Personnel

CREW



1st Lt Everett E.Blakely                      P     CPT

 2nd Lt Charles A.Via,Jr.                    CP   SWA   8/10/43  Bremen

1st Lt Joseph H." Bubbles" Payne      NAV    KIA   28/4/44 Sottevast  (With crew of W,G.Lakin - mission lead by Col. R.H. Kelly)

 2nd Lt James R.Douglas                  BOM   CPT 

T/Sgt Howard J.Brock                     TTE    POW   17/8/43 (With the W.R.Flesh crew)      Regensburg

T/Sgt Monroe B.Thornton                WG   CPT 

T/Sgt Edmund G.Forkner                ROG    CPT 

S/Sgt John L.Olson                         BTG   Transferred 

S/Sgt Lyle E.Nord                           WG   KIA   29/5/44 (with crew of B.L.Williams) Leipzig, Aircraft repair depot..

S/Sgt Lester W.Saunders                  TG   KIA  8/10/43  Bremen



418th Sqdn.  An ''Original" crew.  CREW #35  A/C #42-30061     "JUST-A-SNAPPIN"



NOTE: JOHN OLSON, AFTER FLYING SEVERAL MISSIONS WITH THIS CREW MAY HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER GROUP.

LT PAYNE WAS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY HARRY CROSBY FROM THE CREW OF LT JOHN BRADY.  SGT OLSON WAS REPLACED ON THE CREW BY SGT WILLIAM MC CLELLAND/  T/SGT THORNTON BECAME THE ENGINEER AFTER AUGUST 17, 1943 AND HIS POSTION AT WG WAS FILLED BY SGT ED YEVICH.     



JUST-A-SNAPPIN IS ONE OF THE BETTER KNOWN PLANES IN 100TH LORE, SHE IS REMEMBERED FOR BRINGING THIS CREW BACK FROM BREMEM ON 8 OCT 43.  BADLY DAMAGED EV BLAKELY AND JOHN KIDD, GROUP OPS OFFICER WHO LED THE MISSION FROM THE CO-PILOT'S SEAT, LANDED "JUST-A-SNAPPIN" IN A FIELD AT LUDHAM.  DAMAGE TO THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM RENDERED THE BRAKES IN-OPERATIVE AND "JUST-A-SNAPPIN" COLLIDED WITH A LARGE TREE.  IMPACT WAS BETWEEN THE #1 AND #2 ENGINE.  THERE ARE SEVERAL PROMINENT  PHOTOGRAPHS OF HER AND THE TREE.



Much has been written about this crew. See p.49 of THE BLOODY HUNDREDTH by H.Varian and p.184/195 of FLYING PORTRESS by E.Jablomski for details of the mission of 8/10/43.



On 8/10/43, S/Sgt Edward S.Yevich LWG & S/Sgt William F.McClelland, BTG were aboard in the place of H.J.Brock & J.L.Olson. Both of these men were wounded.



See photo of this crew on p.228 of "CONTRAILS"



Lyle Nord was flying as TG on the crew of B.L.Williams on 29/5/44 and was hit in the back by a 20mm. He had flown a total of 27 missions,the last 8 of them with the Williams crew.





AUGUST 17, 1943 REGENSBURG MISSION  



            LT WILLIAM R. FLESH



CREW #30  A/C #42-30066     "MUG WUMP"      MACR #675



1ST LT  WILLIAM R. FLESH                P;  See notes & crew listed below

F/O     RICHARD L. SNYDER              CP;  KIA  17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG

2ND LT  JOHN C. DENNIS               NAV;   POW  "       "       "

1ST LT  PAUL R. ENGLERT             BOM;  POW  6 SEP 43 STUTTGART(CREW 33)

T/SGT   LAWRENCE E. GODBEY      TTE;   KIA  17 AUG 43 REGENSBURG

T/SGT   ROBERT R. DEKAY             ROG;  KIA  "       "       "

S/SGT   WALTER HALUNKA             BTG;  POW  "       "       "

S/SGT   WILLIAM M. BLANK             WG;  POW  "       "       "

S/SGT   CLARENCE R. BOWLIN          TG;  POW  "       "       "

S/SGT   CHARLES F. VIELBIG            WG;  SEE NOTES



BILL FLESH WAS ON LEAVE AND CURTIS BIDDICK, OF CREW #28 REPLACED HIM.  BIDDICK'S REGULAR BOMBARDIER, DAN McKAY ALSO REPLACED PAUL ENGLERT. BIDDICK WAS KIA AND McKAY, BADLY BURNED, A POW.



HOWARD J. BROCK OF CREW #35, FLEW FOR CHARLES VIELBIG AND WAS TAKEN PRISONER.



ABOUT FORTY MILES NORTHWEST OF REGENSBURG THE AIRCRAFT WAS HIT IN RIGHT SIDE OF THE NOSE AND FUSELAGE BY 20-MM ROUNDS, WOUNDING GODBEY AND STARTING AN INTENSE OXYGEN SYSTEM FIRE IN THE FLIGHT DECK AREA.  THE CO-PILOT RICHARD SNYDER WAS SEEN STANDING ON THE WING, APPARENTLY HAVING EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT THROUGH A HOLE IN THE FUSELAGE.  IT IS THOUGHT THAT HE HIT THE STABLIZER WHEN HE LEFT THE WING, AT ANY RATE HIS BODY WAS LOCATED SOME THREE MONTHS LATER HANGING IN HIS CHUTE HARNESS FROM A TREE BRANCH. THIS IS THE INCEDENT MENTIONED BY BEIRNE LAY IN HIS ARTICLE ON THE REGENSBURG MISSION. OWEN "COWBOY" ROANE ALSO REPORTED SEEING SNYDER'S GALLANT BID TO ESCAPE THE DOOMED  "ESCAPE KIT."(42-5860)  LT ROANE REPORTED SEEING SNYDER CLIMB OUT ON THE WING AND REACH BACK INSIDE FOR HIS CHUTE PACK, PROABLY THE HOLE IN THE FUSELAGE WAS TOO SMALL TO GET THROUGH WEARING A CHUTE PACK. SNYDER BUCKLED ON HIS CHUTE WHILE STANDING IN THE FIRE RAGING ON THE WING. THE FACT HE DID NOT SURVIVE DOES NOT DIMISH HIS VALIANT EFFORT.  HE WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN BY THE 100TH.

Replaced Charles Vielbig this mission.