Personnel

CREW



2ND LT FERDINAND J. HERRES             P CPT 11 SEPT  44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY

2ND LT DONALD J. ROTH                CP KIA 05 JUNE   44 BOULOGNE, FR (WITH LT MARK WILSON CREW)

2ND LT ALVIN F. RINGHOFER         NAV CPT 11 SEPT  44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY sn# 0-708377

2ND LT BURROUGHS E. CONOVER    BOM CPT 11 SEPT  44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY

S/SGT ROBERT M. MULGREW           TTE CPT 11 SEPT  44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY

S/SGT JAMES A. MORROW            ROG CPT 11 SEPT  44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY

SGT DUELL B. BARNES                  BTG CPT 11 SEPT  44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY

SGT NESTER J. NESSER                 WG CPT 11 SEPT  44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY

SGT WILBUR F. WILLIAMS              WG CPT 09 SEPT 44 DUSSELDORF (WITH LT GEORGE ALLEN CREW)

SGT ANDREW R. MAIN                    TG CPT 11 SEPT  44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY



349TH SQDN.. CREW, AS ABOVE JOINED THE 100TH ON 18 APR 1944.  AIRCRAFT #43-37823 "NOW AND THEN"

SGT WILLIAMS WAS TAKEN OFF THE CREW WHEN IT WAS REDUCED FROM 10 TO 9 MEN.  DATE UNKNOWN.



ON THE 11 SEP 44 MISSION TO RUHLAND THIS CREW HAD A ENGINE FIRE ENROUTE TO THE TARGET AND WERE FORCED TO ABORT THE MISSION. UNABLE TO ESTINGUISH THE FIRE, THE CREW BAILED OUT OVER SOUTHERN ENGLAND.  ALL CREW MEMEBERS WERE SAFE AND THE A/C CRASHED ON THE ISLE OF SHEPPY….jb

ON THE 11 SEP 44 MISSION TO RUHLAND, THE CP WAS LT EDWARD H. FEHRENKAMP FROM LT TOWNSEND'S CREW…MPF



Overseas trip (B-17): Kearny, Nebraska to Bangor Maine to Goose Bay, Labrador to Meeks Field, Iceland to Pretwick, Scotland.  Train from Prestwick, Scotland to Stone England to Diss, England.  Truck from Diss to Thorpe Abbotts, England April 18, 1944. Note: Meeks Field, Iceland. Built during WWII as U.S. Air Base at to town of Keflavik, SW Iceland (22 miles SW of Reykjavik, Iceland).  Turned over to Iceland October 1946 and renamed Keflavik Field now an international airport.



 Operational Missions of Lt Ferd Herres, 100th Bomb Group, 349th Squadron (mpf 2003)



1. 25/04/44 DIJON, AIRFIELD,  FR.

2. 26/04/44 BRUNSWICK, GER.

3.   28/04/44   CHERBOURG, FR (SOTTEVAST IN OUR RECORDS)

4. 29/04/44 BERLIN, GER.

5. 07/05/44 BERLIN, GER.

6. 08/05/44 BERLIN, GER.

7. 09/05/44 LAON/COUVRON, FR.

8. 11/05/44 LIEGE, BELG.

9. 13/05/44 OSNABRUCK, GER. (FIRST GROUP LEAD)

10. 28/05/44 MEGDEBURG, GER, 

11. 31/05/44 OSNABRUCK, GER.

12. 06/06/44 FALAISE, FR (D-DAY)

13. 12/06/44 LE ARLOT, BELGIUM

14. 18/06/44 BRUNSBUTTELKOG, GER.

15. 20/06/44 BERLIN-FALLERSLEBEN, GER.

16. 21/06/44 BERLIN-BASDORF, GER.

17. 22/06/44 PARIS, FR. 

18. 24/06/44 ROUEN, FR.

19. 25/06/44 NO-BALL, FR., (MAQUIS SUPPLY DROP)

20. 06/07/44 PAS DE CALAIS, FR.

21.   07/07/44   LEIPZIG-GOTTINGEN, GER.

22.   13/07/44   MUNICH, GER.      

23. 18/07/44 KIEL, GER.

24. 20/07/44 MERSEBURG, GER.

25. 21/07/44 REGENSBURG, GER.

26. 24/07/44 NORMANDY-ST LO, FR.

27. 25/07/44 NORMANDY-ST LO, FR.

28. 31/07/44 MUNICH, GER.

29. 04/08/44 HAMBURG, GER.

30. 11/08/44 PARIS-VILLACOUBLAY, FR.

31. 14/08/44 LUDWIGSHAVEN, GER.

32. 27/08/44 BERLIN, GER.

33. 11/09/44 RUHLAND, CZECH REPUBLIC; ON FIRE-BAIL OUT OVER THE STRAITS OF DOVER; LANDED AT MANSTON BASE IN ENGLAND.





 Operational Missions of 2nd Lt Alvin Ringhofer (provided by Margaret A. Ringhofer, mpf 2002) 



1. 25/04/44 DIJON, FR.

2. 26/04/44 BRUNSWICK, GER.

3. 29/04/44 BERLIN, GER.

4. 07/05/44 BERLIN, GER.

5. 08/05/44 BERLIN, GER.

6. 09/05/44 COUVRON, FR.

7. 11/05/44 LIEGE, BELG.

8. 13/05/44 OSNABRUCK, GER

9. 28/05/44 MEGDEBURG, GER, GERA, SECONDARY TARGET

10. 31/05/44 OSNABRUCK, GER

11. 06/06/44 FALAISE, FR (D-DAY)

12. 12/06/44 ROSIERES, FR.

