Personnel

CREW

                 1ST LT VICTOR REED

                 ORGINAL 100TH PILOT



349TH CREW #8   A/C #42-30090  "El P'sstofo"



1ST LT  VICTOR REED                         P:           TRANSFERRED FROM 100TH

F/O     CHARLES A. BROOKS                 CP:  CPT,  16 DEC 43  BREMEN

2ND LT  HOWARD D. BASSETT          NAV:  CPT,  14 JAN 44 FORET D' HESDIN

2ND LT  JOSEPH P. ARMANINI           BOM:  CPT,  24 FEB 44 POSEN

T/SGT   GLENN N. ALBRIGHT             TTE:  CPT,  14 JAN 44 FORET D' HESDIN

S/SGT   RICHARD O. DETTWEILER        WG:  CPT,   13 FEB 44 LIVOSSART

T/SGT   JAMES S. DOUGHERTY         ROG:  CPT,  DATE & MISSION UNKNOWN

S/SGT   RICHARD M. PRICE                BTG:  NOC

S/SGT   THOMAS D. BAER                 WG:  KIA,     6 MAR 44 BERLIN (with  LT ALBERT AMIERO CREW)

S/SGT   CLIFFORD T. MINER               TG:  NOC



349th Sqdn.  This is an "Original" crew that flew over with the group. 

Charlie Brooks became pilot of his own crew and completed the tour.  Howard 

Bassett replaced me (J.R. Brown) as navigator of the Sam Barr crew after 

I was wounded 15 Sept. 1943.  Joe Armanini had replaced Joe Kelly as bombardier 

of the Barr crew somewhere around August 15,1943



Although no records have been found to substantiate the completion of 

their tours (25 missions) it is certainly a safe assumption that both 

Price and Miiner did become "Lucky Bastards" .



Thomas "Teddy" Baer was with tne crew of A. Amiero when killed over 

Berlin.



MISSIONS OF LT VICTOR REED (mpf 2001)



 DATE  MISSION  A/C # & NAME



1. 29/06/43 LeMANS  230035  TORCHY

2. 04/07/43 LaPALLICE  230042 OH NAUSEA

3. 10/07/43 LeBOURGET  230090 EL P'SSTOFO

4. 17/07/43 HAMBURG  230063 PICKLEPUSS

5. 25/07/43 WESSELING, KIEL 230090 EL P'SSTOFO

6. 26/07/43 HANOVER  230090 EL P'SSTOFO

7. 28/07/43 OSCHERSLEBEN 230090 EL P'SSTOFO

8. 29/07/43 WARNEMUNDE 230090 EL P'SSTOFO

9. 12/08/43 WESSELING, BONN 230090 EL P'SSTOFO



"ON THE BONN MISSION 12 AUGUST 1943, LT VICTOR REED'S LIFE WAS SAVED BY A NEAR MIRACLE.  JUST AS THE SHIP LOOSED HER CARGO OF BOMBS ON THE TARGET, A BURST OF FLAK LITTERED THE COCKPIT WITH SLIVERS OF HOT STEEL.  ONE SIZEABLE FRAGMENT PENETRATED REED'S OUTER CLOTHING BUT STRUCK THE SILVER WINGS HE WAS WEARING OVER HIS LEFT SHIRT POCKET.  THE VELOCITY OF THE SHARD WAS SO GREAT AS TO DRIVE THE INSIGNIA THROUGH THE SKIN AND CAUSE SEVER BRUISING OF THE CHEST MUSCLES.  WITHOUT THE WINGS TO DEFLECT IT, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE PIECE OF FLAK WOULD HAVE KILLED OR SEVERLY WOUNDED LT REED.  THIS EPISODE SO UN-NERVED REED, THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO FLY FOR A TIME AND WAS EVENTUALLY TRANSFERRED FROM THE 100TH.



AT ABOUT THIS TIME, "BIG JOE" ARMANINI REPLACED "CRYING JOE" KELLY ON THE SAMMY BARR CREW AND SOME WEEKS LATER HOWARD BASSETT REPLACED JIM BROWN AS NAVIGATOR ON SAMMY BARRS CREW.  T/SGT DOUGHERTY WAS ALSO MOVED TO THE BARR CREW REPLACING MIKE TANOWIGCH AS ROG.



CHARLES BROOKS CONTINUED AS CO-PILOT AND THEN AS A FIRST PILOT.  A FEW DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS 1943, 1ST LT BROOKS FLEW HIS 25TH MISSION AS PILOT OF "SQUAWKIN HAWK".



