C E R I G N O L AC O N N E C T I O N455th Bomb Group Association Newsletter

Fall, 2006 Editor, Craig Ward, 813 Peterstow Drive, Euless, Texas 76039phone: (817) 540-1068 email: aphp@comcast.net website: www.awardphp.com

Gus Wendt (741) takes his Final Flight

Lt. Col. Gus H. Wendtserved for more than eight yearsas Secretary-Treasurer of the455th Bomb Group Association.

Gus died Saturday, July15, 2006 in San Antonio, Texas.

Gus represented the455th Bomb Group across ournation. He has traveled fromCalifornia to Virginia as ourrepresentative, and when wevoted to install 455th BombGroup plaques in such places asthe March AFB Museum,Cannon AFB, the birth place ofof the 455th BG, and ourtraining base at Langley AFB,Gus was our representative.

Gus never missed areunion in all those years, andwas always at the boardmeetings with a fine report of hisactivities and an up-to-datetreasurer’s report. He traveledthousands of miles to representus, many times at his ownexpense, and always displayedthe highest degree of integrityand honesty in his oral andwritten reports.

He served under fourPresidents of the 455th BGAssociation, and always with thesame enthusiasm and vigor.

Gus joined the 741stBomb Sq. in March 1944. Heearned the Distinquished FlyingCross and five Air Medals incombat. He flew many of thetoughest missions that wereassigned to the 455th B.G.

After completing his tourof combat, he returned to theUSA for various otherassignments in the Air Force.

He married his lovelywife Marie in 1949, and retiredfrom the USAF in 1966. Gusand Marie were two earlymembers when the 455th BombGroup Association was formedat Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Both Gus and Marie willalways have a place of honor inour hearts and the 455th BombGroup Association.

In This Edition

Can You Help? ResponsePage 2

President’s MessagePage 4

Joe Rosenthal Page 5

Final Flights Page 6

Flying SidewaysPages 7-10

Email Roster Pages 11-12

Round Engines Page 13

“Dear Editor”Pages 14-16

Donut Girls & MarioPage 18

Tuskegee AirmenPage 19

Piggyback HeroPages 20-22

More “Dear Editor”Page 23

Air Force MemorialBack Page

Can You Help? Response

Dear Editor,Reverting to the Spring

2006 issue of the CerignolaConnection, I think I can supplysome info to a couple of queries:

First, the request by Mr.Rodney Anderton on Page 2 ofthe Spring 2006 newsletter...

The spelling of theplane's name was slightlydifferent, as there were onlythree letters "e"’ in the word"Tepee", rather than four("Teepee") as printed.

This is one of the mostfamous B-24’s in the 455thBomb Group, as many differentcrews flew the plane during itslong operational service.

Many sources wronglystate that the serial number ofthis plane was 42-94790, andthat it belonged to the 741stBomb Squadron. This was aFord Willow Run built B-24H-15-FO.

The correct serial number wasinstead 41-29583, whichindicates it was a Douglas Tulsaassembled B-24H-15-DT.

One source assigns thelatter serial number to a 455thBG ship named "Gray Goose",but this is in error. The last threedigits of the serial "583" wererepeated on both sides of thenose, as usually done on most455th BG aircraft.

Aft of the waist windows,a combat number 69 waspainted in white on the fuselagesides. This number, plus a whitediagonal stripe across therudder, indicate that this aircraftbelonged to the 743rd BombSquadron, at least whenphotographed, but this does notexclude that she may have beenflown in other Squadrons withinthe 455th Bomb Group. Thisshould be a good starting pointto enable Mr. Anderton to trackthis specific aircraft in variousofficial records.

Second, Mr. JohnHallman, on page 23. I justwould like to mention that thereis another picture of the sameaircraft, but showing the rightside of the nose with a classical"noseart" (a nude female).

No name on this side, butthe last three digits "105" of thefull serial 44-41105 (aConsolidated San Diego built B-24J-195-CO) are present.

The picture with a 742ndBS crew posing can be found athttp://www.b24bestweb.com/105.htm. I think this photo shouldplease Mr. Hallman's father.

By the way, thedesignation B-24M-15-CO andthe serial 44-42105 on thewebsite are in error (the "2" digitshould be replaced by a "1").

I hope that this info willplease the two gentlemen.

Best regards to the Vulgar Vultures,

Georges "Gino" Künzle

2

A Poem by Father Charles R. Fink

I've played a lot of roles in life;I've met a lot of men.I've done some things I'd like to think I wouldn't do again.

And though I'm young, I'm old enoughTo know someday I'll die,And to think what lies beyond,Beside whom I would lie.

Perhaps it doesn't matter much;Still, if I had my choice,I'd want a grave 'mongstsoldiers whenAt last death quells my voice.

I'm sick of the hypocrisyOf lectures of the wise.I'll take the man, with all the flaws,Who goes, though scared, and dies.

The troops I knew were commonplace,They didn't want the warThey fought because their fathers andTheir fathers had before.

They cursed and killed andwept...God knowsThey're easy to deride,But bury me with men like these, They faced the guns and died.

It's funny when you think of it,The way we got along.We'd come from different worldsTo live in one where no one belongs.

I didn't even like them all; I'm sure they would all agree.Yet I would give my life for them,I know some did for me.

So bury me with soldiers, please,Though much maligned they be.Yes, bury me with soldiers, for I miss their company.

We'll not soon seetheir likes again,We've had our fill of war.But bury me with men like them‘Til someone else does more.

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455TH BOMB GROUPASSOCIATION, INC.P.O. BOX 93095AUSTIN, TX. 78709-3095

PRESIDENTWilliam B. Gemmill, IILt. Col. USAF Ret.11294 Richford LaneSpring Hill, FL. 34609VICE PRESIDENTRodrick W. ClarkeCol. USAF Ret.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR /TREASURERGregory Riggs Col. USAF Ret.P.O. Box 93095Austin, TX. 78709-3095SECRETARYJim SmithCaptain, USAAFPAST PRESIDENTFrancis J. LashinskyS/Sgt. USAAF

DIRECTORSJohn F. DavisCol. USAF Ret.James D. GouldMaj. USAF Ret.Carl LoiocanoT/Sgt. USAAFOrmond BuffingtonT/Sgt. USAAFTed TronoffLt. USAAFBill CrawfordMaj. USAF Ret.Carl BarrMaj. USAF Ret.Elmo HenskeLt. USAAFGeorge UnderwoodCapt. USAAFCraig WardEditor, Cerignola Connection817-540-1068

Prayer for our Soldiers

Our Father, we pray you holdour troops in your loving hands.

Protect them as theyprotect us. Bless them and their

families for the selfless actsthey perform for us in our time

of need.

Can You Help?Lt. Col. Edwin Ambrosen

of the 455th BG (742) is arelative of mine. Do you knowhis status and whereabouts? Ihave written him and called thenumber that my grandmotherhad but cannot get a reply.

I would be pleased if youor anyone in the Associationcould help.

