381st Bomb Group (H)
War Diary
Roll BO370: Frames 95-109
AUGUST 1944
August opened with an air attack against the Melun/Villeroche airfield, in France. The crews were briefed early but chill mist and drizzling rain held the take off up until 1100 hours. Major Arthur Briggs was in the lead ship of 37 aircraft which made up the 381st contingent for the operation. It was 8/10 to 9/10 cloud cover but the bombardier in the lead group picked up the airfield runways as his aiming point and the group bombed with good results. The low group, however, found the target completely covered and held its bombs, eventually bombing a target of opportunity, the Estampse/Mondesir airfield. The formations encountered moderate and accurate flak at the primary target but experienced no other difficulties. There were no enemy aircraft.
There was no mission on the second. An operation against the synthetic petrol works at Harnes, France, was scrubbed after briefing.
The day brought two bronze Star awards to the Group, published in GO 214, 1st BD, of that date. The recipients were both engineering officers; Capts. Ernest E. Murray, of the 533rd, and Clayton R. Greenwood, of the 535th. A bumper crop of Oak Leaf Clusters to the Air Medal, 108 all told, also arrived published in GO 212 of that date.
A GI stage show, "Strictly High Class", winner of the 8AF competition, was presented at the theater in the evening.
Lt. Col. Conway S. Hall, Group air executive, was in the lead ship on August 3, when 37 of our aircraft participated in the attack against the marshalling yards at Mulhouse. One of our planes aborted, but the rest went on to the target where they found an 8/10 undercast. However, there was a break in the clouds over the objective and the formation bombed visually. The clouds closed in again on the other end of the bombing run and results were unobserved. There were no enemy aircraft in the sky and there was no flak at the target. But, returning home, the formation caught unbriefed flak at Brussels, which although it was meager, proved very accurate. One of our aircraft was severely damaged. The pilot called the Wing leader and reported one engine out and the prop of another windmilling. He was last seen at 1710 hours and it was believed by the returning crews that the plane ditched. Nothing further was heard of the Fortress until the next day when the pilot's body was washed ashore at Orfor____ [possibly Orford Ness, Suffolk]. None of the others have been heard from.
The crew, all but the pilot listed as missing in action, included:
2nd Lt. John G. Wilcock, pilot
2nd Lt. Stanley E. Hutchinson, copilot
2nd Lt. Charles R. Marsh, navigator
2nd Lt. Robert I. Lucas, bombardier
Sgt. John A. Ramsey, Radio
Sgt. Alfred E. Prinz, Top turret
Sgt. Charles R. Evans, waist
Sgt. Robert F. Friel, ball turret
Sgt. Richard J. Fall, tail
The entire crew was flying its second mission.
The important experimental station at Peenemunde, was the target on August 4 and Col. Harry P. Leber, Jr., station commander, personally led the 37 aircraft assigned to the operation from this station. Capt Douglas L. Winter was his pilot.
Although the formations encountered moderate, accurate, tracking flak at the target they had no difficulty in completing the mission with excellent bombing results. The job was done visually in good weather, and the Luftwaffe was not on hand to offer opposition. There were no casualties as a result of enemy action, but the Group lost a man and a plane as a result of an accident.
The ship was piloted by 1st Lt. Hanley G. Cupernall and it carried Capt. Irving Moore, 532nd operations officer, who was deputy group leader for the mission, and Capt. Francis G. Hawkins, Group photo officer, who went along as observer and photographer. Shortly after take-off the Fortress caught fire. The men were forced to bail out and the aircraft crashed near Nuthampstead. The entire crew got out except the tail gunner, S/Sgt Harold F. Norris, who was burned to death. Several of the members of the crew received injuries in the jump, notably Lt. Cupernall, who suffered a fracture of the right leg, and 1st Lt. Charles W. Young, whose left ankle was fractured.
August 3, the station's most interesting courts martial took place. The defendant was one Cpl. Roger W. Martin, of the 533rd Bomb Squadron and the charges included some 32 specifications, ranging from desertion to masquerading as an officer. Martin had become almost a legend on the base. Several times he had escaped from confinement, twice from the Military Police at this station. He was illegally away from his base for two periods of three months each, and during these six months he was involved in almost incredible adventures.
