Personnel

CREW



2ND LT FRANCIS H. MIKESH                             P CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

2ND LT RALPH H. "Pinky" CHRISTENSEN           CP CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

2ND LT HARRY CHUDY                                   NAV CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

2ND LT FREDERICK S. "Pappy" DAIGER III        BOM NOC GROUP ADJUTANT

T/SGT JOSEPH M. CIAMAICHELLA                 TTE CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

T/SGT RAMON CONEJO                             ROG CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

S/SGT DALE E. FRANCIS                            BTG CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

S/SGT EARL B. FOUTS                               WG NOC (TAKEN OFF CREW TO REDUCE TO 9)

S/SGT DONALD L. CARPENTER                      WG CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

S/SGT WILLIAM F. DONDERO                         TG CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA  (SHOT DOWN AN FW 190 AND RECEIVED AN

                                                                                                                                     OAK LEAF CLUSTER TO HIS AIR MEDAL)



418TH SQDN.. CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON 05 OCT 1944. A/C 339005 "Lucky Lassie" LD-Y

ACCORDING TO LT MIKISH, "LUCKY" LASSIE" SUSTAINED BATTLE DAMAGE ON 6 FEB 45 FROM FLAK.  SHE HAD A WINDMILLING PROP THAT COULD NOT BE FEATHERED.  THE CREW HAD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING NEAR REIMS AND BLEW THE RIGHT TIRE UPON LANDING.    THERE WERE NO INJURIES .



CHEMNITZ -Feb 6, 1945 that was emergency landing, no casualties except Pappy Daiger who never flew again and became Group Adjutant instead. 



Ralph states that just after bomb run on Chemnitz in far eastern Germany, they took direct flak hit to #3 engine, could not control windmilling of propeller.   Limping westward towards England, they barely made it to emergency landing in Reims, France. Ralph recalls that he and Mikesh had fierce argument in cockpit about whether/how much to throw out to lighten load.  Although Reims was under Allied control, it's NE of Paris near border with Belgium and there were still many Germans present wreaking havoc, only weeks after Battle of the Bulge - they often knew passwords and other details which made them difficult to spot and very dangerous to downed fliers.  Ralph and Mikesh crew walked to train station, took train to Paris and C-47 back to London, then train to Diss.  No one at 100thBG base knew the crew whereabouts, were surprised when they showed up 11 days after mission; Ralph said their bags and trunks were packed and ready to be shipped back to states. 



 MISSIONS OF LT FRANCIS MIKESH CREW:



1. Hanover            10-26-44

2. Mersberg           11-2-44

3. Saarbackeb        11-9-44

4. Mersberg           11-21-44

5. Hamm               11-26-44

6. Hamm               11-29-44

7. Mersberg           11-30-44

8. Freidburg           12-4-44

9. Berlin                 12-5-44

10. Coblenz           12-11-44

11. Darmstadt        12-12-44

12. Biblis                12-24-44

13. Coblenz            12-28-44

14. Fulda               12- 29-44

15. Hamburg          12-31-44

16.   Cologne           1-7-45

17.   Mainz               1-13-45            

18.   Derben            1-14-45

19.   Heilbronn         1-20-45            

20.   Mannheim        1-22-45

21.   Chemnitz           2-6-45  (Emergency landing at Reims, Fr. Crew returned to base 11 days later)        

22.   Munster           2-19-45  

23.   Brunswick         3-2-45             

24.   Seigen             3-7-45

25.   Bochum            3-8-45             

26.   Frankfurt           3-9-45 

27.   Hamburg           3-11-45            

28.   Swinemunde     3-12-45

29.   Plavan              3-17-45            

30.   Berlin                3-18-45

31.   Jena                 3-19-45            

32.   Ahlhorne           3-22-45

33.   Unna                3-23-45





F.H Mikesh flew 3 Chowhound Missions without this Crew.  Was assigned a pick up crew for the ChowHounds.  Retuned home Dec 45.





William Dondero   |   Visit Guest Book 

 

William Francis Dondero Aged 85, passed away on June 4th, 2010 in Henderson Nevada. He was surrounded by his loving family; wife, Carolyne, and five children, Redge, Barry, Karen, Craig and Debra. Also at his side was Jim, his son-in-law, and Donna, a close friend. Bill had eleven wonderful grandchildren and three great grandchildren. William was born November 14th, 1925 in San Francisco, California. In 1943 at the age of 17 he enlisted in the United States Army Air Force and served in World War II. He was a member of the 8th Air Force 100th Bomber Group 418th Squadron as a tail gunner in a B-17 bomber named "The Lucky Lassie". He and his crew completed 33 combat bombing missions over Germany. When the war ended in 1945, William returned home to San Francisco. He graduated from the University of San Francisco and during that time met Carolyne. They would go on to celebrate 62 years of marriage. William had a successful career as a stockbroker in the financial district of San Francisco. William Francis Dondero, a man of strength (and a lot of stubbornness!), perseverance, focus and a passion for life will always be remembered by all who knew him and deeply loved by his family and close friends.