Personnel

CREW

                          1ST LT THOMAS E. MURPHY

                          ORGINAL 100TH PILOT



CREW #22   A/C #42-5864  "PICCADILLY LILY"  PROABLY THE 100TH MOST FAMOUS A/C



1ST LT  THOMAS E. MURPHY                P;  KIA    8 OCT 43 BREMEN    

2ND LT  MARSHALL F. LEE                  CP;  KIA     8 OCT 43 BREMEN       

2ND LT  CHARLES C. SARABUN         NAV;  POW   8 OCT 43 BREMEN 

2ND LT  FLOYD C. PETERSON          BOM;  POW   8 OCT 43 BREMEN 

T/SGT   JOHN J. EHLEN                   TTE;  POW  8 OCT 43 BREMEN 

S/SGT   ALBERT C. DAVIS                WG;  CPT    4 OCT 43 HANAU

SGT     EMMETT H. EVANS              ROG;  CPT 4 OCT 43 HANAU

S/SGT   CLEVELAND D. JARVIS         BTG;  X-FERRED TO ARMAMENT, JULY 1943

S/SGT   MICHAEL ROTZ                   WG;  POW  28 MAY 44 MADGEBURG

S/SGT   GERALD O. ROBINSON          TG;  POW  8 OCT 43 BREMEN



ALBERT DAVIS AND EMMETT EVANS, HAVING COMPLETED TOURS WERE REPLACED ON THE 8 OCT 43 BREMEN MISSION BY DERRELL PIEL (ROG OF CREW #26) AND ELDER DICKERSON THE REGULAR WG OF CREW #25.  BOTH PIEL AND DICKERSON (ON HIS 25TH MISSION) WERE KILLED BY FLAK. JARVIS'S PLACE IN THE BALL TURRET WAS TAKEN BY S/SGT REED A. HUFFORD WHO BECAME A POW. MICHAEL ROTZ, HAVING BEEN HOSPITALIZED FROM INJURIES SUSTAINED IN A JEEP/TRUCK ACCIDENT WAS REPLACED BY S/SGT AARON A. DAVID, WHO WAS KILLED.  THERE IS CONFUSION AS TO WHETHER DAVID WAS BLOWN OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT A CHUTE OR HIS CHUTE FAILED TO OPEN.  ACCORDING TO SGT DAVID'S SON, HE REPLACED  SGT ROTZ ON JUNE 27, 1943 AND STAYED WITH THE CREW FOR REST OF MISSIONS



THIS CREW LED THE 100TH ON THE MISSION TO BREMEN AND CAPT  ALVIN L. BARKER. 351ST OPERATIONS OFFICER, FLEW IN THE RIGHT SEAT. MARSHALL LEE THE REGULAR CO-PILOT FLEW AS BTG TO ISSUE REPORTS TO MURPHY AND BARKER. LEE WAS APPARENTLY KILLED AFTER LEAVING THE BALL TURRET IN HOPES OF RENDERING AID TO THE TWO PILOTS, BOTH OF WHOM WERE ALSO KILLED.



SOON AFTER BOMB RELEASE THE PICCADILLY LILY WAS HIT BY FLAK NEAR THE NAVIGATORS STATION CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE FLIGHT DECK AREA AS WELL.  THIS SHELL OR OTHERS STARTED A FIRE IN THE #3 ENGINE AND DESTROYED THE

SHIPS OXYGEN SYSTEM. WITNESSES INDICATE THE LILY ENTERED A NEAR VERTICAL NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND EXPLODED WITH ONLY FOUR CHUTES OBSERVED.



ON 15 OCT 43 AT THE POST CEMETERY, WESERMUENDE, GERMANY, THE REMAINS OF MURPHY, BARKER, LEE, PIEL AND DICKERSON WERE INTERRED IN GRAVES #103 THROUGH 3107.



THE PICCADILLY LILY WAS IMMORTALIZED BY SY BARLETT AND BEIRNE LAY'S "TWELVE O' CLOCK HIGH."  WITHOUT A DOUBT SHE IS THE MOST REMEMBERED BOMBER  OF WWII.



THE FOLLOWING IS THE 351ST'S S-2 REPORT, ACTUALLY MORE OF A TRIBUTE ON THE LOSS OF THEIR BELOVED "OL'MURPH"

    (copied verbatim with no spelling corrections)       



        THE SECOND CREW LOST OVER BREMEN WAS THAT OF CAPTAIN THOMAS E. MURPHY.  KILLED IN ACTION WERE CAPTAIN MURPHY, CAPTAIN A.L. BARKER, THE SQUADRON OPERATIONS OFFICER, LT M.F. LEE, T/SGT DARRELL C. PEIL AND S/SGT ELDER DICKERSON, T/SGT J.J. PHELAN AND SGT REED S. HUFFORD. S/SGT ARRON A. DAVID WAS NOT ACCOUNTED FOR AND IS LISTED A MISSING AS OF THIS REPORT.

