Personnel

CREW



2ND LT EDWARD F. NEU                     P  POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND    (flying CP for Lt Wesley Carlton Crew)

F/O  WILLIAM W. THORNTON            CP CPT  Date and Mission Ukn    (FLEW 32 MISSIONS)

2ND LT HUGH R. DAVIDSON             NAV POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND    (flying NAV for Lt Wesley Carlton Crew)

2ND LT OSCAR F. MILLS                   BOM CPT  (flew 26 missions between Lt Neu, Lt Major, Lt D.A.Armstrong and Lt Rumley Crews

S/SGT DONALD A. SCOTT                 TTE CPT Date and Mission Ukn    (FLEW 32 MISSIONS)

S/SGT ALFRED E. VACCO                  ROG CPT Date and Mission Ukn   (FLEW 32 MISSIONS)

SGT CLIFFORD T. RYE                      LWG CPT Date and Mission Ukn    (FLEW 32 MISSIONS)   TAPS: 09 APR 1988

SGT MARVIN F. GATES                     BTG CPT Date and Mission Ukn    (FLEW 32 MISSIONS) 

SGT WALTER E. SORTER                  RWG NOC Flew only 6 Missions with the Crew, not other records found.

SGT ALBERT W. GARCEAU                   TG CP  Date and Mission Ukn    (FLEW 31 MISSIONS)   TAPS: 30 MAR 1986



SPECIAL ORDER #145 DATED 29 MAY 1944 ASSIGNED THIS CREW TO THE 418TH, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF LT HUGH DAVIDSON WHO APPEARS WITHOUT A CREW AND WAS ASSIGNED TO THE 350TH.

Most of Enlisted men flew final missions with Lt Rumley as Pilot.  After 6 missions, Lt Neu is replaced by Lt Stanley T. Major. 

2nd Lt Stanley T. Major takes over this Crew on 14 Jun 1944 and also works in 418th BS Operations until he completes his tour on 29 July 1944 misson to Merseburg. He is replaced on the crew by Lt Rumley. Sgt Sorter flew only 6 missions with this crew then no record is found, He is replaced on crew by assortment of fill in gunners: 

S/Sgt Garrette (from Lt Kincannon Crew) flew 2 missions 

S/Sgt Skapin (from Lt Bethea Crew) few 13 missions

S/Sgt Hoagg (from Lt Kincannon Crew)  flew 2 missions.  

Crew was reduced to 9 men on July 25, 1944 mission to St Lo.  





Lt Hugh Davidson Joins Lt Gerald Brewer Crew in early June 1944



CREW

Ist Lt Herbert Howard,Jr.              P SEE NOTES OPERATIONS OFFICER, 350TH BS

2nd Lt Gerald A.Brewer               CP  CPT 14/7/44  SOUTH OF FRANCE SUPPLY DROP FOR MAQUIS

2nd Lt William P.Roche             NAV RFS 13/4/44 AUGSBURG

2nd Lt Charles W.Harrison         BOM  CPT 19/6/44  CORME ECLUSE. AF

S/SgtEdward C.Montgomery     ROG  CPT 19/6/44  CORME ECLUSE, AF   

S/Sgt Harmon W.Thomas        TTE  RFS 12/4/1944 SCHEUDITZ (RECALL)  Sgt Mancini took over as TTE

Sgt Edward Q.Lupia                BTG  CPT 25/7/44 ST LO GROUND SUPPORT

Sgt Robert E. "Ace" Mace       RWG  CPT 25/7/44 ST LO GROUND SUPPORT

Sgt Benjamin J.Mancini            LWG  CPT 19/6/44 CORME ECLUSE, AF (Moved to Top Turret Engineer when Thomas RFS)

Sgt Earl R.Wilbur                      TG  CPT 19/6/44 CORME ECLUSE, AF



350th Sqdn.  Crew,as above,joined the 100th Group on 17/3/44.



NOTES:

According to a letter from Edward Lupia (Dec.1983) Lt Howard was made Operations Officer of the 350th after 5 or 6 missions and Brewer became Pilot of the crew. "Lt.Roche & Sgt.Thomas quit after the 5th mission, if my memory serves me right ". Lupia adds that Ben Mancini "passed away some years ago".