Thanks!Patrick T. Sanchezpsanchez@maine207south.k12.il.us

Message from the President

Lt. Col. Bill GemmillPresident, 455th BG Assoc.

11294 Richford LaneSpring Hill, FL 34609

(352) 684-4894wgemmill@tampabay.rr.com

Hi, all you 455thers, andsome selected others to boot!

As I sit here composing,the National Weather Servicehas just indicated that HurricaneErnesto has turned, and from itstrack, I expect it to come rightover Richford Lane. But Idigress, let’s get on with thenews.

As most of you know, wehave been attempting to haveanother gathering of the 455th –this time in San Antonio, Texas.Due to attrition in our ranks, thecommittee (Maj. Gen. GeneHudson, Col. John Davis, andyours truly) thought it would be agood idea to invite theparticipation of the other threebomb groups that originallycomprised the 304th BombWing – the 454th, 456th and the459th.

It was a wonderful idea,but it was not to be.

The 454th, with whom weshared our reunion in KansasCity, has disbanded, and willmeet only occasionally andinformally. The 456th will bemeeting at Mountain Home,Idaho, about the time we will bein San Antonio. They discussedjoining us in Texas at a recentgathering in Covington,Kentucky, but voted to continuewith their original plans inMountain Home. The 459th hasapparently disbanded as anassociation, and I wasunsuccessful getting in touchwith them. So it looks like wehave to go it alone.

We are planning to gatherat the Omni Hotel in San Antonioon 16–21 October 2007,Tuesday through Sunday. Aswith our previous verysuccessful reunions, we haveagain contacted Armed ForcesReunions. Inc., who has madethe necessary arrangementswith the Omni.

The rate for both singleand double rooms will be$105.00 plus tax (current rate16.75 %) or $122.59 per night.We are expected to occupy 100rooms on peak nights (18, 19,20 October).

The crucial purpose of thiscorrespondence is to ask you torespond to me as soon aspossible, telling me if you planto attend.

If responding by e-mail,please use my address at thetop of this page and includeGeneral Hudson atephud@webtv.net. I will takephone calls and relay them to

Gene.I have included some

members of the other BombGroups as well as otherspossibly interested in attendingthe reunion in thiscorrespondence. We welcomehearing from all of you.

Here’s hoping for awonderful reunion in SanAntonio.

Best Regards,Bill

4

President's MessageWilliam Gemmill, Lt. Col (ret.)

Dear Editor,

Here is a photo thatpurports to show an Americanairman in Yugoslavia. JoeParkin was a navigator with the740th in Wesley Powell’s crew.They were shot down in on Sept13, 1944.

Joe died May 16, 1993,but perhaps someone will beable to recognize if this is him inthe photo. This is not the firsttime there has been a request toidentify him.

Thanks for all you do.

Best Regards,

John Rohrerjrohrercpa@wingsisp.com

5

Final Flights

Gus H. Wendt (741)

Lt. Col. Gus H. Wendtserved for more than eight yearsas Secretary-Treasurer of the455th Bomb Group Association.

Gus died Saturday, July15, 2006, at the Health Centerfor the Air Force Village at SanAntonio, Texas.

Gus was an intellegent,enthusiastic, likeable man whodid a lot of work for ourorganization, much of which wenever really knew about.

(Editor’s Note: Pleasesee the front page for more onGus Wendt.)

Lt. Joseph Dolinsky (741)Cpl. Alexander Dubetz (741)

Dear Editor,I would like to report the

passing of my copilot, Lt.Joseph Dolinsky, in 2005, andalso my radio operator andgunner, Cpl. Alexander Dubetz. Lt. Dolinsky flew missions afterour crew was shot down overBlechammer on October 13,1944 --- a mission he missedbecause we were flying withanother pilot for training. Thatpilot, Lt. John Noske, was killedon this mission.

Best Regards,Lt. Walter Shostack (741)boyar0711@woh.rr.com

Seymour W. Siegel (743)

Lt. Col. Seymour W.Siegel passed away inDecember, 2005.

He was a pilot with the455th BG, 743rd Squadron,from July through October,1944.

Following the war, hejoined the USAF Reserve,where he attained the rank of Lt.Colonel, retiring in the 1970's.

I'm attaching a photo ofwhat I assume is his flight crewin the 743rd.

I would really appreciatehearing from anyone that knewhim, or flew with him, inCerignola. In particular,something special occurred onMission 120, 20 Sept., 1944. I'dlove to hear about that one.

Kind Regards,Bob Siegel 4407 Westbourne Road Greensboro, NC 27410 336-210-4738 rsiegel@triad.rr.com

6

Eugene Scerbo (740)Eugene Scerbo took his final flight on February 17, 2006

at his home in North Adams, MA. He was a waist gunner on Walter Gunn’s crew.

BEFORE YOU GO

Quietly, you've all turned grayYou did your job, you saved our wayOur life and freedom you preservedWe've thanked you less than youdeserved.

You never boasted, bragged, or askedFor adulation for your pastYou did the job you knew was rightAnd quietly you cry at night.

For bodies maimed and comrades lostFor sights beyond our furthestthoughtsFor what you've lived and felt and seenFor what the cost of freedom means.

You leave us blessed with every breathThat cost you arms and legs and deathYou won the worst and greatest warWe owe you more, we owe you more.

Thank you for your wondrous featsFor open speech and quiet streetsFor worship as we choose to prayFor preservation of our way.

Before you go, we need to showThat in your silence, we still knowWhat you accomplished And what you didFor who we are and how we live.

So go with love from wives and sonsAnd daughters for a job well doneFrom kids who've never seen a tankWe give you thanks, we give youthanks.

For homes and jobs and baseballgamesFor many colors, many namesYou saved our lives and we're still freeFrom shining sea to shining sea.

Thank you ... Go in Peace

Courtesy of Dr. Sam & TheManaged Care Blues Band

Flying SidewaysMy First And

Almost Last Mission

by Ralph E. Donnelly

(Courtesy: Bomber Legends Magazine)

It was July, 1944. I was a19-year-old pilot, who had justfinished his training. I was co-pilot on my trip across theAtlantic, delivering a new B-24to Italy.

Bob Furman, who I hadmet in training, was the pilot.Fred Winters was our 20-year-old Bombardier/Navigator.Plushnick was our Radio/ TopTurret. Pricilla was our NoseTurret and Dewey was ourEngineer.

We delivered the new B-24 to Lecce, which is located inthe 'Heel of the Boot' of Italy. Wewere attached to the 98th BombGroup, 415 Squadron.

On the morning of July20th, we were given our firstmission. It was an industrialplant in the city ofFriedrichshafen, Germany,possibly for ball-bearingmanufacturing. Friedrichshafenis located on the banks of LakeConstance, also known asBodensee. Lake Constance is a

large lake that is located on theborders of Austria, Germany,and Switzerland.

We were assigned a B-24that was nicknamed the 'Red FFreddy'. The Grounds CrewChief told us that this was theoldest plane in the Squadronand that we didn't have to bringit back. It might have beenfunny, if it hadn't been prophetic.

