Personnel

CREW



2ND LT DENZI "TAIL SPIN" NAAR P CPT   DATE UNK.

2ND LT WILLIAM V. WILSON     CP CPT   31 MAR 45 BAD BERKA, OIL STORAGE (100TH "A")

2ND LT ROBERT H. LATTA       NAV CPT   31 MAR 45 BAD BERKA, OIL STORAGE (100TH "A")

2ND LT HARRY F. BOTT        BOM POW 03 MAR 45 BRUNSWICK, MT FACTORY (with Lt Thrasher Crew, see below)

CPL CECIL R. FULTS              ROG CPT   21 FEB 45 NURNBURG, MY (S.T.)

CPL ANDREW R. POCZOS       TTE CPT   28 MAR 45 HANOVER, TANK FACTORY

CPL JOHN R. O'HARE             BTG CPT   28 MAR 45 HANOVER, TANK FACTORY

CPL NAPOLEON H. OWEN       WG CPT   (became Toggelier on Lt William McGuire Crew) see below

CPL DEWEY W. QUINN, JR.     WG CPT   28 MAR 45 HANOVER, TANK FACTORY 

CPL CHARLES J. HERLIHY         TG CPT   19 MAR 45 FULDA, LUTZKENDORF, & JENA



349TH SQDN.. CREW AS ABOVE JOINED THE 100TH ON 05 OCT 1944

Aircraft flown by Capt. Naar 43-28313" Lil Butch" and Yehudi 42-107230 XR-B which was scrapped after the "prop wash" incident that sent the plane into a tail spin.  After Sgt Herlihy finished his missions, S/Sgt.James D.Barger (sn# 33920989) from Lt Sanford Crew filled in for 3 missions (March 23, 24, 28, 1945).  Capt Denzil "Denny" Naar became the 349th Ops Officer in August 1945.  On September 26, 1945 he became 349th BS C.O. when Maj. Robinson flew back to the States.   



Some Missions of Capt. Naar Crew:



09 NOV 44 (SAARBRUCKEN) LT LEWIS C.  WILLIAMS WAS KIA WHILE BAILING OUT FROM A/C 231986 "ONCE IN A WHILE" ALSO REFERRED 

                 TO AS "BOOMERANG" IN 100TH BG RECORDS.  HE WAS CAUGHT ON THE STABILIZER AND TAKEN TO HIS DEATH.  TWO OTHER 

                 CREW MEMBERS SUFFERD INJURIES WHILE BAILING OUT FROM THE FLAK DAMAGED AIRCRAFT.  THE A/C CRASHED NEAR THE

                 TOWN OF PERLE IN BELGIUM.  (from Ray Bowdens book "Plane Names & Bloody Noses 100th Bomb Group).  THIS WAS

                  WITNESSED BY LT DENZIL NAAR.  

30 NOV 44  MERSEBURG (" LIL BUTCH IS HIT SERVERAL TIMES BY FLAK)

02 DEC 44  KOBLENZ (YEHUDI GOES INTO A TAIL SPIN DUE TO PROP WASH AND IS SALVAGED UPON RETURN FROM MISSION) DFC

20 FEB 45  NURNBURG (MY BIRTHDAY)

23 MAR 45  MARBURG, GER.           

24 MAR 45  STEENWIJK, HOLLAND 

28 MAR 45  HANOVER, GER,          



Mission Memories of Capt. Naar: (Oct 2006)

 

"I flew my first mission as a copilot. It was common practice to "bloody" a new pilot by flying a combat mission with an experienced crew.  Well, I saw this big black cloud off in the distance and I asked the pilot, what is that, and he said flak!  I said, aren't they a bit off target with their guns.  Just then we hit the IP and all of a sudden we are turning right towards that big black cloud!  I said how are we going to get around the flak and he said we are not going around it, we are going to fly right through it!  Well, when we got back from the mission, the rest of the crew surrounded me and asked how it was, I told them it was a piece of cake, a milk run, why worry them, they would learn soon enough it was Hell up there."   

 

