Personnel

CREW





2nd Lt Herbert A.Alf                  P   POW          28/4/44 SOTTEVAST          (With Crew ofW.G.Lakin) see Lakin Crew below

1st Lt Kenneth L.Rasmussen     CP   RFS            Medical Reasons (see gordon letter below)

2nd Lt Raymond B.Phaneuf    NAV   NOC

2nd Lt Albert A.Marchiondo     BOM    INTERNEE   20/2/44 POSEN & SETTIN    (With crew of A.J.Harrls)

   Sgt Jimison T.Pyles           TTE   NOC

   Sgt Carmine V.Roberto      ROG    KIA            29/7/44 MERSEBURG            (With crew of W.T.Fitzroy)

   Sgt Francis J.Flemm, Jr       BTG   NOC

   Sgt Jerome H.Gordon       WG   RFS            Medical reasons 

   Sgt Herschel P.Lowe        WG  CPT             17/7/44 AUXERRE & MONTGOURNOY (With crew of D.C.Rice)

   Sgt Joseph C.Krusienskl        TG  KIA             6/3/44    BERLIN (With crew of D.Radtke)



418th Sqdn. Crew,as above, joined the 100th Group on 1/12/43



It would appear that this crew was "broken up" soon after it came to the 

100th.



Letter from Gordon 26/1/91 says Rasmussen .RFS soon after arrival in Eng. 

because of ulcers & returned to ZI. Crew then broken up and members flew 

as replacements with other crews. Gordon flew 5 missions in three months 

then was grounded because of (anoxia?) despite his official protest.



Subj: 100thBG Question Submission 

Date: 10/1/2001 8:42:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time 

From: wgordon949@msn.com (William Gordon)

To: mpfaley@aol.comCC: janr@cei.net

comments = 

My dad (Jerome Gordon)was in the 100th. He originally was in a crew headed by Herbert Alf but soon after his arrival was transferred to a crew headed by Lt. Dean Radtke. The co-pilot, Robert Digby, was killed in a mission over Ludwigshafen and Radtke was wouned but got the plane back home.I am trying to find any documentation on this crew, the aircraft and mission.There is a small paragraph in the book Century Bombers about the mission and crew but not much info.Any ideas where I might inquire?Thanks.



CREW



CAPT DAVID L. MINER              P KIA  06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP

LT HERBERT A. ALF                CP POW  28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL) 

LT EARL L. RICHARDSON      NAV POW  06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP (FROM THE JACK FLANIGAN CREW)

LT GEORGE R. JONES          BOM KIA  06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP

SGT WILLIAM C. LIBBERT     ROG POW  06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP

SGT ALBERT ZIKORUS          TTE POW  06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP

SGT VARDEN I. BUTLER        BTG KIA  06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP

SGT SAM PRY                   RWG POW/WIA 06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP

SGT LEONARD D. MALCUIT   LWG POW/WIA 06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP

SGT JUNE E. ROBERSON         TG POW  06 MAR 44 BERLIN, ELECTRICAL EQUIP



418th Sqdn.  Letter from Bertholf 8/Sep/88 : Crew joined the 100th in Sept.1943....jb 

Flying a/c 42-38059 LD-A.  This A/C was leading the high squadron when attacked by fighters.The nose was shot away and other damage 

occurred. It was Richardson's belief that as the ship wildly manuevered, Jones slipped or was thrown from the 

nose without his chute. Malcuit & Pry both suffered burns about the face and eyes."



Lt Alf was replaced for this mission of 6/3/44 by Lt George E.Kinsella from the T.J.Keilly crew. 

Kinsella was KIA.  Lt.Alf was flying with Col.Kelly and Capt.Lakin when he became a POW

Alf had arrived at the 100th Group as pilot with his own crew on 1/12/43.



