Personnel

CREW

                TARGET WAS BERLIN..



2nd Lt Edward P.Gwin                       P            KIA        18/3/45

2nd Lt Donald H.Reichel                    CP           POW      18/3/45

2nd Lt Robert B.Landino                 NAV           POW      18/3/45

2nd Lt Stewart P.Laidlaw                BOM

   Cpl William C.Danielson,Jr.              ROG         KIA         18/3/45

   Cpl Herbert Hamann                     TTE          POW      18/3/45

   Cpl Joseph M.Griego                      TG           POW      18/3/45

   Cpl Earl S.Hamilton                       BTG          Grounded

   Cpl Charles T.Maedel                    WG            NOC

   Cpl  Norman D. Heilbuth                WG           POW      18/3/45



351st Sqdn. Crew,as above,Joined 100th Group on 5/10/44. 

Letter from Joe Griego in 1983 states that Lt.Laidlaw was made Group Bombardier after about 10 missions with crew. ". On 18/3/45 Sgt Raymond Y.Uhler and Sgt John 

W. Disher were flying in place of Hamilton & Maedel and both were KIA.  Sgt.David Ackerman was aboard as NG and became a POW.   R.K.Uhler was from the crew of J.L.Wofford.   John Disher was from the crew of H.S.Bucklew. S/Sgt N.D. Heilburth was aboard as a waist gunner and became a POW.



MACR #13144   A//C#43 38861 was attacked by an ME 262 at 1114 hours, 5247;N  & 1145E. Our  A/C had two 

engines on fire and dived away from the formation.. A/C then nosed up with tail falling off and fell down spinling. 

One chute was seen."



Joe Griego was in the severed section of the tail and  had a difficult tlme getting out so that he could open his 

chute. See S.O.C. p.86/87 &103/105

  

The following are excerpts from statements of Lt. Robert B. Landino taken from MACR No# 13144



As to Lt. Gwin,  ". . . from enlisted men who were working near where we were shot down; they claim one man bailed out   below the clouds, then they heard shooting, his chute collasped and he fell to the ground presumably dead."



As to Sgt Disher,  " . . . S/Sgt Heilbuth saw him just before he bailed out.  He was crawling out of the radio room with blood all  over himself, but he (Heilbuth) did not have time to help him as the aircraft was below the clouds which were not more than 500 feet, so he had to jump. Disher probably never go to the door to jump as the plane must have hit only a few seconds later."



As to Sgt. Uhler, ". . . I believe he was trapped in the ball turret by emeny shell fire.  His body was seen on the ground along  ide of the plane.



As to T/Sgt Danielson,   ". . .He must have been killed by the fire from the two ME - 262s that shot us down. They sprayed the back part of our plane as it was shot in half just in front of the tail wheel.



Missions Sgt Ackerman flew with Lt Gwin Crew:



12/28/44 11  Coblenz    Sgt David Ackerman becomes NG/Toggolier

12/30/44 12  Kassel

12/31/44 13  Hamburg    Reichel wounded, Gp lost 12

01/07/45 14  Cologne

01/21/45 15  Mannheim

02/03/45 16  Berlin

02/06/45 17  Chemnitz

02/22/45 18  Dresden

02/23/45 19  Treuchtlingen

02/25/45 20  Munich

02/26/45 21  Berlin     Heavy flak as usual

02/28/45 22  Kassel

03/02/45 23  Ruhland

03/07/45 24  Siegen

03/08/45 25  Frankfurt

03/10/45 26  Dortmund

03/11/45 27  Hamburg    Nothing like the last time..

03/12/45 28  Swinemunde

03/15/45 29  Oranienburg

03/17/45 30  Ulm

03/18/45 31  Berlin   Final Mission - they shot our tail off!!!