Personnel

CREW

          BROWN'S CLOWNS



  Lt Gerald Brown           P CPT 10/3/45 DORTMUND

  Lt Arthur L. Jacobson CP POW 3/2/45 BERLIN         (With crew of  J..P. Ernst) SEE BELOW

  Lt Ralph W. Bayer    NAV KIA 10/1/45 COLOGNE     (With crew of J.J. Dodrill)   SEE BELOW

  Lt Joseph J. Dye     BOM CPT 10/3/45 DORTMUND  (With crew of T. Hughes)

 Sgt Gifford D. Vieth  ROG CPT 10/3/45 DORTMUND

 Sgt Walter R. Peters TTE CPT 10/3/45 DORTMUND

 Cpl Roland L. Douglas BTG POW 31/12/44HAMBURG (With crew of C.M. Williams)

 Cpl Wayne E. Page     WG CPT 10/3/45 DORTMUND

 Cpl Clarence S. Kellogg TG CPT 10/3/45 DORTMUND



351st Sqdn.  Crew appears on Crew Roster of 4/8/44 as above.  See S.O.C. 

P. 95.  Crew joined 100th Group on 25/7/44.     



Lt Ralph Bayer is memorialized on the WALL OF THE MISSING at Cambridge. 

Letter from G. Brown (30/4/84) Jacobsen died of cancer 1981 Seattle.  

Ralph Bayer left the crew in late 1944..  Went to J.J. Dodrill crew. He was replaced on the Crew by  LT KIMBALL from Lt D.L. Thompson Crew 

Joe Dye left the crew Sept/Oct 1944 and finished his tour with Lt Tom Hughes Crew.  

Dye replaced by William Titley, from the crew of O.C. Everltt, who CPT 29/1/45. 

Gifford Vieth now (1984) a prominent attorney in Washington, D.C. 

Roland Douglas left crew in Aug 1944 when it became a lead crew and no longer had a BTG position. 



A Cpl. George Vogiatzis was a WG on crew when it arrived at 100th.  He was removed to 

make a 9 man crew and went to the 9th Air Force as a B 26 gunner.  Was 

KIA after a few missions. "Originally a member of Gerald Brown's Crew. Cpl Vogiatzis Transferred to a B-26 unit 

upon arrival in England after Crews were reduced from 10 to 9 men. He was assigned to

 the 554th Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group (M). He died 16 Sep 1944 and is buried

 in the Cambridge American Cemetery (Plot D, Row 6, Grave 56)"  



Lt. Erwin A. Lentz assigned to crew as Mickey Operator and CT.



MISSIONS FLOWN by "BROWN'S CLOWNS"



8/4/44 Hamburg

8/8/44 St.Silvain

8/11/44 Villa Coublay

8/13/44 Nantes-Gassicourt 

9/5/44 Stuttgart   

10/2/44 Kassel

10/15/44 Cologne

10/18/44 Kassel

10/22/44 Munster

10/30/44 Merseburg

11/5/44 Ludwigshaven

11/26/44 Hamm

12/2/44 Koblentz

12/4/44 Friedburg

12/5/44 Berlin

12/ 18/44 Mainz

12/24/44 Biblis

12/27/44 Fulda

12/29/44 Frankfurt

12/30/44 Kassel

1/3/45     Fulda

1/7/45    Cologne

1/21/45  Mannheim

1/28/45  Duisburg

1/29/45 Kassel

2/17/45  Frankfurt

2/21/45  Nurnburg

2/23/45  Treuchtlingen

3/3/45    Brunswick

3/10/45  Dortmund 





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LT JACOBS:



CREW, FEB 3, 1945: TARGET-BERLIN



Maj Robert Rosenthal           Command Pilot     Landed in Russian Lines

Capt John Ernst                       P                  POW

1st Lt Arthur L.Jacobseon       CP                   POW  (from Crew of Lt. G. Brown)

1st Lt Stewart J. Gillison      Command NAV     EVA   (from Crew of Lt W. Terminello)

1st Lt Louis C. Chappel           NAV                KIA     (from Crew of Lt W.J. Wilson)

1st Lt Robert H. Stropp       Radar NAV          Landed in Russian Lines

1st Lt Eugene E. Lockhart     BOM                 KIA   (from the Crew of Lt Oren Hopkins)

T/Sgt Charles H. Webber     ROG                Landed in Russian Lines 

T/Sgt Dugger C. West        TTE                 POW

S/Sgt Warren Winters         WG                  POW

S/Sgt G.A. Windisch            TG                  Landed in Russian Lines

Ernst's leg amputated  in German Hospital night of 3/2/45 & he was soon exchanged.



