Personnel

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).



Lived in "Stye 9" Hut with Lt Wallace Wilson and Lt Harrison Crew



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  135 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 135 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  crewmen 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 DEC 44   HAMBURG

2nd  Lt   Richard W. King             CP        KIA 31 DEC 44  HAMBURG  (from Lt Streich Crew)

2nd   Lt   George J. Smigo, Jr     NAV       POW 31 DEC 44  HAMBURG

S/Sgt  Elmer L. Kovach            TOGG        KIA 31 DEC 44  HAMBURG

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

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

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

   Sgt Fred Horcasitas                 WG       KIA     31 DEC 44  HAMBURG

   Sgt Frank S.Sauls                    TG       POW   31 DEC 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" (See Williams crew below)



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

Lt Kenneth W.Newkirk   CP  KIA "

Lt Richard F.Williams   NAV  KIA " A/C #43 38124

Lt Lawrence W.Ward   BOM  POW  " MACR #11363,Fiche #4182

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 disagreements 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