Personnel

CREW



2ND LT RICHARD H. HELMICK             P CPT   25 JUL 44 ST. LO,

2ND LT JEROME F. LEIRICH            CP CPT 07 JUN 44 NANTES, BRIDGE

2ND LT SOL S. KRANZLER             NAV CPT 06 JUN 44 OUISTREHAM, TOWN

2ND LT HERBERT R. GREENBERG    BOM POW 28 MAY 44 GERA, CITY & MAGDEBURG, OIL REF (WITH L.G. LACY CREW) STALAG LUFT 3

T/SGT GEORGE E. MADDEN          TTE CPT 13 JUL 44 MUNICH

T/SGT JOSEPH G. KELLEY            ROG CPT 25 JUL 44 25 JUL 44 ST. LO,   (TAPS: 05 FEB 1972)

S/SGT HENRY A. MARKOWSKI        BTG UNK WOUNDED DECEMBER 1943

S/SGT HENRY W. JOHNSON          WG NOC TAPS: NOVEMBER 1989

S/SGT JACK L. SHOPE                   TG CPT  25 JUL 44 ST. LO,  TAPS: 09 NOV 1971

S/SGT CHESTER P. COULAM        TOG CPT 27 MAY 44 STRASSBOURG, AERO ENGINES  (CREDITED WITH 1 DESTROYED FIGHTER 

                                                                                                         AND ONE DAMAGED FIGHTER OVER BERLIN ON MARCH 6, 19440



351ST SQDN.. CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON 01 DEC 1943.  OTHERS KNOWN TO HAVE FLOWN WITH THE HELMICK CREW:



Lt Donald S. Davis (Lt Robert Hughes Crew)  took Richards Helmick’s crew for nine (9) missions before returning command to Richard H. Helmick.  Helmick having upgraded to 1st Pilot while the Hughes crew was stateside.

 SGT ROBERT M. MYERS BTG CPT 06 JUN 44 FALAISE, TOWN (FROM QUARTERMASTER SECTION)

 SGT ROBERT D. ABNEY TG CPT 01 APR 44 LUDWIGSHAVEN, RUBBER FACTORY (WON DFC)

 S/SGT LOREN G. JOHNSON RWG (SPARE GUNNER, FLEW 8 MISSIONS WITH THIS CREW) 



BOTH SHOPE AND COULAM ARE LISTED IN RECORDS AS TGs AND MARKOWSKI MAY HAVE BEEN A WG; HERBERT GREENBERG, NOW KNOW AS GREENE, IS A MEMBER OF THE 100TH BOMG GROUP ASSOCIATION..jb



MEMO:

March 6, 1944" BIG B"  BERLIN

CAPT R.H. HELMICK'S B-17G  237936 (ALL AMERICAN GIRL) IS DEPICTED IN THE KEITH FERRIS PAINTING OF THE THREE 1OOTH AICRAFT  AT  21000 FEET NEAR HASELEUNNE UNDER ATTACK BY ENEMY FIGHTERS. CAPT HEMLICK'S AIRCRAFT COMPLETED THE MISSION AND RETURNED TO THORPE ABBOTTS.  THE OTHER TWO 100TH PLANES WERE FLOWN BY LT G.W. BRANNAN, WHO BECAME A POW AND LT MERRIL RISH, WHO WAS KIA…pw.



Also, re: the Coulam/Willams query -- there is a second Combat Report later on the microfilm which is another claim put in by Sgt Coulam (same mission but different timing and angle of approach, etc). In that second Report they recorded the correct a/c serial number , ie #936 All American Girl. Seems he made two claims that day but for some reason the clerk put the incorrect serial # on the "Destroyed" but the correct # on the "Damaged" claim. At least the right man got the claim. I was concerned that Sgt Williams may have not been properly credited.

