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44th Bomb Group Veterans Association
42-50427
8 BALL TAILS
Vol. 13 Issue #5
Non Profit Veterans Association
Journal of the
44th Bomb Group
Veterans Association
Fall 2013
EIN # 68-0351397
PATSY ANN II
Patsy Ann II came to the Shipdham, and was assigned to the 66th Squadron.
Her first mission of 46 missions was to Gotha, Germany on 24 February 1944.
Eighteen different crews flew in Patsy Ann II: George Insley, Shelby Irby, J.
M. Schwensen, John Winchester, Harry Yoder, Harold Morrison, Dale
Benadom, Keith Schuyler, Robert Rose, Joseph Parks, Jr., Arnold Sarson,
Robert Edmonson, Ted Weaver, Joseph Principle, Quintin Torell, Charles
Gayman, Robert Edmonson and James Wilson.
The last mission of Patsy Ann II was to Bernberg, Germany on 7 July 1944,
flown by James Wilson. Shot down by enemy fighters, one member of the
crew was KIA; nine became POW.
1
�2013
President: George Washburn
11505 N. Armenia Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33612
Phone (813) 932-6425
E-Mail: liberatorpilot@msn.com
Director: Sterling Dobbs
P. O. Box 825
LaGrange, Texas 78945
Phone 979 249-3838
E-Mail: b24dobbs@cvctx.com
Vice President/Historian:
Roger D. Fenton
21539 East Alyssa Court
Queen Creek, AZ 85142
Phone (480) 893-3761
E-Mail: lomadanger@aol.com
Director: Charles W. Tilton
812 Scenic Drive
Charleston, WV 25311-4165
Phone 304 346-4165
E-Mail: ctilton4165@suddenlink.net
Secretary/8 Ball Tails Editor:
Ruth W. Davis-Morse
2041 Village Circle East
York, PA 17404
Phone (717) 846-8948
Fax (717) 846-6688
E-Mail: rdavismorse@aol.com
Treasurer: Jackie Roberts
11910 SE 44th
Oklahoma City, OK 73150
Phone 405 732-5838
E-Mail: mywings@cox.net
UK Representative: Steve Adams
28 Bassingham Road
Norwich, England NR3 2 QT
Phone 011-44-1603-400221
E-Mail: Stephenadams2009@BTInternet.com
Database Custodian and Webmaster:
Arlo Bartsch, Webmaster
42 Promesa Drive
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas 71909
Phone 501 922-5247
E-Mail: Afbas@aol.com
Director: Richard Lynch
109 Jason Road, Box 518
Conrad, Iowa 50621-0518
Phone(641) 366-2414
E-Mail: r_blynch@heartofiowa.net
(first three letters r_b)
(Web Page courtesy of
X-Mission, Salt Lake City, Utah)
2
�THE GEORGE INSLEY CREW
66TH SQUADRON
Back L-R: Allen S. Deutsh, Ball Turret Gunner; Paul Kittle, Ball Turret Gunner;
Frank Bata, Waist Gunner; John Young, Waist Gunner.
Front: Rudolph Jandreau, Engineer/Top Turret Gunner; George Insley, Pilot;
Milton Feinstein/Fenton, Navigator; George Federlin, Tail Gunner.
Missing from the picture: James Harper, Co-Pilot; Leonard Dwelle, Bombardier
The George Insley Crew flew two tours, starting 27 February 1944. Three of those
missions were in Patsy Ann II, to Gotha, Germany, which was Patsy Ann II’s first
flight. After that, to Friedrichshafen on 16 May and to St. Dizier/Robinson, France on
24 March 1944. In their two tours they also flew in Myrtle the FertileTurtle, Scourge
of the Skies, The Banshee, Shoo Shoo Baby, Avenger, Big Banner, M’Darling,
Southern Comfort III, My Ass Am Dragon, and Lil Cookie.
Their last mission was 15 February 1945.
3
�THE 8 BALL TAILS SALUTES
THE MOST FAMOUS PLANE IN THE 44TH BOMB GROUP
41-23817
Suzy Q came to the Shipdham on 20 September 1942. She was assigned
to the 67th Squadron, and was one of the 67th’s original ships. She flew 28
missions, the most famous was on 1 August 1943 to Ploesti, the Romanian
oil fields.
Leon Johnson became the Group Commander on 15 January 1943. The
database shows that he led the group on 11 of the first 33 missions after he
assumed command. These leads included Kiel and Ploesti. Each of those
missions earned the group a Distinguished Unit Commendation. He also led
the mission to Rome, Italy, and a portion of the initial D-Day assault.
Suzy Q was lost on the Foggia mission of 16 August 1943. On that day it
was being flown by the Walter Bateman crew. The entire crew was KIA.
The Crew Chief was Marian Bagley.
The Ploesti Raid earned Leon Johnson the Medal of Honor.
4
�The leadership skills of Leon
Johnson were recognized early in
his career. He was one of the first
flying officers in the 8th Air Force,
serving as Assistant Chief of Staff
during its formation period in
Savannah, Georgia. In 1942 when
the 8th AF flew to England, Leon
Johnson accompanied them; and
the following year, assumed
command of the 44th Bomb Group
in Shipdham.
He led the mission to Kiel,
Germany, earning a Unit Citation
for the 44th. On August 1, 1943 he
joined the 9th AF in the low level
attack in Ploesti, Romania. This
brought another Unit Citation to
the 44th, and earned him the
Medal of Honor.
His next assignment was to the
th
14 Combat Wing, a position he
General Leon Johnson
held until the end of the war.
After VE Day he became Chief of Personnel Services of the AAF, Headquartered in
Washington DC; then served in the Strategic Air Command as Commander of the
15th AF in Colorado Springs, CO. Following that, he became Commander to NATO
in Washington, DC, next he was assigned to SHAPE in Paris, France. Later he was
reassigned to the Pentagon in Washington, DC. He retired in 1961, after 34 years
of service.
It is indisputable, Leon Johnson was one of the most admirable leaders that the
th
44 BG could have ever wished for. Always eager to share his Medal of Honor
when he was alive, and crediting all the men who joined him in the Ploesti mission,
it is now located at the Army Heritage Education Center in Carlisle, PA. It had been
presented by his grandson, Leon Johnson Abbott.
I DON’T MAKE JOKES. I JUST WATCH THE GOVERNMENT AND REPORT THE FACTS.
- WILL ROGERS
IN GENERAL, THE ART OF GOVERNMENT CONSISTS OF TAKING AS MUCH MONEY AS
POSSIBLE FROM ONE PARTY OF THE CITIZENS TO GIVE TO THE OTHER.
- VOLTAIRE (1764)
JUST BECAUSE YOU DO NOT TAKE AN INTEREST IN POLITICS DOESN’T MEAN POLITICS
WON’T TAKE AN INTEREST IN YOU.
- PERICLES (450 BC)
5
�Our extra special editor has granted me the privilege
of addressing a farewell note to our beloved 44th
family. I would like to use this final opportunity to
thank each of our large and faithful family a sincere
THANK YOU. Your determined dedication to honoring
the memory of the 44th crews and their ground
support echelon has been extraordinary. Will Lundy
constantly implored ‘Never Forget’, and you have not.
Perhaps the most significant mission assigned to
the 44th Bomb Group (H) during WWII was its
participation in the low level attack upon the Ploesti
oil complex on 1 August 1943.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of that
epic air-land battle, an impressive reunion was held
Bob Lehnhausen
in Salt Lake City. The highlight of the reunion was the
Memorial Service held in the Base Chapel at Hill Air
Force Base. It was my honor to have been asked to represent the 44th in that very
dignified memorial ceremony.
My remarks that day remain the same as I wish to express today. The 44th Bomb
Group was blessed with unusually brilliant Command leadership, possessed Combat
Crews of unusual courage, and those crews were the beneficiaries of a superb
ground echelon.
While Ploesti was only one of our assigned combat tasks, it gloriously represents
the whole of the effort that the 44th contributed in 33 months of uninterrupted
combat duty in Europe and Africa, assisting in the defeat of the Axis powers and
assuring world freedom.
I salute each of you for your avid support of the 44th Bomb Group Veterans
Association. I especially compliment George Washburn and each of our officers
and Board memmbers for their willingness to lend their individual talents to the
meaningful organization. Finally a huge virtual bouquet to our gifted Editor, Ruth
Davis Morse, whose many years of amazing energy have produced a wonderful
publication, 8 BALL TAILS, that has been our organizational life line.
NEVER FORGET
Bob Lehnhausen
Ed. Note: Bob has been the silent leader of the 44th BG since its inception. He was one of the
Founders of the group, has served many years on the Board, and attended all reunions until ill
health limited him.
Bob has served as peacemaker, problem solver and adviser on all activities of the Board. His
memories of historical moments in Shipdham have added to the 8 Ball Tails stories. This 68th
Squadron Commander never stopped being a great leader.
6
�FINAL PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of this
fantastic organization on October 1. I have been attending
reunions since 1976. The 44th Bomb Group usually had
the largest attendance at their reunions. Then Joe Warth
started doing separate reunions for the 44th and finally the
44th BGVA was formed - thanks to several people including
Bob Lehnhausen, Will Lundy, Roy Owen and others.
Then to become president in 2007 upon the passing of
Robert Kay and finally give some small contribution to the
organization. The real workers, of course are the secretary, the treasurer, the
historian, and the awards chairman. Many thanks to Ruth and Perry Morse,
Betty and Dick Lynch, Will Lundy, Roger Fenton, and Lee Aston. My thanks also
to my Squadron CO, Bob Lehnhausen, who I could always rely on for sound
advice and guidance, then and now. It has been a great ride.
We all owe a special thanks to that B-17 pilot, Arlo Bartsch, who developed
and continues to maintain and add to the Data Base program - a unique
system that, sadly, no other bomb Group has. He also has really developed
and maintains our web site which is undoubtedly the best one for any 8th AF
group! You can be sure that the web site will be there for many years thanks to
Arlo and his son. He certainly deserves being an honorary member of the 44th
BGVA!! I look back to those war days and think of the great leaders we had General Johnson, Col Gibson and Lt. Col. Lehnhausen .
I clearly remember General Johnson addressing the briefing for the first close
troop support mission in Normandy a few weeks after D-Day. He rose and said
we had never done such a mission before - it might be quite rough - he wanted
to see firsthand how it went and would be in the lead plane. I believe he had to
get special permission to do that as he had done his quota!
As voted at our 2010 reunion, our remaining funds (about $20,000) will be
distributed - 10% to the Mighty 8th Museum in Savannah and 90% to the Army
Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle PA where all of Will Lundy’s records
reside. Although we are dissolving our formal association, let us still keep in
touch and continue to answer inquiries from anyone looking for info about the
44th Bomb Group.
