Codes

Lt. Clifford H. "Ted" Harris

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Lt Clifford H. Harris P CPT 5-Jan-45 FRANKFURT
Lt Paul H. Hoff CP CPT 5-Jan-45 FRANKFURT
Lt Stanley Russell NAV CPT 5-Jan-45 FRANKFURT
Lt Frederick C. Leech BOM CPT 5-Jan-45 FRANKFURT
S/Sgt Frank Kocner ROG CPT 5-Jan-45 FRANKFURT
S/Sgt Robert G. Woodville TTE CPT 5-Jan-45 FRANKFURT
Sgt Albert J. Viltro BTG CPT 5-Jan-45 FRANKFURT
Sgt Benjamin T. Rogers WG CPT 5-Jan-45 FRANKFURT
Sgt Earl H. Alexander TG CPT 5-Jan-45 FRANKFURT

418th Sqdn. Joined 100th, as above, on 29/7/44.

Harris remained in Air Force until 1950 and then recalled for Korean conflict.

Story from Clifford "Ted" Harris as sent in a email to Jan Riddling March 3, 2000...JR

On Aug 28 ,1944 the 8th AF started for Berlin with the 100th BG leading. I led the second element in Milk Run Mabel (43-37808) which put me under and slightly right of the lead and he had two wingmen and so did I. I had another element of three below me. So I was right in the middle of a lot of airplanes. As we flew across the Channel we could see a cold front ahead northwest to southeast across northern Germany. The lead kept zigzagging to gain altitude to get over the front but it was pretty high. We were up about 30,000ft when we ran out of room and the lead went right straight into the clouds with the rest of us behind. It was so thick I could barely see my inboard engine. I held airspeed , heading and altitude as close as I could as I had no place to go. At any time I expected to run into the guy ahead of me or have a wingman fly in my window but nothing else that I could do. The radio was quiet with only the constant humming of a thousand radar sets making any noise. It was terrifying and I'd take flak anytime to that. We were in it I guess for about three minutes and suddenly broke out into bright sunshine---there was Denmark and the Kiel Canal and the Baltic Sea, the North German Coast----------BUT-----Not a damned airplane in sight. I looked back to see some popping out of the clouds below and above so everyone had scattered but I couldn't do that. The mission was a shambles so it was scrubbed and we reassembled let down over the North Sea to about 500 feet to get under the front and went home. Scary!!!!! Ted

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