Personnel

CREW



2ND LT WILFORD B. MURRAY        P FEH

2ND LT GEORGE D. TIMMS          CP FEH

F/O HIRAM J. JOHNSON            NAV FEH

2ND LT RALPH M. SMITH          BOM FEH  (became a Lead Bombardier)

CPL FRANCIS L. LEANY             ROG FEH

CPL JOHN J. SIMPSON               TTE FEH

CPL RODERICK E. SMITH, JR         BTG FEH

CPL PAUL M. NEFF                   WG FEH

CPL JOSEPH E. OWEN                 TG FEH



349TH SQDN,, CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 20 OCT 1944



Changes to the Crew:

Lt Smith became a Lead  Bombardier, He is replaced on the crew by Lt Swan (from Lt L.C. Williams Crew).  This crew also becomes a lead crew and Smith is replaced on the Crew by Lt Joe Bohrer ( from Lt Carroll II Crew) as a mickey operator. 



MISSION LOG OF WILFORD B. MURRAY CREW AS SUPPLIED BY PAUL M. NEFF IN LETTER OF NOV 24 1990 TO JIM BROWN..



16 NOV 44 AACHEN AREA, GROUND SUPPORT

21 NOV 44 MERSEBURG & OSNABRUCK, OIL REF

29 NOV 44 HAMM, MY

30 NOV 44 MERSEBURG, OIL REFINERY

02 DEC 44 KOBLENZ (RECALL)

04 DEC 44 GIESSEN, FRIEDBERG

12 DEC 44 BABENHAUSEN,KAISERLAUNTERN

29 DEC 44 FRANKFURT, MY



LEAD CREW



2ND LT WILFORD B. MURRAY        P FEH

2ND LT GEORGE D. TIMMS          CP FEH

F/O HIRAM J. JOHNSON            NAV FEH

2ND LT ROBERT SWAN                BOM   FEH (FROM LT L.C. WILLIAMS CREW)

CPL FRANCIS L. LEANY             ROG FEH

CPL JOHN J. SIMPSON               TTE FEH

LT JOSEPH BOHRER                      RAD   FEH (FROM LT CARROLL II CREW)

CPL PAUL M. NEFF                   WG FEH

CPL JOSEPH E. OWEN                 TG FEH



29 JAN 45 KASSEL, TANK WORKS (This seems a long time between missions)..pw

14 FEB 45 CHEMNITZ, CITY (100TH "A" & "B")

17 FEB 45 FRANKFURT & GIESSEN

25 FEB 45 MUNICH, MY

28 FEB 45 KASSEL, MY

02 MAR 45 RUHLAND & DRESDEN, FACTORY AREA

12 MAR 45 SWINEMUNDE, DOCKS

14 MAR 45 SEELZE & HANOVER

17 MAR 45 RUHLAND * PLAUEN

19 MAR 45 FULDA, LUTZKENDORF, & JENA

22 MAR 45 ALHORN, AF

24 MAR 45 STEENWIJK/HAVELTE  & ZIEGENHAIN

31 MAR 45 ZEITZ, OIL REFINERY(100TH B, C & D)

04 APR 45 KIEL, SUB YARDS

09 APR 45 MUNICH/REIM, AF 



Lt Wilford B. Murray Crew Mission Log Prepared by Hiram J. Johnson - - Navigator



10 Nov 44 9 Wiesbeden   Lost engine(mission credit awarded later)

16 Nov 44 1 Aachen    

21 Nov 44 2 Osnabruk    Briefed/ Merseburg

29 Nov 44 3 Hamm    

30 Nov 44 4 Merseburg    Lost - Anderson

02 Dec 44 5 Koblenz    Recall @ 6'  25" East

04 Dec 44 6 Frieburg    Briefed Geissen

24 Dec 44 7 biblis    PFF/ 344 - New Aircraft

29 Dec 44 8 frankfurt    Briefed Zeitz/ Chaff # 2

see N0 # 1      Credit for earlier abbort

29 Jan 45 10 Kassel  100th - D     6 ship chaff sqdn..

14 Feb 45 11 Eger  100th - C Capt Wooten   Donbrava Bridge/ briefed Chenmitz

17 Feb 45 12 Plauen  100th - C Maj Staples   Briefed Ruhland

24 Feb 45 12B Bremen  100th - B Capt Albrecht  

25 Feb 45 14 Munich  Unknown Capt Ferbrache  

28 Feb 45 15 Kassel  100th -B Maj Gibbons   Crichton's first mission 

02 Mar 45 16 Dresden 100th - A Maj Martin Capt Rosell 1st Group Lead

12 Mar 45 17 Swinemunde 100th - B Unknown  

14 Mar 45 18 Hanover  100th - A Maj Robinson Capt Roiden Seelze - 13B

17 Mar 45 19 Plauen  100th - A Capt Ferbrache Lt Klinikowski Briefed Ruhland

19 Mar 45 20 Jena  100th - B Capt Gibbons   Briefed Lutzendorf

22 Mar 45 21 Alhorn  100 th - A Maj Farbrache Capt Passen 

24 Mar 45 22 Steenwijk 100th - A Maj Gibbons Lt Klinikowski 

31 Mar 45 23 Bad Berka 100th - A Maj Cruver Maj Crosby Briefed Zeitz

03 Apr 45 24 Kiel  100th - A Maj Stivers  

09 Apr 45 25 Munich  100th- A/B Maj Ferbrache Capt Klinikowski 1st Wg Lead; Klinikowski finishes

08 May 45 --- Amsterdam  Food Drop to Dutch  End of WW II



Subj: Re: Lt Murray Crew  

Date: 12/12/2001 3:35:09 PM Pacific Standard Time 

From: RodSmiths 

To: MPFaley 

 