The B-24 is a four enginebomber with two Pratt-Whitneyengines on each wing. The stallspeed for this plane is 110 milesper hour. If flying at any lessspeed, the plane will fall.

During our training, wewere taught that this particularairship could not be flown withonly two engines on the samewing operational. We were alsoinstructed that the Pratt-Whitneyengine could only last for onehour if flown continually at fullmilitary power.

As we boarded the planethat morning, we met theremainder of our crew.Unfortunately, my onlyconversation with them was tointroduce ourselves and Icannot recall any of their names.

These four new guysmanned the Ball Turret, TailTurret, and both Waist Guns.

When flying a bombingmission, you stayed in flyingformation. The tighter theformation, the safer the groupwas from enemy fighters. Also,the tighter the formation themore closely grouped thebombs fell when let loose.

Only the front two planeshad a person strictly assigned tonavigation on them. TheNavigator on the lead plane led

the group to the target, and thenback home. The Navigator onthe second plane was back-up,in case the first plane wentdown.

When on a bomb run, theNavigator in the lead planeleads the group to the target.Then, when he releases thebombs from his plane, all of theother planes drop their bombs,too. This way, the shape andsize of the area bombed issimilar to the shape and size ofthe flying formation.

On this day, the five-hourflight from Lecce toFriedrichshafen was uneventful.The bomb run crossed LakeConstance to the target. Whenwe reached the IP (Initial Pointof Bomb Run), we were 15minutes out. We were flying at26,000 feet and were the lastplane in the formation.

While approaching thetarget, we were shot at by anti-aircraft fire. As we reached thetarget, Fred Winters saw thelead plane drop their bombs.Fred yelled "Bombs Away" andreleased our load. Just as he didso, a round of anti-aircraft fireexploded just underneath thefront of our plane. A piece ofshrapnel came up through thecockpit, right between Bob's andmy seats. Some pieces wentthrough our left wing. A piecewent through our front turret,knocking the wristwatch offPricilla and cutting a hole in hisemergency pack.

Worst of all, a pieceimbedded itself in Fred's head.To the best of my knowledge,Fred's young widow neverremarried.

7

Just as suddenly, we lostcontrol of our plane. We foundourselves descending whileturning to the left.

In a B-24, there is a hatchthat closes off the front turretfrom the rest of the plane. Thelatch for that hatch is inside themain body of the ship. It is thenavigator's job to seal the frontturret gunner in and also openthe hatch to let him out. Thefront turret is not a place to bewhen the plane is in trouble. Notonly would it be very scarywatching the plane going down,but there is no way to bail-outfrom there. With Fred nowdeceased, there was no one tolet Pricilla out of the front turret.Though not easily done, Pricillamanaged to force his way out.

Both of the engines onour left wing were out. Thepropellers were 'wind-milling',creating a drag. Bob tried torestart the engines but wasunable to. We then 'feathered'those engines.

Bob and I then pusheddown, actually stood on, theright rudder pedals with all ourmight, while giving our tworemaining right wing engines fullthrottle. This enabled us toregain control of our ship. It keptus from flying in circles and gaveus a direction.

We were flying at a sharpangle to the left. We were now at18,000 feet and were almostflying sideways.

We found that thehydraulics were out, whicheliminated the use of all but ourWaist Guns. Bob tried a fewmore times to restart theengines, but to no avail.

Dewey, the ship'sengineer, then transferred all ofthe fuel that remained in the leftwing into the right wing. Even atfull throttle, our ship was nowlower and much slower than therest of the Bomber Group. Wewere quickly left behind.

We were now separatedfrom the bomber group, 400miles behind enemy lines, withno navigator, lost and flying aplane that we were told shouldnot be able to fly.

Our top speed was nowjust about 110 miles per hour,stall speed. We would neverhave the speed to enable us toclimb in altitude. Occasionally,we would dip under it and stall.In order to get up enough speed,we had to put our nose down.This would increase our speedenough to get out of the stall, butwe would lose altitude.

Altitude which we couldnever regain again. Each timewe had to do this, we would getlower and lower. To help keepour speed up, we jettisonedeverything that we thought thatwe could do without, includingall ammunition except for theWaist Guns.

Plushnick managed toget a radio fix from our base.With that we had a direction tofly towards. We knew we wereclose to Switzerland, but didn'tknow for sure where it was. Wehad given it a thought, as wedidn't know how long ourengines would hold up.

Not wanting to take achance on where Switzerlandwas, we headed toward homebase, via radio fix.

Our path took us towards

the Alps. The Alps were coveredin clouds this day. We knew thatwe were nearing them, but wecouldn't see them. We didn'tknow if our altitude was highenough to get over them. Wedidn't know if we were going tofly into the ground, the side of amountain or somehow manageto fly through an opening. Weprayed for the best andproceeded.

We never did seeanything in the clouds. Wenever knew how close we cameto hitting. We did, however,make it through.

Plushnick continued tosend S.O.S. messages over theradio, and also kept a radio fixon base. Somewhere over thePoe Valley, Italy, we spotted twoMesserschmitt Me-109 singleengine fighter planes headingtoward us. We must havelooked like easy pickings, flyingsolo, as well as low and slow.

All we had were our twoWaist Guns. We didn't see anyway out of this one.

Then, out of nowhere,two Red Tail P-51 Mustangsdropped from above; theyweren't even assigned to us asair cover. They must haveresponded to our S.O.S.

They were last seenchasing the twoMesserschmitts, who were nowhigh-tailing it out of there. TheRed Tail P-51 Mustangs werepart of a Squadron of all-blackpilots known as the “TuskegeeAirmen”. They were famous fornever losing a bomber to enemyfighters. We were one of thosebombers. Thank God for the“Tuskegee Airmen”.

8

Still following the radiofix, we entered air space overVenice, which was still occupiedby the Germans. Once again wefaced anti-aircraft fire.

However, now the verything that was our bane, wasnow what saved us. Theyweren't used to an aircraft flyingas slow as we were, so theykept aiming way out in front ofus. Which was also handy, aswe weren't flying to the front ofthe ship, but more towards theside.

We managed to getthrough Venice without ascratch.

On the B-24, each pilothad two rudder pedals, a rightand left one. If the right one waspushed in, the left one wouldrise. Conversely, when the leftone was pushed in the right onewould rise.

Bob and I had been usingall our might, pushing on theright rudder pedals for the entirereturn trip. Our engineer, Dewey,took a rope out of a duffle bagand tied it to the left rudderpedal. He then pulled up on therope to try to ease our tension.Unfortunately, the rope was toosoft and stretched. It was a goodthought, but it didn't work.

Our long return trip keptgetting longer. It required Boband I to use all of our physicalstrength, with no rest.

Still flying towards theradio fix to base, we were nowover the Adriatic Sea. Ourengines cut-out. With theengines stopped, the order tobail out was given.

Just as the “four newguys” prepared to jump, the

engines started again. The orderto bail out was cancelled fornow.

