Personnel

CREW



1st Lt John H.Krauter                         P  FEH  SN# 0-718341

2nd Lt George J.Dobbelaere             CP  FEH

F/0 Fortunato A. "Freddy"Carello     NAV  FEH

2nd Lt Armand M.Archambault        BOM  FEH

 Sgt Daniel F.Balitas                      TTE  FEH

 Cpl Francis E. Burns                     BTG  FEH

 Cpl Irving Goldstein                     ROG  FEH

 Cpl Milton G.Harvey                      WG  FEH

 Cpl Francis T.Meyer                       TG  FEH 



350th Sqdn.  Joined 100th Group on 18/2/45.  This became a lead crew and Maj. David Lyster (350th BS C.O.) flew with this crew several times.  After 10 missions this crew went on Flak Leave to Belfast.  Cpl Francis Meyer was known as the "Black Sheep" of the Crew.



MISSIONS OF LT JOHN H. KRAUTER CREW (COMPILED BY LT KRAUTER AND LT CARELLO TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY)



      DATE          CITY                   TARGET



1.    04/03/45    ULM                   S.T. "MILK RUN" COL SUTTERLIN IN LEAD

2.    07/03/45    SIEGEN               S.T.

3.    09/03/45    FRANKFURT         A/C FACTORY

4.    10/03/45    DORTMUND         MARSHALLING YARDS

5.    12/03/45    SWINEMUNDE      DOCKS

6.    19/03/45    FULDA/JENA        HIT BAUSCH/LOMB OPTICAL WORKS

7.    22/03/45    ALHORN             AIRFIELD

8.    23/03/45    MARBURG            100TH "D" SQUADRON

9.    24/03/45    STEENWIJK        AIRFIELD

10.  24/03/45    ZIEGENHAIN       AIRFIELD

    FLAK LEAVE TO BELFAST, IRELAND

11.  31/03/45    BAD BERKA         OIL REFINERY  100TH "A" GROUP

12.  03/04/45    KIEL                   SUB PENS  C Sqdn. KRAUTER   994  D   hardstand  37 

13.  04/04/45    KIEL                   SUB PENS  D Sqdn. KRAUTER   994  D   hardstand  37

14.  05/04/45    NURNBURG          MARSHALLING YARDS

15.  07/04/45    BUCHEN              OIL STORAGE c Sqdn  KRAUTER  840 H  Hardstand 32  

16.  10/04/45    BRUG-bei-MAGDEBURG

17.  11/04/45    LANDSHUT          ORD DEPOT C Sqdn,  KRAUTER  994 D  Hardstand 37

18.  14/04/45    ROYAN               GROUND DEFENSES, D Sqdn,  KRAUTER  994 D  Hardstand 37

19.  15/04/45    ROYAN               GROUND DEFENSES, B Sqdn, KRAUTER 994D Hardstand 37

20.  16/04/45    ROYAN               GROUND DEFENSES

       19/04/45   Combat Mission SCRUBBED,flew Practice Mission instead KRAUTER 975 Z, Hardstand 27A, D Sqdn,

21.  20/04/45    ORANIENBURG     MARSHALLING YARDS



CHOWHOUNDS:

   5/5/45 CHOWHOUND HILVERSUM  KRAUTER 994D Hardstand 37,  A Sqdn, 

   5/7/45 CHOWHOUND  KRAUTER  994D Hardstand 37, D Sqdn,

LINZ-AUSTRIA:  PICKED UP 15 FRENCH PRISON LABORERS, RETURNED TO ORLY FIELD, PARIS

TRANSPORTED TROOPS TO PORT LEYAUTEY

6/4/45  JUNE 4th GREEN SUPPORT MISSION to North Africa  KRAUTER  260E Hardstand 27, D Sqdn: TRANSPORTED TROOPS TO CASABLANCA, THEN FLEW TO MERRAKECH AT 150 MILES INTO THE DESERT OASIS BASE. STAYED OVERNIGHT AND RETURND TO BASE.

 AN ODE TO B-17 “994”

 

The 8th Air Force: Commanding Officers, Ground Crew, Personnel

The 100th Bomb Group at Thorpe Abbotts

Each member of the John Krauter Crew

Even to this day all receive praise for efforts to defeat the Third Reich in WWII

With poetic license I wish to praise

?B17-“994”

 

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Buchen-07-04-45

Intelligence: “No flak; No Fighters

Underground Storage—the target”

Take off-Assembly-Routine

The roar of her engines broke the stillness of the East Anglican morn

The leader at 15,000 feet

Her altitude—much lower

 

About ten minutes to I.P. (Initial Point)

“Bandits 6 o’clock high”

Turned onto bomb run\

DIRECT HIT

“994” lifted about fifty feet in the air

Harvey calls: “Tail Hit”

Dropped bombs on target

Headed to R.P. (Rally Point)

 

“Pilot to Navigator: Losing fuel; check rate of fuel loss

ETA to Dutch Coast; ETA to English Coast”

“994” encountered strong head winds

Inched her way to Dutch Coast

Approaching the icy waters of the North Sea

Pilot Krauter, whose hope fed on faith in “994” ordered

?“LET’S GO FOR IT”

 

“994” touched down at Thorpe Abbotts

Taxied to hardstand

As she parked, her engines conked out—no fuel

 

Next day

Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator, Bombardier

Checked in at hardstand #37

There she was

A FORTRESS—her battle wounds healed

Sixty riveted patches sealed her flak holes

Fuel line to left wing tank replaced

Yes, she was in control again

Ready for her next mission.

 

Fortunato A. Carello

??????Navigator, B-17 “994”