CREW #26
M. A. C. R. #684
Aircraft #42-30089 "SUNNY"
Mission: Paris
Date: 3 Sept. 1943 Time: 0920
A/C
last seen: Over Beaumont AF
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| CREW
ABOARD: |
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Richard C. King |
1st Lt |
P KIA |
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George D. Brykalski |
F/O |
CP KIA |
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Ernest Anderson |
2nd Lt |
N POW |
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Edward H. Hovde |
2nd Lt |
B POW |
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Robert L. McKnight |
T/Sgt |
R KIA (Crew #27) |
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Trafford L. Curry |
T/Sgt |
E EVADER |
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Rudolph H. Harms |
S/Sgt |
BT KIA |
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Heber Hogge, Jr. |
S/Sgt |
RWG POW |
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James M. Sides |
Sgt |
LWG POW |
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Donald E. Wise |
S/Sg |
TG KIA |
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Barney Sutton,
regular waist gunner on this crew, had flown six or seven missions
when he received an appointment as an Aviation cadet. He returned to
the U. S. and was replaced on the Crew by James Sides. Sutton became a
navigator and, in the fall of 1944, returned to England for duty with
the 398th Bomb Group. In a letter to this writer in 1979 Sutton had
this to say, "The Esprit de Corp of the 398th was nothing to match the
100TH. However, at that time the 100TH had been shot down twice, and I
feel sure the 398TH{ had suffered also. " At the time of the
Regensburg mission, Derrell Piel was on sick leave and was replaced by Robert
McKnight, the regular radio operator of crew #27. On 8 Oct. 1943,
flying with crew #22, Piel was KIA. It is rather ironic to note that
McKnight's regular crew successfully completed their tour of 25
missions
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Statement of
Trafford Curry taken at Thorpe Abbotts in January 1944:
"I was in the
top turret at the time we were hit amidships by flak from the Paris
area. Our A/C left the formation in a steep dive and when it leveled
off several thousand feet below I came out of my turret to see what
was taking place. I quickly observed that the A/C was burning both in
the bomb bay and the navigator's compartment. The A/C was very badly
damaged and the fires were too far advanced to be extinguished. I put
on my chute and when given the bail out order I tried to go out the
navigator's hatch, but changed my mind when I saw the fire and smoke
in that part of the A/C. I then went to the bomb bay and jumped
through the flames that practically covered that area of the A/C. Just
before I jumped I looked back and saw Lt. King and his co-pilot
adjusting their chutes. After my chute opened I saw several other
chutes come from my A/C, but never knew who they were. The A/C
disappeared still in level flight and I learned later that it crashed
in a field several miles away, still in level flight, but exploded
soon after. I was not able to obtain any information about any of my
crew members. "
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| Plane was on
bomb run when hit by flak and apparently lurched up and its right wing
struck the tail section of A/C # 42-30059 flown by crew #23.
Eyewitness accounts have some conflict but some said that bombs from
#059 fell onto #089. Heber Hogge is
authority for information that Edward Hovde was wounded in left leg
and had it amputated at hip. See M. A. C. R. #685 and #686 for more
data on this crew.
*Note, the
following came from Jim Sides personal Log recorded during World War
2. Some of the dates were
changed from the original log to correspond with the correct mission
Jim is describing. Mike Faley April 1, 2000
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Missions flown
by S/Sgt James Sides Jr. as given on April 1, 2000
Crew 26, 351st Sqdrn, AC #42-3234
'Little Mike"
Left Waist
Gunner and Assistant Radio Operator 1. July 17, 1943-Trondheim,
Norway, Target-Submarine Pens.
Longest air raid made by 8th Air Force bombers to date.
Twelve Hours and fifteeen minutes. Intercepted by 6 German ME
109's and Heavy Flak. Received hit by 88mm shell in vertical
stabilizer. Bombing altitude 19, 000 feet.
2. July 25, 1943-Rostock,
Germany. Target was
covered by smoke, Bombed
Submarine Pens at Kiel, Germany, Heavy Flak, intercepted by 8 German
fighters. Mission time: eight Hours. 3. July 26, 1943-Hanover,
Germany, Target was FW 190 Assembly Plant. Attacked by German Fighters
and five of 100th Bombers were destroyed. bombing altitude 18, 000 feet.