Medical reports on Martin indicated that he suffered from pituitary gland deficiency, a fact which had developed in him a strong inferiority complex, as a result of which he was driven to extreme self-glorification. Thus, he was the guiding spirit of numerous newspaper articles telling of his spurious deeds of deering-do, both in the South Pacific and this theater, of his string of medals (all non-existent), and of his heroic family. The tales were, of course, figments of his imagination.
During his absence from the station he was occasionally T/Sgt. Martin, 2nd Lt. Keith D. Moore. He managed to attach himself to an engineer outfit in Portsmouth, posing as an intelligence officer. He became friendly with the powers there, and actually carried out an investigation for the post, - a highly successful one, evidently, for he was commended for it. He left several forged checks in his wake, and he carried with him two complete sets of forged identification papers and passes of his dual personality.
He was finally captured when he over-extended himself. He told the Portsmouth authorities that he was about to proceed on orders to France and needed civilian clothing for the journey. Suspicious quartermaster personnel brought about his arrest.
The court martial resulted in an immediate dishonorable discharge and a further sentence of three years of penal servitude.
August 4 saw the beginning of the Eighth Air Force war bond drive. The station was divided into four teams, each led by a bombardment squadron and the race began. A picturesque portrayal of the contest was painted on the water tower of the shower room opposite the PX.
Thomas E. Barnicle, of the 535th was promoted to captain in orders published August 3.
Major Lynn S. Kidd, Group S2, who had been with the outfit since its activation in that capacity (he had been chosen for the job by Col. Nazzaro), was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in GO 219, 1DB, Aug.4.
Neinburg, Germany, home of a large oil storage depot, was the target for August 5. Capt. George K. Sandman was the leader of the contingent of 39 A/C (37 plus one spare) dispatched from this station. [The addition was as on the original history!] Two of the Fortresses aborted. The rest went on to find good weather at the target and made a long visual run to produce excellent bombing results. There was virtually no flak at the target although the crews reported they saw eight rockets. Meager to moderate flak was fired at the formation at the coast in. No enemy aircraft were seen. We lost one ship and its crew. Listed as missing in action were:
1st Lt. Salvatore J. Melomo, pilot and deputy leader
1st Lt. Edwin W. Palmer, pilot
2nd Lt. Charles J. Freeman, navigator
2nd Lt. William Bernstein, bombardier
T/Sgt. Leland W. Vaughan, radio
T/Sgt. Willard G. Gilbertson, top turret
S/Sgt. James M. Moorhead, ball turret
S/Sgt. Julian D. Hill, waist
S/Sgt. Louis F. Beneke, tail and
1st Lt. David W. Lane, special purpose navigator
Evidently disabled by flak, the Fortress was last seen near Cuxhaven with its No. 3 engine feathered. No smoke or flame was observed. Bernstein, Moorhead, Beneke and Lane were subsequently reported prisoners of war. The rest of the crew have not been heard of.
There was another casualty. 1st Lt. Caleb G. Baxter suffered a compound fracture of the leg when he was hit by flak shrapnel.
Captain Karl Franek, 533rd operations officer, was awarded the DFC by GO 220, 1BD, Aug. 5. He had completed his tour of duty. Thirty-six Air Medal Clusters came to the Group by GO 223 of the same date.
Meanwhile, GO 216, of Aug. 3 had brought a cluster to the DFC to Major William G. Fullick, Group bombardier, for his accurate and skillful bombing on the mission of July 21. The superior results obtained, stated the station, were in a large measure attributable to the outstanding proficiency of Major Fullick. The same order brought clusters to the Air Medal for 1st Lt. Howard R. Yates, pilot, 1st Lt. Francis B. Broderick, special equipment navigator; and T/Sgt. Clarence N. Rolla, top turret gunner and engineer. Yates and Broderick won the awards for their excellent work on the lead team in the mission of July 21.