George Washburn
7
�LETTER FROM SHIPDHAM
By Peter Bodle
As my time in this chair draws to a close, it would not
be right not to publicly do a bit of the academy award
‘Thank You’ lists. In my 10/12 years of writing, your editor
Ruth has been the easiest and most understanding editor
I have ever worked with, and has always inflicted the very
minimum of ‘cutting’ on my pieces. Thanks for that
Ruth…I’ll send you a few names and addresses of some
of my other editors and perhaps you can give them a
master class on how to do it? To ‘our man’ in the UK
Steve Adams, a mighty thanks for getting me involved in
the first place and for sharing so much that it would be
impossible to list in this single page. To George (and
Cynthia) a further thank you for many years of great friendship and several wonderful
moments together at your old home in Norfolk. And final of course to all of you,
for your service and devotion to duty all those years ago when my country was
standing alone in Europe and really had its back against the wall. I have had the
pleasure of meeting many of you, some like Lee Aston and Mary, on several
occasions, and I look back on those times with great fondness. However for me the
greatest pleasure has been the ability to write about you and what you did during
WWII, and the fact that the books I have written will be read by thousands and will
enshrine your story in words and pictures (and now in e-book form) for hundreds,
if not thousands of years to come. I am also pleased to say I have been asked to
re-work some of my books by a new publisher who feels that there is still room to
produce further books about the life and times of the 44th and the rest of the boys
of the 2nd Air Division. This project is underway as we speak.
In my last copy of ‘Tails’ I was sent a copy of Old News, which some of you may
be familiar with. It described England’s darkest hour in those bleak war days when
we had to evacuate an entire army from Dunkirk. When I had my house in Norfolk
built, one of my sons found and recovered a solid brass porthole from one of the
‘little ships’ that did that fateful ‘England to France and back’ journey with many
escaping soldiers aboard and passed it to me as a gift. It seemed the best thing to
preserve it forever was to physically build it into the brickwork of the house. That
way it had a really great chance of lasting many hundreds of years. So now it is
permanently cemented into the west wall of the house and, rather fittingly, greets
the rising sun on a daily basis, with its position allowing a golden shaft of light to
be thrown across the house on those days when it all lines up correctly. I will make
a small plaque to fit under it so that in the year 2513 people will still know what it
stands for. The efforts and sacrifices of you all during that time must never be
forgotten, and they must and will be preserved.
Take good care of yourselves.
Peter
8
�For most of
the readers of
the Tails, my
name is Roger
Fenton. I have
had the honor
for several
years to be a
member of the
Board and over
the last four or
five years I
Roger Fenton
have held the
post of Vice President and Historian for
the Association. I am a second generation
member as my father served with the 44th
from September 1943 until May 1945
completing two tours as a Navigator with
the George Insley crew. He broke in as a
Second Lt. and left as a Captain. It has
been an experience of a lifetime for me.
I have met many heroes and made several
friends during my stay with the 44th
Association. I have learned so much and
made so many lifelong friends that it is a
very sad time for me seeing the Association
retiring and members not meeting any
longer. The accomplishments of this
organization have been many and the
history of this group will live on forever
because of the efforts of this Association.
The Association has set up a repository for
their history at the Carlisle Army War
College in Carlisle PA. Every history buff,
and anyone with a connection to the 44th
BG. should make a pilgrimage there and
see the material that the 44th BG. Association
has placed there. The College is a moving
history of our nation’s army’s contribution
to our freedom. I know that there are
several 2nd and 3rd generations concerned
that with the ending of this Association,
the 44th will fade away and be forgotten.
I would like to say this: that will never
happen. Dave Webster, one of our very
good members who adopted the 44th BG
Association as his home, although his
family history was not a part of the 44th,
began a Facebook page simply called
the “44th Bomb Group”. As I write this
message there are over 70 members all
second and third and so on generation,
plus several folks who live in the Shipdham
area of England that are members. We
meet daily on Facebook and exchange our
father’s and grandfather’s experiences,
along with hundreds and hundreds of
pictures. Anyone can join and their input
is welcomed. Maybe one day we all will
get together and meet in person. In any
case all are invited to join at no expense
except your time and participation in
keeping the 44th alive. In any case I just
wanted to say that I have enjoyed my
time with the 44th Bomb Group Veterans
Association and that it has been an
experience of a lifetime that I will never
forget and will continue to help preserve
the great history of this group. Thank you
from the bottom of my heart for allowing
me to be a part of the 44th BGVA and I
considered each and everyone one of you
as family, please be sure to stay in contact
if at all possible.
Ed. Note: Roger Fenton has been the greatest
Vice President/Historian that the 44th could ever
ask for. He and Steve Adams have supplied
most of the plane photos that have graced the
covers of the 8 Ball Tails. I remember the one
year he drove twelve hours to get to a Board
Meeting in Chicago. He has supplied jokes and
philosophical sayings that were appropriate to
break up the sobering combat stories, much of
which what the 8 Ball Tails is about. I have been
with Roger only a few times, but we are the
best of e-mail friends. The 44th BG and I have
been so lucky to have him aboard. He was
appointed to the Board, courtesy of thenPresident, Jerry Folsom. Later, he was nominated
VP by the Chairman of the Nominating
Committee, Robert Lehnhausen.
9
�THE JACKIE ROBERTS STORY
letter, and asking that they please contact
me if you knew my father.
I received all fifty back, telling me that
my story was so heartfelt, but they were not
the one I was looking for.
Then I received a call from a lady, saying
her husband was not the one either, but she
could put me in touch with a lady in the
Pentagon. The lady in the Pentagon got me
in touch with the 44th Bomb Group, and
said they could help me. Oh, if I had a
dollar for every time I heard that! But I
Jackie Roberts
wasn’t giving up. So I called a Roy Owen,
and that was the start of something I could
21 January 1944 My father, Jack N.
never have dreamed was going to happen
Ostenson was shot down. I was born 9
in the next thirteen years of my life.
days after his death. My Mom went to
Washington State and worked in the
I might have lost my father to WWII, but
shipyards during the war. And she left me
he was with the Greatest Heroes of the War.
in Idaho with my grandparents. They raised Little did I know I was about to get more
me, and I have always been forever grateful fathers and Heroes that I could ever imagine.
to them. My mom and I spent years trying
When I called Roy and told him my story,
to get records and information about my
father, but was always told the records had he said, “You won’t believe what I have in
front of me right now.” He asked if I was
burned in a fire at St. Louis where WWII
sitting down. He had the last mission in
records were stored. NOT TRUE. In 1999
front of him that my father was on, including
my husband, Lowell Roberts, and I started
when and where he was shot down!
looking for my father’s family. We knew
He had been looking at it because he
they were Mormon, so we went to Salt Lake
told me that there was another little girl
to start our search. We found information
about all of Jack’s sisters, brothers and their whose father and my father were flying side
by side when both were shot down. Her
spouses, but not where they lived when
name was Lois Cianci. Would I like to
Jack was in England. We looked for one
meet her?
sister in Denver, CO, and we found
information about a cousin living in
This was 1999, and they had just had
Enterprise, Utah. She had all of Jack’s
their reunion. But in 2000 they would be
personal things the member of the crew
having another, and would I like to come
(John Cleary) explaining about the last
and meet everyone? Well, yes. And from
flight. With the help of my oldest grandson that time until now, 2013, oh, how my life
and the computer, we found the address of has changed.
a lot of John Clearys.
At the 2000 reunion I didn’t want the
He wrote that only three men got out
night to end. Listening to the men tell their
alive. I sent this letter out, and wrote to
stories gave me some idea of what these
fifty gentlemen with the same name, to see brave men did. They promised me they
if I could find the one that had written the
would be there in the morning, I could hear
10
…continued on next page
�THE JACKIE ROBERTS STORY
CONTINUED
and I have arranged the last five Reunions
for you wonderful folks. We took over the
Roster, which is great, because once a year I
get to update it. So this means I call every
one of you, to make sure your address and
phone numbers are correct. And I love
talking to each and every one of you.
At this time I would like to take this time
to thank my wonderful husband of 54
years. If it wasn’t for him, all of this would
never have happened. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR MAKING MY DREAMS COME
TRUE. As we said, this has been the BEST
years with all of you WWII guys and your
families. We will never ever forget all of
you. This has been such a GREAT HONOR.
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US.
Lowell & Jackie Roberts
more. We went every year. I went from one
billfold size picture to two large suitcases
full of every piece of information about my
father that I could have imagined…thanks
to Will Lundy and Tony Mastradone.
In 2001 we went on the overseas tour,
saw his name in a gold lined case at St
Paul’s Cathedral and many other places,
along with others lost in action. We walked
down the road that he walked at the Air
Field at Shipdham, where he had been
stationed. I saw his name on the wall at
Normandy.
Also, from Lee Aston, I received all of my
father’s medals. I also shared all of this
information I got with my Dad’s family;
because like me, they were also uninformed.
In 2007 we were asked to take over the
Treasurer’s job. And my husband, Lowell,
Back Row: John Richardson, Crew Chief; Donald Hoeltke, Bombardier;
John Cleary, Navigator; Norm Ballangrud, Co-Pilot; Gary Mathisen, Pilot.
Bottom Row: Richard Allen, Radio Operator; Joseph Playford, Tail Gunner;
Leo Tyler, Ball Turret Gunner; Jack Ostenson, Left Waist Gunner; Victor Adams,
Right Waist Gunner.
11
�the well-being of the Association.
Our group achieved many goals: we
wanted a voice-over for the Ploesti exhibit
at the Mighty Eighth Museum in Poole,
Georgia. We ended up with a video on
display beside the exhibit; it far exceeded
our original request.
Our publication, the Eight Ball Tails, has
been placed in a dozen historic libraries,
here and in England.
Thanks to Lee Aston, who owns a
property with granite, with his Georgia
contacts, he found a company to cut and
design according to our specifications. It
stands in the court yard at the Army Heritage
Center at Carlisle. No other marker
compares to the grandeur of this
beautiful edifice.
I would be remiss if I did not include
the great help in preserving our history at
the Carlisle Center: Michael Lynch, who
convinced the group to place our history
in their library; Jack Gibbon, who helped
us design a great reunion on their premises;
Greg Statler and Michael Mira, who keep
copies of our 8 Ball Tails and a great deal
of other pieces of history, written by our
members; and Mike Perry, who helped us
in so many ways, particularly in getting
clearance from the Secretary of the Army,
for granting permission to place our
beautiful monument.
It is impossible to walk the court yard
trail, without seeing the array of bricks,
each with that famous 8 Ball design. It is
like a 44th reunion, walking among those
familiar and beloved names.
I am grateful for our young members
of the 44th, even though they have no kin
to inspire them: David Webster, Richard
Holliday and Charles Runyon, all have
collections which are available for display.
Blain Duxbury plans reunions for the men
who flew the Ploesti mission. Chris Clark’s
connection was his Uncle Frank. Chris has
As Editor
of the Eight
Ball Tails for
about twelve
years, I have
received
many letters
of thanks for
people who
enjoyed
reading it;
and a few
Ruth Morse
letters
complaining about the errors – deservedly.
My response: The opportunity to write
these stories has been humbling. I have
come to know greatness. I have worked
with great leaders – Roy Owen, Mike
Mikoloski, Bob Lehnhausen, Jerry Folsom,
Paul Kay, and George Washburn. I have
had the opportunity to meet great heroes;
and those that I didn’t meet, I wrote
about. Some made the history books –
Leon Johnson, Bill Cameron and many
more. Many had fantastic achievements
after the war – Will Lundy, without whom
we would have no history; Tony Mastradone, who aided in the research; Arlo
Bartsch, who spread the history across the
world with his Database; and Tommy
Shepherd, who found Arlo in the first
place. One thing for sure: They were all
heroes—the ones I knew and everybody I wrote about.
I had more stories than I could fit in
the magazine. With the help of Jackie
and Lowell Roberts, they got bundled in
groups of 150 pages, bound into books,
and are safely in the library at the Army
Education Center in Carlisle. Your children
and grandchildren or a history researcher
can go and read about your courageous
history.
It has also been a great pleasure, working
with wonderful members of the 44th BG
Board. Each one had a special interest in
12
…continued on next page
�RUTH MORSE
CONTINUED
nation. I also hope our young readers will
be active with the Heritage League, and
continue to perpetuate the 44th Bomb
Group’s glorious history.
become an expert researcher at the
National Archives and a leader in the
Heritage League.
Everything in life is temporary; and with
great sadness, I am putting out the last
issue. I hope our veterans can find joy that
they have made a major contribution to
the continued freedom in this great
God Bless all of you,
Ruth W. Davis-Morse
On a regular basis, Arlo Bartsch attended
the 44th Reunion and displayed his skills at
locating the combat histories of 44th
members on his computer. He urged them
to write their personal stories, to become
part of the history of this courageous
group. Many did. It is all on the website.
Arlo was the answer to a prayer of Will
Lundy, that our history could go into
Cyberspace. Even Will could not have
imagined the size of his dream that came
true. The web site is seen around the world.
Arlo Bartsch
A B-17 pilot, Arlo found a home with
the B-24 airmen, and his unique program became a fixture at reunions. Now, 60 years
after the war, it is even more valuable, as more and more young people use it to learn
about the life their fathers and grandfathers led when they were flying out of Shipdham.
Here’s Arlo’s opinion about his position as Webmaster:
“I can never say how grateful I am to the 44th BG for accepting my program. It is
an interesting challenge, every day, for me to think of ways to improve it. Getting to
know all of you, and having the opportunity to post your stories has been one of the
great bonuses of my later years.”
WE LOST A FRIEND FROM ENGLAND
George Washburn received the sad news of one our greatest English admirers, Brian
Peel has passed away. Brian supplied newspaper information to this editor on a regular
basis, any news related to Americans who visited and were honored in the Shipdham/
Norfolk area. A teenager when the war was on, Peel frequently visited American airmen in
their barracks. He was a regular visitor to the Shipdham air base, and enjoyed talking to
Americans who visited.
13
�I write this
letter with a
heavy heart,
knowing the
greatest group,
the 8th Army Air
Force is calling
time. The 8 Balls
blazed a path into
history. You were
second to none.
Steve Adams, our British
I was lucky to
Board Member
have been with
the group since Will Lundy contacted me
in 1979. We became friends.
The new group was formed by Will,
Roy Owen, Bob Lehnhausen and others.
It was during the first reunion in Norwich
that I was asked if I would be the UK
contact and look out for the 44th by Will
and Roy.
We have been truly blessed and
enriched to have known every one of you.
Where has the last 30 some years gone?
God Bless You All,
Steve and Jan Adams
Steve or Roger Fenton promptly produce one for
the cover of the 8 Ball Tails. Now he and a friend
are working on a book about the Second Air
Division.
Steve was a 16 year old kid when our airmen
were flying down that runway at Shipdham. He
started collecting memorabilia, and has the
largest collection of plane and airmen pictures of
anyone that I know. He has given much to the
Shipdham Aero Club Museum.
Steve sent a picture of the design on his
jacket – which is truly unique.
The 44th has been the luckiest group in the
world, working with Steve. He has been a
tremendous help to us, in distributing our 8 Ball
Tails to the Memorial Library in Norwich and the
Museum at Shipdham.
Steve wrote a book, The 44th Bomb Group in
WWII, a book to which I reference regularly, to
learn details about the planes in which you
gentlemen flew. Anytime I need a picture, either
LIGHT TRAVELS FASTER THAN SOUND. THAT’S WHY SOME PEOPLE APPEAR BRIGHT
UNTIL YOU HEAR THEM SPEAK!
IF THE SHOE FITS, GET ANOTHER ONE JUST LIKE IT.
GIVE A MAN A FISH, AND HE WILL EAT FOR A DAY. TEACH A MAN TO FISH, AND HE WILL
SIT IN A BOAT ALL DAY.
14
�LETTER FROM CHRIS CLARK
been successful at finding where the files
are not.
I would also like to report that the recent
reunion of the 8th Air Force in Savanna, GA
for the 39th reunion that there were three
members representing the 44th. One was
David Brubaker, the second Chris Clark, and
the third was a 44th veteran M.P. Donald
O’Reilly. Donald was a recipient of the Heritage League Challenge Coin that I gave him
in Chicago. As a member of the Heritage
League Board, I strongly suggest people join
the Heritage League and keep in contact
with the 8th Air Force reunion committees.
All of us in the 2nd Air Division had a wonderful time in Savanna, and because of the
2nd Air Division’s participation, the number
of bomb groups represented was the most
in all of their history. We were thanked by
the 1st and 3rd divisions for our attendance.
I just wanted to share that with you all.
Again, thank you for all the memories. I will
never forget you.
I want to thank the 44th Bomb Group
Veterans Assoc. for all of the memories over
the last 12 years. Meeting all of you would
never have happened but for my, uncle S/
Sgt. Charles Frank Clark being in the Second
World War. When I started with the group,
Will Lundy, used to answer my questions
and in the end, I would go to the archives
to answer questions he would ask me.
Recently, the 44th bomb group gave me
$300 to cover expenses, postage, copy fees,
gas cost. I went three days with Leon
Abbott, General Johnson’s grandson, to try
to find the 4-8th of April 1945. We looked
for three days, but unfortunately were not
successful in locating the files. I know this is
the last issue of the Eight Ball Tails, but I will
never stop looking for the files. I have just
Sincerely,
Chris Clark
Ed. Note: The League has agreed to report in
their publication, all Folded Wings from the different
groups. Please report them to me, your Editor, and
I will research them and pass them to Chris.
Donald Brubaker, Chris Reid and Donald O’Reilly
CREW CHIEF HONORED
original 44th airplanes to remain flyable,
and ‘she’ became the Assembly Plane,
complete with bright stripes, during the
last part of the war. Please take a wellearned bow, Charlie!”
A tribute to a Crew Chief by Reginald
Phillips, pilot on Lemon Drop: “ I was
blessed with having an extra caring and
super capable ground crew, headed by
Crew Chief Charlie Pigg. I want to
publicly thank him for taking care of
‘her’ and thus ‘us’. The Lemon Drop
became one of, if not the last of the
This message found among papers
preserved by Will Lundy.
15
�RICHARD HOLLIDAY, HISTORY BUFF,
FOUND A 44TH BOMB MEMBER’S GRAVE MARKER
IN THE FAMILY PLOTS IN GETTYSBURG, PA
Richard Holliday found the grave of Earl
M. Kosch, a waist gunner on the Charles
Whitlock crew, 506 Squadron. The target
was the Airfields and Marshalling Yards in
Foggia, Italy.
The Germans fought hard to hold onto
that territory. Flak was heavy and the
Five members of the crew were KIA,
fighter planes were accurate. Seven planes
were lost, including Whitlock’s plane, TIM- five became POW, two of whom escaped
BA-A-AH. Kosch exited the plane through and returned to Shipdham.
the waist window; unfortunately, his chute
On Memorial Day, Holliday placed a
did not open. This was his first flight.
wreath at Kosch’s gravesite.
RICHARD HOLLIDAY AND THE 44TH BOMB GROUP VA
of celebrating VE Day (I wouldn’t be born
for another 32 years), I reflect on memories
and missions of a different kind. You see,
Tony had this drive to help people. He
worked tirelessly in his efforts to assist Will
Lundy in getting copies made of the files
on record at the National Archives, and in
helping relatives of 44th members find
information on their loved ones who
hadn’t made it home.
In the few months that have passed
since the passing of my best friend and the
father I never had, Tony Mastradone (67th
Sqd. Medic 1942-1945), I am constantly
reminded of just what the 44th Bomb
Group has meant to me in the few years I
was an Association member. While I do
not have memories or stories of piloting a
B-24, dropping a payload, navigating the
crew home, manning a .50 caliber machine
gun in a turret, turning a wrench, or even
16
…continued on next page
�RICHARD HOLLIDAY AND THE 44TH BOMB GROUP VA
This drive of his to help people is
probably what made him such a good
medic during the war, and for a young
guy like me who had a passion for history.
When Tony first brought me to the Archives
in College Park, to assist him in digging up
44th BG records, I was astounded by how
many people there knew him both by
sight and name, as he made his regular,
almost weekly visits, and spent hundreds of
dollars copying various files on people,
planes and missions.
The knowledge he shared with me on
our research sessions was the spark that
ignited my passion for the 44th Bomb
Group. When Tony brought me to my first
reunion in Washington DC, I had the pleasure of meeting so many of you, and many
who have since folded their wings. The
stories shared around those hospitality
room tables over the years brought me
closer and closer to knowing not only
Tony’s, but the war all of you experienced
in so many different ways.
Each reunion (and I never missed one
after joining) strengthened the bond I felt,
so much so that I stopped thinking of you
all as just fellow members and friends, but
gradually as part of my own family. It is a
type of bond that I never experienced
during my own military service with
either the Navy or the Army. This close,
indescribable connection I formed with
many of you saw me through some very
difficult times in my life, as I lost the last of
my own family, the loss of my career
through a horrible injury, and the end of a
marriage when I wasn’t known if I would
CONTINUED
ever walk again. I always had the annual
reunions to look forward to, and the
opportunity to speak with people who not
only cared, but who helped me to forget
about “me” for a few days and honor
others.
As many of you know, that is no small
feat for a young person in these times,
when we are so focused on ourselves
instead of our neighbors and communities.
When I think of all the enjoyable times I
have had with the 44th BGVA, the memories
of all the happy moments we shared come
crashing over me. Laughing with Cynthia
and Beryl at the stories they would tell me
over a couple of drinks, listening flabbergasted as Bill Newbold would tell me of
his recent sky diving experience and desire
to bungie jump, marveling at George
Washburn moving through the room like
a 20 year old, and hoping that I would be
able to flirt like Don Williams when I am
90; these are just a few of the unforgettable moments I have shared with you.
The names, the faces, the wonderful times
will never be forgotten, and it is my hope
to continue to share these memories with
future generations in the coming decades.
The accolades of the 44th won’t be found
just in print or engraved in stone and
bronze, they will be shared the memories
etched upon my own heart, and I will
never forget you.
Richard Holliday added his special touch to the
hospitality room. He brought uniforms from his
collection, reminding you of the apparel you
once wore.
Attention family members of veterans: I have quite a few back issues many of the
8 Ball Tails. If anyone wants extra copies of a particular magazine, contact me. They are
free, but we do ask to be reimbursed for postage.
Call me: Ruth Morse, 717 846-8948.
17
�FOUND AT SHIPDHAM, A BRACELET LOST 65 YEARS AGO
Adelbert could not remember losing the
bracelet, but the name Edna was certainly a
clear indication of its origin.
