Personnel

CREW



2ND LT CECIL O. DANIELS                  P CPT 03 JAN 45 FULDA  sn# 0-808196

2ND LT GORDON A. HANSEN            CP CPT 03 JAN 45 FULDA finished with 33 missions

2ND LT JOHN V. LARSON               NAV CPT 28 JAN 45 DUISBURG  (BECAME LEAD NAV ON LT SPURGEON PATHFINDER CREW)

2ND LT ROBERT L. STORY             BOM WIA 17 OCT 44  COLOGNE (TAPS 1967)

    CPL HOWARD A. DRALLE            ROG WIA 03 OCT 44 NURNBURG

    SGT SAMUEL M. WOLFE, JR.       TTE WIA 15 OCT 44 COLOGNE (TAPS 1984)

    CPL LESLIE P. MILLS                  BTG CPT 03 JAN 45 FULDA

    CPL JOSEPH W. ADAMS, JR.        WG GND FOR MEDICAL REASONS (CHRONIC AIR SICKNESS)

    CPL WILLIAM KILPATRICK, JR      WG REMOVED TO REDUCE TO 9 MAN CREW AND REASSIGNED TO CREW OF C.K. BAKER, 

                                                                WOUNDEDIN ACTION 30 NOV 44 ON 18TH MISSION.

    CPL JORGEN N. NIELSEN              TG CPT 03 JAN 45 FULDA



350th Sqdn. Crew 28.   Crew, as above joined the 100th on 25 Jul 1944.

Crew flew  "Spirit of Pittwood" #46297

Ground Crew Chief: Sgt John C. Riffle



Lt .Micheljon flew the first 2 missions as CP for crew orientation instead of Lt Gordon Hansen.  



At Thorpe Abbotts, Lt John Larson was selected for lead crew training and replaced on the Daniels crew by F/O Richard A. Nesline who CPT on 3 Jan 1945 with 35 sorties. Promoted to 1st Lt before returning to the ZOI. (zone of the interior)



Howard Dralle was replaced by Sgt Robert G. "Dutch" Schultz who flew 17 missions before being assigned to another crew where he finished his tour. "Dutch Schultz came overseas with the Crew of Lt C.K. Baker



Joseph Adams was removed from crew after one  mission and assigned to 350th operations by Maj. Rosenthal for medical reasons (chronic air sickness-see info below).  He was replaced by S/Sgt Remi G. Eberenz from the A.S. Spear crew.



Sgt Sam Wolfe Jr TTE, hit in ankle 10/15/44 over Cologne on 19th Mission by Flak.  Replacement unknown



Crew received 3 Purple Hearts and was credited with 3 Enemy A/C 1destroyed, 1 probable, 1 damaged (all info provided by Cecil O. Daniels, entered by mpf)



CREW flying at end of tour:



1st Lt Cecil O. Daniels           Pilot

1st Lt Gordon A. Hansen        CP

F/O Richard A. Nesline          Nav

        ?                           Toggleer

Sgt. Robert G."Dutch" Schultz ROG

        ?                               TTE

S/Sgt Leslie P. Mills               BTG

S/Sgt Jorgen N. Nielson        TG

S/Sgt Remi G. Eberenz          WG



  MISSIONS OF LT CECIL DANIELS CREW:



 #     Date     Target             # of A/C     CALL      Name                   



  1.  8/4/44  Hamburg            42-97924  LN-H   Party Tonight    (only mission flown by S/Sgt Joseph Adams.  Grounded due to air sickness)

  2.  8/5/44  Magdeburg         43-37882  LN-W  Happy-Go-Lucky (S/Sgt Remi G. Eberenz replaces S/Sgt Adams as Waist Gunner)

  3.  8/6/44  BERLIN               43-38043  LN-T

  4.  8/11/44  Paris                42-102958 LN-Z

  5.  8/13/44  Nantes             42-102958 LN-Z

  6.  8/14/44  Ludwigshaven   43-37882   LN-W Happy-Go-Lucky

  7.  8/15/44  Venlo               42-31220  LN-P Fletcher's Castoria II

  8.  8/24/44  Ruhland            44-6297   LN-X Spirit of Pittwood

  9.  9/1/44  Mainz

  10. 9/3/44  Crozon, Breast Penn.

