COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
LT JAMES B. NOBLE P POW 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG
LT DALE R. McEWEN CP CPT 7 AUG 44 CLAMECY-JOIGNY
F/O ALEXANDER MARUCHESS NAV RFS 14 JUL 44 O-B2045261 RUSSIAN SPEAKER & INTERPRETER FOR MAGEE FULLER ON 1ST RUSSIAN SHUTTLE,
NEVER MADE IT, ACCIDENT ON RUNWAY.
LT DERRY D. IRONS BOM RFS 14 JUL 44 O-757522
T/SGT RUSSELL F. ELLIS ROG POW 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG
T/SGT FRANK CRUZ TTE POW 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG
S/SGT CHARLES J. SLAGHT BTG CPT 11 AUG 44 VILLACOUBLAY, AF
S/SGT ARTHUR L. ROBERTS WG KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG
S/SGT FREDERICK F. SCHWARTZ WG POW 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG
S/SGT WILLIAM P. McNALLY TG KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG
350th Sqdn.. Crew, as above, listed on Combat Crew Roster of 8 May 1944;
DATE: LAST_NAME: FIRST_NAME: RANK: POSITION: TARGET: CREW_NBR: PLANE_NBR:
4/9/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P KRZESINKI (POSEN) 18 97534
4/10/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P RHEIMS/ CHAMPAGNE 18 97534
4/11/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P POSEN / ROSTOCK T.O. 18 31049
4/12/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P SCHEUDITZ (RECALL) 18 97534
4/13/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P AUGSBURG 18
5/1/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P SAARGUEMINES/WIZERNES 18 31049
5/7/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P BERLIN 18 31049
5/8/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P BERLIN & LaGLACERIE 18 31049
5/12/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P BRUX, OIL REFINERY 18 37800
5/13/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P OSNABRUCK 18 32009
5/19/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P BERLIN 18 31903
5/20/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P BRUSSELS 18 31903
5/24/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P BERLIN 18 31903
5/25/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P BRUSSELS 18 31903
6/2/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P BOULOGNE 18 6089
6/6/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P FALAISE/OUISTREHAM 18 6089
6/6/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P FALAISE/OUISTREHAM 38 107233
6/12/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT P ROSIERES & DUNKIRK 18 6089
7/6/1944 NOBLE J.B. LT CP FLEURY/CREPEUIL PFF
on the MERSEBURG mission of 28 Jul 44 the crew flew as a pathfinder with the following crew component...
CREW
DATE: 28 July 1944 350th Sqdn A/C#42-97555 Pathfinder
MISSION: Merseburg MACR#7880,Micro-fiche#2890
Capt Floyd H.Mason (349th Ops Officer) COM P POW
1st Lt James B.Noble P POW
2nd Lt Robert P.Lipps CP POW
1st Lt Edmund J.Kaufman RAD/NAV POW
1st Lt Robert W.Barry NAV POW (WIA)
2nd Lt Marcus M.Hertz BOM POW
T/Sgt Frank Cruz,Jr. TTE POW
T/Sgt Russell F.Ellis ROG POW
S/Sgt Arthur L.Roberts RWG KIA
S/Sgt William P.McNally TG KIA
S/Sgt Frederick F.Swartz LWG POW
Of the above,Noble, Cruz, Ellis, Roberts, McNally,and Swartz appear to be from the
original Noble crew. Lipps was from the M.C.Rumley crew. Kaufman from the R.A.
Wegrzynek crew.Barry from the H.E.Bethea crew. Mason had joined the 100th with
his own crew on 28/11/43 and may have been on his 2nd tour.
Eyewitness Report: " At 0850 hours near 5043N-0802E,A/C #555 nosed down twice
and the group followed.Then the wheels were lowered and fire was seen in the
radio room. Looked as if it might be a flare fire. The A/C peeled off to the
right.A small explosion was seen in the right wing between #3 engine and the
fuselage. Ono man bailed out before the A/C left the formation. The others
followed. Nine chutes were seen to open and the tenth had not opened when the man
disappoared into the undercast. The fire in the A/C appeared to be out when it
plunged into the undercast flying steadily under AFCE control."
On 4/3/46 Capt.Robert W.Barry gave the following statement:
SUBJECT:Casualty Information of Crew Members.
· . . . .
a. Activities before leaving aircraft: - Captain Mason was the first crew member
to leave the A/C via a front exit.He departed with his harness on, but not
fastened,and his parachute in his left hand,approxlmately 2 1/2 minutes after the
explosion.
Sgt.Roberts,who was the engineer and top turret gunner and not the right waist
gunner(as shown on questionaire),had not left at time of my departure;however,
according to informatlon as given to me by the bombardier,at a subsequent date,
there was no one left in front end of the ship when he left. It can be therefore
assumed that Sgt.Roberts suceeded in bailing out.
Sgt.McNally,being a waist gunner,would bail out via the rear exits. All communi-
cation with the back of the ship had gone dead at the time of the explosion.I
have no way of stating whether this crew member ever left the ship from personal
knowledge.However,from information received from Capt.E.J.Kaufman,Radar Navigator,
McNally bailed out at about the same time as he did.
LT DALE McEWEN BECAME 1S PILOT OF THIS CREW SOMETIME AFTER THEIR 10TH MISSION.
