COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
Capt Robert H. Lohof P POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN TAPS: 28 OCT 1985
Capt Gerald R. Putnam COM P POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
1st Lt Robert L. Phillips, Jr CP CPT 4 MAR 44 BERLIN (with Lt William B. Murray Crew, see below)
1st Lt William E. Vaden NAV POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
1st Lt Paul T. Davis BOM POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
T/Sgt Guy L. Brown ROG POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
T/Sgt Sidney A. Goldenberg TTE POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
S/Sgt Vern R. Lines BTG POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
S/Sgt Richard L. David RWG POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
S/Sgt James M. Butler LWG POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
S/Sgt George W. Briggs TG POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
(G.W.Briggs died 11 Apr 45 -see POW Dr report below)
349th Sqdn. Arrived at 100th Bomb Group in September 1943. This crew was on it's 24th mission.
See lost crews (J.G. Gossage & R.D.Vollmer) of 3 Mar 44 for more information on loss of this aircraft.
MACR # 3022, Microfiche # 1022 A/C #42-31970
Lt Phillips was bumped off the mission because Capt. Putnam flew as Command Pilot. Lt Phillips flew final two mission with Lt William B. Murray Crew.
All ten men on the Putnam/Lohof Crew safely parachuted into northern Germany and were taken prisoner. George Briggs the tail gunner died while in captivity. Vollmer was on his 14th mission, flying Capt. Putnams original "Murderers Row". Five men on this crew were KIA, Vollmer and four others were taken POW.
According to Dr. Leslie Caplan's M. D.* sworn affadavit in Minneaplos,MN on
Dec 48 & Jan 48, he reports:
At 0200 on April 9, l945 at a barn in Wohlen, Germany, S/Sgt George W.
Briggs (Ser #39 193 615, TG of the Capt Robert H. Lohof crew,
(which crashed March 3, l944 @ Berlin), was suddenly overcome by violent
shaking of the entire body & soon went into a coma.
This patient was sent tp a German hospital. We were under the jurisdiction of
POW Camp Stalag IIB & they voluntarily sent this patient to a hospital. This is
in marked contrast to the treatment received when we were under the
jurisidiction of Stalag Luft 4 when every hopitalization was either
refused or granted after a long series of waiting for gaurds, waiting
for permission to see Capt Weinert and awaiting his decision. In spite
of the prompt hospitalization, this patient died on April 11, 1945. No
doubt this death was largely caused by being weakened on the first march
while under the jurisdiction of Stalag 4.
*Dr. Leslier Caplan continued to help ex-prisoners of war until his
death.
National Medial Research Committee
American Ex-Prisoners of War, Inc.
1410 Adler Road
Marshfield, WI 54449
AMBC;
S/Sgt George W. Briggs, US Army Air Force, Service #39193615,
349th Bomb Sqdn, 100th Bomb Group. Entered the service from: Washington.
Buried at Row 37 Grave 12, Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium.
His awards are: The Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters.
Hope this helps. Regards
Ken McPherson 8 th AFHS..
Captain Robert H. Lohof Crew
Mission Summary
1. 8 Oct 43 Bremen
2. 9 Oct 43 Marienburg
3. 14 Oct 43 Schweinfurt
4. 20 Oct 43 Duren
5. 3 Nov 43 Wilhelmshaven
6. 5 Nov 43 Gelsenkirchen
7. 7 Nov 43 Duren
8. 13 Nov 43 Bremen
9. 16 Nov 43 Vermark, Ryukan Valley, Norway
10. 19 Nov 43 Zutphen, Netherlands
11. 26 Nov 43 Paris, France
12. 29 Nov 43 Bremen
13. 5 Dec 43 Bordeaux, France
14. 11 Dec 43 Emden
15. 13 Dec 43 Kiel
16. 16 Dec 43 Bremen
17. 24 Dec 43 St Joseph au Bois, Pas de Calais coast, France
18. 11 Jan 43 Osnabruk
19. 21 Jan 43 Pas de Calais, France
20. 5 Feb 43 Romily sur Seine, France (actually bombed alternate target south of Paris)
21. 6 Feb 43 Romily sur Seine, France (actually bombed airfield near Evereaux)
22. 13 Feb 43 Pas de Calais, France
23. 21 Feb 43 Brunswick/Braunschweig (dads Casualty Report lists instead 23 Feb, Althorn; he may have mistaken the date and Althorn may have been IVO Braunschweig.)
