2nd Lt. Waldo J. Oldham

Codes

2nd Lt. Waldo J. Oldham

Waldo J. Oldham's 350th Crew (left to right)

Standing: Ross J. Purdy, Howard R. Leach, Waldo J. Oldham, Carl D. Dunn

Kneeling: Richard G. Chapple, Tom E. Ramsey, Fred Eizenlord, Ralph J. Kalberloh and William E. Charlton.

This photograph was taken at Biggs Field, Texas August 11, 1944 - 100th BG Photo Archives

2nd Lt Waldo J. Oldham	P	POW	3-Feb-45	Berlin
2nd Lt Carl D. Dunn	CP	POW	3-Feb-45	Berlin
2nd Lt Ross F. Purdy	NAV	POW	3-Feb-45	Berlin
F/O Howard R. Leach	BOM	POW	3-Feb-45	Berlin
Cpl William E. Charlton	ROG	POW	3-Feb-45	Berlin
Cpl Patrick J. Tooley	TTE	POW	3-Feb-45	Berlin
Cpl Richard G. Chapple	BTG	POW	3-Feb-45	Berlin
Cpl Tom E. Ramsey	WG	POW	3-Feb-45	Berlin
Cpl Ralph J. Kalberloh	TG	POW	3-Feb-45	Berlin

350TH SQDN. . CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH 08 JAN 1945

MACR # 12044, Microfiche #4417 A/C #44-6092 "Dixie's Delight"

IT IS POSSIBLE SEVERAL OF THE ABOVE MAY HAVE BEEN EVADERS RATHER THAT POWS.

According to John Miller (information from "Wally Oldham") three crew members did evade capture for varying lengths of time but eventually all were captured. Sgt Ramsey was an evader for 8 days until his feet froze and he could go not further. He spent almost 3 months in a POW camp and was liberated on April 28, 1945

EYEWITNESS: "The right wing of A/C #44-6092 was hit by flak at 1129 hours just before the turn at the I. P. As the formation turned left, this aircraft continued on course or veered slightly to the right. No#3 engine was burning and the aircraft was losing altitude. One (1) chute was seen to leave immediately after the aircraft was hit. All the others followed immediately after this first chute. The aircraft continued flying, apparently under AFCE control, in an ever descending curve until it struck the earth and exploded. Chutes were seen to be drifting toward Berlin. "

MISSION TO BERLIN by SGT TOM E. RAMSEY (mpf 2002)
AWAKENED IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF FEBRUARY 3, 1945, WE KNEW THE TIME HAD COME FOR OUR FIRST REAL BOMBING MISSION. FROM HOWARD LEACH (BOM):

"IT WAS 3:30AM, AN ORDERLY ENTERED OUR BARRACKS, TURNING ON THE ONE OVERHEAD LIGHT AND BLOWING HIS WHISTLE. IT WAS HIS DUTY TO AWAKEN THE CREWS SCHEDULED TO FLY THAT DAY. OUTSIDE, WE COULD HEAR THE COUGHING OF THE ENGINES AS THE GROUND CREWS STARTED PRE-FLIGHTING THE AIRCRAFT SCHEDULED TO FLY. WE HURRIEDLY DRESSED AND MADE OUR WAY IN THE DIM LIGHT TO THE MESS HALL FOR THE 0400 BREAKFAST BEFORE REPORTING TO THE BRIEFING BUILDING. FLIGHT CREW WERE GIVEN FRESH EGGS IN PLACE OF THE USUAL POWDERED EGGS. ASSEMBLED HERE WERE THE OFFICERS OF 38 CREW TO FLY THAT DAY. IT WAS A MOST DRAMATIC DAY IN THE LIVES OF NERVOUSLY AWAITING THE APPEARANCE OF THE BRIEFING OFFICERS. A CURTAIN WAS DRAPED OVER ONE CORNER OF THE ROOM CONCEALING THE TARGET FOR THE DAYS MISSION. THERE WAS LITTLE TALK, THE VETERAN CREWS WHO HAD ATTENDED OTHER SUCH BRIEFINGS WERE OBVIOUSLY NERVOUS. FOR SOME IT WAS TO BE THEIR LAST MISSION AND RETURN TO THE STATES. ALL THEY NEEDED WAS A "MILK RUN" TO BRING THEM SAFELY HOME. THEY REMEMBERED THE DECEMBER 31 HAMBURG RAID AND MISSING 109 COMRADES. WE WERE TOO GREEN TO GRASP THE TENSION IN THAT ROOM.

