Personnel

CREW



2ND LT DELBERT D. REEVE            P KIA 10 APR 45 BURG-bei-MAGDEBURG, AF

F/O HAZEN F. WILLET                CP KIA 10 APR 45 BURG-bei-MAGDEBURG, AF

F/O STEVE S. POULOS              NAV KIA 10 APR 45 BURG-bei-MAGDEBURG, AF

F/0  GEORGE E. WOODHAM       BOM EVA 10 APR 45 BURG-bei-MAGDEBURG, AF

SGT ALBERT D. CRABBS, JR.       ROG KIA 10 APR 45 BURG-bei-MAGDEBURG, AF

SGT ROBERT E. TRUEBLOOD       TTE KIA 10 APR 45 BURG-bei-MAGDEBURG, AF

SGT HERMAN WILLIAMS              BTG KIA 10 APR 45 BURG-bei-MAGDEBURG, AF

SGT ARTHUR F. EHRLER, JR.         WG KIA 10 APR 45 BURG-bei-MAGDEBURG, AF

SGT WESLEY A. WOODS             TG KIA 10 APR 45 BURG-bei-MAGDEBURG, AF



349TH SQDN.... CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON 30 MAR 1945 .THIS WAS THE CREWS FIRST MISSION.

THIS IS THE LAST, 100TH CREW LOST..pw



EYEWIITNESS: "A/C 43-38840 was attacked by 2 ME 262' and received hits in the TT and

                       #2 engine.Dense smoke came from the #2 engine and then it made a vertical

                       slow roll on its right wing and burst into flame.It still seemed under

                       control when 2 chutes were observed. Later it was believed to have hit the

                       ground and exploded in a very large flame."



            The following statement was given by F/O George E.Woodham who returned to this

           station (#139) on 15 April 1945.:

                    "I was the third man to bail out of the A/C;the co-pilot and navigator ahead

                     of me.The plane was in a dive when I bailed out,and soon after my chute

                     opened I hit the ground. I saw no chutes at all when I was in the air,and

                     saw none of the other members of my crew after hitting the ground. The

   _                    plane crashed and exploded close to where I landed."



           On 24 Sept.1945 at San Antonio,Texas (Personnel Center), F/O Woodham gave a similar

           picture of events.



                      "The B-17 of which he was bombardier was attacked by jet fighters at

                      20.000 feet and sustained a number of hits.He states that intelligence

                      later reported two directs hits in the tail turret. F/O 'Woodham believes

                      that there were a number of other hits but has no idea as to how many.

-                        He states that the interphone was out and that he saw the navigator bail

                      out first,then tne co-pilot bailed out and then F/O ,Woodham bailed out.

                      He believes that there were only three chutes in the air. He landed about

                     75 yards from where the plane had crashed and exploded and states further

                      that there were two explosions.After landing, F/O Woodham ran to some woods

                      nearby where he watched the plane burn at a distance of about 200 yards."



                      It is the opinion of F/O Woodham that no member cf the crdw could have

                      survived if he had not parachuted out of the stricken plane.He has written

                      to the families of all the members of the crew giving as much information

                      as he had."