RAY BOWDEN





MISSIONS FOR LT HELMICK CREW FROM OPS:



       Date       Crew Nbr Last Name Initial Rank Position    Aircraft Nbr                             Target

1.    3/3/1944 68 122 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31256, KING BEE II                  BERLIN (RECALL)

2.    3/4/1944 68 123 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31256  KING BEE II                  BERLIN (RECALL)

3.    3/6/1944 68 124 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    37936  ALL AMERICAN GIRL      BERLIN

       3/7/1944 68 125 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    37936  ALL AMERICAN GIRL      WERL (SCRUBBED)

4.    3/8/1944 68 126 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       BERLIN / ERKNER PLANT

     3/13/1944 68 128 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    39867  BOEING BELLE              NOBALL/ 11 (SCRUBBED)

5.  3/15/1944 68 129 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    38047  FEVER BEAVER             BRUNSWICK

6.  3/17/1944 68 131 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       MUNICH

7.  3/19/1944 68 133 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    39983  KATIE                          MARQUIS, MIMMOYEQUES

8.  3/31/1944 68 139 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       LUDWIGSHAFEN/RECALLED

9.    4/1/1944 68 140 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       LUDWIGSHAFEN

       4/7/1944 68 141 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       QUACKENBRUCK (SCRUBBED)

10.  4/8/1944 68 142 HELMICK R.H. LT P                     31412 MASON AND DIXON        QUACKENBRUCK

11.  4/9/1944 68 143 HELMICK R.H. LT P                     31412 MASON AND DIXON        KRZESINKI (POSEN)

12.4/13/1944 68 147 HELMICK R.H. LT P                     31412 MASON AND DIXON        AUGSBURG

13   5/8/1944 68 112 HELMICK R.H. LT CP                   31412 MASON AND DIXON        BERLIN & LAGLACERIE

14   5/9/1944 68 114 HELMICK R.H. LT CP                   31708 SKIPPER II                     LAON/COUVRON; ANTHIES

15  5/11/1944 68 115 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31708 SKIPPER II                     LIEGE

16  6/19/1944 65 -142 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P               107233 HUMPTY DUMPTY         CORME ECLUSE, AF

17  6/21/1944 65 149 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                107233 HUMPTY DUMPTY         RUHLAND (START RUSSIAN SHUTTLE)

18  6/26/1944 65 149 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                107233 HUMPTY DUMPTY         DROHOBYCZ (RUSSIAN SHUTTLE)

19    7/3/1944 65 151 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                107233 HUMPRY DUMPTY         ARAD (RUMANIA) (RUSSIAN SHUTTLE)

20    7/5/1944 65 153 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                107233 HUMPTY DUMPTY         BEZIER (FROM ITLAY) (RUSSIAN SHUTTLE)

21  7/12/1944 91 158 HELMICK R.H. CAPT COM            37811  BABY SWEET                MUNICH (IND. AREA)

22  7/13/1944 65 159 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                 37812  PATRIOTIC PATTY        MUNICH (JET ENGINES)

23  7/21/1944 65 165 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                 37812  PATRIOTIC PATTY        REGENSBURG

24  7/24/1944 65 166 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                 37815  YOU CAN'T LOSE          ST LO (GND SUPPORT)

25  7/25/1944 65 167 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                 37815  YOU CAN'T LOSE          ST LO (GND SUPPORT)





CREW

1ST LT LUCIUS G. LACY               P POW 28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA

2ND LT CLAUDE E. SCHINDLER      CP KIA   28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA FROM THE R.V.E. MONRAD CREW

2ND LT RAYMOND E. ROSSMAN  NAV POW 28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA FROM THE C.W WOLDT CREW

2ND LT HERBERT GREENBERG    BOM POW 28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA FROM THE R.H.HELMICK CREW

T/SGT CLARENCE H. WOOD       ROG POW 28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA 

T/SGT SIDNEY A. CARY           TTE POW 28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA FROM THE R.V.E. MONRAD CREW

S/SGT CHESTER L. POWELL     BTG KIA    28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA FROM THE M.T.RISH CREW

S/SGT JOE S.  FOLSOM         RWG KIA   28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA

S/SGT RAYMOND J. MITCHELL   LWG POW 28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA

S/SGT MICHAEL ROTZ               TG POW 28 MAY 44 MAGDEBURG & GERA FROM THE T. MURPHY CREW (PICCADILLY  LILY)



EYEWITNESS: "A/C #389 was shot down over the target area at 1405 hours by

              E/A. #4 engine was seen smoking and cockpit was afire.Three

              chutes were seen "



According to Lt.Lacy's statements in MACR, . . . "the electrical system was out,

ship out of control,cables shot away,spun immediately. " . . . . " I fastened my

chute on in air. Seven crew members got out before wings came off."



