B-24 "Hot as Hell" of the 14th Air Force
My family is trying to locate any surviving relatives of the crew of the B24 bomber "Hot as Hell", which belonged to the 425th Bomb Squadron, 308th Bomb Group, 14th Air Force.
The "Hot as Hell" went missing on a flight from Kunming, China to Chabua, India in January 1944. Until recently, the location of the crashsite has been undiscovered. The members of the crew were 1st Lt. William A. Swanson (pilot) of Proctor, Vermont, Flight Officer Sheldon L. Chambers (co-pilot) of Altoona, Pennsylvania, 1st Lt. Irwin G. Zaetz (navigator) of Burlington, Vermont, 1st Lt. Robert E. Oxford (bombardier) of Concord, Georgia, S/Sgt. Charles D. Ginn (engineer) of Crete, Illinois, S/Sgt. Harry B. Queen (radio operator) of Onset, Massachusetts, Sgt. James A. Hinson (gunner) of Greensboro, North Carolina, and Sgt. Alfred H. Gerrans, Jr. (gunner) of Kinston, North Carolina. The remains of the crew were never recovered.
Within the past year, a private American researcher discovered the wreckage of this aircraft in a remote part of northeast India. My family is trying to find relatives and friends of the missing crewmen to persuade the Department of Defense to send a recovery team to the site of the wreckage. Any relatives located could also contribute DNA samples to assist in the identification of any remains recovered.
I'm a nephew of 1st Lt. Zaetz. I would be grateful for any info on surviving relatives of any of the other crewmen.
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