Personnel

CREW

                 1ST LT VICTOR REED

                 ORGINAL 100TH PILOT



349TH CREW #8   A/C #42-30090  "El P'sstofo"



1ST LT  VICTOR REED                           P:  TRANSFERRED FROM 100TH

F/O       CHARLES A. BROOKS               CP:  CPT,  16/12/43  BREMEN

2ND LT  HOWARD D. BASSETT          NAV:  CPT,  14 JAN 44 FORET D' HESDIN

2ND LT  JOSEPH P. ARMANINI           BOM:    CPT,  24 FEB 44 POSEN

T/SGT   GLENN N. ALBRIGHT             TTE:  X-FER TO 482ND GROUP (PFF) ON 26 NOV 43 (with Lt Flesh, Ford/Brooks Crews)

S/SGT   RICHARD O. DETTWEILER        WG:  CPT, 13 FEB 44 LIVOSSART

T/SGT   JAMES S. DOUGHERTY         ROG:  CPT,  DATE & MISSION UNKNOWN

S/SGT   RICHARD M. PRICE                BTG:  X-FER TO 482ND GROUP (PFF) ON 26 NOV 43 (with Lt Flesh &Ford Crew)

S/SGT   THOMAS D "TEDDY" BAER    WG:  KIA,  6 MAR 44 BERLIN (with  LT ALBERT AMIERO CREW)

S/SGT   CLIFFORD T. MINER               TG:  NOC



349th Sqdn.  This is an "Original" crew that flew over with the group. 

Charlie Brooks became pilot of the crew and completed the tour.  HowardBassett replaced me (J.R. Brown) as navigator of the Sam Barr crew after I was wounded 15 Sept. 1943.  Joe Armanini had replaced Joe Kelly as bombardier of the Barr crew somewhere around August 15,1943



Although no records have been found to substantiate the completion of their tours (25 missions) it is certainly a safe assumption that both 

Price and Miiner did become "Lucky Bastards" .



Thomas "Teddy" Baer was with the crew of A. Amiero when killed over Berlin.



MISSIONS OF LT VICTOR REED (mpf 2001)



 DATE  MISSION  A/C # & NAME



1. 29/06/43 LeMANS                230035   TORCHY

2. 04/07/43 LaPALLICE             230042 OH NAUSEA

3. 10/07/43 LeBOURGET           230090 EL P'SSTOFO

4. 17/07/43 HAMBURG              230063 PICKLEPUSS

5. 25/07/43 WESSELING, KIEL     230090   EL P'SSTOFO

6. 26/07/43 HANOVER              230090   EL P'SSTOFO

7. 28/07/43 OSCHERSLEBEN        230090   EL P'SSTOFO

8. 29/07/43 WARNEMUNDE         230090   EL P'SSTOFO

9. 12/08/43 WESSELING, BONN   230090   EL P'SSTOFO



"ON THE BONN MISSION 12 AUGUST 1943, LT VICTOR REED'S LIFE WAS SAVED BY A NEAR MIRACLE.  JUST AS THE SHIP LOOSED HER CARGO OF BOMBS ON THE TARGET, A BURST OF FLAK LITTERED THE COCKPIT WITH SLIVERS OF HOT STEEL.  ONE SIZEABLE FRAGMENT PENETRATED REED'S OUTER CLOTHING BUT STRUCK THE SILVER WINGS HE WAS WEARING OVER HIS LEFT SHIRT POCKET.  THE VELOCITY OF THE SHARD WAS SO GREAT AS TO DRIVE THE INSIGNIA THROUGH THE SKIN AND CAUSE SEVER BRUISING OF THE CHEST MUSCLES.  WITHOUT THE WINGS TO DEFLECT IT, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE PIECE OF FLAK WOULD HAVE KILLED OR SEVERLY WOUNDED LT REED.  THIS EPISODE SO UN-NERVED REED, THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO FLY FOR A TIME AND WAS EVENTUALLY TRANSFERRED FROM THE 100TH.



Big Joe Armanini: "Lt Reed had a tendency to abort missions due to perceived mechanical failures.One time when I was walking away from our plane after one such an abort.  I heard the ground crew say " There is nothing wrong with that engine that a little guts on the part of the pilot won't cure!"    



AT ABOUT THIS TIME, "BIG JOE" ARMANINI REPLACED "CRYING JOE" KELLY ON THE SAMMY BARR CREW AND SOME WEEKS LATER HOWARD BASSETT REPLACED JIM BROWN AS NAVIGATOR ON SAMMY BARRS CREW.  T/SGT DOUGHERTY WAS ALSO MOVED TO THE BARR CREW REPLACING MIKE TANOWIGCH AS ROG.



CHARLES BROOKS CONTINUED AS CO-PILOT AND THEN AS A FIRST PILOT.  A FEW DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS 1943, 1ST LT BROOKS FLEW HIS 25TH MISSION AS PILOT OF "SQUAWKIN HAWK".



 MISSIONS OF 1ST LT. CHARLES A. BROOKS WITH CREW #8 AND CREW #37



 DATE  MISSION  A/C # & NAME



1. 29/06/43 LeMANS  230035  TORCHY

2. 17/07/43 HAMBURG  230063 PICKLEPUSS

3. 25/07/43 WARNEMUNDE, KIEL 230090 EL P'SSTOFO

4. 26/07/43 HANOVER  230090 EL P'SSTOFO

5. 28/07/43 OSCHERSLEBEN 230090 EL P'SSTOFO

6. 12/08/43 WESSELING, BONN 230090 EL P'SSTOFO

7. 31/08/43 LeMERUEAUX 

8. 03/09/43 PARIS

9. 09/09/43 BEAUVAIS-TILLE

10. 15/09/43 PARIS

11. 16/09/43 LaPALLICE

12. 23/09/43 VANNES  25861 LADEN MAIDEN

13. 26/09/43 PARIS   25861 LADEN MAIDEN

14. 27/09/43 EMDEN   25861 LADEN MAIDEN

15. 02/10/43 EMDEN   230088 SQUAWKIN HAWK

16. 04/10/43 SAARLUIS, HANAU 230088 SQUAWKIN HAWK

17. 20/10/43 DUREN

18. 03/11/43 WILHELMSHAVEN 

19. 05/11/43 GELSENKIRCHEN

20. 07/11/43 DUREN

21. 13/11/43 BREMEN

22. 16/11/43 RJUKAN, NORWAY

23. 11/12/43 EMDEN

24. 12/12/43 KIEL

25. 16/12/43 BREMEN  230088 SQUAWKIN HAWK

26. 19/03/44 CROSSBOW



 Snowurl@juno.comuname = Bob Brokspage

100TH BOMB GROUP (H) - AIRCRAFT Page 01url = https://www.100thbg.com/mainmenus/airplanes/airplanes_1.htmposition = 349th Aircraft at Thorpe Abbotts 27 Feb 44. This damage could have been inflicted by fighters. Nothing further is know of this aircraft.change = This Tail section which has been damaged is of the "Squawkin Hawk" 230088 XR-E. I do not know anything of the crew on this mission, but I believe it was the the first plane to survive 50 missions and was flown back to the united states by my father Captain Charles A. Brooks. who himself survived 26 missions and is a member of the imfamous "LUCKY BASTARD CLUB"



CREW

                     

ORGINAL 100TH PILOT OF 349TH CREW #4, A/C #42-30035 (TORCHY…named after Jim Browns wife's)



1ST LT  SAM L. BARR                                 P:  CPT, 14 JAN 44  FORET D' HESDIN (flew 50 missions)  349th Commanding Officer

F/O     DAN BARNA                                   CP:  POW, 10 OCT 43 MUNSTER (CREW# 7 LT MacCARTER CREW)