Glenn has become a true history buff;
he has accompanied his father David to
England for the past eight years. David
Morgan has taken many 44th veterans back
to Shipdham, where they can reminisce
about the years they spent there.
Much of the Shipdham Airfield has been
returned to the original owner; however the
Morgans send pictures back to the Snell
family, of its appearance 65 years later.
Adelbert H. Snell, a Waist Gunner on the
Leslie Lee Crew, lost a bracelet which his
wife had given him, someplace on the
airfield at Shipdham. It was found by a
15 year old boy, Glenn Morgan.
Here is his account: “I found this bracelet
on Thursday, 27 June 2013. You can imagine
my excitement when I saw the name and
serial number on it: Adelbert H. Snell, and
engraved on the back was ‘Love Edna’.”
When Glenn and his father David
returned to the states, Glenn looked at a
1995 roster and found five people with the
name of Snelbaker. He called five and none
answered. The sixth was Adelbert’s son,
69 year old Gary Snell, who told him his
father was still alive. At age 92, he was
living in a nursing home.
Ed. Note: It is an amazing coincidence that
this story arrived soon after the Folded Wings of
Co-Pilot of the Leslie Lee Crew, Donald Wells, came
to the 8 Ball Tails Editor. Donald Wells and Adelbert
H. Snell flew 31 missions together.
NAME OF THE CREW CHIEF
In the last issue of the Tails was a
picture of a Crew Chief for the
Consolidated Mess, but nobody could
remember his name. A phone call from
another Crew Chief identified him: Alfre
Peyrought. I could not find him in the
Database, but the caller said his picture is
in Ursel Harvell’s book, Liberators Over
Europe. My copy is at Carlisle, but someone can check it out.
The caller’s name got thrown away by
my overly-efficient phone service.
Gerald Folsom, Co-Pilot on the Beiber
Crew, remembers the day they left Shipdham
18
to sail home. An officer told him that his
crew was the first crew to finish their
missions with every member of the crew
intact; they completed 35 missions with no
injuries or losses.
The Beiber Crew flew to England as part
of a group of four Liberators. At least one
member of the other three had either lost
a crewman or had a number who had
been wounded.
According to Perry Morse, Tail Gunner,
the crew made a circle, held hands and
prayed on the plane, before starting out
on any mission.
�NAVIGATOR KENNETH ADRIAN,
LOUIS WINSATT CREW, 506 SQUADRON
REMEMBERS THE MISSION TO OBERPFAFFENHOFEN
We decided to go under the clouds at
11,000 to 12,000 feet. I saw a Pathfinder
and told Lou we ought to fly with him for
more firepower against any possible German
fighters. I also thought he might know
where we were, which way home. Rule No. l
for Navigators: never tell a Pilot you’re lost!
Shortly thereafter, he took us through a
tremendous flak barrage – (he was lost too.)
I later calculated back from my first GEE fix
and found he had taken us over Stuttgart
with its 1000 shells bursting, at a time that
would make your underwear turn brown in
back.
We took off on our own. The B-17s
were in trouble, too, as they had their little
clusters of 5 or 6 planes.
I picked up my first GEE fix at Charlesville,
France, which was close to the FrenchBelgian border, not too far from Luxemburg.
We were supposed to pick up our fighter
planes (escorts) at halfway between
Charlesville and the IP (P-51s) and the
target, P-38’s near Stuttgart, and then P-47s
to take us home from there at Charlesville.
That was a lucky GEE fix, as normally the
Germans had us jammed as we got closer
to England.
I navigated us between the flak areas
until we hit the coast at Ostend. One ‘88’
was right on. He would have gotten us, if
Lou hadn’t taken evasive action. But we got
two wounded – our Nose Gunner (Raymond
Robertson) and our Bombardier (Eugene
Bockstedt). I had to pull the gunner out of
his nose turret, and he was a mass of blood,
scared to death. He had been hit in the
middle of his forehead, but it didn’t
penetrate his skull. He probably could
have been fixed up with a bandaid.
On this mission, many bombers did not
get to the target was because the top of the
clouds was above 25,000 feet almost all the
way! I’m sure some of the planes must
have had runaway engines and others with
mechanical problems as we were trying to
stay above the clouds. So engines were
under a terrific load, many aborting.
The planes ahead of us were making
their own clouds in the form of vapor trails,
so the followers had to go up higher to be
able to see each other. Very few of the
planes could have done it if we had not
burned a lot of petrol on the way in.
From the IP I was buried under flak suits
(one above and one below) and had my
helmet on, too. The flak was intense from
the IP on. I stayed buried through two
bomb runs and came out on the 3rd one, as
the flak was less intense. I was getting
curious - especially because they’d warned
us about running out of gas due to the long
flying time involved.
As I was observing this fiasco, there were
some breaks in the cloud – and the bombs
went out; I saw many of them explode in
what appeared to be a pasture, with little
black specks – cows?? I knew we hadn’t hit
anything (reported to be Schorndorf RR
Junction), but hoped we had cut their
availability to have a good supply of meat
and milk.
Whoever was lead pilot made a diving
turn to the right, into clouds right after the
bomb run. This took care of the formation.
As far as I know, everybody started out for
home alone. If the clouds had not been
about 15,000 feet thick, the German fighter
pilots would have had a field day with our
planes scattered as they were.
19
…continued on next page
�NAVIGATOR KENNETH ADRIAN,
LOUIS WINSATT CREW, 506 SQUADRON
REMEMBERS THE MISSION TO OBERPFAFFENHOFEN
Naturally, it scared him badly. I don’t
believe he’d been to church (Catholic) for
ten years, but he led the pack for
communion on the next mission.
Our route back was a lot shorter (thanks
to the navigator being) lost, as we were very
close to the main bomber stream coming in.
But we were 15,000 feet plus lower than
them. The planned route was way to the
south, but after three bomb runs, we’d
probably ended up as POWs and a belly
landing.
Luckily, this shorter route got us to
Shipdham with, as I recall, four of our
planes landing in France, the Channel and
all over England – out of gas.
The Bombardier got a piece of flak in his
back that he really did fix with a bandaid.
CONTINUED
He didn’t report it, as he wanted to fly every
mission with Lou Winsatt, who was a
former Co-Pilot on B-24s, and a hellava
good pilot. I talked to the Bombardier’s
wife in 1986, and she knew about the flak.
I have two black and white prints of the
plotted course that day. The original route
was 2 hours and 15 minutes shorter, but
apparently the course and targets were
changed – possibly by the weather, too.
As a result, we had two planes go into
Switzerland, two shot down, and many
wounded and POWs.
According to Will Lundy, the 68th Squadron lost
two planes, Mary Harriet and Channel Hopper.
The 506 lost two, Southern Comfort III and Cape
Cod Special II. There were 19 interned, 2 KIA and
19 POW.
JOHN RENZI, BOMBARDIER ON THE LESTER HUNDELT CREW,
67TH SQUADRON, REMBERS AN ABORTED MISSION
We were taking off on a mission to Kiel,
Germany with a load of 12- 500 pound
bombs. When the time came to retract the
landing gear, it would not come up, no
matter how hard our pilot tried.
As we still had the pins in the bombs, we
decided to retain the bombs and come back
with them, as we weren’t very far from
the base.
We landed OK with the landing gear still
down, but our pilot said “no brakes”. The
plane went past the runway, through a
fence, jumped a ditch, skidding on to its
belly and finally stopped.
As we were about two fields away from
our base, by the time the meat wagon and
fire engine arrived, we were all out of the
plane. Hag, our Navigator, (Darell Hagenah)
and I broke a track record, I think, running
and diving into a ditch.
There was just a small fire. Two of the
crew were taken to the hospital for observation
and released. The rest of us were O.K. We
took about a dozen pictures.
After lunch, what was left of our crew
was informed we were to fly as deputy lead
on a mission to the Pas De Calais area. This
was a composite squadron. We also had to
replace the two gunners who were taken to
the hospital.
We flew the mission, which was a milk
run, and in fact, came back before the
group returned from the mission to Kiel.
All in all, it was a hectic day.
20
�A SURPRISE INVITATION TO B/GEN. ROBERT CARDENAS
A pilot from the Swiss Airlines visited
Bob Cardenas with a happy surprise: the
Swiss Air Force invite him to participate in
the 100th Anniversary of their organization.
He will be honored for his contribution to
breaking the sound barrier for the first
time in history. They will also extol him for
his role in teaching members of the Swiss
Air Force how to fly B-17s and B-24s during
his interment in Switzerland.
Cardenas was Command Pilot on Chief
& Sack Artists on a mission to Friedrichshafen; Raymond Lacombe was pilot. On
the second attempt to reach the target,
the plane was beset by fighters and flak
damage. Cardenas was shredding classified documents when he was blown out
of the plane on the German side of Lake
Constance. He began to swim, but a man
in a small boat picked him up and delivered
him to Switzerland and interment. The rest
of the crew got the bedraggled plane to
safety in this neutral country.
The aviation world owes a debt of
gratitude to the Swiss lady who helped
him escape interment, freeing him to
become a test pilot for Wright Patterson AFB.
Breaking the sound barrier occurred
when he was the officer in charge of the
Supersonic project at Murok (now Edwards
Air Base). He was the Command pilot of
the B-29 “Mother Ship” that carried the
X-1 rocket ship aloft. He launched Chuck
Yeager in the X-1 at 20,000 feet; Chuck
flew through the sound barrier at Mach
One+.
Cardenas couldn’t be more amazed at
the invitation. He said, “ I didn’t know I
was a celebrated man in Switzerland.”
----------------------After discharge from the service, Cardenas
was involved in many activities to promote
the memory of the WWII air war. He also
took time to find homeless WWII veterans;
and upon their death, made certain they
had a proper burial.
His most recent effort has been to give
recognition to the unfortunate prisoners in
Wauwilermoos, a filthy prison camp in
Switzerland, where airmen who tried to
escape were placed. He felt that the
physical and mental anguish these men
had endured should not go unnoticed.
Cardenas wrote to the Honorable Daniel
Ginsburg, Assistant Secretary of Defense,
based in the Pentagon. He asked for a
special recognition to be extended to
the few living survivors of that ghastly
experience. 44th members will be eager
to know that the authorities will heed this
request, and act on it.
THE CATERPILAR CLUB
your life.
There should certainly have been many
44th BG members who qualified for wearing
a furry worm on their lapel, but not on their
uniform. (It was not an official decoration,
so it could only be worn on civilian coat
lapels.)
While Charles Selasky was in prison
camp, he sent a card to this organization,
and they promptly sent him a Membership
Card for this elite group. It was followed
up with a Caterpillar Pin.
The requirement for membership: that
you had to bail out of a plane to save
21
�70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LOW LEVEL PLOESTI MISSION
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, DAYTON, OHIO, 1 AUGUST 2013
detail. The attack
run to the target
saw them exchange gunfire
with German flak
positions. Judge
Tuttle’s B24
shuddered and
vibrated with the
recoil of all ten
fifty caliber
machine guns
firing at once.
The indicated
airspeed in their
aircraft was in
excess of two
hundred miles
per hour at an altitude of only twenty feet.