See "CONTRAILS" p.131 & S.O.C. p.95. Also p.219/223 of "FLYING FORTRESS" by E.Jablonski.



EYEWITNESS REPORT from MACR #  "A/C #44 8379 was hit by flak,reported to be a ground 

rocket a few seconds before bombs away. A/C continued on run and dropped bombs.  Fire and 

dense white smoke was seen in the fuselage and bomb bay, including the cockpit.  Bomb bay 

doors closed and then reopened.  Pilot opened his window and peeled gently off to the 

right,  directing deputy leader to take over on VHF.   A/C headed NE and flew level for a few 

moments while six members bailed out (3 appeared to come from waist or tail and 3 from 

bomb bay..There was a small explosion in #3 engine nacelle and thd A/C headed down, burning 

and beginning to spin when last seen at 15/000 feet.  Observers believe entire crew had an 

excellent chance to bail out."

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LT BAYER:



CREW:

MACR # 11744, Microfiche # 4313   A/C #42-37939   "THE ALL AMERICAN GIRL"



2ND LT JOHN J. DODRILL         P KIA 10 JAN 45 COLOGNE

2ND LT DAVID S. WILLIAMS   CP KIA 10 JAN 45 COLOGNE

F/O JOHN D. GROSS           NAV POW 10 JAN 45  COLOGNE

2ND LT MELVIN D. SNYDER BOM NOC

CPL GEORGE R. BENNETT    ROG KIA 10 JAN 45 COLOGNE

CPL HARRY E. MITCHELL      TTE KIA 10 JAN 45 COLOGNE

CPL MYRON E. WARNER      BTG KIA 10 JAN 45 COLOGNE

CPL GARLAND L. JOSEPH     WG KIA 10 JAN 45 COLOGNE

CPL ROY E. TOLL                 TG KIA 10 JAN 45 COLOGNE



351ST SQDN..   CREW AS ABOVE JOINED THE 100TH ON 28 OCT 1944



ON 10 JAN 45, LT RANDOLPH W. BAYER, FROM THE CREW OF GERALD BROWN, WAS FLYING AS NAVIGATOR AND WAS KIA.  SGT DAVID W. PITMAN WAS FLYING AS NOSE GUNNER AND WAS KIA.

 

EYEWITNESS: "A/C #42-37936 was last seen at 1228 headed toward Belgium with bomb bay doors open. The doors had been open since the target.  All engines were operating and the aircraft did not appear to be having difficulties."



  Story of the Century  Page 95 states: "….. All American Girl (named by Seymour Eichen, who flew it's first 35 missions) was flown on it's 99th , Jan 10, 1945, by John Dodrill of Puente, Cal.  One engine out, he was in control when he left the formation and flew down through the clouds, but no one knows the mysterious fate that overcame  the "All American Girl."  Afterwards a rumor spread she was on the a German Airfield."   (This was unfounded….pw)All nine of her crew are memorialized on the WALL OF THE MISSING  at Cambridge.



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LT DYE:



CREW:



2ND LT THOMAS C. HUGHES             P CPT 21 MAR 45 PLAUEN           sn# 0-802858

2ND LT  ROBERT W. CRITTENDEN      CP CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND     sn# 0-2058726

2NS LT JOSEPH R. CALISTRO        NAV CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND

2ND LT FARRIS A. TURNER, JR      BOM NOC                                         sn# T-3860

CPL WILBUR R. GOCKMAN             ROG CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND      sn# 16139074

CPL JOHN A. WOLOS                    TTE CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND      sn# 32888588

CPL WILLIAM R. LUBY                   BTG CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND      sn# 36475228

CPL GLENN R. DAVIS                     WG CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND      sn# 33632343 

CPL JOHN G. ISARIS                      WG NOC                                         sn# 32979919

CPL RUDOLPH H. DUNKER               TG CPT 10 MAR 45 DORTMUND       sn# 36449523



351ST SQDN..  CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 23 SEP 1944.  CREW FLEW A/C 337815 "YOU CAN'T LOSE"



F.A. TURNER FLEW EIGHT MISSIONS WITH THE HUGHES CREW; TRANSFERRED TO RADAR SCHOOL(MICKEY).  ASSIGNED TO THE LEAD CREW OF R.C. ELLIS AND CPT WITH ELLIS.  HE WAS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY LT JOSEPH DYE WHO COMPLETED HIS TOUR WITH ME (26 MISSIONS).  CPL JOHN ISARIS DROPPED FROM CREW UPON ARRIVAL AT THORPE ABBOTTS DUE TO REDUCTION OF CREWS TO 9 MEN. 



