418th Sqdn. This crew, as above, appears on Combat Crew roster of 24/6/44 as Crew #81. T/Sgt Wilch says the crew arrived in May 1944 and that he finished the last half of his mission in "Silver Dollar"

Crew roster of 3/8/44 has Lt. George L. Reid as bombardier but Sgts Bartoy & Williams not on crew. On 3/9/44 Crew roster shows a T/Sgt B. Beamer as NG and Lt. Reid gone. A T/Sgt Wm R. Hellen from crew of H. E. Bethea as E in place of T/Sgt. Wilch.

Crew roster of 11/9/44 is as follows:

• Lt. M. D. Johnson
• Lt. D. H. Rohlfs
• Lt. R. J. Lehto
• Lt. L. G. Schmidt
• T/S. R. J. Moran
• T/S. M. H. Wilch
• S/S. C. E. Forrester
• S/S. J. J. Cofelt
• S/S. R. K. Thormahlen
• T/S. D. Bradle.

MISSION NAMES GIVEN HERE ARE NOT THE OFFICIAL MISSION NAMES LISTED IN THE 100TH MISSION LOG, THE DATES MATCH AND IT APPEARS THE PREPARING OFFICER, A LT ROBERT G. CRANE, MAY HAVE ABBREVIATED THE OFFICIAL MISSION TITLES.

"Lt Murray Johnson was my pilot and Lt Don Rohlfs was my co-pilot. Our pilot flew as a co-pilot with another crew for his first mission for experience. So he was one up on us for number of missions. I was sick and missed one mission and I don't know what happened but I missed another mission. Any way I completed 32 missions. When the pilot got in 35 missions, then the crew could go back to the States. I was transferred to another base for several months as a gunnery instructor before returning to the States.

Fifty five crews trained at Dalhart Texas. Five of the crews went to the 100th BG. Of the five, two were shot down. Not a good percentage. I could not have timed my time with the 100th any better. All missions in the summer time and with good fighter support by that time. Also getting my missions in one right after the other after D-Day. My first mission June 15, 1944 and last September 12, 1944. Less than 3 months. We were one of the lucky ones, never lost an engine.

I feel a little guilty because I know what a lot of the other crews might have gone through. As the top turret gunner and engineer, I never shot at anything. We just happened to be in the right place in the formation. Got a lot of flak holes. My next to last mission was September 11, 1944 to Ruhland. The 100th sent up 36 planes and 12 were shot down. The war was serious business. On the plane, as with all crews, there was no conversations only what was important. About every hour the co-pilot would call for an oxygen check, each crew member answering from the bombardier back to the tail gunner. To check to see if everyone was OK. There was not the silly stuff that was in the last "Memphis Belle" movie. I told my kids not to see it. That was not the way it was"

Just a side light story. Our pilot was one of the older ones. Twenty-eight and serious and he had to smoke at high altitude. There was no cigarette lighter on a B-17. At the oxygen regulator is a red knob that can be turned on for pure oxygen. He lit his cigarette this way. Breathing in all the oxygen that he could, then taking of his mask. He then turned the oxygen hose to his lighter to get it lit. Then breathed through the cigarette and sucked through to get his smoke. I’ve never smoked but that shows what some people go through to keep from having a nicotine fit. He was the BEST pilot. "