 MISSIONS OF 1ST LT. CHARLES A. BROOKS WITH CREW #8 AND CREW #37



 DATE         MISSION                      A/C # & NAME



1. 29/06/43 LeMANS                     230035 TORCHY

2. 17/07/43 HAMBURG                  230063 PICKLEPUSS

3. 25/07/43 WARNEMUNDE, KIEL   230090 EL P'SSTOFO

4. 26/07/43 HANOVER                  230090 EL P'SSTOFO

5. 28/07/43 OSCHERSLEBEN          230090 EL P'SSTOFO

6. 12/08/43 WESSELING, BONN     230090 EL P'SSTOFO

7. 31/08/43 LeMERUEAUX

8. 03/09/43 PARIS

9. 09/09/43 BEAUVAIS-TILLE

10. 15/09/43 PARIS

11. 16/09/43 LaPALLICE

12. 23/09/43 VANNES                 25861 LADEN MAIDEN

13. 26/09/43 PARIS                    25861 LADEN MAIDEN

14. 27/09/43 EMDEN                   25861 LADEN MAIDEN

15. 02/10/43 EMDEN                 230088 SQUAWKIN HAWK

16. 04/10/43 SAARLUIS, HANAU 230088 SQUAWKIN HAWK

17. 20/10/43 DUREN

18. 03/11/43 WILHELMSHAVEN

19. 05/11/43 GELSENKIRCHEN

20. 07/11/43 DUREN

21. 13/11/43 BREMEN

22. 16/11/43 RJUKAN, NORWAY

23. 11/12/43 EMDEN

24. 12/12/43 KIEL

25. 16/12/43 BREMEN                230088 SQUAWKIN HAWK

26. 19/03/44 CROSSBOW



 Snowurl@juno.comuname = Bob Brokspage

100TH BOMB GROUP (H) - AIRCRAFT Page 01url = https://www.100thbg.com/mainmenus/airplanes/airplanes_1.htmposition = 349th Aircraft at Thorpe Abbotts 27 Feb 44. This damage could have been inflicted by fighters. Nothing further is know of this aircraft.change = This Tail section which has been damaged is of the "Squawkin Hawk" 230088 XR-E. I do not know anything of the crew on this mission, but I believe it was the the first plane to survive 50 missions and was flown back to the united states by my father Captain Charles A. Brooks. who himself survived 26 missions and is a member of the imfamous "LUCKY BASTARD CLUB"



Photo ID:  This is a make up Crew for Captain Brooks but at least 3 members of the crew listed below flew back to the States with Capt. Brooks in Squawkin Hawk for the Bond Tour.  They are Lash, Lyons and Gomez.  They along with McCormick are from the Crew of Lt Leon R. Morgan.  Check Morgans letter below for more info.

Standing Left to Right

Lt Paul A. Levy Bom. (from Lt Gerald Putnam Crew),  Capt Charles A. Brooks Pilot, Lt Robert E., McCormick Nav. (from Lt L.R. Morgan Crew)  Lt Albert Mikkelsen  CP (had own crew)

Kneeling Left to Right:

Sgt R.E. Cliff TTE (from Sammy Barr Crew), T/Sgt James Dougherty ROG (Lt Victor Reed Crew), Sgt. Durio WG (?), S/Sgt Kenneth Lash WG (from Lt L.R. Morgan Crew), S/Sgt David C. Lyons BTG (from Lt L.R. Morgan Crew), Sgt Ernest R. Gomez TG (from Lt L.R. Morgan Crew) 





     Members of the original crew were:



     2nd Lt. Leon R. Morgan, pilot

     2nd Lt. Ralph 0. Ward   Co-pilot

     2nd Lt. Robert E. McCormick, navigator

     2nd Lt.  Albert P. Rule, Bombardier

     Sgt Maynard L. Lobb Sgt. Engineer

     Sgt. Tony Verdusco.  Radio

     Sgt. Hugo Kleckner  WG

     Sgt. David C. Lyon Jr. BT

     Sgt. Kenneth R. Lash ,Jr. WG

     Sgt. Ernest R. Gomez  TG



     Rule was taken off the crew during the togglier phase of the war and was flying with one of the lead crews

when he went down over Germany. I think he was on the sameplane as Col. Kelly.



     The only member of the crew with whom I am in contact is Hugo Kleckner.  He is living in a house within sightof the house where he was born and grew up in Two Rivers,Wisconsin.  The rest of the gang has vanished into thin air.



     I was fascinated by your description of the exploits of the Squawkin' Hawk.  I flew my first mission in it with Lt.Gossage and my last mission in it over Fredrickshaven, and I saw it lose most of its tail one day over france and still come home safely.  Some of my crew came home with it for the bond tour (June, 1944).



     I hope this information is  helpful to you.



