Crew #8 -- Aircraft #4230090 -- "El P’sstofo"
| 1st Lt |
Victor Reed |
P |
-- |
-- |
TRANSFERRED FROM
100th GROUP |
| F/O |
Charles A. Brooks |
CP |
CPT |
Dec-43 |
-- |
| 2nd Lt |
Howard D. Bassett |
N |
CPT |
14-Jan-44 |
-- |
| 2nd Lt |
Joseph P. Armanini |
N |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Glenn N. Albright |
E |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Richard 0. Detweiler |
WG |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Joseph S. Dougherty |
R |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Richard M. Price |
BT |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Thomas D. Baer |
WG |
KIA |
6-Mar-44 |
Berlin |
| S/Sgt |
Clifford T. Miner |
TG |
-- |
-- |
-- |
On the Bonn mission of 12 August
1943, Vic Reed's life was saved by a near "miracle". Just as the ship
loosed her cargo of bombs on the target, a burst of flak littered the
cockpit with slivers of hot steel. One sizeable fragment penetrated Reed's
outer clothing but struck the silver wings he was wearing over his left
shirt pocket. The velocity of the shard was so great as to drive the
insignia through the skin and cause severe bruising of the chest muscles.
Without the wings to deflect it, there was no doubt that the piece of flak
would have killed or severely wounded the pilot. This episode so unnerved
Reed that he was unable to fly for a time and was eventually transferred
from the 100th.
At about this time, "Big Joe"
Armanini replaced "Crying Joe" Kelly on Crew #4 and, some weeks later,
Howard Bassett was to replace this writer as navigator on Crew #4. Joe
Dougherty also moved to Crew #4 about this time to take the place of Mike
Tanowigch.
Charles Brooks continued as a
copilot and then as a first pilot, a few days before Christmas 1943, he
flew his 25th mission as the pilot of "Squawkin Hawk". At the time this is
written, no record has been found as to the final status of Richard Price
and Cliff Miner but it is assumed that they both completed 25 missions.Thomas "Teddy" Baer, as a member
of the crew of Lt. Albert Amiero, was killed over Berlin on 6 March 1944.
Crew #9 -- --Aircraft
#4230088 -- "Squawkin Hawk"
| 1st Lt |
Summer H. Reeder |
P |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| F/O |
Harry E. Edeburn |
CP |
KIA |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| 2nd Lt |
Russell W. Engel |
N |
SWA |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart. |
| 2nd Lt |
Peter F. Delao |
B |
SWA |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| S/Sgt |
Harold L. Pope |
E |
EVADEE |
5-Nov-43 |
Gelsenkirchen |
| Pvt |
Orrin W. Furlong |
WG |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Connor D. Brewster |
R |
KIA |
5-Nov-43 |
Gelsenkirchen |
| S/Sgt |
Francis G. Dolsen |
BT |
POW |
5-Nov-43 |
Gelsenkirchen |
| S/Sgt |
James Marasco |
WG |
POW |
5-Nov-43 |
Gelsenkirchen |
| S/Sgt |
Robert M. Lovin |
TG |
CPT |
29-Jan-44 |
-- |
On 6 September 1943, just as "Squawkin
Hawk" began her bomb run, four fighters attacked from head on and high.
20mm shells riddled the nose and cockpit. One shell entered Edeburn's
chest at the right shoulder, exploded as it exited his back, and pierced a
hole in the armor plate of his seat back. Reeder was wounded in the head
and body by flying fragments from the same shell and the oxygen system was
badly damaged.
Other 20mms entering the nose
compartment tore out one eye of Russ Engel and badly wounded Pete Delao in
his head and body. The engineer Harold Pope, succeeded in salvoing the
bomb load and Reeder dived into a lower formation seeking protection.
Pope and Connor Brewster (who was
himself to die two months later) were able to get Edeburn out of his seat
and into the hatchway but in a few minutes he was dead. Engel, though
bleeding profusely from his empty eye socket, managed to get into the
copilot's seat where he rendered what aid he could to Reeder in flying the
ship. Brewster administered first aid to both wounded men.Although still under fighter
attack but lacking oxygen, Reeder dove toward the deck and, in a scattered
cloud formation, played hare and hounds with the pursuing fighters until,
short of gas, they finally left him.
Suffering gravely from their
wounds and unsure of the proper heading to fly, they somehow reached the
Channel coast and crossed to southern England. There, spotting an RAF
fighter base, Reeder put "Squawkin Hawk" down on a grass runway, without
benefit of brakes as the hydraulic system had been shot out.For both Russ Engel and Pete
Delao the war was over. After extended hospital stays in England they were
returned to the U.S. for further treatment. The Distinguished Service
Cross was awarded to both Reeder and Engel and, posthumously, to Harry
Edeburn.
Reeder recovered from his wounds
and later became C.O. of the 349th Squadron. On 19 March 1945, having
returned to the U.S., Summer Reeder lost his life when a C54 on which he
was flying as a student pilot crashed into the ocean off the coast of
Florida.On the mission to Gelsenkirchen
in November, Connor Brewster, Francis Dolsen, James Marasco and Harold
Pope were in the ship piloted by Lts. W. Flesh and J. Gossage. Having
sustained such severe battle damage that he believed the plane could not
reach England, Flesh gave the bailout order and all the crew but he and
Gossage jumped. Recovering some control of the aircraft, the pilot and
copilot were able to reach England and set the shattered and burning plane
down.
Brewster was apparently killed
when his chute failed and Dolsen and Marasco were taken prisoner. Pope was
able to avoid capture and, with help of the underground, got back to
England.The badly damaged "Squawking
Hawk", strange as it may seem, was repaired and restored to combat status.
She became the first B17 of the 100th Group to fly 50 missions. With every
square inch of her outer skin covered with names and autographs of men of
the 100th, she was flown back to the U.S. to take part in a War Bond tour. THE 350th SQUADRON
Major Gale W. Cleven, C.O., POW 8
October 1943 Bremen
Crew #10 -- Aircraft
#4230047 -- "Sweater Girl''
| Capt |
Mark E. Carnell |
P |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| 2nd Lt |
Edward K. Moffly |
CP |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| 1st Lt |
Anthony C. Gospodar |
N |
CPT |
11-Dec-43 |
-- |
| 1st Lt |
James P. Fitten |
B |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Vern M. Best |
E |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
William J. Williams |
WG |
POW |
8-Oct-43 |
Bremen (with
Crew#15) |
| Sgt |
Edmund A. Oliver |
R |
POW |
10-Jul-43 |
Paris (with
Crew#12) |
| S/Sgt |
Steve Bosser |
BT |
CPT |
1944 |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Paul A. Vrabec, Jr. |
WG |
CPT |
24-Dec-43 |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Floyd P. Bullard |
TG |
CPT |
24-Dec-43 |
-- |
On 10 July 1943, radio operator
Ed Oliver flew with Crew #10 which was lost that day and Oliver became a
POW. He was soon replaced on the crew by George Rudden
from Crew #17 which went down over Kiel on 25 July. On 8 October 1943,
William Williams flew with Crew #15 and went down over Bremen.
According to a letter from Vern
Best in 1980, Mark Carnell suffered a broken arm in a bicycle accident on
the field and was unable to fly for a considerable length of time. He was
replaced by Bill Desanders whose crew (#17) had been lost on 25 July. Best
also says that Paul Vrabec not only completed 25 missions but volunteered
for five additional and finished those.
Anthony Gospodar is now a
practicing attorney in Breckenridge, Minnesota; and Vern Best is living in
Glendale, Arizona. |