Personnel

CREW



2ND LT WADE D. PRATT                P IIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.

2ND LT HAROLD L. RINTOUL         CP IIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.

2ND LT JOHN CROTTY              NAV FEH

2ND LT WILLIAM G. WOODRUFF BOM FEH

   CPL ERNEST T. DAMATO        ROG FEH

   CPL ANTHONY SZOTT            TTE IIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.

   CPL ROBERT G. GUIDI             BTG IIC 12 MAY 45  CRASHED DISS - ATTLEBORO RD.

   CPL HANSEL H. ADKINS            TG FEH

   CPL WILLIAM M. LUCAS           WG FEH



418th Sqdn.. Crew joined 100th on 21 Jan 1945

Crew flew A/C 43-38821 LD-O "Girdle Girty" call sign "Rubber Oboe"  and also "Lay or Bust" 



On 12 may 45 Pratt, Rintoul, Szott, Guidi, S/Sgt VINCENT FERRANICE and 2nd Lt James T. Brand took off from Thorpe Abbotts in A/C #44-6790 on a night transition flight in the local area. Weather worsened, while the tower tried for 1 hour and twenty minutes before contacting the crew. When contact was established Pratt was advised to attempt a landing, the aircraft struck a tree and crashed about five miles W/NW of the base on the Diss - Attleboro Road.



Brand was KIC and all the others IIC.  The aircraft was destroyed.

--Records from Norton AFB 17 May 85....James R. Brown, Historian to pw (June 1991)



Missions of 2nd Lt Wade D. Pratt (mpf)



 1. 17/02/45 Frankfurt

 2. 19/02/45 Munster 

 3. 20/02/45 Nurnburg(crash landed Lay or Bust in Belgium due to flak damage)

 4. 23/02/45 Treuchtlingen

 5. 24/02/45 Bremen

 6. 28/02/45 Kassel

 7. 02/03/45 Dresden

 8. 03/03/45 Brunswick

 9. 07/03/45 Seigen

10. 08/03/45 Giessen

11. 09/03/45 Frankfurt

12. 14/03/45 Hanover

13. 17/03/45 Ruhland

14. 18/03/45 BERLIN (attacked by ME 262)

15. 19/03/45 Jena

16. 22/03/45 Alhorn

17. 23/03/45 Ziegenhain AF

18. 28/03/45 Hanover

19. 30/03/45 Hamburg

20. 31/03/45 Zeitz

21. 03/04/45 Kiel

22. 04/04/45 Kiel

23. 05/04/45 Nurnburg

24. 07/04/45 Buchen

25. 14/04/45 Royan 

26. 15/04/45 Royan

27. 17/04/45 Aussig

28. 18/04/45 Straubing

Robert G. Guidi, Staff Sgt, Ball Turret Gunner on the 418th BS Wade Pratt Crew, died April 5, 2017. Completed 28 combat missions and survived Two airplane crashes. One on 12 May, 1945 that crashed in Diss on a training flight, Injured in crash.... Established the VFW Post in Great Barrington,Mass. 

(1922-2017 at 95 years)

Great Long Life, RIP



Robert Guidi, 95, of Lee

By Edge Staff Friday, Apr 7 Obituaries    1 Comment

Robert was called by the Lord to be with his devoted wife in heaven. The son of Bernard and Teresa (Giracca) Guidi, he lived in Great Barrington until transiting to the Village at Laurel Lake. He graduated from the former Searles High School and was active in its alumni association.



Bob served proudly in the U.S. Army during WWII. He flew on 28 bombing missions over Europe with the Air Corps and survived two airplane crashes. A decorated veteran, he was instrumental in establishing the VFW James F. Modolo Post. He served as post commander, district commander and chaplain. Bob served his community as a town assessor for 63 years, one of the longest terms in the Commonwealth. He was recognized by the Massachusetts Assessors Association and presented numerous commendations, including the prestigious Wilson Award. Bob was appointed by the Governor to work on land acquisitions including ones for construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike. He applied his expertise as a member of the team to build Monument Mountain Regional High School. He was the Democratic Town Committee chairperson for many years, and participated in Memorial Day parades for decades while maintaining memberships in the American Legion and Knights of Columbus. Bob fought the good fights throughout his lifetime. He will be remembered by his son Rob, sister-in-law Alice, family and friends.