Category: The New York Times

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Edmond J. Arbib – July 12, 1945 [Updated post…  “New and Improved!”]

[This post first appeared on April 30, 2017.  Now in 2022, five years later, it’s been updated.  In its original form the post only covered Army Air Force ferry pilot Captain Edmond J. Arbib, notice of whose death in a domestic training flight on July 12, 1945, appeared in The New York Times the following July 18.  The post now covers incidents involving four other Jewish servicemen on that same July Thursday, part of a larger (lengthier) project of updating and expanding my other posts covering American Jewish WW II casualties reported upon in The Times.]  

Even if “the war” in Europe had by the second week of May, 1945, ended, the war still continued:  One airman was lost during a training flight in the European Theater, and two others in the Pacific Theater.  The fourth Jewish soldier, Gunner Solomon Rosen, from Essex, England, having survived for three and a half years as a prisoner of the Japanese, died in Borneo.

Further details about these four men appear below…

On Thursday, July 12, 1945 / 3 Av 5705

– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím

May his soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life.

Notice about the death of Army Air Force Ferry Pilot Captain Edmond J. Arbib was published in the Times on July 16 and 18, with his obituary appearing on the latter date.

Captain Arbib, a member of the 5th Ferry Group of the Air Transport Command, lost his life while piloting Douglas A-26C Invader 44-35799.  With 1 Lt. John W. Thomas (of Craighead County, Arkansas) as a pilot-rated passenger, his aircraft took off on a demonstration training flight from Love Field, in Dallas, Texas, and crashed northwest of Grand Prairie.

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Veteran Air Force Pilot is Killed in Texas Crash

Capt. Edmond Joseph Arbib, Army Air Forces, 27-year-old veteran ferry pilot, was killed at Love Field, Tex., when his airplane crashed last Thursday, the War Department has informed his family here.  Descended from Jonas N. Phillips, an American Revolutionary soldier, and from Henry Marchant, a signer of the Articles of Confederation, Captain Arbib was born in New York, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Rene S. Arbib [Rene Simon Arbib; 4/11/90-7/21/47], his father being a native of Cairo, Egypt, and his mother the former Miss Sylvia Phillips.

He enlisted in September, 1941, as a private in the ground forces of the AAF.  In October, 1942, he received his wings.  Captain Arbib ferried planes to every war theatre and served in the China-Burma-India theatre for nine months, making eighty-eight round trips over the Himalayan “hump”.

He held the Distinguished Flying Cross with three bronze stars, the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and a Presidential Wing Citation.

Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Harriet Brodie Arbib; his parents and a sister, Mrs. Harold Bartos.

Amidst advertisements for women’s clothing, Southern Comfort, and Gene Krupa (in an “air-conditioned” setting, no less – well, we are talking 1946 after all) Captain Arbib’s obituary appeared on page 13 of the Times.


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Born on January 23, 1918, Edmond was buried at the Beth Olam Cemetery, in Cypress Hills, Ridgewood, Queens.  Note that his obituary calls attention to his descent from Jonas Phillips (1736-1803) and Harry Marchant. 

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Here are images of the Army Air Forces Accident Report (46-7-12-5) covering the loss of A-26C 44-35799. 

This is the report’s first page, which includes nominal information about the incident: date, time, and location, and, background flight experience of the crew members.

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Here’s the bulk of the Report’s text.  Though it was determined by accident investigators that the port engine was feathered and not operating and insufficient power could be attained in the starboard engine to maintain flight, at the time of the crash, the specific cause of these mechanical problems couldn’t be established with certainty. 

A normal take-off was reported to have been made at Love Field, and a landing was executed several minutes later at Hensley Field.  ***  Members of the aircraft maintenance crew, who were standing by near the take-off runway, report that they observed black smoke emitting from both engines during the take-off run.  The crewmen also reported that it appeared that both engines were “sputtering, sound like they were loaded up”, and not developing full power.  As the aircraft passed them, the left engine is said to have been shaking violently, and acceleration seemed inadequate for normal take-off.  ***  As smoke was still emitting from the engines, the left engine appeared to “cut out”.  *** 

Inspection of the wreckage revealed that the left propeller was in full feathered position. 

Full consideration has been given to the experience and qualifications of Captain Arbib, and it is felt that normal preflight engine run-up was satisfactory, or flight would not have been attempted from Love Field.  The fact that the engines were reported to function normally on occasions, while checking unsatisfactorily at times, has been considered, however the exact nature and cause of the reported loss of power can not be determined.  Exact time that the aircraft was on the ground at Hensley Field, prior to take-off, could not be determined, however it was found that considerable taxiing was necessitated and there was a delay in take-off due to congested traffic.  Whether or not a pre-flight power check was run prior to the take-off is not known.

All facts and findings, as set forth above, have been reviewed and it is the opinion of members of this Aircraft Accident Investigating Board that reported engine functions indicate that both engines were “loaded up” on take-off, due possibly to excessive rich mixture.  Though it was found that the left propeller was feathered, it is believed that a similar malfunction was experienced in both engines, and that sufficient power could not be attained in the right engine to sustain single-engine flight.

It is concluded that take-off power failure, of this nature, could be fore-seen and avoided by the execution of a normal pre-flight power check and the proper manipulation of power controls.

It is recommended that the importance of pre-take-off power checks be stressed, regardless of the condition of aircraft engines, and that special attention be given to engine run-up and power checks after extended ground operations, which might be conducive to “loading up” of engines.

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The Report also includes this letter to the Post Safety Officer, which goes into detail about Captain Arbib’s experience an proficiency, concluding that, “Captain Arbib’s ability as a pilot and his flying record was considered above average by the undersigned.“

16 July 1945

TO: Flying Safety Officer, Post

FROM: Flight Training Office

SUBJECT: Captain E.J. Arbib, information concerning

1.     Captain Edmond J. Arbib was assigned to Transition on personnel memorandum number 148 – 23 June, 1945, as a pursuit A-26 instructor.

2.     The above mentioned pilot was given an instructor’s flight check ride in B-25 ship and was found highly satisfactory.  This pilot had one thousand (1000) hours first pilot time – five hundred (500) hours of which was in C-46s, one hundred hours in B-25s, one hundred (100) hours in B-24s, eighty (80) hours in P-38s, and two hundred and twenty (220) hours single engine pursuit.  Subject Officer was formerly a check pilot on B-24 type aircraft at Romulus, Michigan and held a white instrument card with two hundred and fifty (250) hours instrument time.  Pilot was not involved in any accident due to pilot error.

3.     Captain Arbib was given an original A-26 check at this Station on 13 May, 1945.  After the original check, Captain Arbib spent twelve (12) hours on A-26s under the supervision of the Pursuit Flight Commander.  This time consisted of extensive single engine work, both on take-offs and landings – practically all landings were completed under the supervision of an A-26 instructor or the Flight Commander.

4.     Captain Arbib’s ability as a pilot and his flying record was considered above average by the undersigned.

/s/ A.E. Probst
A.E. Probst
1st Lt., AC
Pursuit Flight Commander

A TRUE COPY
Wilbur G. Shine
WILBUR G. SHINE
Captain, Air Corps

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United States Army Air Force

12th Air Force

Though the war in Europe had ended, Army Air Force training missions continued regardless.  On July 12, during a simulated dive-bombing mission of an airdrome at Augsburg, and, a simulated strafing mission of buildings at the Ammersee (Ammer Lake), First Lieutenant Fred B. Schwartz (0-2057031) was killed when his P-47D Thunderbolt fighter, aircraft 42-26718 (squadron identification letter “C” or “O“) struck the surface of the Ammersee and sank.  The incident was reported in Missing Air Crew Report 14953.  

A member of the 522nd Fighter Squadron, 27th Fighter Group, 12th Air Force, Lt. Schwartz, born on May 6, 1924 in McKeesport, Pa., and was the son of John and Lillian (Gelb) (10/13/93 – 1/3/83) Schwartz of 628 Petty Street.  His sister was Velma Feldman, who in 1945 resided at 1629 Cal. Avenue, in the White Oak section.  

