| 1ST LT VICTOR REED |
P |
WIA |
TRANSFERRED FROM 100TH |
| F/O CHARLES A. BROOKS |
CP |
CPT |
16 DEC 43 BREMEN |
| 2ND LT HOWARD D. BASSETT |
NAV |
CPT |
14 JAN 44 FORET D' HESDIN |
| 2ND LT JOSEPH P. ARMANINI |
BOM |
CPT |
DATE & MISSION UNKNOWN |
| T/SGT GLENN N. ALBRIGHT |
TTE |
CPT |
14 JAN 44 FORET D’ HESDIN |
| S/SGT RICHARD O. DETWEILER |
WG |
CPT |
13 FEB 44 LIVOSSART |
| T/SGT JAMES S. DOUGHERTY |
ROG |
CPT |
DATE & MISSION UNKNOWN |
| S/SGT RICHARD M. PRICE |
BTG |
NOC |
-- |
| S/SGT THOMAS D.
BAER |
WG |
KIA |
6 MAR 44 BERLIN |
| S/SGT CLIFFORD T. MINER |
TG |
NOC |
-- |
1ST LT VICTOR REED
ORGINAL 100TH PILOT
349TH CREW #8
A/C #42-30090 -- "El P'sstofo"
349th Sqdn. This is an "Original" crew that flew over with the group.
Charlie Brooks became pilot of the crew and completed the tour. Howard
Bassett replaced me (J. R. Brown) as navigator of the Sam Barr crew after
I was wounded 15 Sept. 1943. Joe Armanini had replaced Joe Kelly as
bombardier of the Barr crew somewhat earlier.
Although no records have been found to substantiate the completion of
their tours (25 missions) it is certainly a safe assumption that both
Price and Miner did become "Lucky Bastards".
Thomas "Teddy" Baer was with the crew of Lt. Albert Amiero when killed
over Berlin.
MISSIONS OF LT VICTOR REED (mpf 2001):
| NBR |
DATE |
MISSION |
A/C # & NAME |
| 01 |
29/06/43 |
LeMANS |
230035 TORCHY |
| 02 |
04/07/43 |
LaPALLICE |
230042 OH NAUSEA |
| 03 |
10/07/43 |
LeBOURGET |
230090 EL P'SSTOFO |
| 04 |
17/07/43 |
HAMBURG |
230063 PICKLEPUSS |
| 05 |
25/07/43 |
KIEL |
230090 EL P'SSTOFO |
| 06 |
26/07/43 |
HANOVER |
230090 EL P'SSTOFO |
| 07 |
28/07/43 |
OSCHERSLEBEN |
230090 EL P'SSTOFO |
| 08 |
29/07/43 |
WARNEMUNDE |
230090 EL P'SSTOFO |
| 09 |
12/08/43 |
WESSELING, BONN |
230090 EL P'SSTOFO |
"ON THE BONN MISSION 12 AUGUST 1943, LT VICTOR REED'S LIFE WAS SAVED BY
A NEAR MIRACLE. JUST AS THE SHIP LOOSED HER CARGO OF BOMBS ON THE TARGET,
A BURST OF FLAK LITTERED THE COCKPIT WITH SLIVERS OF HOT STEEL. ONE
SIZEABLE FRAGMENT PENETRATED REED'S OUTER CLOTHING BUT STRUCK THE SILVER
WINGS HE WAS WEARING OVER HIS LEFT SHIRT POCKET. THE VELOCITY OF THE SHARD
WAS SO GREAT AS TO DRIVE THE INSIGNIA THROUGH THE SKIN AND CAUSE SEVERE
BRUISING OF THE CHEST MUSCLES. WITHOUT THE WINGS TO DEFLECT IT, THERE IS
NO DOUBT THAT THE PIECE OF FLAK WOULD HAVE KILLED OR SEVERELY WOUNDED LT
REED. THIS EPISODE SO UN-NERVED REED, THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO FLY FOR A TIME
AND WAS EVENTUALLY TRANSFERRED FROM THE 100TH.
AT ABOUT THIS TIME, "BIG JOE" ARMANINI REPLACED "CRYING JOE" KELLY ON
THE SAMMY BARR CREW AND SOME WEEKS LATER HOWARD BASSETT REPLACED JIM BROWN
AS NAVIGATOR ON SAMMY BARR’S CREW. T/SGT DOUGHERTY WAS ALSO MOVED TO THE
BARR CREW REPLACING MIKE TANOWIGCH AS ROG.
CHARLES BROOKS CONTINUED AS CO-PILOT AND THEN AS A FIRST PILOT. A FEW
DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS 1943, CAPT BROOKS FLEW HIS 25TH MISSION AS PILOT OF
"SQUAWKIN HAWK".
|