24. 3 Mar 44 Berlin (mission recalled; Lohof crew shot down)
1st Lt William B. Murray P KIA 6/3/44 Berlin
Lt Richard M. Lambiotte CP POW 6/3/44 Berlin
2nd Lt Orrin H. Heinrich N POW 6/3/44 Berlin
2nd Lt William G. Carr B POW 6/3/44 Berlin
T/Sgt Emory L. Brandt E POW 6/3/44 Berlin
S/Sgt Fred C. Schillinger R KIA 6/3/44 Berlin
S/Sgt Jim Peace BT POW 6/3/44 Berlin
S/Sgt Palmer J. Hanson RW POW 6/3/44 Berlin
S/Sgt Mahlon A. Hall TG KIA 6/3/44 Berlin
Sgt Nick E. Hamalak LW POW 6/3/44 Berlin
349th Sqdn. MACR #3017, Microfiche #1020, A/C #42-30799.
Lt. Lambiotte was the regular CP on the crew of F.H. Mason. The crew on its 15th or 16th mission.
"Murray's head blown off by 20mm and his body destroyed by fire and explosion after plane
crashed." Sgt. Hall was in the radio room having his head dressed by Sgt Schillinger and
either fainted or remained to long in the plane and was killed in the crash. When this
crew joined the 100th group on 1/12/43, 2nd Lt Fred (?) Craft, Jr. was the CP. No further
record of him has been found. On 3/3/44 one R.L. Phillips flew on this crew as CP. He
CPT.
A letter of 9/10/86 from Palmer J.Hanson reads that he recalls that"Fred Craft left our
crew when both his ear drums were damaged." . . . . . "R.L.Phillips flew with us on Mar.4,1943.
On Mar.6th Lt.Lambiotte joined the crew. He was a regular on the F.H.Mason crew.
This was our 15th & last mission."
RECOLLECTIONS OF SIDNEY GOLDENBERG (TTE ON LOHOF CREW)..."THE PILOT ANNOUNCED WE WERE TURNING BACK, SO I DISCONNECTED FROM MY OXYGEN AND WENT TO CHECK ON FUEL. I HEARD GUNFIRE...PILOT CAME ON INTERCOM AND SAID 'WE'RE HIT, WE'RE GOING DOWN, BAIL OUT! THERE WERE INJURIES. I HAD TO PUSH THE BOMBARDIER OUT OF THE HATCH. WE WERE IN CLOUDS, DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IF WE WERE OVER LAND OR WATER. IT WAS SNOWING HEAVILY , DIFFICULT TO BREATH OR SEE. COULD SEE LAND JUST BEFORE HITTING GROUND, WAS MET BY ANGRY CIVILIANS. DURING INTEROGATION THER GERMANS TOLD ME THAT THE WHOLE CREW WAS CAPTURED, THAT THEY KNEW CAPT. PUTNAM WAS NOT MY REGULAR PILOT... I ACTED AS IF I DID NOT KNOW HIM"
S/Sgt Richard L. David
100th BG / 349th BS
b. Nov. 18, 1920 - d. Mar. 4 2013
69 years and 1 day after being shot down in Germany over Berlin and being held prisoner for 11 months.
He was part of Capt. Robert Lohof's crew on A/C # 42-31970 when they where shot down on a mission to Berlin.
You may find it interesting to know that I have a letter from my grandfather to my great-grandmother dated November 3, 1943 detailing that he was on the original crew of "Ol' DAD" A/C # 42-3534. In the letter, my grandfather states that their "Ship" was a B-17G and that the nicknames of the crew were painted in their positions. My grandfather was the RWG. His nickname was "Dick". He names the pilot as "Crash". The copilot as "Jockey". Tailgunner "Gramps". Navigator "Foparty". Bombardier, Andy J. "Melonhead". And LWG as "Hoboken.
In his letter, he also describes the nose art as a "raunchy character holding a mug of beer".
I have searched and searched for information about the original crew of "Ol' DAD" and her artwork, but have yet to come up with anything except the crash and her crew at the time, which my grandfather was not on.
At the time of the crash of "Ol' DAD" (April 1944) my grandfather had already been in a "Luftwaffe hospital near the North Sea" sent to several other p.o.w. camps until ending up in Stalag IVD. (Anneburg near Leipzig). I have a separate letter written by my grandfather detailing the accounts of what happened after his crash in A/C # 42-31970 also.
Here is a link to his obituary:
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/obituary/3418306
I thank you for your time. I know that there are fewer and fewer of these heroes with us everyday and how important it is that they are remembered.
God Bless,
Simon Smith
simple0315@aol.com
MEMO 2:
Died in Apr 45 in POW Camp. Two stories of how…..1. He was shot while out of barracks after curfew and died from infection