2ND LT ROBERT A. WEGRZYNEK P RFS ILLNESS
2ND LT CHARLES J. GUTEKUNST CP NOC
2ND LT EDMUND J. KAUFMAN NAV POW 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG, OIL REFINERY (WITH F.H.MASON CREW)
2ND LT JACK . EPPENDORF BOM KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY
S/SGT GEORGE W. WRIGHT TTE NOC
S/SGT JAY V. EMRICH ROG NOC TAPS: 1988
SGT DALE E. STRAUSBAUGH BTG NOC
SGT ESWIN J. TYRRELL WG NOC
SGT LUTHER A. WISE, JR. WG NOC
SGT RINALDO J. BUSSINO TG CPT 24 JUL 44 ST LO GROUND SUPPORT
350TH SQDN....CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 09 MAR 1944..
"FLEW FIRST MISSION ON APRIL 11, 1944. AFTER 10 MISSIONS, LT ROBERT WEGRZYNEK WAS GROUNDED BY A SERIOUS ILLNESS THAT REQUIRED A LONG PERIOD OF RECUPERATION IN A STATESIDE MILITARY HOSPITAL. WHILE SERVING IN COMBAT, HIS B-17 CREW WAS UNITED IN THEIR BELIEF THAT BOB WAS AN OUTSTANDING LEADER AND EXCEPTIONAL PILOT".....2ND LT CHARLES GUTEKUNST IN LETTER DATED DEC. 2000 mpf
LT DALE R. McEWEN TOOK OVER THIS CREW AS FIRST PILOT. LT KAUFMAN WAS REPLCED ON THE CREW BY FLIGHT OFFICER ALEXANDER MARUCHESS BOTH MCEWEN AND MARUCHESS WERE FROM LT JAMES NOBLE CREW. PROABLY MOST OF THIS CREW COMPLETED TOURS.
FLIGHT RECORD
RINALDO J. BUSSINO 39550304
350TH SQDN.. 100TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H)
THORPE ABBOTTS, ENGLAND (STA # 139)
DATE TARGET FLT, TIME
5 APR 1944 LOCAL AREA 2:40
9 APR 1944 AIR SEA RESCUE 4:30
11 APR 1944 POSEN, AC & ROSTOCK, CITY 11:30
12 APR 1944 SCHKEUDITZ, AC FACTORY (RECALL) 3:30
18 APR 1944 GENSHAGEN (BERLIN) AC ENGINES 8:15
19 APR 1944 LIPPSTADT & WERL AF'S 6:45
20 APR 1944 MARQUENVILLE & FLOTTEMANVILLE-HAGUE 5:00
24 APR 1944 FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, AC FACTORY 9:15
28 APR 1944 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL) 5:30
29 APR 1944 BERLIN, CITY 9:30
1 MAY 1944 SAARGUEMINES, MY & WIZERNES (NOBALL 7:15
3 MAY 1944 LOCAL AREA 4:30
4 MAY 1944 ABORT 2:00
7 MAY 1944 LOCAL AREA 1:00
10 MAY 1944 FALLERSLEBEN, MOTOR TRANSP. (RECALL) 3:30
11 MAY 1944 LIEGE, MY 5:00
17 MAY 1944 LOCAL AREA 1:30
19 MAY 1944 BERLIN, CITY (RECALL) 2:10
20 MAY 1944 LOCAL AREA 2:30
22 MAY 1944 LOCAL AREA 3:20
23 MAY 1944 TROYES, AF 8:00
24 MAY 1944 BERLIN, CITY (SPARE; NO HOLES TO FILL) 3:30
28 MAY 1944 LOCAL AREA 2:30
31 MAY 1944 OSNABRUCK, MY 8:30
2 JUN 1944 BOULOGNE & PARIS, RAILWAY JUNCTION 4:10
3 JUN 1944 LOCAL AREA 3:00
5 JUN 1944 ABBEVILLE & BOULOGNE 5:30
6 JUN 1944 OUISTREHAM, TOWN 6:30
6 JUN 1944 FALAISE, TOWN 7:30
7 JUN 1944 NANTES, BRIDGE 7:50
10 JUN 1944 MORLAIX, AF 5:30
15 JUN 1944 LOCAL AREA 1:30
20 JUN 1944 FALLERSLEBEN, MT FACTORY 7:00
7 JUL 1944 MERSEBURG & BOHLEN, OIL REFS 3:20
8 JUL 1944 CLAMECY-JOIGNY, RAILWAY BRIDGE 5:30
10 JUL 1944 LOCAL AREA 5:20
11 JUL 1944 MUNICH, AERO ENGINES 10:20
12 JUL 1944 MUNICH, INDUSTRIAL AREA 9:20
13 JUL 1944 MUNICH, JET ENGINES 8:20
17 JUL 1944 AUXERRE, RAIL BRIDGE 7:45
18 JUL 1944 KIEL, HEMMINGSTADT, OIL (100TH "B") 7:10
19 JUL 1944 SCHWEINFURT & DUREN 7:00
20 JUL 1944 MERSEBURG, OIL REFINERY 8:10
21 JUL 1944 REGENSBURG & LUDWIGSHAFEN 7:30
24 JUL 1944 ST. LO, GROUND SUPPORT 6:15
6 AUG 1944 LOCAL AREA 1:00
6 AUG 1944 LOCAL AREA 1:30
7 AUG 1944 LOCAL AREA 2:00
MEMO 2: