Personnel

T/Sgt

Charlie M. BECK

Charles M. Beck

Charles M. Beck - 351st, ROG Detailed Information (100th Photo Archives)

Assigned to the 100th Bombardment Group

Location:

Unit: 351st Bombardment Squadron

Rank:

Position: Radio Operator / Gunner

Additional 100th Service Notes

Status: CPT

Comments: 15 MAR 45 ORANIENBURG (100TH'S Vice-President - Membership)

Comments and Notes

Memo 1:

CREW

2nd Lt Sidney C. Johnson P CPT 15/3/45 ORANIENBURG

2nd Lt Williarn J. Duggan CP CPT 15/3/45 ORANIENBURG

1st Lt Chester Romanowski NAV NOC REPLACED ON CREW BY M/SGT GORDEN SINCLAIR

F/O Harry M. Thompson BOM CPT 21/3/45 RUHLAND

Cpl Charles M. Beck, Jr. ROG CPT 15/3/45 ORANIENBURG

Cpl Harry E. Menter TTE CPT 15/3/45 ORANIENBURG

Cpl William G. Weeks BTG CPT 15/3/45 ORANIENBURG

Cpl Edwin R. Hodgson WG CPT 15/3/45 ORANIENBURG

Cpl Francis W. Manser TG CPT 15/3/45 ORANIENBURG

351st Sqdn. Crew, as above, joined the 100th Bomb Group on 28 OCT 44.

This crew flew the Dec 31, 1944 Mission to Hamburg which resulted in the loss of 12 a/c from the 100th Bomb Group. This crew flew in the lead flight, low squadron, position #2.

Hi Paul (West),

It says that the sidney Johnson crew flew the Hamburg mission on Dec 31,1944 but in Charlie Becks listing of missions, Hamburg is not listed? Do you know

why? Was Charlie sick that day, or on leave? just wondering. I know That sidney flew that day in Mason and Dixon.

From Paul West:

Mike, They lost an engine at takeoff and returned and landed on three engines. There was not a spare aircraft and they were told to stand down.

This from Charlie, Weeks, and Manser.. Paul

CREW

A/C #43 38124 MACR #11363,Fiche #4182

Lt Clifton M.Williams P KIA 31/12/44 HAMBURG

Lt Kenneth W.Newkirk CP KIA "

Lt Richard F.Williams NAV KIA "

Lt Lawrence W.Ward BOM POW "

T/S/Sgt Charles J.McGinley ROG KIA "

T/Sgt .Alvin H.Petteys TTE KIA "

S/Sgt Lee F.Carpenter BTG KIA "

S/Sgt James H.Murphy WG POW " TAPS: 1973

Cpl Gordon R.Sinclair TG CPT 15 /3/45 ORANIENBURG /WITH THE S. JOHNSON CREW AS NAV (see note)

351st Sqdn. Sqdn Diary of Sept.1944 notes this crew as joining the 100th Group in Sept. A Cpl.Harvey J.Lehman was

on the crew at that time but no further record of him has turned up.

On 31/12/44, S/Sgt Roland L.Douglas,from the crew of Gerald Brown,was flying in place of Gordon Sinclair and was

made a POW.

Note

Gordon Sinclair was removed from Navigator's school one day short of graduation for some unknown infraction, proably the Training Command acted a bit over zealous in view of the need for trained Navigators. The 351st Sqdn. Commander (Harry Cruver, a man known to have had some disagreement with training command personnel during his cadet days) corrected this bit of over zealousness by immediately promoting Sinclair to M/Sgt and making him the Navigator for the Sidney Johnson crew, where he completed a tour. This from Charles M. Beck, of the Sidney Johnson crew..pw