13. 14/06/44 LeCULOT, BELG.

14. 18/06/44 BRUNSBUTTELKOG, GER.

15. 19/06/44 ECLUSE, FR.

16. 20/06/44 FALLERSLEBEN, GER.

17. 21/06/44 RUHLAND, GER (START OF 1st RUSSIAN SHUTTLE MISSION)

18. 26/06/44 DROHOBYZ, POLAND

19. 03/07/44 ARAD, ROMANIA 

20. 05/07/44 BEZIERS, FR (RETURN FROM RUSSIAN SHUTTLE MISSION)

21. 07/07/44 MERSEBURG, GOTTINGEN, ST. GER.

22.` 18/07/44 KIEL, GER.

23. 19/07/44 SCHWEINFURT, GER.

24. 20/07/44 MERSEBURG, GER.

25. 21/07/44 LUDWIGSHAVEN, GER.

26. 24/07/44 ST LO, FR.

27. 25/07/44 ST LO, FR.

28. 31/07/44 MUNICH, GER.

29. 04/08/44 HAMBURG, GER.

30. 11/08/44 VILLACOUBLAY, FR.

31. 14/08/44 LUDWIGSHAVEN, GER.

32. 27/08/44 BERLIN, GER.

33. 11/09/44 RUHLAND



SHUTTLE (OPERATION FRANTIC) BOMBING MISSIONS JUNE 21, 1944 THRU JULY 5, 1944.

LANDINGS:

              MIRGOROD, RUSSIA

              KHARKOV, RUSSIA

              KIROVOGRAD, RUSSIA

              FOGGIA, ITALY



Operation narrative from Lt Ringhofer Sept 11, 1944, Ruhland:



On Sept. 11, 1944 we departed on our last required mission (#33) at 0754 for Ruhland, Germany leading the high squadron.  When we reached the other side of the Rhine River about 10 miles south of Koblenz, Germany our #3 engine ran away.  The pilot, Ferd Herres couldn't feather the propeller and as a result, it began to windmill.  We lost altitude to 18,000 feet therefore lost the formations we let down over the North Sea.  The remaining B-17's continued on towards the target.  My compass would not work so we used the pilots  mag compass for a heading home.  We dropped our bombs at 1106 to lighten the load.  We could not maintain an airspeed of 125 miles per hour for fear of overheating the engine and catching it on fire.  My altimeter and air speed meter were not operating.  We did well getting back to England, little flak and no enemy fighters.  We approached England above Dover at 1302.  Within a half a minute after turning to heading to Thorpe Abbotts (our home base) the engine caught fire.  The pilot gave orders to bail out at 1305 (16,000 feet) in the vacinity of Ramsgate Canterbury and Margate.  I followed the Bombardier out and hit my chest on the open bomb bay doors before I pulled my rip cord.  The pilot, co-pilot and engineer stayed with the plane and tried to put out the fire but to no avail so they jumped too.  There were few clouds but I did float downward through a cloud and couldn't see a thing, wondering if I might end up in the North Sea.  As I came near the ground, I just missed some high tension wires.  Three Sargeants saw me floating down and came in their jeep to see if I was ok. They took me to our their base (Mansdan airfield) where all the members of our crew finally met.  We called the 100th Bomb Group for a plane and more parachutes to take us back to Thorpe Abbotts.  I learned then that the pilot had set up the auto pilot and headed the aircraft out to the North Sea.



The injuries suffered by the crew were cartilage tears from the ribs (navigator), bruised groin (bombardier, who also hit the open bomb bay doors upon bailing out), foot bruises (tail gunner, radio operator), broken bone in foot upon hitting the ground (waist gunner).  All were x-rayed the next day).  When we talked to Intelligence at Thorpe Abbotts we were informed that all 11 of the formation who continued on toward the target were shot down.  Weren't we the lucky crew!!  These eleven plus the loss of our plane is the sum of 12 lost.  





CREW

           A/C # 42-31987  "SHILAYEE"



2ND LT MARK V. WILSON      P  POW 5 JUN 44  BOULOGNE

2ND LT CHARLES E. ADAMS  CP  CPT WITH STANLEY CLARK CREW

2ND LT JOHN T. JOHNSON  NAV  KIA       5 JUN 44  BOULOGNE

2ND LT RALPH A. KROENKE  BOM  POW 5 JUN 44  BOULOGNE

S/SGT EUGENE V. SWEENEY  ROG  POW 5 JUN 44  BOULOGNE

S/SGT JOHN W. McAULIFFE  TTE  POW 5 JUN 44  BOULOGNE

   SGT DONALD M. ROHASEK  BTG  POW 5 JUN 44  BOULOGNE

   SGT WILLIAM E. MORELAND RWG  POW 5 JUN 44  BOULOGNE

   SGT GEORGE B. DONAHUE  LWG  NOC

   SGT CECIL G. DAVIS  TG  POW 5 JUN 44  BOULOGNE



349th Sqdn.  Crew, as above, joined the 100th Group on 21 Feb 1944.  On 5 Jun 1944, Lt. Donald Roth, CP on the F.J. Herres crew, was flying in place of C.E.Adams and was KIA.  S/Sgt Glover Nall, from the J.A. Harrison crew, was flying in place of G.B.Donhoue and became a POW.



See MACR #5384; Microfiche # 1957



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Reported by Michael J. Herres

son of Ferdinand J. Herres:

 

Captain Ferdinand J. Herres 

349th Bomb Squadron

Pilot of "Now & Then" B17

 

Deceased, 20 Dec 2010 

at Walla Walla, Washington