John S. Doty, Mission February 21, 1945

Pilot John Doty of the 513th recalled a mission when his tail gunner, Al Bobrow, bailed out,

"We were near Vienna," Doty began, "and a flak burst knocked out the automatic pilot, the intercom, and knocked Bobrow out of his turret into the waist.

"When the automatic pilot went, the plane turned practically on its left wing and the co-pilot and I were using all our strength trying to bring it back to level.

"When Bobrow looked out the waist window, he couldn't see anything, he couldn't raise us on the intercom and thought we were going down, He just jumped out the waist window,

"We never expected to hear from him again, but he got back to the U.S, about the same time the rest of us did and I got a call from him telling me what happened to him.

"He was severely beaten by a group of farmers when they found a Jewish Bible on him, The Germans finally picked him up and put him in a Vienna hospital.

A few weeks later the Russians captured the city and they got Bobrow to Allied lines, He was sent to a hospital in England where he recovered. He was sent back to the States.

"After his call, I lost track of him and we don't know where he is now." Sure would like to locate Al again.