COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
1ST LT FLOYD H. "BUCKY" MASON P POW 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG, OIL REFINERY
2ND LT RICHARD LAMBIOTTE CP POW 06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP. TAPS: 17 JUL 1984
2ND LT WILLIAM J. DISHION, JR. NAV CPT 19 SEPT 44 SZOLNOK, HUNGARY TAPS: 18 MAY 1955
2ND LT GEORGE R. MORGAN BOM CPT 15 AUG 44 VENLO
T/SGT DWIGHT D. GUTSCH ROG CPT 25 JUL 44 ST LO (Ground Support) TAPS: 21 APR 1978
S/SGT RALPH G. ELLSWORTH TTE RFS TAPS: 11 JUN 1975
S/SGT GEORGE WESTLAKE BTG CPT 15 AUG 44 VENLO
S/SGT JAMES E. EUBANKS, JR WG CPT 12 OCT 44 BREMEN, AC FACTORY
S/SGT CHARLES S. LEVEE WG CPT 15 AUG 44 VENLO TAPS: 25 OCT 1981
S/SGT FRANK E. TARR TG CPT 25 JUL 44 ST LO (Ground Support)
349TH SQDN.. CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON 28 NOV 1943.
CAPT DISHION WAS TRANSFRERRED TO GROUP NAVIGATION AND FLEW MANY MISSIONS AS COMMAND NAVIGATOR IN THE LEAD SHIP (PFF, PATHFINDER) WITH COL TOM JEFFREY (CO OF THE 100TH) FLYING AS COMMAND PILOT. CAPT. DISHION FLEW BOTH RUSSIAN SHUTTLE MISSIONS IN THE LEAD PLANE. ON BOTH SHUTTLE MISSIONS, HE FLEW WITH COL JEFFREY AS COMMAND PILOT. HE FLEW A TOTAL OF 36 MISSIONS AND HAD 300 FLYING HOURS...Bill Dishion was killed in an automobile accident.a mere ten years after the war..
CAPT. FLOYD MASON WAS COMMAND PILOT WITH LT J.B. NOBLE ON 28 JUL 44 WHEN LOST. 2ND LT RICHARD LAMBIOTTE WAS FLYING CO-PILOT WITH LT. W.B. MURRAY WHEN LOST.
AIRCRAFT WAS NAMED "ONCE IN WHILE" NOT "MASON AND DIXON " AS IS WIDELY SUPPOSED..jb
AFTER 6 OR 8 MISSIONS, CAPT FLOYD MASON WAS MADE OPERATIONS OFFICER OF THE 349TH AND MERLE "MIKE" EHORN REPLACED HIM. EHORN CAME FROM THE S.A. CLARK CREW. LT STAPELTON, CP ON LT HARRISON CREW AND FUTURE 350TH BS OPERATIONS OFFICER TOO
INCOMPLETE LIST OF MISSIONS FOR CAPT WILLIAM DISHION (mpf…2004)
MARCH 16, 1944 AUGSBURG
APRIL 11, 1944 POSEN (CAPT FLOYD MASON AS COMMAND PILOT, LT A. MIKKELSEN-PILOT, CAPT. DISHION-LEAD NAV)
APRIL 13, 1944 AUGSBURG (CAPT MASON-COMMAND PILO, LT STAPLETON-PILOT, CAPT DISHION-LEAD NAV)
MAY 9, 1944 LAON (MAJ SUMNER REEDER- COMMAND PILOT, LT STAPLETON- PILOT, CAPT DISHION-COMMAND NAV)
MAY 27, 1944 STRASSBOURG (CAPT FLOYD MASON, COMMAND PILOT, LT STAPLETON- PILOT)
JUNE 11, 1944 BERCK sur MER (LT COL BENNETT-COMMAND PILOT, LT H. HOWARD-PILOT, CAPT. DISHION-COMMAND NAV)
JUNE 26, 1944 DROHOBYCZ (COL JEFFREY-COMMAND PILOT, CAPT DISHION-COMMAND NAV, FIRST RUSSIAN SHUTTLE MISSION)
JULY 7, 1944 BEZIERS (FR) (COL JEFFREY-COMMAND PILOT, CAPT DISHION-COMMAND NAV. RETURN FROM RUSSIAN SHUTTLE MISSION)
JULY 19, 1944 SCHWEINFURT (LT COL BENNETT-COMMAND PILOT, CAPT DISHION-COMMAND NAV, FLYING PFF A/C))
JULY 24, 1944 ST LO (COL JEFFREY-COMMAND PILOT,LT EHORN-PILOT, CAPT DISHION-COMMAND NAV)
AUG 8, 1944 ST SYLVIAN (COL JEFFREY-COMMAND PILOT, LT N.P. SCOTT-PILOT, CAPT DISHION-COMMAND NAV)* SEE BELOW
SEPT. 18, 1944 WARSAW (COL JEFFREY-COMMAND PILOT, CAPT DUNLAP- PILOT, CAPT DISHION-COMMAND NAV. PFF A/C)
SECOND RUSSIAN SHUTTLE MISSION
SEPT 19, 1944 SZOLNOK (HUNGARY) (COL JEFFREY-COMMAND PILOT,CAPT DUNLAP-PILOT, CAPT DISHION-COMMAND NAV, PFF A/C)
*Capt. Dishion Was in Lead Plane on Aug 8, 1944 with Col Tom Jeffrey & Lt N. P. Scott leading the 13 CBW which lead both the 3rd Air Division and 8th Air Force. According to the mission critique, On August 8, 1944 the target was German Ground defenses around St Sylvian. The 100th Bomb Group "A" Group was leading the 13th CBW (Combat Wing)which lead the 3rd Air Division and the 8th Air Force. The lead Group consisted of 13 aircraft lead by Col Tom Jeffrey (Commanding Officer of the 100th BG) and Lt Neal P. Scott. The 100thBG "B" Group also consisted of 13 planes and they were flying Low Group in the 13th CBW. They lost one aircraft (Lt J.P. Keys) and the Lead plane crash landed behind allied lines. The 390th Bomb Group flew as High Group in the 13th CBW and the 100th BG provided 3 aircraft for the 390th BG's second element of the lead Squadron. CAPT FREDRICK "FEARLESS FREDDY" CHAPIN FLEW AS LEAD BOM ON 8 AUG 1944 (ST SYLVAIN)
