Personnel

CREW



 2nd Lt John T.Griffin          P CPT

 2nd Lt Elbert W.Johnson  CP WIA  8 Oct 43-Bremen (transferred to non combat job after this mission)

 2nd Lt Thomas R.Kizak  NAV  CPT

 2nd Lt Edward L.Dunlap    BOM  CPT 

 T/Sgt Raymond M.Harjo   TTE  WIA  (Purple Heart awarded for  0ct. 8, 1943, returned to States)

 T/Sgt Roy O.Howell          ROG WIA/CPT  13 DEC 43 KIEL (WIA)  CPT- 7 Jun 44 Nantes (with Lt Simmons Crew) 

 S/Sgt Pascal A.Delpriorre   BTG  CPT 

 S/Sgt Bernard G.Siegel    WG CPT 

 S/Sgt Sldney L.Nicholas   WG NOC

 S/Sgt Warren G.Lush       TG EVADEE (15/9/43 with crew of A.M.Vetter)  Paris 



351st Sqdn. This crew, as above, joined the 100th Group on 12/9/43.  Crew flew Goin Jessies

See photo of crew on p.212 of "CONTRAILS". Also see p.21/23 SOC .



Lt. Kizak appears on crew of R.V.Monrad on 8/3/44.



Wrote J.T.Griffin 20/3/84 and received reply 14/6/84. "  Nicholas did not complete tour,I do not know what happened to him. Harjo was returned to USA. Johnson was replaced on crew by Lt.Earl Williams and completed tour. Replacements on this crew were Don L.Pilgrim -WIA. Arthur L. Olson,and A. (Alfred??) Hunt who completed their tours. There positions not definetly but believe Pilgrim a TG and Hunt & Olson WGs.



2nd Lt. John T. Griffin with the 351st Sqdn. The plane was named the "Goin Jessies". My father Sgt. Arthur L. Olson flew with this crew October 1943 to July 5, 1944. He completed 28 Missions. 



Partial list of Missions Flown by Lt John Griffin Crew (from Frank Murphy book Luck of the Draw" mpf 2003)



1.   15/09/43   PARIS                           A/C 42-30087 "SHACK RAT"

2.   16/09/43   BORDEAUX/MERIGNAC    A/C 42-30358  "PHARTZAC" 

3.   23/09/43   VANNES                       A/C 42-30796   "SUNNY II" 

4.   26/09/43   PARIS                          A/C  42-3474    "KING BEE"

5.   02/10/43   EMDEN                         A/C  42-30796  "SUNNY II"

6.   08/10/43   BREMEN                       A/C  42-30796  "SUNNY II"

7.   19/11/43   GELSENKIRCHEN        A/C  42-31051  "GOIN JESSIES  (John Luckadoo flew as Command Pilot)

8.   26/11/43   BREMEN                       A/C  42-31051  "GOIN JESSIES" (T/SGT HARJO WIA, PURPLE HEART AND SHIPPED STATESIDE)

      29/11/43   BREMEN                       A/C  42-31051  "GOIN JESSIES"(#4 ENGINE RUNNING ROUGH, ABORT)

9.

10.

11.

12. 13/12/43  KIEL                              A/C  42-31051  "GOIN JESSIES"  (T/SGT HOWELL WIA-ARM, PURPLE HEART, RTD)





Subj: RE: Lt Griffin Crew  

Date: 5/17/2003 11:12:58 PM Pacific Daylight Time 

From: Kolson@HILLSCA.ORG 

To: MPFaley@aol.com 

Sent from the Internet (Details) 

 

Michael:

 

