The Legends
General Tom Jeffrey
Legendary
Commander of the 100th during its glory days, Tom
Jeffrey is credited with making the 100th one of the 3rd
Air Division's outstanding units. He is considered by
many to be the model for the Gregory Peck character in
"Twelve O'Clock High."
Col. Jeffrey remained in the USAF and retired as a
Major General, one of five members of the 100th to make
General. He was known to all 100th veterans as "Col.
Jeff". General Jeffrey is held in high esteem, and
the veterans of the 100th are, to a man, proud to have
served with him.
Robert Rosenthal
Robert Rosenthal is the best known of the 100th veterans
and one of the better known airmen in WWII. Fresh out of
law school he enlisted in the U.S.Army, December 8th,
1941. Progressed rapidly through the Army Aviation pipe
line and joined the 100th as a 1st pilot in August 1943,
coming at the onset of some of the 100th more famous
missions. "Rosie", as he is known to all 100th veterans,
started with the 100th Oct 8, 1943 trip to Bremen. The
100th lost seven B-17s including the 351st’s Thomas
Murphy in the famed Piccadily Lily. On the ninth of
October, 43 the 100th went on the long mission to
Marienburg and returned with no losses. On the 10th of
October, 1943, "Rosie" and the 100th went to Munster.
Only the Royal Flush with Rosenthal and his crew
returned to Thorpe Abbotts. This mission as much as any
other established the character of the 100th. There is a
charismatic quality, earned many times over, about the
100th. No other Group is remembered with the reverence
commonly accorded them. Robert Rosenthal, the 100th's
beloved Rosie, earned a large part of this reverence. A
Painting of the Royal Flush coming home is displayed at
the American Military Cemetery, Cambridge, England.
Harry Crosby
Harry Crosby was commissioned as a Second
Lieutenant in 1942 and served two years overseas with
the 100th Bomb Group. He flew 37 missions, mostly
as Lead Navigator. He was the task force Lead Navigator
on the Bremen mission. He was on the legendary
JUST A SNAPPIN on the 8 OCT 43 Bremen mission when
the A/C limped home with over 800 bullet holes in it.
Harry Crosby is perhaps most famous for an incident in
which he told his commander not to bomb Bonn, Germany,
the secondary target, because it was the home of
Beethoven. The group flew over Bonn on the way to
the next target and never dropped a bomb.
Harry Crosby was
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1942 and served
two years overseas with the 100th Bomb Group. He flew 37
missions, mostly as the Lead Navigator. He was the task
force lead navigator on the Bremen mission. Decorations
include DFG (three times), Air Medal (seven times),
Bronze Star, two Presidential Citations and Croix de
Guerre with Silver Star (two times).
"Cowboy" Owen Roane
One of the best known of the 100th's 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
immortalized by his famous transmission, "Coming in with
a frozen ass". Whether it occurred or not,
probably only he knows for sure, but it is part of the
100th mystic.
His flying skills were greatly admired by his crew and
others who flew with the 100th. He was the leader
of several difficult missions including: Schweinfurt on
14 Oct 43, "Black Thursday", and the attack on Hitler's
heavy water plant at Rjukan, Norway. His mission
log includes the tough targets of Regensburg, Bremen,
Schweinfurt, Hamburg, and others.
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