Personnel

CREW



2ND LT ALBERT S. SPEAR  P KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

2ND LT DEWEY H. NELSON  CP CPT 25 DEC 44 KAISERLAUTERN, MY

2ND LT JOHN P. SPILLANE  NAV KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

2ND LT ROBERT WASHINGTON BOM POW 31 DEC 44 HAMBURG see Rojohn crew below

CPL ARTHUR A. MARSHALL ROG KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

CPL RAYMOND A. PIECZYNSKI TTE KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

CPL REMI G. EBERNENZ  BTG CPT 03 JAN 45 FULDA

CPL ARTHUR V. GENS  WG KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

CPL ROBBIE L. GILL   WG CPT 24 OCT 44 UNKNOWN

CPL ROBERT D. BASS  TG KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG



350TH SQDN.. CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 17 JUL 1944

 MACR # 8174, Microfiche # 3002  A/C #42-32009



This ship collided with that of Lt W.G. Stansbury over the North Sea.  .



Lt Robert Washington was flying with the Glenn Rojohn crew on 31 Dec 44 (Hamburg) and became a POW. 

On the Rojohn MACR he is listed as the Navigator. Sgt Eberenz finished his tour with the Charlie O. Daniels crew.



S/Sgt Charlie P. Pate was flying Nose Gunner on 28 Jul 44; while 2nd Lt Stanley Diamond was aboard as CP, both were KIA.

 

 Robbie Gill was the sole survivor from the two crews and made the following statement 21 August 1944.



  SUBJECT: Supplement to MACR, A/C #009  by S/Sgt Robbie L. Gill

 

  TO:       Commanding General, 3rd Bombardment Divison.



   1.  The following is a version of what happened to A/C 009 and the crew of Lt. Albert S. Spears

    who flew the Operational (Stratagic) Mission 28 July 1944.



   2.  At 1231 hours near 5238N and 0157E the formation was flying just above the undercast at 9000 feet. A/C # 009 in      which I was flying in the #7 position in the low squadron. It (#009) struck #621 and I was thrown forward in the      ship between the ammunition boxes. There was quite a bit of noise and the ship seemed to be thrown around a      lot. I pulled the door off the tail and bailed out. By the time my chute opened I was below the clouds.  I saw the      tail from which I had bailed out spiralling slowly down to the sea. That was all there was left of the ship. Directly      below me was a large fire and there were numerous small pieces of aircraft floating in the air. I saw no other      chutes before or after landing in the sea. I was picked up by Air-Sea rescue approximately one and one half      hours after landing in the water."



From the coordinates, it would seem this midair collision occured abouir 26 miles from Lowestoff. All of the men of this crew except S/Sgt Gill are listed on the WALL OF THE MISSING AT CAMBRIDGE.



CREW



2nd Lt Glenn H.Rojohn               P     POW  31/12/44 HAMBURG

2nd Lt William G.Leek             CP     POW  31/12/44 HAMBURG

2nd Lt  Robert Washington      NAV      POW  31/12/44 HAMBURG (from the Spear crew)

   Cpl Edward G.Neuhaus        ROG     POW  31/12/44 HAMBURG  A/C #42 31987 "The Little Skipper" 

   Cpl Orville E.Elkin               TTE     POW  31/12/44 HAMBURG  MACR #11550,Microfiche #4246

   Cpl Joseph L.Russo              BTG     KIA    31/12/44 HAMBURG    

   Cpl Roy H.Little                  WG     KIA    31/12/44 HAMBURG

   Cpl Robert W.Baker            WG     NOC    

   Cpl Herman G.Horenkamp       TG    CPT   





350th Sqdn. This crew,as above (no Nav or Bom) joined the 100th Group on 15/9/44.