I will speak with my Dad regarding your questions.  He did not talk about the war for many years and has opened up more during the last few.  He is celebrating his 90th birthday this August.  Dad was drafted from Minnesota where he grew up on a farm.  He was the only man out of about 30 from his area that was chosen to go Army Air Corps.  He attended gunnery school out of Nellis Air Force Base in Neveda I believe before he went overseas.  He states that he was one of two men from his specific class of gunnery mates that returned from Europe.  Do not know if this is correct.  He also said he was one of the older guys (29 years) on the plane.  I do know he took part in some of the first raids to hit Berlin.  He was also part of the group that participated in the "Shuttle" mission that bombed Germany on their way to Russia.  He said they then bombed Romainian oil fields and landed in Italy.  They then went from Italy back to England.  Dad said they awarded him three mission counts for this shuttle.  He also states that he was sent as a replacement crew and flew on some other planes but did most of his raids on the "Goin Jessies".  He confirmes the names and injuries of the crewmen listed.  Dad flew positions at Top Turret, Waist Gunner, and a couple of raids in the nose as a "toggler"?  He was at the airfield the day he left to watch the "Goin Jesses" land but it did not return!  He states that he spent another year after returning home assigned at Shunook Field teaching engineering mechanics (his plane stayed behind a few hours in Russia as they had to replace spark plugs in one of the engines).  Dad talks about Thorpes Abbott and how many of the bunks would be empty after raids and how they would get personal lockers together to send back to the states.  He says the weather was cold and foggy and how many missions were scrubbed or that our own aircraft would fly into one another as they were forming up to cross the channel.  He has also shared how cold it was at 35,000 feet having no windows on the side gun openings and the frostbite he would get.  He also talks about the P51 Mustangs with their extended fuel tanks and how vulnerable he felt when they would have to turn back to England.  I know you have heard many of the same stories.  I will talk with Dad and get this information in a better format to send to you.  Give me just a little time.  I will be joining the 100th foundation with my personal address.  It is easier for me to break mailing information down and present it to Dad since he has lost much of his reading sight.  I know that to this day his year with the 100th is probably one the most significant time periods in his life.  Do you know if any members of this crew are registered with the foundation?  I will talk to you soon and thank you for your timely response.  

 

Kim Olson

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM T/SGT ROY HOWELL 2009



1. Do you have a complet list of missions you flew. Here is all I have at the moment

2. My feeling is that you would have completed your tour somewhere around Feb/March 1944

3. Did you fly the October 14, 1943 Mission to Schweinfurt "Black Thursday"

4. Did your Crew Name Goin Jessies and if so, how did you come up with the name

5. Can you tell me any stories you remember about any missions

        Worst Mission and Why

        What was it like after all the losses in early October (Bremen, Munster)

6. What Happened to Sidney Nicholas, seems like he was taken off the crew and replaced? Is that correct?

7. He was replaced by a Sgt Olson and your TG position was filled by Sgt Pilgrim (after your original TG was shot down with another crew.  

8. Do you have any other photos of you while in the crew and at Thorpe Abbotts?

9. Medals, you should have DFC, Air Medal, Good Conduct, ETO ribbon with one or two battle stars, WW2 Victory Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation with OLC, American Defense or Campaign. 





I will try to answer your questions

 

1. I had a list of missions but I lost it and so I can't help you there.  I had thought we flew in "goin Jessies" every mission,

2. The original crew finished about that time you suggested.  I was injured in the elbow when on a bombing mission to the Kiel Canal, and I didn't leave until the last of August.

3. No we did not fly the Black Thursday.

4. Our pilot suggested the name and we all went along with it.

5.I guess the worst mission for me was the one over Kiel.  We had to fly over the North sea back to England and we had one engine out. If we had to ditch I wouldn't be here today.  I couldn't swim so I feel fortunate we had the pilot who knew what he was doing.    Over Bremen watching the dog fights by the fighters  of the P47's were exciting.

6.  As far as I know after one mission he refused to fly anymore.  He was a nervous guy anyway.  I think it was one to Bremen.

7. You are correct on that one.

8. No I don't have any 

other photos.

9. I have the purple heart along with the others



 

Hi Michael,

 

Yes it was in Dec 43 that we bombed Kiel.  I don't remember if it was Dec 13 on the 12th mission or the 13th mission on Dec 12. (It was Dec 13, 1943)   I did fly with Helmick and Simmons.  My last mission was with Simmons and I didn't think I would make it back.  It was 

Simmons first combat mission.    Thanks.......................Roy

 

I didn't remember to answer another question on the list you  asked.  About the attitude of crews on the Black Thursday.  We got most of our information through the grapevine as to how many planes were lost and so the attitudes of the crew members was we hoped it didn't happen to us.That is all I remember.......................Roy