Missions of Lt Thomas C. Hughes (mpf 2002) 



1. 07/10/44 BOHLEN

2. 09/10/44 MAINZ

3. 12/10/44 BREMEN

4. 15/10/44 COLOGNE 

5. 17/10/44 COLOGNE

6. 18/10/44 KASSEL

7. 22/10/44 MUNSTER

8. 30/10/44 MERSEBURG (RECALLED)

9. 05/11/44 LUDWIGSHAVEN

10. 06/11/44 NEUMUNSTER

11. 09/11/44 SAARBRUCKEN

12. 16/11/44 AACHEN

13. 21/11/44 MERSEBURG

14. 26/11/44 HAMM

15. 30/11/44 MERSEBURG

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. 05/01/45 FRANKFURT

24. 07/01/45 COLOGNE

25. 20/01/45 HIELBRONN

26. 21/01/45 MANNHEIM

27. 28/01/45 DUISBURG

28. 29/01/45 KASSEL

29. 03/02/45 BERLIN

30. O9/02/45 WEIMAR

31. 15/02/45 COTTBUS

32. 17/02/45 GIESSEN

33. 19/02/45 OSNABRUCK

34. 08/03/45 GIESSEN

35. 10/03/45 DORMUND

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S/SGT R.L. DOUGLAS



Crew:

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

Lt Kenneth W.Newkirk                         CP  KIA    31/12/44 HAMBURG

Lt Richard F.Williams                        NAV  KIA    31/12/44 HAMBURG                              A/C #43 38124

Lt Lawrence W.Ward                      BOM  POW  31/12/44 HAMBURG                             MACR #11363,Fiche #4182

T/S/Sgt Charles J.McGinley                 ROG  KIA    31/12/44 HAMBURG

T/Sgt .Alvin H.Petteys                      TTE  KIA   31/12/44 HAMBURG

S/Sgt Lee F.Carpenter                      BTG  KIA   31/12/44 HAMBURG

S/Sgt  James H.Murphy                       WG  POW 31/12/44 HAMBURG  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.



                Roland Douglas



       After leaving our crew in August 1944, our ball gunner Roland Douglas was assigned to the Clifton

Williams crew.  The 100th Group flew a mission to Hamburg on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1944, and

suffered some of the worst casualties of the war.  "Of the 3rd Division bombers lost, ten fell to flak and

fourteen to fighters.  Half the Divisional loss was borne by one unit:  the 100th Group."  The Might

Eighth, p. 204. Twelve B-17s of the 100th Group went  down.  The Brown crew luckily did not participate in 

this mission.  But Douglas did, with the Williams crew.

       Recall that the first mission flown by the Brown crew (including Doug) was in "Fools Rush In."  During

the Hamburg raid on December 31, the Williams crew was  flying in formation just below "Fools Rush In."  On the

bomb run, after releasing its bombs, "Fools Rush In" was hit by flak.  The plane nosed down and crashed into the

B-17 being flown by the Williams crew, including Doug. The Williams plane was cut in two, and both it and

"Fools Rush In" went down in flames.  Century Bombers  p. 171.



       As tail gunner, Doug was in the severed rear section of the B-17 as it went down.  He managed to bail

out near the qround and landed safely.  He was captured by the Germans.



Doug and fellow prisoners of war were placed in a boxcar and were being moved by train to a prison camp.

Several days later, on January 3, this boxcar was in the marshalling yards at Fulda, when the 100th Group bombed

those yards (our Mission 21).  The guards would not let the prisoners out of the boxcars, so they dropped to the

floor as bombs landed all over the place.  Fortunately  Doug's boxcar was not hit.  Doug was ultimately freed by

Allied troops in May 1945.



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