

SSgt Tage R. Nielsen was one of the Danish nationals enlisting in the USAAF. He served as a gunner in 614 Bomb Sqn, 401st Bomb Group but vanished in the sea off the Netherlands in December 1943.

Tage Regnar Nielsen was born on 18 February 1917 in Vraa parish, to carpenter Niels Emil Nielsen and Othilde Martine Nielsen (née Christensen). ^[1] Nielsen’s father died in early 1919 when he was only two years old and his mother remarried Jens Maurits Nielsen in May 1921.^[2]

The family emigrated to the United States in 1924, arriving in New York onboard SS Hellig Olav on 23 January 1924. They settled in Providence and taler Newell in Buena Vista County. Iowa. ^[3] In 1940, at the time of his draft, he worked as a hired hand.^[4]

Nielsen entered into service in the US Army Air Corps (37434765) at Camp Dodge in Iowa on 7 October 1942.^[5] He was trained as an air mechanic/air gunner. There is little information available about his movements while in training apart from the fact that he was promoted to Private First Class on 1 March 1943. At that point he was based at AAFTC Santa Monica.^[6]

Overseas Service

On 1 August 1943, Nielsen was assigned to the 614th Bomb Squadron—the Lucky Devils—which was stationed at AAB Glasgow, Montana, a satellite base to AAB Great Falls, at the time. The squadron was one of four squadrons constituting the 401st Bomb Group, which was entering the final stages of their training. The group had been formed on 1 April 1943 as part of the massive expansion of the bomber force. Nielsen was assigned the crew of 2nd Lt Richard H. Kaufmann. He had been promoted to the rank of sergeant at this point.^[7]

In October 1943, the squadron prepared to go overseas and, on the 18th, the Flying Echelon took off for the first leg of the journey. Kaufman and part of the crew flew one of the fifteen B-17s that the squadron brought to England. Nielsen seems to have been was part of the Ground Echelon leaving Glasgow, Montata, the following day and disembarked the SS Queen Mary in Glasgow, Scotland, on 3rd November. Nielsen and the rest of the group travelled by train for Geddington and from there to their new base AAF Station 128 Deenethorpe in Northamptonshire.^[8]

Into Operations

The squadron flew its first operational mission on 26 November 1943. Five crews took part in the bombing of Bremen in Germany but Nielsen’s was not one of them.

On 1 December 1943 the squadron took off on its second mission, for Solingen. Seventeen aircraft took off of which two had to return early. Kaufman took B-17G Penny's Thunderhead (IW-B 42-31098) into the air at about 0800 hours and following assembly over England the force set a direct course for the target leading it over the dutch coast. A total of 211 B-17s and 69 B-24s hit the target at about 1200 hours.

En route Penny's Thunderhead had been attacked by enemy aircraft as well as being hit by flak. In all a force of 25-35 Fw 190 and Bf 109 were seen. Several aircraft received direct attacks from enemy fighters in combats which attacked over a period of 30 minutes. A radio operator in one aircraft had his left hand shot off by a projectile from a 20 mm cannon. Not one of the twelve aircraft landing at Deenethorpe on return had escaped being damaged. The mission summary report at the station gave an assessment of the damage of all aircraft. For Penny's Thunderhead the report reads the following:

Small flak hole in skin of Fuselage, top side, forward of radio hatch. Small flak hole in right side of Fuselage, at Station 3 E. # 4 propeller damaged by flak. 4" rip in leading edge of left wing, near fuselage, caused by flak. Small flak holes at bottom and on right side of ring cowl, # 2 engine. Two small flak holes in right wing, bottom side, near edge of inner panel. Small hole in skin of vertical stabilizer, near de-icer boot, caused by flak. 4" x 2" flak hole in skin of vertical stabilizer, spar broken and bulkhead ruptured.^[9]

This was categorized as “minor damage”, however, for a crew flying its first combat mission this must have been frightening as hell.

Nielsen’s crew landed back at base at about 1425 hours.