350th Sqdn. Diary for Sept.1944 says Capt.Howard releived as Operations Officer and sent to 55th Fighter Group flying P51s. Replaced as Operations Officer by Capt.Henry Smith. See: T.N.H.I.5.G. p.115 for Howard.Hugh R.Davidson who joined the 100th without a crew flew as navigator with this crew from 1 June 1944.



Missions of Lt Herbert Howard as Pilot of this Crew



DATE:          LAST_NAME:  FIRST_NAME: RANK:  POSITION:     TARGET:                 CREW_NBR: MISSION_NBR:    PLANE_NBR:

3/26/1944         HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         SCHKEUDITZ/JU-88 PLANT         15         136                 31074

3/27/1944         HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         BORDEAUX/ MERIGNAC             15         137                 31074

3/28/1944         HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         CHATEAUDUN/ EVREUX             15         138                 107024

3/31/1944         HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         LUDWIGSHAFEN/RECALLED        15         139                 31991

4/1/1944           HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         LUDWIGSHAFEN                       15         140                 31991

4/9/1944           HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         KRZESINKI (POSEN)                  15         143                 31991

4/10/1944         HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         RHEIMS/ CHAMPAGNE               15         144                 31991

4/11/1944         HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         POSEN / ROSTOCK T.O.            15         145                 31991

4/12/1944         HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         SCHEUDITZ (RECALL)                15         146                  90

4/13/1944         HOWARD         H.G.         LT          P         AUGSBURG                               15         147                107024



Lt Gerald A. Brewster becomes first pilot of this crew 



DATE:        LAST_NAME:   FIRST_NAME: RANK:   POSITION:         TARGET:               CREW_NBR:         MISSION_NBR:         PLANE_NBR:

5/1/1944           BREWER         G.A.         LT         CP       SAARGUEMINES/WIZERNES         15         110         31991

5/11/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         LIEGE                                         15         115         31991

5/13/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         OSNABRUCK                               15         117         31903

5/19/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         BERLIN                                       15         118         97095

5/20/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         BRUSSELS                                  15         119         97095

5/29/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         LEIPZIG                                      15         125         102934

5/30/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         TROYES                                     15         126         102934

5/31/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         OSNABRUCK                               30         127         102934

6/2/1944           BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         BOULOGNE                                 15         128         97090

6/4/1944           BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         BOULOGNE                                 15         130         102934

6/5/1944           BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         BOULOGNE(CHG)                         15         131         102934

6/6/1944           BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         FALAISE/OUISTREHAM                15        -132         102611

6/8/1944           BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         TOURS (BRIDGES)                      15         -136         102695

6/11/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         BERCK sur MER (S.DEF)               15         -137         102934

6/15/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         MITBURG & WILSTER                  15         -140         102934

6/19/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         CORME ECLUSE, AF                    30         -142         102934

7/7/1944           BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         BOHLEN/MERSEBURG                  30         155         102934

7/8/1944           BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         CLAMECY-JOLGYN                      30          156         102934

7/12/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         MUNICH (IND. AREA)                  30         158         31991

7/13/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         MUNICH (JET ENGINES)              30         159         31991

7/14/1944         BREWER         G.A.         LT         P         SOUTH OF FRANCE                    30         160         31991



Bertram Lobdell,CP on the M.D.Rupert crew 350th flew with this crew for a while as CP. G.Brewer says Jack E.Smith joined his crew as WG (to replace Mancini)  but I can find no record of Smith,...jb



Note: See Lt Bert Lobdell record for information regarding 2nd Lt Brewers crew missions from May 20, 1944 until completion of tour.



10. 20/5/44-Brussells, Belgium-Now flying with Brewer.  overcast on takeoff, nearly cracked up on takeoff.  Undecided about Brewer, brought back Bombs

11. 29/5/44-Leipzig-Germany-2nd mission with Brewer- flew #934 LN-W, new ship.  Flew #6 position in lead Squadron, Col Kidd led group.  Composit lost 3 ships, none from 350th Sq.  On return a loose formation of B-24's about 40 in number ran head on into rear of our group.  

Two 24's "flying Coffins" struck  a B-17 and the 17 lost the top Turret, the 24's exploded in a terrible mass of flame.  One minute, two 4 engine bombers with 20 men, the next, nothing but a few pieces of burnt debrie floating down. Hope I never see such a thing again.

12. 30/5/44-Troyes, France-Marshalling Yards, poor formation, good fighter support.

