COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
1ST LT WILLIAM GRISWOLD SMITH P FEH CREW FLYING AT END OF HOSTILITIES
2ND LT ROBERT W. SMITH, JR CP FEH
2ND LT WILSON P. TURNIPSEED, JR. NAV FEH
2ND LT PAUL A. WILKERSON BOM FEH (became 349th BS Bombardier after 6 missions)
CPL DELOME CUMBAA, JR ROG FEH
CPL STANLEY A. SZALWINSKI, JR TTE FEH TAPS: 19 SEP 1982
CPL ANTHONY R. RUSSO BTG FEH
CPL JOHN J. O'LEARY WG FEH TAPS; 1985
CPL EARL J. BAUGH TG FEH
349TH SQDN.. CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 14 MAR 1945
MISSION LOG OF THE W. G. SMITH CREW
Mis No# Date Target A/C No#
#290 3/30/45 HAMBURG 43-38602 XR-P “Grumblin Gremlin II”
#291 3/31/45 ZEITZ 44-8334 XR-B
#293 4/4/45 KEIL 43-38602 XR-P ”Grumblin Gremlin II”
#294 4/5/45 NURNBURG 43-38313 XR-S “Lil Butch”
#296 4/7/45 BUCHEN 43-38602 XR-P “Grumblin Gremlin II”
#297 4/8/45 EGER,Czech. 44-8532 XR-G “Kleen Sweep”
#298 4/9/45 MUNICH 44-8532 XR-G “Kleen Sweep”
#299 4/10/45 BURG-BEI-MADGEBURG 44-8532 XR-G “Kleen Sweep”
#300 4/11/45 LANDSHUT 43-38383 LN-F
#305 4/18/45 STRAUBING 43-38865 XR-0 “Goin My Way”
All Dutch Food Drop Missions Some flights to Europe Post-Hostilities
4/19/45 Combat Mission Scrubbed/ 43-38865 XR-O “Goin My Way”
Practice
5/3/45 CHOWHOUND 44-8532 XR-G “Kleen Sweep”
5/5/45 CHOWHOUND(HILVERSUM) 44-8532 XR-G “Kleen Sweep”
5/7/45 CHOWHOUND(SCHIPHOL) 43-38865 XR-O “Goin My Way”
5/19/45 DP Ferry from Germany to Paris 43-39424 EP-B
6/3/45 DP Ferry from Austria to Paris 44-8552 XR-D
6/7/45 Food run to Dutch
6/9/45 357th FG Ferry to Munich
6/10/45 Food run to Dutch
6/12/45 Fighter Ferry to Casablanca 44-8810 XR-L “Target for Tonight”
6/13/45 Returned to Thorpe Abbotts
from Port Lyautey
7/15/45 Ferry to Nice, France………………. 44-8810…XR-L…”Target for Tonight”
My Dad was based at Thorpe Abbotts from 3/14/45 to 12/8/45 – 100th BG (349thSqdn)
Gris Smith’s crew until he left U.K. on Queen Mary to USA on 12/8/45,arriving USA 12/13/45
The misson data is courtesy of Mr J.J. O'Leary, Jr.
Disposition of some100th Aircraft flown by J.J. O'Leary
#48532 349 XR G Clean Sweep(Kleen Sweep)
11 10 44 AI 23 10 44 AOS 00 00 44 G
20 05 45 482 BG 28 11 45 Kingman, Arizona
Indicates the aircraft built 11/10/44 and entered Air Force inventory 23/10/44
Overseas unknown month and date in 1944 and was a "G" model. She was tranferred to the
482nd Bomb Group 20/05/45 and was returned to the ZI (Kingman, Arizona 28/1145
# 48810 48810 349 XR L Target for Tonight
04/0145 AI 04/unk/45 AOS 00 00 45 "G"
10/10/45 Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
XR_crew@yahoo.comuname = Jack O'Learycomments
= RE: Gris Smith Crew photo on page 13,349th Sqdn page…
I would like to see a bit more DETAILED information regarding this crew photo..So use whatever you feel is useful and have space for....this photo was taken at DREW FIELD,FLORIDA (NOW TAMPA INTERNATIONAL)where the crew was first put together..their individual flying records indicate; assigned from late October,1944 until January 24,1945 to 3rd Air Force,Bomber Command,89th Wing,Group CCTS HB,Squardron T,Flight Secion 1, CREW # 11-47...Flying from Nov 1,1944 until Jan 7,1945...52 landings in 31 days of flying..181.50 TOTAL flying HRS...Usual training pattern of many takeoff and landings first three flights,13(in 5.40 hrs),3,and 6,and then 1 per day average 6.00 hrs per...with 2 flights toward end of cycle at 9.05 hrs and 10.40 hrs each...Flying over Gulf of Mexico which could be tricky when flying over water...crew members used phrase to me "one a day in Tampa Bay"...not sure if this AAF base had any MORE crashe!s than usual at a Training base for aircrews!!! Crew cycled out to Savannah Ga (HUNTER Field,AAF)in late January,1945 then traveled to NYC for their Feb,1945 crossing of the Atlantic,via Queen Elizabeth to Scotland,then to Thorpe Abbotts,arriving March 14,1945;flying four practice flights,3/20,3/25,3/27,3/29 before jumping into the fray on their first combat mission,March 30th,HAMBURG...Interesting from Jan 8th,1945 until March 20th...NO FLYING TIME for the crew after such intense training in the States...Jack O'Leary,son of WG John J.O'Leary on the Gris Smith crew
