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Mission 037 - 1
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 3717 May 1943
Target: Keranan Submarine Pens, Lorient, FranceCrews Dispatched: 21
Length of Mission: 5 hours, 10 minutes
Bomb Load: 5 x 1000 lb. G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitude: 26,300 ft
Ammo Fired: 32,572 rounds
Three aircraft returned early from the mission: #42-3029 Wallaroo 359BS (Smith) -The No. 1 propeller governor was inoperative and the No. 2 supercharger was faulty.#42-5482 Cat-O-Nine Tails 359BS (McClung) - The ball turret gunner, S/Sgt. Carl
L. Phillips, had cramps. #42-5221 Son 359BS (Roller) - The tail gunner, Sgt. Arthur L.Burnham, froze his left knee. There was no canvas over his guns to keep the cold air out.
The near perfect flying weather of the past five days continued. Visibility over thetarget was excellent. Light flak was seen over the French coast, both in and out and overthe target area. About 45 to 50 German FW-190s and ME-109s were in the area with 20encounters, primarily tail attacks. Enemy losses were 7 destroyed, six probables, and sixdamaged. The Spitfire support was good. All 18 bombers completed the mission andreturned home safely.
Opinions of crew members varied as to the character of the raid. Capt. Calhounsaid, "I believe I would describe it as easy as far as enemy opposition was concerned. Mybombardier, Capt. Robert Yonkman, said the bombing was good." 1Lt. Richard Hopper,bombardier for Capt. Nolan of Jersey Bounce, Jr., said, "It was damn fine bombing." 1Lt.Frank Zasadil, bombardier for Capt. Morales in Sky Wolf, commented, "The aiming pointwas demolished."
When asked about fighter opposition, Capt. Morales said, "I couldn't see anyfighters, but I could see the tracers whizzing by." His co-pilot, 2Lt. Calvin Swaffer, said,"The fighters looked green to me. They stayed far out to the side." Capt. Nolan's tailgunner, S/Sgt. Emile V. Bitter, flying in Jersey Bounce, Jr., had a different view. "ThoseSOBs were swarming like bees. I think I got two of them. One came in to within 150 yards.I got him for sure. I might have gotten a third, but was too busy to watch him go down," hesaid.
1Lt. Robert Taylor, bombardier for Capt. Griffin, in A.O.G. Not in Stock, disputedthe report that the flak was meager and inaccurate. He was plenty glad that he wore a steelhelmet. Pointing to a crease in the top of his headgear, he said, "These tin hats aren’t justmade for the infantry. A piece of flak caused that dent and it went on and glanced off theside of my navigator's [Lt. W.M. Preston] helmet." 1Lt. D.S. Clifton, pilot of 360th BS IzaVailable, said, "This was the toughest raid I've been on. The flak was bursting on all sides,and the fighters gave the 360th Squadron hell."
