Codes

Lt. Everett E. Blakely

Close 
 

Everett E. Blakely Crew (left to right)
Standing: Lyle Nord, Charles Via, Everett Blakely, Howard Broch, Joseph "Bubbles" Payne
Kneeling: Lester Saunders, Edward Yevich, Edmund Forkner.
Picture taken in front of 42-30061 at Wendover, Utah in May 1943 - 100th BG Photo Archives
 

1st Lt Everett E. Blakely P CPT -- 418th C. O.
2nd Lt Charles A. Via, Jr. CP SWA 8/10/43 Bremen
1st Lt Joseph H. " Bubbles" Payne NAV KIA 28/4/44 Sottevast (With crew of W. G. Lakin)
Mission lead by Col. R. H. Kelly
2nd Lt James R. Douglass BOM CPT -- --
T/Sgt Howard J. Brock TTE POW 17/8/43 Regensburg (With the W. R. Flesh crew)
T/Sgt Monroe B. Thornton WG CPT -- --
T/Sgt Edmund G. Forkner ROG CPT -- --
S/Sgt John L. Olson BTG XFR -- --
S/Sgt Lyle E. Nord TG KIA 29/5/44 Leipzig, Aircraft (With crew of B. L. Williams)
S/Sgt Lester W. Saunders WG KIA 8/10/43 Bremen

418th Sqdn. An ''Original" crew. CREW #35 A/C #42-30061 "JUST-A-SNAPPIN"

NOTE: JOHN OLSON, AFTER FLYING SEVERAL MISSIONS WITH THIS CREW MAY HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER GROUP.

LT PAYNE WAS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY HARRY CROSBY FROM THE CREW OF LT JOHN BRADY. SGT OLSON WAS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY SGT WILLIAM MC CLELLAND/ T/SGT THORNTON BECAME THE ENGINEER AFTER AUGUST 17, 1943 AND HIS POSITION AT WG WAS FILLED BY SGT ED YEVICH.

JUST-A-SNAPPIN IS ONE OF THE BETTER KNOWN PLANES IN 100TH LORE, SHE IS REMEMBERED FOR BRINGING THIS CREW BACK FROM BREMEN ON 8 OCT 43. BADLY DAMAGED EV BLAKELY AND JOHN KIDD, GROUP OPS OFFICER WHO LED THE MISSION FROM THE CO-PILOT'S SEAT, LANDED "JUST-A-SNAPPIN" IN A FIELD AT LUDHAM. DAMAGE TO THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM RENDERED THE BRAKES IN-OPERATIVE AND "JUST-A-SNAPPIN" COLLIDED WITH A LARGE TREE. IMPACT WAS BETWEEN THE #1 AND #2 ENGINE. THERE ARE SEVERAL PROMINENT PHOTOGRAPHS OF HER AND THE TREE.

Much has been written about this crew. See p. 49 of THE BLOODY HUNDREDTH by H. Varian and p. 184/195 of FLYING FORTRESS by E. Jablonski for details of the mission of 8/10/43.

On 8/10/43, S/Sgt Edward S. Yevich, LWG, & S/Sgt William F. McClelland, BTG, were aboard in the place of H. J. Brock & J. L. Olson. Both of these men were wounded.

See photo of this crew on p. 228 of "CONTRAILS"

Lyle Nord was flying as TG on the crew of B. L. Williams on 29/5/44 and was hit in the back by a 20mm. He had flown a total of 27 missions, the last 8 of them with the Williams crew.

CREW ON OCTOBER 8, 1943 MISSION TO BREMEN:

Maj. John B. Kidd COM P -- -- --
1st Lt Everett E. Blakely P CPT -- --
2nd Lt Charles A. Via, Jr. CP SWA 8/10/43 Bremen (formation officer in tail)
1st Lt Harry Crosby NAV CPT -- Group Navigator
2nd Lt James R. Douglass BOM CPT -- Group Bombardier
T/Sgt Monroe B. Thornton TTE CPT -- --
T/Sgt Edmund G. Forkner ROG CPT -- --
S/Sgt William F. McClelland BTG WIA 8/10/43 Bremen (SN#17164959)
S/Sgt Edward S. Yevich WG WIA 8/10/43 Bremen
S/Sgt Lyle E. Nord TG KIA 29/5/44 Leipzig (With B. L. Williams crew)
S/Sgt Lester W. Saunders WG KIA 8/10/43 Bremen

S/Sgt Nord took the 50cal position in the radio Room on this mission

-end-