Personnel

CREW



1st Lt Harold S.Bucklew                   P  CPT  6/2/45 CHEMNITZ

2nd Lt George J.Roberts,Jr.             CP CPT  22/2/45 DONAUESCHINGEN

2nd Lt Carl H.Roesel                     NAV CPT  30/3/45 HAMBURG

2nd Lt Robert T.Watt                 BOM  WIA  2/10/44 KASSEL

  Cpl John H.Beckner                    TTE CPT  6/2/45 CHEMNITZ

  Cpl John T.Flowers,Jr.                ROG CPT 21/1/45 MANNHEIM

  Cpl Paul Zakarevich                     BTG CPT  6/2/45 CHEMNITZ

S/Sgt John W. Disher                   LWG KIA 18 /3/45 BERLIN (WITH GWIN CREW as Spot Jammer. See below)  sn# 17034210

  Sgt Eugene A.McCoy                 RWG CPT 6/2/45  CHEMNITZ

  Sgt Ray Martucci                         TG CPT  6/2/45 CHEMNITZ



418th Sqdn.  Crew,as above, joined the 100th Group on 22/8/44  "Flew SILVER DOLLAR



Watt had eyes injured by plexiglass fragments when flak struck nose of ship.  Roesel believes he was returned to USA because of this. Roesel transferred from this crew to lead crew navigator.  S/Sgt Disher was removed from crew to reduce to 9 men.  He is transferred to the 351st BS where he is put in a spare gunners pool. Somewhere in October/November 1944 he is trained as a SPOT JAMMER . 



S/Sgt John W.Disher SPOT JAMMER  KIA 18/3/45 (With crew of E.P.Gwin) may have flown missions with this crew. 



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Bob Disher 

I got a packet from National Personnel Records Center with more info. It appears my uncle (john w. "Jack" Disher) was with the 92nd Bombardment Group (H) first. He flew 25 missions with them from 5-29-43 thru 2-25-44. received the DFC+OLC , Air Medal with5 OLC's, Purple Heart with cluster,  Good Conduct, DUC for Jan 11, 1944 with 92nd BG.  Then with the 100th and flew 17 more missions.  1st mission with 100th on 12-27-44, to Fulda, Germany.



I have a copy of an article printed after 3-22-1944. I think it was from the local paper in his home town. 

"The Democrat News" Fredericktown MO.



S/Sgt. Disher holds the Purple Heart and Cluster, D.F.C. and Cluster and Air Medal and Cluster and is also a member of the "Goldfish Club", for those who have fallen into the English Channel.  It goes on to say he was interviewed by the BBC programme "The American Eagle in Britain" by Captain Ken Treadwell of New Rochelle, New York.



..."Will you tell us a little bit about that D.F.C. and Cluster which means two of them?"



"Well I got the D.F.C for fifteen raids and two enemy ships, and the Cluster for ten raids and three ships."



It is a very neat article that I have just seen for the 1st time this week.





Bob Disher

303-663-5607 home

broncobob78@msn.com



John W. Disher: Ball Turret Gunner, WG and Spot Jammer 

Medals 

Air Medal 7-6-43-for flying 5 missions (92nd BG)

Oak Leaf Closter for AM 8-11-43, for flying 5 more missions (92nd Bomb Group)

Oak Leaf Cluster for AM 8-19-43  for flying 5 more missions (92nd Bomb Group

Oak Leaf Cluster for AM 9-8-43,  for flying 5 more missions  (92nd Bomb Group)

Oak Leaf Cluster for AM 1-23-44 

Oak Leaf Cluster for AM 1/25/45 for flying 6 missions with 100th BG

Oak Leaf Clluster for AM 3/12/45 for flying 6 missions with 100th BG

 

Purple Heart 9-30-43- for June 22, 1943 Huls, Germany or September 6, 1943 Ditching in Channel with Lt Prasse Crew. Credit for 2 fighters

Oak Leaf Cluster for Purple Heart 2-27-44-Schweinfurt Oct 14, 1943 flying with Lt Richard Lyng Crew

Posthumous Award of Purple Heart 7-13-45 for being KIA on March 18, 1945

Distinguished Flying Cross 9-30-43, 

Oak Leaf Cluster for DFC 2-27-44 completion of 25 missions with 92nd Bomb Group

Good Conduct Medal

ETO ribbon with 2 battle Stars. Air Offensive Europe, Ardennse, 

Distinguished Unit Citation" 

 DUC for Jan 11, 1944 with 92nd BG

 DUS for Mar 4-8, 1944 with 100th BG- bestowed on Group Jan 1945. 