In a message dated 4/18/2003 8:27:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time, john_oleary07@yahoo.com writes:
Subj:One ship down,two chutes opened many years ago,March 30,1945
Date:4/18/2003 8:27:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From:john_oleary07@yahoo.com
To:cumbaade@bellsouth.net, phyllisbaugh8457@aol.com
CC:janr@cei.net, fortress@nortexinfo.net, MPFaley@aol.com
Sent from the Internet
Hi De and Earl
RE: Your first combat mission,March 30th,1945
Where it's Good Friday today and I TRY to keep from
talking much on this solumn of days I decided to do a
little research on your first combat mission to
HAMBURG,March 30,1945
specificly to follow up Gris Smith's mission log with
his,and your (crews) comments on the mission regarding
the accuracy of the comments.."I was flying the run
and therefore couldn't see much,but out of the corner
of my eye,saw the Squardron on our right in a pretty
thick concentration of flak.Further to the right was a
Yellow Tail outfit.The flak around us was thick,but
that Yellow Tail group was really taking a
beating.Right waist gunner (Sgt.John O'Leary,THE waist
Gunner,9 man crew)reported that one ship went down
with two chutes opened."
Well De they were right on with their observations.
After researching the mission for the day,I found
three B-17G's lost on the mission to Hamburg..only
one from a "Yellow Tailed Group...the 486th BG...
The Lt Fredrick Veal crew on their 9th mission...they
arrived at the 486th four days (March 10th)before your
crew did ..
See the 486th BG website for a photo of the crew and a
listing of what happened...
www.486th.org CLICK on 832th Sqdn artwork...select
VEAL...they were flying in the low low Sqdn #5 when
hit by flak..a wing broke off and a/c went into
dive,shortly after the a/c exploded...two crew were
able to get out...Sgt Robert Herman,was the Tail Gunner that got out and
became a POW with Lt. Don Johns,the Nav.
the other seven are buried at the American Cemetery in
Cambridge..(wish I knew this when I visited in
Sept-Oct 2002,would have looked them up and said a
prayer)
The Veal crew were flying RODNEY THE ROCKS #43-38142
MACR 13550 that crashed in Pinneburg,Germany that
day,an a/c transferred from another Sqdn prviously
named LIL BUTCH...the same nickname as one a/c your
crew flew in the 100th BG...
With all that was going on around them,Gris and Dad
were right on the money in their observations.Just
like they were trained to be by the USAAF..
Best as ever,
Have a good EASTER!
Jack
I Just received a copy of Earl's Honorable Discharge, Grade T-Sgt,AC,with the 43rd Air Supply Squadron, 15 June, 1946 discharged,SEP CEN CAMP ATTERBURY,IND, Date of Induction, Hometown,Place of Birth, WHITE PIGEON,MICH, 10 AUG,1943,Date of Entry into Active Service,31 Aug,43,Place of Entry in Service, Detroit,Mich,Military Occup Specialty, SPECIAL VEHICLE OPERATOR 932,Military Qualifications, AAF Air Crew Badge,Carbine MKM, Battles and Campaigns, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, CENTRAL EUROPE,Decorations and Citations,Army of Occupation Medal,Germany,American Theater Ribbon , ,EAME Theater Ribbon, w/ 3 Bronze Stars,Good Conduct Medal, Air Medal, Victory Medal, World War II,Service Outside Continental U.S and Return, Date of Departure,( RMS Queen Elizabeth), 28 Feb, 1945 Destination ETO, Date of Arrival, 7 March, 1945, Date of Departure 2 June, 1946, Destination USA, Date of Arrival, 10 June, 1946, Service Schools attended, KINGMAN ARIZ FLEX GUNNERY COURSE, COLLEGE TRAINING, AIR CREW COURSE,COLUMBIA,MO, ASR SCORE (2 SEPT 45) 51 (points)No Time lost under AW 107
MEMO 2:
Obituary of Earl Baugh Earl James Baugh, 90, of Zephyrhills, FL passed away June 22, 2015. He was born in White Pigeon, MI was a US Army Air Corps Veteran of WWII and a retired carpenter. He is survived by his loving wife, Phyllis; son, Randall James "Randy" Baugh of Ocala; daughter, Margaret Ann "Peggy" Holmes of Zephyrhills. Arrangements by Roberts Funeral Homes, Downtown Chapel 606 SW 2nd Ave., Ocala, FL 34471 352-622-4141.