Mission 037 - 2
Bomb Strike photo from B-17F #42-2973 Iza Vailable
Crew Reports on Enemy Aircraft Destroyed or Damaged
S/Sgt. E.V. Bitter (664) FW-190 Destroyed
S/Sgt. E.V. Bitter (664) FW-190 Destroyed
S/Sgt. C.N. Giassullo (656) FW-190 Possible
S/Sgt. R. Nakaniski (9635) FW-190 Destroyed
S/Sgt. W.E. Briggs (571) FW-190 Probable
S/Sgt. V.E. Brown (571) ME-109F Damaged
Sgt. G.R. Redhead (656) FW-190 Possible
Sgt. F.M. Mathews (664) FW-190 Destroyed
S/Sgt. J.E. Schneider (002) FW-190 Possible
S/Sgt. R.W. Martin (430) FW-190 Destroyed
T/Sgt. L.E. Nordyke (002) FW-190 Damaged
S/Sgt. D.C. McEachern (002) FW-190 Destroyed
Lt. L.V. Gordon (640) FW-190 Damaged/Possible Destroyed
S/Sgt. W.C. Mulgrew (4635) FW-190 Destroyed
T/Sgt. D.T. Deitch (606) FW-190 Possible
S/Sgt. L.T. O'Connell (260) FW-190 Damaged
Sgt. H.G. Schneiderman (570) FW-190 Possible
Lt. J.W. Stewart (260) FW-190 Damaged
T/Sgt. A. Hlebasko (483) FW-190 Damaged
Mission 037 - 3
Route Map
Mission 037 - 4
Aircraft Formation at Assembly Point
Calhoun4635
Haines Cline 430 640
Roller221
Smith Mattison 029 002
McClung482
Fredericks Morales 570 562Clifton Van Wie Timken Lemmon 973 483 656 571 Griffin Nolan 788 664Stallings Trojan Thompson Jess 393 260 9635 577 Mack McDonald 606 264
Three (3) aircraft aborted this mission:Capt. Roller in 221Capt. Smith in 029Lt. McClung in 482
KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS
CREW POSITIONSCMP - Command PilotP - PilotCP - Co-PilotNAV - NavigatorANV - Ass't. NavigatorMNV - Mickey NavigatorENG - EngineerBOM - BombardierRO - Radio Operator
TOG - TogglierBT - Ball Turret OperatorTT - Top Turret OperatorTG - Tail GunnerNG - Nose GunnerRG - Radio GunnerWG - Waist GunnerLWG - Left Waist GunnerRWG - Right Waist GunnerGUN - Gunner
VI - Voice InterpreterOBS - ObserverPAS - PassengerPHO - Photographer
RESULTS OF MISSIONKIA - Killed in actionWIA - Wounded in actionMIA - Missing in actionPOW - Prisoner of war
DOW - Died of woundsEVD - Evaded the enemyINT - Interned in neu cntryREP - RepatriatedRES - RescuedESC - EscapedBO - Bailed outDCH - DitchedCR-L - Crashed on landCR-S - Crashed at sea
Mission 037 - 5
358th Bombardment Squadron Crew Lists
B-17F #42-29635 Augerhead
P Thompson, Frank H., 2LtCP Sumarlidason, Arni L., 2LtNAV McConnen, James R., 2LtBOM McCord, Lawrence E., 2LtENG Welch, James R., S/SgtTT Fulanovich, Charles J., S/SgtRO McGuire, Robert J., T/SgtBT Nakaniski, Ralph, S/SgtTG Aubrey, Eldred L., S/SgtRWG Wilson, Donald R., S/Sgt
B-17F #42-29664 Jersey Bounce, Jr.
P Nolan, Robert J., CaptCP Kruse, Richard L., 2LtNAV Anderson, William J., 2LtBOM Hopper, Richard R., 1LtENG Hively, Roy J., T/SgtRWG Rodriguez, James E., Jr.,T/SgtRO Hamill, Milton, T/SgtTG Bitter, Emile V., Jr., S/SgtBT Mathews, Frank M., S/SgtLWG Goff, James P., S/Sgt
B-17F #41-24577 Hell's Angels
