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Group History

Black Week - Schweinfurt

Black Week (October 8-14, 1943)
Schweinfurt - 14 Oct 1943

Bremen  |  Marienburg  |  Munster  |  Schweinfurt

OCTOBER 14, 1943, SCHWEINFURT "BLACK THURSDAY"

100TH BOMB GROUP CREWS THAT FLEW MISSION (8 CREWS TOTAL)
4 CREWS FLEW WITH 95TH BG (LEAD BY LT ROBERT HUGHES)
4 CREWS FLEW WITH 390TH BG (LEAD BY LT OWEN "COWBOY’ ROANE

Crews That Flew With 95th Bomb Group
Note: We are still looking for the names of the two other crews that flew with Lt. Robert Hughes and the 95th Bomb Group.

The crew of Nine Little Yanks and A Jerk on 14 October 1944

LT. ROBERT L. HUGHES P
LT. DONALD S. DAVIS CP
LT. LEONARD A. WICKENS NAV
LT. RICHARD E. ELLIOTT BOM
T/SGT GERALD GULICH TTE
T/SGT JOSEPH E. BOYLE ROG
T/SGT HORACE BARNUM BTG
S/SGT TALMAGE P. BUNTIN WG
S/SGT ROBERT L. MCKIMMY TG

 

2ND LT HOWARD KEEL P CPT -- AWARDED DFC
2ND LT ROBERT K. EDGLEY CP CPT -- AWARDED DFC
2ND LT ALEXANDER G. PARK NAV CPT 25 FEB 44 REGENSBURG
2ND LT RUBEN C. KELSEY BOM   25 FEB 44 REGENSBURG
S/SGT THOMAS P. HASTINGS ROG CPT -- AWARDED DFC
S/SGT GEORGE L. FERRON LWG CPT -- AWARDED DFC
S/SGT CLAIRE J. PHELAN BTG CPT -- --
S/SGT HARRY A. KOERNER TG RFS   MEDICAL AFTER RJUKAN MISSION
S/SGT FREDERICK A. KORNBLUM TTE RFS   MEDICAL AFTER RJUKAN MISSION
S/SGT ANDREW J. GUGLIER RWG CPT -- AWARDED DFC

351st Sqdn. Crew 25, Crew as above joined the 100th Bomb Group on 25/9/43

14/10/43 SCHWEINFURT-"Black Thursday", flew with the 95th BG that day because 100th could only put up 8 aircraft after the Munster Mission. We "flew Heaven Can Wait" I have memories of seeing more B-17's shot down than I had ever seen or would ever see again. Both myself and BTG got credit for shooting down 2 enemy fighters. Mine was a FW190…. . 2nd Lt Ruben C. Kelsey

Capt Frank G. Lauro

P

CPT

080/4/44

Quakenbruck

TAPS: 1978

Lt. Emanuel E. "Joe" Greasamar

CP

CPT

08/04/44

Quakenbruck

--

Lt. Emery Horvath

NAV

CPT

08/04/44

Quakenbruck

--

Lt. Walter Green

BOM

CPT

27/04/44

Thionville,LeCulot

--

T/Sgt Nelson King

ROG

RFS

29/11/43

Bremen

Frostbite (Awarded Silver Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal)

T/Sgt Dewey Thompson

TTE

CPT

08/07/44

Quakenbruck

--

T/Sgt Murray Schrier

BTG

CPT

08/04/44

Quakenbruck

--

S/Sgt William R. Heathman

RWG

CPT

08/04/44

Quakenbruck

--

S/Sgt Gerald A. Will

LWG

CPT

08/04/44

Quakenbruck

--

S/Sgt Authur R. Tirrell

TG

CPT

21/06/44

Basdorf

(Finished as TG with Capt. Chuck Harris crew)

418th Sqdn. The Crew joined the 100th BG in Sept. 1943   

The crew named their A/C NELSON KING in honor of their Radio operator T/Sgt Nelson King who on 29 Nov 43 removed his gloves while in flight to assist the BTG with an iced up oxygen mask.  A few second's later, King's walk around oxygen bottle froze up and in an effort to save S/Sgt Schrier, his hands were neglected.  He lost several tips of several fingers to frostbite.

  

2nd Lt. John J. "Skippy" Flanigan             

P

CPT

 

sn# O-797503

2nd Lt. Douglas E.Dunsdon                    

CP

CPT

 

sn# O-801641

2nd Lt. Earl L. Richardson

BOM

POW  

6/3/1944 BERLIN

(with D. Miner)

2nd Lt. Rudolph Grum                       

NAV

POW

10/10/1943 MUNSTER

(with J.F.Stephens)

T/Sgt. Guy M.Tuccero                         

TTE

CPT

 

 

S/Sgt. Adam E. "Rudy" Rutkowski   

ROG

CPT

 

 

S/Sgt. Guerino "Bill" Melchiorre       

BTG

CPT

 

 

S/Sgt. Frederick D."Farmer"Brown    

WG

CPT

 

 

PVT. Salvatore J. Luistro                     

WG

CPT

 

 

S/Sgt. Jack J.Strang                               

TG

CPT

 

 

 Crew,as above,joined the 100th BG (418th Sqdn.) 3/9/43. Crew flew in "Royal Flush" for 19 missions.

