Personnel

CREW



    F/O George D.Sharpe       P     FEH      CREW FLYING AT END OF HOSTILITIES

    F/O John L.Sanders          CP   FEH

    F/O John J.Scott           NAV   FEH

2nd Lt Allen Glaskin            BOM   FEH (Trained with Lt Keith Griffith Crew for Lead Bombardier)

    Sgt Alfred Skeeters        TTE   FEH

    Sgt George E.Engelhorn    WG  FEH (Became TOG/NG when Lt Glaskin went to Lead Bombardier training)

    Sgt Edward R.Smith        ROG  FEH

    Cpl Lionel B.Davis            BTG   FEH

    Cpl John D.Gray               TG   FEH



418th Sqdn. Crew,as above, joined the 100th Group on 30/3/45  Crew flew in Yankee Girl after hostilities. 



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 CREW of F/O George D. Sharpe   (Photo Id)



Crew left to right: 

F/O  George D. Sharpe  - Pilot 

F/O  John L. Sanders    -  Copilot 

F/O  John J. Scott        -   Navigator 

Cpl. George D. Wheatley  - Waist Gunner  (from Lt Goldsmith Crew)

Cpl. John D. Gray          -   Tail Gunner 

Sgt.  Alfred Skeeters      -  Engineer 

Sgt. Edward R. Smith     -  Radio Operator 

Cpl   Richard J. White    -  Ball Turret Gunner (from Lt Victor Fraley Crew)

Sgt. George E. Engelhorn - "toggleer"





Subj: RE: G. Sharpe crew of Yankee Girl Missions flown Known ,Rec'd from Pilot   

Date: 11/6/2002 2:17:14 PM Pacific Standard Time 

From: xr_crew@yahoo.com 

To: bomb.group@charter.net, MPFaley@aol.com 

CC: hnelson@pwhome.com, wcs31@swbell.net, xr_crew@yahoo.com, Georgsharpe3@aol.com 

Sent from the Internet (Details) 

 

Mike,Charlie…esp.George Jr.

I can be of assistance….

George Sharpe provided me with the following in 1999

when I was helping researching the history of "YANKEE

GIRL" for the CAF Nose Art Project…plus researching

my own project…(They also have the Panel from TARGET

FOR TONIGHT 44-8810 my dads crew W.Gris SMITH were

assigned to from June-Oct 1945)



From George Sharpe Directly to me in mailing, in 1999

(I have added the full a/c # if known)

Missions



1st Combat Mission    14 APRIL 1945



42-102649  LD-T        SHARPE   649 T   45

"Lady Geraldine"      Hardstand #45     B-Sqdn      

RZI 5/30/45 



2nd and LAST Combat Mission    15 APRIL  1945

                    SHARPE     090  R    48

                   Hardstand  #48    A-Sqdn



44-8616  LD-Z     5 MAY  1945  CHOWHOUND

                  SHARPE    616 Z   47

                 Hardstand  #47    D-Sqdn



44-8680   LD-X    7 MAY  1945  CHOWHOUND

                  SHARPE    680 X   40

                 Hardstand #40    A-Sqdn



                  19 MAY 1945

                 SHARPE   944 D   49

                 Hardstand # 49   A-Sqdn



44-8256  LD-R    4 JUNE  1945  GREEN SUPPORT MISSION

"YANKEE GIRL"       SHARPE   256  R   48   (N.AFRICA)

                  Hardstand  #48  B-Sqdn



44-8256  LD-R    12  JUNE  1945  GREEN SUPPORT MISSION

"YANKEE GIRL"       SHARPE     256  R    48

                  Hardstand # 48   "Tibenham"





That's it…end of mission info from George



That photo of Yankee Girl was probably taken while it

was sitting on it's Hardstand #48…They were assigned

to Yankee Girl in June 1945 when it was brought in

from the 303rd BG…where it had approx. 41 Combat

Missions…  



RE: This Photo, I saw this SAME photo in the Thorpe

Abbotts collection at the Museum..when I was going

over photos with Ken Everett…

Now this will floor you…>>>

It's in ALBUM G…Photo # 56 …(If you want Ken to

make a clean print copy George)

How's that for a memory!   



How is George Sr. doing?,his arthritis was bad in 1999

when I spoke to him about possibly attending

Cincinatti 100th BG reunion..It's always a pleasure

chatting with 100th BG Crews that flew some of the

same missions as my dads crew….



CHEERS!



Jack O'Leary





Subj: Re: G. Sharpe crew of Yankee Girl Missions flown Known ,Rec'd from Pilot   

Date: 11/6/2002 6:02:09 PM Pacific Standard Time 

From: Georgsharpe3 

To: xr_crew@yahoo.com, bomb.group@charter.net, MPFaley 

CC: hnelson@pwhome.com, wcs31@swbell.net 

File: g.ZIP (3096572 bytes) DL Time (33333 bps): < 26 minutes 

 





To all of you wonderful folks,



First to Jack, 

You must be the one on the back of the photo Dad referred to. I have attached a JPEG of the back side of the photo. Dad and I went to Thorpe Abbots in 84'. It was great. The curator was wonderful. He opened up the museum for us and gave us a tour personally. It was great. I don't remember his name but his generosity was very much appreciated by the both of us. Dad sent him a set of pilot's wings and I am sure the photo. I would love a photo quality copy.  As far as the mission info I will double check it with Dad but I believe the 1999 information to be correct. It is funny he always felt he played no part in the war because he termed all of his missions as "milk runs". Maybe that is true but I am still proud of him and his crew. He went on to serve as a pilot in the AF flying the following aircraft:



C-141  (don't have the record here) but he retired from the AF in 1973 a Lt.Col and command pilot. Dad liked to fly.