From statements of Lt.Greenberg in MACR:



"The attack that knocked us out came from High at about 1:00 o'clock. All hits

seemed to concentrate on the starboard side. I would say Lt.Schindler was hit

and killed in the cockpit.He never made a move to get out despite the fact we

were burning fiercely. Our engineer maintains that the last he saw of Schindler

was while the cockpit was burning. Lt Schindler appeared to be slumped in his

seat.His left arm hanging straight down and making no move." Lt.Schindler

was operational from December 1943 til his death. He flew the "Roughest" ones

and was the coolest,calmest co-pilot that ever flew combat."



Sgt.Mitchell last saw Sgt.Folsom lying against the right bulkhead.His head and

face bloody and he made no attempt to leave the ship and was evidently dead.



Sgt.Powell is believed to have been killed in his turret by the fighter pass

that apparently killed Schindler and Folsom.



German report in MACR iB to the effect that  at the crash site 3 dead were found.

Bodies burnt,names unidentifiable.



It appears that this crew had flown about 20/22 missions.



1st Lt Lucius Lacy ended up in Stalag Luft III until the end of the War.



DATE            TARGET                     AIRCRAFT



07/05/44       BERLIN                     42-31389  EP-J  LUCIOUS LUCY

08/05/44       BERLIN                     42-31412  EP-G MASON AND DIXON

11/05/44       LIEGE                       42-31389  EP-J  LUCIOUS LUCY

12/05/44       BRUX,CZECH              42-31389  EP-J  LUCIOUS LUCY  

19/05/44       BERLIN                     42-31389  EP-J  LUCIOUS LUCY  

24/05/44       BERLIN                     42-31389  EP-J  LUCIOUS LUCY 

28/05/44       MAGDEBURG             42-31389  EP-J  LUCIOUS LUCY





Raymond Mitchell remembrances:  28 May 44: I was standing right next to Joe Folsom when he was hit by 20mm from a German Fighter. He was gone before he hit the floor. We were on our 24th mission.  Our Tail Gunner Sgt Rotz wore a back parachute and unbeknown to him, it had been hit by fragments from a 20mm shell.  When he bailed out, he seem to decend a little bit faster than others because the 20mm had blown holes in his parachute. When he hit the ground he broke his hip and I thought we would never see him again.  Luckily he was picked up by Luftwaffe personnel vs regular german army or home guard, otherwise he may have been shot due to the nature of his condition. Months later he arrived at the POW camp and I was so surprised to see him.  I landed close to Ray Cary and we stayed together and tried to evade but were eventually captured.





CREW



2ND LT ERNEST ZAPF   P CPT 12 JUL 44 MUNICH

2ND LT WILLIAM D. LAWSON  CP CPT 12 JUL 44 MUNICH

2ND LT RAYMOND F. VAUGHN  NAV CPT 12 JUL 44 MUNICH 

2ND LT SYLVESTER W. DITTBENNER  BOM POW 29 JUL 44 MERSEBURG   (WITH R. J. SCHOMP CREW)

S/SGT JACK RODEMICH  ROG CPT 12 JUL 44 MUNICH

S/SGT CURTIS R. KOGER  TTE CPT 12 JUL 44 MUNICH

SGT FRANK A. LoBELLO  BTG CPT 12 JUL 44 MUNICH

SGT GLENN E. ANDERSON  RWG CPT 12 JUL 44 MUNICH 

S/SGT  CHESTER J. GORLINSKI  LWG    CPT 12 JUL 44 MUNICH

SGT RALPH D. KREITZER  TG CPT 12 JUL 44 MUNICH



351ST SQDN.. CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON 17 MAR 1944  

This Crew was the Second Crew to fly missions in Piccadilly Lilly II.

Lt Dittbenner was taken off the crew to become a Lead Bombardier after flying an undetermined amount of missions, he was replaced on the Crew by Lt Herbert R. Greenberg (shot down with Lt L.G. Lacy Crew 28 May 44) from Lt Richard H. Helmick's Crew.  Replaced on the Crew by 2nd Lt Fred "Fearless Freddie" Chapin.

Lt Chapin went onto become a Lead Bombardier.  According to Lt Zapf, Lt Chapin was give an choice in the States "Court Martial or Combat"?  Seems that Lt Chapin was an instructor in the States and the reason he was being court martialed was because he refused to be transferred to Instructor duty again, this was not a hard choice for him to make.   



Mission list of Lt Ernest Zapf (mpf 2002)



 DATE  TARGET



1. 08/04/44 QUACKENBRUCK, GER

2. 10/04/44 RHEIMS, FR

3. 11/04/44 ROSTOCK, GER

4. 12/04/44 LEIPZIG, GER

5. 13/04/44 AUGSBURG, GER

6. 18/04/44 BERLIN, GER

7. 22/04/44 HAMM, GER

8. 23/04/44 FRIEDRICKSHAFEN, GER

9. 28/04/44 SOTTEVAST, FR

10. 01/05/44 NO-BALL, FR

11. 09/05/44 COUVRON, FR

12. 11/05/44 LIEGE, BEL

13. 12/05/44 BRUX, CZECH.

14. 13/05/44 OSNABRUCK, GER

15. 19/05/44 BERLIN, GER

16. 24/05/44 BERLIN, GER

17. 25/05/44 BRUSSELS, BEL

18. 27/05/44 STRASSBOURG, FR

19. 28/05/44 MAGDEBURG, GER

20. 29/05/44 LEIPZIG, GER

21. 31/05/44 ONSABRUCK, GER

22. 02/06/44 BOULOGNE, FR

23. 04/06/44 BOULOGNE, FR

24. 05/06/44 BOULOGNE, FR

25. 06/06/44 COAST OF FR, D-DAY

26. 07/06/44 NANTES, FR

27. 14/06/44 LeCULOT, FR

28. 18/06/44 BRUNSBUTTLEKOOG, GER

29. 24/06/44 GRAND COURONNE, FR

30. 25/06/44 MAQUIS SUPPLY DROP, FR

31. 06/07/44 NO-BALL, FR

32. 07/07/44 BOHLEN, GER

33. 08/07/44 BOURTH LeLENTE, FR

34. 11/07/44 MUNICH, GER

35. 12/07/44 MUNICH, GER



From Telephone conversation with Lt Zapf (Sept 2002).

After completion of tour both myself and  Lt Vaughn (who had only completed 30 missions at this time due too illness) signed up for another 35 missions.  We were shipped back too the States for a Month of R&R before being reassigned back to the ETO.  By the time I returned (Lt Vaughn stayed Stateside), Paris had been liberated and instead of being sent back to Thorpe Abbotts for combat duty,  I was reassigned to Paris to ferry high ranking officers around the continent and too England.  I was joined in this endeavour by Lt Glen Rake and Lt Carroll Woldt whom had both just completed their tour of duty (ironic is the fact that all three pilots completed their tours over Munich (Zapf and Rake on 12 Jul 44 and Woldt on 11 Jul 44...mpf). Glen procurred a P-51 Mustang for his own personal use while in Paris (claims to have flown it under the Effiel Tower...mpf)

     

A/C PICCADILLY LILLY II

From the Diary of Sgt Gorlinski"  who passed away Dec. 24, 1971

>

> Pilot                    -    2nd Lt. Ernest Zapf                  0-689434    - Portland, Oregon

> Co-Pilot               -    2nd Lt. William Lawson           0-758585    - New Rochelle, N.Y.

> Navigator             -    2nd Lt. Raymond Vaughn         0-703670    - Portland, Oregon

> Bombardier           -   2nd Lt. Sylvester Dittbenner      0-333031    - Minnesota

> Engineer              -    S/Sgt. Curtis Koger                13119824    - Roanoke, Virginia

> Radio Operator     -    S/Sgt. Jack Rodemich             35547157    - Toledo, Ohio

> Asst. R.O.           -    S/Sgt. Glenn Anderson            17131216    - Omaha, Nebraska

> Armorer               -    S/Sgt. Ralph Kreitzer               35635693    - Dayton, Ohio

> Gunner                -    S/Sgt. Frank LoBello                32733515    - Angola, N.Y.

> Asst. Eng      -    S/Sgt. Chester Gorlinski         36734423    - Chicago, IL

> It also lists 2nd Lt. Fred Chapin and a fellow only mentioned as Greenberg, both being Bombardiers.