COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
2ND LT JOSEPH H. RAINE P KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
2ND LT ALBERT H. WYNKOOP CP RFS (busted eardrum on second mission, sent stateside)
2ND LT HOWARD J. KALBACH, JR NAV KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
2ND LT PHILIP D. PITTS BOM KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
T/SGT VINCENT S. LINGUANTI ROG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
T/SGT WALTER F. JORGENSEN TTE POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
S/SGT ELMER L. FARNSWORTH BTG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
S/SGT EDWARD WEINSTEIN WG POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND Died of wounds as a POW
S/SGT JOHN C. MEACHAM TG POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
SGT PHIL J. SCUDDER BTG CPT REMOVED FROM CREW AT CREW REDUCTION TO NINE;
ASSIGNED MEDIUM BOMBERS AND FLEW 32 MISSIONS.
350TH SQDN.. CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 02 AUG 1944..
LT LEW E. WALLACE (FROM LT HANSEN CREW) WAS FLYING CP ON 11 SEP 44 AND BECAME A POW.
A/C flown LN-O 43-38047, INNOCENT BYSTANDER.
Missions flown by Lt Joseph H. Raine and Crew:
# DATE TARGET A/C # & NAME
1. 24/8/44 RUHLAND 2102657, LN-Y Boss Lady
2. 25/8/44 POLITZ 338043, LN-T
3. 26/8/44 BREST 46297, LN-X Spirit of Pittwood
4. 30/8/44 BREMEN 2102695, LN-F
5. 3/9/44 BREST 338047, LN-O Innocent Bystander
6. 8/9/44 MAINZ 338047, LN-O Innocent Bystander
7. 9/9/44 DUSSELDORF 338047, LN-O Innocent Bystander
8. 10/9/44 NURNBURG 338047, LN-O Innocent Bystander
9. 11/9/44 RUHLAND 338047, LN-O Innocent Bystander (SHOT DOWN)
Lt Philip D. Pitts joined the army in 1942 and passed his Officers Candidate School exam in 1943 becoming a 2nd Lt. From there he went to the USAAF Bombardier School in Deming, New Mexico and received his Bombardier Wings on March 19, 1944. He joined the Crew of Lt Raine and were sent overseas and Stationed with the 100th Bomb Group at Thorpe Abbotts, England on August 2, 1944. His Crew was shot down on their 9th mission on September 11, 1944 to Ruhland, Germany. The Crew was flying 338047, Innocent Bystander. Lieutenant Pitts was to receive the Air Medal on Sept 15, 1944 at 7pm if he had lived, instead the Air Medal and the Purple Heart (1998) were awarded posthumously.
From Marion D. Pitts (brother of Lt Pitts)
"Lt Raine was flying off left wing of Capt Giles and his ship simply exploded, killing Lt Raine and 4 of his crew. All 9 aircraft of the 100th BG "C" Group (Low) were 350th BS aircraft. All 9 were lost on this mission and the Group lost 12 aircraft total this day. The Group was hit that day by an enemy force estimated at over 500 fighters They hit the 100th BG in 3 waves coming out of the sun. They overwhelmed the low Group tearing the 350th apart, knocking 6 planes out of the lead squadron." MACR 8815
JORGENSEN WALTER F 350TH SQDN, (TTE), (POW) 47 TAMARACK TRAIL SARATOGA NY 12866
Subj: Lt. Pitts (2)
Date: 11/20/2001 11:43:45 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: Zdiarsky@LF.CZU.CZ
To: karen_pitts_20895@yahoo.com
CC: MPFaley@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Dear Karen S. Pitts,
Mike Faley, the photo archivist of the 100th BG Foundation forwared me
your request. My name is Jan Zdiarsky and I am a director of the
museum especially dedicated to the air battle in which your uncle was
killed. Our museum is in my hometown Kovarska, in Czech Republic,
Europe. Our town was a centre of the battle. I am researching over 17
years on the history of the Ruhland mission and the battle of 11th
September 1944. We have already good knowledge about the battle since
all that time. As you probably know, from the plane 047 of your uncle
survived only three men. I have contact with two of them. The first is
my good friend Lew E. Wallace, the replacement copilot. The second is
Cowan Meacham, the tail gunner.
By our research we can see, the plane crashed near of Tellerhäuser,
Germany, which is about 10 miles from my home, killing most of the
crew. Your uncle and other were buried in Oberwiesenthal, then in
Neudorf, Germany. After the war they were transported to American
military cemetery in continental Europe. Now is most of the crew of
Lt. raine buried together on the national Cemetery in Jefferson
Barracks in St. Louis. in summer 2000 I visited your country and I
visit also their common grave on the National Cemetery and placed them
a flower.
Last year I also visited your national Archives where I was
researching about original German reports, written when they captured
airmen, found crashed planes or found any killed airmen. There I found
also a dogtag and some personal socuments which Germans taken away from
him when they found him dead, also as other information. If you wish,
I can send you copies and photos which I made on archives. I can also
send you for your information statements of crewmen of your uncle.
Exist also a possibility to made contact of you and Lew Wallace or/and
Cowan Meacham.
Dear Lady, please send me your address, I would like send you the
publication which I wrote about that battle (it is in English).
I would also very like invite you to visit our museum and possibly
also the crashsite where the your uncle died. The site we found about
three years ago.
I would very glad to learm a little more about you and family
of Lt. Pitts, who is very important for our research, as I hope you
understand. I would very glad invite any information about him,
photos, etc.
Very sincerely, Jan Zdiarsky
director of the museum
karen_pitts@nlm.nih.gov
Tele: (301)402-6155
Karen S. Pitts
National Library of Medicine
History of Medicine Division
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
MEMO 2:
