COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
1ST LT NORMAN H. SCOTT P XFR BOVINGDON (indoctrinate new Crews)
2ND LT KENNETH O. BLAIR CP CPT
1ST LT DONALD L. STROUT NAV XFR BOVINGDON (indoctrinate new Crews)
1ST LT NORRIS G. NORMAN BOM CPT 18 MAR 44 LANDSBURG
T/SGT JAMES E. PARKS TTE CPT 18 MAR 44 LANDSBURG
T/SGT NORMAN M. SMITH ROG KIA 17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG
S/SGT LEWIS D. MILLER BTG CPT
S/SGT BLAZIER PADDY TG CPT 18 MAR 44 LANDSBURG
PVT BRITTON I. SMITH WG CPT 18 MAR 44 LANDSBURG
CPL JEROME E. FERROGGIARO WG POW 8 OCT 43 BREMEN (SEE DeMARCO CREW BELOW)
350TH SQDN.. THIS WAS AN ORIGINAL 100TH CREW. CREW FLEW A/C "Phartzac" 42-30358. Original Co-Pilot was a 2nd Lt Teddy Dudziak 0-793067 Army Air Corps Pilot 11-1-42. HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO B-24 GROUP AND HAD HIS OWN CREW. ORGANIZATION: 8th AIR FORCE VIII COMMAND 14th WING 392nd Bombardment (H) GROUP 578th Bomb Sq (H) SQUADRON 118 STATION MISSING IN ACTION *November 19, 1943*
A/C "Phartzac" 42-30358
Refer to the following books for information on this crew and the circumstances surrounding the Regensburg mission.
Double Strike by Ed Jablonski, Century Bombers by LeStrange, Lt. Col. Beirne Lay Jr. mission critique, Interview with Jerome Ferroggiaro by Michael Faley (Jan 1999)
Data from Thomas Sarbaugh
#450 Boynton Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94707-1702
October, 1996
AIRCRAFT OF SPANISH CIVIL WAR VETERANS PROJECT: BOEING B-17F BOMBERS OF THE 350TH BOMB SQUADRON, (“BLOODY”) 100TH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON (H), USAAF, BASED AT Thorpe Abbotts , England, IN WHICH LINCOLN BATTALION SCOUT JEROME E. “JERRY” FERROGGIARO FLEW AS A GUNNER , 1943.
On August 17, 1943, the 8th AAF launched it’s famous “Double Strike” against aircraft factories at Regensburg and Schweinfurt to commemorate the first anniversary of the beginning of the US daylight bombing campaign. Besides the losses incurred by American airmen, the attacks were famous because of the account published by a senior observer who flew with the “Bloody” Hundredth Group: later co-author of Twelve O’ Clock High Col. Beirne Lay, Jr., in the co-pilot’s seat of “Piccadily Lily.” (His description, “I saw Regensburg Destroyed,” was published in The Saturday Evening Post.)
The 100th Group consisted of 4 B-17 Squadrons: the 418th (code LD-), the 349th (Code XR-), the 350th (code LN-) and the 351st (code EP).
Jerry Ferroggiaro was born in the U.S. in 1914, but went to China with his family in 1919 when his father became a General Motors distributor. At 16 (i.e. ca. 1930), Jerry joined the Shanghai Volunteer Corps, a light cavalry unit fighting the Japanese.
In 1933, Jerry returned to the US and joined the US Army Air Corps. He was assigned to the original B-2 bomber group. He left the army in 1935 and went to the Philippines for one year. He joined the Spanish Republican Army in January of 1938 as a combat scout for the Lincoln Battalion, being wounded in the head and both arms.
He tried to join the Royal Canadian Air Force but was rejected, instead re-joining the USSAC in August, 1942 where he was assigned to the 100th Bombardment Group which was sent to England in 1943.
He was trained as a Boeing B-17 gunner, usually assigned to the top turret and tail positions, but preferred the waist. There, apparently before the testing of the YB-40 gun-ship version of the B-17, Ferroggiaro fashioned a double 50 caliber machine gun mount.
The photo on p.62 of Great American Air Battles of WW II show him at his waist position on the 350th Sqdn. B-17F named “Phartzac.” On August 17, 1943, Ferroggiaro was a gunner in this plane, which was piloted by 1st Lt. Norman H. Scott. The names between the rear edge (left side of fuselage) of the gunner’s position and the individual A/C code letter (X) indicate the place Jerry fought prior to WW II:
Chapei (Shanghai Volunteer Group)
Kiangwan (Shanghai Volunteer Group)
Madrid (Lincoln Battalion)
Ebro (Lincoln Battalion)
Torrosa (Sic ! This is probably Tortosia; Lincoln Battalion)
Aragonne (Sic ! Likely this is a spelling error, it does not refer to the WW I battle in France)
Rheudell ( written over waist window was his wife at the time)
After the August 17th mission, Capt. Scott was transferred out of the 100th Group and the gunners of “Phartzac” were assigned to other crews. On another disastrous raid for the 100th. October 8th, 1943 attack on Bremen, Jerry was the top turret gunner in B-17F 42-3233 piloted by Bernard A. Demarco, with the 350th Squadron Commanding Officer, Major Gale Cleven acting as Command Pilot. The B-17 was shot down, with several crew members. Including Cleven becoming POW’s. Ferroggiaro was in (the real) Stalag 17B for 19 months, although he did lead the first escape attempt. After WW II he remained in the USAAF as a gunnery instructor. At age 45 he broke both legs during a parachute jump.