ALWAYS A TOUGH TARGET AND THE 100TH "B" GROUP LOST IT LEAD AND DEPUTY LEAD TO FLAK PRIOR TO THE TARGET.. CAPT CHAPIN WAS WOUNDED ON THE MISSION TO ST SYLVAIN; RETURNED TO FLIGHT STATUS AND FLEW 32 FOR THE 100TH AND ONE WITH A B-24 GROUP; PROBABLY THE ONLY 100TH VETERAN TO FLY A MISSION IN A B-24;
CREW
DATE: 28 July 1944 350th Sqdn A/C#42-97555 "Island F for Fox" on loan from 95th BG "Old Daniel Boone" (42-97555)
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.Kaufmaz 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 LWG KIA
S/Sgt Frederick F.Swartz TG 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.
Wegrzyneck crew.Barry from the H.E.Bethea crew. Mason had joined the 100th with
his 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."
On 4/3/46 Capt.Robert W.Barry gave the following statement:
SUBJECT:Casualty Information of Crew Members.
· . . . .
a. Activities before leaving aircraft: - Captain Mason was the first crew member
to leave the A/C via a front exit.He departed with his harness on, but not
fastened,and his parachute in his left hand,approxlmately 2 1/2 minutes after the
explosion.
Sgt.Roberts,who was the engineer and top turret gunner and not the right waist
gunner(as shown on questionaire),had not left at time of my departure;however,
according to informatlon as given to me by the bombardier,at a subsequent date,
there was no one left in front end of the ship when he left. It can be therefore
assumed that Sgt.Roberts suceeded in bailing out.
Sgt.McNally,being a waist gunner,would bail out via the rear exits. All communi-
cation with the back of the ship had gone dead at the time of the explosion.I
have no way of stating whether this crew member ever left the ship from personal
knowledge.However,from information received from Capt.E.J.Kaufman,Radar Navigator,
McNally bailed out at about the same time as he did.
Subj: Re: 42-97555
Date: 12/18/2001 8:20:47 AM Pacific Standard Time
From: cbfw190@nexgo.de
To: MPFaley@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Dear Michael,
First thing I could tell you is, that 42-97555 crahsed on the ground, which belongs to the small town of OFFDILLN. This is a small twon in the direct vincinity of the city of HAIGER. If you have a map, you should look 45 Miles NORTH of Frankfurt / Main. If you are interested in a larger topographical map of this area, let me know !!
Two things I could add, without any look into the casefile of 42-97555 :
1.) James B. Noble, was captured near the town of GUNTERSDORF, which is ca. 4 Miles South West of HERBORN and ca. 14 Miles South South West of the crash site.
2.) Marcus M. Hertz was captured near the town of HOLZHAUSEN, which is ca. 8 Miles WEST of the crash site. I belive, that he was at least 1 day "on the run" before he was caught.
Sincerely
Claudio BECKER
subject: 100th Bomb Group Membership Form
realname: Floyd H Mason
email: bfraser@txco.com
old_address: 7400 Brecourt
Austin Texas 78739
new_address: see above
phone: 512 382 7511
comments: This is the address of 87 year old retired Colonel Floyd "Buck" Mason,
pilot of "Mason-Dixon" downed over germany in 1944. Buck spent a year in stalag Luft Three with his crew.
He will be a new member. Please contact him at the above address…
email: bfraser@txco.com
realname: Floyd "Buck" Mason
purpose: Request information
feedback: Howdy, I'm the son in law of Buck Mason, a pilot in the 100th in 1944 1945. Buck is retired now and moved recently to Austin. Unfortunately, he now suffers from alzheimers but is still relatively cogent. I know he'd love to hear about the goings on with your organization.. Regards, William Fraser their phone # is 512 382 7511
Colonel Mason passed away in Chesapeake Virginia yesterday at the age of 94.
Buck piloted” Mason-Dixon” and “Once in a While” in 1944 and went down over Merseberg Germany. He will be interred at Arlington later in June 2011
Will FRASER wfraser@nsai-petro.com
MEMO 2:
349th Operations Officer. Most of his original crew completed their tours in Jun 44.
On James B. Noble MACR (#07880) and Casualty Report - Flying as Command Pilot (COM)
