Personnel

CREW

 

CAPT CHARLES E. ROBBS             P FEH TAPS: 6 APR 1967

2ND LT ORVILLE K. BROYLES       CP FEH TAPS: 2 SEP 1986

2ND LT JAMES J. HAWLEY         NAV FEH 

2ND LT ROBERT V. GILDEA       BOM FEH (come off crew and replaced by toggelier, completed six missions)

CPL ALBERT P. LOCHRA, JR.     ROG FEH

CPL CLARENCE V. HENDERSON  TTE FEH TAPS: 28 OCT 1982

CPL FRANK KOPUS, JR               WG FEH

CPL ANTHONY S. CHEFFO         BTG FEH TAPS: 13 NOV 1983

CPL HAROLD E. JOHNSON           TG FEH

 

351ST SQDN.. JOINED THE 100TH ON 9 FEB 1945.  2ND LT BROYLES

BECAME THE PILOT OF THIS CREW IN EARLY MARCH WHEN CAPT. ROBBS LEFT THE CREW. ROBBS BECAME A COMMAND PILOT, WHICH SUGGESTS HE WAS PART OF 351ST BS OPERATIONS. ON APRIL 6, 1945 CAPT. ROBBS WAS TRANSFERRED TO 350TH BS AS OPERATIONS OFFICER.  IN JUNE 1945 LT COL. DAVID “HANDLEBAR HANK” LYSTER WAS TRANSFERRED STATESIDE AND WAS REPLACED BY CAPT. CHARLES ROBBS AS 350TH BS COMMANDING OFFICER, HE WAS PROMOTED TO MAJOR.  



… In several conversations, Al Lochra told me (Jack O'Leary) his crew Capt. Charles E. Robbs, pilot was put together in Lincoln Nebraska in the fall of 1944. Went to Rapid City, and back to Lincoln Neb. On Dec.24th, 1944…On Dec.25th, 1944..The TG on the Robbs crew was replaced because of illness (pleurisy) with Harold E. Johnson…ROBBS crew transported by train to Camp Kilmer, NJ in Jan.1945…Transit by ship AQUATANIA, a 9 day crossing to the ETO…then to STOKE-ON-TRENT and on to Thorpe Abbotts in Early February, 1945.

 

Following is edited Oct.27, 2005 letter from Albert P. Lochra (ROG) to Jack O'Leary.

 

"On the first two missions and probably the third, our Pilot was Capt. Charles Robbs and our co-pilot was Orville K. Broyles (he preferred "BUTCH"), our Navigator was James J. Hawley and the Bombardier was Robert V. Gildea. Others were Clarence Henderson, Engineer; Anthony Cheffo, Ball Turret; Frank Kopus, Waist Gunner; Harold E. Johnson, Tail Gunner; and Albert P. Lochra, Radio.    Either at our Third mission or certainly by the fourth, Capt. Robbs was pulled from the crew with Broyles replacing him as first pilot. Broyles soon received his silver bar as a First Lieutenant.  Also, at the same time, Lt. Gildea was pulled and placed into a pool of Group Bombardiers. (Gildea told me at the Pittsburgh (100th BGF) Reunion that he completed six missions)  Capt. Robbs was promoted to Major and became C.O. of a Squadron (Editors note…Al rode over on his bike to congratulate Major Robbs at his promotion…Al thought it was the 418th BS originally but after our conversation, couldn’t be sure which Squadron area he rode to on that day 60 years ago).  Replacements as co-pilot of our plane were multiple; but I believe a Lt. Thomas J. Slaven flew several and perhaps another co-pilot flew more than one mission with us (Jan 4, 1945 while returning from training mission at Thorpe Abbotts, crashed A/C#338523 (GLORY BOUND) on landing.  2nd Lt Ivan Rosenbaum and 2nd Lt Thomas Slaven were both injured in the crash and hospitalized.   Upon recovery, Lt Slaven would become a fill in CP, he flew on Lt Streich Crew until they completed their tour in Feb 45 and then became CP on Lt Broyles Crew.). Similarly, Gildea was replaced by a series of Toggaliers and/or Bombardiers the names of whom I have no recollection. But the other members of the crew remained intact. On an occasion or two, we had a Radar Technician flying with us, one of whom, John W. Disher (from 1st Lt Harold S.Bucklew Crew), was killed during a subsequent mission (March 18, 1945 to Berlin) with another crew…." (Editors Note Reference the Edward P. “Duke “Gwin Crew page for summary of Spot Jammer Disher & crew



 

Listed below are the dates, cities and targets of our 19 Missions from Albert P. Lochra (ROG) 

 

# 1.        FEB 25,1945    MUNICH    MARSHALLING YARDS… (Capt. Robbs-Pilot)                   44-8632   EP-H

# 2         FEB 26,1945    BERLIN     CITY…..(Capt Robbs-Pilot)                                          43-37815   EP-L  "YOU CAN'T LOSE"

# 3     MARCH 2,1945    DRESDEN     FACTORY…(Capt Robbs-Pilot)                                  42-31530   EP-X   "QUITTIN' TIME" 

# 4     MARCH 4,1945   ULM/BAUMANEIM     FACTORY   (Lt Broyles takes over Crew)  

# 5    MARCH 10,1945   DORTMUND   MARSHALLING YARDS      B-SQDN, LEAD FLGT             44-6295  EP-B  "WHITE CARGO"      HARDSTAND  #10 

