Personnel

CREW



2nd Lt Charles D Walts            P POW   10/10/43 MUNSTER sn# 0-796466

2nd Lt Jerome H.Wallace       CP KIA     10/10/43 MUNSTER

2nd Lt Louis H.Oss           NAV POW   10/10/43 MUNSTER A/C#42 30823 LN-F Invadin' Maiden

2nd Lt Richard C.Dodson     BOM KIA     10/10/43 MUNSTER MACR1025,Microficheg~339

T/Sgt Travis L Brumbeau   ROG POW   10/10/43 MUNSTER TAPS: 1987

S/Sgt Clyde M.Walker         TTE KIA     10/10/43 MUNSTER

  Sgt Henry A.Gratzfeld      BTG KIA     10/10/43 MUNSTER

S/Sgt Thomas F. Murphy     RWG POW  10/10/43 MUNSTER TAPS: 30 OCT 1975

  Sgt Frank E..Fetherston     LWG KIA    10/10/43 MUNSTER (spelling Fethersten according to Lt Walts 1/2001)

 Sgt William O.Higginbotham   TG POW   10/10/43 MUNSTER



350th Sqdn. Assigned September 1943.  



This was the fourth mission for the crew. Sgt.Walker may have died of wounds in hospital or POW camp. STATMENT (in MACR) BY Lt.Walts 

"Lt. Oss climbed out nose of plane (it had broken in half) after it had come out of spin over target at 1500 ft. Sgts. Higginbotham & Murphy bailed out before it went into the spin. Sgt.Brumbeau believes he was thrown from plane when it broke in two. Sgt.Murphy wounded by burst of 20mm just as he and Fetherstone were about to jump.Fetherston probably killed by this burst. Oss recalled seeing Lt.Dodson lyirg in nose of plane and believed him dead or mortally wounded."As Walts was crawling to the escape hatch he had to crawl over Lt Wallace and noticed that blood covered his face.



See:MUNSTER: The Way It Was p.154. This A/C was shot down by Hauptmann 'Walter Hoeckner of 2 Staffel Jagdgeschwader 1. It was his 60th air victory but he was shot down (forced to bail out)  by fire from  Walt's ship. Probably from the BTG gunner Gratzfeld.

Hoeckner fired 320 shells from his four 20 mm cannon,and 202 bullets from his pair of 17 mm machine guns during his attack.  With all guns firing accurately,about 70 rounds a second were striking B17 823. On average,20 hits from a 20mm were sufficient to bring down a Fortress.



MISSIONS OF 2ND LT CHARLES WALTS (mpf 2001)



1. 02/10/43 EMDEN

2. 04/10/43 HANAU

3. 08/10/43 BREMEN

4. 09/1043  MARIENBURG

5. 10/10/43 MUNSTER -SHOT DOWN



Memories from Lt Walts (mpf 2001)



"One of the most haunting memories I have is from being in the barracks on the night after we were on the raid to Bremen.  Everyone was shot down from our squadron except us and the emptiness in the barracks that night has stayed with me.  



Our Bombardier, Richard Cooper Dodson, always told us he was going to be killed and one night he said to us, "Fellows, if I go down today, I will be happy because I have had a steak"  It was either the night he said that or shortly after that he was killed.  That memory has stayed with me too.



On this misison to Bremen, when we returned, I noticed a hole in the plane just in back of my head!.  One of my friends, Frank Meadows, was in the B-17 in front of us and I saw a German fighter fly fight into the nose of his plane and it exploded.  I had always thought everyone was killed on that plane but later I learned that two had parachuted to safety, but not Frank.



On the flight to Marienburg, we flew 11 1/2 hrs of formation. It was the easiest raid of all for our crew but we were shot down the next day over Munster. Those KIA were: Cooper Dodson, Jerry Wallace, Frank Fethersten (Fetherston), Clyde Walker and Henry Gratzfeld

Lou Oss and I went to Stalag Luft 1, Barth, Germany and the rest were sent to Crems Austria, Stalag Luft 17B."

Wounded by 20mm before bail out.