Dear mike; 

You are correct. My first 8 missions was with Wil Murray in the ball.Then I made 3 missions with him prior to his change over to Lead crew as a right waist gunner . I was then a spare gunner and trained as a Toggeler for the remainder of my tour. I was trained by Ralph Smith who was Murray,s Bombardier and was made a Lead  Bomb at the same time Murray crew became Lead. around the last part of Dec.1944 The picture of Murray,s crew is not correct in the name designation. The second person top row is Joe Bohrer,Mickey man. The unknown ,bottom left is Bob Swan bomb. replacing Ralph Smith.   I will give you more information at a later date if you send me your mailing address. As for Anderson , That refers to Vermont Anderson crew which went down on Nov. 30 over Mersberg .n Our crew and his crew trained together and were very close.     Rod Smith  Former BTO,



CREW



2ND LT EDWARD O. TALMADGE            P CPT 24 FEB 45 BREMEN

2ND LT WALTER E. KARUTZ            CP CPT 24 FEB 45 BREMEN

2ND LT MORRIS KATZ                  NAV NOC LEFT CREW AFTER 3 MISSONS

2ND LT EVIN L. PERDUE                 NAV CPT 10 JAN 45 COLONGE (FROM THE CREW OF 2nd Lt Carl G.Gustafson,Jr.)

2ND LT GEORGE PEEK                   BOM  NOC LEFT CREW AFTER 3 MISSIONS

2ND LT RALPH M. SMITH                BOM NOC     FROM  2ND LT WILFORD B. MURRAY'S CREW  (BECAME GROUP BOMBARDIER)

T/SGT NORMAND G. NADEAU        ROG CPT 24 FEB 45 BREMEN

T/SGT EUGENE J. BRADY              TTE CPT 24 FEB 45 BREMEN

S/SGT LOUIS KEREKES                  WG CPT  DATE & MISSION UNK

S/SGT CONSTANTINE M. MACIOLEK  WG CPT 24 FEB 45  BREMEN

S/SGT CYRUS J. "CASSIE" CACIOPPO BTG CPT 14 MAR 45 SEELZE & HANOVER

T/SGT LOUIS ZUPAN    TG CPT 10 JAN 45 COLOGNE  TAPS: 13 AUG 1990



349TH SQDN.. CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON 15 SEP 1944. THIS CREW WAS ORIGINALY ASSIGNED TO THE 95TH BG BUT THE DAY AFTER THEY GOT TO HORHAM, THEY WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE 100TH BG BECAUSE OF THE LOSSES ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1944 RUHLAND MISSION.   



LT E.L. PERDUE JOINED THE ABOVE CREW AS A NAVIGATOR APPROX SEPT 1944; FLEW ABOUT TWENTY MISSIONS WITH THE TALMADGE CREW...

LT RALPH SMITH JOINED THE CREW WHEN THEY BECAME A DEPUTY LEAD . AFTER WE COMPLETED OUR TOUR, LT SMITH WENT ON TO BECOME GROUP BOMBARDIER.    BOTH PERDUE AND SMITH HAD BEEN INJURED AND WERE TOO FAR BEHIND IN MISSIONS TO CATCH UP TO THEIR ORIGINAL CREWS.



PLANES FLOWN:

 A/C 43-38215 XR-P "GRUMBLIN GREMLIN"  NAMED BY CREW (WENT DOWN WITH LT BILLY BLACKMAN CREW ON DEC 31, 1944)

 A/C 43-38602 XR-P "GRUMBLIN GREMLIN II"   (RUNAWAY PROP, LANDED IN FRANCE JAN 8, 45)

 A/C 43-38681 XR-V "GRUMBLIN GREMLIN III"  (ASSIGNED CREW ON JAN 10, 45 AND COMPLETED TOUR IN IT)



"THE WORST MISSION WAS JAN 28, 1945 TO DUISBURG.  WE TOOK OFF IN A SNOWSTORM BUT DID MANAGE TO ASSEMBLE ON TOP.  THE FLAK WAS HEAVY AND ACCURATE OVER THE TARGET AND WE RECEIVED HEAVY BATTLE DAMAGE.  WE FEATHERED #3 OVER THE TARGET AND #2 WAS ONLY ABLE TO PUT OUT PARTIAL POWER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLIGHT.  THEN WE HAD TO DEAL WITH THE SNOWSTORM WHICH WAS STILL THERE BUT WE WERE ABLE TO SNEAK INT THORPE ABBOTTS"   

     LT WALTER KARUTZ

Roderick Smith 349th Squadron September 18, 2018

Rod arrived at Thorpe Abbotts on October 20, 1944 with the Wilford Murray crew.  After flying his first eight missions as Ball Turret Gunner, he switched to Waist Gunner. When Murray’s crew was promoted to Lead for the squadron, Rod went to spare gunner pool and completed his 35-mission tour as a Togglier.