Personnel

CREW



2ND LT   CHARLES W. WILSON          P CPT 15 APR 45 ROYAN                                  sn# O-526414

2ND LT   JAMES M. HARBISON         CP CPT 04 APR 45 KIEL  (Pilot of Lt Dewey Crew)  sn# O-775881

    F/O    JACK BERKOWITZ             NAV POW 31 DEC 44 HAMBURG (WITH MacNAB)

2ND LT   RAYMOND E. COMER, JR.   BOM POW 31 DEC 44 HAMBURG (WITH MacNAB)  sn# O-777438

    CPL   EMERY N. CASTLE            ROG FEH                                                            sn# 37523614

    CPL   NORMAN G. NANCE           TTE FEH                                                            sn# 19171578

    CPL   JAY D. KENDELL               BTG FEH                                                            sn# 39908662

    CPL   GEORGE L. PESLER            WG CPT 24 MAR 45 STEENEIJK/ ZIEGENHAINE      sn# 35051164

    CPL   ARCHIE E. HOFFPAUIR         WG FEH                                                          sn# 38266722

    CPL   JACK R. DeBORDE              TG FEH                                                            sn# 39615579



350th Sqdn. Crew, as above, joined the 100th Group on 29 Sep 44.

15 Missions of Lt Harbison with Lt Charles "Hong Kong" Wilson Crew (mpf 2003)



DATE             TARGET



15 OCT 44      COLOGNE

17 OCT 44      COLOGNE

19 OCT 44      LUDWIGSHAVEN & MANNHEIN, OIL REFINERY

26 OCT 44      HANOVER, TANK WRKS & MITBURG

30 OCT 44      MERSEBURG (RECALLED/ WEATHER)

02 N0V 44      MERSEBURG, OIL REFINERY

24 DEC 44      BABENHAUSEN, KAISERLAUTERN

25 DEC 44      KAISERLAUTERN

31 DEC 44      HAMBURG (flying lead, high squadron with Maj Harry Cruver, Lt Harbison was formation officer on this mission)

06 JAN 45      ANNWEILER

10 JAN 45      COLOGNE

14 JAN 45      DERBEN

28 JAN 45      DUISBURG (believe with different 1st pilot since HK was now pilot of Lt Fowler Crew-mpf 2003)

03 FEB 45      BERLIN      (believe with different 1st pilot since HK was now pilot of Lt Fowler Crew-mpf 2003)

06 FEB 45      CHEMNITZ (believe with different 1st pilot since HK was now pilot of Lt Fowler Crew-mpf 2003)







ENLISTED MEN FROM HK WILSON ORIGINAL CREW JOIN LT RAIFORD'S CREW IN JAN 1945

Lt Raifords Lead Crew after Jan 1945: 



Lt David G. Raiford             Lead Pilot

Lt Robert Wendling           Co-Pilot/Formation Officer

Capt Ross Chenney            Lead Navigator (from original crew of Lt Armstrong)

2nd Lt Charles J. Scott       moved up to Lead NAV (FEH) (from original crew of Lt McNab)

1st Lt Douglas S. Eden       moved up to Lead BOM (FEH) (from original crew of Lt McNab)          sn# 0-1997861

1st Lt Paul R.Ruth,Jr.          Lead Bombardier (from original crew of Lt Fellows)

2nd Lt Harry Tennenbaum   Mickey Operator (from Lt Shaddix original Crew)

1st Lt Earl Frye                   Radar/Nav          (flew with Lt Seamans lead crew and Assigned Group Radar Officer on 8 Apr 1945)                   

2nd Lt James  M. Pivonka     Mickey Operator (from Lt Dawson Crew)

ENLISTED MEN ARE FROM LT CHARLES "HONG KONG" WILSON'S CREW.ASSIGNED TO LT RAIFORD BEGINNING OF JAN 1945. 

T/Sgt  EMERY N. CASTLE      ROG FEH                                                                                sn# 37523614

T/Sgt  NORMAN G. NANCE     TTE FEH                                                                                sn# 19171578

Sgt   JAY D. KENDELL           BTG FEH moved to WG when became Lead Crew                        sn# 39908662

Sgt   GEORGE L. PESLER        WG CPT 24 MAR 45 STEENEIJK/ ZIEGENHAINE                         sn# 35051164

Sgt   ARCHIE E. HOFFPAUIR    WG FEH Transferred to 15th Air Force when became lead Crew    sn# 38266722

S/Sgt   JACK R. DeBORDE        TG FEH flew 10 missions as formation officer.                             Sn# 39615579



Missions of S/Sgt Jack Deborde with Lt Raiford Crew/Lead Crew



06 JAN 45      ANNWEILER

10 JAN 45      COLOGNE

14 JAN 45      DERBEN

28 JAN 45      DUISBURG 

03 FEB 45      BERLIN      

06 FEB 45      CHEMNITZ 

21 FEB 45      NURNBURG

24 FEB 45      BREMEN

26 FEB 45      BERLIN

03 MAR 45     BRUNSWICK

10 MAR 45     DORTMUND

11 MAR 45     HAMBURG

14 MAR 45     HANOVER

17 MAR 45     PLAUEN

19 MAR 45     JENA

22 MAR 45     ALHORN

28 MAR 45     HANOVER

31 MAR 45     BAD BERKA

09 APR 45     MUNICH

15 APR 45     ROYAN

17 APR 45     AUSSIG





Dear Mr. Faley

A friend of mine, Bill Wilkins, has been in touch with you about my service with the 100th Bomb Group in England during World War II. I must confess my record keeping at that time of my life was very imperfect. 

 

We arrived in England in September of 1944. We began to fly combat missions soon after our arrival. After six missions we were designated a lead crew. We engaged in extensive lead crew training and, as I recall, it was late November before flew in combat as a lead crew. We were on the famous Hamburg mission, December 31, 1944. I found the following handwritten note from a form I submitted regarding that flight:



"When flying over Hamburg on the 31 of Dec. '44 the group was hit by FW 190's and Me 109's and endured a very concentrated fighter attack. My crew was leading the high squadron and we returned to the base with four airplanes of the original twelve. Although I was on the radio much of the time my crew was credited with two FW 190's destroyed as well as one damaged and one probable." 

 

I do not have a record of all of the missions I flew. In addition to Hamburg, other targets included Meresberg, Cologne, Hanover, and Munich. I have a form stating I was on 26 heavy combat missions over Germany. We were flying missions as the war came to an end, and it is not clear that 26 included all of the combat mission we flew. Members of my crew claimed we flew 30 missions. I do not know with certainty, and do not much care. In addition to combat missions, we dropped food to the low lands. As I recall, we also dropped fire bombs on locations where there was continued resistance as the war was coming to an end.   

 

I hope this will be of some interest. I regret the information I have is imperfect.  

 

Emery Castle ROG   emerycastle@comcast.net