Personnel

CREW



2ND LT RICHARD H. HELMICK             P CPT   25 JUL 44 ST. LO,

2ND LT JEROME F. LEIRICH              CP CPT 07 JUN 44 NANTES, BRIDGE

2ND LT SOL S. KRANZLER              NAV CPT 06 JUN 44 OUISTREHAM, TOWN

2ND LT HERBERT R. GREENBERG    BOM POW 28 MAY 44 GERA, CITY & MAGDEBURG, OIL REF (WITH L.G. LACY CREW)

T/SGT GEORGE E. MADDEN          TTE CPT 13 JUL 44 MUNICH

T/SGT JOSEPH G. KELLEY            ROG CPT 25 JUL 44 25 JUL 44 ST. LO,   (TAPS: 05 FEB 1972)

S/SGT HENRY A. MARKOWSKI      BTG WIA DECEMBER 30, 1943 (flying with Lt Brannan Crew)

S/SGT HENRY W. JOHNSON          WG NOC TAPS: NOVEMBER 1989

S/SGT JACK L. SHOPE                   TG CPT  25 JUL 44 ST. LO,  TAPS: 09 NOV 1971

S/SGT CHESTER P. COULAM        TOG CPT 27 MAY 44 STRASSBOURG, AERO ENGINES  (CREDITED WITH 1 DESTROYED FIGHTER 

                                                                                                         AND ONE DAMAGED FIGHTER OVER BERLIN ON MARCH 6, 19440



351ST SQDN.. CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON 01 DEC 1943.  OTHERS KNOWN TO HAVE FLOWN WITH THE HELMICK CREW:



Lt Donald S. Davis (Lt Robert Hughes Crew)  took Richards Helmick’s crew for nine (9) missions before returning command to Richard H. Helmick.  Helmick having upgraded to 1st Pilot while the Hughes crew was stateside.

 SGT ROBERT M. MYERS BTG CPT 06 JUN 44 FALAISE, TOWN (FROM QUARTERMASTER SECTION)

 SGT ROBERT D. ABNEY TG CPT 01 APR 44 LUDWIGSHAVEN, RUBBER FACTORY (WON DFC)

 S/SGT LOREN G. JOHNSON RWG (SPARE GUNNER, FLEW 8 MISSIONS WITH THIS CREW) 



BOTH SHOPE AND COULAM ARE LISTED IN RECORDS AS TGs AND MARKOWSKI MAY HAVE BEEN A WG; HERBERT GREENBERG, NOW KNOW AS GREENE, IS A MEMBER OF THE 100TH BOMG GROUP ASSOCIATION..jb



MEMO:

March 6, 1944" BIG B"  BERLIN

CAPT R.H. HELMICK'S B-17G  237936 (OUR MARK/ALL AMERICAN GIRL) IS DEPICTED IN THE KEITH FERRIS PAINTING OF THE THREE 1OOTH AICRAFT  AT  21000 FEET NEAR HASELEUNNE UNDER ATTACK BY ENEMY FIGHTERS. CAPT HEMLICK'S AIRCRAFT COMPLETED THE MISSION AND RETURNED TO THORPE ABBOTTS.  THE OTHER TWO 100TH PLANES WERE FLOWN BY LT G.W. BRANNAN, WHO BECAME A POW AND LT MERRIL RISH, WHO WAS KIA…pw.



Also, re: the Coulam/Willams query -- there is a second Combat Report later on the microfilm which is another claim put in by Sgt Coulam (same mission but different timing and angle of approach, etc). In that second Report they recorded the correct a/c serial number , ie #936 All American Girl. Seems he made two claims that day but for some reason the clerk put the incorrect serial # on the "Destroyed" but the correct # on the "Damaged" claim. At least the right man got the claim. I was concerned that Sgt Williams may have not been properly credited.

RAY BOWDEN





MISSIONS FOR LT HELMICK CREW FROM OPS:



       Date       Crew Nbr Last Name Initial Rank Position    Aircraft Nbr                             Target

1.    3/3/1944 68 122 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31256, KING BEE II                  BERLIN (RECALL)

2.    3/4/1944 68 123 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31256  KING BEE II                  BERLIN (RECALL)

3.    3/6/1944 68 124 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    37936  OUR MARK                   BERLIN

       3/7/1944 68 125 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    37936  OUR MARK                   WERL (SCRUBBED)

4.    3/8/1944 68 126 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       BERLIN / ERKNER PLANT

     3/13/1944 68 128 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    39867  BOEING BELLE              NOBALL/ 11 (SCRUBBED)

5.  3/15/1944 68 129 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    38047  FEVER BEAVER             BRUNSWICK

6.  3/17/1944 68 131 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       MUNICH

7.  3/19/1944 68 133 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    39983  KATIE                          MARQUIS, MIMMOYEQUES

8.  3/31/1944 68 139 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       LUDWIGSHAFEN/RECALLED

9.    4/1/1944 68 140 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       LUDWIGSHAFEN

       4/7/1944 68 141 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31412  MASON AND DIXON       QUACKENBRUCK (SCRUBBED)

10.  4/8/1944 68 142 HELMICK R.H. LT P                     31412 MASON AND DIXON        QUACKENBRUCK

11.  4/9/1944 68 143 HELMICK R.H. LT P                     31412 MASON AND DIXON        KRZESINKI (POSEN)

12.4/13/1944 68 147 HELMICK R.H. LT P                     31412 MASON AND DIXON        AUGSBURG

13   5/8/1944 68 112 HELMICK R.H. LT CP                   31412 MASON AND DIXON        BERLIN & LAGLACERIE

14   5/9/1944 68 114 HELMICK R.H. LT CP                   31708 SKIPPER II                     LAON/COUVRON; ANTHIES

15  5/11/1944 68 115 HELMICK R.H. LT P                    31708 SKIPPER II                     LIEGE

16  6/19/1944 65 -142 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P               107233 HUMPTY DUMPTY         CORME ECLUSE, AF

17  6/21/1944 65 149 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                107233 HUMPTY DUMPTY         RUHLAND (START RUSSIAN SHUTTLE)

18  6/26/1944 65 149 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                107233 HUMPTY DUMPTY         DROHOBYCZ (RUSSIAN SHUTTLE)

19    7/3/1944 65 151 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                107233 HUMPRY DUMPTY         ARAD (RUMANIA) (RUSSIAN SHUTTLE)

20    7/5/1944 65 153 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                107233 HUMPTY DUMPTY         BEZIER (FROM ITLAY) (RUSSIAN SHUTTLE)

21  7/12/1944 91 158 HELMICK R.H. CAPT COM            37811  BABY SWEET                MUNICH (IND. AREA)

22  7/13/1944 65 159 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                 37812  PATRIOTIC PATTY        MUNICH (JET ENGINES)

23  7/21/1944 65 165 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                 37812  PATRIOTIC PATTY        REGENSBURG

24  7/24/1944 65 166 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                 37815  YOU CAN'T LOSE          ST LO (GND SUPPORT)

25  7/25/1944 65 167 HELMICK R.H. CAPT P                 37815  YOU CAN'T LOSE          ST LO (GND SUPPORT)





Henry A. Markowski writes that, “I trained state side as ball turret gunner and was assigned to Lt. Richard Helmick’s crew.  My first mission overseas was flying with and as a replacement crew member of ship named Sunny II (A/C 42-30796).  We were shot up badly - lost two engines and just made the English coast where we crash landed.  We were MIA for a while.  “By the way, we lost the two engines over the target, and you know what happens when you can't keep up with your group.  Thanks to those guys flying spitfires we made it back to England with five of us wounded."  (believe the pilot on this mission was Lt Brannan.  Helmick's crew named #936 after their wounded ROG "OUR MARK")



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Henry A. Markowski 

(February 3, 1924 - March 25, 2013) 





Henry A. Markowski, age 89, of Selbyville and formerly of Forest Hill, MD, died Monday, March 25, 2013 at home. He was born in Baltimore and was the son of the late Theodore and Helen (Lubinska) Markowski. 



Henry had been a quality assurance worker for the Federal Government and then for General Dynamics Engineering. He was a decorated WWII veteran of the US Army Air Corps. He was awarded a Purple Heart.for wounds he received over Germany during a bomber mission flown from Thorpe-Abbotts Field in England. He was a member of St. Luke Catholic Church in Ocean City, the DAV, the Bloody 100th Bomber Group and a life member of VFW Post 8672 in Jarrettsville, Md. He was also an avid outdoorsman and blood donor and he enjoyed bowling. 



He is survived by two sons, Thomas H. Markowski and his wife Frances and Gary A. Markowski and his wife Judy; two daughters, Karen A. Denney and her husband Bob and Mary A. Mignini and her husband Anthony; a brother, Thaddeus Markowski; a sister, Theresa Osietski; 13 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and 1 great great granddaughter. 



He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years Angela A. Markowski in 2009, a daughter, Marguerite E. Donovan and seven adult siblings. 



A funeral service will be held on Thursday, March 28 at 4 p.m. at Hastings Funeral Home in Selbyville where friends may call from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday. Father Anthony Cardone will be officiating. Entombment will be on Friday, March 29 at 11 a.m. at Bel Air Memorial Gardens in Bel Air, MD.

My father, Henry Markowski, was a ball turret gunner. He served with the 8th Air Force, 100th Bomb Group, 351st Squadron and the planes nickname was Sunny, a B17 bomber. On his first flight in December 1943'his plane was shot down over France. He was 20 yrs. old. The plane  was able to make it to England before the crash landing. All survived. They were MIA according to the telegram his mother received on Dec 30. His lower leg was hit badly. His whole life that leg was troublesome with many visits to the VA hospital to the day he died in 2014 at 89.



My dad never returned. My dad was in, I believe, Walter Reed Hospital for a year recovering. At the time of release he returned home to Baltimore, MD.   There was only one mission. Don't know what it was.  Karen Markowski Denney