Personnel

CREW



2ND LT JOHN A. EVANS              P CPT 17 JUL 44 MONTGOURNOY

2ND LT ELMER F. TALBERT        CP CPT 21 JUL 44  REGENSBURG & LUDWIGSHAFEN

2ND LT HENRY S. MEARS, JR.  NAV CPT 20 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

2ND LT JOHN A. GRAZIANO    BOM CPT 25  JUL 44 ST LO (GROUND DEFENSE)

SGT PETER CHURITCH            ROG CPT 17 JUL 44 MONTGOURNOY

SGT LELAND M. BAILEY           TTE CPT 17 JUL 44 MONTGOURNOY

CPL LYNN H. LYTHAGOE         RWG CPT 17 JUL 44 MONTGOURNOY

SGT   CLARENCE PORTER JR      LWG NOC SWA  DATE & MISSION UNK

SGT EDWARD J. DELUCCIE         TG CPT 17 JUL 44 MONTGOURNOY

S/SGT  WILLIAM BARACK           BTG CPT 17 JUL 44 MONTGOURNOY*



418th Sqdn..  Crew, as above, joined the 100th on 09 Mar 1944.  Crew flew "RETURN TICKET" 



* Information from email from Sandy DeLuccie (Daughter in Law) of Ed DeLuccie on April 11, 2000



According to Sgt Ed Deluccie, Sgt. Clarence Porter Jr was injured by a 50 calibur tracer bullet(friendly fire) and the only thing that saved his life was that the tracer cauderized the wound as it went through him, othewise he would have died.  Sgt Porter's wounds took him off flying status and he was replaced on the crew by a S/Sgt Joseph Parrilla. This action happened around the crews 22nd mission.  (April 14, 2000 by Ed Deluccie) 



List of Missions for Lt John Evans, Sgt Ed Deluccie, Peter Churitch, Leland Bailey, William Barack. 

(Given by Ed DeLuccie May,2000) 



1.   3/18/44-Munich

2.   3/22/44-Berlin

3.   3/27/44-Bordeaux

4.   4/01/44-Ludwigshafen

5.   4/10/44-Rheims

6.   4/11/44-Rostock

7.   4/12/44-Leipzig

8.   4/13/44-Augsburg

9.   4/18/44-Berlin

10. 4/19/44-Lippstadt & Werl

11. 4/20/44-Flottemanville& Marquenneville

12. 4/22/44-Hamm

13. 4/24/44-Friedrichshafen

14. 4/25/44-Dijon

15. 4/29/44-Berlin

16. 5/08/44-Berlin

17. 5/09/44-Couvron

18. 5/11/44-Liege

19. 5/12/44-Brux

20. 5/13/44-Osnabruck

21. 5/19/44-Berlin  

22.  5/24/44-Berlin

23.  5/25/44-Brussels

24.  6/06/44-French Coast (D-Day)

25.  6/06/44-French Coast (D-Day)

26.  6/11/44-Berck-Sur-Mer

27.  6/14/44-Le Culot

28.  6/15/44-Wilster

29.  6/18/44-Brunsbuttelkoog

30.  6/21/44-Ruhland (Shuttle Mission to Russia)

31.  6/26/44-Drohobyez, Poland

32.  7/03/44-Arad (Rumania)

33.  7/05/44-Beziers (Italy to Base)

34.  7/13/44-Munich

35.  7/17/44-South France (No Ball)



Our crew was formed at Moses Lake, WA, in September, '43. After training there for about 6 weeks, we were moved to Tampa…Drew Field…for better weather conditions. Unfortuantely, we did not get the job of flying a B-17 to Florida. Instead, we were on a horribly crowded troop train for 6 days. After Tampa, we went to Savannah (Hunter Field?) to get the B-17 we were to take to England, via the Southern route. We spent a few memorable days there, and then were given a week to visit our families over the Xmas holidays. (john graziano Nov 2001)

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Below is my father-in-law's obituary.  My husbands phone number is

212-426-2092.



John A. "Jack" Graziano

October 19, 1919 - January 15, 2010



Formerly of Highland Falls, NY



Jack Graziano was born in Highland Falls on October 19, 1919, the son of the

late Louis and Lucia LaDelpha Graziano. He died in Manhattan on January 15,

2010, following a brief illness.



After high school graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army with a view

toward winning an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. He left the Army

in 1941 to play football at N.Y.U. where he was a 165 pound fullback on a

scholarship majoring in Social Studies.



World War II intervened and he reenlisted in 1943, and was assigned to

flight training in the Army Air Corps, the predecessor to the Air Force.

After qualifying to fly, he was assigned to the 8th Air Force 100th Bomb

Group at Thorpes Abbot in northeast England. While other units in the 8th

Air Force had a higher casualty rate, they did earn the nickname The Bloody

Hundredth for their 6 missions to Berlin during the spring and summer of

1944.



Graziano flew 35 missions over Germany, including the 6 Berlin missions, and

occupied Europe as the bombardier on the B-17 "Return Ticket". Graziano also

participated in the ill-fated Poltava Affair, where nearly every B-17 was

lost. On June 6, 1944 (D-Day) Graziano flew two missions over Normandy. At

age 23, the oldest member of the crew and a commissioned officer, he was

awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Unit Medal and

various other campaign and victory medals including the European African

Middle Eastern Campaign and was one of the very first Americans to set foot

in Saudi Arabia while on a military exercise. He was particularly proud of

his certification into the Luckye Bastardes club.