Crew formed in Salt Lake City UT on 5 May 44.   Left USA 16 Aug 44, arrived in Valley Wales, 19 Aug 44

Assigned to 95th Bomb Group 6 Sept 44, Left 95th Bomb Group on 14 Sept 44 and joined 100th Bomb Group (because of 

loss of 12 aircraft on September 11, 1944 mission to Ruhland) 



See S.O.C. p.88/89 and "CONTRAILS" p.91/92 for story of the mid air "Piggy Back" crash of this A/C and that of W.G.MacNab.



On 31/12/44, Lt Robert Washington,from the crew of A.S.Spear,was flying as navigator and 

became a POW. A Sgt James R.Shirley was flying as NG and was a POW. S/Sgt Francis R.Chase from Lt Hansen Crew, 

was aboard as TG and was KIA.



Both Roy Little and Francis Chase are commemorated on the Wall Of The Missing at the 

Netherlands cemetary.





Spear Crew (Robert Washington's original crew)

2ND LT ALBERT S. SPEAR  P KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

2ND LT DEWEY H. NELSON  CP CPT 25 DEC 44 KAISERLAUTERN, MY

2ND LT JOHN P. SPILLANE  NAV KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

2ND LT ROBERT WASHINGTON BOM POW 31 DEC 44 HAMBURG

CPL ARTHUR A. MARSHALL ROG KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

CPL RAYMOND A. PIECZYNSKI TTE KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

CPL REMI G. EBERNENZ  BTG CPT 03 JAN 45 FULDA

CPL ARTHUR V. GENS  WG KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG

CPL ROBBIE L. GILL   WG CPT 24 OCT 44 UNKNOWN

CPL ROBERT D. BASS  TG KIA 28 JUL 44 MERSEBURG



350TH SQDN.. CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 17 JUL 1944

 MACR # 8174, Microfiche # 3002  A/C #42-32009



This ship collided with that of Lt W.G. Stansbury over the North Sea.  .



Lt Robert Washington was flying with the Glenn Rojohn crew on 31 Dec 44 (Hamburg) and became a POW. 

On the Rojohn MACR he is listed as the Navigator. Sgt Eberenz finished his tour with the Charlie O. Daniels crew.



(Hensen Crew; original crew of Francis  R. Chase

2ND LT EDWARD H. HENSEN  P CPT 4 MAR 45 ULM, MY (S.T.)

2ND LT LEW E. WALLACE  CP POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY

2ND LT LEE M. RADEN   NAV CPT 14 MAR 45 SEELZE & HANOVER

2ND LT MARVIN D. LASKEY  BOM CPT 25 FEB 45 MUNICH

SGT LEROY J. EDWARDS  TTE CPT 4 MAR 45 ULM, MY (S.T.)

CPL FRANCIS R. CHASE  TG KIA 31 DEC 44 HAMBURG

CPL CALVIN E. MILLER  BTG NOC

CPL JAMES R. MUGRIDGE  ROG CPT 4 MAR 45 ULM, MY (S.T.)

CPL ANDREW C. PAULO  WG CPT 4 MAR 45 ULM, MY (S.T.) (TAPS 1988?)

CPL CLAYTON J. SMITH  WG CPT 31 DEC 44 HAMBURG (WIA)



350TH SQDN..CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH 29 JUL 1944



LEW WALLACE WAS WITH J.H. HAINES AT RUHLAND ON 11 SEP 44.

FRANCIS CHASE WAS WITH G.H. ROJOHN AT HAMBURG ON 31 DEC 44.

CLAYTON SMITH WAS WITH R.H. WHITCOMB AT HAMBURG IN 31 DEC 44.

