Personnel

CREW



 1st Lt Alexander W.Kinder                P POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECH OIL REF 

 2nd Lt Theodore R.Schmuck          CP POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECH OIL REF 

 2nd Lt Dale R.Wynn                 NAV POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECH OIL REF        (known as Richard Wynn)

 2nd Lt William J.Dodd               BOM POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECH OIL REF

 T/Sgt Robert W.Mazzacane         ROG POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECH OIL REF

 T/Sgt Charles J.Wllson              TTE POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECKHOIL REF

 S/Sgt Charles R.Daniels               BTG POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECH OIL REF         A/C 42-31504 "Rosie's Riveters"

 S/Sgt Eugene W.Wayrynen       RWG POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECH OIL REF         MACR #4865,Micro_fiche #1735

 S/Sgt David F.Castles               LWG POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECH OIL REF 

 S/Sgt Charles R.Stewart               TG POW 12/5/44 BRUX, CZECH OIL REF 



418th Sqdn. Crew,as above, taken from the MACR.Crew assigned on in February 1944



Photo on web page order.  Left to Right: David Castles, Ted Schmuck, Richard Wynn, Bill Dodd, Alex Kinder,

Back Row: Left to Right:  Robert Mazzacane, Charles Wilson,  Charles Daniels, Eugene Wayrynen, 



MISSIONS OF LT AL KINDER CREW (PROVIDED BY T/SGT MAZZACANE 2007)



        10 APR 1944         MALDEGEM, (AIR FIELD)                 A/C OUR BABY           (LT KINDER FLEW AS CP ON LT RICE CREW)                      

1.     11 APR 1944         ROSTOCK, (T.O.)                          A/C MESSIE BESSIE      (FIRST MISSION OF CREW)

        12 APR 1944         SCHKEUDITZ (AC FACTORY            A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"  (RECALL)

2.     13 APR 1944         AUGSBURG (AC FACTORY)             A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"  (FLAK DAMAGE TO #1 ENGINE AND GAS TANKS)

3.     18 APR 1944         GENSHAGEN (BERLIN, AC ENGINES) A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS" 

4.     19 APR 1944         LIPPSTADT & WERL (AIR FIELD)     A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"

5.     22 APR 1944         SOEST (T.O.)                               A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"

6.     26 APR 1944         BRUNSWICK (S.T.)                        A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"

7.     27 APR 1944         FLOTTEMANVILLE (NO BALL)         A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"    

8.     27 APR 1944         THIONVILLE, (AIR FIELD)               A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"

9.     28 APR 1944         SOTTEVAST, (NO BALL)                                 A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS" (COL KELLY SHOT DOWN) 

10.     7 MAY1944         BERLIN                                        A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"  (FLAK DAMAGE)

11.   11 MAY1944         LIEGE (MY)                                  A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"

12.   12 MAY 1944        BRUX, CZECH (OIL REFINERY)         A/C "ROSIE'S RIVETERS"  



On 12/5/44 flak caused failure of 2 engines and crew was forced to bail  out. Report of Channel ditching were in error.



EYEWITNESS: "A/C #504 was damaged by flak in the target area. It began to lag after the bomb run and was last seen at the French Coast with a P-38 escort. Enroute out the pilot was heard to say on VHF he was jettisoning as much equipment as possible and flying on two engines. This A/C was later heard to request fighter support, and the pilot asked for A/S (Air Sea) Rescue, appartently in preperation for ditching." author is unknown, the location of the last sighting is undoubly in error..pw (This report is in error from information provided by David Castles 2001)



 However the crew did not ditch as the following German report indicates:



"On 12 May 1944 at 14:30 hours a four engine American bomber crashed on the south exit of the township Niederbachheim, District of St. Goarshausen. The bomber exploded and was competely destroyed. Type and number of the bomber could not be determined. The engines were Studebaker type. The crew bailed out prior to the crash, they were captured by the Land Guard and the people..NAMES OF CAPTURED FLYERS: The crew names are listed above.. The POW enemy airmen were sent to Armed Forces Land Guard Battalion 786 in St Goarshausen and from there on 15 May 1944, at 0940 hours to Dulag Luft Oberursel."



