THE 351st SQUADRON
Major John B. Kidd, C.O. (Retired as a Major
General)Crew #19 -- Aircraft #42
30080 -- "High Life"
| 1st Lt |
Donald K. Oakes |
P |
INT |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| F/O |
Joseph C. Harper |
CP |
INT |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| 2nd Lt |
Hiram E. Harris, Jr. |
N |
INT |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| 2nd Lt |
Howard G. Ball |
B |
POW |
3-Mar-44 |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
George W. Elder |
E |
INT |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| S/Sgt |
Nolan D. Stevens |
WG |
INT |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| T/Sgt |
James P. Scott |
R |
INT |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| S/Sgt |
Leslie D. Nadeau |
BT |
INT |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| S/Sgt |
Leonard P. Goyer |
WG |
INT |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| Cpl |
Vincent E. McGrath |
TG |
INT |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
On a mission to Le Bourget AF in
Paris on 10 July, Hiram Harris and Howard Ball were wounded when the ship
was attacked by fighters. Harris' wound did not require hospitalization
but Ball was in the hospital for a long period of time, and upon
discharge, went to another crew. This crew was lost and Ball became a POW.
Ball's place on Crew #19 was taken by 2nd Lt. Lloyd A. Hammarlund who was
INT with the others.
This is believed to be the first
American bomber to have landed in Switzerland but it was followed by many
more before war's end.
Some time before reaching the
target, according to a statement made by Oakes, "A 20-mm shell exploded in
the number three nacelle, cutting the throttle cable and starting a heavy
oil leak. I then feathered the prop. The ball turret gunner then advised
me there was a heavy oil leak in the number two engine. The plane could
not keep up with the formation and I landed the plane at the nearest
field, wheels up, on the belly. We did not have time to burn the plane as
it was immediately surrounded by soldiers. Myself and the rest of the crew
were INT."On page 69 of The Mighty Eighth,
by Roger A. Freeman, there is a good photo of "High Life" at rest on the
Swiss air field. According to Joe Harper, the plane took its name from the
very popular beer.
The
February, 1983 issue of "Splasher Six" contains a very
fine story of this crew's last mission by Jim Scott.
|
Crew #20 -- Aircraft #42 30051
| 1st Lt |
Robert C. Pearson |
P |
POW |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
| 2nd Lt |
Melville G. Boyd, Jr. |
CP |
POW |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
| 1st Lt |
Bruce T. Rinker |
N |
POW |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
| 2nd Lt |
John L. Dunbar |
B |
EVA |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
| T/Sgt |
Jack M. Goss |
E |
POW |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
| S/Sgt |
Lonnie B. Rutledge |
WG |
POW |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
| T/Sgt |
Randall G. Villa |
R |
POW |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
| Sgt |
Everett J. Moore |
BT |
POW |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
| S/Sgt |
John T. Westwood |
WG |
POW |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
| S/Sgt |
Albert N. Purcell |
TG |
POW |
4-Jul-43 |
La Pallice |
On this mission, the fifth flown
by the Hundredth, this crew became the fourth loss of the Group.
Lt. Thomas E. Murphy gave the
following eyewitness account:
"#1 (Pearson) of 2nd Element
approximately three miles from target and slightly behind other formation.
The formation turned slightly to left but Pearson turned slightly to the
right and down. #2 & 3 A/C of this Element followed, throttled back and
over ran Pearson. He motioned for #2 & 3 A/C to go ahead. This left #2 & 3
in rear of formation and these A/C proceeded to catch up. All during this
time Pearson had bomb bays open. Pearson descended turning and heading
west over water. All engines were turning. No props feathered or engines
smoking. He descended very rapidly."Lt. Victor Fienup, also an
eyewitness, stated, "I saw 051 release bombs short of target, do a 180
degree turn and lose altitude. Reason unknown."
In a letter dated 9 February
1980, Albert Purcell sheds greater light on the problems met with over La
Pallice:"...As we started our bomb run,
both inboard engines went out at the same time, which accounted for our
loss of altitude so fast. Jack Goss (our engineer) told me later that the
two engines lost power at the sane time for no apparent reason. We dropped
our bombs over the water and, as I understood, we were trying to make it
to Spain. At this point ME 109s attacked us from the rear and knocked out
another engine with only one
left we were ordered to bail out. We did shoot down two MEs.
After the tail gunner, I was the
third or fourth man out. As I floated down, I watched the plane crash and
burn on the small island (Ile D' Oleron). Pearson landed in the water,
Boyd broke an arm landing, Dunbar was lucky, the French hid him and he
escaped capture. I had just enough time to roll up my chute before being
picked up. The rest of the crew were picked up along with me. As for the
engine failure, Jack Goss gave me details at the time and strongly
believed our fuel had been somehow sabotaged."In The Story of the Century, page
132, Jack M. Goss appears in the list of those killed in action. This is
obviously an error. He, with the other enlisted men of the crew, was a
kriegie in Stalag 17 B. John Dunbar did get back to England via the
Pyrenees and Spain.
