COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
2ND LT CHARLES W. WILSON P CPT 15 APR 45 ROYAN sn# O-526414
2ND LT JAMES M. HARBISON CP CPT 04 APR 45 KIEL (Pilot of Lt Dewey Crew) sn# O-775881
F/O JACK BERKOWITZ NAV POW 31 DEC 44 HAMBURG (WITH MacNAB)
2ND LT RAYMOND E. COMER, JR. BOM POW 31 DEC 44 HAMBURG (WITH MacNAB) sn# O-777438
CPL EMERY N. CASTLE ROG NOC sn# 37523614
CPL NORMAN G. NANCE TTE NOC sn# 19171578
CPL JAY D. KENDELL BTG NOC sn# 39908662
CPL GEORGE L. PESLER WG CPT 24 MAR 45 STEENEIJK/ ZIEGENHAINE sn# 35051164
CPL ARCHIE E. HOFFPAUIR WG NOC sn# 38266722
CPL JACK R. DeBORDE TG NOC sn# 39615579
350th Sqdn. Crew, as above, joined the 100th Group on 29 Sep 44.
15 Missions of Lt Harbison with Lt Charles "Hong Kong" Wilson Crew (mpf 2003)
DATE TARGET
15 OCT 44 COLOGNE
17 OCT 44 COLOGNE
19 OCT 44 LUDWIGSHAVEN & MANNHEIN, OIL REFINERY
26 OCT 44 HANOVER, TANK WRKS & MITBURG
30 OCT 44 MERSEBURG (RECALLED/ WEATHER)
02 N0V 44 MERSEBURG, OIL REFINERY
24 DEC 44 BABENHAUSEN, KAISERLAUTERN
25 DEC 44 KAISERLAUTERN
31 DEC 44 HAMBURG (flying lead, high squadron with Maj Harry Cruver, Lt Harbison was formation officer on this mission)
06 JAN 45 ANNWEILER
10 JAN 45 COLOGNE
14 JAN 45 DERBEN
28 JAN 45 DUISBURG (believe with different 1st pilot since HK was now pilot of Lt Fowler Crew-mpf 2003)
03 FEB 45 BERLIN (believe with different 1st pilot since HK was now pilot of Lt Fowler Crew-mpf 2003)
06 FEB 45 CHEMNITZ (believe with different 1st pilot since HK was now pilot of Lt Fowler Crew-mpf 2003)
CREW
DATE: 31 December 1944 350th Sqdn. A/C #43-38457 Nine Lives
MISSION: Hamburg MACR #11359,Microiche 4180
1st Lt William G.MacNab P KIA
2nd Lt Nelson B.Vaughan CP KIA
2nd Lt Jack Berkowitz NAV POW
2nd Lt Raymond E.Comer, Jr. BOM POW
T/Sgt Henry S.Ethridge ROG KIA
T/Sgt Jo6eph A.Chadwick TTE POW
S/Sgt Edward L.Woodall,Jr. BTG POW
S/Sgt Duane F.Rench WG KIA
S/Sgt Francis J.Seyfried TG KIA
350th Sqdn. Joined 100th on 26 AUG 1944. L.R. DeLmolino became a Intelligence Specialists in the 351st.
Scott and Eden were replaced for the Hamburg mission by Jack Berkowitz and Raymond E. Comer,
both from the Hong Kong Wilson crew and both became POWs. Scott and Eden moved up to Lead Navigator
and Lead Bombardier after the crew's 16th mission and were flying at the end of hostilities.
EYEWITNESS: "At 1250 hours,19,000 feet,2 B-17's believed to be A/C 43-38457 and
A/C 42-31987 pancaked together,circled and crashed,still attached to
each other.Six chutes were seen before the A/C landed,most of them are
believed to have fallen on land.There was no fire from the A/C in the
air or on the ground although there was some smoke."
p.91/92 of CONTRAILS gives U8 a bit more graphic picture. "Lt.W.MacNab was leading
the "C" Squadron low flight. Lt.G.Rojohn flew behind and high.In the fierce aerial
struggle,both MacNab and his co-pilot,Lt.N.Vaughan,had been wounded.Their ship rose
periously toward Rojohn's,who had moved in after Webster had been downed. A collision
seemed unavoidable.
There was a sickening thud as the planes made contact.They shuddered and locked, headed
out over the North Sea.The engines of MacNab's lower plane were smoking. Rojohn and his
co-pilot,Lt.W.Leek,immediately cut their engine switches,avoiding a probable
explosion.
The situation was something too fantastic for even Hollywood to simulate.The two planes
clung together as Rojohn and Leek battled the controls,and by sheer strength,managed
to slowly turn the eight enginied monstrosity toward land.
T/Sgt Chadwick bailed out while ths planes were still over water,but his chute fortun-
ately did not collapse,and he was washed ashose . . . S/Sgt. E.Woodall,also from MacNab's
ship ,landed in water and managed to reach shore. . . . . Chadwick was taken into
custody that night,together with navigator J.Berkwitz,bombardier R. Comer and Woodall.
Seven men,T/Sgt.O.Elkin,T/Sgt.E.Neuhaus,Sgt.J.Shirley,S/Sgts.J.Russo,R.Little,F.Chase,
and Lt.R.Washington bailed out of Rojohn's ship. . . . The fate of Russo,Little and
Chase was unknown
Rojohn and Leek continued to fight the controls,using the engines of the lower aircraft,
and rode the grafted bird in for a landing.
There have been amazing stunts pulled in the colorful and courageous history of mans
will to fly, from the days of Daedalus and Da Vinci to the days of the brother Wright
and Billy Mitchell,but none more strangely heroic than the day Rojohn and Lesk safely
crash-landed their two planes pick-a-back on a field in North Germany."
T
MEMO 2:
From crew of Hong Kong Wilson, he replaced Charles J. Scott who'd been moved to Lead Crew. Piggyback Incident,