 









MEMO                     LT GLENN ROJOHN



LT GLENN ROJOHN; PIGGY BACK LANDING AFTER THE 31 DEC 1944 HAMBURG MISSION.  COLLISION WITH LT MacNAB WHILE BOTH WERE ATTEMPTING TO FILL THE SLOT IN THE FORMATION CAUSED BY THE LOSS OF LT WEBSTER. ACCOUNT GIVEN IN "CENTURY BOMBER" FOLLOWS:

AT 1244 HOURS AND AFTER LEAVING THE ENEMY COAST, NAVIGATOR DANNY SHAFFER, WHO FLEW  WITH THOMAS HUGHES, NOTED IN HIS LOG: "TWO 17'S HOOKED TOGETHER, 43-31987, PILOTED BY GLENN ROJOHN, HAVING CLOSED UP INTO THE SPACE LEFT BY THE LOSS OF LT WEBSTER. UNFORTUNATELY  B-17 43-38457, PILOTED BY WILLIAM MacNAB, HAD RISEN SLOWLY FROM BELOW TO FILL THE SAME POSITION.."

        ANOTHER PILOT, ETHAN PORTER, WHO IS LISTED AS HAVING NO KNOWN ADDRESS BY THE VA(1992), IMMEDIATELY SHOUTED A WARNING VIA RADIO, THE TWO FORTRESSES COLLIDED AND LOCKED TOGETHER, CONTINUED FLYING PIGGY-BACK OVER THE SEA.'

        FINDING THE ELEVATORS AND AILERONS STILL WORKING, ROJOHN AND HIS CO-PILOT WILLIAM LEEK, 'CUT THIER ENGINES, AND BY USING THE ENGINES OF THE LOWER AIRCRAFT, THREE OF WHICH WERE STILL RUNNING, SLOWLY TURNED THE TWO AIRCRAFT TOWARD LAND.  FOUR OF THE CREW BAILED OUT ON ORDERS AND ROJOHN DECENDED TO RECROSS THE ENEMY COAST AT 10,000 FEET. ON LANDING NEAR WILHELMSHAVEN THE TOP SHIP (43-31987) SLID OFF MacNAB'S 43-38457 WHICH EXPLODED. BARELY HURT ROJOHN AND LEEK WALKED AWAY FROM THE WRECKAGE OF 43-31987 AND INTO CAPTIVITY.

        AS FOR THE MEN WHO BAILED OUT, THE ROG EDWARD NEUHAUS CAME DOWN ON AN ISLAND; TTE ORVILLE ELKIN CAME DOWN IN THE WATER TEN MILES OFF SHORE AND WAS DRAGGED TO THE SHORE BY HIS CHUTE.  REPLACEMENTS NAVIGATOR ROBERT WASHINGTON AND GUNNER JAMES SHRILEY LANDED ON THE COAST.  ALL SURVIVORS WERE TAKEN PRISONER.  NOTHING WAS FOUND OF BTG JOSEPH RUSSO AND WG FRANCIS CHASE.

        AS FOR LT MacNAB--HE WAS KILLED ALONG WITH THE CO-PILOT NELSON VAUGHN (BOTH HAD SUSTAINED WOUNDS PRIOR TO THE COLLISION), ROG HENRY ETHRIDGE, WG DUANE RENCH AND TG FRANCIS SEYFRIED. SGT'S RENCH AND SEYFRIED ARE BOTH BELIEVED TO HAVE BAILED OUT SUCCESSFULLY ONLY TO PERISH IN THE SEA.

        THE REST ESCAPED THE AIRCRAFT AND BECAME POWS: NAVIGATOR JACK BERKOWITZ AND BOMBARDIER RAYMOND COMER, FROM THE HONG KONG WILSON CREW, TTE JOSEPH CHADWICK AND BTG EDWARD WOODALL.  SGTS WOODALL AND CHADWICK ALSO LANDED IN THE SEA BUT REACHED SHORE.

        JIM BROWN NOTES THAT PREVIOUS TO THIS WHEN THE CREW COMPONENT WAS REDUCED TO NINE, WG LENO DELMOLINO WAS ASSIGNED TO INTELLEGENCE IN THE 351ST.

POW/KIA notes: From crew of A.S. Spear.  Piggyback Incident, see article "Breeding Dragonflies" for more info.