Once again, we haddescended to yet a loweraltitude. Still over the AdriaticSea, the engines cut-out for asecond time. Once again, theorder was given to bail out. Arope was tied to Fred Winter'sripcord, and he was let off theplane. The rope pulled theripcord and his parachuteopened. His body floated downinto the sea. The “four newguys” quickly followed Fred outof the plane.

Amazingly, once againthe engines restarted. And onceagain we were flying at yet alower altitude.

A B-24 was not a shipyou wanted to “crash land” as itwould most likely break in two.We have been flying for about 3fi hours from when our ship wasfirst damaged, and our fuel wasalmost exhausted.

Still following the radio fixfrom base, we were now overland near the city of Ancona,Italy. As we started over a hill,our engines gave out for thethird time. This was it, wecouldn't afford to lose any morealtitude and still have enoughroom to jump. The order to bailout was given.

Pricilla and Deweyjumped. Pricilla's ripcordmalfunctioned. Using his hands,he ripped open his chest packand his parachute deployed. Iquickly checked the plane andfound Plushnick sending outone last S.O.S.

I grabbed his leg andpulled. I yelled at him to get out.

I could not jump until he did. Assoon as Plushnick was out, Iyelled to Bob that all were outand then jumped.

I pulled the ripcord assoon as I cleared the plane.There was absolutely no time tocount to ten. Because of myparachute's canopy above me, Inever saw if Bob got out.

I did see our ship crash tothe ground. It burned in itsentirety with the exception of theleft wing and tail.

I quickly floated to theground. As I descended, Iunbuckled my leg straps andtook out my .45. Once on theground, I saw a group of peoplerunning toward me. I figured thatthis was it, but hoped to take asmany of them with me aspossible.

Seeing this, they turnedand ran away, and startedyelling. They spoke Italian, but Icould make out the word'Americano". I said "Si". Theymanaged to convey to me thatthey were friendly.

It turns out that welanded 15 miles behind the'Bomb Line', just inside friendlyterritory. They led me to Dewey,Pricilla, and Plushnick. Pricillaand Plushnick had landed a littlehard. Plushnick had some backpain, and Pricilla had a lot.

I took some morphine outof the emergency pack andgave them some. An Allied truckpicked us up and took us to afield hospital that was run byeither the English or theAustralians.

At 120 miles per hour, itonly takes 7 fi minutes to go 15miles. If our engines had gone

9

out only 8 minutes earlier, wewould have bailed out inGerman-held territory.

We stayed at the fieldhospital overnight. The next day,we were taken to a small landingstrip to await a small plane thatwould take us back to base.

To my joy, I saw Bobthere, too. He had landed on theother side of the hill and wasfound by a man who lived there.The man took him home for thenight. Amazingly, the “four newguys” were also there.

They were fished out ofthe Adriatic Sea by two BritishMine Sweepers. The planeinitially took us to Bari, wherePricilla and Plushnick weretaken to the hospital for backpain. I was taken for stomachcramps and Dewey was takenfor observation. Bob returned toour base at Lecce.

When Bob got back tobase, he found that our bagshad been packed and storedand that our tent had been takendown. He also found out that wehad officially been listed asMissing In Action, with backhome notifications and all.

Plushnick went on tobecome our Squadron's LeadRadio Operator. Dewey went onto become our Squadron's LeadEngineer. Pricilla's back injuryprevented him from ever flyingagain.

Author1st Lt. Ralph E. Donnelly

US Army Air Force32 Missions

Distinguished Flying Cross2 Air MedalsPurple Heart

10

You have never lived until you have almost died.

For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.

- Anonymous

E-mail Roster

Below is a list of e-mailaddresses of 455th BG Assoc.members. If you want your e-mail address included orupdated in this roster, pleaseemail your Editor ataphp@comcast.net.

Harry W. Anderson (740) SanAntonio, TX.pomganny@aol.com

Carl A. Barr (743)Tim Swearingen crewcarlbarr@bellsouth.net

Dave Bathie (assoc. 740) davidbathie@yahoo.com

Albert E. Beauchemin1 Berkshire Square, Apt. 206Adams, MA 01220

Gene V. Benson (740)Livingston, MT.bens348@aol.com

Jack Blum (741) jblum15677@aol.com

Earl Bodenhorn6839 TanglewoodWaterford, MI.jebodenhorn@aol.com

Winfield S. Bowers (741) Mount Dora, FL. winbow20@aol.com

Thomas BoydE-mail care of Kent Brewsterkent_brewster@yahoo.com408-245-1423

Marlin L. (Bud) Brown (742)Lake Placid, FL.barbud@htn.net

Ormond H. Buffington 300 Rena DriveSpringville, Alabama 35146buffington1@alltel.net

Robert Caldwell (741)Prescott Valley, AZ.re7306@aol.com

Saul L. Cayne (742) Boynton Beach, FL. sasl@adelphia.net

Rod Clarke (743)Alexandria, VArory@his.com

Howard Cooper (740)howcoop@sdlifestyle.com

Robert (Bob) Collette, dotybobms@msn.com

Albert E. Cratchfishn928@aol.com

Bill & Joyce Crawford1246 Duck Blind CircleNewman, CA 95360printsvs@earthlink.net <or>Westerner01@earthlink.net

Janet & Russell CrockerJanetcrockerfr@cs.com

James P. Daly (740) Aberdeen, NJ.panadaly@aol.com

John F. DavisDavis87@attglobal.net

Jack Dekker (743) Grand Rapids, MI. jdek457@att.net

Theodore Deppe (741)Bloomington, IN.tdeppe@indiana.edu

John Devito (assoc.)jmdevito@verizon.net

Paul H. Ditchett (742) Safety Harbor, FL.vacationstogo@yahoo.com

William Dixon (741)carolddixon@peoplepc.com

Bob Emick (741) Battle Creek, MI. rfemick@aol.com

William B. Gemmill (740) Spring Hill, FL.wgemmill@tampabay.rr.com

William C. Graves (742)Jacksonville, FL.wgraves210@aol.com

Lt. Col. R. J. Haney (743)USAF Ret.15535 Prince Frederick WaySilver Spring, Maryland. 20906(301) 598-5528haneyrj@comcast.net

Frances Hansenlohansen@longlines.com

L. Harvey Hewit (743) Haverford, PA.Lhhew@aol.com

Richard H.Hollrock (740)107 Heather WayHampden, Me 04444

Frank HosimerFghosr@charter.net.

