Personnel

CREW



1ST LT RODNEY N. LEECH             P FEH

2ND LT WILLIAM T. GROOVER      CP FEH

2ND LT GEORGE E. WYNE          NAV FEH

F/O JOHN W. LINDH                 BOM  FEH

SGT CLYDE H. KEELING              TTE FEH

SGT DAVID M. MATTHEWS        ROG FEH

SGT JOSEPH J. HILBER, JR.         BTG FEH

SGT EUGENE L. LEWIS                WG FEH

SGT RUSSELL H. OSBORN             TG FEH



349TH SQDN.. CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON  06 APR 1945

Crew may have flown one or two missions before end of War but no records have shown up yet to support this theory…mpf



PRACTICE MISSION,  APRIL 13,1945  LEECH   313  S HARDSTAND # 20, D-SQDN,  

PRACTICE MISSION,COMBAT MISSION SCRUBBED, APRIL 19,1945  LEECH  532  G  HARDSTAND # 15, C-SQDN,  

CHOWHOUND MISSION, MAY 3,1945, LEECH  681  V  HARDSTAND  # 24, A-SQDN, 

CHOWHOUND MISSION,  MAY 5,1945, LEECH   015  N   HARDSTAND  # 23, C-SQDN



AIRCRAFT FLOWN BY LT LEECH CREW: 

                                          44-8532  XR-G KLEEN SWEEP, 

                                        43-38313  XR-S  LIL BUTCH



.......additional notes on the crew, CREW CHANGES, AFTER HOSTILITIES,   CP  2ND LT. WILLIAM T. GROOVER TRANSFERRED TO THE  W.GRISWOLD SMITH CREW TO REPLACE  SMITH CREW CP 2ND LT. ROBERT W. SMITH JR. WHO WAS TRANSFERRED OUT OF THE 100TH BG IN EARLY JULY,1945...2ND LT GROOVER,after hostilities transferred to  Hut # 13 WAS ON W.G. SMITH  CREW (SMITH also in Hut #13) UNTIL OCT,1945 WHEN AIRCRAFT DEPARTED  THORPE ABBOTTS...ALSO  JOSEPH J. HILBER  TG ON THE LEECH CREW  SHARED HUT # 33  WITH THE  SMITH CREW SGT'S... Jack O'Leary





RE: 349th Sqdn Airmen



2nd Lt. William Groover CP 349th Sqdn FEH



S/Sgt. Russell O. Beyne WG  349th Sqdn FEH



Sgt Henry (NMI) Leffew  WG (spare) grounded FEH



A couple of things on these airmen;



I did a search on the 100th BG database

website...Nothing on LEFFEW,had no position for

BEYNE..



My information is incomplete but I have some info for

you.. When my dad was moved to permanent TOGGLIER

position,from WG sometime after hostilities ...Beyne

replaced my dad  in that position...right up until the

end of flying in October 1945...Russell also bunked

with the Gris Smith NCO's crew in Hut #33...Henry

Leffew was a SPARE gunner...in the summer and up to

the end of 1945 the flying CREW assignments were 10

men...9 actually flying,with a 10th person as a

spare,sub.etc...All I know about Henry Leffew was he

was grounded,don't know if he actually flew anytime

with the SMITH crew...Finally William T. Groover was

the CP that replaced Robert Smith Jr. on the SMITH

crew in early June and stayed on the crew up to the

end of flying in Oct. 1945…  Jack O'Leary





CREW



1ST LT WILLIAM GRISWOLD SMITH         P FEH  CREW FLYING AT END OF HOSTILITIES

2ND LT ROBERT W. SMITH, JR            CP FEH

2ND LT WILSON P. TURNIPSEED, JR.   NAV FEH

2ND LT PAUL A. WILKERSON            BOM FEH  (became 349th BS Bombardier after 6 missions)

CPL DELOME CUMBAA, JR                 ROG FEH

CPL STANLEY A. SZALWINSKI, JR        TTE FEH  TAPS: 19 SEP 1982

CPL ANTHONY R. RUSSO                  BTG FEH

CPL JOHN J. O'LEARY                        WG FEH  TAPS; 1985

CPL EARL J. BAUGH                            TG FEH



349TH SQDN.. CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 14 MAR 1945



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WILLIAM THOMAS GROOVER.88

BORN 1 OCTOBER,1922

DIED 6 MAY,2011

LAST ADDRESS, LAWRENCEVILLE,GEORGIA 30044

There was no obit for him I could find.

Just learned of the Death of William Thomas GROOVER,  Co-Pilot on the 1st Lt W Griswold SMITH Crew, 349th BS. Was originally on the Rodney Leech Crew, arrived 6 April  1945 at TA.



Assigned to the Gris Smith crew when Robert Smith CP left TA after Hostilities.  Flew with them until  mid Oct 1945 when  the aircraft were flown out. Photo of Tom Groover in the CP seat of Target For Tonight 



Born 1 Oct, 1922



Died 6 May 2011. in Atlanta GA  88 Years 



God Bless, RIP,  

—————————-



GROOVER, W. Tom W. TOM GROOVER W. Tom Groover age 88 died May 6, 2011. A native of Atlanta, he served as a pilot in WWII. He was the owner and operator of the Opal Mine. Tom was also very active in his church, Peachtree Presbyterian. He was predeceased in death by his first wife Llewellyn (Lou) Slate. He is survived by his wife Sue Groover, daughters Karen G. Matheny and Gay G. Matthes. He is also survived by two grand-daughters, one grand-son and three great grand-children. The family will receive friends Sunday, May 8, 3-6 P.M at H.M. Patterson Spring Hill. There will be a graveside service for family and friends Monday, May 9, 2011 at 11:00 A.M at Westview Cemetery for anyone wishing to attend. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 P.M. in Kellett Chapel at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Red Cross. Online condolences may be made at hmpattersonspringhill.com