Casualty Report from October 8, 1943
Detail
MACR: 99904
Target: Bremen, Germany
Base: Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk, England
Crash: Emergency landing at Ludham, England due to battle damage. The damaged A/C struck a tree on landing. This is one of the more famous 100th aircraft and the photo of Just-A-Snappin and the tree is widely circulated.
Squadron: 418th BS - 100th BG(H)
Aircraft
Aircraft #: 42-3393
Aircraft Type: B-17F
Aircraft Name: Just-A-Snappin
Aircraft Code: LD-Y
Pilot: 1Lt Everett E. Blakely | N/A
POS: P
Status: Survivor
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
Copilot: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: CP
Status: MIA/KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
NAV: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: NAV
Status: MIA/KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
BOM: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: BOM
Status: MIA/KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
ROG: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: ROG
Status: MIA/KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
TTE: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: TTE
Status: MIA/KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
BTG: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: BTG
Status: MIA/KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
RWG: SSgt Lester Saunders | 36600511
POS: RWG
Status: KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: Interment in Cambridge American Military Cemetery at Cambridge. (D-5-90) There is question concerning the date of the death of Lester Saunders; The Register of the American Battle Monuments Commission records the date as 15 Oct 1943. Jim Brown the highly respected 100th Senior Historian, who was on the missions with the Barr crew reports the date as 08 Oct 1943. This is certainly the correct date, as per conversation with James R. Brown at his home in Minneapolis in 1991 - Paul West
LWG: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: LWG
Status: MIA/KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
TG: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: TG
Status: MIA/KIA
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
EX1: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: N/A
Status: N/A
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
EX2: N/A First, MI, Suffix Last Name | N/A
POS: N/A
Status: N/A
State: State N/A
Notes: No notes on this crewmember
Crew Notes
Notes on this crew N/A
Report Notes
This plane was the Group Leader for the 100th on this mission to Bremen, Germany and was flown by E.E. "Ev" Blakely, later to become the 418th Squadron Commander. Accompanying him was Jack Kidd, the 100th's legendary Group Operations Officer and Harry H. Crosby, later to become the Group Navigator. These three are larger than life figures in 100th history, Kidd and Blakely remained in the service and rose to high ranks, Kidd to that of Major General. Harry Crosby figured prominently in the writing curriculum at Harvard University for many years. Dr. Crosby is the author of several works on a variety of subjects. One of his later works is "A Wing and a Prayer," which depicts the 100th from 1942 to the end of hostilities in Europe in May of 1945. He continued to server the 100th as editor of it's newsletter for three decades - probably the only Group in history to have it's newsletter edited by a Harvard Professor of English. (Paul West)
