Personnel

CREW



2nd Lt Ethan Porter                      P CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

2nd Lt Emmet B.Turner,Jr.           CP CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

2nd Lt Vernon R.Henriksen        NAV CPT   28/2/45   KASSEL 

Lt John D. McGregor                 NAV NOC   Original Navigator, taken off crew when sent from 95th to 100th, became a Radar Navigator)

2nd Lt Nathaniel T.Gault            BOM CPT  ( Became a Lead Radar Navigator (Mickey) with Ivan Champion Lead Crew, see below)

   Cpl Victor P.Distelrath              TTE CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

 Cpl Clarence A.Griffin               BTG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

 Sgt Donald F.Houk                  ROG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

 Cpl Harland D.Hand                  WG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL  (Became toggelier when Gault left crew)   

 Cpl James A. Murray                 WG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

 Cpl Francis O.Crist                     TG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL



350th Sqdn.  Crew,as above,joined the 100th Group on 15/9/44. See S.O.C. p. 88/89

Original Navigator was Lt John D. McGregor 

Ethan Porter was the pilot who vainly attempted to warm McNabb and Rojohn at Hamburg on the last day of the year 1944.

E.A.Porter is well know for attempting to contact on VHF the crews involved in the "Piggy Back" incident. I talked to him several times by phone over the years and believe was likely the best source for information on the event.  He was  few years older than most of the 100th pilots.

 Paul West

Veron Henriksen informed jb in 1991 that Emmet Turner was killed crop dusting in CA, he did not know the date, putting it at many years ago…pw



                Victor P. Distelrath (Ethan Porter Crew) Missions September 1944 – February 1945



                                                                                                          Enemy       A/C        Crew                   

Date              Mission #     Target(s)                         Duration     Results     A/C         Lost         Lost 

10/9/44            1 (210)  Wiesbaden & Mainz PFF          6.20          Unobs      0             0            0

10/12/44          2 (211)  Bremen, AC Factory               7.05          Good       0             0            0

10/15/44          3 (212)  Cologne, MY PFF                   6.30                         0             0            0

10/22/44          4 (216) Munster, MY                          7.10          Good       0              0            0

10/25/44                     Heligoland (Aphrodite)             4.00          Recall       0              0            0

10/30/44          5 (218) Merseburg                             4.00          Recall       0              0            0

11/5/44            6 (220) Thionville,Ludwigshaven,MY     8.05         Hit Target  0              1            9

11/6/44            7 (221) Neumuster, AC Repairs, MY     7.40           Fair          0              0            0

11/9/44            8 (222) Metz, Saarbrucken, MY (S.T.)  7.20          Poor         0              1            1  

11/16/44          9 (224) Aachen Area, Ground Support  8.15         Good         0              0            0

11/26/44         10(226) Hamm, MY                             5.30          Missed       0              0            0

11/29/44         11(227) Hamm, MY                              6.15         Missed       0              0            0

12/11/44         12(232) Giessen, Koblenz                      6:50         Fair           0              0            0  

12/18/44         13(234) Mainz, MY PFF                         7:00          Unobs       0              0           0

12/24/44         14(235) Biblis,Babenhausen,Kaiserslaut    7:40          Excellent   0              0           0

12/25/44         15(236) Kaiserslautern, MY                    7:15          Excellent   0              0           0

12/30/44         16(240) Kassel, MY                              7:20          Good         0             0           0

12/31/44         17(241) Hamburg, Oil Refinery               7:20          Poor          23          12         111  

01/05/45         18(244) Frankfurt, MY                          9:45         Good          0             0           0

01/06/45         19(245) Germersheim,AF&Annweiler       7:35          Poor          0             0           0

01/07/45         20(246) Cologne,Auto Bridge,Limburg     7:15            ---           0             0           0

01/13/45         21(248) Mainz, Bridge                           7:00           Good        0             0           0     

01/14/45         22(249) Derben, Oil Refinery                 7:45           Excellent    6             0           0

01/17/45         23(250) Hamburg, Oil Refinery               7:20            Good        0             0          0

01/28/45         24(253) Duisburg, Bridge                       5:45          V. Good     0             0          0

01/29/45         25(254) Bielefeld(100th”C”)T.O.,Kassel    6:40              ----        0             0          0

01/31/45                     Bremen/Berlin                          6:00            Recall       0             0          0

02/03/45             (255)Berlin                                      1:20            Returned  0             4         36

02/06/45         26(256) Bohlen Oil(Cld Over),Chemitz     9:30            Good        0             0          0

02/14/45         27(258) Doubraua,Bridge’C’,Chemitz       8:30               ---        0              0          0

02/15/45         28(259) Bohlen, Cottbus,City ST            8:40               ---        0              0          0