2ND LT  JAMES R. BROWN                       NAV:  SWA, 15 SEP 43 PARIS  TAPS SEPTEMBER 1993

2ND LT  HOWARD J. "CRYIN JOE" KELLY   BOM:  CPT, 30 JAN 44 BRUNSWICK

T/SGT   ROBERT E. CLIFF                        TTE:  CPT, 21 JAN 44 BOIS D' ESQUERDES

S/SGT   WILLIAM OHL                             WG:  CPT, 24 FEB 44 POSEN

T/SGT   MICHAEL J. TANOWIGCH            ROG:  KIA, 6 MAR 44 BERLIN

S/SGT   MAX RUSS                                 BTG:  CPT, 21 JAN 44 BOIS D'ESQUERDES

S/SGT   HOBART SPIRES                         WG:  KIA, 6 MAR 44 BERLIN

S/SGT   JAMES T. HITEN                          TG:  KIA, 21 JAN 44 BOIS D' ESQUERDES                                



NOTES: SWA DENOTES SEVERELY WOUNDED IN ACTION

THE NAVIGATOR, JAMES R. BROWN, WAS THE 100TH'S REVERED HISTORIAN UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1993

This Crew flew with a few different Co Pilots  Lt Barna, Lt Brooks (Victor Reed Crew),  Lt Jack Boyd (spare CP, ended up CP on Lt Floyd Jr.Crew) and Lt Albert Amiero (info courtesy of Big Joe Armanini)



COL BARR FLEW 50 MISSIONS WITH THE 100TH, SECOND ONLY TO COL "ROSIE" ROSENTHAL'S 52.  HE WAS THE LAST OF THE ORIGINAL 100TH AIRMEN TO FLY COMBAT MISSIONS, LEAVING THE 349TH FOR THE HQ DET OF THE 100TH ON 18 JAN 1945.

STARTING FROM THE FIRST MISSION OF 25 JUN 43 UNTIL JAN 45 THE INTREPID MISSISSIPIAN WAS ON COMBAT STATUS.

TO THE DISMAY OF ALL 100TH VETERANS "SAMMY" APPEARED ON THE 1988 TAPS LIST. COL BARR DIED 17 APR 1988 AS THE RESULT OF A MAJOR STROKE.  HE IS MOURNED AND MISSED,   BUT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN BY THE 100TH. 



LIST OF MISSIONS FOR LT COL SAM L. BARR  (mpf 2001 from records supplied by Paul Andrews and William Ohl)



1. 25/06/43 BREMEN  A/C 230152 MESSIE BESSIE

2. 26/06/43 LEMANS  A/C 230035 TORCHY

3. 28/06/43 ST NAZAIRE   A/C 230035 TORCHY

4. 10/07/43 LE BOURGET  A/C 230170 TORCHY II

5. 17/07/43 HAMBURG  A/C 230042 OH NAUSEA

6. 24/07/43 TRONDHEIM  A/C 230170 TORCHY II

7. 25/07/43 KIEL   A/C 230170 TORCHY II

8. 28/07/43 OSCHERSLEBEN A/C 230259 DAMIFINO II

9. 12/08/43 BONN   A/C 230170 TORCHY II MAJ  WILLIAM VEAL COMMAND PILOT

10. 15/08/43 MERVILLE-LILLE A/C 230170 TORCHY II MAJ  WILLIAM VEAL COMMAND PILOT, LT ARMANINI JOINS CREW

11. 17/08/43 REGENSBURG  A/C 230170 TORCHY II MAJ  WILLIAM VEAL COMMAND PILOT

12 03/09/43 PARIS   A/C 230259 DAMIFINO II MAJ  WILLIAM VEAL COMMAND PILOT

13. 15/09/43 PARIS   A/C 230487 TORCHY III JIM BROWN SWA, REPLACED BY LT HOWARD  BASSETT

14. 16/09/43 BORDEAUX  A/C 25861 LADEN MAIDEN

15. 23/09/43 VANNES  A/C 230154 WAR EAGLE

16. 26/09/43 PARIS   A/C 230487 TORCHY III MAJ WILLIAM VEAL COMMAND PILOT

      09/10/43 MARIENBURG  A/C 230799 BIGASSBIRD II (returned early, #3 engine problem)

17.  ?

18.  ?

19.  ?

20.  29/11/43  BREMEN

21.  30/11/43  SOLINGEN Lead (with  Maj John Bennett)

22.  22/12/43  MUNSTER (Lead Group in Torchy III)

23.  24/12/43  NO-BALL

24.  05/01/44  NUESS (Lead with Maj John Bennett)

25.  14/01/44  FORET D' HESDIN