Mission Log ; Charles M. Beck Clm A/C Lost Crew Lost Results Mission #

1. 16 NOV 44 AACHEN AREA, GROUND SUPPORT 0 0 0 GOOD 223

2. 26 NOV 44 HAMM, MY 0 0 0 MISSED 225

3. 29 NOV 44 HAMM, MY 0 0 0 MISSED 226

4. 30 NOV 44 MERSEBURG, OIL REFINERY 0 1 10 POOR 227

5. 02 DEC 44 KOBLENZ (Recalled with mission credit awarded)

6. 04 DEC 44 GIESSEN, FRIEDBERG 0 0 0 POOR 229

7. 05 DEC 44 BERLIN, TANK WORKS 0 0 0 UNK 230

8. 11 DEC 44 GIESSEN, KOBLENZ 0 0 0 FAIR 231

9. 12 DEC 44 DARMSTADT, MY 0 0 0 HIT TARGET 232

10. 24 DEC 44 BABENHAUSEN,KAISERLAUNTERN 0 0 0 EXCELLENT 234

11. 25 DEC 44 KAISERLAUTERN, MY 0 0 0 EXCELLENT 235

12. 27 DEC 44 FULDA, MY 0 0 0 VERY GOOD 236

13. 28 DEC 44 KOBLENZ 0 0 0 VERY GOOD 237

14. 29 DEC 44 FRANKFURT, MY 0 0 1 VERY GOOD 238

15. 06 JAN 45 GERMERSHEIM & ANNWEILER 0 0 0 POOR 217

16. 13 JAN 45 MIANZ, BRIDGE 0 0 0 GOOD 220

17. 14 JAN 45 DERBEN, OIL STORAGE 6 0 0 EXCELLENT 221

18. 17 JAN 45 HAMBURG, OIL REFINERY 0 0 0 GOOD 222

19. 21 JAN 45 MANNHEIM, RR BRIDGE (S.T.) 0 0 0 UNKNOWN 224

20. 28 JAN 45 DUISBURG, BRIDGE 0 0 0 VERY GOOD 225

21. 29 JAN 45 KASSEL, TANK WORKS 0 0 0 GOOD 226

22. 03 FEB 45 BERLIN, CITY 0 4 36 GOOD 227

23. 17 FEB 45 FRANKFURT & GIESSEN 0 0 0 POOR 233

24. 19 FEB 45 OSNABRUCK & MUNSTER 0 0 0 FAIR 234

25. 21 FEB 45 NURNBURG, MY (S.T.) 0 0 0 FAIR 236

26. 22 FEB 45 DONAUESCHINGEN 0 0 0 FAIR 237

27. 23 FEB 45 TREUCHTLINGEN 0 0 0 VERY GOOD 238

28. 25 FEB 45 MUNICH, MY 0 0 0 FAIR 240

29. 26 FEB 45 BERLIN, CITY 0 0 0 GOOD 241

30. 28 FEB 45 KASSEL, MY 0 0 0 FAIR 242

31. 04 MAR 45 ULM, MY (S.T.) 0 0 0 H2X UNK 245

32. 07 MAR 45 SIEGEN, MY (S.T.) 0 0 0 UNK 246

33. 08 MAR 45 GIESSEN, MY (S.T.) 0 0 0 MISSED 247

34. 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND, MY 0 0 0 FAIR 249

35. 15 MAR 45 ORANIENBURG, MY 0 0 0 MISSED 253

Taps: Charlie Beck

Charles Miller Beck, Jr., born May 29, 1925 in Denver, Colorado, passed away February 22, 1996 in Richardson, Texas. In fond memory of Charles Miller Beck, Jr., his life will be celebrated with a memorial service held at Restland Funeral Home. The service is scheduled for 12:00 P.M. Tuesday, February 27, 1996, in the RESTLAND MEMORIAL CHAPEL. Retired after over 30 years of service to Rockwell International, Charlie was also an active member of the Bloody 100th Bomb Group Association, which is a highly esteemed organization of WWII Air Corps Veterans. He was an active member and past president of the Hella Shrine Temple. Charlie is survived by three daughters, Deborah J. Gonzales, Pamela S. Elins, and Katherine A. Beck; sister Betty Scheele of Denver, Colorado; grandchildren are Zack and Taylor Gonzales, Carla and Torrey Pond and Philip Elins, son-in-laws are John S. Gonzales and Martin R. Elins. Charlie will also be fondly remembered by numerous family members and many dear friends, and lastly, his constant canine companion, Angus.

