Group History
Black Week - Schweinfurt
Black Week (October 8-14, 1943)
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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
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Capt Frank G. Lauro |
P |
CPT |
080/4/44 |
Quakenbruck |
TAPS: 1978 |
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Lt. Emanuel E. "Joe" Greasamar |
CP |
CPT |
08/04/44 |
Quakenbruck |
-- |
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Lt. Emery Horvath |
NAV |
CPT |
08/04/44 |
Quakenbruck |
-- |
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Lt. Walter Green |
BOM |
CPT |
27/04/44 |
Thionville,LeCulot |
-- |
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T/Sgt Nelson King |
ROG |
RFS |
29/11/43 |
Bremen |
Frostbite (Awarded Silver Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal) |
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T/Sgt Dewey Thompson |
TTE |
CPT |
08/07/44 |
Quakenbruck |
-- |
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T/Sgt Murray Schrier |
BTG |
CPT |
08/04/44 |
Quakenbruck |
-- |
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S/Sgt William R. Heathman |
RWG |
CPT |
08/04/44 |
Quakenbruck |
-- |
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S/Sgt Gerald A. Will |
LWG |
CPT |
08/04/44 |
Quakenbruck |
-- |
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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.
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2nd Lt. John J. "Skippy" Flanigan |
P |
CPT |
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sn# O-797503 |
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2nd Lt. Douglas E.Dunsdon |
CP |
CPT |
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sn# O-801641 |
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2nd Lt. Earl L. Richardson |
BOM |
POW |
6/3/1944 BERLIN |
(with D. Miner) |
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2nd Lt. Rudolph Grum |
NAV |
POW |
10/10/1943 MUNSTER |
(with J.F.Stephens) |
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T/Sgt. Guy M.Tuccero |
TTE |
CPT |
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S/Sgt. Adam E. "Rudy" Rutkowski |
ROG |
CPT |
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S/Sgt. Guerino "Bill" Melchiorre |
BTG |
CPT |
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S/Sgt. Frederick D."Farmer"Brown |
WG |
CPT |
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PVT. Salvatore J. Luistro |
WG |
CPT |
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S/Sgt. Jack J.Strang |
TG |
CPT |
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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.