Personnel

CREW





2nd Lt Michael Mashyna  P  CPT  18/4/45  STRAUBING, MY & TABOR

2nd Lt Norman W.Seegren CP CPT 18/4/45  STRAUBING, MY & TABOR 

2nd Lt James A.Walker   NAV  FEH

2nd Lt Mark J.Jennings  BOM  FEH

   Cpl Clyde L.Keeler  ROG CPT     18/4/45  STRAUBING, MY & TABOR

   Cpl Charles L.Knowlton            TTE CPT    18/4/45  " " " "

   Cpl Roberly D.Howe              BTG   SWA   19/2/45  MUNSTER

   Cpl Norbert J. Dougherty  BTG CPT     18/4/45  STRAUBING, MY & TABOR

   Cpl Henry A. Sutherland  NG CPT     18/4/45  STRAUBING-Replaced Jennigs when he went to Mickey School

   Cpl Francis H.Rowley              WG  CPT    18/4/45  STRAUBING, MY & TABOR

   Cpl Russell D.Michael,Jr.           TG     CPT    18/4/45  " " " "



418th Sqdn.  Crew joined 100th on 27/12/44 and flew A/C "GINGER" 

TECH/SGT CLYDE KEELER SN#32942072

   

Crew flew first mission 17/1/45 and their 35th mission on 18/4/45 (3 months and 1 day)



See letter of 3/5/87 from Mike Mashyna.  "On our 14th mission,Roberly Howe,our ball turret 

gunner got hit over Brunswick.After leaving the target,I went back into the waist to see 

how he was doing. He had been hit in the thigh and was bleeding all over the radio room but 

that didn't seem to bother him. He was laughing hysterically and yelling 'I'm going home'. 

After a rather long stay in the hospital he did go home with a limp but he did have his 

leg." Mike says that Walker & Jennings did not complete their tours with his crew. Walker 

later flew a few missions with the Mashyna crew.



Jennings flew with the crew for about half a tour and then was went to "Mickey" school.



MEMO

         NORBERT J. DOUGHERTY (LIFE MEMBER OF 100TH BOMB GP ASSOCIATION)



WAS ORGINALLY ON THE PAUL DeWEERDT CREW THAT WAS SHOT DOWN ON THE 18 MAR 45 BERLIN MISSION.  DOUGHERTY WAS THE BTG AND AS DeWEERDT'S CREW WAS LEADING ON THE BERLIN MISSION WAS REPLACED BY THE RADAR NAVIGATOR (MICKEY OPERATOR).  MR DOUGHERTY FLEW IN ANOTHER AIRCRAFT, "GINGER", ON THE 18 MAR 45 BERLIN MISSION AND WITNESSED THE LOSS OF HIS ORGINAL CREW'S SHIP (44-8717) AND WAS ABLE TO COUNT CHUTES.  HE LATER INFORMED LT BILL THOMPSON'S WIFE THAT HE HAD COUNTED THE CHUTES AND BELIEVED HER HUSBAND HAD MADE IT OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS MOST LIKELY A POW.  HE WAS CORRECT.



        MR DOUGHERTY COMPLETED HIS TOUR ON 18 APR 45 WITH THE STRAUBING MISSION. HE FINISHED HIS MISSIONS ON LT MICHAEL P. MASHYNA'S CREW AND NOW (1993) RESIDES IN GREAT FALLS, MONTANA.



Missions Log of T/Sgt Clyde Keeler ROG-Lt Mashyna Crew:



1 17/01/45 HAMBURG

2. 20/01/45 BRESHACH/ HEIBRON

3. 29/01/45 KASSEL

4.   9/02/45 WEIMER

5. 14/02/45 PLAUEN

6. 17/02/45 FRANKFURT

7. 19/02/45 MUNSTER-BTG SWA, REPLACED BY CPL NORBERT DOUGHERTY

8. 20/02/45 NURNBURG

9. 22/02/45 HUEINGEN

10. 23/02/45 TREUCHTLINGEN

11. 24/02/45 BREMEN

12. 26/02/45 BERLIN

13.   2/03/45 DRESDEN

14.   3/03/45 BRUNSWICK

15.   7/03/45 SEIGEN

16.   8/03/45 DORTMUND  (100TH LISTS TARGET AS GIESSEN, SECONDARY TARGET)

17.   9/03/45 FRANKFURT

18. 11/03/45 HAMBURG-T/SGT HARRY SUTHERLAND JOINS CREW AS NG/TOGGOLIER

19. 12/03/45 SWINEMUNDE

20. 17/03/45 PLAUEN

21. 18/03/45 BERLIN

22. 22/03/45 AHLHORN

23. 23/03/45 UNNA

24. 24/03/45 STEENWIJK

25. 24/03/45 ZIEGENHAIN

   FLAK LEAVE

26.   7/04/45 BUCHEN

27.   8/04/45 EGER

28.   9/04/45 MUNICH

29. 10/04/45 MAGDEBURG

30. 11/04/45 LANDSHUT

31. 14/04/45 ROYAN

32. 15/04/45 ROYAN

33. 16/04/45 ROYAN

34. 17/04/45 AUSSIG

35. 18/04/45 STRAUBING

In Memory of

Francis Hunter Rowley

April 18, 1924 - July 8, 2017

Obituary



MARIETTA, Ga. – A service for Francis Hunter Rowley, 93, of Marietta, GA, a retired financial analyst from New England who served in World War II as a waist gunner on American B-17 "Flying Fortresses," will be held Oct. 28 in Newton, MA.