The continuous fire was so intense that the
gun barrels were in danger of warping from
the intense heat of rapid fire. Judge Tuttle
described his experiences within the context
of his recently penned autobiography,
NEVADA CITY & BEYOND, An Unscripted Life.
Tuttle signed copies of his book for reunion
guests and enthusiasts. Copies are available
on Amazon or directly from Judge Tuttle.
Bill Newbold was also asked of his
experiences on the Ploesti mission. He gave
a vivid account to the hushed crowd. “As
Earthquake entered the area, we hit the
cable of a barrage balloon with our No. 3
engine. These balloons had explosive packets
spaced at intervals for blowing a wing off as
it slides up the tether; we were lucky that
the propeller sliced through the cable.
Moments afterwards, our No. 4 engine also
stopped! Suddenly, we feared we would be
with those not returning today. We had two
engines out on one side, dropping the wing
dangerously close to the ground and losing
A conclave of World War II airmen was
recently held at the National Museum of the
United States Air Force, in Dayton, Ohio.
The gathering commemorated the most
highly decorated single military action in
U.S. history. August 1, 2013, marked the
70th anniversary of the low level bombing
mission on the oil refineries of Ploesti,
Romania. Ploesti was considered Hitler’s
“gas station” since it provided 40% of the
gasoline and diesel fuel for Hitler’s war
machine. A gathering of roughly 100
family and friends joined the Ploesti veterans
for a time of remembrance, reflection,
laughter and tears. 44th Ploesti veterans at
the reunion included Judge Richard Tuttle,
Bill Newbold, Bill Reese and William Morton.
The Ploesti reunion was a three day
event with activities at the Air Force
Museum and the reunion headquarters,
the Holiday Inn Fairborn. A panel of veterans
was one of the highlights of scheduled
events. Ploesti vets took questions from a
moderator and reunion guests. Judge Tuttle
described his Ploesti experience in vivid
22
…continued on next page
�70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LOW LEVEL PLOESTI MISSION
air speed. My thoughts were that unless
something good happens in the next few
seconds, we’ll be on the ground burning.
Something good happened—with extraordinary effort, the pilots kept the right
wing from scraping the ground while the
cabin crew got No. 4 started and churning
out enough power to avoid disaster. Bill
Newold also recalled that his beloved
Earthquake landed with ten minutes of
gasoline left in the tanks.
Bill Reese was one of the 110 men who
became POW’s on the mission. He was
bombardier on the Worden Weaver crew.
Unable to stay in the air from battle damage,
their ship crash landed in a corn field. We
pick up the story from Will Lundy’s monumental work, 44th Bomb Group, Roll of
Honor and Casualties. “One of the men
who escaped, bombardier William L.
Reese, Jr. went through the fire and
exploding ammunition and cut away
Sorenson’s (navigator) harness. Reese
and radioman Jesse L. Hinely hauled both
trapped men clear. The crew then split
up and ran in several directions while a
German fighter circled the area, evidently
reporting their location and directions.
Weaver obtained help from a Romanian
farm boy who led them to a village
where some women dipped feathers into
a homemade balm and gently brushed
on it on their seared flesh.” Bill Reese
spent a little over a year in a Romanian POW
camp. His experiences in POW camp could
fill a book in itself.
William Morton flew the Ploesti mission
as a member of the Bill “Doc” Hughes crew.
Bill Morton was an original member of
the Robert Lehnhausen crew. Bill was an
engineer/top turret gunner. Bill survived
the mission and made it back to Benghazi
in one piece. After Ploesti, William flew the
CONTINUED
tough missions to Foggia on August 13th
and the Wiener Neustadt mission of
October 1, 1943. We pick up the story of
William Morton’s heroic actions on Wiener
Neustadt from the book, Liberators over
Europe, the History of the 44th Bomb Group,
The “Avenger”, piloted by Capt. “Doc”
Hughes with Lt. Raymond D. Hamlyn as
co-pilot had made both missions to Wiener
Neustadt. At interrogation the crew reported.
“The first mission the Wiener Neustadt was
easy, nothing much happened and we
thought that this trip would also be just
another step towards home. The 93rd and
the 389th were ahead of us as we hit the I.P.
Our hopes of an easy mission soon faded as
gunners started to call out fighters at
twelve, one and two o’clock high, sitting
right on top of the target. They had let the
two groups ahead of us through without
attacking, preferring to jump the tail-end
group, which was us. They were queuing
up for a head-on attack and in flights of
three and four abreast they started tearing
through the formation. The first attack
crippled some of our force and broke up
our formation. We managed to get our
bombs away and started a running battle
for home. The Luftwaffe was out 120
strong, attacking by twos from every
position of the clock. It was every man for
himself, as the pilots attempted to get back
into some semblance of a formation. The
“Avenger’s “ gunners were fighting
desperately alone and drove off attack after
attack, shooting down three Me-109’s and
damaging several others. However, before
we were out of the battle area, our hydraulic
system was shot out and an elevator cable
was cut. Sgt. Morton, our engineer, cinched
the hydraulic lines to save the fluid by
bending the severed ends, and affected a
splice in the elevator cable, thus making it
23
…continued on next page
�70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LOW LEVEL PLOESTI MISSION
CONTINUED
Other reunion highlights included
a memorial service at the Air Force
Museum at 0930 hours on the
morning of 1 August. Gen. Jack
Hudson, Director of the Museum,
gave a warm welcome and outlined the mission of the Museum.
The Ploesti veterans were all seated
on stage in chairs of honor. After a
brief program the events concluded
with media interviews. The turnout
by the media was absolutely amazing.
The Associated Press outlet in
Cincinnati, Ohio, picked up the
story and wrote a tremendous
tribute to the veterans that literally
went around the world. Local
television was present and interviewed many of the vets. Local six
and ten o’clock news reports were
full of coverage of the reunion. It was a
fitting tribute to those brave men who flew
into history over an oil town in Romania
seventy years ago.
The author would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the 44th veterans who attended
this reunion. It was not an easy journey to
make. You helped make the reunion a huge
success. I would also like to thank Col.
Robert Lehnhausen who could not be there
but was an anchor of support throughout
the planning of the reunion. Thank you Col.
Lehnhausen! Thanks also to George Temple
who also was a keen supporter of the
reunion. Last but not least, thanks to Ruth
for her untiring help in getting the word out
about the reunion and allowing this space
in the final issue of the 8 Ball Tails. Thanks
to all of you!
Reunion Coordinator: Blaine Duxbury
possible for us to return to base.”
For his outstanding ability to act in
extreme emergency, Sgt. Morton was
awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Sgt. Morton went on to receive his
officer’s commission and served with
distinction in Korea and Vietnam. Colonel
Morton’s story is one of remarkable
achievement and dedication to duty.
The stories told by these gentlemen held
the crowd spellbound. Bill Newbold and
Dick Tuttle both became POW’s on the
Wiener Neustadt mission. The reunion
had a number of families who came to the
reunion seeking information about their
loved ones. Their common thread is their
loved ones were killed on the Wiener
Neustadt mission. It was a poignant scene
as Judge Tuttle and Bill Newbold described
the mission in detail. Prayers and questions
were answered as to what actually
happened on that terrible mission of
October 1, 1943.
24
�THE CREW OF BLACK JACK AND THEIR LEGACY
BY CHARLES RUNION
On 1 October 1943 the 44th Bomb Groups mission was to bomb the Messerschmitt
aircraft factory located at Wiener Neustadt, Austria. B-24 serial number 41-23816, named
Black Jack of the 68th squadron was hit by flak shortly after dropping their bomb load
while turning away from the target. The plane was on fire and crashed shortly after being
hit. Of the ten man crew five survived. Here are the crew and their stories. May we never
forget.
Pilot Coleman Scott Whitaker
Coleman was from Petersburg, TN and a graduate of Morgan School. He volunteered
for service with the RAF several months before Pearl Harbor; afterwards he transferred to
the US Army Air Force. On 3 August 1943, two days after the Ploesti raid, he wrote home
finishing his letter by saying “Have had a good hand in what has happened in these parts”.
Coleman was survived by three brothers and one sister.
Co-Pilot Ted Scarlett
After the war Ted started a career in
accounting and later became a CPA.
He retired in 1982 and passed away in
October 1985. Today he is survived by
two sons Roger and Ted, one daughter
Lynn and nine grandchildren.
25
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�THE CREW OF BLACK JACK AND THEIR LEGACY
CONTINUED
Navigator Gene Vickary
After the war Gene returned to his job at Arkell and Smith in Canajoharie as a press
operator. When the Korean War started he was reactivated and served two years one as a
navigator. After Korea he returned to Arkel and Smith as a foreman in the art department.
He remained there until 1958 when the company moved. He and his wife decided to
purchase the 5 & 10 store in town, naming it Vickary’s Variety Store. They operated the
store until 1969 when they liquidated it. He then went to work for the US Soil Conservation
service in Fonda, NY. He designed ponds, waterways and drainage systems for the
agriculture community of the county. He retired at the age of 67 due to his increasing
disability due to the Parkinson’s disease. He lived independently until age 76 and then
went into a nursing home until his death at 81 in February 1997. His family believes he
was very proud of his war service, especially the Ploesti raid. He never considered himself
a hero, but rather just another guy who did what was asked of him by his country. He is
survived by four children Dara Lee, Robin, Coleman and Maple Ann and three grandchildren Timothy, Regina, and Dominic. Gene named his son Coleman after his friend,
the pilot of Black Jack.
Bombardier George Guilford
After the war George worked for
United Machine Shop and then went to
the oil fields where he worked until he
retired and settled in Florida. George
passed away on 28 May 2008 at the
age of 89. He is survived by his son
Mike and daughter Pat.
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�THE CREW OF BLACK JACK AND THEIR LEGACY
CONTINUED
Engineer Ed Carlson
Ed graduated from McKeesport High
School in 1941 where he played football and basketball. He enlisted on 14
December 1941 in the Army Air Forces.
During his time as a POW he was on
the camp baseball team and was
known as “Cotton” Carlson. After the
war he married his wife Betty Jean on 9
May 1946. They had three children a
daughter Virginia “Ginny” and two
sons Duane and Don. He worked in
shipping at Irvin Works of Carnegie Illinois Steel Corp and then for Bell Telephone Company
working his way up to Test Center Foreman. He enjoyed coaching little league baseball.
He passed away on 23 August 1964.
Assistant Engineer Wilson Riche
Wilson was born near the village of Penn Yan, NY on 10 July 1915. He graduated from
Penn Yan Academy in 1934. On 28 January 1942 he married his wife Clarice. Before entering
the service he was the manager of Baker-Stark Men’s Clothing Store. On 22 December
1942 Wilson completed his course for Airplane Mechanics at Keesler Field. On 3 February
1943 he completed his B-24D familiarization course. In July 1943 he able to return home
and see his wife Clarice and their son Keith who was born in March. Today he is survived
by his son Keith.
27
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�THE CREW OF BLACK JACK AND THEIR LEGACY
CONTINUED
Radio Operator Frank Bauman
Frank graduated from Jordan High School in Los Angeles County, CA in 1938. Before
the war he worked for Firestone Tire and Rubber. He was one of seven brothers and sisters.