Meet Your Neighbor

by Nanette Fodell

Staff Writer Plano Star Courier

Tuesday May 10, 1988

The Bloody Hundredth: Though the infamous bomber group from WW II has been written abut and immortalized with monuments and movies, as the years go on, fewer of us can tell you exactly what the legendary group was.

Two Planoites know firsthand, Charles M. Beck and Carroll Woldt were members of the 351st Squadron of the 100th Bombardment Group, known as the Bloody Hundredth. The group got its name in an incident that has left the members with an "ill-fated" and "ill-famed" reputation. Charlie Beck explains:

"in the air, the sign of surrender was to put down your landing gear. It was like a white flag. Now the Germans -- especially members of the Luftwaffe -- were gentleman soldiers. I mean, if a plane was down in enemy territory, they'd salute your officers and all that. Anyway, one of our bombers signaled that it was in trouble by lowering its gear. Two German fighters came up to escort the plane to a safe landing, and out bomber shot them down.

"From them on, they were looking for us and sometimes they found us. they'd pass up other bombers, looking for the insignia of the Bloody Hundredth."

Another legend has -- of 36 planes in a formation on a raid to Berlin -- only one, the Rosie returning. (This is a major error by the Ms Nanette Fodell -- not to uncommon among journalists) Nearly 800 men were lost from the 100th Bomber Group and many B-17's, the "Flying Fortress."

Until recently, Woldt and Beck had not idea they had a "brother" from the 100th so close. Virtual neighbors in Plano, the two were stationed at the Thorpe Abbotts base on the North Sea Coast in England within six months of each other.

Each man was drafted and each ended up in the Army Air Force, Woldt was a pilot, and Beck was a radio/gunner, which meat he sent back signals to the base as to whether his squadron had hit the target. He also operated the guns that stuck out the side of the airplane.

The squadron flew in wings of possibly 2,000 planes per strike, often hitting enemy targets several times a week. The Americans raided during the day; the English took night duty. Each time the planes went up. lives were on the line. Oddly, though, Woldt and Beck agree that death never entered their minds. "I sure didn't think about it the way I do now," Woldt said. "Possibly it was our youth. And some of it was the Army training. They kept you motivated and thinking of other things."

"Wonder if was something they put in our food back then?" Beck wondered. "I remember walking out on a catwalk (of a bomber), no parachute or anything. If the bombs stuck, I'd have to go out there and kick them onto the target. I didn't think about death then. But I was nineteen, and was thinking about having fun.

"I always knew I was coming home. Didn't you?" said Wodlt to Beck. Going home was constantly on their minds at Thorpe Abbotts, said the men. Woldt's plane was named "She Has Ta" by his men. That meant She Has to Get Back," he said.

Beck flew on Mason & Dixon, a battered B-17 that was eventually scrapped for a newer plane. After completing 35 missions, a tour of duty at Thorpe Abbotts was complete. Beck came back to the states after six months and went to work for Collins Radio Company (based in Richardson, Texas), which was later bought by Rockwell International. Woldt stayed in Paris for the remainder of the war, where he was a pilot for Army Generals. Upon his return to the states, he worked at several jobs until he established himself here in the building industry during the '50s.

Now, more that 40 years later, the tower at Thorpe Abbotts has been made into a museum by Englishmen, in appreciation of the American effort. Woldt is the liaison for the museum in the United States. Through family connections, Woldt recently found Beck, and the two have spent many hours reminiscing since. Both men are retired and have time to reflex on their experiences and how different they are from the generations that came after them.

"We've discussed it, and we both agree that we wish young people of today could gain the same appreciation for freedom that we have without having to go through what we went through," said Beck