2ND LT OWEN D. (COWBOY) ROANE
Flew one additional mission:
29 Feb 44 - Brunswick |
P |
CPT |
26 NOV 43 |
PARIS |
| 2ND LT ARTHUR C. "BUD" STIPE |
CP |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| 2ND LT DANIEL L. SCHMUCKER |
NAV |
CPT |
29 NOV 43 |
BREMEN |
| 2ND LT CURTIS K. CAMPBELL |
BOM |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| T/SGT CLARENCE R. TOMB |
ROG |
CPT |
16 NOV 43 |
RJUKAN, NORWAY |
| T/SGT ROBERT A. STUART |
TTE |
CPT |
16 NOV 43 |
RJUKAN, NORWAY |
| S/SGT ROGER O. STROBLE |
BTG |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| S/SGT JAMES JARVIE |
RWG |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| S/SGT ARTHUR HAUGE |
LWG |
NOC |
-- |
XFR TO BASE MP UNIT |
| S/SGT PATRICK J. HEALY |
TG |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
349th Sqdn. . Crew joined 100th in June 26, 1943 as
one of the first replacement crews along with
Lt Henry Henington,
Lt
John Justice and Lt "Big Chief" Walter Moreno.
Replacements on Lt Roane Crew:
LT STIPE IS REPLACED ON THE CREW ON BY F/O REGINALD A. SMITH
(TRANSFERRED FROM RAF) STARTING WITH 3 NOV 43 MISISON TO
WILHEMSHAVEN. HE WOULD LATER TRANSFER TO THE 418TH BS AS A 2ND LT
AND COMMAND HIS OWN CREW. LT REGINALD "SMITTY" SMITH WOULD BECOME A
POW 20/2/44 ON THE MISSION TO POSEN & SETTIN
2ND LT DANIEL L. SCHMUCKER (NAV) MOVED TO 13TH CBW TO START TEACHING
ABOUT RADAR NAVIGATION AND BOMBING. HE WAS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY
1ST LT OMAR "THE TENT MAKER" GONZALES (FORMER GROUP NAVGATOR)
STARTING WITH 8 OCT 43 MISSION TO BREMEN.
1ST LT GONZALES IS REPLACED BY LT HOWARD BASSETT (FROM LT VICTOR
REED CREW) FOR MISSONS OCTOBER 18-20, 1943, BOTH TO DUREN.
T/SGT RICHARD DETWEILER (FROM LT VICTOR REED CREW) REPLACES SGT
HAUGE AFTER HE WAS TAKEN OFF FLYING STATUS FOR FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE
FRIEND OR FOE. GUESS HE STITCHED ONE OF "COWBOYS" WINGMAN ONE TOO
MANY TIMES. SGT. HAUGE IS TRANSFERRED TO THE BASE MP'S. T/SGT
DETWEILER WOULD LATER BECOME TOP TURRET ENGINEER WHEN T/SGT STUART
COMPLETED HIS MISSIONS.
LT OWEN D. "COWBOY" ROANE - LEDGENDARY 100TH PILOT
ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN OF THE 100TH LONG LIST OF WELL KNOWN
AVIATORS. COWBOY FOLLOWED GLEN DYE AS THE SECOND 100TH PILOT TO
COMPLETE A TOUR.
EVERY 100TH VETERAN HAS A COWBOY ROANE STORY, RANGING FROM THE
FAMOUS "DONKEY" TO ALL SORTS OF OTHERS. HE IS IMORTALIZED BY HIS
FAMOUS RADIO TRANMISSION, "COMING IN WITH A FROZEN ASS", WHETHER IT
OCCURRED OR NOT, PROBABLY ONLY HE KNOWS FOR SURE, IT IS A PART OF
THE 100TH MYSTIC.
HIS FLYING SKILLS WERE GREATLY ADMIRED BY HIS CREW AND OTHERS WHO
FLEW WITH THE 100TH. LEADER OF SEVERAL DIFFICULT MISSIONS THAT
INCLUDE THE 100TH TRIP TO SCHWEINFURT ON 14 OCT 43, "BLACK THURSDAY"
AND THE ATTACK ON HITLER'S HEAVY WATER PLANT AT RJUKAN, NORWAY. IN
HIS BOOK, THE STORY OF THE CENTURY, JOHN NILSSON ERRONEOUSLY CREDITS
THIS MISSION LEAD TO SAM BARR, WHILE THE INTREPID MISSISSIPIAN LED
SEVERAL OTHER 100TH MISSIONS, THIS NEAR PERFECT ONE WAS
LED BY THE "COWBOY". HIS MISSION LOG THAT FOLLOWS INCLUDES THE TOUGH
TARGETS OF REGENSBURG, BREMEN, SCHWEINFURT, HAMBURG AND OTHERS.
HE IS AN EYE WITNESS TO RICHARD SYNDER'S ("THE MAN ON THE WING")
GALLANT BID TO EGRESS 42-5860, COMMANDED BY LT CURTIS. R. BIDDICK,
ON THE 17 AUG 43 REGENSBERG MISSION. AFTER RETIRING FROM THE USAF HE
PERSUED A SECOND CAREER IN EDUCATION, BECOMING A PROMINENT FIGURE IN
HIS AREA.
