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 NOC       sn# 37523614

    CPL   NORMAN G. NANCE           TTE NOC       sn# 19171578

    CPL   JAY D. KENDELL               BTG NOC       sn# 39908662

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

    CPL   ARCHIE E. HOFFPAUIR         WG NOC       sn# 38266722

    CPL   JACK R. DeBORDE              TG NOC         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)





CREW



DATE: 31 December 1944                  350th Sqdn.       A/C #43-38457  Nine Lives



MISSION: Hamburg                                            MACR #11359,Microiche 4180



1st Lt William G.MacNab             P      KIA

2nd Lt Nelson B.Vaughan           CP      KIA

2nd Lt Jack Berkowitz             NAV    POW From C.W. Wilson crew

2nd Lt Raymond E.Comer, Jr.    BOM    POW From C.W. Wilson crew

 T/Sgt Henry S.Ethridge           ROG    KIA

 T/Sgt Jo6eph A.Chadwick      TTE    POW

 S/Sgt Edward L.Woodall,Jr.    BTG      POW

 S/Sgt Duane F.Rench            WG     KIA

 S/Sgt Francis J.Seyfried         TG      KIA



350th Sqdn.    Joined 100th on 26 AUG 1944. L.R. DeLmolino became a Intelligence Specialists in the 351st. 

 Charles J.Scott and Douglas S. Eden were replaced for the 31 Dec 1944 Hamburg mission by Jack Berkowitz and Raymond E. Comer, both from the Hong Kong Wilson crew and both became POWs. Scott and Eden moved up to Lead Navigator and Lead Bombardier after the crew's 16th mission and were flying at the end of hostilities.



EYEWITNESS: "At 1250 hours,19,000 feet,2 B-17's believed to be A/C 43-38457 and

             A/C 42-31987 pancaked together,circled and crashed,still attached to

             each other.Six chutes were seen before the A/C landed,most of them are

             believed to have fallen on land.There was no fire from the A/C in the

             air or on the ground although there was some smoke."



p.91/92 of CONTRAILS gives U8 a bit more graphic picture.  "Lt.W.MacNab was leading

the "C" Squadron low flight. Lt.G.Rojohn flew behind and high.In the fierce aerial

struggle,both MacNab and his co-pilot,Lt.N.Vaughan,had been wounded.Their ship rose

periously toward Rojohn's,who had moved in after Webster had been downed. A collision

seemed unavoidable.

There was a sickening thud as the planes made contact.They shuddered and locked, headed

out over the North Sea.The engines of MacNab's lower plane were smoking. Rojohn and his

co-pilot,Lt.W.Leek,immediately cut their engine switches,avoiding a probable

explosion.

The situation was something too fantastic for even Hollywood to simulate.The two planes

clung together as Rojohn and Leek battled the controls,and by sheer strength,managed

to slowly turn the eight enginied monstrosity toward land.

T/Sgt Chadwick bailed out while ths planes were still over water,but his chute fortun-

ately did not collapse,and he was washed ashose . . . S/Sgt. E.Woodall,also from MacNab's

ship ,landed in water and managed to reach shore. . . . . Chadwick was taken into

custody that night,together with navigator J.Berkwitz,bombardier R. Comer and Woodall.



Seven men,T/Sgt.O.Elkin,T/Sgt.E.Neuhaus,Sgt.J.Shirley,S/Sgts.J.Russo,R.Little,F.Chase,

and Lt.R.Washington bailed out of Rojohn's ship. . . . The fate of Russo,Little and

Chase was unknown



Rojohn and Leek continued to fight the controls,using the engines of the lower aircraft,

and rode the grafted bird in for a landing.

There have been amazing stunts pulled in the colorful and courageous history of mans

will to fly, from the days of Daedalus and Da Vinci to the days of the brother Wright

and Billy Mitchell,but none more strangely heroic than the day Rojohn and Lesk safely

crash-landed their two planes pick-a-back on a field in North Germany."

*********************************************************************************************************



From: comer5@consolidated.net

To: mpfaley@aol.com

Sent: 3/11/2009 10:22:06 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time

Subj: Reporting the death of a 100th BG veteran.



 

Dear Michael Faley,

 

  I am reporting the death of my father, Raymond Ermund Comer, Jr., who was a veteran of the 100th BG.                                

  He past away on March 6, 2009. Interment will be at Houston National Cemetery.

  Family contact information: Carl Comer at comer5@consolidated.net. Phone number is (936) 520-8744.

 

  Sincerely,

 

  Carl Comer            



RAYMOND E. COMER JR. 86,

BORN 11 JULY 1922

DIED 6 MARCH 2009

LAST RESIDENCE, HOUSTON, TX 77096

 

obit ran in the March 11,2009 Houston Chronicle











T

From crew of Hong Kong Wilson, he replaced Douglas S. Eden who'd been moved to Lead Crew.  Flew on MacNab crew during Piggyback Incident,