Photo Gallery

Courtesy of Daughter Michelle Lemmons

William I. Chang LWG on Lt Walter Grenier Crew. KiA Sept 6, 1943

Grave site memorial to William E. Green

FARRELL DAVIS OBITUARY Farrell Jack "Timberline" Davis Farrell passed peacefully in his sleep on March 30, 2023. He was 98 years old. Farrell was born November 19, 1924 in Holly Springs, Ga to Andrew Jackson Davis and Azzie Ann Roe Davis. Farrell's grandparents were Joe Davis and Mary Long and Ancil Roe and Eveline Cantrell. He lived with several relatives and friends until high school where he attended and graduated from the Martha Berry School for Boys in Rome, Ga. Farrell enlisted in the Army Air Corp at age 16 and enrolled in flight training. However, his real interest was radios and electronics, and he was able to change his MOS and attend the Army Radio School at Camp Crowder, Missouri. After training, he was assigned to a B-17 Bomber crew as a radio operator and was stationed at Thorpe Abbots, England. He spent the remainder of his enlistment flying with the 8th Air Force, 100th Bomb Group (the Bloody Hundredth), 350 Squadron. His aircraft was "The Spirit Of Pittwood", a Boeing B-17. On his 13th mission, the "Spirit of Pittwood" was so battle damaged that it could not release its bomb load, and it returned to base. Because that mission did not count toward their mission total, the crew flew the 13th mission again a few days later. Not counting the aborted 13th mission, Farrell and the crew of "The Spirit of Pittwood" flew a total of 23 missions over Europe and Axis Countries by the time the war ended. After VE Day, Farrell spent the next six months picking up prisoners of war from all over Europe and returning them for transfer back to the US. He once flew to North Africa with a cargo of footlockers filled with cash to pay troops including Gen. Patton's group, stationed there. Heading back to the US, his plane flew around Africa and crossed the Atlantic from Casablanca to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Farrell was discharged as a Lieutenant upon returning to his post in the US. He was awarded the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.

Grave stone of Lt Colonel John “Jack” Furrer at Arlington. Photo by Matt Mabe

Grave stone of Lt Colonel John “Jack” Furrer at Arlington National Cemetery

Following the moving scenes we witnessed in episode 3 of “Masters of the Air,” there has been significant interest in Lt. Curtis R. Biddick, pilot, 418th Bomb Squadron. Harry Crosby recalled: “Curtis Biddick was one of the most popular pilots in the original group…Biddick was a sweet guy, made even more genial by the Scotch he drank.” This is the original letter sent to Biddick’s mother by the Department of the Army, which noted his interment at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri, which included a photo of the grave.

Grave stone of S/Sgt Norbert DePauw

Gravestone of John F. McDonough, TTE on the John K. Justice crew. Photo courtesy of Brian Hetzel

Gravestone of Stanley S. Stopa, BTG on the John K. Justice crew. Courtesy of Brian hetzel