Goldfish Club for ditching in Channel on Sept 6, 1943.  





S/Sgt John Disher Missions with the 92nd Bomb Group and 100th Bomb Group: 



Missions with 92nd Bomb Group: 

1.       29 May  1943    St Nazaire 

2.       11 June 1943    Wilhelmshaven, Germany

          15 June 1943    Mission Recalled,  but S/Sgt Disher is wounded)

3.       22 June 1943    Huls, Germany

4.       25 June 1943    Oldenburg

5.       26 June 1943    Paris, France

6.       28 June 1943    St Nazaire

7.       17 July  1943    Hannover, Germany

8.       24 July  1943    Heroya, Norway

9.       26 July  1943    Hannover, Germany

10.     28 July  1943    Kassel, Germany

11.     29 July  1943    Kiel, Germany (S/Sgt Disher credited with one E/A shot down)

12.     15 Aug 1943    Vlissingen (Flushing)

13.     16 Aug 1943    Le Bourget, France

14.     19 Aug 1943    Vlissingen, (Flushing)

15.     31 Aug 1943    Amiens, France

16.      3 Sept 1943    St Andre De L'Eur, France

17.      6 Sept 1943    Strasbourg (flying with Lt Frederick Prasse, Credited with two E/A shot down.  Crew ditched in the Channel)

18.    10 Oct   1943    Coesfeld, Germany

19.    14 Oct   1943    Schweinfurt, Germany (Flying with Lt Richard Lyng, Credited with two E/A Shot Down,  Wounded in foot by 20mm

20.      7 Jan   1944    Ludwigshaven, Germany

21.    29 Jan   1944    Frankfurt, Germany

22.      3 Feb  1944    Wilhelmshaven, Germany

23.      6 Feb  1944    Nancy/Essey, France

24.    24 Feb  1944    Schweinfurt, Germany

25.    25 Feb  1944    Stuttgart, Germany



Completes First tour and is rotated back to States.  20 day leave and then sent to Gunnery School trainiing in Florida.  Gets board and fat and requests combat duty.  Assinged to Lt Bucklew Crew as Waist Gunner. Once overseas, he is taken off crew to reduce to 9 men.  He is put in Spare gunners pool and eventually transferred to 351st Bomb Squadron.  Between Aug 22nd and December 26, 1944 he trains for Spot Jammer.  Flew 17 missions with the 100th BG.



Missions with the 100th Bomb Group:

26.   27 Dec  1944    Fulda, Ger

27.   28 Dec  1944    Koblenz, Ger

28.   30 Dec  1944    Kassel, Ger

29.     1 Jan  1945    Cologne, Ger

30.   10 Jan  1945    Cologne, Ger

31.   17 Jan  1945    Hamburg, Ger

32.   21 Jan  1945    Mannheim, Ger

33.    6 Feb  1945    Chemnitz, Ger

34.    9 Feb  1945    Weimar, Ger

35.  14 Feb  1945    Chemnitz, Ger

36.  17 Feb  1945    Frankfurt, Ger

37.  19 Feb  1945    Osnabruck, Ger

38.  28 Feb  1945    Kassel, Ger

39.    2 Mar  1945    Ruhland, Ger

40.    4 Mar  1945    Ulm, Ger

41.    8 Mar  1945    Frankfurt, Ger

42.  18 Mar  1945    Berlin (Shot Down by ME262)



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          MADE GROUP BOMBARDIER 

   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        taken off crew to reduce to 9 men)

   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(BTG) was flying in place of Hamilton and Sgt John W. Disher was flying as Spot Jammer  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. S/Sgt John Disher was on his second tour of duty. S/Sgt N.D. Heilburth was aboard as a waist gunner and became a POW.



MACR #13144   A//C#43 38861 "SWEET NANCY II" 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 alongside 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.

S/Sgt Disher was removed from crew to reduce to 9 men.  He is transferred to the 351st BS where he is put in a spare gunners pool. Somewhere in October/November 1944 he is trained as a SPOT JAMMER .