Personnel

CREW



COMMAND PILOT WITH GERALD BROWN CREW ON 24 DEC 44 (BULGE RELIEF MISSION)

 Maj J.S. Robinson        COM/PILOT

  Lt Gerald Brown        P CPT 10/3/45 DORTMUND

  Lt Arthur L. Jacobsen CP POW 3/2/45 (With crew of  J..P. Ernst)

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

  Lt Joseph J. Dye     BOM CPT 10/3/45 DORTMUND

 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 31/12/44 (With crew of C.M. William)

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

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



CREW



ONE OF THE LAST AIRCRAFT TO LEAVE THORPE ABBOTTS AT THE CLOSE OF HOSTILITIES. DEPARTED 25 SEP 1945



 On the 15th of August 1945, Colonel Jack Wallace, Commanding Officer of the 100th toured the base personally announcing the 100th was scheduled to return to the U.S.A. The last six (6) aircraft to leave with passangers did so under Special Order No #1 dated 25 Sep 1945. Destination was Greinier Field at Manchester, New Hampshire.

 The lead aircraft, B-17G #44-8912 was flown by Major Johnson R. Staples. Aboard were five (5) crew members and five (5) passangers. Those aboard are listed below..



Maj Johnson R. Staples    Aircraft Commander 418th Sqdn.. CO  Taps March 1988

Maj J.S. Robinson          Pilot                    418th Sqdn.  Commander of 24 Dec 44 Bulge Relief.

Capt E.C. King              Navigator             351st Sqdn.   Flew periless 24 May 1944 Berlin Mission.

T/Sgt E.W. Miller          Flight Engineer      418th Sqdn   Flying at the end of hostilities.

T/Sgt F. Kocher           Radio Operator      418th Sqdn   Completed Tour 05 Jan 1945 Frankfurt. 



M/Sgt J. Klingenstein  Passenger  Flight Line Chief

Maj  Horace L. Varian    Passenger  Gnd Execitive Officer

Capt William A. Carleton Passenger  Group Engineering Officer

Capt A.J. Tong           Passenger  349th Sqdn. Bombardier

F/O S.E. Wood           Passenger  unk Sqdn. Co-pilot





John S. Robinson was living in Lenox,MA and was retired from the USAF as a Lt Col.prior to that and had worked for a military food service after his AF days.  I've got a long multipage letter from John to Gris Smith from Sept,1991 that Gris gave me. Maybe I'll edit it for content and send it along in the future. John S.Robinson  does reference his service while with the 100th BG in it.. Never had a crew assigned him,flew with whomever was up for the 3 to 4 day period he was scheduled to fly as Sqdn CO. Maj Robinson was My dads crew's CO and also the guy that signed his LB certificate on 20 April,1945 as 349th Sqdn CO.   Per John S.Robinson's letter reference to Gris in '91 ……"I never had a crew,and usually didn't know who I was to fly with until the mission was called up. Because I had almost 4,000 HOURS B-17 TIME, I was assigned directly to Squadron duties. That had both advantages and drawbacks. ."    Mike,he flew 25 Combat missions with the 100th BG



Regarding TAPS details for  John S. Robinson.....John died in Dallas,Texas on 25 September,1991....complications from a slight (there's no such thing as slight in this case) anurism John had earlier in the year. Wouldn't agree to  futher surgury on him....Retired as a Lt. Col. after 28 years in the USAF and worked 15 years in the Army & Air Force Exchange Service,mostly in their HQ in Dallas...Was also a 100th BG 418th BS  and 349th BS Commanding Officer at Thorpe Abbotts and the Operations Officer for a B-47 SAC unit   100th Bombardment Wing (Pease),Portsmouth,NH back in the 50's,early 60's...they also used the same squadrons 349th,350th,etc...though their squadron patches were a different design....... Best Regards, Jack