This crew, except for Lestico, Cortelletty & Hale, had joined the 100th Group on 9/3/44

This crew was shot down on 27 Apr 44 - all except Shaddix were POWs - Shaddix was injured but was nursed back to health by Belgian resistance fighters. After recovering Shaddix joined the Armee Blanche and fought with them in the several engagements with the German Army. Shaddix's story has not received the attention it merits. Harry Cruver was working on this at the time of his death.

EYEWITNESS REPORT:
"A/C #534 was hit by flak as it left the target area at 1939 hours. No. 3 engine began to smoke and the A/C began to lag. It remained with the formation however, until 2010 hours when 10 chutes were seen to come out, and the A/C descended in slow spirals, apparently under AFCE control. '

WITNESSES:
Capt. Van Steenis, Lt. McGuire, Lt. Harris

In a statement by Lt. Shaddix dated 7 (Dec. ?) 1944 he says that the A/C crashed near Ardoye, Belgium and exploded upon impact. It was on fire in air. He and Erb slightly injured. Seven men reported to have been captured by Germans and one man evading. Believed the evadee to be Lt. Sullivan. (Shaddix did not know Sullivan had been captured at a later time. . pw)

Somewhat unusual is that Lt. Shaddix is shown in the records to have rejoined the 100th Group with a new crew on 6/4/45. Unusual in that evadees were usually returned to the U. S. A. and not allowed to fly missions in the ETO for fear that subsequent capture might result in a breach of security endangering the underground operations in Europe.

Letter from W. C. Shaddix of 24/10/84 states: " John Pontziouis, my regular BTG on the crew, came in drunk from an all night carousing & I refused to let him go with us. " The Pontzious record speaks for itself -he was a great one - He had a serious mental problem with guilt after we were lost and was sent home where he was crushed to death (I have heard) in a house moving accident in Michigan. I would give anything if I had just taken him with us. " "The regular navigator, Harry Tennenbaum, was not aboard because "Mickey" operators were not supposed to go on short missions."

Shaddix, injured when parachuted to ground, was nursed back to health by Belgian resistance people. Later joined the Armee Blanche and fought in the Ardennes forest.

Stayed in service and served in Pacific theater and flew B-47s for 10 years. Retired in 1960.

Additional information concerning W. C. Shaddix:
On 27/4/44 T/Sgt Raymond C. Lestico was aboard as NG;S/Sgt John B. Cortelletty replaced John Pontzious as BTG and S/Sgt KENNETH Y. HALE flew as WG. All three became POWs.

Lt Tennerbaum was flying with J. T. Dyatt on 7/11/44 when Dyatt crashed at Felixstowe but survived.

Most unusual is the fact that Winans Shaddix evaded capture, returned to England and was sent back to the U. S. A. However, he returned to Thorpe Abbotts in April 1945 with a new crew and was assigned to the 351st Sqdn. See below:

SECOND SHADDIX CREW, JOINED THE 100TH ON 6 APR 1945

351st Sqdn. Crew joined the 100th Group on 6/4/45. NOTE: Shaddix had flown with the 100th in 1944 as Pilot of his crew, was shot down and evaded capture, returned to England thence the U. S. A. and back to the 100th again. According to William Curtis' son, the crew flew in a B-17G named "Shoot Your Fadded" with the 351st Bomb Squadron in late 1945

By Harry Crosby/ Splasher Six---summer 1991:
Years later Winans Cornell Shaddix bound his memories in a book, which makes good reading. In particular he records what we all felt when the going got rough and the losses got heavy. He first met his squadron commander, Summer Reeder, just after Summer's co-pilot had his head blown off. . . . When Reeder was killed stateside, Shaddix concluded, "A sad ending for a real man."

Part of his experiences were printed in an article in "Prop Wash", the newsletter of the Alabama chapter of the 8AF Historical Society, which is edited by our Red Harper. When he got to Thorpe Abbotts, "Shadrack" drew one of the original 100th planes, badly patched and suffering from battle damage. He was shot down, got involved with the French Maquis, and helped evacuate Mauhausen concentration camp near Linz, Austria.

Letter to Michael P. Faley, November, 2010
Dear Sir,
A couple of months ago we already have contacted each other. Subject was the crash of the B-17 nicknamed "Ol' Dad" and flown by 1st Lt. Winans Shaddix.  It crashed on April 27th 1944 in Belgium, more specifically in the village of Ardooie (often written as Ardoye in the past).  Ardooie is the village where I used to live from 1950 until 1974.

I have been able to find some old pics taken shortly after the crash of "Ol'Dad".  The impact occured on a meadow of the famr belonging to Vandewaetere family.  The plane exploded after hitting a line of trees.  Prior to bailing out the crew dropped the bombs.  One of those bombs came down in the center of the village causing the death of two inhabitants: Valeer Joseph Stragier (age 53) and his spouse Alice Magdalena Lybeer (age 55) who died in hospital two days later.  A second bomb hit the farmhouse of Andre Callewaert but nobody got killed.  All other explosives came down in the farmlands without causing any harm.
Kindest regards,
Rick Verhelle