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380th Bomb
Group Association Newsletter #56 - September 2014 |
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MAIL CALL
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Aug 9, 2014 Dear Barbara Many thanks for sending me the 380th newsletter. Our members of the B24 Restoration Group were delighted that you had reproduced my earlier letter to you. They have threatened that when I pass on that I will be sent to a taxidermist and that i will be placed in the Captain's seat of our B24 when it is completed. Our National Trust has now taken a great interest in us and we now have new plans for the hangar and other buildings. We will be creating a memorial wall out of terra-cotta bricks with names inset into the face and I would like you to know that I have paid for one for Gus Connery and another for Joe Cesario as well as my own. Due to my association with both I have arranged to have those placed either side of mine, and I am indeed very proud of that. Our regards to all and hoping that the reunion is successful.
Ed Crabtree |
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In early summer 2014 one of our veterans received a card in the mail from The World War II Preservation Trust in Groton MA (http://worldwar2preservation.com/) looking for help in acquiring WWII items for their research and planned museum. He sent Barb Gotham a letter asking her opinion of its legitimacy. Barb posted his question in Facebook and got this response: "As a former federal historian (for Department of Defense), I don't think I'd be donating money or artifacts to this group--the press release is filled with poor punctuation, misused capitalization and basic bad writing--not hallmarks of a professional organization. If someone has artifacts to donate, best to go local--a local historical society or state historical society might be interested--or at least they can direct you in an appropriate direction." | ||
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June 12, 2014 Going thru my wife's photos I came across some from the 530 Bomb Squadron of which her uncle was a crew member. In addition, have an 8x10 of the crew of his plane piloted by Robert Riehle with a list of the crew names. My wife's uncle was Stephen Halner who was killed the end of June 1945 on the ground. It also says the photo was taken in October 1944 at March Field CA. Ed Finkle
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July 27, 2014
I finally located a picture of Corporal Author Gill. Author was the weather observer on Thornton crew when they crashed on Ceram Island. Author survived the crash and was taken prisoner by the Japanese. He was eventually transferred to Japan and died in a POW camp there. I was also able to track down Author's military records. Craig M. Kirwin, CMSgt, USAF Weather Operations Division, ACC |
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September 1, 2014
Do you (by chance) still have the following ex USAAF RCM member on your books and have his address(?): Swallow, George N. / 530 / / RCM Opr, Various Crews / - / Thanks again! Craig Bellamy If anyone knows of George Swallow's current whereabouts (or TAPS info), please contact Barb Gotham so she can get the info to Craig. |
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July 10, 2014 Michael Bradley is seeking information on his father, William S. Bradley, 531st Squadron, Gunner on the Christensen Crew (they served with the 380th at the end of the war). I have no information about anyone on the Christensen crew (nor do I have any TAPS information on any of them), but if anyone out there does, please let me know so I can put you in contact with Michael. Here's his email: I have just found a book that must have belonged to my father, William Stanley Bradley, titled "The Flying Circus, 380th Bomb Group." I knew that my father had served in the Army Air Corps in WWII, as a member of an air crew flying in B-24 Liberators, but little else. He passed away in April, 1965, when I was eleven, so I never got the chance to ask him about his war time service. The only picture I have of my father at all happens to be from the period of his war time service. It is dated December, 1944, when he was nineteen years old, and shows him assembled with air Crew #127, all ten men kneeling or standing in front of Plane #422 (if the hand written captions on the photograph are correct). But upon finding the book about the King of the Heavies, I was able to find his name in the section in the rear titled "Subscribers to This Book" under the 531st Squadron. Last night I thought to go on line and see if there was any material about The Flying Circus, and that lead me to the website that identifies you and others who have done such a great job keeping up with those who served in the 380th Bomb Group. I know so little about my father, and I so wish that I had stumbled across the information in the book many years ago, when it would have been more likely that I would find one or two of Crew #127 who might have remembered him. That said, any suggestions or help you can offer that would permit me to determine if any of those who flew with Commander Christensen still survive, will be greatly appreciated. I know it is an incredible long shot, but just the chance to speak to any of those men, whether or not they remember my father, would be a cherished opportunity for me. Michael Bradley |
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July 30, 2014 I got my newsletter today and I see where you advised a John Watts that the UCIP code was for the 8AF. It is actually the code for "Manila, Luzon Philippine Islands 7AF". My notes indicate that LITTLE LULU (later MADAME QUEEN) was abandoned in flight by the crew after its undercarriage was damaged; crash site not known. FRISCO FRANNIE (later RAMEY'S WRECK) was salvaged in the Philippines. Lae was never a location where B-24s were routinely salvaged; any B-24 there would probably have been a crash or forced landing, and I am not aware of any such. All B-24s I am aware of lost in the Lae area are in the mountains well away from the township. Bob Livingstone |
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July 27, 2014 This is a picture of the crew my uncle flew with. He is front, center and his name is Ewald Andrisek. They were in the 380th Bomber Group, 528th Squadron. My dad was in the Marines, in the Pacific, My Uncle Red was in the tank corp in Germany and another uncle, Johnny, was infantry in Europe, I think. They all came home from the war, but have since all died. Dad was the last one to go in Dec. 1997. Uncle Ewald died in 1994 in Las Vegas. -- Dave Andrisek |
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Left to right in back row: Lt John Herbst, 1st Pilot * Lt Anthony Cannas, Co-Pilot Lt Willard H Gehman, Navigator Lt Myron Leghart, Bombardier Left to right front row: SSgt Lester Romans, Engineer Cpl Glenn Drury, 2nd Engineer Sgt Ewald Andrisek, Armoror Gunner * Cpl Eldon Schneider, Gunner Cpl Charles Rooth, Gunner/RCM Opr Under the handwritten list of names on the back of the photo, it says: (a swell crew) * There is no record of an Anthony Cannas (could be Carras) or Eldon Schneider in the 380th, but not sure when/where this photo was taken. (The Co-Pilot of record for the Herbst crew was Robert Ingersoll.) |