Rolla was awarded his cluster for his courage, coolness and devotion to duty on the same mission.. Flak had severed the hydraulic line in his aircraft and the fluid, spurting all over the pilot, ignited. Rolla saw the pilot jump out of his seat, his clothing in flames, and immediately threw him to the catwalk floor where he fell upon the pilot, extinguishing the flames with his body.
DFC's were awarded, by GO 218, Aug. 4, to 1st Lt. Joseph A. Albers, Jr., and T/Sgt John D. Jannsen, and S/Sgts. Merrill W. Meyer, Charles W. Newcomb and Edward Y. Odian all of whom had completed duty tours.
August 6 was an unusual day in base history. The London production of "While the Sun Shines", regarded as the most successful play of the year in England, did a show at the base. A stage was specially constructed in Hanger No.2 for the occasion, and several thousand men were in the audience. The experiment was not too much of a success because the hanger presented acoustical problems. But the case, working up hill all the way, put on a magnificent performance, despite the difficulties and the audience enjoyed the show immensely.
The show, originally slated for early afternoon, had to be postponed until early evening because of the mission.
The target for the operation was the aircraft factory at Brandenburg. We put up 37 aircraft plus a spare for the job and Major Arthur F. Briggs was the contingent's commander. There was one abortive. The rest of the formation found a 4/10 cloud layer over the target, but visibility was unlimited. The flak was moderate and the Fortresses made a good bombing run to score excellent results. The Luftwaffe was up and, although the bomber crews reported no attacks on our formations, they did see large dogfights between the defenders and our escort all around the target area.
We lost one Fortress and its crew. Those reported missing were:
1st Lt. Allen W. Webb, pilot
2nd Lt. John W. Hayes, co-pilot
2nd Lt. Earle S. Grossnickle, navigator
2nd Lt. George Gomez, bombardier
S/Sgt. Ralph K. Murkin
T/Sgt. Landon S. Grisham
S/Sgt. William C. Burt
S/Sgt. Adolph M. Gonzales
S/Sgt. Jack S. Patrick
Lt Hayes and tail gunner, Sgt. Patrick are the only members of the crew still unreported. The others have all been listed as prisoners of war.
The aircraft, apparently hit by flak, was last reported near Salzwedel. Its pilot reported he had lost one engine and was having trouble with another. He requested fighter support.
Results of the 1st BD swimming meet, held at Bedford August 5, showed this station finishing third. The relay team, composed of Lt. MacGregor, T/Sgt. Cenker, Cpl. Tank and Pvt. Horton won the event.
George R. DeDantis, 532nd executive officer, and Nelson F. Nunamaker, fairly recently appointed CO of the ordnance outfit, were promoted to captain. The promotions were announced in the Aug.7 Daily Bulletin.
DFC's were awarded, by GO 224, Aug. 7, to 1st Lt. Albert J. Harding, Jr., 2nd Lt. Emerson E. Lewis, T/Sgt. Lannace J. Boudreaux, T/Sgt. Paul K. Harris, T/Sgt. Hugo E. Pancher, and S/Sgts. Shannon B. Early, Bill T. Fudge, John M. Howry and Justin L. Turner.
There was a mission August 7 and the Group, supplying crews for two different Wings, had two targets, both fuel depots: St. Florentin and Bourron Marlotte. There were 37 aircraft including one spare, assigned, the major share flying in the 1st "A" Wing, with Capt. Ralph Freese as commander; the remainder flying with the "C" Wing with 1st Lt. William Herrington as leader. Both outfits found good weather and bombed visually, with excellent results. There was no flak at the targets, but both Wings caught anti- aircraft fire at the French coast (meager) and further flak at Lisieux. The latter was described as moderate and accurate. There were no enemy aircraft in the sky.
We were assigned to ground support on August 8 and 37 of our aircraft were assigned to hammer enemy troops concentrations at Cauvicourt, France. Lt Col. Charles L. Halsey was the wing leader for the operation. One of our ships returned early, but the rest went on to battle their way to the target through an intense and accurate field of flak. It was clear over the objective and the Fortresses accomplished their bombing visually with good results. One enemy aircraft, "a twin engine job" was seen at the target but attempted no attacks. The flak riddled most of our aircraft, 30 of the contingent returning with battle damage, five of them with major damage. Capt. Barnicle, flying deputy lead, had a couple of engines knocked out by the flak but managed to make a good emergency crash landing in the British lines near Baveaux. He and the rest of his crew returned to base the next day.