Thomas L. Kablach (742)Crown Point, IN. kablach@sbcglobal.net

11

E-Mail Roster (continued)

Joe Kiernan16 Barbara Ln Titusville NJ 08560jokernan@comcast.net

Erling Kindem (742)Farmington, MN.erlingk@aol.com

Viliam Klabnikvkaquam@orangemail.sk

Jack Lancaster (742) Clovis, NM.505-762-7257

George L. Liddle (742) Sun City, CA.oljorge@mchsi.com

John L. Larma (740) jlarma@uswest.net

Don Martens 2738 West Point Rd.Green Bay, WI 54304dmartens2@new.rr.com

Frank MastroleoPhoenix, NYMasty419@aol.com

Dave Matheson (742) ihatebugs@cox.net

Mike McFadden (Assoc. 743)Son-in-Law of Austin Herrity,Navigator, 743rd BSb24_455thbg@yahoo.com

Stephen E. Miller (742)nanpopmil@webtv.net

James H. Moreland (743)agjh@webtv.net

C.E. McMullen (741) Tomball, TX.cmcmullenjr@aol.com

Vic Murray (743) 105 Foxridge RunLongwood, FL. 32750-2703vemurray3@earthlink.net

Robert E. Newberg (743) 2729 82nd PL #233Urbandale, IA 50322Newy7aces@aol.com

Charles Oltarzewski (740)murphB24@aol.com

Christine PainterDaughter of the late Col.Charles W. Painter, Jr. (741)painter1112@comcast.net

Peter Payant (743) pbpayant@cox.net

Jack Phelps (740) b7606@sbcglobal.net

Reid Byron Peck9724 E. Javelina Ave.Mesa, AZ 85209bpeckfrommesa@webtv.net.

Roland J Pepin327 Al Harvey RoadStonington, CT 06378 virpep4400@aol.com

Wesley Powell (740) Seabrook, TX.wesjulia@gateway.net

Bob Probst (741) West Columbia, SC.rtprobst@aol.com

Charles H. Rosenberg (741)chrose3@comcast.net.

Sid Schoengold (740) harsid1@juno.com

Walter Shostack (741)boyar0711@woh.rr.com

Gus R. Seefluth (742) Lebanon, OH.gus@go-concepts.com

Walt Shostack (741) Dayton, OH.boyar0711@woh.rr.com

Sgt. John E. SkeltonTampa, FLwoodshed704@netzero.net

Edward G. Spencer (740) ebnezr@webtv.net

Jim Smith (741)jsmith588@austin.rr.com

Charles E. Stark (740) carbchar@comcast.net

Ted Stiner (Assoc. 742)setgld@insightbb.com

Angelo Synodis (741)Glendale, CA.sdefrank348@1stnetusa.net

(Dr.) Stanley Vogelfang (741) stanvog@aol.com

John R. Worster (742). haw72@aol.com

Craig Ward Editor, Cerignola ConnectionSon of Lt. J. T. Ward (740) aphp@comcast.net

Carl J. Wiskirchenm-meyer@insightbb.com

12

DEDICATED TO ALL THOSE WHO

FLEW BEHIND ROUND ENGINES

Round Engines ... betterknown as piston pounders,recips, oil leakers, etc.

“We have got to get rid ofthose turbines, they're ruiningaviation and our hearing!”

A turbine is too simpleminded, and it has no mystery.The air travels through it in astraight line and doesn't pick upany of the pungent fragrance ofengine oil or pilot sweat.

Anybody can start aturbine. You just need to move aswitch from "OFF" to "START"and then remember to move itback to "ON" after a while. MyPC is harder to start.

Cranking a round enginerequires skill, finesse and style.You have to seduce it intostarting. It's like waking up asteamy mistress. On someplanes, the pilots aren't evenallowed to do it... and for goodreason!

Turbines start by whiningfor a while, then give a lady-likepoof and start whining a littlelouder.

Round engines give asatisfying rattle-rattle, click-click,BANG, more rattles, anotherBANG, a big macho FART ortwo, more clicks, a lot moresmoke and finally a serious lowpitched roar. We like that. It's aGUY thing...

When you start a roundengine, your mind is engagedand you can concentrate on theflight ahead.

Starting a turbine is likeflicking on a ceiling fan - Useful,but hardly exciting.

When you have startedhis round engine successfully,your Crew Chief looks up at youlike he'd let you kiss his girl, too!

Turbines don't break orcatch fire often enough, whichleads to aircrew boredom,complacency and in-attention.

A round engine at speedlooks and sounds like it's goingto blow any minute. Theysometimes do. This helpsconcentrate the mind! It alsocontributes to the illusion ofDAP, or Dirty Airplane Parts,quite fondly revered by some.

Turbines don't haveenough control levers or gaugesto keep a pilot's attention.There's nothing to fiddle withduring long flights. We alwaystold the newbies, "We'll let yousit up here, but don’t touchanything!"

Turbines smell like a BoyScout camp full of ColemanLamps.

Round engines smell likeGod intended machines tosmell.

Retirement Can Be Fun!!

Working peoplefrequently ask retired peoplewhat they do to make their daysinteresting.

Well, for example, theother day I went into town andwent into a shop. I was only inthere for about five minutes.When I came out there was acop writing out a parking ticket.

I went up to him and said,"Come on man, how aboutgiving a senior citizen a break?"

He ignored me andcontinued writing the ticket. Icalled him a Nazi turd.

He glared at me andstarted writing another ticket forhaving worn tires. So I calledhim a s---head.

He finished the secondticket and put it on thewindshield with the first. Thenhe started writing a third ticket.

This went on for about 20minutes. The more I abusedhim, the more tickets he wrote.

Personally, I didn't care. Icame into town by bus.

I try to have a little funeach day now that I'm retired.It's important at my age.

13

Why Marry a Military Man?

Many girls like to marry amilitary man--he can cook, sew,make a bed, is in goodhealth...and he's already usedto taking orders.

Heavy emphasis on the"used to taking orders" part!

Can You Help?Dear Editor,

I served my tour with the455th BG, 741st. squadron. Ilearned I had no records of myservice from June throughNovember, 1944.

Has anyone else hadthese problems with the VA?

Thanks.William Dixon

carolddixon@peoplepc.com

Dear Editor,My first goal is to actually

ID each B-24 that flew in the455th. This means searching asmany resources as possible,including photos not previouslypublished, but in the hands ofvets or their survivors.

I have already noticedinstances where an aircraft wasflown out of more than onesquadron, probably due tounequal losses in the squadronsthat would required a transfer ofownership (for instance, the raidon Moosbierbaum on June 26,1944, that took out so manyaircraft ... ten from the 455th).

When researching thepersonnel, I am looking for twospecific things. First, the aircrews as they were originallyconfigured, and thereplacements that also flewmissions. Second, I want toidentify as many of the supportpersonnel, who really never getmuch recognition, as possible.Without the eight men on theground for every airman, the455th could never haveperformed as well as it did. Ifothers have lists of tent mates,support crew rosters, or fatherswho were there in a supportrole, I would like to use theadditional information to expandthe roster of the 455th.

I am not trying to re-create the 455th BG history, justcompile more data (like homestates and service numbers) sothe details don’t disappear in thefuture.

There is a volume III ofthe history, which is specificallyabout the 741st. This wasmentioned the 1993 publication

and a copy is supposed to be ineach of the Library of Congress,the AF Museum in Dayton, OH,and the AF Historical ResearchCenter at Maxwell AFB. Gettinga photocopy of this would reallygo a long way toward filling inthe details.