Rowley died July 8 in Marietta. A long-time resident of Concord, MA, and Nashua and Center Harbor, NH, he had been living for many years in the Atlanta area at the time of his passing. He was preceded in death by his wife and the love of his life, Virginia "Ginger" Pease Rowley, in 2001.



"As painful as this loss is, we are thankful he is at peace," said his son, Mark Rowley of Marietta. "At 93, he lived an extremely full life, and we will cherish many wonderful memories."



"My father had a real love for people. He treated everyone the same, whether they were a CEO, a waitress or a railroad worker. And he had a great spirit, a wonderful sense of humor and a passion for fairness and justice. If he saw something wrong, large or small, he would try to right it. And he would try to teach us to make our wrongs right, as well," said his daughter, Kimberly Judge Jones of St. Simon's Island GA. 



F. Hunter Rowley was in the national public eye when he served as the foreman on the jury that in 1967 convicted the reputed "Boston Strangler," Albert DeSalvo, of all 10 of the charges against him and concluded that he be put in prison for life.



Known by family and friends as "Hunter" and by his grandchildren as "Gumpy," Hunter Rowley loved nature, dogs, newspapers and painting, and he had a fondness for industry, especially trains and transportation, which were a specialty of his investment analysis.



Rowley was born April 18, 1924, in Boston and grew up in Brookline, MA, a Boston suburb. He attended The Rivers School before graduating from Deerfield Academy, both in the Boston area.



He attended Camp Chewonki in Wiscasset, ME, as a young boy, one of the places where he grew to love the woods and the outdoors. At time of his death, he was the camp's oldest alum. 



Following graduation from Deerfield, Rowley joined the U.S. Army Air Forces and was assigned to the 8th Air Force and its famous 100th Bombardment Group. He served as a waist gunner on a B -17 during World War II, and he flew on 35 missions from bases in England over enemy territory. 



The bomb group came to be known as the "Bloody Hundredth," because so many planes and men were lost during their dangerous missions in 1943 and 1944. The average lifespan of an 8th Air Force B-17 crewman in 1943 was 11 missions, according to the 100th Bomb Group Foundation website. Rowley earned a certificate afterwards from his commanders in Great Britain in one of the toughest clubs in the world, "The Luckye Bastardes Club," for his service and survival.



Following his service he attended and graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, MA. He later studied to become a Certified Financial Analyst.



Rowley started his career at Maine Central Railroad in Maine and later joined the firm of Scudder, Stevens & Clark Inc. in Boston. He retired from State Street Bank in Boston as a Transportation, Banking and Insurance Analyst.



An avid sports fan, Rowley was especially fond of the New England Patriots and spent many happy weekend days with friends and family at games rooting for his beloved "Pats."



Rowley was a long-time member of The Country Club in Chestnut Hill, MA, where he played golf and enjoyed volunteering for Ryder Cup Events. He was also an active member of the men's curling group at the Nashua Country Club. He especially enjoyed the yearly bonspiel at the Belfast Maine Curling Club and social hours in the warm room following all events.



In his later years spent the majority of his time at his home on Squam Lake in Center Harbor, NH. He also took up painting and spent a great deal of time taking art classes and watercolor painting. He and Ginger especially loved the lake and their dogs. 



"After his wife's passing in 2001, Hunter lived the rest of his life in a very low-key manner," recalled their son, Mark. "A creature of habit, his daily routines became famous to all who knew him. Always with a dog at his side, he lost himself in his watercolor paintings, often with a glass of Merlot by his easel.



"In social situations, Dad was always blunt and to the point. To his caregivers, he could be demanding, but at the same time, he was always thoroughly compassionate-and they loved him. He always made time to give to his favorite charities including, the Red Cross, the Chewonki Foundation and the Squam Lake association. 



"His seemingly gruff exterior always masked a very generous soul who hated to see people struggle."



Fred Scott of Jacksonville, FL, a close family friend for more than 45 years, observed about Rowley: "He loved spending time at his cabin in the woods, taking his boat around the lake and telling stories around his fire pit. He was also close to his neighbors and fond of the many other friends and local merchants who looked out for him. 



"He will be missed by people he touched everywhere he went."



Rowley is survived by his daughter, Kimberly (and Michael Jones); his son, Mark (and Annie Rowley), six grandchildren and three great grandchildren