Today he is survived by one sister in California who cherishes her memories of her brother.
He was the one who always watched over her, taught her to drive, and was always there
for her. She remembers going to a ceremony at March Field towards the end of the war
where her parents were presented with Franks medals. He is buried in the Lorraine American
Cemetery in France.
Waist Gunner Tony Damico
Tony was raised in Louisiana on a
sugar cane farm. He was one of eleven
children.
Today he is survived by two sisters.
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�THE CREW OF BLACK JACK AND THEIR LEGACY
CONTINUED
Waist Gunner Robert Smith
Robert graduated in 1936 from the
West Philadelphia Catholic High School
for Boys. He made Master Sergeant at
Barksdale Field on 1 July 1942. He had
one brother William who was in a tank
destroyer unit in Europe. Robert is
buried in the American War Cemetery
in Ardennes, Belgium. Today he is
survived by one nephew Bill and two
nieces Dottie and Kathy.
Tail Gunner Bob Reasoner
After Black Jack was hit by flak and started burning, the flames were racing through the
fuselage and into the tail gunner’s compartment. Bob crawled through those flames while
the plane was going down until he reached the waist gunners position. There, he found
Tony, Robert, and Wilson lying on the floor. Looking for signs of life he found that Tony
was still alive and in spite of his own injuries he was able to pick him up to the waist
window, pull the rip cord on his parachute and push him out before jumping from the
plane himself. A German soldier found Bob where he landed in a small park, seeing his
injuries he helped Bob by removing him from his parachute. Bob was taken to a German
Luftwaffe hospital in the area for initial treatment. While in that hospital he was told by
his doctor that Tony had died as a result of his injuries. Bob was moved to several different
POW camps until being repatriated to the US in September 1944. He spent the next
2 1/2 years undergoing treatments for his burns. After being released from the hospital he
attended the University of Florida, did landscaping for a while, and then went to work as
an inspector for the US Department of Agriculture until he retired. Bob is now 94 and he
and his wife Bernice live in South Carolina.
29
�THE STANLEY OLSON CREW
AT WIENER NEUSTADT
unshaven and my clothes were filthy. What
did she see?
The farmer sent a boy that was about 12
years old for the local constabulary. They
put me in the local jail, and all the kids
around that town hooted at me. I don’t
know whether they were making fun of me.
Steve Bugyie, Ball Turret Gunner reported
this: When I came down, I landed in quite a
large pine tree. In order to get down, I had
to climb on the shroud lines and broke the
top of the tree off. When I hit the ground,
I am certain that I was unconscious for a
short period of time. When I woke up I hid
in some evergreens. It was fairly late in the
afternoon when I heard the whistle of
Germans who were out searching for me.
I took off in the westerly direction, heading
for Switzerland. It was then that I made the
rule that I would only travel at night.
When I stopped, I found a haystack and
went to sleep in it. I was startled awake
when I heard a blast from an 88-mm antiaircraft gun. There apparently was a
German encampment near there. It was
daylight, but I went back to sleep and slept
most of the day. When I tried to look out of
the stack, I couldn’t see anything. It was
mostly an open field in front of me.
As soon as the sun went down, I took off
again. I was loose for three nights and four
days. By walking and trotting from sundown to sunup, I was able to make 190
kilometers (about 120 miles). The next to
last night I was loose, I couldn’t find any
cover, so I slept in a small hay field behind a
tavern. It was around noontime when I
heard some rustling in the grass next to me.
When I looked, I saw a water Spaniel smelling
me. About fifty yards away was a German
hunter, an old fellow with a shotgun. I just
lay there and the hunter walked on. When
night fell, I took off again.
STAR SPANGLED HELL was one of eight
planes lost on this mission on 1 October
1943. Ronald Allen, Navigator reported
this story:
I jumped at 11:45 when our aircraft was
at 16,500 feet - (we should been at 22,000
over the target. It was 12 noon when I
reached the ground. I was hungry, tired
and disgusted. I had an escape kit, but it
was not intended to be used in this area. It
had Francs in it, rather than money that was
appropriate to this area. I had an apple that
I had obtained the night before. That was
all I had to eat for three days, except for
berries that I could scrounge. On that third
day, I was in a thinly-wooded area. As I was
lying down, trying to figure out what to do
to get across a road, I suddenly heard a stick
pop behind me. When I turned to look, I
saw an Austrian Army Doctor. I later
learned that he was on leave from the
Russian front.
The doctor was with his family visiting a
farm. The doctor could speak English just
as well as I could. He sat down and we
visited a while. At one point, the doctor
said, “Well, the war is going to be over in
about 18 months.” He then went back to
rejoin the others. He didn’t attempt to
capture me. He told his wife about me, and
they discussed what to do. He brought me
something to eat. He then told me that
they had decided, for their own protection,
to turn me in. We went to the farm house,
and they gave me some warm milk. Having
been brought up on a dairy farm, warm
milk did not appeal to me.
One of the farm girls said something,
and the doctor broke out laughing. He
slapped me on the shoulder and said, “Do
you know what she said?” I replied, “I have
no idea.” The doctor then told me, “The girl
thinks you are good looking”. There I was,
30
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�THE STANLEY OLSON CREW
AT WIENER NEUSTADT
I was weak from dysentery as well as the
lack of food and water. It was on the fourth
day when I approached some people. I was
hoping that I could get some help. I spoke
to them in German. After a brief conversation,
they spoke to one of the people in Hungarian
or some other language. I thought they
were sending for food. Instead, they went
to bring the Home Guard. The next thing I
knew, I was surrounded. I was taken back
to Wiener Neustadt.
On the following day, Lt. Matson, a pilot
CONTINUED
from the 389th and I were transported to
Dulag Luft.
In his book, Roll of Honor and Casualties, Will
Lundy reported that Star Spangled Hell that
approximately 125 to 150 enemy aircraft made
vicious attacks on this formation in the target area
at 1140 hours. It was hit individually by five Me
109s with nose and passing attacks. The aircraft
dropped its bombs and peeled off to the right and
was still pursued by five fighters.
The pilot, Stanley Olson, was KIA; all others
became POW.
JACK WIND, PILOT, 506 SQUADRON,
REMEMBERS HIS 1ST MISSION
FLYING IN THE CONSOLIDATED MESS
The mission was to Brunswick, Germany.
8 April 1944, to Brunswick, Germany. It
was a ‘mess’ when we barely made it back
to the base. We took 6 20mm hits from a
fighter in the left wing. It knocked out our
#2 engine; then we were caught in a flak
barrage over Hanover, and they said we had
almost 70 flak holes. We ran out of oil on 2
engines as we reached the base. We had
holes in the oil tanks. We finished up with a
‘ground loop’, from a flat left tire.
The group put up 24 planes that day,
and 12 of us got home. This was our intro-
duction to combat. We were lucky, one of
the few crews to finish a tour at that time.
According to Will Lundy, the destination for
that mission was the Airdrome in Langenhagen,
Germany. Will reported that April 8 was the worst
single day for the 44th BG.
Planes lost: Shack Rabbit, Judy’s Buggy, Pizz
and Moan, Townsend’s Terrible Ten, Rubber
Check, Greenwich, Oh My Sufferin’ Head,
Galivantin’ Gal, and 4 Unnamed Planes.
Losses: KIA-41; POW-74; WIA-2
FIRST GRADERS FINISHED THESE SENTENCES
IT’S ALWAYS DARKEST BEFORE ......................................................... DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
DON’T BITE THE HAND THAT ............................................................... LOOKS DIRTY
YOU CAN’T TEACH A DOG ................................................................... NEW MATH
WHERE THERE’S SMOKE, THERE’S ................................................... POLLUTION
31
�S/SGT WARREN MCPHERSON (66TH SQD) REMEMBERS
THE FLAK HOUSES
been a favorite resort city for the British,
and some lovely facilities had been turned
into ‘Rest Homes’ for military personnel.
Our ‘rest home’ was a large sprawling
mansion–like facility overlooking the Irish
Sea. The staff of the facility offered us any
amenity we could think of. Our sleeping
rooms were large, adequately furnished,
and completely comfortable. A wide variety
of activities were offered to us. We were
given free run of the home.
We were also given a pass for the entire
length of our visit to go anywhere we
wished within 25 miles. The only restriction
was that we were to be in the rest home by
1:00 AM, and not leave before 7:00 AM
each day.
Even though it was December, I was
fascinated by the beach between our hotel
and the Irish Sea. We had a full view of the
beach from our sleeping room. At low tides
it was enormous. In spite of the cold
weather, I roamed that beach, looking for
mysterious treasures that might wash
ashore. Alas, I found none; but even so,
being there was wonderful.
When our week was up, we left in time
to spend a night in Liverpool. Then we
headed back to Shipdham, ready to face the
Nazis, and anxious to get the rest of our
bombing raids finished. And finish we did!
By the time we reached Mission #27 on
November 30, 1944, every member of our
crew was pretty near what was called ‘Flak
Happy’. We were tense and restless. Almost any kind of unexpected noise would
make us jumpy in response. That mission to
Neukirchen, Germany, was our proud day.
Our crew was loaned from the 44th Bomb
Group to lead the 392nd Bomb Group. We
also had the honor of leading the entire
Eighth Air Force on that day.
Shortly after that raid we were notified it
was our turn to go to the “Flak Shack”.
There was no question we needed some
rest and recuperation (R & R). The enlisted
men in our group were “ordered” to spend
December 7 through 13 at the Combat
Crew Rest Home at South England, plus
travel time there and back.
An army truck took us from Shipdham to
Norwich, where we went by train west
across England to Liverpool. The farther
west the train took us, the more relaxed we
felt. We knew we were getting farther and
farther out of reach from a German air raid
or the German buzz bombs. We changed
trains a couple of times on the way. On the
trains and in the stations, it was fun intermingling with the civilian English passengers.
From Liverpool we traveled north 20
miles to Southport, a lovely city that liked to
compare itself to San Francisco. It had long
THESE WERE THE GOOD OLD DAYS?
CAN YOU REMEMBER METAL ICE CUBE TRAYS WITH LEVERS? MIMEOGRAPH PAPER?
ROLLER SKATE KEYS? DRIVE INS? STUDEBAKERS? WASHTUB WRINGERS? THE FULLER
BRUSH MAN?
IF SO, YOU MUST BE ABOUT THE SAME AGE AS YOUR EDITOR.
32
�MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS SINCE JOINING THE 44TH BG
How can I ever forget the trip to France,
when Guy Cressant handed Lois Cianci her
father’s burnt dog tag? T/Sgt. Clair Shaeffer’s
plane went down in a wooded area, and
the French had placed a monument to
those that were lost. Many tears were shed
when Guy surprised everyone with that
unexpected gift.
Recently Pierre Berenguer and other
great patriots in France, created a museum
near that very site. It honors the brave
members of the French Underground.
Some of our members who escaped with
the help of Underground members, have
sent their stories to the library of that
museum.
I can’t forget the reunion in New Orleans
when Charlie Hughes got up and danced
with the performer. She danced with him
for a short time, then sent him back to his
seat. This reunion was arranged by Mike
Yuspeh. It included a parade, and an
opportunity to attend the evening party
in costume. I went as a pirate. The most
impressive dancer was Tom Parsons and
wife.