13. 31/5/44-Osnabruck, Germany-rail road yards, heavy flak, Flew No 6 in high Squadron

14. 02/6/44-Versailles-Paris, France-Flak was very accurate.  390th lost 2 ships, I sweated it out for some reason. We came back with no losses.

15. 05/6/44-Abbeyville, France-some flak, two 349th ships ran together and went down.

16. 06/6/44-D-DAY-went to Oren River carried two external 1000 lb bombs Alot of airplanes, We were hit by flak over Gurnesey Island. Pretty Heavy flak.

17. 06/6/44-D-DAY-went to Falise, in the afternoon. Took off 4:50pm got back at 12pm.  Very tired, flew 15 hours without stopping.

18. 08/6/44-Tours, France-Easy mission.  Expect Dear "DoLittle" to increase missions again.

19. 11/6/44-Boulogne, France-a very easy mission, No Flak

20. 14/6/44-Mons, France-Airfield.  Did not drop bombs, returned to base.  Hydraulic pressure gave out on runway but we stopped it alright.

21, 15/6/44-Hanover, Germany- did not bomb due to clouds, hit small town Wilster.  Hit us once with flak and put several holes in ship.  Flew No 3 position on Rosenthal in lead squadron.

22. 16/6/44-Brunsbottelkoog,Germany (note that this mission looks like it was flown on June 18)-Rumoured we will run a shuttle mission to Russia,  Postponed.  No ships lost except out of 390th. Ship was apparently out of control and I saw chutes come out of it like popcorn.

23. 19/6/44-Marannis,France-Airfield, no flak, mission about nine hours long.  Hope to go on Flak leave.

24. 20/6/44-Fallerslaben, Germany-Flew with lead crew "Giles".  Direct hits, good results.

25. 07/7/44-Leipzig, Germany-Missions have been set at 35. Heavy flak, didn't drop bombs.  Went to airport called Gottingion. All ships came back. Two 95th ships (Andrews says planes were 390th) had mid air collision over Holland. Only four chutes seen.  I feltpretty rotten on this one.

26. 08/7/44-Clanecy-Joigny, France- took off 3:30am went on easy trip to france, return 8:30am. NICE. Rosino cracked up our ship "934" this evening at Manningtree. No one injured. SIDE NOTE: Ball Turret gun ran away and guns fired about 50 rounds. Turret gunner operating turret had his head blown off as he tried to get into a ditch.  "Brewer says he probably kicked a couple of times"

27. 12/7/44-Munich, Germany-Heavy Flak.  A 95th ship went down.  Broke in two pieces, no chutes. We flew "991" in No 3 position on lead.  Logged 9 hrs.  Boy am I tired.

28. 13/7/44-Munich, Germany-Flew no 2 on lead in low Sqandron.  Mission was 9 1/2 hrs long.  Heavy flak.  Four ships were lost, one of those went to Switzerland.  We were attacked by a ME 109 on return.  They made one pass at 12 O'Clock on one and 6 O'Clock.  My first glimpse of an ememy fighter and hope my last one.

29. 14/7/44-Brire, France- took ten parachutes, Bombs made up of food, medicine, and guns.  Dropped stuff on plateau out an altitude of 50 feet. 8 1/2 hour mission.  Brewer flew his 35th and last mission.

 

Second Crew:

 Brewer-Pilot-Texas

 Harrison-Bomb-Kansas

 Huge R. Davidson-Nav.-Montana  Joined crew on May 30, 1944

Jack E. Smith





LT Davidson goes back to the Neu Crew and is shot down on Sept. 11, 1944 mission to Ruhland. 



CREW make up from 30 AUG 44 to 11 SEPT 44 

    

MACR #8817, Micro-fiche #3237             A/C #42-97154  Our Baby Hutchie



1ST LT  WESLEY R. CARLTON     P KIA   11 SEP 44 RUHLAND  

2ND LT EDWARD F. NEU           CP POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND  (Pilot of own crew)

1ST LT HUGH R. DAVIDSON    NAV POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND  (from Lt Neu Crew & Lt Brewer Crew)

1ST LT JACK L. EPPENDORF    BOM KIA   11 SEP 44 RUHLAND   (from LT ROBERT A. WEGRZYNEK CREW)

