Personnel

CREW



2ND LT FRANCIS H. MIKESH                             P CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

2ND LT RALPH H. "Pinky" CHRISTENSEN           CP CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

2ND LT HARRY CHUDY                            NAV CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

2ND LT FREDERICK S. "Pappy" DAIGER III        BOM NOC GROUP ADJUTANT

T/SGT JOSEPH M. CIAMAICHELLA                 TTE CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

T/SGT RAMON CONEJO                             ROG CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

S/SGT DALE E. FRANCIS                            BTG CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

S/SGT EARL B. FOUTS                               WG NOC (TAKEN OFF CREW TO REDUCE TO 9)

S/SGT DONALD L. CARPENTER                      WG CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA

S/SGT WILLIAM F. DONDERO                       TG CPT 23 MAR 45 MARBURG & UNNA  (SHOT DOWN AN FW 190 AND RECEIVED AN

                                                                                                                                     OAK LEAF CLUSTER TO HIS AIR MEDAL)



418TH SQDN.. CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON 05 OCT 1944. A/C 339005 "Lucky Lassie" LD-Y

ACCORDING TO LT MIKISH, "LUCKY" LASSIE SUSTAINED BATTLE DAMAGE ON 6 FEB 45 FROM FLAK.  SHE HAD A WINDMILLING PROP THAT COULD NOT BE FEATHERED.  THE CREW HAD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING NEAR REIMS AND BLEW THE RIGHT TIRE UPON LANDING.    THERE WERE NO INJURIES .



 MISSIONS OF LT FRANCIS MIKESH CREW:



1. Hanover            10-26-44

2. Mersberg           11-2-44

3. Saarbackeb        11-9-44

4. Mersberg           11-21-44

5. Hamm               11-26-44

6. Hamm               11-29-44

7. Mersberg           11-30-44

8. Freidburg           12-4-44

9. Berlin                 12-5-44

10. Coblenz           12-11-44

11. Darmstadt        12-12-44

12. Biblis                12-24-44

13. Coblenz            12-28-44

14. Fulda               12- 29-44

15. Hamburg          12-31-44

16.   Cologne           1-7-45

17.   Mainz               1-13-45            

18.   Derben            1-14-45

19.   Heilbronn         1-20-45            

20.   Mannheim        1-22-45

21.   Chemnitz           2-6-45 (emergency landing in Reims, France, returned to base 11 days later)   

22.   Munster           2-19-45  

23.   Brunswick         3-2-45             

24.   Seigen             3-7-45

25.   Bochum            3-8-45             

26.   Frankfurt           3-9-45 

27.   Hamburg           3-11-45            

28.   Swinemunde     3-12-45

29.   Plavan              3-17-45            

30.   Berlin                3-18-45

31.   Jena                 3-19-45            

32.   Ahlhorne           3-22-45

33.   Unna                3-23-45





F.H Mikesh flew 3 Chowhound Missions without this Crew.  Was assigned a pick up crew for the ChowHounds.  Retuned home Dec 45.





CHEMNITZ -Feb 6, 1945 that was emergency landing, no casualties except Pappy Daiger who never flew again and became Group Adjutant instead. 



Ralph states that just after bomb run on Chemnitz in far eastern Germany, they took direct flak hit to #3 engine, could not control windmilling of propeller.   Limping westward towards England, they barely made it to emergency landing in Reims, France. Ralph recalls that he and Mikesh had fierce argument in cockpit about whether/how much to throw out to lighten load.  Although Reims was under Allied control, it's NE of Paris near border with Belgium and there were still many Germans present wreaking havoc, only weeks after Battle of the Bulge - they often knew passwords and other details which made them difficult to spot and very dangerous to downed fliers.  Ralph and Mikesh crew walked to train station, took train to Paris and C-47 back to London, then train to Diss.  No one at 100thBG base knew the crew whereabouts, were surprised when they showed up 11 days after mission; Ralph said their bags and trunks were packed and ready to be shipped back to states. 

Ralph Christensen 

1922 - 2017 Obituary



Ralph Christensen, 95 of Badger, SD died Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at the Arlington Care and Rehabilitation Center in Arlington.



Ralph Christensen lived almost his entire life within a two-block area of Badger, SD, but that definitely did not mean that he lived a small life. Ralph was born to Jens "Motorcycle" and Annie Christensen, and was their only child for the first 18 years of his life before his baby sister Mary was born. Ralph gained the nickname "Bicycle", which stuck for 90-plus years. He spent his early years farming with his father, including planting and harvesting the land that is currently Lake Albert during the dry years of the 1930's. He attended school in Badger and Arlington, graduating in 1939. 



On October 14, 1942 (after Lake Albert filled with water again), Ralph enlisted in the Army Air Corps and trained in Altus, OK. Thus began the chapter of his life that led him across the Atlantic and provided him with another 75 years-worth of stories to tell. Ralph was stationed with the 100th Bomb Group in Thorpe Abbott, England as a B-17 co-pilot. He and the rest of the Lucky Lassie crew flew 33 missions, including an emergency landing after taking fire, which led to an 11-day walk through Nazi-occupied France, train trip to Paris, and ride on a C-47 transport back to London. Ralph remained an active member of the 100th Bomb Group and loved attending reunions with his crew around the country.



After returning to Badger in 1945, Ralph married Hazel Johnson on August 1. They had two children, George and Janet. Ralph was a farm implement salesman for Owatonna Manufacturing Company, frequently flying his Cessna on his sales trips. He and Hazel raised their children, farmed, sold Vari-pols and Vari-dors (Ralphs inventions), built the community, and square-danced in Badger and the surrounding area for the next 70 years. They began spending winters in Mesa, AZ in the 70's, where they loved any excuse to celebrate with their snowbird friends. He and Hazel traveled the world and he made many trips to visit relatives in Denmark. Ralph was a member of Badger Lutheran Church and the Badger American Legion. He loved entertaining visitors and telling stories, and was a voracious reader and Aquavit aficionado -a nod to his Danish heritage.



Ralph is survived by his daughter Janet Bjordahl, grandchildren Carrie (Jeff) Churchill, Erik (Angie) Bjordahl, Krista (Tim) Haug, Todd (Renae) Christensen, and Kurt (Mandi) Christensen; his great grand-children Hannah, Molly, Bella, Kai, Thomas, Evan and Meredith; his sister Mary's children Sarah Snudden and Geoff Snudden; faithful companion and Lincoln Town Car co-pilot Abbie the dog; and many cousins, nieces and nephews both in the USA and Denmark. 



He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Hazel, son George, son-in-law Phil Bjordahl, and sister Mary Snudden. 



Memorial services for Mr. Christensen will be at 10:30 am on Saturday, September 2, 2017 at the Badger Lutheran Church with Pastor David Patterson officiating, burial will be in the Badger Cemetery. Ralph requested that memorials be given to the Badger Cemetery or the Badger American Legion.

Published in The Argus Leader on Aug. 30, 2017