Anyhow, I’m trying tomove ahead as quickly andmethodically as possible. Anyassistance with this databasewill be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards,John Rohrer(son of Carl Rohrer, SSgt, aerialphotographer 740th BS)spartacpa@sbcglobal.net

Dear Editor,About a year ago, I

contacted you regardinginformation about Hugh Graffand others who were POWs inBulgaria during WWII. Yougraciously sent me a CDcontaining back issues of theCerignola Connection, whichwas greatly appreciated.

Since that time a coupleof authors have used some ofthe information that I havegathered regarding POWs inBulgaria. I thought some of yourreaders might be interested inthese.

One book by JerryWhiting, who is the historian ofthe 485th Bomb Group, containsa chapter about Major WalterSmith's crew downed overBulgaria. Major Smith was theranking officer in the POW campin Bulgaria until Lt. Col. HughGraff was shot down. The titleof this book is, "Don't Let theBlue Star Turn Gold: DownedAirmen in Europe in WWII".

Jerry can be contacted atEAJWWhiting@aol.com.

The other book is byRobert H. Johnson, who was aPOW in Bulgaria. His bookvividly tells the story of his wartime experiences including histime in Bulgaria. In September,2004, he went back to Bulgariato be part of the events held tocommemorate the 60thanniversary of the closing of thePOW camp in Shumen,Bulgaria. He was able to drawfrom some wonderful sources inboth the U.S. and Bulgaria. Thetitle of his book is, "Gidi GidiBoom Boom: The True Story ofthe Plane and Crew in WWIIEurope". Bob can be contactedat jhrob7@sbcglobal.net.

Your readers may findthese interesting given theconnection to part of HughGraff's experiences.

Thank you.Randy Hannum

14

May you always have work foryour hands to do.

May your pockets hold alwaysa coin or two.

May the sun shine bright onyour windowpane.

May the rainbow be certain tofollow each rain.

May the hand of a friendalways be near you.

And may God fill your heartwith gladness to cheer you.

What is a Grandparent?

(taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)

Grandparents are a ladyand a man who have no littlechildren of her own. They likeother people's.

A grandfather is a mangrandmother.

Grandparents don't haveto do anything except be therewhen we come to see them.They are so old they shouldn'tplay hard or run. It is good if theydrive us to the store and havelots of quarters for us.

When they take us forwalks, they slow down pastthings like pretty leaves andcaterpillars.

They show us and talk to

us about the color of the flowersand also why we shouldn't stepon "cracks."

They don't say, "Hurryup."

Usually grandmothersare fat, but not too fat to tie yourshoes.

They wear glasses andfunny underwear.

They can take their teethand gums out.

Grandparents don't haveto be smart.

They have to answerquestions like "why isn't Godmarried?" and "How come dogschase cats?".

When they read to us,they don't skip. They don't mindif we ask for the same story overagain.

Everybody should try tohave a grandmother, especiallyif you don't have television,because they are the only grownups who like to spend time withus.

They know we shouldhave snack-time before bedtimeand they say prayers with usevery time, and kiss us evenwhen we've acted bad.

15

Dear Editor,Per our telecon, here are

the pictures we discussed (left):1. Returning from missionwithout hydraulics.2. Mail call at 741st Sq.3. Relaxing in our olive grove.Left to right, Wayne L. Darnall,Joseph W. Doyle, and ThomasE. Boyd.4. The four officers on my crew,all Lts., H. Rollin Batham, P;Edward M. Herbert, CP; JuliusC. Phillips, N; and HowardGinsburg, B.5. Thomas E. Boyd relaxingafter cleaning his guns.If you have any questions,please e-mail me care of KentBrewster (my son-in-law) atkent_brewster@yahoo.com, orcall me at 408-245-1423.Thanks.

Best Regards,Thomas E. Boyd

Does anyone from the 743rdsquadron remember

attending this dance?

16

Dear Editor,Can any of your readers

identify this airfield (left)? Is itpossibly San Giovanni? If so,which side belongs to the 455thand which way is north?

Thanks!

Editor’s Note: The photo at thetop is San Giovanni. Is thephoto to the left the sameairfield? Can a reader help???

Thanks.Your Editor

“Can You Help” Response

Dear Editor,I read a help request in

the Cerignola Connectionfrom Svatopluk Vaculikasking about Edward Ruyter.

Ed Ruyter was thebombardier on my crew andwe were shot down by flak onOct. 13 while on a bombingrun over Blechammer. EdRuyter, and our nose gunnerJohnny Stella, were bothkilled when the shell struckour plane.

We lost three more,including our instructor pilotJohn Noske, when they werecaught and executed by theSS in Bleiburg, Austria.

Best Regards,Lt Col. Walter Shostack (741)

Can You Help?

Dear Editor,I just received the

Spring, 2006 CerignolaConnection and really injoyedit.

By the way, I was theone who came up with thenewsletter’s name. TomRamey wrote to me, and Ipassed that recomendationon to him.

In the inaugural editionof the newsletter (1989) is apicture of the Officers Clubbar for the 743rd. It shows apicture of David Woodlock onthe left. Behind the bar isSgt. Brewer, our radiooperator. Next is Robert

Cook, who was my pilot whenwe trained & went to Italy.

Woodlock was ournavigator. I got my own crewafter two aircraft crashes.

Our ball turret gunner(Henry Paris) and I have beentrying without luck to locateother members of our crew.

Please include my e-mailaddress in the next issue.Maybe some one will see it andcontact me.

Thanks,Lt. Col. R. J. Haney (743)USAF Ret.15535 Prince Frederick WaySilver Spring, Maryland. 20906(301) 598-55Email: haneyrj@comcast.net

Can You Help?

Dear Editor,Please, could you tell me

serial numbers of 455th BGplanes which were lost onSeptember 13, October 14 andDecember 26, 1944 ? We needit for a publication we write.

On Sept 13, 1944, weknow 42-52283(Powell,Gemmill,Parkin, etc.)and don´t know another twoplanes. A mission on Oct. 14 -we know no. 42-78359, 42-78620, 42-51912 and don´tknow one other plane. Amission on Dec. 26 - we know44-49377 and don´t knowanother one bomber.

Maybe one of yourreaders can help?

Thank you very much.Vaculík Svatopluk, RNDr.Email: svatavel@netscape.net

17

Other Final Flight

Manuel ArmijoBataan Death March survivor

Manuel A. Armijo, aveteran of the World War IIBataan Death March whotended to fellow war prisonersthrough years of brutal captivity,died recently in Santa Fe. Hewas 92. Mr. Armijo wasconsidered the oldest survivor ofthe ordeal. He will be buried atSanta Fe National Cemetery.

"His heroism andcourage will set an example forNew Mexicans for generationsto come".

He was 29 when hedeployed with the New MexicoNational Guard in 1940. InAugust 1941, he departed forthe Philippines.

Thousands of U.S. andFilipino troops fought off theJapanese for four monthsbefore U.S. Maj. Gen. EdwardKing ordered the surrender.

