Personnel

CREW



1st Lt Everett E.Blakely                     P     CPT

 2nd Lt Charles A.Via,Jr.                  CP   SWA   8/10/43  Bremen

1st Lt Joseph H." Bubbles" Payne      NAV    KIA   28/4/44 Sottevast  (With crew of W,G.Lakin - mission lead by Col. R.H. Kelly)

 2nd Lt James R.Douglas                BOM    CPT 

T/Sgt Howard J.Brock                  TTE    POW   17/8/43 (With the W.R.Flesh crew)      Regensburg

T/Sgt Monroe B.Thornton               WG   CPT 

T/Sgt Edmund G.Forkner              ROG    CPT 

S/Sgt John L.Olson                        BTG   Transferred 

S/Sgt Lyle E.Nord                           WG   KIA   29/5/44 (with crew of B.L.Williams) Leipzig, Aircraft repair depot..

S/Sgt Lester W.Saunders                 TG   KIA  8/10/43  Bremen (DSC and PH for this mission)



418th Sqdn.  An ''Original" crew.  CREW #35  A/C #42-30061     "JUST-A-SNAPPIN"



NOTE: JOHN OLSON, AFTER FLYING SEVERAL MISSIONS WITH THIS CREW MAY HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER GROUP.

LT PAYNE WAS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY HARRY CROSBY FROM THE CREW OF LT JOHN BRADY.  SGT OLSON WAS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY SGT WILLIAM MC CLELLAND/  T/SGT THORNTON BECAME THE ENGINEER AFTER AUGUST 17, 1943 AND HIS POSTION AT WG WAS FILLED BY SGT ED YEVICH.     



JUST-A-SNAPPIN IS ONE OF THE BETTER KNOWN PLANES IN 100TH LORE, SHE IS REMEMBERED FOR BRINGING THIS CREW BACK FROM BREMEM ON 8 OCT 43.  BADLY DAMAGED EV BLAKELY AND JOHN KIDD, GROUP OPS OFFICER WHO LED THE MISSION FROM THE CO-PILOT'S SEAT, LANDED "JUST-A-SNAPPIN" IN A FIELD AT LUDHAM.  DAMAGE TO THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM RENDERED THE BRAKES IN-OPERATIVE AND "JUST-A-SNAPPIN" COLLIDED WITH A LARGE TREE.  IMPACT WAS BETWEEN THE #1 AND #2 ENGINE.  THERE ARE SEVERAL PROMINENT  PHOTOGRAPHS OF HER AND THE TREE.



Much has been written about this crew. See p.49 of THE BLOODY HUNDREDTH by H.Varian and p.184/195 of FLYING PORTRESS by E.Jablomski for details of the mission of 8/10/43.



On 8/10/43, S/Sgt Edward S.Yevich LWG & S/Sgt William F.McClelland, BTG were aboard in the place of H.J.Brock & J.L.Olson. Both of these men were wounded.



See photo of this crew on p.228 of "CONTRAILS"



Lyle Nord was flying as TG on the crew of B.L.Williams on 29/5/44 and was hit in the back by a 20mm. He had flown a total of 27 missions,the last 8 of them with the Williams crew.



CREW ON OCTOBER 8, 1943 MISSION TO BREMEN:



MAJ. JOHN B. KIDD   COM PILOT

1st Lt Everett E.Blakely        P     CPT

 2nd Lt Charles A.Via,Jr.      CP   SWA   8/10/43  BREMEN

1st Lt Harry Crosby   NAV CPT     GROUP NAVIGATOR

 2nd Lt James R.Douglas  BOM    CPT    GROUP BOMBARDIER

T/Sgt Monroe B.Thornton      TTE   CPT 

T/Sgt Edmund G.Forkner   ROG    CPT 

S/Sgt William F. McClelland         BTG   WIA 8/10/43 BREMEN  SN#17164959

S/Sgt Edward S. Yevich   WG WIA 8/10/43 BREMEN

S/Sgt Lyle E.Nord           WG   KIA    29/5/44 LEIPZIG (with crew of B.L.Williams), Aircraft repair depot..

S/Sgt Lester W.Saunders       TG   KIA      8/10/43 BREMEN  



*SAUNDERS, LESTER W. (KIA)

Synopsis:

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Lester W. Saunders (36600511), Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Gunner on a B-17 Heavy Bomber in the 418th Bombardment Squadron, 100th Bombardment Group (H), EIGHTH Air Force, while participating in a bombing mission on 8 October 1943, against enemy targets in the European Theater of Operations. The personal courage and devotion to duty displayed by Staff Sergeant Saunders on this occasion have upheld the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 8th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.

Headquarters: European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army, General Orders No. 97 (1943)

Home Town: Cook County, Illinois

 - No MACR.