Personnel

S/SGT Nicholas Karoglou was an original member of the 350th Squadron, ground echelon, who traveled to England with the original 350th ground contingent in May 1943.  



In the book "They Never Had it So Good", Jack Sheridan noted that Karoglou's "Grecian goatee became the envy of the men and the despair of the officers." Sheridan also stated "Lieutenant John B. Caverly, that nervous, eccentric, dynamic officer, was the Ordnance officer and the men under him, Louis Picardi, Leonard Krzywicki, Nicholas Karaglou and Arthur Ernst, were good men, well trained and, for some reason, all possessors of long service in the Army."





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It is my sad duty to inform you of the death of my father, Nicholas T. Karoglou,who was a member of the 350th BS, 100th BG(H) from 1942 through 1944.  Dad was an armorer and made the unit's initial deployment to Thorpe Abbots in 1942 and returned to the States in 1944 to attend Aviation Cadet training.  After the war, dad lived in Staten Island, New York and was a dock builder for the B&O Railroad.  He then became a New York policeman in 1949, retiring as a Detective in 1969.  He relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida where he lived until his untimely death from cancer on 5 Dec 1985.  We miss him greatly, but he inspired me with his service and patriotism, especially his service with the 350th Squadron and the 100th Bomb Group.  He never quit loving the 100th, the Army Air Corps,and especially the B-17.



Respectfully,

  Theodore N. Karoglou II, Colonel, USAF (ret)Dear Fellow Aviators



  My father, Nicholas T. Karoglou (deceased December 1985) served in the 100th BG during WWII, and remained fiercely proud of this until his untimely passing.  Dad was an armorer/gunner and made the trip to the UK and East Anglia as the unit was getting established in theater (might have been late 1942?).  He had a copy of They Never Had It So Good which, unfortunately, one of his neighbors borrowed and never returned.  I am seeking to obtain a copy of this marvelous book, which even included some references to Dad and photos taken during the voyage to Scotland aboard ship. Any assistance you can provide in finding a source of a copy of the book would be most appreciated.  I remain in awe of the heroism and patriotism of the members of the 100th BG, and we continue to owe our freedom and liberty to their gallant efforts and aeronautical brilliance.  Thank you, from one aviator (with two tours in 8th Air Force in B-52¢s and FB-111¢s) to others.  You guys paved the way.



 Respectfully,



 Ted



THEODORE N. (Ted) KAROGLOU II



Colonel, USAF (ret)

fb111nav@yahoo.com

321-258-3036









Michael,

  Dad did not have a record of aircraft he worked on, but did mention Bastards Bungalow and Phartzack, both of which names made him laugh.  When he returned for aviation cadet training, to Hammer Field in Fresno, CA, he did not get to finish as preparations for invading Japan had begun.  He was reassigned to Geiger Field in Spokane, WA as an armorer.  Unfortunately he never got to become a pilot, but fortunately he met my mom in church in Spokane. They were married for 40 years at the time of his death.





Regards,

 Ted Karoglou



Michael,

  I am in the process of moving into our new home and have not located our photo albums yet.  I do have some photos of my dad during the war while he was at Thorpe Abbots.  He was an armorer, starting his AAF career at Napier Field in Dothan Alabama before joining the 100th.  He spent time in Wendover and in Kansas before shipping over to Firth of Clyde with the unit in 1942.  He was assigned in the 350th Squadron and spoke to me about Major Cleven and some of the aircraft he worked on there.  He also mentioned a terrible accident which destroyed some B-17's and killed several ground and aircrew one morning during bomb loading on a hardstand.  He never forgot that.  Dad was "famous" for the goatee he grew on the Queen Mary during their Atlantic crossing ( this was mentioned in "They Never Had It So Good").  He told me of the sad times after early missions with heavy losses and empty bunks and mess tables.  I will send photos soon as I am able to get them unpacked, and also include any further vignettes I can recall.  Thank you for recording dad's information in TAPS and for Splasher SIx.





Regards

 Ted Karoglou