COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
2nd Lt Leo D.Ross P POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG sn#: 0-768685
2nd Lt Raigh Mason CP POW/WIA 31/12/44 HAMBURG SN# 0-765410
2nd Lt William T.Burruss NAV POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG SN# 0-2060931
2nd Lt Russell A.Koechel BOM POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG SN# 0-723984
Sgt Carl C.Andersen ROG POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG SN# 17157831
Cpl Jerry J.Angelotos TTE POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG SN# 19181921
Cpl Alfred L.Wenzel WG CPT 17/03/45 PLAUEN
Cpl John W.Affleck WG POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG SN# 33538431
Cpl Oscar K.Johnson BTG POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG SN# 14185089
Cpl James R.Wynne TG POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG SN# 35228761
350th Sqdn. Crew,as above,joined the 100th Group on 15/9/44. A/C #43 38408 "Faithful Forever"
MACR #11360, Micro fiche #4180
Cpl Wenzel was put in Spare Gunners pool when reduced to 9 men crews. Flew some missions with Lt Stanton Lawrence Crew
"On 31 Dec 44 the target was Hamburg. The 100th Bomb Group would lose 12 a/c on this mission. Flying in "C Squadron" of the 100th BG, Lt Leo D. Ross was in the Low Squadron, Low flight. They were in the "Tail End Charlie" postion along with Lt Macnab, Lt Webster, and Lt Rojohn. All 4 crews in the low flight were lost this day. At 12:30pm, B-17G "Faithful Forever" piloted by Lt Leo Ross was attacked by German fighters. Lt Ross dove down , leveled off, then went into a tight spin at 5000 ft. Two chutes were seen. The aircraft crashed at Bartelsdorf near Rotenberg (30km east of Bremen) Germany. " ... from MACR report mpf 2001
Crew #26, 100th Bomb Group/350th Sqdn.--joined 100th on September 15, 1944
Pilot:Leo"Buck" Ross
Co-Pilot: Lt. Reigh Mason
Navigator-Lt. William Burruss
Bomb.-Lt. Russell Koechel
Eng.-T/Sgt. Jerry Angolotus
Radio-T/Sgt Carl Andersen
Ball-S/Sgt. Oscar Johnson
Tail-S/Sgt. James Wynne
Waist- S/Sgt. John Affleck
(2nd Waist who was not still with crew during bail-out: Alfred L. Wenzel)
Mission Date Target Time
Oct. 7, 1944 Hamlin 8hr30min
Oct. 9, 1944 Mainz 6hr20min
Oct. 17, 1944 Cologne 6hr20min
Oct. 18, 1944 Kassel 8hr30min
Oct. 19, 1944 Ludwigshafen 7hr
Oct. 26, 1944 Hanover 7hr
Nov. 2, 1944 Merseburg 7hr45min
Nov. 9, 1944 Saarbrucken 7hr
Nov. 10, 1944 Wiesbaden 7hr
Nov. 16, 1944 Aachin 6hr30min
Nov. 21, 1944 Osnabruck 6hr30min
Nov. 29, 1944 Hamm 6hr15min
Nov. 30, 1944 Merseburg 8hr
Dec. 2, 1944 Koblenz 6hr
Dec. 4, 1944 Giessen 7hr30min
Dec. 5, 1944 Berlin 8hr30min
Dec. 24, 1944 Biblis 9hr
Dec. 25, 1944 Kaiserslautern 7hr10min--forced down in Brussels, Belgium--back to base on 27th
Dec. 28, 1944 Lunebach 7hr15min
Dec. 29, 1944 Frankfort 7hr
Dec. 30, 1944 Kassel 7hr
Dec. 31, 1944 Hamburg 6hr--shot down by fighters about noon
Beth Waller (John Affleck relative)
103 Smith Run Road
Browntown, VA 22610
phone/fax: (540) 636-4970
cell: (540) 671-6145
MEMO 2: