COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
CAPT. HENRY F. SMITH P CPT DATE & MISSION UNK
1ST LT WESLEY R. CARLTON CP KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
2ND LT MARK M. HERTZ NAV/BOM POW 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG SN# 0-700104 (see note below)
T/SGT MILTON S. EDELSTEIN ROG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
T/SGT HIKE B.. BAGDASIAN TTE KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
SGT GARNET E. SYMINGTON BTG CPT 26 AUG 44 BREST (FLEW 18 MISSIONS WITH THIS CREW, ORIGINAL CREW LT BETHEA)
S/SGT PAUL J. HAHN LWG NOC (FLEW 12 MISSIONS CAPT SMITH CREW, THEN TO SPARE GUNNERS POOL)
S/SGT WILLIAM U. SCHAEFER RWG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
S/SGT GEORGE E. WATROUS TG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
350th Sqdn. Crew as of June 1944. Crew flew 14 mission in A/C 42-31991 MISS-CHIEF .
It appears this crew used a toggelier for many missions until July 18, 1944 when Lt Eppendorf became the permanent bombardier. CAPT SMITH WAS A GROUP COMMAND PILOT FROM JUNE 1944 UNTIL COMPLETION OF TOUR. He left the Crew after the June 25th Maquis Supply drop and the crew flew three missions with Lt G.W. Clark (original CP with Lt Tiahrt Crew) as pilot before Lt Wesley Carlton took over the Crew. 2nd Lt Hertz shows up in records as flying as the Navigator on this Crew but left the crew after the July 8, 1944 Clamecy-Joigny mission to become a Pathfinder Bombardier (Lead Crew) with the 100th Bomb Group and the 95th Bomb Group. Capt. Smith became 350th Bomb Squadron Operations Officer in Sept. 1944.
CREW make up from 30 AUG 44 to 11 SEPT 44
MACR #8817, Micro-fiche #3237 A/C #42-97154 Our Baby Hutchie
1ST LT WESLEY R. CARLTON P KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
2ND LT EDWARD F. NEU CP POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND (Pilot of own crew)
1ST LT HUGH R. DAVIDSON NAV POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND (from Lt Neu Crew)
1ST LT JACK L. EPPENDORF BOM KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND (from LT ROBERT A. WEGRZYNEK CREW)
T/SGT MILTON S. EDELSTEIN ROG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
T/SGT HIKE B. BAGDASIAN TTE KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
S/SGT RALPH E. JACOBSON BTG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
S/SGT WILLIAM U. SCHAEFER WG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
S/SGT GEORGE E. WATROUS TG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
350th Sqdn. Crew as of 30 Aug 44, Jack Eppendorf was orginally on the crew of R.A.Wegrzynek and Ralph Jacobson was on the original crew of L.W. Riegel, Lt Davidson from Lt Neu Crew.
MISSION LIST OF CAPT. HENRY SMITH AND LT. WESLEY CARLTON
# DATE TARGET PILOT/COPILOT A/C NUMBER A/C NAME
1. 18/6/44 MITBURG LT. SMITH 2102695 NO NAME
LT. W. CARLTON-CP
2. 19/6/44 CORME ECLUSE LT. SMITH 232009 BLACK CAT 13
LT. W. CARLTON-CP
3. 20/6/44 FALLERSLEBEN LT. SMITH 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. W. CARLTON-CP
4. 24/6/44 GRAND COURONNE LT. SMITH 231049 SUPERSTITIOUS ALOYSIOUS
LT. W. CARLTON-CP
5. 25/6/44 MAQUIS SUPPLY DROP LT SMITH 231074 CAHEPIT
LT W. CARLTON-CP
6. 6/7/44 FLEURY LT. G.W. CLARK 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. W. CARLTON-CP
7. 8/7/44 CLAMECY-JOIGNY LT. G.W. CLARK 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. W. CARLTON-CP
LT HERTZ LEAVES CREW TO BECOME RADAR/NAVIGATOR
8. 11/7/44 MUNICH LT. G.W. CLARK 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. W. CARLTON-CP
9. 18/7/44 KIEL LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. G.C. MALCOM-CP
LT J.L. EPPENDORF BECOMES BOMBARDIER ON THIS CREW
10. 20/7/44 MERSEBURG LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. R. DYKEMAN-CP
11. 21/7/44 REGENSBURG LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. R. DYKEMAN-CP
12. 24/7/44 ST LO LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. R. DYKEMAN-CP
CREW REDUCED TO 9 MEN, S/SGT P.J. HAHN IS TAKEN OFF THE CREW AND SENT TO SPARE GUNNERS POOL
13. 25/7/44 ST LO LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. R. DYKEMAN-CP (Lt Dykeman is KIA on July 29, 1944 with Fitzroy Crew)
14. 31/7/44 MUNICH LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. E.F. NEU ?-CP
15. 2/8/44 TERGNIER LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. E.F. NEU ?-CP
16. 3/8/44 TROYES LT. W. CARLTON 297924 PARTY TONIGHT
LT. E.F. NEU ?-CP
17. 4/8/44 HAMBURG LT. W. CARLTON 338043 NO NAME
