Personnel

CREW



2ND LT ORVILLE C. EVERITT             P KIA  11 SEP 44       RUHLAND

2ND LT JOHN B. MANNIELLO           CP POW  11 SEP 44     RUHLAND

2ND LT WARREN L. SODEN            NAV POW  11 SEP 44     RUHLAND

2ND LT WILLIAM H. TITLEY          BOM CPT  29 JAN 45      KASSEL  (with Lt G. Brown Crew)

CPL JAMES V. ARMSTRONG             ROG WIA  05 AUG 44     MAGDEBURG, (in 65th Gen. Hospital)

CPL ROBERT L. WILLIAMS             TTE KIA  11 SEP 44       RUHLAND

CPL ROBERT A. HOWARD              BTG KIA   11 SEP44       RUHLAND

CPL HOMER K. HIRSCH                   WG KIA   11 SEP 44      RUHLAND

CPL WILLIAM E. KENNEY                 TG POW    11 SEP 44   RUHLAND

CPL EDWARD G. MINTON, SR.            NG KIA    11 SEP 44     RUHLAND



349TH SQDN.. Crew, as above, joined the 100th on 17 Jul 1944.  

On the 11 Sep 44 Ruhland mission Cpl Lawrence A. Radka, from the crew of W. Marmorine, flew in place of James Armstrong and was KIA.

Sgt.D.H. Crozier(togg/NG) flew with this Crew on 5 AUG 44



CREW

 DATE: 11 Sept.1944  349th Sqdn                      A/C #42-97834 "Mud In Yer Eye"



 MISSION: RUHLAND                                   MACR #8819,Micro-fiche 3237



1st Lt Orville C.Everitt         P        KIA

2nd Lt John B.Manniello      CP       POW/WIA

2nd Lt Warren L.Soden        NAV     POW

Sgt Edward G.Minton,Sr   . NG        Died of Wounds in POW hospital

Cpl Lawrence A.Radka      ROG      KIA

T/Sgt Robert L.Williams     TTE        KIA

S/Sgt Robert A.Howard      BTG      KIA

S/Sgt Homer K.Hirsch        WG         KIA

S/Sgt William E.Kenney      TG         POW/WIA





A statement made 2/8/45 by Sgt.Kenney is as follows:  "We were flying a mission

to Ruhland,Germany in Sept.1944.At about 12:10 English time we were hit by F.W.

190s.Due to oxygen system which was shot out and also serious lung wounds,I was

unconsclous and don't remember how I got out.  I have no knowledge of what happ-

ened at all except hearsay.  I heard in Germany from a fellow flyer that the ship

blew up.Then when I got to France I saw the Navigator Lt.Soden. He said he saw a

ship explode after he bailed out, but he couldn't tell if it was ours."



Lt.Manniello received injuries to the skull and had no memory of any events occur-

ring betwean 5 and 16 Sept.  However, he said as follows in August 1945:   "The

Toggalier,Minton, Edward, Sgt.,occupied the other bed in my room (in Ger. Hosp,)

and gave me the following information.

      1.The pilot, Everitt,Orville C.  Was killed in the plane but everyone else

        bailed out.

      2. We were strafed while floating earthward.

      3. We were attacked by civilians at railroad station in Kemotan, Sudeten-

         land,Germany.

      4. Minton had no knowledge of fate of other members of our crew.  (Minton

         was later officially reported by the German Govt. to have died as a

         result of a fractured spine."





100th Bomb  Group

Attn; Cindy Goodman

 

Warren L. Soden, 100 th Bomb Group, 349th Squadron, Navigator,crew of Orville Everitt, August 11, 2008.  On a mission to Ruhland,September 11, 1944 his ship was attacked and hit, three men parachuted out, one was my father.  He landed in Chomotuv, the border of Germany and Czech, where the Germans picked him up and took him by train to a hospital .The tail end of his B-17 is located in the Museum at Chomotuv.  Later he was a P.O.W. at Stalag Luft I until the war was over and the prisoners got transportation out. He came home to Fredericksburg, and met Evelyn Heffler and fell in love. They got married on September 16, 1946 and had two children, Debra & Jeffrey.  He attended University of Virginia and received a masters degree in education . He loved his days there and frequently went back to visit the campus and see the ol'  Copley Hill area.  He worked at Virginia Dominion Power for 30 years as a sales engineer. During those years he played tennis and won quite a few trophies.He also enjojed traveling to Europe and sightseeing on his vacations. He was a great husband and dad and great- grandad. He was awarded the Purple Heart , Air Medal and POW medal after the war, but he was always a hero in the eyes of his family. He will be missed always. Love you , Debbie Crouch ahencer1@hotmail.com