Crew #27 -- Aircraft #42 30087 -- "Shack Rat"
| 1st Lt |
Jack R. Swartout |
P |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| F/0 |
Arch Drummond |
CP |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| 2nd Lt |
Leonard P. Bull |
N |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| 2nd Lt |
Albert D. Dahlgren |
B |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Dorsett C. Bennett |
E |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Hugh H. Smallwood |
WG |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Robert L. McKnight |
R |
KIA |
3-Sep-43 |
Paris (with Crew #26) |
| S/Sgt |
Harry A. Bonn |
BT |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Joseph W. Weatherley |
WG |
(See Below) |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
John M. Delaney |
TG |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
This was one of a very few crews
from the "Original" 100th Group to finish its tour nearly intact.
After a few missions, Joe
Weatherly had a recurrence of stomach ulcers and, as a consequence,
removed from flying status. McKnight had the misfortune of serving as a
substitute on the wrong day.
Arch Drummond eventually flew as
pilot of his own crew. |
THE 418th SQUADRON
Major Robert E. Flesher,
CommanderCrew #28 -- Aircraft
#42-30064 -- "Wild Cargo"
| 1st Lt |
Curtis R. Biddick |
P |
KIA |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg (With Crew #30) |
| 2nd Lt |
Hoyt L. Smith |
CP |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster (With Crew #29) |
| 2nd Lt |
Paul S. Warner |
N |
-- |
-- |
(See Below) |
| 1st Lt |
Dan B. McKay |
B |
POW |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg (With Crew #30) |
| S/Sgt |
Glover E. Barney |
E |
POW |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg (With Crew #36) |
| T/Sgt |
Ross H. Breckeen |
WG |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Joseph P. Eigen |
R |
POW |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Roy L. Schellin |
BT |
SWA |
10-Jul-43 |
Paris Le Bourget AF |
| S/Sgt |
John O. Stireman |
WG |
SWA |
10-Jul-43 |
Paris Le Bourget AF |
| S/Sgt |
Alfred J. Vickers |
TG |
SWA |
10-Jul-43 |
Paris Le Bourget AF |
It appears that for some reason
Lt. Paul Warner was grounded at Bangor, Maine and did not fly to England
with the 100th.
On 17 August 1943, Bill Flesh,
Pilot of Crew #30, was on pass in London so Curtis Biddick flew in his
stead. Paul Englert, Bombardier of Crew #30, stayed at home so that Dan
McKay could fly with his regular pilot.
|
Crew #29 -- Aircraft #42
3237 -- "Stymie" -- M.A.C.R. #1030
| 1st Lt |
Ernest A. Kiessling |
P |
-- |
-- |
(See Below) |
| F/O |
John F. Stephens |
CP |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| 1st Lt |
David Solomon |
N |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster (With Crew #32) |
| 2nd Lt |
Stanley O. Morrison |
B |
KIA |
25-Jun-43 |
Bremen (With Crew #1) |
| T/Sgt |
John Shay |
E |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
George F. Knolle |
WG |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| T/Sgt |
Max U. Drudge |
R |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
Frank S. Mazarka |
BT |
(See Below) |
|
|
| S/Sgt |
Casimir A. Raczynski |
WG |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
William F. Young |
TG |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
On the first mission flown by the
100th Group on 25 June 1943, Louis Grate, regular bombardier of Crew #l,
349th Squadron, was replaced by Stanley Morrison. The occasion for this
exchange is not apparent but it was unusual as exchange of personnel
between squadrons was a rarity. Morrison's spot on his crew was filled by
Lt. William J. Moore who became a POW on 10 October 1943.
David Solomon moved to Crew #32
to replace Harry Crosby when Crosby became Group Navigator and Lt. Rudolph Grum replaced
Solomon on this crew. Grum became a POW on 10 October 1943.
Max Drudge and Carl E. Battin are
authority for the information that Frank Mazarka did not actually fly
overseas with the Group but was replaced on the crew by T/Sgt. Carl Battin
several days prior to the overseas flight. Evidently S.O. #103 is, in this
instance, erroneous. Battin became a POW on 10 October 1943.In a 1979 letter to this writer,
Max Drudge also stated that Ernest Kiessling "was grounded after 3 or 4
missions due to a surgical operation performed in England and John Stephen
took over as pilot." It was probably at this time that Lt. Hoyt L. Smith
came to the crew as co pilot from, his similar position with Crew #28.
After severe damage by flak and
fighters it seems this crew made a belly landing. Max Drudge had been
wounded by a 20-mm in his right wrist and hand and Battin had suffered a
broken arm but the rest of the crew were unhurt.
|
Crew #30 Aircraft -- #42
30066 -- "Mug Wump" -- M.A.C.R. #675
| 1st Lt |
William R. Flesh |
P |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| F/O |
Richard L. Snyder |
CP |
KIA |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| 2nd Lt |
John C. Dennis |
N |
POW |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| 1st Lt |
Paul R. Englert |
B |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart (With Crew #33) |
| T/Sgt |
Lawrence E. Godbey |
E |
KIA |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| S/Sgt |
Charles F. Vielbig |
WG |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Robert R. DeKay |
R |
KIA |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| S/Sgt |
Walter Halunka |
BT |
POW |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| S/Sgt |
William M. Blank |
WG |
POW |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
| S/Sgt |
Clarence R. Bowlin |
TG |
POW |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg |
On 17 August 1943, Bill Flesh was
on leave in London and Curtis Biddick, pilot of Crew #28, replaced him.
Biddick's regular bombardier, Dan McKay also replaced Paul Englert for
this mission. Biddick was KIA and McKay, badly burned, became a POW.
Howard J. Brock, from Crew #35,
flew in place of Charles Vielbig and was taken prisoner.
About 40 miles northwest of
Regensburg, the A/C was hit in the right front of the nose and fuselage by
a 20-mm burst which resulted in an oxygen fire and wounded Godbey in the
shoulder and hip. Biddick and Snyder may have been wounded at that time
also. The fire in the cockpit was very intense and Snyder was seen to
crawl out of his window. He seems to have slipped off the wing and been
hit by the horizontal stabilizer and reports as to whether his chute
opened or not are conflicting. In his classic story of the Regensburg
raid, Beirne Lay mentions this incident though he does not identify
Snyder.Many months later, this statement
was given by John Dennis:
"The occupants of the nose, that
is, the bombardier and I, were shut off by the oxygen blaze from others of
the crew. The interphone was inoperative after the hit. Except for the co
pilot we have no actual knowledge of the fate of the deceased members of
the crew. All information is offered second hand. We (the bombardier and
I) were both afire shortly after the hit making observation of secondary
importance. I assume the fire was intense directly to the rear of the
pilot and copilot forcing the latter out the. window, and trapping the
pilot because of his size. It may be that the pilot was burned in making
has way back to bail out. The bombardier and I saw what we believe to have
been a foot above us in the hatch but since we were ablaze in making an
exit through the fire it was but a fleeting and unreliable observation."Both Dennis and McKay were badly
burned and in hospital in Frankfort for many weeks. Some evidence
indicated that Robert DeKay either delayed his jump too long and had been
killed when the ship exploded or perhaps his chute did not open. |
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