Crew on 21st mission. Weeks said that Vincenti bailed out of bomb-bay with chute afire. Had been fighting fire in radio room. Garrison saw both James Johnson & Robert Bixler wounded and in waist of plane. Plane blew up and Garrison blown out. Ship had dropped bombs on target.

Weeks said:
"Germans said Vincenti's chute had burned in the descent and that he was dead before hitting the ground. Bixler said Germans had shown him Vincenti's dog tags and told him that he was dead."

Johnson said he was blown out of ship and his chute opened at about 5,000 ft.

Clark couldn't seem to get his escape hatch open and was probably killed when plane blow up.

Fighter attack caused fire in ship.

German Records show Sgt. Charles A. Cark interred on 11 Oct 1943 at Lienen Cemetery/Wesph. Northwestern third of cemetery, southern grave.  O. E. Vincenti (probably severely burned since Id tag was found badly damaged by fire) Mrs.Agnes Clark 603 Laurel Ave. Highland Park,Ill.

Letter to Harry H. Crosby, the 100th's Group Navigator, from Frank Murphy dated 10 Jan 1995:

Dear Harry,

Thanks so much for your letter of 30 December to me and others. It's great to hear how well your book is doing. I still want to buy a copy of the Chinese edition as I have never had my picture in a Chinese book before

I also appreciate the copies of the material on the "wheels down" story from Martin Middlebrooks' book. It so happens that about ten years ago during one of my many overnight stopovers in London I went into Hatchard's, a book store on Picadilly that I loved to browse through, and saw this book so I bought it.

Although I don't know whether it is true, it is my impression that the "wheels down" story and the vendetta the Luftwaffe was supposed to have against the 100th as a result thereof was much talked about in England during the war. Is that true? I never heard the story in Stalag Luft III. It was, as I have said, about ten years after the war that I first heard it from ex-Eighth AF'ers with whom I was dealing when I worked for Lockheed It always absolutely infuriated me.

The actual "wheels down" part of the story, even before I read the detailed Middlebrooks explanation, was always rather plausible. What was perfectly ridiculous to me from the beginning is the idea that thereafter the Luftwaffe would chase all over European skies trying to find the 100th. Nowhere does the actual record support such a conclusion. Yet, the story still persists.

Ann and I went on the 50th Anniversary of D-Day cruise last June with the Eighth Air Force Historical Society group. At one point I mentioned to a former 390th pilot that I was in the 100th. He said, "The 100th was the best fighter escort I ever had, when you were around the Germans left us alone." I told him, "You weren't in the same war I was in. I was a POW with 7000 officer prisoners from every bomber and fighter group in England, Italy and Africa and there were as many 390th POWs there as there were l00th."

I spoke directly with Roger Freeman about this and he said that the notion of the German vendetta is "laughable."

As you perhaps know, I spent two days, 26-27 October 1991, in Munich with the late Gerd Wiegand, who I met through Ian Hawkins. Gerd was an FW-l90 pilot with 4./KG 26 (Staffel 4 of II Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26) at Lille/Nord from 1942. to 1944. He was credited with 30 victories, including 7 B-17s. He told me he replaced Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland, brother of Adolf Galland, in KG/26. Gerd was extremely hospitable. He was one of the principal architects on the Munich Olympic facilities and his name is one of four on a plaque in the Olympic Tower there. He passed through Atlanta about a year later and we visited again. He signed his letters to me, "Your fighter friend." I wrote him as "Your bomber friend."

Gerd kept a meticulous daily diary of his combat activities during the war, complete with sketches of his dogfights, and produced it as we sat and talked in his lovely apartment. His diary entry for the Munster raid on October 10, 1943 was exactly as I remember it all beginning. He shot down a 95th BG airplane that day.

From the middle of 1942 the Germans had a series of overlapping early warning radar installations in a sickle-shaped pattern on the channel coast from France to the North Sea. Their radar sets could determine height, range and bearing on aircraft up to 150 miles away. The Germans were well aware of all of our air activity over Britain every time we flew a mission. When we entered the continent their ground control stations used tracking radar to plot the paths of our aircraft and vector fighter interceptors into the bomber stream utilizing UHF radio communications. Gerd said they had a few "hot dogs" but German fighter units were generally well disciplined. Moreover, the range of their fighter aircraft was too limited to permit them to go wherever they pleased.

Gerd told me the numbers, letters and other markings on our aircraft meant absolutely nothing to them. Could anyone, particularly an Eighth AF air crew member who saw any action at all, seriously believe otherwise!

Margaret Blakely called today about Bucky Elton to see if I had any details on his death. I only know that it apparently happened suddenly -- mercifully. He was a neat little guy. Is anyone doing anything about the memorial to the 100th at Savannah for which Bucky gave $5000? If it is a viable project I will try to also make a contribution. Somehow, it seems to disappeared from the scope

All the best as always,
Harry

Mission Log of Frank D. Murphy: