COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
2ND LT EDWARD N. McKAY P CPT 25 APRIL 44 DIJON, FRANCE SN#0745717
2ND LT THOMAS H. MULLEN CP CPT 25 APRIL 44 DIJON, FRANCE
2ND LT JACK A. YOUNG NAV CPT 25 APRIL 44 DIJON, FRANCE
2ND LT STUART W. McFEELY BOM CPT 25 APRIL 44 DIJON, FRANCE TAPS: FEB 1988
S/SGT JOHN E. TROUT RWG POW/WIA 24 MAY 44 BERLIN /WITH J.R. GEARY CREW TAPS: 14 APR 1980)
SGT LOUIS P. PALTRINERI ROG POW/WIA 24 MAY 44 BERLIN /WITH J.R. GEARY CREW
SGT FRANCIS ACKER TTE POW 24 MAY 44 BERLIN /WITH J.R. GEARY CREW TAPS: 18 OCT 1971
SGT CARL F. SCHUSTER BTG POW 24 MAY 44 BERLIN /WITH J.R. GEARY CREW
SGT JACK W. DOMENIG LWG POW/WIA 24 MAY 44 BERLIN /WITH J.R. GEARY CREW TAPS 27 SEP 1971
SGT RALPH T. GRAHAM TG CPT 29 JUNE 44 BOHLEN
350TH SQDN…CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON October 15, 1943
A/C "Big Stoop" #941 (flew last 4-5 missions on this plane) , A/C Alice from Dallas II (flew 15 plus missions).
Crew spent Dec 44 doing practice missions. C.O. wanted each man to have at least 50 hours of practice missions before going into combat. (Lt McKay march 2001)
Crew completed tour, Officers were given new assignments in the States but the enlisted men volunteered for 5 additional missions.
Lt McKay felt the enlisted men should have taken a leave before doing the additional 5 missions. Lt McKay ended up in the hospital after his last mission with Pneumonia and was moved to a private hospital near High Wycombe.
On the McKay crew. The enlisted men didn't volunteer for another tour of 25 missions. They agreed to fly another FIVE missions (amounting to another OLC). Lou Paltrineri has told me this several times. The latest time was in June (06) Jack O'Leary.
Naming the Plane: "The radio operator Sgt Paltrineri named the plane. During the war Milton Caniff had a cartoon in Stars and Stripes called Steve Canyon. One of his girlfriends was called Delta and her bodyguard was called "Big Stoop" and he would rescue her and protect her from danger. Sgt Paltrineri thought that would make a good name for the plane because the Plane would always bring the crew home from danger. This was never painted on the plane." Lt Edward McKay March 2001 (mpf)
List of Missions for 2nd Lt Edward McKay (mpf 2001)
1. 19/11/43 GELSENKIRCHEN -flying with Lt. Herb Devore Crew w/Col. Chick Harding as command pilot
2. 14/01/44 NO-BALL-FRANCE
3. 21/01/44 NO-BALL-FRANCE
4. 24/01/44 FRANKFURT
5. 3/02/44 WILHELMSHAVEN
6. 5/02/44 ROMILLY sur SEINE
7. 13/02/44 NO-BALL-LIVOSSART
8. 24/02/44 ROSTOCK & POSEN
9. 25/02/44 REGENSBURG -(ROG stitched the tail of the horizontal stabilizer)
10. 28/02/44 NO-BALL-FRANCE
11. 2/03/44 CHARTES
12. 3/03/44 BERLIN-weather recall
13. 15/03/44 BRUNSWICK
14. 16/03/44 AUGSBURG
15. 18/03/44 MUNICH
16. 19/03/44 NO-BALL-FRANCE
17. 23/03/44 BRUNSWICK
18. 27/O3/44 BORDEAUX
19. 28/03/44 CHATEAUDUN
FLAK LEAVE
20. 11/04/44 POSEN & ROSTOCK
21. 12/04/44 LEIPZIG
22. 18/04/44 BERLIN
23. 19/04/44 LIPPSTADT
24. 20/04/44 MARQUENVILLE
25. 25/04/44 DIJON
Lt McKay says that his Lucky Bastard Cirtificate has him completing 26 missions, can only account for 25.
Enlisted men flew the following missions before being shot down:
Date Aircraft Nbr Target
5/11/1944 31941 LIEGE
5/12/1944 31941 BRUX, OIL REFINERY
5/13/1944 31941 OSNABRUCK
5/20/1944 31412 BRUSSELS
5/24/1944 97845 BERLIN
CREW
Capt James R.Geary P POW 24/5/44 BERLIN
Major Maurice J.Fitzgerald COM P POW 24/5/44 BERLIN
1st Lt Arthur J.Harris CP POW 24/5/44 BERLIN (Flying as Formation Officer in the Tail)
1st Lt A.Edwin Stern,Jr. BOM POW 24/5/44 BERLIN
2nd Lt Dort B.Payne NAV POW 24/5/44 BERLIN
T/Sgt Louis Paltrineri ROG POW(WIA) 24/5/44 BERLIN (From the E.McKay crew)
T/Sgt Francis Acker TTE POW 24/5/44 BERLIN (From the E.McKay crew)
S/Sgt Carl F.Schuster BTG POW 24/5/44 BERLIN (From the E.McKay crew)
S/Sgt John E.Trout RWG POW(WIA) 24/5/44 BERLIN (From the E.McKay crew)
S/Sgt Jack W.Domenig LWG POW(WIA) 24/5/44 BERLIN (From the E.McKay crew)
350th Sqdn. On 24/5/44 this was the lead ship of the Group formation. Major Fitzgerald was C.O. of the
350th and Capt Geary was a pilot who had completed a tour of operations with the 390th Bomb Group and
then been assigned to the 100th. Lt.A.J.Harris,as pilot of his own crew had been interned in Sweden on
20/2/44 with his crew but apparently had gotten back to Thorpe Abbotts by some means. It seems most
unusual that he would have been allowed to fly over Europe again because,for security reasons,Evadees &
Internees were invariably sent back to the U.S.A.
This crew bailed out over Ludwigslust,Germany and all were captured.
The 100th lost nine aircraft this day. MIGHTY EIGHTH WAR DIARY (p.249) says "Opposed by some 200
E/A,100BG became separated from bomber stream by weather and contrails and were subjected to heavy
attack."
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Edward McKay
April 26, 1919 – July 17, 2009
Our beloved father and grandfather, Edward McKay, age 90, passed away on July 17, 2009. Edward was born April 26, 1919 in Houston, Texas. He was a retired corporate industrial relations officer. He was a World War II veteran serving as a B-17 pilot in the 100th Bomb Group. He flew combat missions in the European Theater from January 1944, until May 1944. He was a member of Williams Memorial United Methodist Church, a past member of the First United Methodist Church of Bryan, Texas for 30 years and a mason.
He is survived by two sons, David McKay and his wife Elizabeth, of Texarkana, Texas and Michael McKay and his wife Jackie, of Plano, Texas and two grandchildren.
Graveside services will be 10 AM Monday, at Chapelwood Memorial Gardens with Rev. Danny Wayman officiating. Burial is under the direction of Chapelwood Funeral Home.
Those wishing to memorialize Mr. McKay may make contributions to First United Methodist Church, 506 East 28th St. Bryan, Texas.
MEMO 2: