Personnel

Crew: 

Frew as Toggler on Lt Massol Crew. 



Date Crew Nbr Mission Nbr Last Name Initial Rank Position Aircraft Nbr Target

3/3/1944 70 122 LIRETTE M.J. T/SGT TOG 38047 BERLIN

3/4/1944 70 123 LIRETTE M.J. T/SGT TOG 38047 BERLIN

4/9/1944 70 143 LIRETTE M.J. T/SGT TOG 38047 KRZESINKI (POSEN)

4/10/1944 70 144 LIRETTE M.J. T/SGT TOG 38047 RHEIMS/ CHAMPAGNE

4/11/1944 70 145 LIRETTE M.J. T/SGT TOG 38047 POSEN / ROSTOCK T.O.

4/12/1944 70 146 LIRETTE M.J. T/SGT TOG 91 SCHEUDITZ (RECALL)





CREW  #13 see graphic



2ND LT JOHN F. MASSOL                               P CPT  07 JUN 44 NANTES, BRIDGES

2ND LT HAROLD D. "RANGER" GRANGER     CP CPT 04 JUN 44 BOULOGNE, SHORE DEFENSES

2ND LT EDWARD C. KING, JR               .  NAV CPT WENT TO GROUP; RETIRED 1970 AS A COLONEL

2ND LT EDWIN A. STERN, JR                  BOM POW 24 MAY 44 BERLIN  (WITH J.R. GEARY CREW) 

SGT ASA A. SPENGLER                           ROG CPT 05 JUN 44 ABBEVILLE & BOULOGNE

SGT WILLIAM T. WESTLEY                     TTE CPT SEE MASSOL LETTER BELOW  (TAPS)

SGT WINFRED C. WILLIAMS                     BTG CPT 17 OCT 44 COLOGNE, MY

SGT OLIVER N. McCARTNEY                      LWG CPT 05 JUN 44 ABBEVILLE & BOULOGNE

SGT JAMES M. ROBERTS                         RWG CPT 04 AUG 44 HAMBURG, OIL REFINERY

SGT NEWMAN E. GARMON                         TG CPT 05 JUN 44 ABBEVILLE & BOULOGNE TAPS: 1986



351ST SQDN.. CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 01 DEC 1943



Excerpts from John Massol's November 1993 letter to Paul West..



"King (Edward C. King, Jr.) was taken off our crew about 15th (March 15th, 1944) and sent to advanced 

navigation school. He went to Group and I think finished a tour. He stayed in the Air Force and retired in the 1970s as a Colonel.



From Lt Ray Miller (Navigator) 

As I recall Harry Crosby made Ed King the group navigator when Harry had his R&R back to the states.  Ed was a big man (like Big Pete) and a good lead navigator.  Hr handled briefings for the navigators and supervised mission planning with the group bombardier.I am sure that the nav logs were for WW-II only.  Harry could give you a lot more on Ed.  



Stern (Edwin A. Stern, Jr.) off crew March 15th, 1944 and also sent to special school. As noted he was shot down with Geary (J.R. Geary) on 24 May 1944 mission to Berlin…Became a POW.



Westley (William T. Westley) was grounded with back trouble but I think he completed a tour. Note TAPS.



Roberts (James M. Roberts) left the crew and completed his tour with another crew..

When Sgt Hilburn was RFS after 7 missions, S/Sgt Raymond Mitchell moved to LWG.  By March 1944 S/Sgt Reneau had moved to Lt Massol's Crew as WG and was replaced on the  S/Sgt Joe Folsom had taken over the RWG position.  The BTG position was manned by several different crewman, S/Sgt L. Black, S/Sgt Chester Powell, S/Sgt J.M. Roberts, & S/Sgt C.L. Morrow from the 350th BS. T/Sgt Sidney A. Cary took over the TTE postion on Lt Lacy Crew when T/Sgt Carknard was KIA on 11 Apr 44.  S/Sgt Joseph A Howell served as TG on this crew until 15 Mar 44 Brunswick Mission then is replaced by S/Sgt Michael Rotz from Capt T.E. Murphy Crew.



Williams (Winnefred C. Williams) missed a mission, completed with another crew and I do not know why." 



LIST OF MISSIONS FOR CREW 13, PILOT JOHN MASSOL

PLANE..FEVER BEAVER WAS IN HARDSTAND 13 AND FLEW

125 MISSIONS BEFORE RETURNING TO THE USA.



ALL MISSIONS FLOWN IN 1944

 In addition. We were briefed for 17 missions but did not get in air, scrubbed.

 9 Times after we were in air and recalled, no credit.

 During our missions, the group lost 13 bombers.Also during our missions the 

 Group was credited with shooting down 18 fighters.

