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 CPT

 S/Sgt Pascal A.Delpriorre   BTG  CPT 

 S/Sgt Berbard 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. 

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"





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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CREW



1ST LT WILLIAM L."PETE" "Grind-em-out" GREINER      P  POW 29 JUL 44 MERSEBURG (OIL)

2ND LT CHESTER A. BOWERS                                   CP CPT 12 JUN 44 ROSIERES & DUNKIRD SHORE DEF (see letter below)

2ND LT GEORGE T."BIRD DOG" LEWIS                     NAV CPT 18 JUL 44  KIEL, HEMMINGSTADT, OIL 

2ND LT GEORGE A. MEYER                                     BOM CPT 17 JUL 44  MONTGOURNOY (NOBALL)

T/SGT WARREN H. WAKEFIELD                               ROG CPT 17 JUL 44  MONTGOURNOY (NOBALL)

T/SGT JACK POAGE                                               TTE CPT 17 JUL 44  MONTGOURNOY (NOBALL)

S/SGT EDWARD BUCHANAN                                    BTG CPT 13 JUL 44  MUNCIH (JET ENGINES)

S/SGT CHARLES E. WEHNER                                   LWG CPT 17 JUL 44  MONTGOURNOY (NOBALL)

S/SGT ROBERT. L. "RED" MCDANIEL                        RWG WIA 31 MAY 44 OSNABRUCK  (flew 18 Missions)  

S/SGT ERNEST A. FARKAS                                        TG CPT 17 JUL 44  MONTGOURNOY (NOBALL



351st Sqdn. Crew joined the group in March 1944.   Crew flew "Fools Rush In"  SN# 42-31066

Crew Chief was Sgt Ed Seidel

Lt Bowers went to Wing HQ after completing his tour. 



S/Sgt "Red"McDaniel flew his last combat mission on May 31, 1944, he was wounded by flak,  and fill in WG's finished out the tour. They included: 

S/Sgt Herbert Fern from Lt Mylius Crew who flew on

 6/2/1944  BOULOGNE

 6/4/1944  BOULOGNE

 6/5/1944  BOULOGNE



Sgt G.H. Head from Lt Monrad Crew who flew on:

 6/6/1944   FALAISE

 6/6/1944   OUISTREHAM



S/Sgt A.M. Hunt flew on:

 6/7/1944   NANTES (BRIDGES)

 6/24/1944 GRAND COURONNE (SEC T)

 7/4/1944   GEIN (RECALLED)

 7/7/1944   BOHLEN/MERSEBURG

 7/8/1944   CLAMECY-JOLGYN

 7/11/1944 MUNICH (AERO ENGINES)

 7/12/1944 MUNICH (IND. AREA)

 7/13/1944 MUNICH (JET ENGINES)

 7/14/1944 SOUTH OF FRANCE

 7/17/1944 AUXERRE & MONTGOURNOY