Palmer Bruland flew with this crew for the first time on September 27, 1944. After the war, he and his copilot, 1Lt. Peter Belitsos, who had also had never flown with this crew, stayed in touch. Belitsos and Bruland had never flown together before, either. Bruland stands second from left, above.
B-24H #41-28922(Hardstand 34) "Texas Rose" Call Letter Q+ (Queen)
Crashed in Germany MACR 9386
SLOT ELEMENT
It is testified in the war crimes trial transcript below that S/Sgts. Flach and Huffman were held prisoner and taken outside one at a time and shot. It has been said that the man who shot them had just lost his son in a bombing raid. The murderer had an accomplice, who committed suicide in prison while awaiting trial. Some believe that the one who stood trial and was summarily executed for the crime is the accomplice and that the one who committed suicide is the primary perpetrator. A very interesting document within the war crimes transcript below, called, "What is a War Crime," indicates that this case may have been a ground breaker.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53f7e605e4b0e6c68d78bdc4/t/57313c9a27d4bdb264ffe4fd/1462844579337/Boeß+Noack+Urteil+12-0472.pdf
https://www.kasselmission.org/bruland-crew-newspaper-and-magazine-articles
