Personnel

CREW



2ND LT THOMAS C. HUGHES                          P CPT 21 MAR 45 PLAUEN            sn# O-802858

2ND LT  ROBERT W. CRITTENDEN                   CP CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND    sn# O-2058726

2NS LT JOSEPH R. CALISTRO                      NAV CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND

2ND LT FARRIS A. TURNER, JR                    BOM FEH with Lead Crew of R.C. Ellis  sn# T-3860

CPL WILBUR R. GOCKMAN                           ROG CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND     sn# 16139074

CPL JOHN A. WOLOS                                  TTE CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND     sn# 32888588

CPL WILLIAM R. LUBY                                 BTG CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND     sn# 36475228

CPL GLENN R. DAVIS                                   WG CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND     sn# 33632343 

CPL JOHN G. ISARIS                                    WG NOC                                      sn# 32979919

CPL RUDOLPH H. DUNKER                             TG CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND     sn# 36449523 



351ST SQDN..  CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 23 SEP 1944. 

CREW FLEW A/C 337815 EP-L "YOU CAN'T LOSE" (never painted on aircraft)



F.A. TURNER FLEW EIGHT MISSIONS WITH THE HUGHES CREW; TRANSFERRED TO RADAR SCHOOL(MICKEY).  ASSIGNED TO THE LEAD CREW OF R.C. ELLIS AND CPT WITH ELLIS.  HE WAS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY LT JOSEPH DYE WHO COMPLETED HIS TOUR WITH ME (26 MISSIONS).  CPL JOHN ISARIS DROPPED FROM CREW UPON ARRIVAL AT THORPE ABBOTTS DUE TO REDUCTION OF CREWS TO 9 MEN. 



Missions of Lt Thomas C. Hughes (mpf 2002) 



1. 07/10/44 BOHLEN

2. 09/10/44 MAINZ

3. 12/10/44 BREMEN

4. 15/10/44 COLOGNE 

5. 17/10/44 COLOGNE

6. 18/10/44 KASSEL

7. 22/10/44 MUNSTER

8. 30/10/44 MERSEBURG (RECALLED)

9. 05/11/44 LUDWIGSHAVEN

10. 06/11/44 NEUMUNSTER

11. 09/11/44 SAARBRUCKEN

12. 16/11/44 AACHEN

13. 21/11/44 MERSEBURG

14. 26/11/44 HAMM

15. 30/11/44 MERSEBURG

16. 12/12/44 DARMSTADT

17. 24/12/44 KAISERLAUTERN

18. 25/12/44 KAISERLAUTERN

19. 27/12/44 FULDA

20. 28/12/44 KOBLENZ

21. 30/12/44 KASSEL

22. 31/12/44 HAMBURG

23. 05/01/45 FRANKFURT

24. 07/01/45 COLOGNE

25. 20/01/45 HIELBRONN

26. 21/01/45 MANNHEIM

27. 28/01/45 DUISBURG

28. 29/01/45 KASSEL

29. 03/02/45 BERLIN

30. O9/02/45 WEIMAR

31. 15/02/45 COTTBUS

32. 17/02/45 GIESSEN

33. 19/02/45 OSNABRUCK

34. 08/03/45 GIESSEN

35. 10/03/45 DORMUND 

LT TOM HUGHES FLYS 3 MORE MISSIONS AS COMMAND PILOT, LT HARRY THOMPSON (BOMB) FLIES ALL THREE MISSIONS TO COMPLETE HIS TOUR OF DUTY.

36. 17/03/45 RUHLAND (WITH LT JIM LANTZ CREW)

37. 18/03/45 BERLIN     (WITH LT JOHNSON CREW)

38. 21/03/45 PLAUEN    (CREW UNKNOWN)



TOM HUGHES RETIRED FROM THE AIR FORCE AS A LT COL



 John A. Wolos - TTE

Flew 35 Combat Missions with T.C. Hughes Crew, and another 3 with T.C. alone after they completion of their combat tour.



