Personnel

CREW



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

Lt Kenneth W.Newkirk         CP  KIA 31/12/44 HAMBURG

Lt Richard F.Williams           NAV  KIA 31/12/44 HAMBURG                         A/C #43 38124

Lt Lawrence W.Ward         BOM  POW  31/12/44 HAMBURG                      MACR #11363,Fiche #4182

T/S/Sgt Charles J.McGinley  ROG  KIA 31/12/44 HAMBURG

T/Sgt .Alvin H.Petteys        TTE  KIA 31/12/44 HAMBURG

S/Sgt Lee F.Carpenter        BTG  KIA 31/12/44 HAMBURG

S/Sgt  James H.Murphy        WG  POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG

Sgt Harvey J. Lehman         WG   CPT   17/2/45   FRANKFURT & GIESSEN  (Transferred to Lt Streich Crew as BTG)     

M/SGT 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.  Cpl.Harvey J.Lehman was 

on the crew at that time but was put on the crew of Lt Frank Streich as BTG when crew was reduced to 9 men.   Sgt Harvey J. Lehman (from Lt Clifton Williams Crew) was transferred to this Crew as BTG and completed tour on 17/2/45 mission to Frankfurt & Giessen.



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





CREW



2nd Lt Herman F.Streich         P  CPT 17/2/45    FRANKFURT & GIESSEN

2nd Lt Richard W.King        CP  KIA  31/12/44  HAMBURG (With crew flown by F.E.Henderson)

2nd Lt Leon Schwartz      NAV  CPT 19/2/45    OSNABRUCK  sn# 0-723444

2nd Lt Frank Dunst,Jr.      BOM CPT  24/3/45    STEENWIJK/HAVELTE  & ZIEGENHAIN (made lead bomb after 6 missions)

   Cpl Thomas E. Pepper    ROG CPT  17/2/45    FRANKFURT & GIESSEN

   Cpl Edward R.Benice       BTG  NOC (never flew a mission with this crew) 

   Cpl George H.Holland      TTE  CPT 17/2/45    FRANKFURT & GIESSEN

   Cpl Thomas L.Whitacre     WG  CPT  17/2/45    FRANKFURT & GIESSEN

   Cpl Herman H.Buhse WG/TOG  CPT  17/2/45    FRANKFURT & GIESSEN (Toggleer after 6 missions)

   Cpl Elwood O.Mattiza        TG   CPT  17/2/45    FRANKFURT & GIESSEN



351st Sqdn.  Crew joined 100th Group on 09 Sept1944 according to the Sqdn Diary for Sept. (p.2).



Frank Streich was a TV film producer in England for many years after WWII.



This crew flew thirty five missions, many in "Fever Beaver." This venerable old 100th aircraft flew  125 missions. Her crew chief was J.D.Pearson, who appeared on the 1985 Taps list, became almost a surrogate father to young Sam Hurry.  Hurry latter became President of the !00th Bomb Groups English Association.  Others who served on this Crew included; Copilots Lt Paul Batterman and Lt Tom Slaven (from Lt Rosenbaum Crew).  Sgt Harvey J. Lehman (from Lt Clifton Williams Crew) was transferred to this Crew as BTG and completed tour on 17/2/45 mission to Frankfurt & Giessen.  According to Lt Schwartz, Lt King had been grounded and wonders why he filled in  on Lt Henderson's crew on 31 DEC 44 mission to Hamburg? Lt Schwartz also states that they flew FEVER BEAVER on her 100th MISSION (she flew 126 missions in all)



Missions of 2nd Lt Leon Schwartz (mpf 2002)



1.     25/09/44     LUDWIGSHAVEN-flew with different crew

2.     02/10/44     KASSEL

3.     06/10/44     BERLIN

4.     07/10/44     BOHLEN

5.     09/10/44     WEISBADEN

6.     12/10/44     BREMEN

7.     15/10/44     COLOGNE-Lt Dunst becomes lead bombardier and is replaced by Sgt Buhse-Toggleer

8.     05/11/44     LUDWIGSHAVEN

9.     09/11/44     SAARBRUCKEN

10.   21/11/44     OSNABRUCK

11.   26/11/44     HAMM

12.   29/11/44     HAMM

13.   30/11/44     MERSEBURG

14.   04/12/44     FRIEDBERG

15.   05/12/44     BERLIN

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.   13/01/45     MAINZ

24.   14/01/45     DERBEN

25.   17/01/45     HAMBURG

26.   20/01/45     HEIBRON

27.   21/01/45     MANNHEIM

28.   28/01/45     DUISBURG

29.   29/01/45     KASSEL

30.   03/02/45     BERLIN

31.   06/02/45     CHEMNITZ

32.   09/02/45     WEIMAR

33.   15/02/45     COTTBUS

34.   17/02/45     FRANKFURT & GIESSEN

35.   19/02/45     OSNABRUCK-flew with different crew    



Henderson crew

On the  31 DEC 44 ( HAMBURG) mission,  FLOYD E. HENDERSON was the first pilot of this crew..Appears mainly that of Carl J. HEDIN...jb

These  cewmen were with the crew of Floyd E.Henderson on 31/12/44. Henderson, himself,was CP on the crew of R.L.Stevenson when that crew joined the 100th Group on 14/7/44. 



    A/C #42-31066 "Fools Rush In"  MACR #11366, MICRO-FICHE #4183



2ND LT FLOYD E. HENDERSON      P   KIA 31/12/44    HAMBURG

2nd Lt Richard W.King                CP   KIA 31/12/44      HAMBURG (from Lt Striech Crew)

2nd Lt E. L. Kovach                   TOG   KIA   31/12/44    HAMBURG

2nd Lt G. J. Smigo Jr.               NAV  POW  31/12/44 HAMBURG 

 S/Sgt George J.Robinson           ROG   KIA  31/12/44   HAMBURG

 S/Sgt James W.Shepard            TTE     KIA  31/12/44   HAMBURG

   Sgt Leo O.Murphy                    BTG   POW  31/12/44   HAMBURG

   Sgt Fred Horcasitas                 WG   KIA     31/12/44   HAMBURG

   Sgt Frank S.Sauls                    TG    POW  31/12/44    HAMBURG



 EYEWITNESS:  "A/C 42-31066 recieved a direct hit by flak just before "Bombs Away" , and the bombs were salvoed. 

The A/C fell off on the right wing and dropped onto A/C #43-38124 piloted by Lt Clifton M. Williams.

Both aircraft went down in flames  and one exploded"