"Our Crew was on 13-14th mission (Dec 2, 1944 mission to Koblenz…Ray Bowden) and we took off in pitch black darkness, fully loaded with gas and bombs.  Just above after breaking through on top, we hit prop wash from the planes ahead and went into a tail spin. We went down doing over 350 mph and redlining the engines.  We did 5 tail spins and dropped 8,000 feet before I (and copilot Wilson) could get her back under control at about 3,000 feet.  I climbed back up to rejoin the group.  After going through all of that, I didn't want to lose credit for a mission.  We were all trying to get our 35 finished and go home.  Our Ailerons were shot but I was able to control the plane with the rudder so we went on the mission.  Utilizing the rudder to control the plane, I was extremely tired when we got back to England.  As we were coming in for the landing, the plane stalled about 30 feet off the deck and we hit the the runway hard.  I had no idea what caused this until we inspected the plane.   What I did not know was that the tail spins had damaged the outer skin and twisted the fuselage so much that the air flow was affected. The damage included broken struts, the right aileron broken, tail assembly was loosened from the stress and part of the wing supports buckled. At interrogation Col. Sutterlin told me "I don't know whether to court martial you or give you the DFC."  Well, lucky for me it was less paperwork for the DFC, which I received for the mission!  The event was written up in Stars and Stripes and that is how I got my nickname.  After the article appeared in Stars and Stirpes, I was in London on pass and I ran into one of my friends on the street who had read the story and he yells over to me, hey "Tail Spin" and from that point on, the nickname stuck!"

 

"The hardest target was Merseburg!!!!!!!  When they pulled back the curtain and the string went all the way to that target, I am getting chills just thinking about it now, the black puffs, the sky filled with flak bursts, planes exploding everywhere and going down, parachutes, debris, and death and you had to keep on course. There was no where to hide, no room to move."  

                                                                                                                        ……. CAPT DENZIL "TAIL SPIN" NAAR





                                                  Wins DFC for Rescuing Fortress from Tail Spin

                                                 (press release to home town paper, Dec 1944)



An Eighth Air Force Bomber Station: England-----First Lt Denzil Naar, 26 year old Brookline, Mass., pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress, who accomplished the unusual feat of recovering from a five turn tail spin in his bomber, saving his own life and the lives of all his crew, has received the Distinguished Flying Cross from Maj. Gen E. E. Partridge, commanding officer of the Third Air Division of the Eighth Air Force. 



The decoration was pinned on the Brookline flyer by the general in recognition of the extraordinary achievement which took place during the preliminary assembly of Lieutenant Naar’s Fortress outfit, the 100th Bombardment Group in the skies over England, preparatory to a bombing attack on Germany.  David Naar of 21 Greenstreet, Brookline, and former student of Boston University and of Trinity College was cited for his “courage”, presence of mine; and “skill” in recovering for the spin.  Prop Wash from a bomber in front caused Lieutenant Naar’s Fortress to Fall 8000 feet out of Control, weighted by 6000 pounds of Bobs and 2000 gallons of gasoline.



A veteran of many bombing attacks on German targets, Lieutenant Naar also holds the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters awarded fro “exceptionally meritorious achievement”.  The presentation of the DFC was made during a special ceremony at the 100th Bombardment Group 



[It must be cited by Lt Naar that it was with the great strength and help of his copilot Lt William Wilson that they were able to bring the plane out of the tail spin….mpf 2006]





Lt Naar Stars  & Stripes article





                                                          Stars & Stripes December 17, 1944



  100th BOMB GROUP, Dec 17—Caught in the prop wash, the bomber flipped over and went into a tight spin, but 2nd Lts. Denzil Naar, pilot from Brookline Mass. And William V. Wilson, co-pilot from Hawley, Minn., got their Fortress out of a 5-turn dive—almost inevitably disastrous in an airman’s book—and then pulled up 8,000 feet to rejoin their formation for the bomb run on a German war plant.



  So torn and twisted that it had to be sent to the scrap heap after landing, the bomber was flown safely back to base.  Centrifugal force pinned most of the crew helplessly against the sides of the Fort as it whirled earthward. Only the tail gunner S/Sgt Charles Herlihy of Jersey City, NJ was able to fasten his parachute and get to the escape hatch to await the “bail out” order which never came. 



  While six of the crew were “frozen’ at their positions, the pilot and co-pilot battled coolly to regain control as the Fort cork-screwed down at a dizzy 350 mph clip, straining wings and fuselage almost to the breaking point.  The stress and strain on the bomber itself caused rivets and struts to break and part of the tail assembly to loosen.  The right aileron was broken and parts of the wing supporters had buckled.  Other members of the Crew were: 2nd Lts Robert H. Latta, navigator from Ovale Tex, and Harry F. Bott, bombardier from Westwood, N.J. ; T/Sgts Cecil R. Fults, radio operator-gunner from Detroit, and Andrew R Poczes, top turret gunner from Cleveland and S/Sgts John R. O’Hare, ball turret gunner from Brooklyn and Dewey W. Quinn Jr. waist gunner from Pelzer, S.C.  





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

 

CREW: On board the PFF A/C#44 8220 on 3/3/45 were: 



2nd Lt Jack W. Thrasher                P  KIA    3-Mar-45 Brunswick 

Lt Charles S. Bayha                       CP POW  3 Mar-45 Brunswick (from the crew of J. V. DePlanque.)