                                       Sincerely

                                    Leon R.Morgan



CREW



2ND LT GEORGE W. FORD  P POW 26 NOV 43 BREMEN (with Lt Earl Williams Crew, see note below)

2ND LT AMERICUS V. COMBS  CP XFER 482ND (PFF) 26 NOV 43

2ND LT GLENN M. LASHBROOK NAV XFER 482ND (PFF) 26 NOV 43

2ND LT NATHAN COOPER  BOM XFER 482ND (PFF) 26 NOV 43

S/SGT GEORGE N, OFEISH  ROG POW 4 MAR 44 BERLIN

S/SGT JOHN J. MURPHY  TTE XFER 482ND (PFF) 26 NOV 43

   SGT KENNTH C. STROUGH  BTG XFER 482ND (PFF) 26 NOV 43

   SGT VIRGIL F. SUMMERS  WG KIA WITH A.F. AMIERO CREW

   SGT JACK KOSSIN   WG XFER 482ND (PFF) 26 NOV 43

   SGT JOHN P. WILLIAMS  TG XFER 482ND (PFF) 26 NOV 43



349th Sqdn.



Crew, as above, arrived 349th sqdn. 12 Sep 1943 according to Glenn Lashbrook. He also states that a day or two after arriving, Lt George Ford was demoted to a copilot and replaced as first pilot on the Crew by Lt Charles A. Brooks from the Crew of Lt Victor Reed. Lt Ford was shot down with the Crew of Lt Earl Williams (see note below)



1ST LT  VICTOR REED                           P:         TRANSFERRED FROM 100TH

F/O CHARLES A. BROOKS                    CP:  CPT,  16/12/43  BREMEN

2ND LT  HOWARD D. BASSETT          NAV:  CPT,  14 JAN 44 FORET D' HESDIN

2ND LT  JOSEPH P. ARMANINI           BOM:  CPT,  24 FEB 44 POSEN

T/SGT   GLENN N. ALBRIGHT             TTE:  CPT,  14 JAN 44 FORET D' HESDIN

S/SGT   RICHARD O. DETTWEILER        WG:  CPT, 13 FEB 44 LIVOSSART

T/SGT   JAMES S. DOUGHERTY         ROG:  CPT,  DATE & MISSION UNKNOWN

S/SGT   RICHARD M. PRICE                BTG:  NOC

S/SGT   THOMAS D. BAER                 WG:  KIA,  6 MAR 44 BERLIN WITH LT

                                                                                   ALBERT AMIERO CREW

S/SGT   CLIFFORD T. MINER                  TG:  NOC



349th Sqdn.  This is an "Original" crew that flew over with the group. 

Charlie Brooks became 1st pilot on the Lt George W. Ford Crew and 

completed the tour.



MISSIONS OF 1ST LT. CHARLES A. BROOKS WITH CREW #37 (Copilot Lt Combs)



 DATE  MISSION  A/C # & NAME



12. 23/09/43 VANNES  25861 LADEN MAIDEN

13. 26/09/43 PARIS   25861 LADEN MAIDEN

14. 27/09/43 EMDEN   25861 LADEN MAIDEN

15. 02/10/43 EMDEN   230088 SQUAWKIN HAWK

16. 04/10/43 SAARLUIS, HANAU 230088 SQUAWKIN HAWK

17. 20/10/43 DUREN

18. 03/11/43 WILHELMSHAVEN 

19. 05/11/43 GELSENKIRCHEN

20. 07/11/43 DUREN

21. 13/11/43 BREMEN

22. 16/11/43 RJUKAN, NORWAY 





WARTIME DIARY OF GLENN  M. LASHBROOK (NAV. ON LT FORD CREW)



June 19, 1943

 Graduated Mather Field, Calif. -- Class of 43-9 and given 10 day delay and 3 days travel time before reporting to first duty station.



July 2, 1943

 Reported to 330th Bombardment Group, Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas - - Group did not need any navigators.



July 4, 1943 

 Re-assigned and reported to 333rd Bomb Gp, Dalhart Air Force Base, Dalhart, Texas.



July 5, 1943

 Assigned to 466th Bomb Gp Squadron, Savoie Provisional Group as Navigator on Lt George Ford's crew, flying B-17s. Crew was then near end of second phase of it's training.





August 17, 1943

 Left Dalhart for Scott Field, Illinois after having 8 day leave, which was spent in Santa Ana, Calif. with Barbara. (Wife of Glenn Lashbrook)



August 22, 1943

 Left Scott Field for Dow Field, Bangor, Maine after completion of staging. Day before leaving, Mom, Dad, Irene, Richard, Isabel and Allan came down and we drove to St. Louis..Flying time to Dow Field: 6½ hours.