Letter from E.L.Rlchardson dated 8/4/86 says that "Miner's crew was on its 25 misslon. and that he was"flying 

as replacement for D.Berthlof,Nav. who was ill with a sinus infection"



Missions of Capt. David Miner (from Bill Thompson's MACR Reports, missing 4 missions from this crew...mpf 2002)



1.  2/10/43  EMDEN

2.  4/10/43  HANAU

3.  8/10/43  BREMEN

4.  9/10/43  MARIENBURG

5.  5/11/43  GELSENKIRCHEN

6. 11/11/43 MUNSTER

7. 26/11/43 PARIS

8. 30/11/43 SOLINGEN

9.   5/12/43 BORDEAUX

10. 11/12/43 EMDEN

11. 13/12/43 KIEL

12. 16/12/43 BREMEN

13. 20/12/43 BREMEN

14. 22/12/43 MUNSTER

15.   1/01/44 PARIS

16. 30/01/44 BRUNSWICK

17. 10/02/44 BRUNSWICK

18. 24/02/44 ROSTOCK

19. 25/02/44 REGENSBURG

20.  3/03/44  BERLIN

21.  6/03/44  BERLIN 



CREW(28 Apr 44)



COL  ROBERT H. KELLY                      COM KIA 28 APR 44 SOTTEVAST (NOBALL)

CAPT  WILLIAM G. LAKIN                        P KIA 28 APR 44 " " "

LT HERBERT A. ALF                        CP POW 28 APR 44 " " "

CAPT  JOSEPH  H. "BUBBLES" PAYNE  NAV KIA 28 APR 44 " " "

LT MAURICE  H. CAIN                   BOM POW 28 APR 44 " " " 

T/SGT LEO  R. CANNON                ROG POW 28 APT 44 " " "

T/SGT JAMES C. BROWN                     TTE KIA 28 APR 44 " " "

S/SGT ALBERT  M. FREITAS                 BTG POW 28 APR 44 " " "

S/SGT JOHN  N. SPIKER                       WG KIA 28 APR 44 " " "

S/SGT JOSEPH A.  RICHARD                 WG POW 28 APR 44 " " "

S/.SGT DELBERT E. BARNHART              TG KIA 28 APR 44 " " "



BILL LAKIN WAS FLYING WITH COL ROBERT H. KELLEY WHEN KIA ON 28 APR 44 (SOTTEVAST).  KELLEY COMMANDED THE 100TH FOR ONLY A WEEK AND TWO DAYS BEFORE DECIDING TO BUMP THE 100TH'S BEST KNOWN FLIGHT LEADER (JACK SWARTOUT) AND LEAD HIMSELF. THE RESULTS WERE A FOREBODING; TWO AIRCRAFT  LOST WHEN THE COLONEL ELECTED TO HOLD THE BOMBS ON THE FIRST RUN AND MADE A SECOND RUN ALONG THE SAME TRACK. COL KELLEY WAS KIA THIS MISSION. (COL KELLEY'S NAME IS OFTEN SEEN SPELLED AS KELLY.  I AM NOT SURE WHICH IS CORRECT.THOUGH i BELIEVE IT IS KELLY..pw



This was what can best be called a "pick-up" crew of veteran airmen, with the exception of Col. Kelly fresh from the States and had became the 100th's Commanding Officer only nine days prior to the mission. Joe "Bubbles" Payne was a member of the original air echelon of the Group as were T/Sgt James C. Brown and S/Sgt Albert M. Freitas.

With the exception of Magee Fuller, they were the last of the "Original 100th" to become casualties. T/Sgt Leo R. Cannon joined the Group in August 1943, his orginal crew (F.H. Meadows) was shot down at Bremen 08 Oct 1943. Capt William G. Lakin had been with the Group prior to October 1943.



The following from MACRs:  "....On 02 May 1944, at 0730 hours an American Airman was captured by two German soldiers on the street of Rochville, Sottevast, France. The Germans record the following data: 

Name: Cain, Maurice # 0-681859. According to his statement he rescued himself from the burning

aircraft on 28 April 1944. Sent to Airbase Command, Paris, France..Date 3 May 1944 @ 1320 hours."

   The Originating German Officer is not identified..pw