COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
350TH CREW #10 A/C #42-30047 "SWEATER GIRL"
Original Crew, Capt Carnell replaced Capt Carey as 350th Operations Officer when Capt Carey was shot down on July 25, 1943
CAPT MARK E. CARNELL P: CPT 13 FEB 44 LIVOSSART & BOIS REMPRE (NOBALL) ORGINAL 100TH PILOT
2ND LT EDWARD K. MOFFLY CP: CPT
1ST LT ANTHONY C. GOSPODAR NAV: CPT 11 DEC 43 EMDEN
1ST LT JAMES P. FITTON BOM: CPT 31 DEC 43 PARIS
T/SGT VERN M. BEST TTE: CPT
S/SGT WILLIAM J. WILLIAMS WG: POW 8 OCT 43 BREMEN (CREW #15 LT BERNIE DeMARCO)
SGT EDMUND A. OLIVER ROG: POW 10 JUL 43 PARIS (CREW #12 LT CHARLES DUNCAN)
S/SGT STEVE BOSSER BTG: CPT
S/SGT PAUL A. VRABEC, JR WG: CPT 24 DEC 43 ST JOSEPH(NOBALL)
S/SGT FLOYD P. BULLARD TG: CPT 24 DEC 43 ST JOSEPH(NOBALL)
NOTE: PAUL VRABEC NOT ONLY COMPLETED 25, BUT VOLUNTEERED AND FLEW FIVE ADDITIONAL MISSIONS.
On 10 July 1943, radio operator Ed Oliver flew with Crew #12 which was lost that day and Oliver became a POW. He was soon replaced on the crew by George Rudden from Crew #17 which went down over Kiel on 25 July. On 8 October 1943, William Williams flew with Crew #15 and went down over Bremen.
According to a letter from Vern Best in 1980, Mark Carnell suffered a broken arm in a bicycle accident on the field and was unable to fly for a considerable length of time. He was replaced by Bill Desanders whose crew (#17) had been lost on 25 July. Best also says that Paul Vrabec not only completed 25 missions but volunteered for five additional and finished those.
Missions for Mark Carnell & Crew:
1. 25 JUN 43 BREMEN 230068 PHARTZAC
2. 26 JUN 43 LeMANNS 23279 BADGER BEAUTY
3. 28 JUN 43 ST NAZAIRE "FLAK CITY" 23279 BADGER BEAUTY
4. 29 JUN 43 LeMANNS 23279 BADGER BEAUTY
5. 4 JUL 43 LaPALLICE 230047 SWEATER GIRL
6. 17 JUL 43 HAMBURG 230047 SWEATER GIRL
7. 24 JUL 43 TRONDHEIM 230047 SWEATER GIRL
8. 26 JUL 43 HANOVER 230047 SWEATER GIRL
9. 28 JUL 43 OSCHERSLEBEN 230047 SWEATER GIRL
10. 29 JUL 43 WARNEMUNDE 230047 SWEATER GIRL
At this point, Capt. Mark Carnell brakes his arm and is grounded. While recouperating, he becomes operations office. Capt Dick Carey, original squadron operations officer had been shot down with Lt Desanders Crew on 25 July 43 mission to Kiel. Lt William Desanders takes over the Carnell crew and fly their first mission together:
11. 24 AUG 43 CONCHES, EVREUX-FAUVILLE 230380
12. 3 SEPT 43 PARIS 230358 PHARTZAC
13. 23 SEPT 43 VANNES 230380 LN-P
14. 26 SEPT 43 PARIS 230380 LN-P
15. 27 SEPT 43 EMDEN 23233 OUR BABY
16. 4 OCT 43 SAARLUIS & HANAU 230725 AW-R-G0
17. 9 OCT 43 MARIENBURG 23433 LENA
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DATE: 10 July 1943 350th Sqdn. A/C# 42-30050 "JUDY D"
MISSION: Paris (Le Bourget AF) MACR #268,Micro-fiche 89
1st Lt Charles L.Duncan P POW
2nd Lt Archibald L.Robertson CP EVADEE
2nd Lt Oliver M.Chiesl NAV POW
1st Lt William H.Forbes BOM POW
T/Sgt Ernest De Los Santos TTE POW
Sgt Edmund A.Oliver ROG POW (From Capt Mark Carnell's Crew #10)
S/Sgt Gene F.Frank BTG POW
S/Sgt Bernard L.Hanover WG POW
Sgt R.Q."Parrish" Reynolds WG POW & ESCAPE
S/Sgt William D.Whitley TG POW
EYE WITNESSES:
Major J.C.Egan - "Duncan's ship went down in France near coast. Saw 8 chutes.Plane broke into flames."
1st Lt.R.C.King - "A/C #050,#1 engine on fire dropped below formation and circled.Six chutes seen all bailed out over land between Dieppe & FeCamp. After six bailed out ship headed approximately 180 degrees True and disappeared in a cloud."
1st Lt. C.R.Biddick - Saw 10 chutes at 27,000 ft. Landed,we think,on the ground .
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CREW
1ST LT BERNARD A. DeMARCO P POW 08 OCT 43 BREMEN
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. LEO FREITAS AND LEO CALLAHAN WERE RECOVERING FROM WOUNDS RECIEVED ON THE 6 SEP 43 (STUTTGART) MISSION AND WERE REPLACED BY WILLIAM J. WILLIAMS OF CAPT. MARK CARNELL CREW AND WILLIAM R. WOODBURY, A REPLACEMENT GUNNER.
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.
The following form contents were entered on 23rd Nov 1
Date = 23 Nov 1 19:18:37
subject = 100thBG Question Submission
messages = 286
email = wpf13@hotmail.com
uname = Wally P. Fydenchuk
comments = I'm researching U.S. citizens who enlisted in the RCAF prior to Pearl Harbor.
As your website lists, Lt Charlie Wilson, Lt Robert Pearson and Capt. Richard Carey, were ex RCAF Americans. Capt. Mark Carnell was another ex RCAF member. His RCAF service number was C 6873. He was a staff pilot at #4 Wireless School. He transferred to the USAAF May 1942. Two others also served/trained with RCAF MAGEE CHARLES FULLER, SERVICE NUMBER; R66199 Enlisted Niagara Falls 8-9-40 and Michael Garemko completed EFTS training (basic flight training) before transferring to the US Forces. Found another Lt Reginald Smith He graduated from No. 5 Service Flying Training School Brantford, Ontario…Wally
Subj: Re: TAPS REPORT
Date: 7/30/2002 7:01:44 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: dearstew@avci.net
To: MPFaley@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Dear Michael,
Thank you for responding. I only know he joined the Royal Canadian AF after being turned down by the US because of his nearsightedness. He was raised outside of London, Ontario after his mother's death. His wife, whom he married after the war, died a couple of years ago. They had no children. I do have a picture of him in his USAF uniform, but no other pictures. I will inquire of my cousins. He has a sister, Phyllis Ferguson, who lives in Traverse City with her daughter. She may remember more. I'll call her tomorrow night & give her your address. As to his missions, I'm afraid I only remember my mother saying he was on a bombing mission to the Polish oil fields. But that may not be an accurate rememberance. He stayed in the reserves after the war, and retired a Lt. Col. We do have a rather funny video of him explaining his efforts (probably in 1985 or 1986) of trying to get to a reunion in England. My daughter has it now, and is in the process of editing it (It is quite long).
Sincerely, Sally Stewart.
MEMO 2:
POW/KIA notes: Original 100th, Crew #10. Replaced Leo T. Callahan who was recovering from Wounds suffered on 6 Sep 43 mission to Stuttgart.