A/C # 42-97071 (MACR #13718, Microfiche #5011)
| 2ND LT ARTHUR R. CALDER |
P |
KIA |
7 APR 45 BUCHEN (MID-AIR/ ME 109) |
| 2ND LT JOHN W. STACK |
CP |
FEH |
-- |
| F/O WILLIAM J. BURBACH |
NAV |
KIA |
7 APR 45 BUCHEN (MID-AIR/ ME 109) |
| F/O VICTOR HOFFMAN |
BOM |
KIA |
7 APR 45 BUCHEN (MID-AIR/ ME 109) |
| SGT JOSEPH C. HALLER |
ROG |
KIA |
7 APR 45 BUCHEN (MID-AIR/ ME 109) |
| CPL VINCENT B. PITARRA |
TTE |
FEH |
-- |
| CPL CARL J. DONNELL |
BTG |
KIA |
7 APR 45 BUCHEN (MID-AIR/ ME 109) |
| CPL JAMES J. WHIPPLE |
WG |
POW |
DATE UNKNOWN |
| CPL LEON E. BRIGGS |
TG |
KIA |
7 APR 45 BUCHEN (MID-AIR/ ME 109) |
418th Sqdn. Crew, as above, joined 100th Bomb Group on 24 Dec 44. On their first mission they were forced to bail out over Belgium (10 Jan 45)
The aircraft ( 43-37808 Milk Run Mabel) crashed a few kilometers from Gestel in Belgium.
In a letter from Lt J. W. Stack, he describes the following. "Our first mission was Jan. 10, 1945 to Cologne to bomb a railroad bridge. We overshot the target and went to secondary target, Duisburg. We were hit by intense flak during the bomb run, and were hit two times. Once in the waist which severed our control cables and one under our left wing. After Bombs Away we dropped out of formation. We had a fire under the left wing and the bail out signal was given. I felt we were too close to our bombs falling and suggested we try to make friendly lines. We stayed with the a/c until flames bloomed out all along the wing way past the tail. At this point we bailed out (about 20, 000 feet). We hit the ground near Meerhout, Belgium".
On 7 Apr 45 Kenneth R. Carr (KIA) from the crew of J. L. Wofford was flying as CP. Leonard Piepgras (originally from 388th BG, transferred to 100th BG in late 1944) was flying as TTE in place of Pitarra and was KIA. Sgt Dwayne E. Cary was aboard in the place of J. J. Whipple and was KIA. The dead are buried in the Ardennes American Cemetary in Belgium with the exception of Hoffman, buried in a private cemetery in New York and Piepgras is buried in a private cemetery in Minnesota.
EYEWITNESS: (On 7 April 1945) " ME - 109 attacked aircraft #071 from six o'clock high and shot the left wing completely away from the fuselage. The ME - 109 collided with the severed wing and both the wing and enemy fighter exploded. The remainder of #071 spun down flaming to explode either just before impact or immediately there after. Approximately seven (7) chutes - all white- were counted in the area. (The reference to the color white denotes USAAF airmen, the German chutes were a dirty brown color. . pw) It was not possible to positively determine the seven (7) chutes came from aircraft # 42-97071. "
INCOMPLETE LIST OF MISSIONS FOR LT CALDER CREW:
| DATE |
TARGET |
A/C# |
A/C NAME |
HS * |
POSITION |
| 10 JAN 45 |
COLOGNE |
43-37808 |
Milk Run Mabel |
-- |
(crew had to bail out over Belgium) |
| 8 MAR 45 |
GIESSEN |
166 H |
-- |
45 |
A-Sqdn Low Flgt, # 3 |
| 9 MAR 45 |
FRANKFURT |
166 H |
-- |
45 |
C-Sqdn High Flgt, # 3 |
| 12 MAR 45 |
SWINEMUNDE |
43-37811 |
LD-D |
49 |
A-Sqdn, Element 2, # 2 |
| 14 MAR 45 |
HANOVER/SEELZE |
43-39162 |
LD-U GINGER |
41 |
C-Sqdn, High Flgt, #3 |
| 18 MAR 45 |
BERLIN |
42-32090 |
LD-R SILVER DOLLAR |
48 |
A-SQDN, Low Flgt, # 3 |
| 4 APR 45 |
KIEL |
42-97071 |
LD-P ANDY'S DANDY'S |
R/W 04 |
B-Sqdn, Element 2, #2 |
| 7 APR 45 |
BUCHEN |
42-97071 |
LD-P ANDY'S DANDY'S |
R/W 04 |
D-Sqdn, Element 3, # 2 |
* HS = Hardstand
The a/c "ANDY'S DANDY'S" was assigned to the hardstand referenced as R/W 04 which was on the end of the runway 04 on the South side of the air field, a 350th BS Hardstand…
Letter to Col Bill E. Thompson from John Stack dated 03 Feb 1994…pw
Dear Bill,
"First of all, I have to say that after March 18, 1945 there was a more relaxed feeling in your old barracks. There were no more 50 caliber bullets placed in the wood stove ricocheting between the beds. Our first mission was January 10, 1945 to Cologne to bomb a railroad bridge. We overshot the target or it was too cloudy and so went on to the alternate target, Duisburg. We were in tracking flak for quite a while, bouncing around from the concussions and sustained at least two hits: one in the waist which severed our control cables (they were reported hanging loose in the waist) and one under the left wing. Pilot Calder immediately switched on the autopilot while we were on the bomb run. We dropped out of formation right after "bombs away". The ball turret gunner, Donnell, called out "fire" under the left wing almost immediately. Calder hit the alarm-bell for "abandon ship". Frankly I was scared to bail out that close to our bombs dropping and couldn't see any flame yet. I suggested that we try to get to friendly territory. We all stayed until the fire bloomed out all along the wing way past the tail. I was wrong. We should have bailed sooner. But we were lucky. I think we bailed out about 20, 000. Bombs away had been at 25, 500.
We hit the ground near Meerhout, Belgium. Waist gunner Whipple hid out for two weeks, thinking he was in Germany. When found, he was delirious and had trench foot. He refused to fly again and was given a job as a squadron clerk. The engineer, Pitarra, broke his ankle and never flew again. I flew one "abort" and one "scrub" with Calder and then got off the crew to become a spare co pilot. I flew about six missions as "formation commander" in the tail with both Blanding and De Planque. It was the most uncomfortable position ever dreamed of outside of the ball turret. I didn't have room enough to get my flak jacket on. We led the Eighth to Berlin early in March. On March 18, 1945, I was flying second element lead with either Jacobs or Leader below the lead ship in the squadron behind yours. We didn't see the ME 262s until they were going away. I didn't know who was shot down until we were getting our drinks before briefing. I tried to get drunk, tried to cry, couldn't do either. I finally passed out in the bar that evening.
How in hell did you get out of the tail to bail out? Our plane on our first mission was called MILK RUN MABEL. Its number was A/C #43-37808 I don't have a picture of our crew. Of us three survivors of that first mission, I only have contact with Vincent Pitarra. Neither of us has heard from Whipple in forty years. Pitarra has a small picture of our original crew which he might lend you".
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