(** Side note here, according to 100th records, No aircraft were lost
that day-Mike Faley)
4. July 30, 1943-Kassel Germany,
Target was F. W. 190 Assembly Plant.
Crossed over Belgium, met great deal of Flak. Intercepted by 25 German
fighter planes which followed us to the target. Fighter attack lasted for one
hour and fifteen minutes.
Bombed Target from 24, 000 feet. Flak heavy over target. Before leaving Germany we were met by 25 American P-47 that
flew above us. Attacked
by 3 FW 190 German Fighter Planes.
One fighter was destroyed by myself and ball turret gunner. Sides was given the credit of
destroying one enemy aircraft.
We were on oxygen for four hours and fifteen minutes. Mission lasted
8 hours. 5. August 12, 1943-Bonn,
Germany-Primary Target was Gasoline and Oil Storage Tanks. Secondary target was City of
Bonn. Heavy Flak. Bombing altitude ws 26, 000
feet. 8th lost 25 bombers this raid.
6. August 14, 1943-Southern
France-Duck Diversion Mission (*note: Duck was a symbol for
decoy-MF)-Altitude 20, 000 feet.
Escorted by American P-47's. Purpose was to flush up enemy aircraft
to intercept and destroy. 7. August 15, 1943-Lille France,
Target was Airport.
Secondary target at Merville, France.
Bombing altitude was 20, 000 feet. Met very heavy flak at Merville. Was intercepted by 20 German fighters.
Mission was successful.
8. August 19, 1943-Holland-First
and secondary targets were overcast.
Failed to drop bombs.
Returned to base. Mission unsuccessful. 9. August 24,
1943-France, Air Fields in France near Paris. Bombing altitude 24, 000 feet. Very Heavy flak and enemy
fighters. Our radio
operator , Darrell Piel was wounded by Flak. Was Attended by Sides.
10. September
3, 1943- Paris, France-Target was Renault Works in Paris, Secondary
target was Air Field at Evruex, France.
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| Note: LITTLE
MIKE, crew 26 was flying in borrowed aircraft from another crew. LITTLE MIKE had been damaged
so badly on a previous mission that is was unable to fly. Bombing altitude was 23, 000
feet. On target run we
had a direct hit by 88mm in our number 2 engine which caught fire. We were knocked out of
formation. Our plane was
still under control. King
attempted to get back into formation.
We were then either hit or we hit another plane. See Crew 23 statements. We then received direct hits
by anti-aircraft fire in our bomb bay section and in the radio
compartment, each hit causing fire.
All communications were knocked out in our plane. Our ball turret gunner came
out of the turret and started to put on his chute, saw the fire in the
radio hatch and grabbed a fire ext. and started fighting the fire in
the radio room. Hogge and
I were firing at enemy fighters coming in on us. At this time smoke was so
thick that we could hardly see anything, I knew it was time to get out
of the aircraft, I disconnected my oxygen and motioned for Hogge to
bail out. Hogge and I
both were wearing backtype parachutes.
At that time I apparently blacked out from the lack of oxygen. I
heard a very loud explosion. When I came to, I realized that I was falling, I was
then able to grab my ripcord and pulled. I then determined that I was
about 5000 feet above the ground.
That I had fallen about 15, 000 feet while I was unconscious. There was a German fighter
circling around me all the way to the ground. Probably radioing my position
to my captors. I was
captured immediately then transported to Bastille Prison where I was
kept during the night.
Both of my ears had been ruptured along with some flak wounds in my
back. The next day I was
transported to Frankfurt, then to Dulag Luft Prison. Two weeks later I was
transported to Munich to Stalag 7A.
Thirty days later I was transported by cattle car to Stalag 17B
at Krems Austria. Was
interned there until March 26, 1945.
On that Day 4200 American POW's were forced to march across
Austria in the foothills of the Carpathain mountains to Insbrook
Austria. Appox. 280
miles. On May 3. 1945 we
were liberated by Pattons 13th Armored Division. Then transported to Camp Luckie Strike in France. Met Edward Hovde and Ernest Anderson at the
100th Reunion in Tampa Florida in 1990. We did not know about Curry
until later years . Hogge said that he bailed out and did not know
about Curry before the airplane blew up. Therefore, it appears that I
was the only survivor that survived the explosion. Also, I am the only remaining
survivor of my crew. God
has really blessed me. . . . JIM
SIDES-APRIL 1, 2000 |
-end-
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