COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
2nd Lt Charles R.Sanford P FEH CREW FLYING AT END OF HOSTILITIES
2nd Lt Robert E.Morehead CP FEH
2nd Lt Arthur T.Blachly NAV FEH
2nd Lt Dale F.Watterson BOM KIA 31 MAR 45 ZIETZ (WITH THE A.G. LARSON CREW)
T/Sgt Herman G.Larson TTE FEH TAPS: 9 JAN 1956
Cpl Santo Emmanuele ROG FEH
S/Sgt Louis A.Lehrmann,Jr. BTG KIA 7 APR 45 BUCHEN (With W.S.Howard crew)
S/Sgt.James D.Barger WG FEH SN# 33920989
Cpl William F.McWey TG FEH
349th Sqdn. Crew,as above,jolned the 100th Group on 24/12/44.
S/Sgt. Barger flew 23 missions, Lt Watterson and S/Sgt Lehrmann were KIA as replacements on other crews.
"THEY TOOK HIM (LT WATTERSON) OFF THE SANFORD CREW (AND PUT A TOGGELIER ON THAT CREW) AND DALE WENT TO LARSENS CREW AS A NAVIGATOR INSTEAD OF A BOMBARDIER SINCE THE LARSEN CREW HAD A TOGGELIER TOO. OR WAS HE A NAVIGATOR ALL THE TIME ?. I NEED TO CORRECT THIS DILEMMA BUT ALSO NEED A LIST TO HAVE THE CORRECT SEQUENCE OF EVENTS FOR DALES SERVICE. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE, THAT IS WHY I ASK. IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEN DALE WENT TO THE LARSEN CREW IN JAN PER THE PAPERWORK YOU HAVE FROM HIM AND NEVER FLEW A MISSION WITH THE SANFORD CREW….mpf"
That's the way I understood it. Dale trained as bombardier( with supplemental training in navigation.) with Sanford's crew in the states and traveled with them by ship, arriving in England on Dec 20, 1944. Until that point they were a ten man crew but that late in the war the Army was reducing to 9 man crews. Three officers plus 6 non coms. Since bombardiers had training as a navigator, Dale was moved to Larsen's pick up crew AS navigator. (One of the non-com's on Sanford's crew moved forward as togglier.) I have Dale's Flight Records and I talked with both Sanford and Sanford's navigator…Blachly. In a few letters, Dale mentioned his growing confidence as navigator but he was sorry to leave Sanford's crew. Larsen's crew changed a lot but Dale stayed as Navigator. When I visited with Mr. Blachly he showed me sample navigator sheets and how they had to keep track of their flight paths. I don't know exactly WHEN the Army started reducing to nine man crews but it was in effect when Dale got there. I'll work on the sequence of events and try to get it to you soon.
Good night, now…Janice
Mission Log and Notes of S/Sgt James Barger
1. 28 JAN 45 DUISBURG, GER.
2. 29 JAN 45 KASSEL, GER.
1-2 FEB 45 PASS TO LONDON
3. 3 FEB 45 BERLIN (MAJ. ROSENTHAL SHOT DOWN)
4 FEB 45 PRACTICE MISSION-ENGINE TROUBLE
5 FEB 45 MUNICH (MISSION SCRUBBED)
8 FEB 45 MISSION SCRUBBED
4. 9 FEB 45 WEIMAR, GER.
10 FEB 45 HANOVER (MISSION SCRUBBED)
11 FEB 45 HANOVER (MISSION SCRUBBED)
12 FEB 45 MISSION SCRUBBED
13 FEB 45 MISSION SCRUBBED
5. 14 FEB 45 CHEMNITZ, GER.
6. 15 FEB 45 COTTBUS, GER.
16-18 FEB 45 PASS, STAYED AT BASE
19 FEB 45 OSNABRUCK, GER. (CREW FLEW MISSION, SGT BARGER GROUNDED FOR SOAR THROAT)
7. 20 FEB 45 NURNBURG, GER.