T/SGT MILTON S. EDELSTEIN    ROG KIA   11 SEP 44 RUHLAND 

T/SGT HIKE B. BAGDASIAN       TTE KIA    11 SEP 44 RUHLAND  

S/SGT RALPH E. JACOBSON     BTG KIA   11 SEP 44 RUHLAND 

S/SGT WILLIAM U. SCHAEFER   WG KIA   11 SEP 44 RUHLAND  

S/SGT GEORGE E. WATROUS     TG KIA   11 SEP 44 RUHLAND  



350th Sqdn. Crew as of 30 Aug 44, Jack Eppendorf was orginally on the crew of R.A.Wegrzynek and Ralph Jacobson was on the original crew of L.W. Riegel, Lt Davidson from Lt Neu Crew & Lt Brewer Crew



MISSION LIST OF CAPT. HENRY SMITH AND LT. WESLEY CARLTON



#      DATE                 TARGET                       PILOT/COPILOT      A/C NUMBER             A/C NAME



                                                                   LT. W. CARLTON-CP

9.    18/7/44               KIEL                            LT. W. CARLTON       231991                    MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. G.C. MALCOM-CP

10.  20/7/44               MERSEBURG                  LT. W. CARLTON       231991                   MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. R. DYKEMAN-CP

11.  21/7/44               REGENSBURG                LT. W. CARLTON       231991                    MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. R. DYKEMAN-CP

12.  24/7/44               ST LO                          LT. W. CARLTON       231991                    MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. R. DYKEMAN-CP

CREW REDUCED TO 9 MEN, S/SGT P.J. HAHN IS TAKEN OFF THE CREW AND SENT TO SPARE GUNNERS POOL 



13.  25/7/44               ST LO                          LT. W. CARLTON        231991                   MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. R. DYKEMAN-CP (Lt Dykeman is KIA on July 29, 1944 with Fitzroy Crew)

14.  31/7/44              MUNICH                        LT. W. CARLTON       231991                    MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU ?-CP

15.    2/8/44             TERGNIER                      LT. W. CARLTON       231991                     MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU ?-CP

16.   3/8/44              TROYES                        LT. W. CARLTON       297924                     PARTY TONIGHT

                                                                  LT. E.F. NEU ?-CP 

17.   4/8/44              HAMBURG                      LT. W. CARLTON       338043                     NO NAME                               

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP

18.   5/8/44              MAGDEBURG                  LT. W. CARLTON       231991                     MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP 

19.   6/8/44              BERLIN                           LT. W. CARLTON      46089                       LEADING LADY       

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP 

20.   7/8/44              BEAUTOR                       LT. W. CARLTON       337882                    HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP 

21.  26/8/44             BREST                           LT. W. CARLTON       46089                      LEADING LADY

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP 

SGT G.E. SYMINGTON COMPLETES 35 MISSIONS AND IS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY S/SGT R.E.JACOBSON



22.  30/8/44             BREMEN                          LT. W. CARLTON       231991                    MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP

23.   8/9/44             MAINZ                            LT. W. CARLTON       231991                    MISS-CHIEF

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP 

24.   9/9/44             DUSSELDORF                  LT. W. CARLTON       338043                    NO NAME

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP

25.  10/9/44            NURNBURG                      LT. W. CARLTON       338043                    NO NAME

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP  

26.  11/9/44            RUHLAND                        LT. W. CARLTON       297154                    OUR BABY HUTCHIE    (SHOT DOWN)

                                                                   LT. E.F. NEU-CP               

                                     



The following is quoted from a letter written by E.F.Neu dated 23 July 1945…pw



"……..we were flying in the low squadron numbering twelve aircraft of which 11 were shot down. Our ship was badly hit and on fire.  Lt Carlton, who was flying in the right seat suffered wounds on the right side of his face and head. Lt. Carlton had his chute fastened to his harness the last time I saw him. While I was trying to move the Engineer's (Bagdasian) body from the escape hatch the ship exploded and I came to on the ground. Due to the fire in the bomb bay no one from the front of the ship could go to the rear, also the inter phone was shot out so no communications in the ship was possible.



Lt. Carlton's wounds seemed to be serious from the way he was bleeding. S/Sgt Schaefer and Watrous were in the rear of the ship and due to fire and no inter phone we could not communicate with them, although they were ordered by Lt. Carlton and myself to leave the ship before out inter phone was shot out."

Originally Nav on Edward F. Neu Crew, soon after arriving at the 100th he was reassigned to the 350th without a crew.



REMINISCENCE BY HUGH DAVIDSON



I intend here to put down a chronology of some of my experience in World War II.  My impressions may sometimes be erroneous, and if so, they are simply my error.