SOMEONE YELLED ATTENTION! BRINGING US TO OUR FEET AS COL. JEFFREY ENTERED THE ROOM FOLLOWED BY OTHER OFFICERS INVOLVED IN THE BRIEFING INCLUDING MAJOR'S CROSBY AND VENTRISS. WITHOUT ANY HESITANCY HE ANNOUNCED, "GENTLEMEN, THE TARGET IS BERLIN AND THE CURTAIN WAS DRAWN REVEALING THE MISSION. THERE WAS A VOICE IN THE BACK, "OH MY GOD!" OPERATIONS OFFICER LT COL JOHN WALLACE THEN PROCEEDED TO SPELL OUT THE DETAILS. WE WERE TO BOMB THE RAILHEAD IN THE CENTER OF BERLIN NEAR THE TEMPELHOF AIRDROME. "

AFTER BREAKFAST WE ASSEMBLED AT THE PLANES AND AWAITED THE ARRIVAL OF THE OFFICERS. THE GROUND CREWS WERE ALREADY LOADING 50-CALIBUR AMMO, BOMBS AND READYING THE PLANES FOR TAKEOFF. THE OFFICERS SOON ARRIVED AND WE TOOK OFF AROUND 0715 HOURS. THE MISSION INCLUDED 1003 HEAVY BOMBERS WITH 10, 000 MEN ABOARD PLUS FIGHTER SQUADRONS FOR SUPPORT. THE 100TH WAS SELECTED TO LEAD THE 13 COMBAT WING (AND THE 3RD AIR DIVISION…mpf) COMPOSED OF THE 100TH, THE 95TH AND THE 390TH BOMB GROUPS. MAJOR ROBERT ROSENTHAL LET THE 100TH. I CAN ADD NO FURTHER DETAILS EXCEPT THAT THE BRIEFING OFFICERS STATED THAT FLAK WOULD BE MINIMAL OVER THE TARGET, WHICH WAS THE RAILHEAD AND GOVERNMENT CENTER IN CENTRAL BERLIN.

NOTE FROM SGT RAMSEY: JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU WHAT OFFICERS KNOW OR CLAIM TO KNOW. BERLIN WAS ONE OF THE MOST HEAVILY DEFENDED TARGETS IN EUROPE!

AS WE FORMED UP OVER THE CHANNEL, I RADIOED THE COCKPIT AND ASKED PERMISSION TO PRACTICE FIRE OUR GUNS. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT CHAPPLE DISCOVERED THAT THE BALL TURRET AMMO HATCH HAD COME OPEN, CAUSING BELTS OF 50-CALIBUR AMMO TO SPILL OUT AND FLAP AGAINST THE BALL. HE WAS ORDERED TO CUT THE AMMO LOOSE AND TO REMAIN IN THE BALL TO TRACK ANY ATTACKING AIRCRAFT. WHEN WE RAN INTO HEAVY FLAK NEAR AND OVER THE TARGET, I CALLED FOR CHARLTON TO MAN THE RIGHT WAIST POSITION, WHICH HE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO DO. I HAD OBSERVED SOME UNIDENTIFIED AIRCRAFT IN THE DISTANCE BUT THEY DID NOT APPROACH OUR GROUP. I THEN NOTICED CHARLTON LYING ON THE FLOOR OF THE RADIO ROOM JUST FORWARD OF THE WAIST AREA. I THOUGHT AT FIRST THAT HE HAD BEEN HIT, SO I CALLED IN THE INFORMATION. I LEFT MY POSITION AND WENT TO ASSIST HIM, DISCOVERING THAT HE HAD SOMEHOW LOST HIS OXYGEN MASK. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF LEACH, WE FINALLY GOT HIS MASK BACK ON AND ONCE REVIVED WITH OXYGEN, HE APPEARED UNINJURED. AS WE FLEW THROUGH THE INTENSE FLAK, THERE WAS A LOT OF PILOT AND CREW EXCHANGES OVER THE INTERPHONES. I LEARNED THAT WE HAD LOST AN ENGINE OVER THE TARGET. DURING THIS TIME, LT COTNER'S SHIP EXPLODED IN A GREAT BALL OF ORANGE FLAME.