# 6    MARCH 11,1945   HAMBURG   OIL REFINERY                                                             42-31708 EP-R  “SKIPPER II”            HARDSTAND # 10

# 7    MARCH 12,1945   SWINEMUNDE     DOCKS                       C-SQDN-LOW FLGT              44-6805  LN-O "FLAMIN MAMIE"      HARDSTAND # 36 

# 8    MARCH 15,1945   ORANIENBURG   MARSHALLING YARDS    B-SQDN-LOW FLGT             44-6817  LD-S  "HEAVENLY ANGEL" HARDSTAND # 44    

# 9    MARCH 21,1945   PLAUEN    MACHINE WORKS  

# 10  MARCH 22,1945   ALHORN   AIRFIELD    

# 11  MARCH 23,1945   MARBURG      CITY                               D-SQDN,                           42-31708   EP-R  “SKIPPER II”         HARDSTAND # 10     

# 12  MARCH 24,1945   STEENWIJK     AIRFIELD                       B-SQDN                             44-8616    LD-Z                             HARDSTAND # 47 

# 13  MARCH 28,1945   HANOVER TANK FACTORY                    C-SQDN                             43-38963  EP-E/F                          HARDSTAND # 13   

# 14  MARCH 30,1945   HAMBURG   SHIPYARDS                                                                43-38963  EP-E/F                           HARDSTAND # 13

# 15  MARCH 31,1945   ZEITZ    OIL REFINERY                           C-SQDN                           43-38963  EP-E/F                           HARDSTAND # 13  

# 16    APRIL 15,1945   ROYAN-GIROND ESTUARY NEAR BORDEAUX    GROUND DEFENSES   43-39258  EP-M                             HARDSTAND  # 5  

# 17    APRIL 16,1945   ROYAN- GIROND ESTUARY NEAR BORDEAUX   GROUND DEFENSES   43-39258  EP-M                             HARDSTAND  # 5

# 18    APRIL 17,1945  AUSSIG (BELOW DRESDEN) MARSHALLING YARDS                           43-39258  EP-M                             HARDSTAND  # 5 

# 19    APRIL 20,1945   ORANIENBURG    MARSHALLING YARDS                                          43-39258  EP-M                             HARDSTAND  # 5



 

FERRY MISSION:

JUNE 12,1945 CASABLANCA GREEN SUPPORT MISSION ,JUNE 12,1945                       44-8452  LN-V      (no name)        HARDSTAND #29

 

KNOWN Aircraft flown…LT. BROYLES MISSIONS…Jack O’Leary

COMBAT MISSIONS:

 

 MARCH 10,1945   BROYLES   B-SQDN, LEAD FLGT       44-6295  EP-B  "WHITE CARGO"  HARDSTAND  #10       

 MARCH 12,1945   BROYLES   C-SQDN-LOW FLGT        44-6805  LN-O "FLAMIN MAMIE"   HARDSTAND # 36     

 MARCH 15,1945   BROYLES   B-SQDN-LOW FLGT        44-6817  LD-S  "HEAVENLY ANGEL" HARDSTAND # 44      

 MARCH 23,1945   BROYLES   D-SQDN,                     42-31708  EP-R  “SKIPPER II”  HARDSTAND # 10    

 MARCH 24,1945   BROYLES   B-SQDN                        44-8616  LD-Z   HARDSTAND # 47   

 MARCH 28,1945   BROYLES   C-SQDN                      43-38963  EP-E/F  HARDSTAND # 13     

 MARCH 31,1945   BROYLES   B-SQDN                      43-38963  EP-E/F  HARDSTAND # 13   

 APRIL 15,1945     BROYLES   D-SQDN                      43-39258  EP-M  HARDSTAND  # 5

 APRIL 16,1945     BROYLES                                     43-39258  EP-M  HARDSTAND  # 5 

 APRIL 17,1945     BROYLES                                     43-39258  EP-M  HARDSTAND  # 5 

 APRIL 20,1945     BROYLES                                     43-39258  EP-M  HARDSTAND  # 5



Sgt. Harold E. Johnson [of Stamford, TX] was also added as ball turret gunner to Cullimore’s crew [which as Cullimore terms it, “was his second crew”]. It also should be noted here that there is only limited information available on Harold E. Johnson” in the 100th BG web data base but I have several references to him in my letters back to the States. The web states he originally served on the Orville K. Broyles crew as a ball turret gunner and was a T/Sgt. {RE: 17Jan06---in searching for Johnson, I called all Johnsons in Stamford, TX  w/o success as well calling the Librarian and the VFW representative. Albert P. Lochra [ROG] of rhe Robbs/Broyles crew said that Johnson was the tail gunner on that crew and said his recollection was that Johnson was really from the Corpus Christi, TX area, which was news to me since my personal data showed Stamford. He is not now listed in the white pages at Corpus. All others on the crew except Frank Kopus, Jr [WG] and Gildea are deceased. No one on that crew had heard from Johnson since their crew broke up about VE Day. Robert V. Gildea [Bom] didn’t remember him as he had left the crew after 2-3 missions and became a group Bombardier. Kopus was from Livonia, MI. There is no information now in that city for Kopus other than he donated to the Republican Party in 2002. Cullimore , pilot of his post VEDay crew, had no recollection of Johnson.}