August 25, 1943

 Left Dow Field for Goose Bay, Laborador. Uneventful flight of 4½ hours. Pilot did let-down on Goose Bay radio because of heavy undercast and the country looked very green and beautiful when we broke through. Goose Bay is a combination American - Canadian field, many different uniforms were in evidence. The BOQ was very good.

August 26, 1943

 Left Goose Bay for Bluie West One on Greenland. Shot one sun line, the only celestial work on the whole trip, the rest DR from a flight plan with use of radio beams for course corrections. Arrived at Bluie West One, a small field at the end  of a fjord, and all the enlisted men crowded into the nose for a good look. We received orders to proceed to Meeks Field, Iceland. Arrived Meeks Field after 10 hours in the air and it was dark so the lights were a welcome sight.



August 27, 1943

 Flew from Meeks Field to Prestwick, Scotland by way of Stonoway, an uneventful 4 hour flight. Used Air Transport Command's book on the trip across and it provided great circle courses, distances, and variation so that it was only necessary to apply metro data to figure a flight plan.



August 28, 1943

 Reported to Combat Crew Replacement Center No. #11 Bovingdon, near London after an all night trip from Scotland on the train.



September 12, 1943

 Reported to the 100th Bombardment Group at Thorpe Abbotts near Diss. Norfolk. Assigned to the 349th Bombardment Squadron. Commanding Officer, Major Veal. Crew given a new first pilot, F/O Charles Brooks.



September 23, 1943

 Flew as spare on raid to Vannes, France. Couldn't find group and returned to base from Portland Bill. Given credit for a combat mission through a clerical error.



September 24, 1943

 On blind -- bombing practice mission over the North Sea. Were led too close to the Frisian Islands and ME-109s and FW-190s attacked the formation catching it completely off guard. 100th lost one ship (Gossage) and half the crew drowned when jumping into water. British E-Boat happened to be passing to raid the Dutch Coast and took five survivors with them.



September 26, 1943

 Mission to Paris. Unable to bomb due to heavy undercast and jettisoned bombs in English Channel. Saw first flak from Amiens and Abbeville.



September 27, 1943

 Mission to Emden. Flew on left wing of Col. Harding who was in a Pathfinder ship -- we were second ship over target. P-47 support very effective and saw no enemy fighters, although some ships in succeeding combat wings were lost. Bombing results were not too good, but mission was a great success for first long range support of fighters.



October 2, 1943

 Emden again. Not in such good position and encountered fighter opposition. Didn't get to bombing altitude until reaching I.P.



October 4, 1943

 Started to Frankfurt but never found it and bombed Saarlautern by mistake. Lead Navigator brought us back by way of Paris but weren't fired at. Reached England in a very lost condition.



October 9, 1943

 Mission to Marienberg in East Prussia. Flew with Magee Fuller as first pilot and were in the air 11 hours, but never over 13,000 feet. Focke-Wolf assembly plant almost completely destroyed - considered a most outstanding job of precision bombing. When the 100th reached the target huge columns of smoke were rising, but groups incendiaries missed target anyhow.



October 20, 1943

 Mission to Duren, Germany. Flew as high as 30,000 feet to rise above 10/10 cloud cumulo-Nimbus clouds above the Continent. Was very miserable from bends. Flak holes in ship.



November 3, 1943

 Pathfinder mission to Wilhelmshaven. Good results.



November 5, 1943

 Pathfinder mission to Gelsenkirchen in Ruhr Valley. Missed target completely. Encountered heavy flak and got small holes in wings.  



November 7, 1943

 Pathfinder mission to Duren



November 13, 1943

 Pathfinder mission to Bremen. Equipment in lead ship went out and finally crossed unto Denmark near Island of Sylt. Turned back and encountered considerable fighter opposition. Jettisoned bombs in North Sea. Came back single ship with new crew on our right wing. Terrific headwinds so did considerable sweating before English Coast was sighted. Did a lousy job of navigating and was glad to get a QDM from the base.



November 16, 1943

 Raid on power station at Rjukan, Norway, a ten hour mission. Led second element in lead squadron. Capt Barr led group (The 100th was led by Owen "Cowboy" Roane on this mission)    Capt Payne "Bubbles" and Capt Peel were lead Navigator and Bombardier and both did excellent jobs and the mission was a success. Forced to climb to 18,000 feet just off English Coast to go above a front upon returning.



November 26, 1943

 Day after Thanksgiving. Moved from the 100th to the 482nd Bomb Gp at Alconbury, Huntingdonshire. Assigned to the 812th Squadron to learn "Mickey" system (H2X)  of Pathfinder navigation. Lt Flesh became first pilot of the old 100th crew.