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At 1142 hours at 18000 feet at about 5237N-0410E, en route to England from an abortive sortie which the low squadron had made alone into Germany, A/C 42-38064 and A/C 44-8418 collided in thick haze. Propellers of A/C 44-8418 chewed into fuselage of A/C 42-38064 from under side and A/C 42-38064 broke in two pieces, apparently just back of the radio room. The forward part went down in a steep glide for upwards of two minutes, then went into a spin and disappeared in the clouds. Tail part went down not in a glide. No fires were seen.

"Lieutenant Joseph W. Andrews, Jr., age 22, has been declared 'presumed to be dead' by the War Department after being listed as missing for one year. Andrews was a navigator, collided with another aircraft on Nov. 9 (sic), 1944, and plunged into the North Sea off the coast of Holland. The plane was returning from a mission over Germany. Lieutenant Andrews had been president of the January, 1940, class at Royal Oak High School. Following graduation he attended the University of Detroit, studying aeronautical engineering for two years. He was employed by the Packard Motor Car company, Detroit, previous to entry into the Army. During the five months he served with the Eighth Air Force in England, Lieutenant Andrews was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and held a Unit Citation."