P Jess, Ray W., 2LtCP Gunn, Harold W., 2LtNAV Davidson, Robert P., 2LtBOM Stone, Elbert E., 2LtENG Smith, Harold E., T/SgtRWG Hardacre, Charles F., S/SgtRO Godzinski, Joseph J., T/SgtBT Johnson, Byron W., S/SgtLWG Hall, Sidney V., SgtTG White, Frank M., Sgt
B-17F #41-24562 Sky Wolf
P Morales, Carl H., CaptCP Swaffer, Calvin A., 2LtNAV McElwain, Richard E., 2LtBOM Zasadil, Frank E., 1LtENG Hinds, Francis G., T/SgtBT Carroll, Albert V., S/SgtRO Burns, Francis J., T/SgtRWG Westfall, Max M., S/SgtTG Blake, Robert C., S/SgtLWG Hill, John E., S/Sgt
B-17F #42-29571 Charley Horse
P Lemmon, John V., 1LtCP Clark, Elmo E., F/ONAV Gust, Darrell D., 2LtBOM Koenig, Bernard H., T/SgtENG Berzansky, Andrew, T/SgtRWG Beavers, Albert T., S/SgtRO Zeller, Caryl C., T/SgtBT Bagwell, Clayton R., S/SgtTG Brown, Virgil E., S/SgtLWG Briggs, Wayne E., S/Sgt
B-17F #42-29656 The Terrible Ten
P Timken, Jack C., 1LtCP Wright, George E., 2LtNAV Chamberlain, William V., 2LtBOM Hogue, Earl, T/SgtENG Knuth, Leland N., S/SgtRWG Paiva, Joseph B., SgtRO Baxter, Jack, T/SgtBT Toy, James E., S/SgtTG Giassullo, Criscienzo N., S/SgtLWG Redhead, George R., Sgt
B-17F #42-5264 Yankee Doodle Dandy
P McDonald, James M., 1LtCP Rogan, Dave L., 1LtNAV Clement, Richard W., 1LtBOM Witt, Walter E., 2LtENG Fanning, David D., T/SgtRWG Zioance, John, S/SgtRO Carpenter, Glenn S., T/SgtBT Bruskotter, James E., S/SgtTG Sterling, Robert W., S/SgtLWG Martin, James C., S/Sgt
Mission 037 - 6
359th Bombardment Squadron Crew Lists
B-17F #42-5430 Pappy/Good Snuf
P Haines, Rolland M., 1LtCP Kramer, Mayer, 2LtNAV Delorenzo, D.D., 2LtBOM Morse, Anthony E., 2LtENG Garcia, Robert A., S/SgtRO Kalk, Kenneth T.M., T/SgtTG Davis, Charles E., S/SgtRWG Martin, Raymond W., S/SgtBT Foster, Allen G., S/SgtLWG Morgan, Robert L., Sgt
B-17F #42-5482 Cat-O-Nine Tails
P McClung, Guy H., 1LtCP Joy, Ripley W., 2LtNAV Stettler, Donald G., 2LtBOM Rothman, Theodore I., 2LtENG Coykendall, Ralph A., T/SgtRWG Traban, James J., S/SgtRO McCoy, Gordon K., SgtTG Piatek, Casimir P., S/SgtBT Phillips, Carl W., S/SgtLWG Ryan, Francis J., S/Sgt(Abortive)
B-17F #42-29640 Old Ironsides
P Cline, William J., 1LtCP Mulligan, Thomas E., 2LtNAV Street, Benjamin B., 1LtBOM Gordon, LeRoy V., 1LtENG Doran, Arnold S., T/SgtRO McGee, Paul P., T/SgtTG Milliff, Mike C., S/SgtRWG Jordan, Lloyd L., S/SgtBT Lemann, Paul C., S/SgtLWG Kerr, Joseph, Sgt
B-17F #41-24635 The 8 Ball MK II
P Calhoun, William R., Jr., CaptCP Phelps, Robert L., Jr., 1LtNAV Strickland, Joseph M., CaptBOM Yonkman, Robert J., CaptENG Zaorski, Roman R., T/SgtRO Terry, Charles R., T/SgtLWG Fortunak, Richard C., S/SgtBT Mulgrew, William C., S/SgtTG Stephen, Willard W., S/SgtRWG Howard, George Z., S/SgtPAS Neff, William J., Capt
B-17F #42-3002 The Old Squaw
P Mattison, Robert L., 1LtCP Case, Spencer F., 2LtNAV Rich, David A., 1LtBOM Shafer, John H., 1LtENG Green, Frederick J., T/SgtRO Nordyke, Lloyd E., T/SgtTG McEachern, David C., S/SgtBT Schneider, James E., S/SgtRWG Rettinhouse, Robert A., S/SgtLWG Vogel, George W., Sgt