Lt Harry F. Bott                         BOM POW  3-Mar-45 Brunswick (from the crew of Denzil Naar)

2nd Lt Gerald A. Rimmel             NAV POW   3-Mar-45 Brunswick 

Lt Willis R. McGuire          RADAR NAV KIA     3-Mar-45 Brunswick (from the crew of L. C. Williams) 

Cpl Thomas C. Browning             TTE POW   3-Mar-45 Brunswick 

Cpl Albert L. Egsieker                 ROG POW   3-Mar-45 Brunswick 

Sgt. Ray U. Muffley                     WG POW   3-Mar-45 Brunswick (from the crew of J. A. Carroll) 

Cpl Cecil A. Baker                         TG KIA     3-Mar-45 Brunswick  



"Re:MACR:12892, Jack Thrasher. For the record I would like to submit my recollection of Jack Thrasher's death. I was Joe Martin's copilot and we were off of Jack's left wing on that mission. I believe that the 100th was leading the 13th Combat Wing and six 100th aircraft were in two flights dropping chaff ahead of the 100th and the remainder of the Wing. We had not yet arrived over the target when two ME-262's attacked us from seven o'clock high. The lead 262 fired 2 or 3 canon shells into Jack's left wing root starting a fire. Jack side-slipped the 17 in an effort to blow it out. He was unsuccessful and returned the plane to straight-and-level. Jack was clearly visible holding the airplane steady as his men bailed out. At least three did so before the plane exploded. His was the bravest act I have I have ever witnessed. Jack bunked across the aisle from me and only the night before I had watched as he reached over, picked up his large photo of a beautiful girl, kissed it and said, "Two more honey. Only two more and I'll be home." Several years ago, an article appeared in Splasher Six about Jack's family. I tried to get their home address to send them this recollection but it was withheld from me…. Hank Cervantes"



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



CREW



LT WILLIAM V. "Mac" McGUIRE    P CPT      8 MAR 45 GIESSEN, MY (S. T. ) 

F/O LOUIS C. CIRIEGIO             CP POW   31 DEC 44 HAMBURG WITH LT. MORIN CREW 

CPL CHARLES F. LANG            ROG CPT      8 MAR 45 GIESSEN, MY (S. T. ) 

CPL WILLIAM L. MAGEE          TTE CPT      8 MAR 45 GIESSEN, MY (S. T. ) 

CPL ELVIN LaRome SWIM       BTG CPT       8 MAR 45 GIESSEN, MY (S. T. ) 

CPL OTTO E. LEIGHTON         WG CPT       8 MAR 45 GIESSEN, MY (S. T. ) 

CPL GAIL H. DAUGHERTY        WG NOC TAKEN OFF CREW TO REDUCE TO NINE MEN.  

CPL HAROLD L. PARKINSON      TG CPT      8 MAR 45 GIESSEN, MY (S. T. ) 



418TH SQDN. . . CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 09 JUL 1944



In December 1944 Lt Louis Cireigio and Lt McGuire had a personality conflict and Lt Ciriegio was replaced on the Crew by Lt John Alden Clark from Lt Charles Blanding Crew. 

Navigator on this Crew was a 1st Lt nicknamed "Hiny"

Sgt Napoleon H. Owen from the Denzil Narr crew served as toggelier on this crew.

Denzil Naar  

349th Squadron  

Died: March 7, 2016



Denzil was Pilot, and later Operations Officer, with the 349th Squadron.  Denzil’s story of earning his nickname “Tail Spin” Naar is worth recounting:  “Our crew was on 13 or 14th mission [Dec. 2, 1944 mission to Koblenz] and we took off in pitch black darkness, fully loaded with gas and bombs.  Just after breaking through on top, we hit prop wash from the planes ahead and went into a tail spin.  We went down doing over 350mph and redlining the engines. We did 5 tail spins and dropped 8,000 feet before I and Co-Pilot Wilson could get her back under control at about 3,000 feet.  I climbed back up to rejoin the group.  After going through all that, I didn’t want to lose credit for a mission!  We were all trying to get our 35 finished and go home.  Our ailerons were shot, but I was able to control the plane with the rudder so we went on the mission.  Utilizing the rudder to control the plane, I was extremely tired when we got back to England.  As we were coming in for the landing, the pane stalled about 30 feet off the deck and we hit the runway hard.  I had no idea what caused this until we inspected the plane.  What I did not know was that the tail spins had damaged the outer skin and twisted the fuselage so much that the air flow was affected.  The damage included broken struts, the right aileron broken, tail assembly was loosened from the stress and part of the wing supports buckled. At interrogation Col Sutterlin  told me, ‘I don’t know whether to court martial you or give you the DFC [Distinguished Flying Cross].’ Well, lucky for me it was less paperwork for the DFC which I received for the mission! The vent was written up in Stars and Stripes and that is how I got my nickname.”