Personnel

CREW



2ND LT LESLIE H. DAWSON  P FEH

2ND LT JOHN H. LECHLEITER  CP FEH

2ND LT JAMES M. PIVONKA  NAV FEH

2ND LT JOHN W. SILVA  BOM FEH

CPL CHANCY A. FINFROCK  ROG FEH

CPL JAMES C, NICHOLS  TTE CPT 17 MAR 45 RUHLAND & PLAUEN

CPL RALPH R. KITKOWSKI  BTG FEH

CPL PETER A. MORISCO  WG FEH

CPL RICHARD J. MULLANEY WG CPT 28 MAR 45 HANOVER    SN# 11128391

CPL JAY L. HENION   TG FEH



350TH SQDN.  CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON 5 OCT 1944.  For more data on this crew, go to 100th BG Data file and look under Lt Leslie Dawson Crew listing  under Military. Crew flew PFF aircraft 48719 LN-W



My grandfather's name was Chancy Lawrence Finfrock, and my uncle Chan's first name was after him. So, it is definitely Chancy Albert Finfrock. 



Born: 19 Mar 1925, Urbana, IL 

He concluded his service at the rank of: 

Tech. Sgt. Chancy Albert Finfrock  

Service ID: 3675-4556 

B-17 Radioman/Gunner 

350th Squadron 

100th Bomb Group 

13th Bomb Wing (3rd Div.)



Transferred from LAAF Lincoln, Nebraska on September 18, 1944 to AAF Station 139, Thorpe Abbotts England, 100th Bomb Group (H), 350th Bomb Squadron, 

3rd Air Division, 13th Combat Wing.  September 18th-23rd flew overseas to England



Cpl Richard Mullaney was removed from Crew shortly after arriving at Thorpe Abbotts (reduced to 9 man crews) and became a spare gunner with 350th BS

Here are list of Missions that Sgt Mullaney ended up completing.  This list is based on Sgt Mullaney's Form 5 which was sent to us by his daughter Patricia. 



 25/10/44 Practice Mission

1. 26/10/44 HANOVER

2. 10/11/44 WIESBADEN & MAINZ

 12/11/44 PRACTICE MISSION

 24/11/44 GROUP STOOD DOWN-PRACTICE MISSION

 27/11/44 MISBURG-SCRUBBED, PRACTICE MISSION

3. 29/11/44 HAMM

4. 30/11/44 MERSEBURG (ONE OF THE MOST HEAVILY DEFENDED TARGETS IN GERMANY)

5.   4/12/44 GIESSEN

 13/12/44 OSNABRUCK-RECALL, NO CREDIT FOR MISSION

 14/12/44 PRACTICE MISSION

6. 30/12/44 KASSEL

7. 31/12/44 HAMBURG (100TH BOMB GROUP LOST 12 AIRCRAFT ON THIS MISSION)

8.   2/01/45 PRACTICE

9.   6/01/45 GERMERSHEIM

10.   7/01/45 COLOGNE

11. 10/01/45 DUISBURG

12. 17/01/45 HAMBURG

13. 20/01/44 HEILBRONN

14. 21/01/45 MANNHEIM

15. 29/01/45 KASSEL

 31/01/45 BREMEN-RECALL, NO CREDIT FOR MISSION

   1/02/45 PRACTICE MISSION

16.   3/02/45 BERLIN

17.   6/02/45 CHEMNITZ

18. 14/02/45 CHEMNITZ

19. 15/02/45 RUHLAND

20. 20/02/45 NURNBURG

21. 21/02/45 NURNBURG

22. 22/02/45 KITZINGEN

23. 24/02/45 BREMEN

24. 25/02/45 MUNICH

25. 26/02/45 BERLIN

26. 28/02/45 KASSEL

27.   4/03/45 ULM

28. 28/03/45 HANOVER-COMPLETED TOUR





Subj: Victor J. Vallerga  

Date: 4/5/2002 11:01:49 PM Pacific Standard Time 

From: e-booksgen@e-booksgen.com 

 

Hi again, 

On page: 



https://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews5/stansbury.htm 



you have Victor J. Vallerga listed and NOC for his status. After going through Dick's address book I found "Vic" Vallerga with an address of 4142 Monterey Blvd., Oakland, California. My guess is this is the "Vic" I have been looking for. If it is indeed the right man this is what Dick said about him: 



Sun. Nov. 5, 1944 

In the afternoon I went to the skeet range. While I was out there one of the ships came back from the mission all alone and dropped "Red;Red" (Flares indicate wounded on board.) I ran to the ship and found out it was Vic that was hit pretty bad in the arm and leg. They took him off the ship in a stretcher and rushed him to the hospital in an ambulance. He had a terrible rip in his leg! He is a swell kid, sleeps right beside me. 



The last entry that mentions Vic says: 



Sun. Dec. 24, 1944 

 I got up early to catch the train back to the base. I arrived in the afternoon. At night I went Mass and then to the club and Midnight Mass with Vic. 





Pat Mullaney



2nd Lt. Wesley G. Stansbury (https://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews5/stansbury.htm) 

It says: Sgt Victor J. Vallerga WG NOC 

I thought you might like to add this information or some of it: 

Victor J. Vallerga was sent home about the end of December 1944 after being wounded in action. He won the Purple Heart among other medals. After his return to civilian life he worked at the U.S. Mint in San Francisco, California. He married Harriet Ann Archer and they had three children together. He had one child by another marriage. His daughter, Pam Smith, nursed him during his last illness and he died peacefully at his home in Oakland, California on February 1, 2002. 

That's it for now. 



Patricia E. Mullaney

236 Myrtle Ave.

Portsmouth, NH  03801-3547

 

Phone:  603-431-4307

 

E-Mail:  e-booksgen@e-booksgen.com





***************************************************************************************************************

Cpl Richard Mullaney was removed from Crew shortly after arriving at Thorpe Abbotts (reduced to 9 man crews) and became a spare gunner with 350th BS  Here are list of Missions that Sgt Mullaney ended up completing (Crew (s) unknown at this time).  This list is based on Sgt Mullaney's Form 5 which was sent to us by Patricia E. Mullaney (Daughter-In-Law)  mpf 2001 



Transferred from LAAF Lincoln, Nebraska on September 18, 1944 to AAF Station 139, Thorpe Abbotts England, 100th Bomb Group (H), 350th Bomb Squadron, 3rd Air Division, 13th Combat Wing.  September 18th-23rd flew overseas to England



    25/10/44 Practice Mission

1. 26/10/44 HANOVER

2. 10/11/44 WIESBADEN & MAINZ

    12/11/44 PRACTICE MISSION

    24/11/44 GROUP STOOD DOWN-PRACTICE MISSION

    27/11/44 MISBURG-SCRUBBED, PRACTICE MISSION

3. 29/11/44 HAMM

4. 30/11/44 MERSEBURG (ONE OF THE MOST HEAVILY DEFENDED TARGETS IN GERMANY)

5.   4/12/44 GIESSEN

    13/12/44 OSNABRUCK-RECALL, NO CREDIT FOR MISSION

    14/12/44 PRACTICE MISSION

6. 30/12/44 KASSEL

7. 31/12/44 HAMBURG (100TH BOMB GROUP LOST 12 AIRCRAFT ON THIS MISSION)

8.   2/01/45 PRACTICE

9.   6/01/45 GERMERSHEIM

10.   7/01/45 COLOGNE

11. 10/01/45 DUISBURG

12. 17/01/45 HAMBURG

13. 20/01/44 HEILBRONN

14. 21/01/45 MANNHEIM

15. 29/01/45 KASSEL

     31/01/45 BREMEN-RECALL, NO CREDIT FOR MISSION

       1/02/45 PRACTICE MISSION

16.   3/02/45 BERLIN

17.   6/02/45 CHEMNITZ

18. 14/02/45 CHEMNITZ

19. 15/02/45 RUHLAND

20. 20/02/45 NURNBURG

21. 21/02/45 NURNBURG

22. 22/02/45 KITZINGEN

23. 24/02/45 BREMEN

24. 25/02/45 MUNICH

25. 26/02/45 BERLIN

26. 28/02/45 KASSEL

27.   4/03/45 ULM

28. 28/03/45 HANOVER-COMPLETED TOUR







RICHARD J. MULLANEY

WWII Veteran - Waist Gunner on B-17’s

8th Army Air Force - 100th Bombardment Group - 350th Squadron

at Thorpe Abbotts Airbase  Station 139



[From Dick’s journal which he started in September 1944]:



Goose Bay - Thurs. Sept. 21, 1944:

[Dick went fishing with Tom Pace’s co-pilot.] 

“Doing more walking than fishing until it began to rain pretty hard! We went back to the road to catch the truck and I ran into “Lick,” “Silva,” “Jimmy,” and Finfrock of my crew! That was the last place I expected to see those guys! We went back to camp and “Fin” and I went to the matinee and saw “Bathing Beauty” with Red Skelton and Esta Williams. It was swell! After the show “Fin” and I had a coke and pitched a game of horseshoes. Then I had chow and went out to the ship to get ready for takeoff.  Thus ended my stay at Labrador.”



Friday Sept. 22, 1944:

“We took off from Labrador at 3:45 AM. For flying clothing I had on “OD” shirt, “OD” pants, socks, “GI” shoes, electrically heated flying suit, sheep-skinned lined flying books, cal. 45 automatic, lined gloves, Mae West (life preserver), parachute harness, flying helmet and oxygen mask! We flew at 17,000 and with all those flying clothes on I still froze my fanny off! . . . We landed on Iceland at 10:15 A.M. . . . I finished my letters and went to my barracks the beds didn’t have any mattress covers or sheets and the blankets were dirty, so I decided to “sack” up in a sleeping bag in the ship.”



England, Friday Sept. 29, 1944:

“I came back from the Mess Hall at 6 AM and went to bed! I woke up at noon, went to chow and walked over to Beatty Hall to get paid. After we were paid “Dawson,” “Lich,” “Silva,” and “Jimmy” Pete, “Jay,” Finfrock and myself played Volley Ball! Silva, Lich, Fin and I stood the rest! They beat us 4 games. I didn’t do so hot with only one hand! [He had cut his hand on a scythe a few days before.]  The officers then played the enlisted men a game and we lost that one too.” 



England Thurs. Oct. 5, 1944

“We got up this morning and found out that they were only using 9-man crews! One waist gunner had to go! Pete was the “AE” (Assistant Engineer) so it had to be me! Gee I felt bad. I was crazy about that crew of ours. Now I don’t know what they are going to do with me! We went to the show and saw “Pride Of The Yankees.”