Mr. Armijo and the otherprisoners were forced to march65 miles up the BataanPeninsula without food, water ormedical attention. Those whocollapsed along the way wereshot or bayoneted. Thousandsmore died in labor camps or onships that transported thePOWs to camps in Japan,Korea or China.

Because he had beenappointed first sergeant in hiscompany, Mr. Armijo took on theresponsibilities of minding fellowprisoners.

Mr. Armijo returned homein 1945, where he completed acareer in New Mexico civilservice.

18

Editor’s Note: I received this letter from the 455thBomb Group’s Italian “Ambassador” in Cerignola,Mario Capocefalo. He is the world’s biggest fan ofAmerican WWII veterans, and is always eager tohelp in any way he can. Thanks, Mario!

19

Dear Editor,I hope the article below is of interest to the

readers of the Cerignola Connection. I believe thesebrave Tuskegee Airmen fighter pilots deserverecognition.

May I make a request? If any of your readersflew with or knew my father, Sgt. A.G. Bathie (740), Iwould be pleased to hear from them. Thank you.

Best Regards,Dave Bathiedavidbathie@yahoo.com

Editor’s Note:

On a recent trip to ournation’s capital, I took a side tripto pay my respects to thoseheros buried at ArlingtonNational Cemetery.

As I was moving downone of the main walkways thatsnake through this hallowedground, I just happened to lookdown at one of the manymemorial plaques that line thepath.

You can see the 455thBG memorial plaque in thephoto above.

Piggyback Hero

by Ralph Kenney Bennett

Tomorrow they will laythe remains of Glenn Rojohn torest in the Peace LutheranCemetery in the little town ofGreenock, Pa., just southeast ofPittsburgh. He was 81, and hadbeen in the air conditioning andplumbing business in nearbyMcKeesport.

If you had seen him onthe street he would probablyhave looked to you like so manyother graying, bespectacled oldWorld War II veterans whosenames appear so often now onobituary pages.

But like so many of them,though he seldom talked aboutit, he could have told you onehell of a story. He won the AirMedal, the Distinguished FlyingCross and the Purple Heart all inone fell swoop in the skies overGermany on December 31,1944. Fell swoop indeed.

Capt. Glenn Rojohn, ofthe 8th Air Force's 100th BombGroup was flying his B-17GFlying Fortress bomber on a raid

over Hamburg. His formationhad braved heavy flak to droptheir bombs, then turned 180degrees to head out over theNorth Sea .

They had finally turnednorthwest, headed back toEngland, when they werejumped by German fighters at22,000 feet. The MesserschmittMe-109s pressed their attack soclosely that Capt. Rojohn couldsee the faces of the Germanpilots. He and other pilots foughtto remain in formation so theycould use each other's guns todefend the group.

Rojohn saw a B-17ahead of him burst into flamesand slide sickeningly toward theearth. He gunned his shipforward to fill in the gap.

He felt a huge impact.The big bomber shuddered, feltsuddenly very heavy and beganlosing altitude. Rojohn graspedalmost immediately that he hadcollided with another plane. A B-17 below him, piloted by Lt.William G. McNab, hadslammed the top of its fuselageinto the bottom of Rojohn's.

The top turret gun of

McNab's plane was now lockedin the belly of Rojohn's planeand the ball turret in the belly ofRojohn's had smashed throughthe top of McNab's.

The two bombers werealmost perfectly aligned -- thetail of the lower plane wasslightly to the left of Rojohn'stailpiece. They were stucktogether, as a crewman laterrecalled, "like mating dragonflies."

Three of the engines onthe bottom plane were stillrunning, as were all four ofRojohn's. The fourth engine onthe lower bomber was on fireand the flames were spreadingto the rest of the aircraft.

The two were losingaltitude quickly. Rojohn triedseveral times to gun his enginesand break free of the otherplane. The two were inextricablylocked together. Fearing a fire,Rojohn cut his engines and rangthe bailout bell.

For his crew to have anychance of parachuting, he hadto keep the plane under controlsomehow.

20

Captain Glenn Rojohn and his B-17 crew.

The ball turret, hangingbelow the belly of the B-17, wasconsidered by many to be adeath trap -- the worst station onthe bomber. In this case, bothball turrets figured in a swift andterrible drama of life and death.

Staff Sgt. Edward L.Woodall, Jr., in the ball turret ofthe lower bomber had felt theimpact of the collision above himand saw shards of metal droppast him. Worse, he realizedboth electrical and hydraulicpower was gone.

Remembering escapedrills, he grabbed thehandcrank, released the clutchand cranked the turret and itsguns until they were straightdown, then turned and climbedout the back of the turret up intothe fuselage.

Once inside the plane'sbelly, Woodall saw a chillingsight, the ball turret of the otherbomber protruding through thetop of the fuselage. In that turret,hopelessly trapped, was StaffSgt. Joseph Russo. Severalcrew members of Rojohn'splane tried frantically to crankRusso's turret around so hecould escape, but, jammed intothe fuselage of the lower plane,it would not budge.

Perhaps unaware that hisvoice was going out over theintercom of his plane, Sgt.Russo began reciting his HailMarys.

Up in the cockpit, Capt.Rojohn and his co-pilot, 2nd Lt.William G. Leek, Jr., hadpropped their feet against theinstrument panel so they couldpull back on their controls withall their strength, trying to

prevent their plane from goinginto a spinning dive that wouldprevent the crew from jumpingout.

Capt. Rojohn motionedleft, and the two managed towheel the huge, collision-bornhybrid of a plane back towardthe German coast. Leek felt likehe was intruding on Sgt. Russoas his prayers crackled over theradio, so he pulled off his flyinghelmet with its earphones.

Rojohn, immediatelygrasping that crew could not exitfrom the bottom of his plane,ordered his top turret gunnerand his radio operator, TechSgts. Orville Elkin and EdwardG. Neuhaus, to make their wayto the back of the fuselage andout the waist door on the leftbehind the wing. Then he got hisnavigator, 2nd Lt. RobertWashington, and hisbombardier, Sgt. James Shirleyto follow them.

As Rojohn and Leeksomehow held the plane steady,these four men, as well as waistgunner, Sgt. Roy Little, and tailgunner, Staff Sgt. FrancisChase, were able to bail out.

Now the plane lockedbelow them was aflame. Firepoured over Rojohn's left wing.He could feel the heat from theplane below and hear the soundof .50 machine gun ammunition"cooking off" in the flames. Capt.Rojohn ordered Lt. Leek to bailout.

Leek knew that withouthim helping keep the controlsback, the plane would drop in aflaming spiral and the centrifugalforce would prevent Rojohnfrom bailing.

Leek refused the order. Meanwhile, German

soldiers and civilians on theground that afternoon looked upin wonder. Some of themthought they were seeing a newAllied secret weapon -- astrange eight-engined doublebomber. But anti-aircraftgunners on the North Seacoastal island of Wangeroogehad seen the collision.

A German battery captainwrote in his logbook at 12:47p.m.: "Two fortresses collided ina formation in the NE. Theplanes flew hooked togetherand flew 20 miles south. Thetwo planes were unable to fightanymore. The crash could beawaited so I stopped the firing atthese two planes."