Eight members of the Group, having completed their duty tours, were awarded their final DFC's in GO 226, 1BD, August 8. The recipients were 1st Lts. Albert A. Saleeby amd Samuel H. Whitehead; F/O James W. Gonzales; T/Sgt. Ernest B. Gatten, Jr., and S/Sgts. Johnnie S. Nosal, Sheldon L. Oberstein, Paul N. Pearlin and Walter L. Van Horn.
There was no rest for the crews yet, August 9 we put up 24 aircraft for an attack against the Bayerische Motorwerks at Allach, near Munich. Lt. Col. David E. Kunkel, Jr., was the Wing leader and Captain Douglas L. Winter was his pilot. Weather made it impossible to reach the assigned target. The formation took a new heading and went to Saarbrucken where they found moderate to intense tracking flak defending the target. The bombing was done visually with Pff assist, and the strike photos showed excellent results with hits upon the vital marshalling yards. There was other flak, notably at Ma_stricht, but it was meager. The Luftwaffe failed to show. We had one casualty, S/Sgt Donald G. Valente, who received a relatively mild wound in the left forearm. All our aircraft returned. There was one abortive.
Twelve more DFC's were awarded to Group members by GO 229, 1BD, August 9. The recipients were 1st Lts. Elyn E. Andrews, Guy F. Ferranti, William W. Harris, James H. Long, Donald K. Stewart, Jack B. Sutherlin and Thomas M. Weaver, T/Sgts. John C. DuPre and Davis H. Sones and S/Sgt Joseph A. Warner. The same order brought a cluster to the DFC to 1st Lt. Robert G. Beakley. All had completed their duty tours.
There was a stand down, finally on the Tenth, a welcome stand down for both air and ground crews, for most of the Fortresses were pretty badly shot up, and the ground boys were working night and day to keep them flying.
There was no cessation of DFC recipients, however, GO 232, 1 BD, Aug. 10 brought Distinguished Flying awards to 1st Lt. Russell B. Rodrick and T/Sgts. Ernest A. Conatser, Franklin M. Glover and James E Haynie; S/Sgt. Harry Applebaum, all of whom had completed tours of duty.
Flying operations began again on the Eleventh and 36 of our aircraft were dispatched to attack a tactical target at Brest. Capt. Edward H. MacNeil was the commander. Fifteen minutes before they hit the French Coast, on the way in, and while still climbing for altitude, the formation had to level off for a while to avoid collision with a formation of RAF Halifaxes. The climb was resumed after the Halifaxes got out of the way and the Fortresses went on to find a cloudless sky at the target. There was no flak and there was no enemy aircraft. The Forts made a long visual run and dropped their explosives with telling effect. Strike photos show hits directly on the MPI.
Seventeen Oak Clusters to the Air Medal came to the Group by way of GO 234, 1BD, August 11, and the same day saw DFC's awarded to nine members of the Group via GO 235. The DFC winners were 1st Lt. Michael Lombardi, Donald I. Soale, and Ray D. Sullivan; T/Sgts. Leroy W. Aden, Leonard M. Hanson, Carl S. Lambert, John J. Lukasik and Leabert B. Sterling; S/Sgt. Doanld G. Valente. An Oak Leaf Cluster to the DFC was awarded to 1st Lt. George W. Conley. All had completed duty tours.
The twelfth was a day of rest and flying personnel were left free to attend both an exhibition tennis match, with Capt. Frank Shields and Sgt. Charlie Hare, both famous Davis Cuppers; and performances of the GI show "Petticoats" at the theater.
The same day brought a cluster to the DFC to Major Arthur F. Briggs, who had completed his tour of combat duty and was ready for shipment home. A similar award , for the same reason, went to Major William G. Fullick, Group Bombardier, who was also due to leave back in the States. The awards came out in GO 237, 1BD, August 12.
