Personnel

CREW



This 100th Veteran's name is seen spelled as Merriman -- Merrmann..pw





LIFE MEMBER JOHN J. HERRMANN

       by John Miller



John J. Herrmann, 320 E. 65th St., Hioleah, Florida 33013 passed away on Wednesday morning, February 5, 1986. His dear wife, Harriett, survives. John was the ground crew chief for "PICADILLY LILY" in the 351 st Sqdn. He was very proud of this fact. Thomas E. Murphy, Walthom, Mass, was the Pilot on the original "Lil". On the August 17, 1943 shuttle mission to Regensburg, Germany, and on to Africa, Col. Beirne Lay, Jr., author of "I WANTED WINGS" and, after the war, "TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH" flew in the righthand seat of "LIL" with Murphy as Pilot. This mission was quite an experience for everyone involved; Some years after the war when the movie "TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH" was showing in their town John and Harriett Herrmann went to see this new film. In the one scene the Group Commander, Col. Savage (Gregory Peck), is leading the mission. The camera comes in for a close-up and the name of Col. Savage's Lead B-17, plainly seen, is "PICADILLY LILY"! ! John Herrmonn jumped up from his theatre seat and screamed, "That's my B-17! That's my plane!" He was very excited about this. Wanting to be positive that the 17 shown was meant to really be "His B-17" John Herman wrote a letter to author Beirne Lay. I have seen and read the letter Beirne Lay wrote to John in answer. Beirne Lay wrote "You're damn right it was meant to be" your "PICADILLY LILY"! ! He wrote that the Pilot Tom Murphy was a very fine man & that he put "LIL" in the picture to honor Murphy and the crew. 



Tom Murphy, the crew and "PICADILLY LILY" ran out of luck and  time Oct. 8, 1943 on the Bremen, Germany, mission. The 100th lost seven crews that day. Tom Murphy was KIA ... along with the 351st Ops officer Alvin Barker and many of his crew.



On April 24, 1944 I flew with the Larry Townsend crew, 349th Sqdn. Lined-up waiting to take off we developed engine trouble. It took a long time to taxi around the field to get back to our hardstand Finally a truck arrived to take us to a "spare ship". The 17 we were taken to was the painted "PICADILLY LILY" of the 351st Sqdn! We had heard of "Lil" & we thought at the time that she was the original B-17. In fact she was Lil #2 but we didn't know that. We felt kind of proud flying her.



We finally took off chasing after the Group. The target that day was DEEP into southern Germany. Friedrichshafen which lies on the northern shore of Lake Constonce. The mighty Rhine river starts its northwesterly course from Lake Constonce. Switzerland lies just across the lake. After bombs away the lost anyone saw of us and Lil we were diving down from the formation. I was throwing out everything we could get loose from, the waist hatch. It was a very long and lonely trip back to the English coast but we DID make it. With the help of AirSea Rescue we reached a brand new landing strip on the very coast just as our last engine died. It took quite awhile for a RAF officer to arrive, and then phone calls had to be made for authorization, but finally a RAF tanker truck arrived to supply our empty tanks with enough gasoline to get off that SHORT runway and fly back to Thorpe Abbotts. We didn't want much of their gas because we didn't need all that extra weight. By this time our "air time" had long ago ran out. We were long past the point of return to Thorpe Abbotts so we must be down and lost. I imagine the Control Tower people & many others were amazed when we showed-up for a landing! When we pulled into Lil's hardstand her ground crew were still there and silent in their sadness. John Herrmann and the other men of the ground crew went out of their minds with joy when they spotted Lil coming in! They just couldn't believe it! And I'll tell you, we shared their joy, too! And then, you know, some of the ground crew started crying ... It was a day and a time that I have never 



At Dayton I really enjoyed a long period of time with John & Harriett in their room looking at John's many scrap books & articles about "PICADILLY LILY" and other 100th BG things. It was a quiet time, a night or two before the reunion started. Sometimes those are very special hours.... John Herrmann had been fighting cancer for a very long time. It was a gallant battle. So long, John. It was great knowing you.