Suspended in hisparachute in the cold Decembersky, Bob Washington watchedwith deadly fascination as themated bombers, trailing blacksmoke, fell to earth about threemiles away, their downward tripending in an ugly boilingblossom of fire.

In the cockpit, Rojohnand Leek held grimly to thecontrols trying to ride a fallingrock. Leek tersely recalled, "Theground came up faster andfaster. Praying was allowed. Wegave it one last effort andslammed into the ground."

The McNab plane on thebottom exploded, vaulting theother B-17 upward and forward.It slammed back to the ground,sliding along until its left wingslammed through a woodenbuilding and the smolderingmess of came to a stop.

Rojohn and Leek were

21

still seated in their cockpit. Thenose of the plane was relativelyintact, but everything from the B-17 massive wings back wasdestroyed. They looked at eachother incredulously. Neither wasbadly injured.

Movies have nothing onreality.

Still perhaps in shock,Leek crawled out through ahuge hole behind the cockpit,felt for the familiar pack in hisuniform pocket, and pulled out acigarette. He placed it in hismouth and was about to light it.Then he noticed a youngGerman soldier pointing a rifle athim. The soldier looked scaredand annoyed. He grabbed thecigarette out of Leak's mouthand pointed down to thegasoline pouring out over thewing from a ruptured fuel tank.

Two of the six men whoparachuted from Rojohn's planedid not survive the jump. But theother four and, amazingly, fourmen from the other bomber,including ball turret gunnerWoodall, survived.

All were taken prisoner. Several of them were

interrogated at length by theGermans until they weresatisfied that what had crashedwas not a new American secretweapon.

Rojohn, typically, didn'ttalk much about hisDistinguished Flying Cross. OfLeek, he said, “My co-pilot is thereason I'm alive today."

Like so many veterans,Rojohn got unsentimentallyback to life after the war,marrying and raising a son anddaughter. For many years,

though, he tried to link back upwith Leek, going throughgovernment records to try totrack him down.

It took him 40 years, butin 1986, he found the number ofLeeks' mother, in WashingtonState. Yes, her son Bill wasvisiting from California.

Would Rojohn like tospeak with him?

Some things are betterleft unsaid. One can imaginethat first conversation betweenthe two men who had sharedthat wild ride in the cockpit of aB-17. A year later, the two werere-united at a reunion of the100th Bomb Group in LongBeach, Calif.

Bill Leek died thefollowing year.

Glenn Rojohn was thelast survivor of the remarkablepiggyback flight. He was likethousands upon thousands ofmen, soda jerks andlumberjacks, teachers anddentists, students and lawyersand service station attendantsand store clerks and farm boyswho in the prime of their liveswent to war.

He died last Saturdayafter a long siege of sickness.But he apparently faced thatfinal battle with the same grimaplomb he displayed thatremarkable day over Germanyso long ago.

Let us be thankful forsuch men.

Correction

Dear Editor,Gene Benson is a dear friend

of ours and shares your finenewsletter with us often.

In the Spring 2006edition, on page 20, you printeda photo of a painting and ashadowbox of militarymementos that Gene sent in toshare with your readers.

The caption, however,seems misleading. I just wantedyour readers to know that theportrait is of Gene Benson andthe medals and patches areGene's.

The montage waspainted by my husband, StirlingLantz, as a tribute to Gene forhis heroic participation as a B-24 Bombardier.

The shadowbox was mycontribution.

Thank you for keeping thesememories alive.

Sincerely,Barbara Lantz583 O'Rea Ck RdLivingston, MT 59047

Editor’s Note:Dear Barbara,

You are 100% correct.The caption is misleading, anddoesn't tell the full story.

Thanks for pointing it out,and I will submit your correctionin the Fall 2006 edition of thenewsletter.

Best Regards,Your Editor

22

Airspeed, altitude and brains.Two are always needed to

successfully complete the flight.

Dear Editor,The photo above is from

Nandor Mohos, the Hungarianwho works with the Pentagonoffice that search for POW &MIA's who are still unaccountedfor.

The photo is of one of ourgroup planes downed on July27, 1944. Nandor lists it as #42-94993, MACR #7140.

Best Regards,Frank Lashinsky

Dear Editor, Mr. Frank Lashinsky

suggested that I write to you. Iam an amateur aviationhistorian.

I am interested in theAmerican planes that were shotdown here in Hungary and thefate of their crews.

I am in contact withseveral former airmen wholanded in Hungary during WorldWar II. I try to locate the crash-sites where American aircraft hitthe ground. In cooperation withthe Defense POW and MissingPersonnel Office, I also work on

the still MIA cases in Hungary.I recently moved to a

village not too far fromBudapest. The area called"Vertes" is quite close to myhouse.

It is a hilly and woodedland. There, I located severalcrash sites. Usually the mainportion of the wrecks werecollected right after the war butone can find still smaller piecesof the aircraft even without ametal detector.

I also collect therecollections and stories fromlocal eyewitnesses. This is how Igot the photo of the 42-94993what I am sending here.

The reason I am writingyou is that some of the sitesbelong to B-24s of the 455th BGthat went down on 27 July,1944. I would like to share myfindings with the 455th BGveterans. If any of your readerswould like more information,please have them email me atnandor.mohos@nokia.com.

Best regards, Nandor Mohos

Dear Editor,My father, T/Sgt. Robert

Cloud, flew as a radio operatorwith the 743rd BS between Nov.1944 and June, 1945. Bob isshown in the pictures below inthe front row far right (top pic)and front row far left (lower pic).

I tried to find his crewpicture in the 743rd Sq. sectionof the 455th BG History Book,but it was not included. Is thereanyone out there that is in thesepictures or can identify anybodyin them?

I would enjoy makingcontact with any crew memberor their family. I would especiallyenjoy knowing which B24's theyflew.

Thanks in advance toeveryone for your help andattention.

Appreciatively,Dorothy Cloud Wood (Bob Cloud’s daughter)38273 S. Arroyo WayTucson, AZ 85739Phone: 520-818-9119Email: SVGigolo@yahoo.com

23

455th Bomb Group Assoc., Inc.P.O. Box 93095Austin, TX 78709-3095

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Attention: All 455th Bomb Group Association Members

Remember that your membership dues pay for the costs of this newsletter, along with manymisc. expenses related to the Association’s activities. If you haven’t paid your 2006 dues yet, pleasemail your check for $15 to the 455th BG Assoc., Attention: Gregory Riggs, PO Box 93095, Austin, TX.78709-3095.

Note your mailing label on this newsletter. If there is a number 00 or lower on the top line, you'regoing to be dropped from the newsletter mailing list. This number indicated the last time you paid yourannual dues, and we haven't heard from you since then. Thus, we are deleting those names from ournewsletter mailing list. To re-establish having your name on the mailing list, please send $15 for 2006dues to P.O. Box 93095, Austin, TX. 78709-3095.