8. 21 FEB 45 NURNBURG, GER.
9. 23 FEB 45 TREUCHTLINGEN, GER.
24 FEB 45 BREMEN (PLANE TROUBLE)
10. 25 FEB 45 MUNICH, GER.
26 FEB 45 GUN CAMERA MISSION OVER ENGLAND
27 FEB 45 TWO PRACTICE MISSIONS OVER ENGLAND
28 FEB 45 WENT TO NORWICH
1 MAR 45 RECEIVED AIR MEDAL
2-4 MAR 45 PASS TO LONDON
5 MAR 45 PRACTICE MISSION OVER ENGLAND
6 MAR 45 PRACTICE MISSION OVER ENGLAND
7 MAR 45 GUNNERY TRAINING
11. 8 MAR 45 LANGENDREER, GER.
12. 9 MAR 45 FRANKFORT, GER
13. 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND, GER.
14. 12 MAR 45 SWINEMUNDE, GER.
13 MAR 45 SANFORD GROUNDED (SINUS)
14-16 MAR 45 SCHOOL
17-19 MAR 45 PASS TO ROCHESTER
15. 21 MAR 45 PLAUEN, GER. (HIT BY JET FIGHTERS)
16. 23 MAR 45 MARBURG, GER. (PILOT WAS CAPT. NAAR)
17. 24 MAR 45 STEENWIJK, HOLLAND (PILOT WAS CAPT. NAAR
18. 28 MAR 45 HANOVER, GER, (PILOT WAS CAPT NAAR)
30 MAR 45 MADE S/SGT.
31 MAR-APRIL 2, 45 PASS TO ROCHESTER
3-6 APR 45 SCHOOL AND LECTURES
7 APR 45 LONIE L. SHOT DOWN NEAR HAMBURG
8-10 APR 45 PASS TO LONDON
12 APR 45 NEUBURG (SCRUBBED)
13 APR 45 SCHEDULED FOR PRACTICE MISSION OVER ENGLAND,ENGINE TROUBLE.
19. 14 APR 45 ROYAN POINT de GRAVE, FRANCE
20. 15 APR 45 ROYAN, POINT de GRAVE FRANCE
21 16 APR 45 ROYAN, POINT de GRAVE, FRANCE
22 17 APR 45 AUSSIG, CZECH
19 APR 45 FLEXIBLE GUNNERY TRAINING SCHOOL
23. 20 APR 45 ORANIENBURG (BERLIN), GER.
CHOWHOUND:
1 MAY 45 FOOD MISSION TO HOLLAND
TARGET DATE PILOT A/C # A/C ID A/C NAME POSITION HARDSTAND
# 274 LANGENDREER 8 MARCH,1945 SANFORD 44-8532 XR-G "KLEEN SWEEP", B-SQDN HIGH FLGT. HARDSTAND #15
# 275 FRANKFURT 9 MARCH,1945 SANFORD 44-6608 XR-A A-SQDN, HIGH FLGT. HARDSTAND #19
# 276 DORTMUND 10 MARCH,1945 SANFORD 44-6841 XR-H "WOODY", C-SQDN, LEAD FLGT. HARDSTAND #16
# 278 SWINEMUNDE 12 MARCH,1945 SANFORD 44-8532 XR-G "KLEEN SWEEP", B-SQDN,LOW FLGT. HARDSTAND #15
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Charles "Chuck" Roland Sanford,86
Born during a blizzard in Duluth,Minn 10 March,1924 and died during a blizzard in Falmouth,Maine 12 Jan,2011
of heart complications from pneumonia.
Greetings:
I wanted to inform you that Charles R. Sanford, 2nd Lt., of the 349th,
passed away peacefully on Wednesday, 12 Jan 2011 in Portland, ME.
Contact person: Jo-Ellyn Harris, his daughter; 390 Colby Road, Weare, NH
03281; (603) 529-5852; jharris@gsinet.net
Thank you.
-Jay Couture
MEMO 2:
