Personnel

CREW



2nd Lt James D. Williams                             P CPT

2nd Lt John W. Wearne                            CP CPT

2nd Lt James T. Miller                             NAV CPT 13/9/44 SINDELFINGEN, MOTOR WORKS

    F/O Jonathan P. Laverick                     BOM CPT 15/10/44 COLOGNE, MY

  S/Sgt Clarence A. Peterson                    R0G CPT

  S/Sgt Jack A. Fowler                             TTE CPT 13/9/44 SINDELFINGEN, MOTOR WORKS

    Sgt William T."Sonny Boy" Fessier          WG CPT

    Sgt Gospodin Gospodinoff                    BTG CPT

    Sgt Jerome Goshin                              WG CPT

    Sgt Ralph M. Greenwood                      TG WIA Wounded 5/8/44 and in 65th general hospital for 43 days. Sn# 18162220



349th Sqdn.  Crew, as above, joined the 100th Group on 29/5/44.  

"SKIPPER II"  See S.O.C. p. 67/68.  18/8/44 Gospodinoff to Central Medical Board for flying tests (2 days). 

Crew flew "987" SHILAYLEE/THE LITTLE SKIPPER

This  became a Pathfinder Crew (PFF).  



Believe most of crew completed their tour with missions listed below execpt Laverick and Greenwood  



 MISSIONS OF T/SGT JACK A. FOWLER sn# 39120644 (mpf nov 2000)





1.     4/6/44  BOULOGNE

2.     5/6/44  BOULOGNE

3.     6/6/44  D-DAY-OUISTREHAM

4.   11/6/44  BERCK sur MER

5.   18/6/44  BRUNSBUTTELKOOG

6.   19/6/44  CORME ECLUSE

7.   20/6/44  FALLERSLEBEN

8.   21/6/44  RUHLAND-START OF 1ST RUSSIAN SHUTTLE MISSION

9.   26/6/44  DROHOBYCZ, POLAND

10.   3/7/44  ARAD, ROMANIA

11.   5/7/44  BEZIERS

12.   7/7/44  BOHLEN

13. 11/7/44  MUNICH

14. 13/7/44  MUNICH

15. 14/7/44  MAQUIS SUPPLY DROP

16. 18/7/44  KIEL

17. 19/7/44  SCHWEINFURT

18. 20/7/44  MERSEBURG

19. 24/7/44  ST LO

20. 29/7/44  MERSEBURG

21. 31/7/44  MUNICH

22.   2/8/44  LA FERE

23.   4/8/44  HAMBURG

24.   5/8/44  MAGDEBURG-TG INJURED 

25. 24/8/44  RUHLAND

26. 25/8/44  POLITZ

27. 26/8/44  BREST

28. 27/8/44  BERLIN (RECALL)

29.   1/9/44  MAINZ (RECALL, WEATHER)

30.   3/9/44  CROZON

31.   5/9/44  STUTTGART

32.   8/9/44  MAINZ

33. 12/9/44  MAGDEBURG

34. 13/9/44  SINDELFINGEN



Stories from S/Sgt Ralph M Greenwood  WIA Aug 5, 1944



Bombing Shuttle Mission:

Ruhland, Germany June 21, 1944



After the Bombing mission, the crew dropped the plane down to a lower altitude, but ran into a thunderstorm and had to fly over it.  The plane was running low on fuel, couldn’t make it to any base and force landed the plane in a wheat field in Poltava Russia.  The force landing was suppose to be a wheels up landing, but the pilot decided to put the wheels down.  They were about 15 miles from the U.S. base in Poltava.  Russian peasants were around when the plane landed and the ball turret operator could speak a little bit of Russian.  The people were happy they were Americans.  It rained and they had to wait until it was dry enough for the plane to take off again.  There were a couple of Russians guarding the airplane while it was in the wheat field. 



When they were ready to take off, one of the Americans stationed in Russia told the pilot that someone needed to have a drink with the Russians, as was the custom.  Lt Williams told  “Greenwood” to have the drink.  They poured a large canteen of Vodka and Ralph looked for a chaser.  The chaser happened to be a green onion and a can of butter.  This was the only shuttle run that I was assigned.  When we flew from Russia to Foggia, Italy and were there during the 4th of July.  The next day they picked up a target in Germany, while they were going to the target, they could see the Vatican from the Plane.



August 5, 1944 

Magdeburg, Germany



The crew left the base in England to go on a bombing run in Germany.  The target was a Tiger tank factory (synthetic Oil).  The flak was heavy, intense and accurate.  It was very bad that day.  One of our planes pulled up and dropped their bombs, it hit another B-17 and it exploded.  A few moments later I was hit by a piece of anti-aircraft shrapnel.  The plane was still operational and continued on its mission.  I was hit just before the bombs were released. The pilot came back and took me up to the radio room and gave me first aid and stopped the bleeding.  Once back at the base in England, he stayed in the 65th general hospital for 43 days.  To this day, Ralph Greenwood has a piece of shrapnel in his knee but does not walk with any type of limp.



Base Memories:

He used to carry a lucky charm and on the day he was hit it, was sitting on the bed.  From that point on, he  said to never have a lucky charm and never had one since. His Daughter said they were never allowed to have one either.  



S/Sgt Greenwood was discharged from the military at Sheppard Field, Texas Oct 21, 1945.





Ralph Monroe Greenwood, 87

Born 29 August,1923 on the family farm in Oklahoma

Died 17 March,2011 at the Medical Lodge,Dewey,OK



Mr. Greenwood arrived at Thorpe Abbotts ,349th BS 29 May,1944 with the 2nd Lt. James D. Williams crew the TG. Crew flew a/c # 987 " SHILAYLEE" Crew became a Pathfinder crew.



On his 18 combat mission 5 August,1944 MADGEBURG,Germany, he was hit by flak . Spent 45 days in the hospital in England before returning home.