I like to remember the River Walk in
San Antonio.
I cannot forget the 1st Reunion in
Savannah, in which Ploesti veterans were
honored. John Harmonoski was very ill,
but wanted to attend that reunion. He died
two weeks later.
One of the most impressive speeches
I cannot forget was when at the 60th
Anniversary of the Ploesti mission in Salt
Lake City. Bob Lehnhausen described the
pre-mission remarks of Leon Johnson, who
described the perils the crews would be
facing. He said that if anyone wanted to
opt out, they have his permission. Not one
person left the room. They placed total
trust in their great leader.
The Reunion at Wright Paterson AFB was
a great opportunity to climb back into a
B-24. Who could pass that up? The guide
was surprised to learn that Tom Parsons had
seen and shot at a German Me-163. The
rest of his crew did not want to report on
the strange lightning fast aircraft they had
seen. Tom did, and later others saw that
same strange plane.
The Me-163 was really a rocket plane.
It required so much fuel, it could stay in
the air for a very short time. Our fighters
learned its weakness. When it was ready to
head back to base, they were able to bring
it down.
33
�SOME OF THE CREWS WHO WON THE WAR
STERLING DOBBS CREW,
68TH SQUADRON
Rear L-R: Sterling Dobbs, pilot;
Wallace J. Balla, Co-Pilot; Daniel C.
Valentli, Navigator; Robert C. Kimse,
Bombardier
Front: Harold W. Hanson, Engineer/
Top Turret Gunner; Robert E. Elstad,
Waist Gunner; Reed B. Foutz, Tail Gunner;
Vernon L. Torkelson, Radio Operator/
Gunner; William J. Flood, Nose Gunner;
James R. Trudeau, Waist Gunner.
This is a posed picture; the Dobbs
crew (68th Squadron) never flew in
Joplin Jalopy. That belonged to the
506th Squadron
REGINALD CARPENTER CREW
The Reginald Carpenter Crew, 67th
Sq., not individually named: Reginald
Carpenter, Pilot Caroll Pratt, Co-Pilot;
Charles Selasky, Navigator; Berthel
Swenson, Bombardier; John Irwin, Radio
Operator/Gunner; Frank Paliga, Engineer/
Top Turret Gunner; Kelly Morrison, Right
Wing Gunner; William Brady, Left Wing
Gunner; Robert Strickell, Tail Gunner;
Jack Shepherd, Rear Hatch Gunner.
CARL BOHNISCH CREW
Front Row L-R: William Leverich,
Engineer/Gunner; Eugene Edgerton,
Right Waist Gunner; Kenneth Hall, Turret
Gunner; Joseph Morin, Tail Gunner;
Bernard Uhler, Radio Operator/Gunner;
Warren Klein, Left Waist Gunner.
Back Row L-R: Peter Ede, Navigator;
Harold Win Spink, Bombardier; John
Griffin, Co-Pilot; Carl Bohnisch, Pilot
34
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�SOME OF THE CREWS WHO WON THE WAR
CONTINUED
ROBERT JOHNSON CREW,
68TH SQUADRON
Front Row: Laban Brown, Tail
Gunner: George Berger, Navigator;
Robert Johnson, Pilot; Estie Cunningham,
Co-Pilot; Michael D’Angelo, Bombardier.
Back Row: Jack Christy, Right Wing
Gunner; Raymond Lippert, Belly Gunner;
James Alexander, Engineer/Top Turret
Gunner; Walter Banks, Left Wing Gunner;
Marvin Jehnson, Radio Operator.
THE FRANK KIGGINS CREW,
68TH SQUADRON
Front Row L-R: Frank Kiggins, Pilot;
Paul Gretsky, Co-Pilot; Raymond Burglund,
Navigator; Edgar Bell, Bombardier.
Back Row: Edmund Danzig, Radio
Operator/Gunner; Emmett Mozee,
Engineer/Top Turret Gunner; Robert
Palmer, Ball Turret Gunner; Charles
Vogel, Right Wing Gunner; William
Kelsh, Jr., Left Wing Gunner; Harold Lee,
Tail Gunner.
THE WALTER (TOMMIE) HOLMES
CREW, 68TH SQUADRON
Front Row L-R: Robert Stine,
Navigator; Walter Holmes, Pilot; Donald
Fribley, Co-Pilot; Howard Klekar,
Bombardier.
Back Row: George Green, Tail
Gunner; Edward Bowden, Waist Gunner;
Michael Balazovich, Belly Gunner; Isaac
Flesher, Radio Operator/Gunner; Sam
DeBerry, Waist Gunner; Tauno Metsa,
Engineer/Top Turret Gunner.
35
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�SOME OF THE CREWS WHO WON THE WAR
CONTINUED
VERYL (HANK) DUWE CREW,
67TH SQUADRON
Front Row L-R: Dick Hill, Bombardier;
Veryl Duwe, Pilot; Richard Carpenter,
Co-Pilot; Frank Weiss, Navigator.
Back Row: Don Billings, Radio Operator/
Gunner; Ray Lindsey, Waist Gunner;
Ed (Mike) Healy, Engineer/Top Turret
Gunner; John Wesley, Tail Gunner; Don
Henriksen, Waist Gunner; Joseph
McNamara, Ball Turret Gunner.
THE ARTHUR LEDFORD CREW,
66TH SQUADRON
Front Row L-R: Frank Kiggins, Pilot;
Paul Gretsky, Co-Pilot; Raymond Burglund,
Navigator; Edgar Bell, Bombardier.
Back Row: Edmund Danzig, Radio
Operator/Gunner; Emmett Mozee,
Engineer/Top Turret Gunner; Robert
Palmer, Ball Turret Gunner; Charles
Vogel, Right Wing Gunner; William
Kelsh, Jr., Left Wing Gunner; Harold Lee,
Tail Gunner.
THE ROBERT SEEVER CREW CREW,
68TH SQUADRON
Front Row L-R: Albert Pschirer,
Engineer/Top Turret Gunner; Charles
Daughtry, Radio Operator/Gunner;
Richard Coward, Nose Gunner; Charles
Olewine, Waist Gunner; Harold Whitle,
Waist Gunner; Lenham, Tail Gunner.
Back Row: Robert Seever, Pilot;
Hugh Maxwell, Co-Pilot; Donald
Jenkins, Navigator; William Zoellmer,
Bombardier.
36
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�SOME OF THE CREWS WHO WON THE WAR
CONTINUED
THE CLAYTON ROBERTS CREW,
68TH SQUADRON
Front Row L-R: Joseph Stewart,
Bombardier; Clayton Roberts, Pilot; John
Roberts, Gunner; William Lundquist,
Co-Pilot; Arthur Aronoff, Navigator.
Back Row: Kenneth Amick, Flight
Engineer/Gunner; John Cross, Gunner;
Robert Dunlap, Gunner; Edgar Flowers,
Gunner; John Boileau, Radio Operator,
Gunner.
THE CHARLES HUGHES CREW,
66TH SQUADRON
Front Row L-R: George Miller, Tail
Gunner; Nathan Sternberger, Navigator;
Charles Hughes, Pilot; Sylvester Hunn,
Co-Pilot; Maurice Hause, Bombardier.
Back Row: Angela Paluzzi, Right Wing
Gunner; Thomas Chocklett, Engineer/Top
Turret Gunner; Stanley Langcaskey, Belly
Gunner; Aulus Blitz, Left Wing Gunner.
PURSUIT IN THE PYRANEES
When he finally reached the Pyranees
Mountains, he got separated from fellow
escapees, and with the Germans hot on his
trail, he took off his coat and used it to slide
down the mountain to freedom.
Pursuit in the Pyranees is available from
his wife, Aline. The phone number is (706)
629-2396. The price is $25.
This is a great escape story, written by
the late Archie Barlow. A survivor of the
crash at Escalles Sur Buchy, a target to wipe
out the V-1s - unmanned planes that were
targeting London and other great cities in
the UK. Flying in Ram it Dammit, Barlow
was the single survivor of that plane crash.
He was one of five men who were escapees
from that mission, and managed to evade
and return to Shipdham.
With help from the Underground, he
arrived in Paris, and through a series of
nerve-wracking encounters with German
soldiers, he moved to various homes,
traveled by trains to various destinations,
slept in barns along the way, always evading
the Nazis who were pursuing him.
In the previous two issues of the 8 Ball Tails,
Richard Mayhew’s escape story was also very
compelling. He was flying in Queen Marlene on
the same mission as Barlow, to Escalles Sur Buchy.
Mayhew met Lawrence Chandler, also an
escapee from Escalles Sur Buchy. He was flying in
Victory Ship.
37
�A GREAT MOMENT FOR THE 44TH
THE UNVEILING OF THE MONUMENT
L-R: LTC Mark Viney, Lee Aston, Ruth Morse, Perry Morse,
M/Gen Robert Williams
The granite and design for this beautiful
monument was by Lee Aston, with
suggestions from Robert Lehnhausen and
Ruth Morse.
Permission for its placement came from
the Secretary of the Army, after going
through seven committees!
It was facilitated by Mike Perry, Executive
Director of the Army Heritage Education
Center.
M/Gen. Robert Williams
conducted the ceremony,
congratulating the 44th
BG for its wartime service.
(His father had piloted a
B-17.) Our U.S. Representative, Todd Platts spoke,
as did President George
Washburn. It was a
happy day for all.
Mike Perry
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
IF PEOPLE FROM POLAND ARE CALLED POLES, WHY AREN’T PEOPLE FROM HOLLAND
CALLED HOLES?
IF 4 OUT OF 5 PEOPLE SUFFER FROM DIARRHEA…DOES THAT MEAN THE ONE ENJOYS IT?
IF FED EX AND UPS WERE TO MERGE, WOULD THEY CALL IF FED UP?
YOU NEVER REALLY LEARN TO SWEAR UNTIL YOU LEARN TO DRIVE.
EVER WONDER WHAT THE SPEED OF LIGHTNING WOULD BE IF IT DIDN’T ZIGZAG?
38
�GREAT FRIENDS IN THE 44TH BOMB GROUP
Fritzi Silatsky
Irwin Stovroff
Lowell & Jackie Roberts
Gerald Gross
Lee Aston
Dick & Betty Lynch
Beverly Folsom
39
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�GREAT FRIENDS IN THE 44TH BOMB GROUP
CONTINUED
Louis DeBlasio
Paul Kay
Richard Butler
Charles Hughes
Robert Johnson
Lt. Col. Kent Furman
Frank Schaeffer
Charles Tilton
Clay Roberts
Milton Rosenblatt
40
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�GREAT FRIENDS IN THE 44TH BOMB GROUP
CONTINUED
Irene & Will Lundy
Don Williams & Richard Hruby
Beryl Apgar, Betty Lynch &
Cynthia Harmonski
Robert Vance, Perry Morse,
Jerry Folsom & Roy Owen
at Colorado Springs,
Dedication of B-24 monument
Tommie Shepherd and the piece of
flak that nearly killed him
41
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�GREAT FRIENDS IN THE 44TH BOMB GROUP
CONTINUED
Pete Henry
Russell Gately
Bob Lehnhausen, Mike Mikoloski,
Roy Owen & Ruth Morse
Dale Lee
Jack Butler &
Bill Brandon
George Washburn &
Cynthia Harmonoski
Mary Aston
Roy Owen
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�GREAT FRIENDS IN THE 44TH BOMB GROUP
CONTINUED
Lois Cianci &
Jackie Roberts
3 Presidents: Mike Mikoloski,
Roy Owen & Jerry Folsom
Tony Cianci
The Beiber Crew
Perry Morse, Nathan Woodruff & Jerry Folsom
President Robert Lehnhausen
43
�FOLDED WINGS
All the pain and grief is over, every restless tossing passed.
