Personnel

CREW



2nd Lt Ethan Porter                      P CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

2nd Lt Emmet B.Turner,Jr.           CP CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

2nd Lt Vernon R.Henriksen        NAV CPT   28/2/45   KASSEL 

Lt John D. McGregor                 NAV NOC   Original Navigator, taken off crew when sent from 95th to 100th, became a Radar Navigator)

2nd Lt Nathaniel T.Gault            BOM CPT  ( Became a Lead Radar Navigator (Mickey) with Ivan Champion Lead Crew, see below)

   Cpl Victor P.Distelrath              TTE CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

 Cpl Clarence A.Griffin               BTG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

 Sgt Donald F.Houk                  ROG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

 Cpl Harland D.Hand                  WG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL  (Became toggelier when Gault left crew)   

 Cpl James A. Murray                 WG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL

 Cpl Francis O.Crist                     TG CPT   28/2/45  KASSEL



350th Sqdn.  Crew,as above,joined the 100th Group on 15/9/44. See S.O.C. p. 88/89

Original Navigator was Lt John D. McGregor 

Ethan Porter was the pilot who vainly attempted to warm McNabb and Rojohn at Hamburg on the last day of the year 1944.

Veron Henriksen informed jb in 1991 that Emmet Turner was killed crop dusting in CA, he did not know the date, putting it at many years ago…pw



                Victor P. Distelrath (Ethan Porter Crew) Missions September 1944 – February 1945



                                                                                                          Enemy       A/C        Crew                   

Date              Mission #     Target(s)                         Duration     Results     A/C         Lost         Lost 

10/9/44            1 (210)  Wiesbaden & Mainz PFF        6.20          Unobs      0             0            0

10/12/44          2 (211)  Bremen, AC Factory             7.05          Good       0             0            0

10/15/44          3 (212)  Cologne, MY PFF                 6.30                         0             0            0

10/22/44          4 (216) Munster, MY                          7.10          Good       0              0            0

10/25/44                     Heligoland (Aphrodite)             4.00          Recall       0              0            0

10/30/44          5 (218) Merseburg                             4.00          Recall       0              0            0

11/5/44            6 (220) Thionville,Ludwigshaven,MY     8.05         Hit Target  0              1            9

11/6/44            7 (221) Neumuster, AC Repairs, MY     7.40           Fair          0              0            0

11/9/44            8 (222) Metz, Saarbrucken, MY (S.T.)  7.20          Poor         0              1            1  

11/16/44          9 (224) Aachen Area, Ground Support  8.15         Good         0              0            0

11/26/44         10(226) Hamm, MY                             5.30          Missed       0              0            0

11/29/44         11(227) Hamm, MY                              6.15         Missed       0              0            0

12/11/44         12(232) Giessen, Koblenz                      6:50         Fair           0              0            0  

12/18/44         13(234) Mainz, MY PFF                         7:00          Unobs       0              0           0

12/24/44         14(235) Biblis,Babenhausen,Kaiserslaut    7:40          Excellent   0              0           0

12/25/44         15(236) Kaiserslautern, MY                    7:15          Excellent   0              0           0

12/30/44         16(240) Kassel, MY                              7:20          Good         0             0           0

12/31/44         17(241) Hamburg, Oil Refinery               7:20          Poor          23          12         111  

01/05/45         18(244) Frankfurt, MY                          9:45         Good          0             0           0

01/06/45         19(245) Germersheim,AF&Annweiler       7:35          Poor          0             0           0

01/07/45         20(246) Cologne,Auto Bridge,Limburg     7:15            ---           0             0           0

01/13/45         21(248) Mainz, Bridge                           7:00           Good        0             0           0     

01/14/45         22(249) Derben, Oil Refinery                 7:45           Excellent    6             0           0

01/17/45         23(250) Hamburg, Oil Refinery               7:20            Good        0             0          0

01/28/45         24(253) Duisburg, Bridge                       5:45          V. Good     0             0          0

01/29/45         25(254) Bielefeld(100th”C”)T.O.,Kassel    6:40              ----        0             0          0

01/31/45                     Bremen/Berlin                          6:00            Recall       0             0          0

02/03/45             (255)Berlin                                      1:20            Returned  0             4         36

02/06/45         26(256) Bohlen Oil(Cld Over),Chemitz     9:30            Good        0             0          0

02/14/45         27(258) Doubraua,Bridge’C’,Chemitz       8:30               ---        0              0          0

02/15/45         28(259) Bohlen, Cottbus,City ST            8:40               ---        0              0          0

02/17/45         29(260) Frankfurt & Giessen                  6:35             Poor       0              0         0

02/20/45         30(262) Nurnburg, City                         8:00             Good      0              0         0

02/21/45         31(263) Nurnburg, MY (ST)                  7:40              Fair        0              0         0

02/22/45         32(264) Kitzingen’A’obscured,                          

                                     Hueingen,Town’B’ S.T          8:30              Hit S.T.  0              0         0

02/24/45         33(266) Bremen, Rail Bridge                  7:10              Poor      0              0         0

02/26/45         34(268) Berlin City                               8:10              Good     0              0         0

02/28/45         35(269) Kassel, MY                              7:15              Fair        0              0         0





Excerpts from a letter to Jim Brown from Nathaniel T. Gault of February 11, 1991...pw



..I received you letter and am sorry I have not answered. I am recovering from a bout with kidney stones ...spent 12 days in the hospital.

 Enclosed is the roster of the Ethan A. Porter crew. (see above) Our crew flew a new Pathfinder B-17 from Langley Field, Virginia to England by way of Labrador and Iceland. We landed in England the latter part of July, 1944, where we were sent to the 95th Bomb Group. A day or two later we were sent to the 100th Bomb Group, 350th Squadron to replace heavy losses by the 100th. Lt. John D. McGregor was taken off our crew and trained as a Radar or Mickey Operator and was replaced by Lt. Vernon Henriksen as navigator.

 After flying nine missions as a bombardier with Lt. Porter's crew, I was persuaded by Major Bob Gibson, with a slight twist of my arm, to go to Radar Navigators school in England. I  never saw Lt. Porter's crew again as they had finished their missions and I lost contact with them. I understand that Harlan Hand became the toggalier. He was a waist gunner before. Jim Murray was a waist gunner and Francis Crist was the ball turret gunner.

 After completing Radar School I became a Mickey Operator and placed on the lead crew of Ivan Champion:



Command Pilot:Capt. C.E. Robbs

Pilot: Lt. I. Champion

Co-Pilot (Tail Observer): Lt. J.A. Plough

Navigator: Lt. R. Andris

Radar: Lt. N.T. Gault

Bombardier: Lt. W.J. Wellings

Radio Operator: S/Sgt H.A. Krumwiede

Engineer: S/Sgt H.E. Lodl

Waist Gunner: S/Sgt F.J. Finn

Waist Gunner:Sgt A.R. Spencer



...I flew 24 missions before VE Day. I was removed from the Champion crew and returned home where I became and instructor at Boca Raton, Florida, before being mustered out of the Air Corps in November, 1945. 

I live in Miles, Texas, home of Goodfellow Air Force Base. I am retired after teaching for thirty-five years and I still have my old Navigator's Kit with other papers and relics from World War II. They include my E-6B Computer, Weems plotter and dividers and a few Yank magazines.



N.T. Gault