A Bronze Star Medal also came to the Group August 12, via GO 239; The recipient was Capt. Julius Eichenbaum, chief ordinance officer of the station.
August 13 was a red letter day. For the Daily Bulletin published the order permitting resumption of the 48 hour pass for ground personnel.
There was a mission August 13, also. The target was a tactical one at Rouen and 37 of our aircraft participated in the operation under the leadership of Capt. George K. Sandman. Meager to moderate and accurate flak was encountered all the way from the IP [Initial Point} to the target. The weather was good and the Fortresses made a long run, in spite of the flak, dropping their bombs with good results. There were no enemy aircraft. The flak, however, cost us two casualties.
2nd Lt. William G. Haines was killed by a piece of shrapnel that virtually amputated his right leg and penetrated, also, his left thigh.
S/Sgt. Thomas R. Ressler received a mild penetrating wound in his back.
Seventeen Air Medals and 32 clusters were awarded to the Group by GO 238, 1BD, August 12. 34 more clusters were added in GO 243, August 13.
And DFC's awarded by GO 241, August 13, went to 1st Lt. Robert P. Burrell, Wayne E. Herman, and Harold W. Walkup; T/Sgts. Russell H. Adams and James W. Thompson; and S/Sgt. Samuel T. White, Jr.
August 14's target was the Metz/ Frescaty airfield. We put up 37 aircraft with Lt. Col. Charles L. Halsey in the lead ship. There was one abortive. There was a 2 to 4/10 cloud over the target and it was hazy, but visibility was good. There was no flak and the Luftwaffe was absent. The Fortresses performed an excellent bombing job and all our aircraft returned safely.
Thirteen Air Medals and 25 Clusters were awarded to Group members in GO 249, 1BD, August 15.
The same day, Col. Leber issued orders restricting all combat officers to the base until noon Sunday, August 20. The order was the result of a high jinx in site 2. Somebody fired some pistols and some flares in the heat of the excitement. In issuing the order, Col. Leber promised another five day restriction for each repetition of the offense.
The Ostheim airfield, near Cologne, was the target August 15 and Lt. Col. Conway S. Hall was the wing leader. We put up 37 aircraft.
Except for patchy clouds the weather was good and it was clear in the target area. There were no enemy aircraft but the flak was moderate to intense and accurate of us. Col. Hall said the formation ahead of ours had gone in above their briefed altitude and their chaff was drawing heavy anti-aircraft fire directly upon us. The last five minutes of the bombing run was negotiated in a climb in order to avoid the intense flak then pointing at our formations. Despite the difficulties, however, the bombing was excellent. Strike photos showed hits upon the MPI and a good concentration of bombs in the target area.
The aircraft factory at Halle was the target for the Sixteenth. The 37 aircraft assigned from here were under the command of Lt. Col. John E. Fitzgerald, Jr., who was the Wing Leader. There was one abortive. The formations encountered good weather and it was CAVU [Clear And Visibility Unlimited] over the target except for some haze and smoke. There was moderate, accurate tracking flak defending the objective and the Luftwaffe was also on hand. The enemy aircraft, however, concentrated their attack on the Wing behind ours, coming in almost simultaneously with the arrival of the flak. The formation made a long, visual run and really hit the target. Results were were recorded as "excellent" for the lead and low groups but only fair for the high group which suffered an instrument failure in the lead ship. All our aircraft returned safely. There was one casualty: Sgt. John B. Keffer, who suffered a penetrating wound in the hip. His injuries were described asmild at the station hospital.
Five DFC's ware awarded to members of the Group by GO 250, 1BD, August 16. The recipients, all of whom had completed duty tours, were 1st Lts. Doswell A. Jamison and William F. Skoglund; T/Sgt. Louis Muro, Jr., and S/Sgts. James C. Burrows and Francis Lobasso.
There was a cessation of hostilities for the group for the next seven days. No missions were projected, even until the 23rd, and on that day an operation destined to attack the engine factories at Russelsheim, was scrubbed at briefing.
