Mission

ON THIS DAY...JULY 5, 1944

Although Thorpe Abotts was on a stand down on the 5th, the crews were still active, flying a practice mission. In the afternoon however, an alert came in for another attempt at Gien but the mission was ultimately scrubbed.

Meanwhile in Egypt, the crews of Mylius, Simmons and Chadwick were still working their way back to England. Thanks to Vincent Wood's notes we know that their six days in Cairo had ended and at 0620 hours they departed for Libya where they landed at Tripoli to refuel. A few hours later and on the move again, they landed at Marrakech in French Morocco that same evening.

And in Italy, it was finally time for the 8th Air Force’s Russian shuttle crews to fly their last leg and return to England. They would share the skies with the 15th Air Force’s B-17s and B-24s which would have multiple targets that day in southern France. A formation of B-24s would target the docks and sub pens at Toulon, France while a formation of B-17s would continue another forty-five miles along the Mediterranean coast to bomb Montpelier. The 15th Air Force would also send a formation further west to attack the large marshaling yard at Béziers, flying ahead of the 13CBW. Béziers was located one hundred forty-six miles west along the Mediterranean coast from Marseilles and the crews learned that its marshaling yard was being used to move two German divisions of troops from SW France to Normandy.

The 95BG would lead the 13CBW with the six 100BG crews of JD Williams, Cumming, Ransom, Rogers, Helmick and Farcht, to fly as its Low flight. The 390th would fly as the High group and the 100th as its Low along with two ships from the 45 CBW.

While the lead group’s ships had been loaded with ten 500 lb bombs, the others carried five 1000 lb bombs and were ready to go. Ransom’s ROG Emmett Schmitt tells us, “Took off about 8 AM for our trip back to England. Passed a little south of Rome but was able to see most of the city through the clouds. Flew over the Mediterranean Sea to Southern France…” On the way to the target, Red Bowman flying in Colonel Jeffrey’s ship recorded, “On the way we had a grandstand seat to watch the Fifteenth Air Force smashing Toulon - flak there was terrific and one B-24 went down in flames.”

Arriving at the IP, the 13CBW’s formation encountered fifty bursts of tracking fire, although bursting to the right of the formation. Flying through the “meager” flak on the bomb run, the smoke rising up from the bombs dropped first by the 15th’s bombers hindered the Lead and High groups from identifying the MPI, requiring a second run to be made. The 100th’s formation in the Low however, “bombed as briefed, securing a break in the clouds“

With the 100th’s formation waiting until the other two groups made a second run, reassembly was accomplished and the wing flew out over the Mediterranean. Emmett Schmitt recorded, “Made 2 runs over the target before we dropped our bombs. Got some good hits and started large fires. We were flying at 21,000. After we left the target we were hit by 3 FW 190's but they only made 2 passes at us and then the P-51 escort fighters either chased them away or shot them down.”

On the route out as the formation headed north over France, they encountered little flak and no enemy fighters. Bowman tells us, “Picked up near Orleans by P-51's and P-47's from home and they were a welcome sight.” According to pilot James Williams, “... By the time we got over our own lines in France we all were so dry that we were spitting cotton. My engineer got the bright idea to have a couple of swigs' on the brandy that all of us had brought back. So he broke out a bottle and passed it around and a toast was made for our successful mission…When coming in for a landing I could barley make out which runway to land on although there was only one landing runway. When your body is fully charged on oxygen the effects of alcohol on your system is about 5 times greater than normal. Needless to say the whole crew was well oiled by the time we landed. We all had been through a lot as well as our beloved "LITTLE SKIPPER" that brought us through without single scratch on any of her crew but she took many battle scars…”

The 100BG ceremoniously reached Thorpe Abbotts at 1730 hours. Bowman recorded, “Distance, 7,000 miles, 34 and one half hours flying time not counting the Arad mission. 100th's score; Four targets destroyed - no losses to the enemy.” 

After their historic landing, the exhausted crews were de-briefed and it was reportedly then that they learned what the other crews already knew. They were “none too pleased when informed ‘their tours had been raised from thirty to 35 missions.”

Interviewed by the Associated Press that evening, Gerald Steussy’s copilot, Frank “Pete”Petrdil, the twenty-three year-old Russian speaking son of Czechoslovakian parents, gave an account of his “goodwill” activities. A music student at DePaul University in Chicago before the war, his musical talents had come in handy. He stated, “I never expected to find myself in a Russian home, but there I was playing boogie woogie for three Russian girls. With a friend, LT. Tom Kemp of Chattanooga, Tenn., I walked about seeing the sights. It was just like the news reels showed, all that devastation we saw…Two Russian officers seized me when they found I spoke their language. ‘“The second front is a wonderful achievement,” one said, “You are to be congratulated.” He just about shook my hand off. I thought for a minute I’d managed the invasion. One evening, a stormovik pilot brought us to the Russian pilot’s club. We had some vodka; it is potent stuff. We hoisted them up for Stalin and Roosevelt; then for Roosevelt and Stalin; then for Stalin and Roosevelt. Pretty soon I had to sit down…”

That press release would hit the newspapers in the States the very next day and many days afterwards.