Stationed Thorpe Abbotts, UK

U.S. Army Air Force , 351st Bomb Squad (B-17), Bloody Hundredth (100th BG (H) - 8th Air Force

Awards:

Distinguished Flying Cross

Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters

ETO Ribbon with 2 Battle Stars

Distinguished Unit Citation 

 Luckye Bastardes Club, and Ruptured Duck



Subj: Re: Picture - Wolos  

Date: 5/27/2004 2:07:08 PM Pacific Daylight Time 

From: awolos@optonline.net 

To: MPFaley@aol.com 

Sent from the Internet (Details) 

 

How did you Dad get the DFC? 



He shot down 3 Jerrys in one mission, Hamburg, New Year’s Eve day, 1944. Mom has his citations, the DFC was awarded 21 FEB 1945. I have the newspaper clippings.



Oddly enough, he passed away on New Year’s Eve day.



The whole crew was crazy, they were a bunch of Wild West cowboys. Flying on empty and hand adjusting the engines by switching back and forth to keep them going, hanging out the bomb bay doors to kick chaffe out, walking the catwalk to kick out bombs that got hung up...



The DFC... They were so busy flying, they didn’t know if they were coming or going... About 2 months after the Hamburg mission, Dad was told to report to another part of the base, out on an airstrip. He got there, there were two other guys he didn’t know also waiting out on the airstrip, then this General comes along, meets the guys and walks up to my Dad. He said to Dad, “Son, do you have any money?” Dad said yes, he did, and the General says, “Well, here’s your medal, you earned it. Now go take the rest of the day off and get yourself something to eat.” He handed Dad the medal and went back to the war. Dad went back to flying.



He has the Air Medal (23 OCT 1944) and 5 oak leaf clusters as well and European/African/Middle Eastern Service Medal. Mom said he had some more awards other than the above, but they were so busy, all they did was fly and he was so low key about everything he never followed up on any of it.



When rotating to Europe, Dad and most of the crew ferried a brand new B-17 over to England, via Newfoundland (refueling). They were then assigned the A/C they eventually flew on missions, which had no name. Dad  looked at the numbers on the craft and said the numbers were Craps numbers and that “You Can’t Lose” with them and that’s how their B-17 got it’s name.



He never bragged about any of it, it was just something that he did. He came back to the States and went on with his life. My husband is the same way... Career Army, 31 years, 3 tours combat and whenever someone says “wow!” he says, “nah, just another gig.”



Mom has every letter he ever sent... She is going through them. He has some stories in there that are a scream. All the missions, dates, people, places. Will send the anecdotes and all along as we get organized.



Andi





Obituary for Thomas C. Hughes



COPPERAS COVE, TEXAS



     Services for Retired LTC Thomas C. Hughes, 89, will be held at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia on 4 August, 2004. Burial will be full Military Honors. LTC Hughes Died on 23 June, 2004 at his home in Copperas Cove, Texas. He was born April 10, 1915, in Columbus, Ohio were he was raised and educated. 



     LTC Hughes Served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years from 1943 to 1966.  He served as a Bomber Pilot flying B-17 aircraft and completing 38 combat missions over Europe with the 100th Bomb Group during WWII. In the Korean War he was the Squadron Commander for the Fat Cat Squadron flying C-46 aircraft Combat missions into Korea. After Korea he was a basic instructor pilot for single engine jet aircraft. He later was a B-47 pilot and Aircraft Maintenance Officer in the Strategic Air Command (SAC). 



      After retiring from the Air Force in 1966 he was a civilian flight instructor for Army Fixed wing aircraft at Ft Stewart, Georgia. He moved to Englewood, Florida from 1972 until 1990. He has since resided in Copperas Cove, Texas until present. He continued to fly and instruct in civil aircraft until 2004. 



     LTC Hughes Military Decorations are the Bronze Star, 7 Air Medals, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, 3 Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbons, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, and the United Nations Service Medal.



     Survivors include his wife Charlotte Eva Hughes of Copperas Cove, Texas; one sister Florence Hughes of San Antonio, Texas; one son CW5 Allen R Jaroch U.S. Army; Two daughters Nancy Gettinger of Bradenton, Florida and Connie Jaroch of Copperas Cove, Texas; six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.



     LTC Hughes was preceded in death by his Father Charles T. Hughes, Mother Rebecca F. Hughes, and his brother William Hughes.