350th Sqdn. Original 100th Crew

On July 25, 1943, Bill Desanders was either ill or on leave and Captain Richard Carey, Operations Officer of the 350th, flew in his stead and became a POW. Another replacement on the crew this day was T/Sgt. Steven S. Kopczewski, the regular radio operator on Crew #11. He was killed in action. Unable to bomb Warnemunde, the primary target, the Group flew to Keil where intense flak was met. Plane was so damaged by flak that Captain Carey decided to ditch in the sea. All the crew except for pilot and co\pilot were in radio room when ship hit the water. Apparently, Parsons and Lepper, both of whom were wounded, got out off the overhead hatch but the others in the radio room were trapped and went down with the ship which rapidly sank. A subsequent report by William Styles said that, "Griffith was struggling to get out of hatch as the plane was sinking, that is the last I saw of him." During a search for survivors, Danish fishermen found the body of Sgt. Kopczewski but, after making certain of death, left it in the water. Carey, Styles, Lepper and Parsons were picked up by a Danish fishing boat and the latter two were taken to a hospital in Schleswig It was mission #8 for this crew who were flying in "Duration Plus Six" and not their regular plane, "Alice From Dallas".

Lt DeSanders, then a Capt., completed his tour with the 13 Feb 1944 Sottevast mission. the 350th Operations Officer, Capt John H. Luckadoo flew with DeSanders as Command Pilot this mission also completed Luckadoo's tour. Jim Brown and Richard Le Strange's book, Century Bombers contains an excellent account of this final mission for DeSanders and Luckadoo, a photograph of the two pilots congratulating each other is featured. Luckadoo is, in so far as I know, the only 100th veteran to be the Operations Officer of two Squadron in one tour -- the 350th & 351st...pw

William D. DeSanders commanded three crews during his combat tour -- they are listed below in what is believed to be the correct order... Paul West

DeSanders Crew # 2
Lt DeSanders took over Capt Mark Carnell's crew after Mark broke his arm.