B-17F #42-3029 Wallaroo
P Smith, Sanford T., CaptCP Farrell, Lawrence C., 2LtNAV Summers, Thomas E., 1LtBOM Dwyer, Robert P., 1LtENG Hardaway, Sidney T., T/SgtRO York, Robert F., T/SgtLWG Perryman, Jack L., SgtBT Tibbles, Russell F., S/SgtTG Knudsen, Elmer T., SgtRWG Adams, Ralph B., S/Sgt(Abortive)
B-17F #42-5221 Son
P Roller, Jack, CaptCP Konsmo, George E., CaptNAV Henson, Walter C., 1LtBOM Shoup, John R., Jr., 2LtENG Marcelonis, Joseph G., S/SgtRO Williams, Lemuel T., T/SgtTT Ketron, Frank M., S/SgtBT Bruns, William H., Jr., SgtTG Burnham, Arthur L., SgtLWG Gonsalves, John D., S/Sgt(Abortive)
Mission 037 - 7
360th Bombardment Squadron Crew Lists
B-17F #42-5483 Red Ass
P Van Wie, John A., LtCP Walsh, James D., LtNAV Blank, Paul, LtBOM Rice, Bernard, LtENG Hlebasko, Albert, T/SgtBT Morton, Eugene L., S/SgtRO Noll, Robert W., T/SgtRWG Spring, Benjamin F., S/SgtLWG Swanson, Theodore G., S/SgtTG Bridges, Robert C., S/Sgt
B-17F #42-5788 A.O.G. Not in Stock
P Griffin, Loyd D., CaptCP Swanson, Walter C., LtNAV Preston, William M., LtBOM Taylor, Robert L., LtENG Eason, William M., T/SgtLWG Edwards, Samuel L., S/SgtRO Schwartz, Vernon E., T/SgtTG Wiegand, Lynwood D., S/SgtBT Plummer, Robert, S/SgtRWG Henderson, Paul E., S/Sgt
B-17F #42-29606 Butch
P Mack, David W., LtCP Barhaug, Ragnar, LtNAV Smith, Roland M., LtBOM Cox, Charles J., LtENG Deitch, Daniel T., T/SgtLWG Stewart, Carl C., S/SgtRO Cicinelli, Salvatore J., S/SgtTG Biernacki, Joseph J., S/SgtBT Peterson, Andrew C., S/SgtRWG Spitzfaden, Robert E., Sgt
B-17F #42-2973 Iza Vailable
P Clifton, David S., LtCP Garvey, John L., LtNAV Wright, Howard R., LtBOM Currie, Herman C., LtENG Doss, Carroll P., T/SgtLWG Compo, Anthony, S/SgtRO Morrison, Eugene D., T/SgtBT Mitchell, John B., S/SgtTG Villarreal, Rodolfo A., S/SgtRWG Jameson, Jimmie E., Sgt
B-17F #42-5393 Thumper Again
P Stallings, George V., Jr., LtCP Bradbury, Joseph E., LtNAV Kelley, James F., LtBOM Kulesa, Frank E., LtENG Watson, James A., T/SgtLWG Yattaw, Robert H., S/SgtRO Jones, Dick W., S/SgtBT Stevens, A.S., T/SgtTG Stickler, John J., S/SgtRWG Klasnick, Joseph S., Sgt
B-17F #42-29570 (No Name)
P Fredericks, Jacob W., CaptCP Way, Arthur C., LtNAV Hoyt, Otis A., LtBOM Saiz, Reinaldo J., LtENG Murray, Gilbert A., Jr., SgtLWG Schneiderman, Henry G., S/SgtRO Smith, Richard J., T/SgtBT Nardine, Howard H., S/SgtTG Semonick, Martin A., S/SgtRWG Collins, Harvie L., S/Sgt
B-17F #42-5260 Yardbird II
P Trojan, Joseph E., LtCP Casello, John J., LtNAV Effinger, Lawrence E., LtBOM Stewart, Jack W., LtENG Hassler, Kenneth C., T/SgtRWG Prescott, Paul H., S/SgtRO Craft, Cecil E., S/SgtBT Sunderlin, Joseph R., S/SgtTG Bartlett, Frank W., S/SgtLWG O'Connell, Lincoln T., S/SgtOBS Fawcett, Jack B., Lt