After the war, he made the Air Force his career and was assigned to the

Strategic Air Command based out of Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, Texas. He

flew on the B-36, the "Peacemaker," and retired after serving a total of 20+

years.



In Fort Worth, he met his wife-to-be, Angelique McLean. They were married on

December 25, 1950, divorcing in 1980. Mrs. Graziano died in 2005. They are

survived by five children: John Peyton Graziano, Stephen Louis Graziano,

Angelique Elise Custer, Alma "Cissy" Graziano and Lucia Elizabeth Graziano;

several grandchildren: Orion Nolan, Ezra Graziano, Sam Markman, Elizabeth

Custer, Will Custer and Jake Graziano, and his sister, Angela Herried.



Upon retirement, he joined AMF Bowling Division and became the National

Director of Public Relations, moving the family to Tuxedo Park. Mr. Graziano

spent the last 33 years living in the Carnegie Hill district on Manhattan's

Upper East Side where he was known and loved by many in the neighborhood.

Shopkeepers, bankers, neighbors walking their dogs and children were

accustomed to seeing Jack on his daily shopping rounds and exercise jaunts

into Central Park and stopping for friendly conversations.



On September 11, 2009, he was hospitalized after a fall from which he never

fully recovered. He kept many lifelong friends and treasured them all -

never forgetting the names and faces of even casual acquaintances. He always

spoke admiringly of his friends and relatives. Jack Graziano's heart and his

door were always open and he made strangers feel like they were part of the

family. A true American Hero and a great family man, he will be missed.



Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, January 29, at William F.

Hogan Funeral Home, 135 Main St., Highland Falls.



A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m., Saturday, January 30 at Sacred

Heart Church, 353 Main St., Highland Falls. Interment will follow in

Peacedale Cemetery, Highland Falls.



Memorial contributions may be made to Special Olympics New York, 211 East

43rd St., New York, NY 10017-4760.



Arrangements by William F. Hogan Funeral Home; 845-446-2868.



Date Crew Nbr Mission Nbr Last Name Initial Rank Position Aircraft Nbr Target

3/18/1944 35 132 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 30152 MUNICH

3/22/1944 35 134 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 31895 ORANIENBURG (BERLIN)

3/26/1944 35 136 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 297065 SCHKEUDITZ/JU-88 PLANT

3/27/1944 35 137 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 297065 BORDEAUX/ MERIGNAC

3/28/1944 35 138 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 297065 CHATEAUDUN/ EVREUX

4/1/1944 35 140 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 297065 LUDWIGSHAFEN

4/9/1944 35 143 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 97065 KRZESINKI (POSEN)

4/10/1944 35 144 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 97065 RHEIMS/ CHAMPAGNE

4/11/1944 35 145 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 65 POSEN / ROSTOCK T.O.

4/12/1944 35 146 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 90 SCHEUDITZ (RECALL)

4/13/1944 35 147 GRAZIANO J.A. LT BOM 65 AUGSBURG

5/1/1944 35 110 GRAZIANO J.A LT BOM 97078 SAARGUEMINES/WIZERNES

5/8/1944 35 112 GRAZIANO J.A LT BOM 97065 BERLIN & LAGLACERIE

5/9/1944 35 114 GRAZIANO J.A LT BOM 97065 LAON/COUVRON; ANTHIES

5/11/1944 35 115 GRAZIANO J.A LT BOM 97065 LIEGE

5/12/1944 35 116 GRAZIANO J.A LT BOM 97065 BRUX, OIL REFINERY

5/13/1944 35 117 GRAZIANO J.A LT BOM 97065 OSNABRUCK

5/19/1944 35 118 GRAZIANO J.A LT BOM 97065 BERLIN

5/24/1944 35 121 GRAZIANO J.A LT BOM 97065 BERLIN

5/25/1944 35 122 GRAZIANO J.A LT BOM 97065 BRUSSELS

6/6/1944 35 -132 GRAZIANO A.J. LT BOM 97065 FALAISE/OUISTREHAM

6/11/1944 35 -137 GRAZIANO A.J. LT BOM 6010 BERCK SUR MER (S.DEF)

6/14/1944 35 -139 GRAZIANO A.J. LT BOM 97065 LE CULOT (AIR FIELD)

6/15/1944 35 -140 GRAZIANO A.J. LT BOM 97065 MITBURG & WILSTER

6/18/1944 90 -141 GRAZIANO A.J. LT BOM 6010 BRUNSBUTTELKOOG

6/21/1944   90            GRAZIANO   A.J.   LT   BOM   6010  RUHLAND (START OF RUSSIAN SHUTTLE

6/26/1944 90 149 GRAZIANO A.J. LT BOM 6092 DROHOBYCZ

7/3/1944 90 151 GRAZIANO A.J. LT BOM 6092 ARAD (RUMANIA)

7/5/1944 90 153 GRAZIANO A.J. LT BOM 6092 BEZIER (FROM ITALY)

7/13/1944 90 159 GRAZIANO A.J. LT BOM 6092 MUNICH (JET ENGINES)

7/25/1944 75 167 GRAZIANO J.A LT NAV 106986 ST LO (GND SUPPORT) (FLEW WITH Lt LISCHER CREW)