DR. ROANE IS THE SITTING PRESIDENT OF THE 100TH BOMB GROUP
ASSOCITATION (1991-1993) AND THUS WAS THE SPEAKER AT THE DEDICATION
OF THE CURTIS LEMAY MEMORIAL AT THORPE ABBOTTS IN JULY 1992. HE WAS
ALSO MAYOR OF HIS HOME TOWN, VALLEY VIEW. TEXAS.
MISSION LOG OF CAPT. OWEN D. "COWBOY" ROANE:
| Date |
Target/Notes |
| 04 JUL 43 |
La PALLICE |
| 10 JUL 43 |
La BOURGET |
| 14 JUL 43 |
La BOURGET |
| 17 JUL 43 |
HAMBURG |
| 24 JUL 43 |
TRONDHEIM |
| 25 JUL 43 |
WARNEMUNDE & KIEL |
| 26 JUL 43 |
HANOVER |
| 29 JUL 43 |
WARNEMUNDE |
| 12 AUG 43 |
WESSELING |
| 15 AUG 43 |
MERVILLE & LILLE |
| 17 AUG 43 |
REGENSBURG |
| 24 AUG 43 |
BORDEAUX-MERIGNAC |
| 31 AUG 43 |
MEULAN Les MEUREAUX |
| 02 SEP 43 |
KERLIN-BASTARD |
| 03 SEP 43 |
PARIS & BEAUMONT La ROGER |
| 06 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| 07 SEP 43 |
WATTEN, V-WEAPONS |
| 09 SEP 43 |
BEAUVAIS-TILLE |
| 08 OCT 43 |
BREMEN* |
| 14 OCT 43 |
SCHWEINFURT* (BLACK THURSDAY) |
| 18 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| 20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| 03 NOV 43 |
WILHEMSHAVEN |
| 05 NOV 43 |
GILSENKIRCHEN |
| 07 NOV 43 |
DUREN |
| 11 NOV 43 |
MUNSTER-RECALL (LEAD CREW WITH COL CHICK
HARDING AS COMMAND. PILOT COWBOY MAKES 1ST LIEUTENANT |
| 16 NOV 43 |
RJUKAN, NORWAY (HEAVY WATER) LEAD CREW WITH
COL JOHN BENNETT AS COMMAND PILOT |
| 26 NOV 43 |
PARIS |
| 29 FEB 44 |
BRUNSWICK |
*CREW THAT FLEW WITH COWBOY ON BREMEN AND
SCHWEINFURT MISSIONS:
| 2ND LT OWEN D. (COWBOY) ROANE |
P |
CPT |
26 NOV 43 |
PARIS |
| 2ND LT ARTHUR C. STIPE |
CP |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| 1ST LT OMAR GONZALES |
NAV |
POW |
5 NOV 43 |
GELSENKIRCHEN |
| 2ND LT CURTIS K. CAMPBELL |
BOM |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| T/SGT CLARENCE R. TOMB |
ROG |
CPT |
16 NOV 43 |
RJUKAN, NORWAY |
| T/SGT ROBERT A. STUART |
TTE |
CPT |
16 NOV 43 |
RJUKAN, NORWAY |
| S/SGT ROGER O. STROBLE |
BTG |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| S/SGT JAMES JARVIE |
RWG |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
| T/SGT RICHARD DETWEILER |
LWG |
CPT |
13 FEB 44 |
NO-BALL |
| S/SGT PATRICK J. HEALY |
TG |
CPT |
20 OCT 43 |
DUREN |
STARTING 3 NOV 43 2ND LT OWEN D. "COWBOY" ROANE IS A
LEAD PILOT. HIS CREW CONSISTS OF:
| 2ND LT OWEN D. (COWBOY) ROANE |
P |
-- |
| F/O REGINALD A. "SMITTY" SMITH |
CP/FORMATION OFFICER |
TRANSFERRED FROM RAF
POW 20/2/44 POSEN & SETTIN |
| CAPT. JOSEPH H. "BUBBLES" PAYNE |
NAV |
FROM CAPT. EV BLAKELY CREW |
| CAPT. ROBERT K. PEEL |
BOM |
ORIGINAL CADRE, LEAD BOMBARDIER |
| T/SGT CLARENCE R. TOMB |
ROG |
-- |
| T/SGT ROBERT A. STUART |
TTE |
-- |
| T/SGT RICHARD DETWEILER |
LWG |
-- |
| UNKNOWN |
BTG |
-- |
| UNKNOWN |
RWG |
-- |
| UNKNOWN |
TG |
-- |
From the 349th March 1944 Squadron Diary.
March 3: This was the day when nine of our ships (the 349th)
went out to bomb Berlin -- the first time an actual start was made
by U. S, day bombers towards this greatest and most perilous target,
it was cancelled because of weather after the planes were loaded and
primed. Cowboy (Owen D. ) Roane, who came to us in July 1943 as a
Flight Officer, left for the States today, wearing well deserved
Captain's bars. The diminutive Texan had proved in twenty-six
missions (he flew one extra in February, after
completing his requisite tour of twenty-five in November, 1943) to
be one of the ablest, most calm, fearless and daring of all our
great pilots; and his personality endeared him to all of us who came
in contact with him, from KP's to Colonels. |
-end-
|
|
