Personnel

CREW



2nd Lt Jack W.Thrasher         P  KIA  3/3/45  BRUNSWICK

2nd Lt Ernest F.Coble,Jr.      CP  FEH                                                   A/C #44 8220

2nd Lt Gerald A.Rimmel     NAV  POW  3/3/45 BRUNSWICK                   MACR #12892,Microfiche #4704

   Cpl Thomas C.Browning  TTE  POW  3/3/45 BRUNSWICK

   Cpl Albert L.Egsieker    ROG  POW   3/3/45 BRUNSWICK               TAPS: 25 MAR 1970

   Cpl Alfred S.Collins       BTG  NOC                                            TAPS: 13 DEC 1971

   Cpl George E.Mensler    NG  NOC                                             TAPS: 1985

   Cpl Joseph E.Turenne    WG  NOC                                                   TAPS: 28 MAR 1954

   Cpl Cecil A.Baker           TG   KIA    3/3/45 BRUNSWICK



349th Sqdn. This crew,as above,joined the 100th Group on 3/12/44.



On board the A/C on 3/3/45  were:

CREW: On board the PFF A/C#44 8220 on 3/3/45 were: 



2nd Lt Jack W. Thrasher                P  KIA    3-Mar-45 Brunswick 

Lt Charles S. Bayha                       CP POW  3 Mar-45 Brunswick (from the crew of J. V. DePlanque.)

Lt Harry F. Bott,                        BOM POW  3-Mar-45 Brunswick ( from the crew of Denzil Naar)

2nd Lt Gerald A. Rimmel             NAV POW   3-Mar-45 Brunswick 

Lt Willis R. McGuire,         RADAR NAV KIA     3-Mar-45 Brunswick (from the crew of L. C. Williams) 

Cpl Thomas C. Browning             TTE POW   3-Mar-45 Brunswick 

Cpl Albert L. Egsieker                 ROG POW   3-Mar-45 Brunswick 

Sgt. Ray U. Muffley,                    WG POW   3-Mar-45 Brunswick (from the crew of J. A. Carroll) 

Cpl Cecil A. Baker                         TG KIA     3-Mar-45 Brunswick  



EYEWITNESS:  "A/C 44-8220 was attacked by one of six jet E/A which made a pass at the formation at 1018 hours over the target just before bombs away.  The #1 engine was hit and burst into flames.  Bomb bay doors were closed and the aircraft slid away to the left.  The left wing crumpled and the aircraft flipped over on it's back and exploded.  The fuselage broke at the waist door and both wings fell away.  One chute was seen to leave the aircraft before it exploded.  Later  four (4) others were counted.  Pilot was seen in cockpit 30 seconds prior to the explosion."



PURPOSE: Submit information

EMAIL: Hcervan102@aol.com

NAME: Hank Cervantes

INTEREST: 100th BG veteran

COMMENTS: Re:MACR:12892, Jack Thrasher. For the record I would like to submit my recollection of Jack Thrasher's death. I was Joe Martin's copilot and we were off of Jack's left wing on that mission. I believe that the 100th was leading the 13th Combat Wing and six 100th aircraft were in two flights dropping chaff ahead of the 100th and the remainder of the Wing. We had not yet arrived over the target when two ME-262's attacked us from  seven oclock high. The lead 262 fired 2 or 3 canon shells into Jack's left wing root starting a fire. Jack side-slipped the 17 in an effort to blow it out. He was unsuccessful and returned the plane to straight-and-level. Jack was clearly visible holding the airplane steady as his men bailed out. At least three did so before the plane exploded. His was the bravest act I have I have ever witnessed. Jack bunked across the aisle from me and only the night before I had watched as he reached over, picked up his large photo of a beautiful girl, kissed it and said, "Two more honey. Only two more and I'll be home."  Several years ago, an article appeared in Splasher Six about Jack's family. I tried to get their home address to send them this recollection but it was witheld from me. Hank Cervantes-copilot on Joe Martin Crew  





EMAIL = rene-marie@webtv.net

UNAME = René-Marie deTurenne

DIED = Jospeh de Turenne

DEATH_DATE = 3-28-1954  

UNIT = 349th

POSITION = Waist Gunner

RELATION = Grandchild

COMMENTS = His name is misspelled in records as Turrenne





Phone to Cervantes on 24,/7/90  213 823 4438…jb 



7 Apr 1945  Buchen ; one of the last raids on Germany and on the crews 25th mission, the aircraft 43-38514, "E - Z GOIN'" was involved in a mid-air collision with an ME-109. Crew managed to bomb target and return to Thorpe Abbotts despite the loss of parts of the vertical fin and the horizontal stablizer.  This is the aircraft pictured on the back cover of CENTURY BOMBERS    BY Le Strange and Brown.



 J.C. MARTIN   P FLEW 26 MISSIONS

 H. CERVANTES   CP " " "

 A.N. PICONE   NAV " " "

 R.E. SPADA   TOG " " "

 W.E. DUDECZ   TTE " " "

 N.E. LARSEN   ROG " " "

 A.S. COLLINS  BTG WAS A MEMBER OF THE THRASHER CREW.

 M. SCHIPPER   WG REPLACED CELESTE ROSSI

 P.R. GERLING   TG FLEW 26 MISSIONS







---> SUBMITTER INFORMATION

SUBMITTER: richard r. ayesh

EMAIL: mrayesh@sbcglobal.net

PURPOSE: Contact historian

INTEREST: I am the 100th BG veteran



 MESSAGE

Jack Thrashers' plane was shot down by ME 262.  His wing was shot off and all were killed in the crash (only 3 members of the Crew were MIA…mpf 2006).  He was leading the 2nd element of of the lead squadron dropping "chaff" for the entire 8th air force. fighters were late joining us and the ME262 came thru our formation and shot Jack down.  I saw the whole thing as we were on his left wing and could almost touch the jet as he went by, cannon fire coming out of his wing.  Thanks.



Eye Witness account: Hal Higgs, CP on 2nd Lt Edward W. Aubuchon,Jr. Crew witnessed the loss of Lt Jack Thrasher aircraft.  This was the first mission for 2nd Lt Hal Higgs and Crew and they were flying in a three plane formation at the head of the Eighth Air Force, carrying nothing but Tin Foil (Chaff) to confuse enemy radar.   Leading was Lt Thrasher with Lt Aubuchon off his right wing and Lt Eugene T.Jensen off his left wing.   Hal said all of a sudden the plane shook, and it was all the gunners on the plane firing, especially our TG who was 35 years old! He was the first to see them coming in from behind.  One ME262  went by under our right wing but the second 262 came by our left wing and shot down the Thrasher Crew, we counted 5-6 chutes.  What a terrible introduction to combat."