1ST LT WILLIAM R. FLESH	P	CPT	XFR TO 482ND BOMB GROUP, NOV 1943
F/O RICHARD L. SNYDER	CP	KIA	17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG
2ND LT JOHN C. DENNIS	NAV	POW	17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG
1ST LT PAUL R. ENGLERT	BOM	POW	6 SEP 43 STUTTGART (with Crew#33, Lt Woodward )
T/SGT LAWRENCE E. GODBEY	TTE	KIA	17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG
T/SGT ROBERT R. DEKAY	ROG	KIA	17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG
S/SGT WALTER HALUNKA	BTG	POW	17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG
S/SGT WILLIAM M. BLANK	WG	POW	17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG
S/SGT CLARENCE R. BOWLIN	TG	POW	17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG
S/SGT CHARLES F. VIELBIG	WG	NOC	--

Original 100th BG Crew, 349th SQ, CREW #30, A/C #42-30066 "MUG WUMP" MACR #675

MISSIONS OF LT WILLIAM FLESH CREW:
ON REGENSBURG MISSION, LT WILLIAM FLESH WAS ON LEAVE AND LT CURTIS BIDDICK, OF CREW #28 REPLACED HIM. BIDDICK'S REGULAR BOMBARDIER, LT DAN McKAY REPLACED LT PAUL ENGLERT. LT BIDDICK WAS KIA AND LT McKAY, BADLY BURNED, WAS A POW. T/SGT HOWARD J. BROCK OF CREW #35 (LT BLAKELY CREW) FLEW FOR CHARLES VIELBIG AND WAS TAKEN PRISONER.

ABOUT FORTY MILES NORTHWEST OF REGENSBURG THE AIRCRAFT WAS HIT IN RIGHT SIDE OF THE NOSE AND FUSELAGE BY 20-MM ROUNDS, WOUNDING GODBEY AND STARTING AN INTENSE OXYGEN SYSTEM FIRE IN THE FLIGHT DECK AREA. THE CO-PILOT LT RICHARD SNYDER WAS SEEN STANDING ON THE WING, APPARENTLY HAVING EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT THROUGH A HOLE IN THE FUSELAGE. IT IS THOUGHT THAT HE HIT THE STABILIZER WHEN HE LEFT THE WING, AT ANY RATE HIS BODY WAS LOCATED SOME THREE MONTHS LATER HANGING IN HIS CHUTE HARNESS FROM A TREE BRANCH. THIS IS THE INCIDENT MENTIONED BY LT COL. BERNIE LAY IN HIS ARTICLE "I SAW REGENSBURG DESTROYED" IN THE SATURDAY EVENING POST, NOV 43. OWEN "COWBOY" ROANE ALSO REPORTED SEEING SNYDER'S GALLANT BID TO ESCAPE THE DOOMED "ESCAPE KIT. "(42-5860) LT ROANE REPORTED SEEING SNYDER CLIMB OUT ON THE WING AND REACH BACK INSIDE FOR HIS CHUTE PACK, PROBABLY THE HOLE IN THE FUSELAGE WAS TOO SMALL TO GET THROUGH WEARING A CHUTE PACK. SNYDER BUCKLED ON HIS CHUTE WHILE STANDING IN THE FIRE RAGING ON THE WING. THE FACT HE DID NOT SURVIVE DOES NOT DIMINISH HIS VALIANT EFFORT. HE WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN BY THE 100TH.

(mpf – Nov 2004) I think that Lt William Flesh took over the crew of Capt. Sumner Reeder after Reeder and his officers were injured on the Sept 6, 1943 mission to Stuttgart. The makeup of Lt Flesh Crew after Sept 6, 1943 contained the following members. CP, BOM and NAV were all taken from spare pools to fill in.

MISSION LIST OF LT FLESH CONTINUED:
Mission: Gelsenkirchen (Date: 5 Nov 1943 - 349th Sqdn.)
Operations Report says: "Plane was hit in #1 engine after bombs away. All crew members except Pilot and Co-pilot bailed out, on orders, over the target area. " Flesh and Gossage managed to fly the ship back to England.

NOVEMBER 1943. MISSION GILSENKIRCHEN. "SQUAWKIN HAWK" PILOTED BY WILLIAM FLESH AND CO-PILOTED BY JOHN GOSSAGE, LOST IT'S CREW, INCLUDING OMAR GONZALES, 'ONCE GROUP NAVIGATOR' WHEN AFTER SUSTAINING HEAVY BATTLE DAMAGE, THEY WERE ORDERED TI BAIL OUT AND EVERYBODY EXCEPT THE PILOTS JUMPED. ON RECOVERING CONTROL, LIEUTENANT FLESH AND GOSSAGE BROUGHT THE SHATTERED PLANE BACK, TO LAND AT TANGMERE IN KENT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE RADIO OPERATOR, CONNOR BREWSTER WAS KILLED WHEN HIS PARACHUTE FAILED TO OPEN. THE ENGINEER HAROLD POPE AVOIDED CAPTURE AND AIDED BY THE UNDERGROUND MANAGED TO GET BACK TO ENGLAND. WAIST GUNNER GEORGE GINEIKIS ALSO BECAME AN EVADEE. THE REST WERE TAKEN PRISONER OF WAR. THIS FORTRESS WAS REPAIRED AND RETURNED TO COMBAT STATUS. THE BADLY DAMAGED "SQUAWKIN HAWK" WAS REPAIRED AND RESTORED TO OPERATIONS. SHE BECAME THE FIRST 100TH AIRCRAFT TO COMPLETE 50 MISSIONS. WITH HER SKIN AUTOGRAPHED BY THE MEN OF THE 100TH, SHE WAS FLOWN BACK TO THE STATES FOR A WAR BOND TOUR.

Lt Flesh was transferred to the 482nd Bomb Group at Alconbury on November 26, 1943 with the Crew of Lt Ford/Lt Brooks.

EXCERPT FROM WARTIME DIARY OF GLENN M. LASHBROOK (NAV ON LT FORD CREW)

November 26, 1943 Day after Thanksgiving. Moved from the 100th to the 482nd Bomb Group at Alconbury, Huntingdonshire. Assigned to the 812th Squadron to learn "Mickey" system (H2X) of Pathfinder navigation. Lt Flesh became first pilot of the old 100th crew.