I am now at peace forever, safely home in heaven at last.
Unknown author
News of his passing came from his
wife of 20 years, Mary. He had 4 children
and one step child; also 5 grandchildren,
and 2 great great grandchildren. Lee
and Mary were residing in Elberton,
Georgia at the time of his passing.
Byers, Eugene M., Jr. #22742 67th
Squadron 6 April 2006 Lt. Byers was a
Navigator, flying with a number of
crews. His first mission was 26 September
1943. He flew with several pilots, most
with Robert Stamos; others with Harold
Pinder, Robert McCormick, Raymond
Lacombe, and Lawrence Brooks. He
also flew with a number of Command
Pilots: Walter Bunker, Sylvestor Hunn, A.
T. Culbertson, William Brandon and
Robert Cardenas.
On his last mission to Frederichshafen,
18 March 1944, the plane went down
and Captain Cardenas and the crew
were interned in Switzerland. Capt.
Cardenas escaped, but the rest of the
crew were held until the war was over.
The planes he flew in were: F for
Freddie, Seed of Satan, Amblin Okie,
H-Q-2, Avenger, Peep Sight, Raggedy
Ann II, The Impatient Virgin, Lib-erty
Belle/Lass and Chief & Sack Artists.
After the war, Byers stayed in the Air
Force, rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel.
His assignment was flight control. He
retired in 1958.
Byers is preceded in death by his wife
of 55 years, Edris Dunaway Myers. The
couple had 2 twin girls, and one grandson.
He was living in Fort Wayne, Indiana
at the time of his passing. Information
Aston, Robert Lee #19247 67th
Squadron 1 September 2013 Captain
Aston was a Navigator on the Christopher
Spagnola crew. Their first of 35
missions was on 26 August 1944.
All missions of this crew were into
Germany, except one into France. They
were knocking out bridges, destroying
oil and arms production complexes and
bombing railroad centers, always moving
ahead of the allied troops that were
moving east toward Germany.
The planes they flew in were: Old
Iron Corset, Judy’s Buggy, Phyllis,
Limpin Ole Sadie/San Antonio Rose,
Sultry Sue and Mi Akin Ass. Their last
mission was 2 June 1945.
After the war, Aston remained in the
Reserves. He became an Attorney-atLaw, and earned a degree as a Geologist.
He became an Adjunct Professor at the
University of Missouri. He earned three
doctorate degrees, and was a candidate
for LLD, Doctor of Law.
Aston was an active member of the
Sons of the Revolution. He owned a
piece of land full of granite, and placed
monuments on a number of his
Revolutionary War ancestors.
Aston will be remembered by the
th
44 Bomb Group, first for providing the
granite, designing and producing the
44th’s monument at the Army Heritage
Education Center’s courtyard. He also
doggedly searched for belated awards
for veterans of the 44th, also other
groups, and arranged for presentations
by important members of the Army
and/or Air Force.
44
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�FOLDED WINGS
of the American Jersey Cattle Club, and
his Jersey bloodline was awarded and
recognized nationwide. In 1980 they
retired and sold their stock to two
farms, one in Vancouver and the other
in Ballingham, Washington. He was
also very active in the civics and politics
in Vancouver, serving on various
community and agricultural boards.
The couple raised 5 children, 3 boys,
2 girls. They had 10 grandchildren and
4 great grandchildren. Mike was preceded
in death by Barbara. Information of his
passing came from his daughter,
Colleen.
Gardner, Harrell Lee #20320 506
Squadron 29 April 2013 S/Sgt. Gardner
was a Gunner on the Charles Atkins
crew; their first mission was on 19 July
1944. At different times he served as a
Wing Gunner, but mostly as a Tail Gunner.
On one mission he flew on a mission
piloted by Hal Kimball. The planes he
flew in were Down De Hatch, Sierra
Blanca, Southern Comfort III, Clean
Sweep/Dragon Nose, Sabrina III,
Joplin Jalopy and Hairless Joe.
After the war Gardner returned to
his hometown of Hartsville, SC and
started a successful farm supply business,
in which he was involved until the last
five years of his life. During that time he
was active in county politics, serving as
a County Councilman for 20 years.
He was predeceased by his wife,
Winifred Parrott Gardner, a/k/a “Dot”,
a marriage that lasted 53 years. They
raised three children who continue to
live in this city.
Information about his passing came
from his son, Lee Gardner.
of his death came from his daughter
Karen.
Clark, John E. #25825 67th Squadron
7 November 2012 Flight Officer Clark
was a Co-pilot on the Raymond Zanoni
crew. His first mission was 17 March
1945, targeting railroad yards at
Munster, Germany.
Clark flew in multiple planes, including
Mi Akin Ass, Missouri Belle, Hit Parade,
Old Iron Corset and Miss Marion. He
flew eleven missions, the last on 20
April 1945.
After the war, Clark attended Cornell
University, earning a BS in Agriculture in
1949. He was in the Air Force Reserves
until being discharged 15 December
1954. The majority of his career was as
a County Supervisor with the Farmers
Home Administration – USDA from
1956 to 1986. He retired while working
in Juneau, Alaska where he enjoyed his
passion for hunting, fishing and hiking.
He is survived by his wife Faye, three
children, seven grandchildren and one
great-great grandson. John and Faye
were living in Belmont, New York at the
time of his passing.
Curtin, Mike #24613 67th Squadron
20 February 2013 Master Sgt. Curtin
was an Aircraft Maintenance Technician,
serving from 10 October 1942 until the
war was over as a Crew Chief.
Mike married Barbara Holbrook in
1941 in Vancouver, WA. During the
war, she served as a Classification ClerkTypist, assigned to the US Army 7th
Infantry Finance Office. Upon his return
home they started Curtin Jersey Farm/
Heritage Farms, where they raised and
showed Jersey cows. Mike was a member
45
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�FOLDED WINGS
last, on 13 May 1944. Lopez served as
Right Wing Gunner at time; other times
as a Ball Turret Gunner. He flew in
Heaven Can Wait II, Mary Harriet,
Victory Ship, Margaret Ann, Flak
Alley, Bing’s Big Box, Full House,
Pistol Packin’ Mama, Flak Alley II,
Flak Magnet, and Fearless Fosdick.
After the war, Lopez was employed
in the field of Electronics, serving in
many capacities in six different states.
He is was the father of two daughters,
three sons, 15 grandchildren and 14
great-grandchildren. He was preceded
in death by his wife and a son.
He was residing in Salt Lake City at
the time of his death. News of his passing
came from Gerald Folsom, from a
newspaper clipping.
Wells, Donald #22511 67th Squadron
1 August 2013 Lt. Wells was a Co-Pilot
on the Leslie Lee Crew. Their first of 31
missions was on 31 December 1943.
The crew flew in many nameless planes,
But also in Fearless Fosdick, Three
Kisses for Luck, Limpin Ole Sadie/San
Antonio Rose, Mi Akin Ass, Old Iron
Corset, Sultry Sue, Miss Marion, and
Lady Fifi Nella.
Their last mission was 25 April 1945
to Hallien, Austria. It was also the last
mission the 44th flew in the war. On
May 8th 1945 Germany surrendered.
It was VE Day.
A member of the 44th BG Board of
Directors, Richard Lynch, was a Tail
Gunner on this crew.
West, Thomas J. #22525 68th
Squadron 9 May 2013 Sgt. T/Sgt.
West was an Engineer/Top Turret
Gunner on the William Solomon Crew,
Oshel, Loren L. #21569 66th
Squadron 11 September 2012 Corporal
Oshen was a member of the Ground
Crew, first serving at Honnington Air
Base, which was a sub depot base.
There he worked on B-17s and B-24s
that were having landing gear problems.
Later he was moved to Shipdham,
where he worked on repairing
instruments after each mission. He
adjusted compasses, calibrated air
speed indicators and standardized
instrument panels. Oshel stayed at
Shipdham until the end of the war.
After the war he attended Kansas
State University, earning a BS degree as
Agricultural Engineer. He worked for
the USDA Soil Conservation Service for
30 years. He worked as a Field Officer
Engineer in Clay City, Texas; a Planning
Engineer on the Watershed Planning
Staff at Salina Kansas, and Tucson &
Phoenix Arizona.
Loren and his wife, Maxine, were
married 66 years. They had 2 daughters
and one son, all of whom were highly
educated. The son became a photogrammetrist, working with the space
program. One daughter is a pharmacist,
the other, in working with prisoners not
eligible for release.
Loren and Maxine were living in
Sierra Vista, Arizona at the time of his
passing. News of his death came by
e-mail from Maxine.
Lopez, Vincent George # 23071
th
68 Squadron 21 May 2013 S/Sgt.
Lopez was a gunner on three different
crews: Joseph Kessler, Baxter Weant,
and Robert Rose. His first of 30
missions was on 13 August 1943; his
46
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�FOLDED WINGS
with whom he flew 17 missions. He
flew his last five missions on the R.C.
Pitts Crew, the last being to Hallien,
Austria, which was the last mission of
the war for the 44th Bomb Group.
In his 22 missions, he flew in the
following planes:
Puritanical Witch/Puritanical Bitch;
T. S. Tessie/Beck’s Bad Boys; Hellza
Droppin; Lady Geraldine and Jose
Carioca.
After the War, West spent 38 years
as a steel worker for the Wheeling
Pittsburgh Steel Company.
West had two children. At the time
of his passing, he was living in Tiltonsville,
Ohio. Information of his death came
from his son, Thomas, Jr.
47
�44th Bomb Group
Veterans Association
2041 Village Circle E
York, PA 17404
He was getting old and paunchy, and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he once fought in, and the planes in which he flew,
And the times he saw a buddy ‘chuting down into the blue.
But we’ll hear his tales no longer, for ol’ Joe has passed away,
And the world’s a little poorer, cause an Airman died today.
He won’t be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he had lived an ordinary, quiet sort of life.
But when his name shows up in Folded Wings, within the next edition,
His buddies will remember that they also flew that mission.
His local paper tells his life, we hope that they will say,
“Our Country is in Mourning, Cause an Airman Died Today”
�
Dublin Core
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Title
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8 Ball Tails
Newsletter
Dublin Core
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Title
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8 Ball Tails Volume 13 - Issue 5: Fall 2013
Source
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<span>44th Bomb Group Veteran's Association Website (<a class="in-cell-link" target="_blank" href="http://www.8thairforce.com/44thbg" rel="noreferrer noopener">Now Inactive</a>)</span>