C-119-G  932 hrs

C-46 229 hrs

and of course the B-17-G 427 hrs



I hope I am not boring you all with this. After getting out of the Army Air Corps Dad went to college and became a Dr. of Podiatry. For a while anyway. He went back into  the AF and continued to serve his country. First during the Cuban Missile Crisis and again during the Vietnam War. Going over to Nam with supplies and bringing home a cargo of dead boys home to Dover  AFB from  Nam. This always bothered him. That war took a lot out of him, out of our family and all of us.



Anyway gents here are some attachments for you in addition to the back of the photo of the crew there is a 364th mission report and  a copy of Dad's instrument pilot certification. I will also attach the one and probably only copy of Banjo (maybe Sanjo) mission of 22 June, 1945. Dad was "high flight " . I will try to get better copies if you are interested.



Dad is doing OK. He is in the process of "waiting it out" he is good spirits and I know he will get a kick out of the photo being posted. He remains a humble gentlemen to this day and I love him very much.



Thanks to all you gentlemen I am glad you are keeping the memory alive!



Cheers! George Sharpe Jr



****************************************************************************************************************



CREW



2nd Lt Owen K.Griffith         P   FEH

2nd Lt John W.Wilson,Jr.    CP   FEH

2nd Lt James T.Brand      NAV     KIC ( Lt W. D. Pratt was pilot-Buried Cambridge cemetary) SEE BELOW 

 S/Sgt Richard W.Perras     TG   FEH

   Cpl James R.Gladden      WG  FEH

   Cpl Russell P.Johnson    ROG    FEH

   Cpl Everett S.White      BTG    FEH

   Cpl Walter M.Lovvorn     NG     FEH

   Cpl Stanley J.Kurnik      TTE     FEH



418th Sqdn.  Crew,as above,joined the 100th Group on 18/2/45



Letter received from O.K.Griffith Jan.1985 says this crew flew  nine missions with the 100th. He mentions as Bombardier one Allen Glaskin and a Bob Gladden as Waist Gunner.  



Griffith adds that "Troy Brand was killed in a training accident at Thorpe Abbotts on May 12, 1945."  This would have been four days after V-E day and Brand is shown as FEH (flying at end of hostilities) in most records.  



CREW



    F/O George D.Sharpe       P       FEH      CREW FLYING AT END OF HOSTILITIES

    F/O John L.Sanders          CP     FEH

    F/O John J.Scott             NAV   FEH

2nd Lt Allen Glaskin              BOM   FEH (Trained with Lt Keith Griffith Crew for Lead Bombardier)

    Sgt Alfred Skeeters          TTE   FEH

    Sgt George E.Engelhorn     BTG    FEH

    Sgt Edward R.Smith           ROG   FEH

    Cpl Lionel B.Davis               WG   FEH

    Cpl John D.Gray                 TG   FEH



418th Sqdn. Crew,as above, joined the 100th Group on 30/3/45



*************************************************************************************************************



CREW



2ND LT WADE D. PRATT             P IIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.

2ND LT HAROLD L. RINTOUL      CP IIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.

2ND LT JAMES T. BRAND       NAV KIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.

S/Sgt VINCENT FERRANICE         ROG IIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.

   CPL ANTHONY SZOTT           TTE IIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.

   CPL ROBERT G. GUIDI            BTG IIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.





418th Sqdn.. Crew joined 100th on 21 Jan 1945

Crew flew A/C 43-38821 LD-O "Girdle Girty" call sign "Rubber Oboe"  and also "Lay or Bust" 



On 12 may 45 Pratt, Rintoul, Szott, Guidi, S/Sgt VINCENT FERRANICE and 2nd Lt James T. Brand took off from Thorpe Abbotts in A/C #44-6790 on a night transition flight in the local area. Weather worsened, while the tower tried for 1 hour and twenty minutes before contacting the crew. When contact was established Pratt was advised to attempt a landing, the aircraft struck a tree and crashed about five miles W/NW of the base on the Diss - Attleboro Road. Brand was KIC and all the others IIC.  The aircraft was destroyed.

                                                                    --Records from Norton AFB 17 May 85….James R. Brown, Historian to pw (June 1991)



**************************************************************************************************************

Hello,



My Dad, Everett S. White 34 678 911, entered the US Army Air Corp Aug 9, 1943-discharded Dec 26, 1945.  He never discussed much of his military career. 



He was a B17 BTG with the 100th Bomb Group, 418th Bomb Squadron, stationed at Thorpe Abbotts.  The records from the Foundation show him with the Owen “Keith” Griffith Crew.  I have a picture, that I assume he send to my Mother at arrival in England that shows him and crew standing in front of Yankee Girl 448256.  I can also match the picture in 100th BG web site with the George D. Sharpe crew, but the crew members are different and the BTG is Richard J. White.  In that picture, my Dad is second from the right.





My Dad’s military records were destroyed in a fire at the Personnel Records Office in 1973.  They reconstructed his name, rank, and serial number, but that is it.



Can you provide any help in gaining more information?





Thank you,

Richard S. White

heartbarw@embarqmail.com