  11. 9/9/44  Dusseldorf

  12. 9/10/44  Nurnburg

  13. 9/25/44  Ludwigshaven

  14. 9/26/44  Bremen

  15. 9/27/44  Mainz

  16. 9/28/44  Mersburg

  17. 10/2/44  Kassel

  18. 10/3/44  Nurnburg (T/Sgt Dralle Hit over Koblenz, Lost Leg. Replaced by Sgt. "Dutch" Schultz

  19. 10/15/44	` Cologne (Sgt Wolfe hit in ankle by flak, put in hospital.  Replaced by unknown TTE)

  20. 10/17/44  Cologne (Lt Story injured, flak in eye, replaced by unknown toggleer)

  21. 10/19/44  Ludwigshaven

  22. 10/22/44  Munster

  23. 10/26/44  Hanover

  24. 11/9/44  Saarbrucken

  25. 11/21/44  Osnabruck

  26. 12/4/44  Friedburg

  27. 12/11/44  Coblenz

  28. 12/18/44  Mainz

  29. 12/25/44  Kaiserlautern

  30. 12/27/44  Fulda

  31. 12/29/44  Frankfurt

  32. 12/30/44  Kassel

  33. 12/31/44  Hamburg

  34.   1/2/45  Bad Kreuznach

  35.   1/3/45  Fulda



  Flak leave: 10/5/44 to 10/12/44

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Thank you Michael.  I only flew on our first mission on Aug. 4,1944 to Hamburg.  After several pratcice missions was grounded for chronic Air Sickness.  Rosie put me in the 350th operations office as a Clerk Typest. (thank goodness I learned to type in high school) as a Staff Sargent.  That was  my job until the 100th came home in Dec. 1945 on the Queen Mary.  A 5 day trip and I was sick for 6 days from that trip.  Even Daniels couldn't remember who replaced Wolf as Top Turret Engineer and Lt. Story (Bombardier) as Toggler. I did not keep a Diary - sorry.  I might find some photo's.  Where should I mail them?......JOSEPH ADAMS, WG.

 

In a message dated 12/19/2008 3:03:45 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, MPFaley writes:

Hi Joseph,

 I will get this taken care of Sir.  Can I ask you some questions concerning your time in the 100th BG?

 

How many missions did you fly before being taken off flying Status? 

Do you have a list of those missions?

What was the medical reason for being grounded.

At the end of hostilities, Lt Daniels had a new Top Turret Engineer and Toggler, do you know who they were? These are the only two people I cannot pin down on the Crew?

Did you keep any kind of Diary you could share with us?

Rosie put you in 350th Operations, what was your Job there?

Do you have any Crew photos taken with you on the crew or with others you could share with us?

 

Thanks Joseph and sorry to hear about the loss of your Pilot.  

 

Michael Faley

100th Bomb Group Historian 

100th Bomb Group Photo Archives





In a message dated 12/19/2008 11:49:28 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, JAdams5075@aol.com  writes:

I am trying to report the death of a Pilot of the 350th Sqdn. 2nd. Lt. Cecil O. Daniels age 86.  He was the Pilot of "Spirit of Pittwood" from July 44 - Jan 45.  Died on July 14, 2008 Watseka, Ill.

 

I was a former member of his crew.  Joseph W. Adams





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NOTE:



CREW



Lt Paul L.Spurgeon                 P   CPT   2 JAN 45 BAD KREUZNACH

Lt John E. David                   CP   KIA    3 SEP 44 BREST (as pllot of own crew, see below)  

Lt John V.Larson                NAV   CPT   28 JAN 45 DUISBURG (Lead Nav originally from Lt C. Daniels Crew)  

Lt Frederick H.Theesfeld     BOM   CPT   7 MAR 45 SIEGEN, MY (S.T.)

 T/S&t E.S.Balcseniuk         ROG   NC

 T/Sgt Alfred J.Vignols        TTE   CPT   

 S/Sgt W.R.Klein                BTG   NC

 S/Sgt Thomas J.Dressel      WG  NC (Wounded 25/8/44 & month in hospital)

 S/Sgt Robert .E.Kauffman    TG  NC ( TG on crew of A.D.Elbel when joined the 100th, see below)



350th Sqdn. Crew appears as above on Roster of 25/8/44 target: (POLITZ) as Crew #29. Thls was probably a "pick up" crew. ( this information is suspect concerning this crew, likely they flew together very little, perhaps only once..jb).  Lt Spurgeon had a lead Crew and the actual make up of that crew is uncertain except for Lt Larson-Navigator who flew many if not all his missions with Lt Spurgeon.  It is know that they were leading on Nov 2, 1944 to Merseburg with Col Sammy Barr as Command Pilot.   



Lt Spurgeon took over "JIMB0" A/C 44-8226 LN-B in November 1944 and he selected the name. It was a nickname for his Stateside Wife.  Jimbo was painted on the left hand side of the aircraft.  On the cowlings of No 3 & 4 engines could be seen the names "Kay" and "Alice" probably put on by the ground crew.    



See S.D.C. p.33 & 95 "JIMB0" A/C 44-8226 LN-B  This was a Pathfinder aircraft originally assigned to the 95th Bomb Group (13th CBW HQ for Pathfinder Crews and Aircraft in Summer and early fall 1944) in October 1944. The practice during this time was to fly Pathfinder A/C from Horham to the surrounding airdromes to lead the 3rd Air Division Bomb Groups.   In late October this practice ceased and Pathfinders were assigned to each Bomb Group and both Crews and planes were maintained at their own bases.