Missions of Norman Scott: (from Paul Andrews and Norris Normans Mission list)mpf
1. 04/07/43 LaPallice, France
2. 10/07/43 LeBourget, France
3. 14/07/43 LeBourget, France
4. 24/07/43 Trondheim, Norway
5. 25/07/43 Warnemunde, Germany
6. 26/07/43 Hanover, Germany
7. 29/07/43 Warnemunde, Germany
8. 30/07/43 Kassel, Germany
9. 15/08/43 Lille, France
10. 17/08/43 Regensburg, Germany
On 7/10/43 Special Orders #21 (Hdq. 3rd Bomber Division) the following crew was
transferred from the 100th Bomb. Gp To the 482nd Bomb.Gp for Pathfinder training.
Crew departed Thorpe Abbotts on 10/10/43 for Alconbury to join the 482 Bomb Group (Pathfinders)
1st Lt Kenneth I.Menzie P (was on Lt Scott a/c as copilot on Aug 17, 1943)
* 2nd Lt Kenneth O. Blair CP
2nd Lt Vanden J.Willey NAV
* Capt Norris G.Norman BOM
Sgt Jerry (nmi)Korman
* T/Sgt James E.Parks TTE
* Sgt Blazier Paddy TG
* Sgt Lewis D.Miller BTG
Sgt Gordon D.Griffith
* Sgt Britton I.Smith WG
Those with Asterisks are members of the original crew of Norman H.Scott. According to
Norris Norman,these men all CPT with the Pathfinders. Scott and Strout were transferred to Bovington, to indoctrinate replacement crews.
According to Capt. Norris Norman, from his recollections dated December 16, 1987, he talked with both Lt Norman Scott and Lt Strout both individually and privately. Scott asked me if I heard the rumour about him trying to bail out, I replied Yes. He said "It's Just Not True. I didn't do it." Strout said " I just can't force myself to do it any more". Most of the crew did not believe the bail out incident occurred and there was not one word over the intercom to indicate anything of this nature. As far as I know, Gale Cleven is the only one that does. Scott and Strout were transferred to Bovingdon, to indoctrinate replacement crews. Scott, Paddy, and Parks are deceased.
(entered mpf 2000)
CREW
1ST LT BERNARD A. DeMARCO P POW 08 OCT 43 BREMAN
F/O JAMES P. THAYER CP POW 08 OCT 43 BREMEN
1ST LT JOHN W.DOWNS NAV POW 08 OCT 43 BREMEN
2ND LT FRANCIS C. HARPER BOM POW 08 OCT 43 BREMEN
CPL THORNTON STRINGFELLOW ROG POW 08 OCT 43 BREMEN
T/SGT BENJAMIN J. BARR TTE POW 08 OCT 43 BREMEN
S/SGT ALBERT M. FREITAS BTG POW 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST
CPL LEO T. CALLAHAN WG POW 21 FEB 44 BRUNSWICK
S/SGT HARRY C. CALHOUN WG POW 08 OCT 43 BREMEN
S/SGT LEON A. CASTRO TG APPOINTED AVIATION CADET.
350TH SQDN. THIS IS AN "ORIGINAL" 100TH CREW.
LEON CASTRO HAD BEEN SHIPPED BACK TO THE STATES FOR CADET TRAINING PRIOR TO 8 OCT 43; HE WAS REPLACED BY JEROME FERROGGIARO FROM THE N.H. SCOTT CREW. ALBERT FREITAS AND LEO CALLAHAN WERE RECOVERING FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED ON THE 6 SEP 43 (STUTTGART) MISSION AND WERE REPLACED BY WILLIAM J. WILLIAMS OF CAPT MARK CARNELL'S CREW AND WILLIAM R. WOODBURY, A REPLACEMENT GUNNER.
MAJ. GALE W. (BUCKY) CLEVEN, 350TH CO, FLEW AS COMMAND PILOT.
Note from..jb
Flak and Fighters over target. This ship leading the 350th. Hit by flak & fighters and forced to leave formation. Three men injured, all eleven (11) bailed out and landed near Essen, Germany. Taken to Frankfurt for interrogartion. Downs (Lt John W. Downs) says bailed out near Oldenburg. Cleven (Maj. Gale W. Cleven) says bail out near Osnabruck.
MEMO 2:
Jerome replaced Leon A. Castro who had been sent back to U.S. for Aviation Cadet Training:
Jerome Ferroggiaro.
Golden Gate National Cemetery
San Bruno, CA
Plot: CE, 0, 398