The awards kept coming in, however. Five more DFC's were received here with GO 234, 1BD, August 17. Those honored were 1st Lt. Harry D. Brown and Edward W. Switzer; and S/Sgts. Arthur T. O'Malley, Harvey H. Reeves and Rex L. Scott. All had finished their combat tours.
Three more DFC's were included in GO 256, August 18. These men had also finished their duty tours. Those honored were 1st Lt. Robert E. Teien, T/Sgt. Clarence A. Sprague and S/Sgt. Harold I. Schenkel.
Purple Hearts were awarded to 1st Lts. Donald K. Stewart, Robert G. Peackley, and James H. Long. T/Sgt. Franklin M. Glover and S/Sgt. John H. Keffer via GO 263, 1BD, August 20.
And there were a flock of Air Medals and Clusters in GO 261, August 20, 36 Air Medals were awarded. There were 15 Clusters for us in GO 267, August 21.
There were 32 more Air Medals in GO 272, August 23.
August 21 the Bulletin announced the promotion of Richard W. Edwards, flying control chief, to Major, and Ross G. Hanks, 534th S2, to Captain.
The evening of the 21st was a rough one for the enlisted men, because a shortage of beer necessitated closing the beer hall for the evening.
The war again began for the 381st on the 24th. The target was Weimar, where the objective were land armaments used for the manufacture and storage of V2 weapons. With Capt. George K. Sandman in the lead ship, 37 of our aircraft took off for the
operation. There was one abortive and one of our planes attacked a target of opportunity, believed to be the Stade airdrome. The rest went on to Weimar where the weather was good. The only clouds in the sky were above our formation and there was no haze. There was moderate flak from Maunburg to Weimar, but there was no flak on the target itself. The crews saw one enemy fighter, an Me 163, who "dove" on our low group but fired no shots. The formations made a beautiful bombing run and reported excellent results. All our aircraft returned safely, but we suffered two casualties: Sgt. Don W. Horem, wounded in the hand received a fracture of the hand, and T/Sgt. David Caldwell suffered a moderate wound to the left forearm. Both injuries were due to flak.
The Neubrandenburg airfield was the target August 25 and 37 of our aircraft were assigned to the mission with Capt. Douglas L. Winter in the lead ship. Winter had just taken over the leadership of the 534th Squadron after Major Briggs (and Major Bullick) had left for the States on leave. It was a cloudy morning but the clouds disappeared when the formations reached the German coast at Kiel. It was clear over the target although some of the crews reported seeing "several red and purple bursts". There were no enemy aircraft. The Fortresses made an unmolested run and the bombing was excellent for the low group and good for the lead and high groups. On the way home the formations caught flak at Peenemunde, but it was meager and inaccurate. All our aircraft returned safely.
1st Lt. Charles H. Eager, 534th bombardier, was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster to his DFC by GO 280, August 25. He had completed his missions and was ready to leave for home.
Major Briggs, who had just left from the States, was made a lieutenant colonel and Captain Sandman, who had taken over command of the 533rd, was made major in orders announced in the Daily Bulletin August 31.
The teams lead respectively, by 533rd and 535th squadrons were first to fulfill their quotas in the 8th AF war bond drive on this station. QUOTAS were 22,000 dollars for each team.
DFC's were awarded to 1st Lt. Lester E. Fine, GO 258, august 19, and to 1st Lt. Robert G. Hecker, GO 271, August 22. Both had completed tours of duty.
Gelsenkirchen, well remembered frequent Group objective, was the target August 26, and 37 aircraft were assigned to the operation here with Lt. Col. Charles L. Halsey in the lead. The Fortresses took off in a heavy ground fog and had some difficulty in assembling, but the weather cleared to some extent when the formations reached enemy territory. It was hazy at the 29,000 foot altitude at which the Fortresses went over the target and non-persistent contrails bothered them a little, too. An intense flak barrage, much of it inaccurate for us, was the enemy's defense at the target. There were no enemy aircraft up. Smoke and haze obscured the target, but the bombardiers synchronized on fires left burning by the wings that hit the objective ahead of us and the bombing was performed in good shape. 1st Lt. Charles W. Nevius, lead bombardier, had to contend, also, with the fact that his plane was hit twice by flak bursts while it was on the bombing run. Because of the smoke and haze, results of the bombing went unobserved. All our aircraft returned safely to base.