|
Crew #21 -- Aircraft #42 30086 -- "Blackjack"
| 1st Lt |
Victor E. Fienup |
P |
POW |
3-Sep-43 |
Paris Renault plant |
| 2nd Lt |
Eugene V. Mulholland |
CP |
EVA |
3-Sep-43 |
Paris Renault plant |
| 1st Lt |
Paul Pascal |
N |
EVA |
3-Sep-43 |
Paris Renault plant |
| 2nd Lt |
Blanton G. Barnes |
B |
POW |
3-Sep-43 |
Paris Renault plant |
| T/Sgt |
Roy A. Evenson |
E |
POW |
3-Sep-43 |
Paris Renault plant |
| Pvt |
Marvin Miller |
WG |
KIA |
3-Sep-43 |
Paris Renault plant |
| S/Sgt |
Walter L. Probst |
R |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Norman D. Kreitenstein |
BT |
EVA |
3-Sep-43 |
Paris Renault plant |
| S/Sgt |
Smith J. Young |
WG |
KIA |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
Charles T. Daniels |
TG |
KIA |
3-Sep-43 |
Paris Renault plant |
On 3 September 1943, Walter
Probst was replaced by T/Sgt Charles F. Wright and Smith Young was
replaced by S/Sgt. Robert H. Brown. Both Wright and Brown succeeded in
bailing out and became POWs. Walter Probst subsequently completed his tour
of 25 missions but Smith J. Young was killed in action on the Munster
mission of 10 October 1943.
Young was flying with the crew of
Lt. Maurice Beatty and his body was found in the Waal River near
Doornenburg, Holland. He was buried at Doornenburg cemetery "community
Bemmel" on 13 October in "7th raw, 8th grave."
As the 100th reached Paris, it
was found that the primary target, the Renault Works, was obscured. Flak
was very heavy and the group lead was knocked out of formation. His place
was taken by the deputy leader and the formation proceeded to the
secondary target Beaumont Le
Roger AF about 60 miles west
of Paris.There are conflicting accounts as
to exactly what occurred but the consensus seems to be that, while on the
bomb run, the plane flown by Lt. Richard King (Crew #26) received a direct
flak burst amidships and suddenly moved upward striking the ship of Crew
#23 which exploded.
Crew #21 may have been involved
in this mid air collision as one of its crew men stated that "the ship on
our right wing crashed into our tail surfaces". This may have caused the`
death of tail gunner, Marvin Miller. With the plane uncontrollable, Fienup
gave the bail out order and all except Miller got out. Daniels was badly
wounded prior to jumping and an eyewitness saw one chute from this plane
"burst intro flames". Germans also said that "Daniels had come down
without a full chute. He was buried in the Souvernix Francais Evreux
cemetery Grave 220, Row 7."
|
Crew #22 -- Aircraft #42
5864 -- "Piccadilly Lily"
| 1st Lt |
Thomas E. Murphy |
P |
KIA |
8-Oct-43 |
Bremen |
| 2nd Lt |
Marshall F. Lee |
CP |
KIA |
8-Oct-43 |
Bremen |
| 2nd Lt |
Charles C. Sarabun |
N |
POW |
8-Oct-43 |
Bremen |
| 2nd Lt |
Floyd C. Peterson |
B |
POW |
8-Oct-43 |
Bremen |
| T/Sgt |
John J. Ehlen |
E |
POW |
8-Oct-43 |
Bremen |
| S/Sgt |
Albert C. Davis |
WG |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| Sgt |
Emmett H. Evans |
R |
CPT |
-- |
Transferred to
Armament July 1943 |
| S/Sgt |
Cleveland D. Jarvis |
BT |
|
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Michael Rotz |
WG |
POW |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Gerald O. Robinson |
TG |
POW |
8-Oct-43 |
Bremen |
A few days before this October
8th mission, Al Davis and Emmett Evans had finished their tour of 25
missions and were replaced on this mission by Derrell Piel, the radio
operator of Crew #26, and Elder Dickerson, the regular waist gunner of
Crew #25, both of whom were killed by flak.
For Piel, who had lost his crew
on 3 September, this was about the sixteenth mission and for Dickerson,
whose crew had finished its 25 missions, it was the 25th.
Cleveland Jarvis had gone AWOL on
15 July and was in the Brig for a time. When released he was transferred
to Armament and replaced on the crew by Reed Hufford. Hufford bailed out
and was taken prisoner. Michael Rotz had been injured in a truck/jeep
accident in June and was hospitalized for a month or so. His place on the
crew was taken by S/Sgt. Aaron A. David. There is some confusion as to
whether David jumped without a chute or whether he was blown out of the
aircraft and his chute failed to open. After release from POW camp,
Robinson stated, "I was in a truck in Bremen that night when the Germans
picked up quite a few dead Americans. Can't say for sure, but believe Sgt.
David was one of them."This crew led the 100th on the
mission and Captain Alvin L. Barker, at that time 351st Squadron
Operations Officer, flew in the left hand seat. Marshall Lee flew as the
ball turret man to better observe the formation and report to Murphy and
Barker. Lee apparently was killed after leaving the ball turret to go to
the aid of the pilot and co pilot.
A minute or two after bomb
release, the ship was hit by flak which damaged the navigator's
compartment and caused fire in #3 engine and failure of oxygen system.
"The ship went into a steep dive and exploded four chutes were seen."On 15 October at the Post
cemetery, Wesermuende, Germany, the remains of Murphy, Barker, Lee, Piel
and Dickerson were interred in graves 103 through 107. |
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