02/17/45         29(260) Frankfurt & Giessen                  6:35             Poor       0              0         0

02/20/45         30(262) Nurnburg, City                         8:00             Good      0              0         0

02/21/45         31(263) Nurnburg, MY (ST)                  7:40              Fair        0              0         0

02/22/45         32(264) Kitzingen’A’obscured,                          

                                     Hueingen,Town’B’ S.T          8:30              Hit S.T.  0              0         0

02/24/45         33(266) Bremen, Rail Bridge                  7:10              Poor      0              0         0

02/26/45         34(268) Berlin City                               8:10              Good     0              0         0

02/28/45         35(269) Kassel, MY                              7:15              Fair        0              0         0





Excerpts from a letter to Jim Brown from Nathaniel T. Gault of February 11, 1991...pw



..I received you letter and am sorry I have not answered. I am recovering from a bout with kidney stones ...spent 12 days in the hospital.

 Enclosed is the roster of the Ethan A. Porter crew. (see above) Our crew flew a new Pathfinder B-17 from Langley Field, Virginia to England by way of Labrador and Iceland. We landed in England the latter part of July, 1944, where we were sent to the 95th Bomb Group. A day or two later we were sent to the 100th Bomb Group, 350th Squadron to replace heavy losses by the 100th. Lt. John D. McGregor was taken off our crew and trained as a Radar or Mickey Operator and was replaced by Lt. Vernon Henriksen as navigator.

 After flying nine missions as a bombardier with Lt. Porter's crew, I was persuaded by Major Bob Gibson, with a slight twist of my arm, to go to Radar Navigators school in England. I  never saw Lt. Porter's crew again as they had finished their missions and I lost contact with them. I understand that Harlan Hand became the toggalier. He was a waist gunner before. Jim Murray was a waist gunner and Francis Crist was the ball turret gunner.

 After completing Radar School I became a Mickey Operator and placed on the lead crew of Ivan Champion:



Command Pilot:Capt. C.E. Robbs

Pilot: Lt. I. Champion

Co-Pilot (Tail Observer): Lt. J.A. Plough

Navigator: Lt. R. Andris

Radar: Lt. N.T. Gault

Bombardier: Lt. W.J. Wellings

Radio Operator: S/Sgt H.A. Krumwiede

Engineer: S/Sgt H.E. Lodl

Waist Gunner: S/Sgt F.J. Finn

Waist Gunner:Sgt A.R. Spencer



...I flew 24 missions before VE Day. I was removed from the Champion crew and returned home where I became and instructor at Boca Raton, Florida, before being mustered out of the Air Corps in November, 1945. 

I live in Miles, Texas, home of Goodfellow Air Force Base. I am retired after teaching for thirty-five years and I still have my old Navigator's Kit with other papers and relics from World War II. They include my E-6B Computer, Weems plotter and dividers and a few Yank magazines.



N.T. Gault

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PILOT  ETHAN A. PORTER, BORN 23 SEPT,1917---DIED 28 MAY,2003, 85 YEARS, IN PATTERSON,MS....His wife Sally is still listed in the current 2011 roster. I did not check on her statis. Maybe you could call her? 

 

CP   EMMET  B. TURNER JR. (ACCORDING TO HENRIKSEN 1991 LETTER TO JIM BROWN TURNER WAS KILLED CROP DUSTING IN CALIF. (I checked Calif flight records,you might be able to find out when he was killed if you spend alot of time digging into state records)

 

NAV  VERNON  R. HENRIKSEN,  ALREADY LISTED IN 100TH TAPS 5/8/1995

 

BOMB  NATHANIEL T. GAULT,   BORN 23 OCT 1921---DIED 24 OCT 1998, 77 YEARS, IN MILES,TX

 

TTE   VICTOR P. DISTELRATH   ALREADY LISTED IN 100TH  TAPS  7/2/2006

 

BTG  CLARENCE A. GRIFFIN,   I suspect he is deceased, but can not confirm at this time i.e. Several by that name dead, one 16 oct 1916-05 April,1990, 73 years, from Providence,RI

 

ROG  DONALD F. HOUK    BORN 10 SEPT,1924---DIED  10 APRIL 2001, 76 YEARS,IN TWIN FALLS, IA  

 

WG   HARLAND D. HAND    BORN  8 DEC 1924----DIED 18 DEC 2005, 81 YEARS, IN ROCKVILLE,MO 

 

WG  JAMES A. MURRAY    ( many with that exact name in age group deceased, unknown if he is living or deceased for sure at this time)

 

FRANCIS  O. CRIST   TG   ALREADY LISTED IN  100TH TAPS  3/24/2005