The aircraft factory at Schonefeld was the briefed target for August 27. Our contingent of 37 aircraft, led by Lt. Col. John E. Fitzgerald, Jr., found it impossible to get through to Schonefeld because of weather conditions. Col. Fitzgerald took his formations instead to a target of opportunity, Emden. There was a 6/10 undercast with ground haze up until the Fortresses reached Emden, but over the city there was an opening in the clouds. Moderate but extremely accurate flak greeted the American bombers as they embarked upon their run, but the Forts made a good, long straight and level nevertheless and bombed visually, with PPF assistance. Results were excellent. Hits were observed on the vital dock areas and on the marshalling yards. There were no enemy fighters up, but the flak took a rather heavy toll. Many of our aircraft suffered battle damage and our casualties totaled six wounded and one killed.
Among the wounded was 2nd Lt. Raymond L. LaPierre, who received penetrating wounds of the neck, shoulder, leg and arm. His elder brother, 1st Lt. Roger LaPierre, also flew the mission, as pilot of the deputy lead ship. It was a rough trip for the brothers, for the elder had learned, via radio, that his kid brother had been hit while the formation was still over enemy territory.
Others wounded were T/Sgt. John Dufek, who received moderate severe buttocks wounds; Sgt. William E. Combs, 2nd Lt. Robert Armstrong, S/Sgt. Harold G. Pendleton, and S/Sgt. Keith F. Jensen, all of whom were slightly injured.
Sgt. Richard Ramsdell was killed in action. He had been hit in the back by a piece of shrapnel which tore right through his body, coming out at the chest.
In the meantime, back at the Station, various events were taking place. Cpl. John C. Wolfe defeated Sgt. James Garvey for the station tennis championship. And the 448th Sub Depot softball team won the station title in its event from the "Not-In-Stocks".
Twelve DFC's came to the Group through GO 283, 1BD, August 28. The recipients, all of whom had completed their tours, were 1st Lts. Paul H. Anderson, James V. Farley, James R. Kline, Harry A. Smith, Leonard L. Loper and Eugene J. Roberts; T/Sgts. Lileon F. Card, Jr., and Johnny L. Daniel; S/Sgts. Leo F. Foley, Kenneth Hale, Millard F. Seaman and Samuel T. Weatherly.
A Bronze Star medal was awarded to Capt. Francis G. Hawkins, photo officer, in GO 284, August 29. It made Capt. Hawkins one of the most decorated of the ground officers, for he had already won the Air Medal for participation in six missions.
The final mission of the month was the Kiel operation of August 30. It was mission 181 for the Group and the sixteenth mission of the month. We put up 37 aircraft under command of Lt. Col. Conway S. Hall. The formations encountered bad weather all the way with 10/10 undercast and swelling cumulus clouds towering up to 20,000 ft. There was moderate, inaccurate flak at the target. The Luftwaffe was not present. The bombing run was made by PFF methods and the results were unobserved. All our ships returned safely. There was one casualty: 1st Lt. John W. Cassen, who suffered moderately severe wounds of the right forehead and nose.
Thirty two Air Medals and eleven Clusters were awarded to Group members in GO 289, 1BD, August 31.
And on the same date, through GO 294, the Purple Heart was awarded to T/Sgt. John A. Dufek, who had been wounded only a few days before, on the mission of August 27.
Other events during the course of the month included the visit to the Station of a group of American rubber tycoons. The guests included Paul W. Litchfield, chairman of the board of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; John L. Colyer, president of B. F. Goodrich; Harry E. Smith, general manager of Manhattan Rubber Manufacturing Division; W. A. Hazlett, head of the British Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co.; and Edward M. Eickmann, of Goodyear Aircraft Corp.
The month ended with the entire base looking forward to the celebration of the Aeroclub's anniversary on September 2.
> September 1944