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
18. 5/8/44 MAGDEBURG LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
19. 6/8/44 BERLIN LT. W. CARLTON 46089 LEADING LADY
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
20. 7/8/44 BEAUTOR LT. W. CARLTON 337882 HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
21. 26/8/44 BREST LT. W. CARLTON 46089 LEADING LADY
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
SGT G.E. SYMINGTON COMPLETES 35 MISSIONS AND IS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY S/SGT R.E.JACOBSON
22. 30/8/44 BREMEN LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
23. 8/9/44 MAINZ LT. W. CARLTON 231991 MISS-CHIEF
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
24. 9/9/44 DUSSELDORF LT. W. CARLTON 338043 NO NAME
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
25. 10/9/44 NURNBURG LT. W. CARLTON 338043 NO NAME
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
26. 11/9/44 RUHLAND LT. W. CARLTON 297154 OUR BABY HUTCHIE (SHOT DOWN)
LT. E.F. NEU-CP
The following is quoted from a letter written by E.F.Neu dated 23 July 1945...pw
"........we were flying in the low squadron numbering twelve aircraft of which 11 were shot down. Our ship was badly hit and on fire. Lt Carlton, who was flying in the right seat suffered wounds on the right side of his face and head. Lt. Carlton had his chute fastened to his harness the last time I saw him. While I was trying to move the Engineer's (Bagdasian) body from the escape hatch the ship exploded and I came to on the ground. Due to the fire in the bomb bay no one from the front of the ship could go to the rear, also the inter phone was shot out so no communications in the ship was possible.
Lt. Carlton's wounds seemed to be serious from the way he was bleeding. S/Sgt Schaefer and Watrous were in the rear of the ship and due to fire and no inter phone we could not communicate with them, although they were ordered by Lt. Carlton and myself to leave the ship before out inter phone was shot out."
NOTE:
CREW
DATE: 28 July 1944 350th Sqdn A/C#42-97555 PATHFINDER "Island F for Fox" on loan from 95th BG
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. Lt Hertz was from Capt. Smith/Lt Wesly Carlton Crew.
Mason had joined the 100th withhis 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."
MEMO 2:
Hike B. Bagdasian was born in Virginia in 1918 to Harry and Rosa Bagdasian. The US Census 1930 locates the family in Washington, D.C. Bagdasian was drafted, and inducted into military service at Fort Myer, Virginia on June 2, 1942. His enlistment papers confirm nativity and state he had completed 3 years of high school. The file also states he was employed as a postal clerk. He was chosen for flight duty, and received training as both a flight engineer and as an aerial gunner. He was then assigned to crew training. The crew deployed to England, arriving there in June, 1944. Although the crew underwent changes in personnel through the months that followed, Bagdasian remained with the crew, and was dispatched on at least 26 missions.
On September 11, 1944, the crew was sent to bomb the oil refinery located at Ruhland, Germany. Over the target, the formation was attacked by enemy fighters. After several firing passes, the B-17 was burning, with several of the crew wounded. It is assumed the bail-out was given, but then, the plane exploded. Wreckage fell near a small German village.
Two crew members were captured by the Germans and made prisoners. It can be assumed they parachuted down, but they could have survived the crash. Seven bodies were removed from the crash scene, and buried locally. After the war ended, these were retrieved and moved to other cemeteries. On February 27, 1950 (by records) they were buried in a group burial in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. The graves are in Section 78, Graves 957-961.
TSgt Hike B. Bagdasian was acting as flight engineer and top turret gunner on B-17 F #42-97154, named "Our Baby Hutchie," assigned to the 350th Bomb Squadron. (Other sources use the name "Our Babe," but "Our Bay Hutchie" is used throughout 100th Bomb Group records.)
Missing Air Crew Report 8817 was issued to account for this loss. Crew rosters show the crew as:
1 Lt Wesley R. Carlton p
2 Lt Edward F. Neu c-p
2 Lt Hugh R. Davidson nav
1 Lt Jack L. Eppendorf bomb
TSgt Hike B. Bagdasian eng/tt gun
TSgt Milton S. Edelstein r/o
SSgt Ralph E. Jacobson btg
SSgt William U. Schaefer wg
SSgt George E. Watrous tail gun
Lts Neu and Davidson were the only survivors.
