Sunday, January 21, 1943 (and 1973). Lost flights
Today in World War II History—January 21, 1943: 80 Years Ago—Jan. 21, 1943: Stalingrad airlift ends when Soviets take Gumrak Airfield, the last Luftwaffe field in the city.
On Sarah Sundin's blog.
Obviously, by this point, the German 6th Army, or what was left of it, was doomed.
FWIW, other sources report this as occurring on January 22.
Pan Am Flight 1104 crashed into a hillside in Mendocino County, California, due to bad weather and low visibility, killing all on board, including Rear Admiral Robert H. English, the commander of the the US submarine fleet in the Pacific. The clipper had been en route from Hawaii.
The Civil Aeronautics Board determined:
Failure of the captain to determine his position accurately before descending to a dangerously low altitude under extremely poor weather conditions during the hours of darkness.
It took ten days to find the wreckage.
On this day in 1973, Aeroflot Flight 6263, crashed at Perm, killing four in the impact. Thirty-five survivors would freeze to death awaiting rescue.
Areoflot ranks number 1 in airline fatalities, with the rankings as of mid summer 2023 being as follows:
Areoflot - 11,270 fatalities
Air France - 1,756 fatalities
Pan Am - 1,652
American Airlines - 1,453 fatalities
United Airlines - 1,217 fatalities
Avianca - 992 fatalitie