# Date    Target 

1.  1/11            Osnabruck   

2 . 1/29            Frankfurt

3 . 2/13            Bougoloe

4 . 2/21            Vechte

5 . 2/24            Rostock

6 . 2/25            Regansburg

7. 3/3              Berlinscheduled, Chartres bombed

8. 3/4              Berlin

    3/6              Berlin (abort, oxygen malfunction)

9 . 3/8              Berlin

10.  3/18           Munich

11 . 3/19           Noball

12 . 3/22           Berlin

13 . 3/23           Brusnwick

14 . 3/28           Chateaudon

15 . 4/1              Ludwigshaven (recall)

16 . 4/8             Quakenbruck

17 . 4/10           Rheims        (recall)

18 . 4/11           Rostock

19 . 4/12           Augsburg

20 . 4/20           Hague

21 . 4/22           Hamm

22.  4/24          Friedrichshafen

23 . 4/25           Digon

24 . 5/1             Saarbrucken

25.  5/19          Berlin

26 . 5/20           Brussels

27 . 5/27           Strausburg

28.  6/4            Boulogne

29.  6/5            Abbeville

30.  6/7            Nantes

. -30-



CREW

Capt James R.Geary                     P   POW   24/5/44  BERLIN

Major  Maurice J.Fitzgerald    COMP   POW  "

1st Lt Arthur J.Harris            CP    POW  "        (Flying as Formation Officer in the Tail))

1st Lt A.Edwin Stern,Jr.      BOM     POW   "        (From the John Massol  crew) 

2nd Lt Dort B.Payne         NAV     POW   "

 T/Sgt Louis Paltrineri        ROG     POW(WIA) "     (From the E.McKay crew)

 T/Sgt Francis Acker          BTG     POW      "     (From the E.McKay crew) 

 S/Sgt Carl F.Schuster         TTE     POW     "     (From the E.McKay crew)

 S/Sgt John E.Trout          RWG     POW(WIA) "     (From the E.McKay crew)

 S/Sgt Jack W.Domenig     LWG     POW(WIA) "      (From the E.McKay crew) 



350th Sqdn.  On 24/5/44 this was the lead ship of the Group formation.  Major Fitzgerald was C.O. of the 

350th and Capt Geary was a pilot who had completed a tour of operations with the 390th Bomb Group and 

then been assigned to the 100th.  Lt.A. J. Harris, as pilot of his own crew had been interned in Sweden on 

20/2/44 with his crew but apparently had gotten back to Thorpe Abbotts by some means.   It seems most 

unusual that he would have been allowed to fly over Europe again because,  for security reasons,  Evadees & 

Internees were invariably sent back to the U.S.A.



This crew bailed out over Ludwigslust,Germany and all were captured.



The 100th lost nine aircraft this day. MIGHTY EIGHTH WAR DIARY (p.249) says "Opposed by some 200 

E/A,100BG became separated from bomber stream by weather and contrails and were subjected to heavy 

attack."



 " Fever Beaver fought her way through weather, fighters and flak on

125 recorded missions.  Through the skill of her dedicated air and

ground crews, she reamined airworthy, and died quietly at home in the

summer of 1945.  John F. Massol, her first pilot, died peacefully at

home on August 28, 1998.   John was a notably proficient pilot, and a

quiet, respected crew commander, who instilled confidence, and garnered

respect through example.  He led with understated strength and enviable

courage.

    On his 25th mission to Big B, fighters and flak destroyed two

engines on the same side, set the radio room on fire, took a big chunk

out of the vertical stabilizer, tore out his oxygen system, and set the

plane afire.  While John artfully kept "The Beaver" airborne, copilot

Hal Granger, who shared same attributes of skill and mettle, fought the

fire to a standstill.

    After an almost impossible return to base, Fever Beaver was refitted

with two new engines, new gas tanks, a new wing, a rebuilt radio room,

new armor under the cockpit, 13 new machine guns, a new bombsight, all

new electronics equipment, and extensive reparis to the oxygen system

and vertical stabilizer.  The busy ground crew patched 540 holes.

    As the first bombardier on the "Massol Crew," it wasmy good fortune

to be present when John's leadership, strength and courage were brought

into play.    I was there when his cool head and demeanor ket an

anxious, frightened crew from panic.  I was there when his mastery

brought crippled and sputtering planes to safe landings.  I was there to

share his quiet humor and moments of controlled frustration.  When all

hands were shaking from the horror of the day, his confidence steadied

us.  He was a cheerful companion, and a welcome mentor."  --Ed Stern.

   I used most of this in John's TAPS in Splasher.  Hope you enjoy