        IN THE TURBLENT, INCESSANT IN THE AIR, HEROES ARE MADE IN ONE SHRILL MOMENT, MADE LEDGENDARY BY SOME FACT OF SELF-SACRIFICE, BY A LATENT ABILITY TO RISE TO SOME EXTRAORDINARY EMERGENCY AT 20,000 FEET.  THEN AGAIN, SOME ARE THERE WHO DO THIER WORK IN CALM PERFECTION, TO WHOM THE FLEETING CHANCE MOMENT OF SUDDEN GLORY NEVER COMES.

        CAPTAIN THOMAS E. MURPHY, THEN LT, FLEW HIS FIRST MISSION ON JUNE 6TH, 1943.  HIS AUSTER, COOL AIR OF DIGNITY MADE AN IMMEDIATE IMPRESSION.  HE WAS QUIET, A GOOD FELLOW WITH A READY SMILE. MEN MET HIM AND LIKED HIM AND THE MEN WHO FLEW WITH HIM SWORE BY HIM.

        ON OCTOBER 8TH, 1943, WHEN A BURST OF FLACK ENDED HIS CAREER AT THE TWENTY-FOUR MISSION MARK, IT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE THAT "OL MURPH" WAS THROUGH, THAT NEVER AGAIN WOULD HE GIVE HIS SHIP THAT METICULOUS ALL-EMBRACING PRE-FLIGHT IN HIS PASSION FOR PERFECTION.  NEVER AGAIN WOULD HIS QUIET VOICE INSTILL CONFIDENCE IN NERVE-WRACKED MEN.

        AND YET THE STORY OF HIS ABILITY GOES ON. EVEN NOW, WALKING DOWN THE LINE, ANY CREW CHIEF YOU STOP WILL INVARIABLY NAME THE QUIET PILOT FROM WALTHAM, MASS, AS THE FINEST PILOT EVER TO TAKEOFF WITH A 351ST SHIP.  COL TURNER CONSIDERED HIM THE MOST DEPENDABLE "TOP MAN" HE EVER HAD.  THE AIRMAN WORKING FOR CAPTIAN MURPHY FORM M/SGT HERRMAN DOWN LAVISH EVERY SUPERLATIVE IN THE BOOK UPON HIM.

        FOR THE AUGUST 17TH RAID ON REGENSBURG HE RECIEVED THE DFC, BUT NO ONE RAID OR DECORATION COULD POSSIBLY SUM UP OR ATTEST TO HIS SKILL AND DEVOTION TO HIS CREW.  FIVE CHUTES WERE SEEN TO FLOAT AWAY FROM THE STICKENED PICCADILLY LILY, BUT NO SUBSEQUENT WORD HAS EVER BEEN RECIEVED FROM CAPTAIN MURPHY.  HE WAS ALWAYS QUIET. NEVER LIKED TO MAKE A FUSS, NEVER LOST HIS TEMPER AND NO ONE EVER HEARD HIM CURSE. HE WAS PILOT THROUGH AND THROUGH, THE VERY BEST.  THE 351ST SHALL MISS HIM.





MISSIONS OF ALBERT C DAVIS



1943



1. JUNE 25 BREMEN, GER



2. JUNE 26 LE MANS, FR



3. JUNE 28 ST NAZAIRE, FR



4. JUNE 29 LE MANS, FR



5. JULY 4 LA PALLICE, FR



6. JULY 10 LE BOURGET, FR



7. JULY 24 TRONDHEIM, NOR



8. JULY 25 WARENMUNDE, GER



9. JULY 26 HANOVER, GER



10. JULY 28 OSCHERSLEBEN, GER



11. JULY 29 WARENMUNDE, GER



12. JULY 30 KASSEL, GER



13. AUG 12 BONN, GER



14. AUG 17 REGENSBURG, GER



15. AUG 24 BORDEAUX, FR



16. SEPT 3 PARIS, FR



17. SEPT 6 CONCHES, GER



18. SEPT 7 WATTON, FR



19. SEPT 9 BEDUVAIS TILLE, FR



20. SEPT 15 RENAULT, FR



21. SEPT 16 LA PALLICE, FR



22. SEPT 26 PARIS, FR



23. SEPT 27 EMDEN, GER 



24. OCT 2 EMDEN, GER



25. OCT 4 HANAU, GER

Blown out of ship either without chute or else chute failed to open