Subj: FW: 100th_BG_Historian 

Date: 8/3/2001 3:21:16 PM Pacific Daylight Time

From: janr@cei.net (Jan Riddling)To: MPFaley@aol.com (100BMike Faley)

 -----Original Message-----From: Obel [mailto:DoritundMarkusObel@gmx.de]Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2022 1:24 PMTo: janr@cei.netSubject: 100th_BG_Historian

Dear Sir, 

my name is Markus Obel and I`m living in Germany. My hometown lies 1 mile north of Niederbachheim, the town, were after the attack to Brux on the 12 May 1944 a B-17G had been crashed and exploded. The plane was the "Rosies Riveters", 100th BG, 418th Sq., Serial Number: 42-31504, pilot 1st Lt Alexander W. Kinder.  In my childhood I was living in Niederbachheim. My parents were the owner of the garden in which the plane crashed. So I remember, that everytime we had been working there, we found some pieces of that plane. This was in the early 1970's. 



 According to the eyewitness description the plane was damaged by flak over the target area. The plane was last seen at the french coast with a P-38 escort. They had heard the A/C to request fighter support and later asking for A/S rescue (MACR 4865). A lot of eyewitnesses (Germans) told me, they had seen the plane flying alone, a long time after the bomber formation had passed by. The plane had been attacked by three german fighters. There was no fighter support (P-38). The plane was shoot down and the crew bailed out. They were captured by farmers and police. The plane had crashed beside the parsonage of Niederbachheim, setting it on fire. The parson and his housekeeper were rescued by the people from a window upstairs. The captured crew was sent to the Armed Forces Land Guard Battalion. 786 in St. Goarshausen (the town beside the famous rock "Loreley" at the river rhine) and later to Dulag Luft in Oberursel near Frankfurt. 

I have been searching in a lot of archives, but the only report I found was the MACR 4865. So I was happy, as I found the Internet homepage of the 100th BG foundation. There I found some more information about the crew and the mission, but I still have some more questions and I hope you can help me: 

Thank you very much and best regards 

Markus Obel

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purpose: Submit information

Email: don_ward83@hotmail.com

Name: Don Ward

Interest: Historian

Comments: Just finished writing a book, "The Greatest Generation of Silver Wings" which will be ready for delivery on December 15th.  Profiled Eugene Wayrynen who was also a POW.  His son was awarded the CMOH in Vietnam.  I would like other vets to be aware of this book.  Thank you. Don Ward www.mpress.addr.com/s_wings.html



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From: Markus Obel [mailto:m.obel@gmx.net] 

Sent: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 12:51 PM

To: mpfaley@aol.com

Subject: Inquiry for the permission using pictures



 



Dear Mr. Faley,



 



for several years we`ve stood in contact. You`ve given me the addresses of the last living crew members of 1st Lt. Alexander Kinder.



 



My name is Markus Obel and I`m working since 1999 to find out, what had happened in my mothers hometown Niederbachheim/Germany on May 12th 1944. On that day the second "Rosie`s Riveters" had crashed into the parsonage of this town. All crew members bailed out and they had become POW. 



It took me a very long time to find out, what had happened to the most of them. But it was a very fascinating work.



Since then I`ve stood in contact with the radio operator Robert Mazzacane. He had helped me a lot. But I was very sorry when I got the message, that he isn`t in a good health. Since then  I wrote several times to him, but I haven`t received an answer until now. I think several years ago Mr. Mazzacane has given you some original pictures of the crashside in Niederbachheim.



After an german eyewitness had given a piece of the "Rosie`s Riveters" to me, Robert Rosenthal heard about that. I had sent this piece to him. Later I`ve received a letter from him. He wrote in a very warm and wonderful way. I`ve never believed, that I would be in contact with this famous man.



There has been several others, that helped me to find out what had really happened in 1944/1945. There was Mary Kinder (Alexander Kinders wife), John Feldvary (nephew of Alexander Kinder), Mary Carpenter (daughter of the Co-Pilot Ted Schmuck) and Rachel Wynn (daughter of the navigator Dale Wynn).



But two years ago I received a letter from David Castles, one of the waist gunners. He has given some more informations. With the help of the german eyewitnesses I found out, where Mr. Castles had been captured.



Now I`ve finished my work. I`ll try to publish the whole story as a book. Therefore I need your permission to use several pictures from your homepage. You will find them beside this mail.



I will not earn any money with this book. 



The script is written in german. But Mary Carpenter will try to help me to translate it.



I hope you will give me the permission. Please let me know, if you need any further informations

 



Best regards 



Markus Obel