I CONCUR WITH WALLY OLDHAM THAT THE EXPLOSION TOOK PLACE FORWARD AND TO THE LEFT OF OUR SHIP. WHEN THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED I INSTINCTIVELY DROPPED DOWN BEHIND THE ARMOR PLATE THAT COVERED THE AREA BELOW THE WAIST POSITION. AFTER WE FLEW THROUGH THE DEBRIS, I STOOD UP AND DISCOVERED THAT MY AMMO RACK, POSITIONED AT EYE LEVEL AND TO THE RIGHT, HAD TAKEN A DIRECT FLAK HIT. I WOULD SURELY HAVE BEEN KILLED HAD I BEEN STANDING AT MY STATION. AT THE SAME TIME, CHAPPLE ENCOUNTERED FLAK HITTING THE BALL TURRET AND HE HURRIEDLY EXTRACTED HIMSELF FROM THAT POSITION. THE TURRET SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK A MAJOR HIT THAT WOULD MOST LIKELY HAVE KILLED HIM HAD HE REMAINED THERE. TOOLEY LEFT THE UPPER TURRET TO TRANSFER FUEL AND UPON RETURNING, FOUND THAT HIS STATION HAD BEEN DAMAGED AS WELL. I DON'T RECALL WHAT HAPPENED TO KALBERLOH'S TAIL POSITION, BUT HE VACATED HIS STATION DURING THE BOMB RUN. WITH ALL OF THIS GOING ON WE STILL MANAGED TO DROP OUR BOMBS. CONSIDERING ALL THAT HAPPENED I'M CERTAIN SOME GREATER POWER WAS LOOKING OVER US. THE GERMANS WERE NOT SO FORTUNATE. OUR PLANES HIT THE RAILHEAD AND GOVT COMPLEX, DESTROYING MANY BUILDINGS AND KILLING OVER 2000 PEOPLE.

IT IS MY RECOLLECTION THAT WE ONLY LOST ONE ENGINE OVER THE TARGET. WALLY REPORTED A PROP WINDMILLING ON ANOTHER ENGINE BUT I THOUGHT THAT WE LOST THAT ONE AND A THIRD AFTER WE HAD LEFT THE TARGET ZONE. WE IMMEDIATELY JOINED ANOTHER GROUP AFTER LEAVING THE TARGET ZONE BUT TOOLEY PROTESTED THAT WE COULDN'T KEEP UP WITH ONLY TWO OR THREE ENGINES FUNCTIONING. DURING THIS TIME WE ENCOUNTERED MORE FLAK AND SUSTAINED ADDITIONAL DAMAGE. AS WE STARTED TO LOSE ALTITUDE, THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE CONFUSION AS TO OUR POSITION. PURDY HAD BECOME COMPLETELY LOST. FEARFUL THAT WE WERE HEADING OUT OVER THE NORTH SEA, WALLY TURNED 180 DEGREES AND HEADED BACK TOWARDS GERMANY. SHORTLY THEREAFTER HE ORDERED US TO ABANDON SHIP.

WE IN THE WAIST SECTION (ALL BUT WALLY, CARL, AND HOWARD) IMMEDIATELY DONNED OUR PARACHUTES. I HAD THE RESPONSIBILITY TO JETTISON THE WAIST DOOR, WHICH I PROMPTLY DID. I WAS THE FIRST TO BAIL OUT, BUT PROBABLY THE LAST TO LAND SINCE I IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE RIPCORD. I REMEMBER SPINNING LIKE A BALL UPON EXITING THE PLANE AND THE CHUTE OPENING WITHOUT A SEVERE JERK. I NEVER SAW THE PLANE NOR DO I RECALL SEEING ANY OTHER CHUTES. APPROACHING THE GROUND, ALL I COULD SEE WAS DENSE FOREST, SO I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO FALL THROUGH THE CANOPY. I CROSSED MY LEGS AND BROUGHT MY ARMS ACROSS MY FACE, AS I HAD LEARNED THROUGH TRAINING. I WENT THROUGH A LARGE PINE OR FIR TREE AND HIT THE GROUND WITH A THUD. I WAS UNINJURED AND THE CHUTE CAME THROUGH WITH ME. FORTUNATELY, I STILL HAD MY GI BOOTS WITH ME, WHICH I HAD SLUNG AROUND MY NECK BEFORE BAILING OUT"

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