Crew #31 -- Aircraft #42 30062 -- "Bastard's Bungalow" -- M.A.C.R. #1028
| 1st Lt |
Charles B. Cruikshank |
P |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| 2nd Lt |
Glenn E. Graham |
CP |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| 1st Lt |
Frank D. Murphy |
N |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| 2nd Lt |
August H. Gaspar |
B |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| T/Sgt |
Leonard R. Weeks |
E |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
James M. Johnson |
WG |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| T/Sgt |
Orlando E. Vincenti |
R |
KIA |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
Robert L. Bixler |
BT |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
Charles A. Clark |
WG |
KIA |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
Donald B. Garrison |
TG |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
On this, the 21st mission for the
crew, fighter attack, after bombs were away, caused severe fire in area of
radio room. Apparently Vincenti was fighting the fire and was badly
burned. He may have bailed out with chute aflame. Garrison saw both James
Johnson and Robert Bixler wounded and in waist of plane. Ship blew apart
throwing Garrison out.
Apparently Clark was having
difficulty getting his escape hatch open (he was flying as tail gunner)
and was probably killed when plane blew apart.
German records show that Sgt.
Charles A. Clark was interred on 11 October 1943 at Lienen Cemetery/Wesph.,
Northwestern third of cemetery, southern grave.O. E. Vincenti northern grave "
(probably entirely burnt since ID tag was found burnt too)".
|
Crew #32 -- Aircraft #42
30071 -- "Skipper"
| 1st Lt |
John D. Brady |
P |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| 2nd Lt |
John L. Hoerr |
CP |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| 2nd Lt |
Harry H. Crosby |
N |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| 2nd Lt |
Howard B. Hamilton |
B |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| Pvt |
Adolph Blum |
E |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
Harold E. Clanton |
WG |
KIA |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
Saul Levitt |
R |
-- |
-- |
Transferred to
"Yank" Magazine staff |
| Pvt |
Roland D. Gangwer |
BT |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
James A. McCusker |
WG |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
| S/Sgt |
George J. Petrohelos |
TG |
POW |
10-Oct-43 |
Munster |
Early in October this crew, with
18 or 19 missions to its credit, was slated for some well earned and
needed R&R. However, the loss of seven crews over Bremen on 8 October,
left the group short of combat airmen and orders for Crew 32's rest leave
were cancelled.
Some weeks prior to this, Saul
Levitt had been injured in a jeep/truck accident on base and upon recovery
was transferred to the staff of Yank magazine. Saul later had a brilliant
career as a writer. His career was ended by a fatal heart attack in 1977
at age 66. Saul was replaced on the crew by T/Sgt. Joseph E. Hafer who had
flown overseas with the 100th as an un assigned crewman.
For some reason Harry Crosby did
not fly with the crew on the Munster mission and his place was taken by
David Solomon, the regular navigator on Crew #29.Crew #32 led this 10 October
mission and Major John C. Egan, the 418th C.O., flew in the right hand
seat.
At about the I.P. the aircraft,
"Mlle Zig Zig" (they did not fly "Skipper" this day) was hit by flak which
killed Sgt. Clanton and badly wounded Howard Hamilton and Roland Gangwer.The crew, including John Egan,
Sgt. Hafer and Lt. Solomon, succeeded in bailing out and became prisoners.
Hamilton and Gangwer spent :many weeks in the hospital.
A post war statement by John
Brady reads, "Sgt. Clanton's body was brought into Munster by the Germans
two days later. My copilot and I carried his body around for the Germans
and the last place I saw him was in a demolished garage where he was to be
prepared for burial."Of the 13 Hundredth Group
aircraft to reach the I.P. this day, 12 were lost to enemy action and only
one, that flown by Rosie Rosenthal, returned to Thorpe Abbotts.
|
Crew #33 -- Aircraft #42
5860 -- "Escape Kit" -- M.A.C.R. #688
| 1st Lt |
Edgar F. Woodward, Jr. |
P |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| F/O |
John H. Thompson |
CP |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| 2nd Lt |
Emanuel A. Cassimatis |
N |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| 2nd Lt |
Robert E. Dibble |
B |
KIA |
15-Aug-43 |
Merville AF,
France |
| T/Sgt |
Frank Danella |
E |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| S/Sgt |
Donald H. Fletcher |
WG |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| T/Sgt |
Melvin E. Gaide |
R |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| S/Sgt |
George A. Janos |
BT |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| S/Sgt |
Charles J. Griffin |
WG |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
| S/Sgt |
William D. Brooks |
TG |
POW |
6-Sep-43 |
Stuttgart |
On 6 September 1943, Lt. Paul L.
Englert whose crew (#30) had gone down on the Regensburg mission was
flying with this crew as bombardier and is listed as a POW.
Records do not reveal exactly
what happened to this crew and their plane but the following eyewitness
reports are found in the Missing Aircrew Report:
"Saw Woodward's ship going down
at 4830 N 0803 E at 0929. #2 engine was windmilling. Everything else seed
to be OK."Walter U. Moreno, 1st Lt.
"Saw Capt. Woodward's A/C turn
out of formation under control and headed for Switzerland. Nothing seemed
wrong with A/C."John D. Brady, 1st Lt.
"A/C #402 at 0930 approximately 2
miles north of Strasbourg salvoed bombs into woods. Headed south and went
under cloud deck. All engines turning over. No E/A or AA at this time."Gale W. Clevin, Maj.
|
Crew #35 -- Aircraft #42 30061 -- "Just a Snappin"
| 1st Lt |
Everett E. Blakely |
P |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| 2nd Lt |
Charles A. Via, Jr. |
CP |
SWA |
8-Oct-43 |
Bremen |
| 1st Lt |
Joseph H. Payne |
N |
KIA |
28-Apr-44 |
Sottevast (Noball) |
| 2nd Lt |
James R. Douglass |
B |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Howard J. Brock |
E |
POW |
17-Aug-43 |
Regensburg (With Crew #30) |
| T/Sgt |
Monroe B. Thornton |
WG |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| T/Sgt |
Edmund G. Forkner |
R |
CPT |
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
John L. Olson |
BT |
|
-- |
-- |
| S/Sgt |
Lyle E. Nord |
WG |
KIA |
29-May1-944 |
Leipzig |
| S/Sgt |
Lester W. Saunders |
TG |
KIA |
8-Oct-43 |
Bremen |
A 1981 letter to this writer from
Malcolm Maddran (Crew #36) indicated that John L. Olson, after flying a
number of missions with this crew, may have been transferred to another
Group. |
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