26087  Royal Flush - Schweinfurt  (4th crew I believe is Lt Flanigan crew flying Royal Flush…mpf)

 

Crews That Flew with 390th Bomb Group
Note: The 390th Bomb Group received the Distinguished/Presidential Citation for the Schweinfurt mission. As a result, the four 100th Bomb Group crews also received this award and were entitled to wear the Oak Leaf Cluster on the ribbon they had previously received for Regensburg (17 Aug 43).

2ND LT OWEN D. (COWBOY) ROANE P CPT 26 NOV 43 PARIS
2ND LT ARTHUR C. STIPE CP CPT 20 OCT 43 DURAN
1ST LT OMAR GONZALES NAV POW 5 NOV 43 GELSENKIRCHEN
2ND LT CURTIS K. CAMPBELL BOM CPT 20 OCT 43 DURAN
T/SGT CLARENCE R. TOMB ROG CPT 19 NOV 43 GELSENKIRCHEN
T/SGT ROBERT A. STUART TTE CPT 19 NOV 43 GELSENKIRCHEN
S/SGT ROGER O. STROBLE BTG CPT 20 OCT 43 DURAN
S/SGT JAMES JARVIE RWG CPT 20 OCT 43 DURAN
T/SGT RICHARD DETTWEILER LWG CPT 13 FEB 44 NO-BALL
S/SGT PATRICK J. HEALY TG CPT 20 OCT 43 DURAN

 

CAPT ROBERT H. LOHOF P POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
1ST LT ROBERT L. PHILLIPS CP POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
1ST LT WILLIAM E. VADEN NAV POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
1ST LT PAUL T. DAVIS BOM POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
T/SGT GUY L. BROWN ROG POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
T/SGT SIDNEY A. GOLDENBERG TTE POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
S/SGT VERN R. LINES BTG POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
S/SGT RICHARD L. DAVID RWG POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
S/SGT JAMES M. BUTLER LWG POW 3 MAR 44 BERLIN
S/SGT GEORGE W. BRIGGS TG KIA 3 MAR 44 BERLIN

(G. W. Briggs died in POW camp 6 Apr 45 - no cause is given)

LT WILLIAM G. LAKIN P KIA 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST
LT KEITH A. SPRAGUE CP CPT 25 FEB 44 REGENSBURG
LT ROBERT G. MILAM NAV CPT 28 FEB 44 MARQUENVILLE
LT DUNCAN L. McCORMAC BOM CPT 28 FEB 44 MARQUENVILLE
SGT JAMES W. CUNNINGHAM TTE CPT 28 FEB 44 MARQUENVILLE
SGT EUGENE E. BEISTER ROG CPT 28 FEB 44 MARQUENVILLE
SGT CLARENCE A. BUTTS BTG CPT 28 FEB 44 MARQUENVILLE
SGT ALFRED J. MICHINI WG CPT 28 FEB 44 MARQUENVILLE
SGT DANIEL F. FEAGINS WG CPT 28 FEB 44 MARQUENVILLE
SGT THOMAS A. KENDALL TG CPT 28 FEB 44 MARQUENVILLE

 

2ND LT DONALD M. MITCHELL P CPT 29 JAN 44 FRANKFURT
2ND LT YANDELL S. WARREN CP CPT 25 FEB 44 REGENSBURG
2ND LT CARL M. DAVIDSON NAV CPT 29 JAN 44 FRANKFURT
2ND LT EARL G. HAFEN BOM CPT 29 JAN 44 FRANKFURT
T/SGT JOHN J. BOGGS TTE RFS -- --
T/SGT JOHN K. BEARD ROG -- -- FROM CREW OF LT. DUNCAN
T/SGT CHARLES A. MABEY BTG -- -- --
S/SGT FAY A. HULSEY WG -- -- --
S/SGT HAROLD F. HODGDON WG CPT 29 JAN 44 FRANKFURT
S/SGT DONALD A. McALLISTER TG CPT 29 JAN 44 FRANKFURT

 

350th Sqdn. Crew, as above, joined 100th Group on 25/8/43. In a letter of 28/11/83, Don Mitchell states: "Of our original crew four of the original crew members four were replaced after the first few missions by T/Sgt Charles N. Mabey- TTE, T/Sgt John K. Beard- ROG, Woodrow W. McCurry- WG, and S/Sgt Fay A. Hulsey WG. These four finished their combat tours, but, am not sure of the dates on any of them. " Actually, John Beard was on the "Original" crew of C. L. Duncan. He had not flown when the Duncan crew went down on 10/7/43.