Personnel

CREW



 CREW  42-38197 (HALF AND HALF)  BERLIN: 6 MAR 1944



PILOT: LT JOHN LAUTENSCHLAGER   POW 6 MAR 44 BERLIN

CO-PILOT:LT WILLIAM J. SUGG         POW 6 MAR 44 BERLIN

NAV:LT LELAND C. FINK                   POW 6 MAR 44 BERLIN

BOM:LT DAVID ROLNICK                  POW 6 MAR 44 BERLIN

TTE:S/SGT ROBERT T. BASHAW       POW 6 MAR 44 BERLIN

ROG:S/SGT JOHN STRYJESKI            KIA   6 MAR 44 BERLIN

BTG: SGT HAROLD L. SHELDON      POW 6 MAR 44 BERLIN

WG: SGT SAMUEL WILENSKY         POW 6 MAR 44 BERLIN

WG: SGT COLBERT W. GRAHAM     POW 24 MAY 44  BERLIN (see below)

TG:  SGT HOGAN FUSSELL JR.        POW 6 MAR 44 BERLIN



350TH SQDN,, CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 28 NOV 1943.  



C.C. GRAHAM WAS APPARTENTLY REPLACED BY S/SGT JOHN H. WHITE ON THE 6 MAR 44 BERLIN MISSION. HE BECAME A POW.  GRAHAM WAS WITH THE CREW OF  L.L.. WILLIAMSON ON 24 MAY 44 BERLIN.  JOHN WHITE WAS FROM THE THE CREW OF M. TASHJIAN.



A/C 42-38197, "HALF AND HALF", SHOT DOWN DURING ATTACK BT FIGHTERS NEAR HASELUENNE AT ABOUT 1200 HOURS. AIRCRAFT CRASHED NEAR HALTERN NEAR VISBECK. ONE KIA, OTHER NINE BAILED OUT AND WERE TAKEN PRISONER.



THIS CREW WAS ON IT'S 15TH MISSION WHEN LOST..



The German interrogators thought Lautenschlager was a 'plant' to test their procedures. The Luftwaffe did this from time to time to determine the accurateness of interrogators. They soon determined that Lautenschlager spoke flawless German and could not believe he was an Allied airman. It was the other members of the crew that changed their mind, they of course, did not know the Germans thought Lautenschlager was a Luftwaffe Officer and soon inadvertently convinced the Germans Lautenschlager was their pilot.



CREW



2ND LT LT LINDLEY L. WILLIAMSON       P POW 24 MAY 44 BERLIN

2ND LT JAMES G. DENNIS                  CP KIA 24 MAY 44 BERLIN

2ND LT BARWICK O. BARFIELD          NAV POW 24 MAY 44 BERLIN (see DAYS NOT FORGOTTEN in 100th files)

2ND LT WILLIAM CARRILLO             BOM POW 24 MAY 44 BERLIN

S/SGT LLOYD K. KOUNS                  ROG KIA 24 MAY 44 BERLIN

S/SGT A.L. SULLIVAN                    TTE NOC

SGT JAMES O. TOWNSEND, JR.          BTG POW 24 MAY 44 BERLIN

SGT JACK E. MARSHALL                   WG NOC

SGT CHARLES B. SEWELL                 WG POW 24 MAY 44 BERLIN TAPS:25 FEB 1991

SGT ROBERT H. ANDERSON               TG POW 24 MAY 44 BERLIN



350TH SQDN.. CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 17 MAR 1944



ON A CREW ROSTER OF 7 MAY 44 AND ON THE FINAL MISSION,  S/SGT  WALTER WIENIEWSKI, AND  S/SGTCOLBERT GRAHAM (from the Crew of  LT JOHN LAUTENSCHLAGER) WERE ON THE CREW ON PLACE OF SULLIVAN & MARSHALL AND BOTH BECAME POWs. THIS WAS THE 13TH MISSION FOR THIS CREW.



ACCORDING TO STATEMENTS IN THE MACR, LT WILLIAMSON BELEIVED BOTH LT DENNIS AND SGT KOUNS WERE KILLED BY GERMAN CIVILIANS. GERMAN RECORDS INDICATE KOUNS DEAD AND RECOVERED AT CRASH  AND BURIED IN VILLAGE CEMENTARY kAMPEHL; GRAVE #1 ON 24 MAY 1944. OF DENNIS THE GERMAN REPORT STATES: "BURIED AT THE LOCAL CEMENTARY OF SEGELETZ, DISTRICT RUPPIN ON 24 MAY 1944 AT GRAVE #1 AT THE ELDER BUSH." THIS REPORTS SMACKS OF A COVERUP AND  IT IS LIKELY CIVILIANS KILLED THESE AIRMEN BEFORE THEY CAME UNDER GERMAN MILITARY CONTROL. THERE ARE ALL TO MANY SUCH REPORTS...pw





SEE DAYS NOT FORGOTTEN  BY MARILEE WILSHIRE BARFIELD IN THE 100TH FILES. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST REASEARCHED AND WELL WRITTEN WORKS DEALING WITH POW LIFE AND THE EFFECT ON FAMILY AND LOVED ONES IN THE USA. IT INCLUDES GERMAN INTERROGATION REPORTS, AMERICAN INTERROGATION REPORTS TAKEN AT CAMP LUCKY STRIKE IN 1945, RED CROSS POW BULLETINS, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES,  PERSONAL LETTERS FROM LT BARFIELD AND ALL OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY THE WAR DEPARTMENT AND U.S ARMY AIR FORCE REGARDING LT BARFIELD.



THERE IS A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE EVENTS CAUSING THE LOSS OF THE AIRCRAFT AND INFORMATION CONCERNING THE FATE OF THE ENTIRE CREW..

Replaced Jack E. Marshall on this Mission.