Arthur Barbknecht was born on January 25, 1924 and was from Wisconsin.
He was the Navigator on B-24H “Cookie (42-40549) Liberator of the 856th Bomber Squadron, 492nd Bomber Group performing the “Carpetbagger” flying from Harrington Airbase (Station 179) on a mission to parachute four OSS (Office of Strategic Operations) operatives from the Norwegian Operational Group as part of Operation Rype into Norway on April 7, 1945.

Operation Rype (Grouse) was a mission to impede the redeployment of enemy forces from Norway to Germany. The OSS was a precursor to the CIA.
While enroute to the parachute drop, the plane crashed near the drop objective. All crew and OSS Operatives were killed in the crash on the Plukkutjønnfjellet mountain peak near Snåsa in Middle Norway. (Reference Missing Aircraft Report {MACR} 13740).
The crew of B-24 “Cookie” (42-40549) included:
1LT WILLIAM H. HUDSON -PILOT 1LT LEON G. DIBBLE Jr. – CO-PILOT 2LT RICHARD A. BOSCH - BOMBARDIER F/O ARTHUR. H. BARBKNECHT- NAVIGATOR SGT GILBERT. F. MAGRUGER – RADIO OPERATOR SGT FAYETTE SHELLEDY- GUNNER SGT JACK H. SPYKER- GUNNER SGT ANGELO SANTINI - ENGINEER
The Operatives of the OSS Norwegian Group on board included:
1LT BLAINE E. JONES T/3 ROBERT. N. ANDERSON CPL KNUT J. FALCK T/5 BERNARD N. IVERSON
A memorial to them in located at the crash site in Norway.