T/SGT Leo T. CALLAHAN |
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UNIT: 350th BOMB Sqdn | POSITION: TTE | ||
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Leo T. Callahan, WG on the Bernard A. DeMarco crew. Detailed Information Photo courtesy of Albert M. Freitas | |||
SERIAL #: 31120291 | STATUS: POW | ||
MACR: 02761 | CR: 02761 | ||
Comments1: 21 FEB 44 ALHORN & VORDEN BRUNSWICK (Original 100th, Crew #15) |
COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:CREW 1ST LT BERNARD A. DeMARCO P POW 08 OCT 43 BREMAN 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 S.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 (WITH LT LAKIN/COL KELLY)' CPL LEO T. CALLAHAN WG POW 21 FEB 44 BRUNSWICK (WITH LT WILLIAM FLETCHER CREW) 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. ALBERT FREITAS AND LEO CALLAHAN WERE RECOVERING FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED ON THE 6 SEP 43 (STUTTGART) MISSION AND WERE REPLACED BY WILLIAM J. WILLIAMS OF CAPT MARK CARNELL'S 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. CREW (see graphic) 1st Lt Wiliam H. Fletcher P POW 21/2/44 Burnswick 2nd Lt Richard M.Roper CP POW 21/2/44 Brunswick 2nd Lt George A.Browning NAV POW 21/2/44 Brunswick 2nd Lt Howard D.Venzie BOM POW 21/2/44 Brunswick T/Sgt James H.Whitton TTE Injured in crash after about 7 missions T/Sgt George A.Reid ROG POW 21/2/44 Brunswick S/Sgt Pietro J.Giaquinto BTG POW 21/2/44 Brunswick S/Sgt John J.Seman RWG POW 21/2/44 Brunswick S/Sgt Alexander Sosik LWG POW 21/2/44 Brunswick S/Sgt David V.Robb,Jr. TG POW 21/2/44 Brunswick MACR #276l Micro fiche #924 A/C #42 37796 350th Sqdn. Crew,as above,joined 100th Group in early Oct.1943 On 21/2/44,T/Sgt Leo T.Callahan,from the "Original" crew of B.DeMarco,was aboard in place of Sgt.James Whitton and became a POW. See p.184 MIGHTY EIGHTH WAR DIARY for picture and story of 21/2/44 Also letter from Fletcher's nephew,Joseph M.Lee (1983) --PRESENT ADDRES IS 3 SYCAMORE STATION, DECATUR, GA 30030 PHONE (404) 373-1336..paul west (Nov 1993) Found some info about 2 crew members of the "42-37796 'Fletchers Castoria III'" in a genealogy database: Name: Leo T. CALLAHAN Sex: M Birth: 1920 Death: 07 Dec 1990 in Rhode Island Father: John J. CALLAHAN (born: Sep 23 1900) Mother: Theresa SCALNON Brother: Donald CALLAHAN (born 1931) and John CALLAHAN Jr. Name: Howard D. VENZIE Sex: M Birth: 30 Apr 1918 in Philadelphia, PA Death: 6 Sep 1996 in Moorestown, Burlington County, NJ Event: Social Security Number 164-18-5257 Note: Howard served with the 100th Bomb Group during World War II. Father: - Mother: Dellia CHALOU b: 2 Nov 1885 in Massachusetts Marriage: Betty ????? Children: yes [name(s) unknown] CREW 350TH CREW #10 A/C #42-30047 "SWEATER GIRL" CAPT MARK E. CARNELL P: CPT ORGINAL 100TH PILOT 2ND LT EDWARD K. MOFFLY CP: CPT 1ST LT ANTHONY P. GOSPODAR NAV: CPT 11 DEC 43 EMDEN 1ST LT JAMES P. FITTON BOM: CPT 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. Accordinq 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. *************************************************************************************************************MEMO 2:
Crew opted to crash land in Holland rather than bail out. Was recuperating from wounds when
KIA / MIA / EVA / INT INFORMATION:
TARGET: Alhorn & Vorden | DATE: 1944-02-21 | |
AIRCRAFT: (42-37796) | CAUSE: Mech Prob in 3 Engines |
BURIAL INFORMATION
PLOT: | ROW: | |
GRAVE: | CEMETERY: |
PHOTOS:

Knute Knudson, Leo T. Callahan, an unidentified English girl and Nicholas Delcimmuto. Knudson and Delcimmuto - Detailed Information Callahan - Detailed Information Photos courtesy of Albert Freitas

Part of the Bernard A. DeMarco crew: (Left to Right) Standing; Benjamin J. Barr, Leon A. Castro and Leo T. Callahan, Kneeling; Harry C. Calhoun and Albert M. Freitas with "Misty." Photo taken May 1943 in Casper, Wyoming. Detailed Information Photos courtesy of Albert Freitas
SERVED IN:
Crew 1
- DEMARCO, Bernard A. - P
- THAYER, James P. - CP
- DOWNS, John W. - NAV
- HARPER, Francis S. - BOM
- BARR, Benjamin J. - TTE
- CALLAHAN, Leo T. - TTE
- STRINGFELLOW, Thornton - ROG
- CLEVEN, Gale W. - COM
- FREITAS, Albert M. - BTG
- CALHOUN, Harry C. - WG
- WOODBURY, William R. - WG
- CASTRO, Leon A. - TG