As a newly commissioned navigator, I was placed with the “virgin” crew of Wesley Carlton and Edward Neu as we all departed the United States by ship in convoy, bound for England.  We were assigned to the 100th Squadron of the 350th Bomb Group in B-17s.

For reasons unknown to me, I was detached from my crew.  While they were making familiarization flights about the island, I was put with a well experienced crew which flew serious missions.  With this crew, led by a bold Texas Pilot, I had been on several dozen missions.  I went to London with the crew, celebrating them about to go home.  Then I was assigned to another crew, and flew more sorties.

Nearing the end of my prescribed tour – now 35 flights – I finally returned to my original crew with Carlton and Neu.  I can’t recall if we flew one or several trips before the last mission, which was my 34th, on September 11, 1944, my mother’s birthday.

Let me say about the 100th Squadron.  Before our joining, I believe it had the name The Bloody Hundredth.  The reason for this, I had heard, was a fable I cannot vouch for.  It seems a bomber of the 100th was damaged on a mission and was returning home at low altitude. German fighters, rather than finishing off this wounded plane, came down and made to escort it as a surrendered machine.  The story is that the B-17 crew fired on the escort planes, action considered against rules of war by the Germans.  Whether true or not, The Bloody Hundredth was systematically singled out by Luftwaffe fighters, and their formation nearly wiped out, two times, before the period of my tour.

This tactic of concentrated attack was really a fit strategy for the Luftwaffe in their later months, when we were flying a river of bombers on 1,000 plane missions.  Whatever the reason, The Bloody Hundredth was singled out, again, on September 11th.



The events of our fall came suddenly in an hours-long, boring flight of our 1,000 planes making a line across the sky.  I believe Carlton was leading his formation.  We received the alert – fighters coming in—and they did.  I recall our plane was raked, end to end, by machine gun bullets, and the bombardier was killed instantly in his seat in our joint compartment in the nose.  I had time to fire my first and last volley from a side gun, at a receding FW 190.  Then the plane made a violent move, and it was clearly time to go.  A tunnel leads down from the pilot’s compartment to the plane’s nose, and I saw a figure coming down thru – face obscured by his oxygen mask.  This must have been Edward Neu, who I believe was knocked out in the air.  At any rate, there was a WOOOSH, and Ed was gone along with the Plexiglas of the nose.  Also the plane had tilted, nose down.  I had only to release my hold on my table, and fall out clear.



We’d been flying high, so I had time in freefall before opening my chute.  I landed in deep forest, with the sounds of a burning plane nearby.  I covered my chute with leaves, and headed away from the burning.  Ed Neu apparently landed nearer that, and was picked up at once.  In the heavy wood I could hide, and in my flyers sheepskins could sleep.

As navigator I had an idea where I was, and had a small map.  It appeared I was right in the middle of enemy held country, hundreds of kilometers from borders north, south, east, and west, so I elected to aim for Switzerland.  Travel was not hard.  On a couple occasions I came upon persons, but they made no alarm as I headed quickly away.  I had no food – once a small apple.  Once a potato.  After six days – it must have been Sunday, I heard a band playing in a village – I saw a man in the woods dressed and appearing very much like me, and I approached him.  He said he was a Serbian slave worker, and he gave me the little apple.

I’d become discouraged by now.  When I came on an isolated farm house, I went to the door and told the Hausfrau, in awkward German, I was Serbian and could I have “etwas zu essen?”  That there was a young boy out back by the woodpile mattered little to me.  The good Frau had let me in, and

gave me a delicious large dumpling with gravy.  Meantime the boy out back had spread the word, and people began showing up in numbers.  I was not caring at this point, when a man smilingly told me, “Du bist Gefangen”.



The local constable arrived and I was taken into the village (don’t know the name), where we were to get on a one-horse buggy: me, the constable and a driver.  I was asked why I didn’t “commando”.  At this stage of the war the government had taken back our pistol side-arms—apparently not wanting fliers to undertake such heroics.  A lady in the town gave me a large piece of Kaffekuchen (spelling?), and we were off to the local military post where I became formally a prisoner of war.



Distance and time have allowed this dispassionate story.  I wish to say now that I hated war then – I used to vomit as we were over a target.  I found nothing heroic in the fighting although I’d volunteered.  For soldiers proud to be serving their country, I wish them well, and a safe return home.  I still hate all war.