Last Mission

Nielsen’s second—and as it turned out last—mission took place on 11 December 1943. This was a large scale attack for the time involving 490 B-17s and 93 B-24s designated to bomb the industrial area at Emden in Germany. Penny's Thunderhead (IW-B 42-31098) was one of twenty two aircraft from 401st BG taking off from Deenethorpe at 0832 hours to participate in the raid. One had to return early but the remainder made rendezvous with the 92nd Combat Wing nearly two hours after take off about 30 miles off the English coast before heading to the target.

At 1312 hours, after having released the bomb load, the aircraft was hit by flak at 21,400 ft causing the propeller on No. 3 engine to run away and the No. 1 engine to smoke. The flak continued to track the aircraft, and soon a third burst hit. Nielsen, being able to see No. 1 engine from his left waist gun position, reported that the engine was on fire though still running, which was confirmed by the bombardier 2nd Lt Robert G. Fitzgerald. Kaufman, the pilot, tried to keep up with the formation, but after crossing the Dutch border he had to give up and the Penny's Thunderhead dropped out loosing height. The crew was unable to feather No. 3 engine, which was still windmilling 3,000 RPM causing the entire aircraft to vibrate tremendously. No. 1 engine was still on fire. The crew jettisoned everything heavy in an attempt to stop the descent. At 18,000 and still losing height, three Bf 109s passed the aircraft without firing. At this point Kaufman ordered the crew to bale out. Soon after, the co-pilot Frederick B. Robinson reported that all enlisted men had baled out and then bailed out himself. None of them were injured and eight parachutes were seen to open by other crews.^[10]

Kaufman set the C-1 Autopilot and entered the navigator’s hatch. He found the bombardier Fitzgerald there having difficulties in getting on his parachute. ^[11] While he assisted him, he discovered that the No. 3 engine had frozen and that the fire in No. 1 engine seemed be out. Kaufman and Fitzgerald decided to try to bring the aircraft back to England. Before bailing out, the navigator John Barrett had given them a heading to England and they set course. England was cloud covered but, finally, they found a hole in the clouds and a Lancaster from Lindholme escorted them to this station. They managed to land with one bomb bay open and guns from the ball turret pointing down. No’s 1 and 3 engines were out and the wings were holed by flak.

Kaufman and Fitzgerald were safe.^[12]

Lost without a trace

Nielsen’s body was never found. He is commemorated at Cambridge American Cemetery in England.^[13]

Barrett and Carlson landed in the sea and was rescued. They became prisoners of war. ^[14] Bargfrede, Robinson, and Shaw washed ashore within the next months. They are all buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands. Cope and Masterman are commemorated at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands.^[15]

Endnotes

[1] DNA: Parish register, Vrå sogn.

[2] DNA: Parish register, Vrå sogn.

[3] Ancestry: New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957.

[4] Ancestry: 1940 United States Federal Census.

[5] Ancestry: Iowa, U.S., World War II Bonus Case Files for Beneficiaries, 1947-1959.

[6] NARA: RG 64, Morning Reports, Morning Reports for January 1940 - July 1943: Roll 518 (5 of 5) (NAID: 426028848).

[7] NARA: RG 64, Morning Reports, Morning Reports for August 1943: Roll 416 (1 of 4) (NAID: 444689303).

[8] Maslan, Vic, 614th Bombardment Squadron (H) Squadron History, 1986.

[9] NARA, Report of Operational Day, Mission No. 2, 1. December 1943, Solingen, Germany, https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/media/media-52910pdf.

[10] NARA, Report of Operational Day, Mission No. 2, 11. December 1943, Emden, Germany, https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/media/media-52935pdf.

[11] NARA: RG 92, Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs), Missing Air Crew Report number 8711 (NAID: 91058254).

[12] NARA, Report of Operational Day, Mission No. 2, 11. December 1943, Emden, Germany, https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/media/media-52935pdf.

[13] Ancestry: U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949.

[14] Ancestry: U.S., World War II American and Allied Prisoners of War, 1941-1946.

[15] Ancestry: U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949.