His name appearing on page 550 of Volume II of American Jews in World War II, Lt. Schwartz had been awarded the Air Medal and two Oak Leaf Clusters, suggesting that he’d flown over 10 combat missions prior to the war’s end.  He is buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery at Plot H, Row 4, Grave 47.  

As well as in MACR 14953, information about this incident can be found at Aviation Safety Net, and, the 12 O’Clock High Forum.  The story of the plane’s loss and eventual recovery and salvage was reported upon by Gerald Modlinger in the Augsburger Allgemeine on April 16, 2009 and June 5, 2010, though as of now – 12 years later, in 2022 – those two articles, the latter including a picture of the salvaged P-47, are behind paywalls.  (Oh, well.)  But – ! – when I first researched this story some years ago, these articles were still openly available and I was able to copy and translate them.  So, they appear below, accompanied by an air photo of the Ammersee.  

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Here’s the shoulder-patch of the 12th Air Force…

…while this image of the emblem of the 522nd Fighter Squadron is from Popular Patch.com.

Here are two representative depictions by illustrator Chris Davey of 522nd Fighter Squadron Thunderbolts, as seen in Jonathan Bernstein’s P-47 Thunderbolt Units of the Twelfth Air Force.  A single letter on the mid-fuselage serves as a plane-in-squadron identifier on these otherwise simply marked aircraft.  

This painting is of P-47D 42-26444, “Candie Jr.“, “E“, flown by Lt. Robert Hosler, in December of 1944…

…while this painting shows P-47D 44-20856 “BETTY III“, “O“, of 1 Lt. Robert Jones, as the aircraft appeared in early April of 1945.  

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Pilot Rests in Cemetery in Luxembourg (“Pilot-ruht-auf-Friedhof-in-Luxemberg”)

When a quiet solitude had entered Lake Ammersee in November, a lonely watercraft was sailing on the lake.  An American explorer was viewing sonar for an aircraft that crashed shortly after the end of the war.

Gerald Modlinger
April 16, 2009

Diessen – When a quiet solitude on Lake Ammersee arrived in November, a lonely watercraft was on the lake.  An American explorer was viewing sonar for a plane that crashed shortly after the end of the war, and especially for the pilot who was killed.  Aerospace researcher Josef Köttner from Diessen has now researched that the pilot who he has been looking for has been resting in a US military cemetery in Luxembourg for decades.

Bob Collings, director of the company, emailed last November when he told how moving it was when members of the family were given certainty about the mortal remains of their fathers and grandfathers who had been killed in the war.  The search campaign on the Ammersee also returned to a request from the descendants of the missing US soldier.  At the same time, the courthouse also issued the necessary permits for the exploration.

In order to clarify the fate of the pilots killed in the crash of the P-47 Thunderbolt on July 12, 1945, however, the elaborate search action would obviously not have been necessary.  After an Internet investigation and a request from the US Air Force, 79-year-old Köttner is clear about the incident and the fate of the killed pilot.

The crashed P-47 Thunderbolt was piloted by Fred B. Schwartz, a member of the US Air Force’s 522th Fighter Squadron.  This unit was stationed in Sandhofen near Mannheim in the summer of 1945.  From the accident report and the reports of pilots of other combat aircraft it is clear that on 12 July 1945 at 9:40 am, four P-47 Thunderbolt machines from Sandhofen flew to a practice site on an airfield south of Augsburg and then aimed at a row of houses on the Ammersee as targets.  At about 11 o’clock an airplane’s propeller tips came into contact with the surface of the water.  The pilot had misjudged the situation.  The plane pulled up again, then fell to the water on the south-east of Lake Ammersee and sank after a few seconds without the pilot leaving the aircraft.  The remaining three P-47s still circled around the crash site for some time and then returned to their base.

Meanwhile, a boat had arrived at the crash site, but at that time the plane had already sunk in the water, at a point where the lake is about 45 meters deep.  A buoy was installed as a marker.

Afterwards a company from Regensburg was assigned to recover the wreckage of the aircraft.  There is nothing else to read in the accident report.  On an American website, on which the overseas soldiers’ residences are listed, Köttner finally found himself in search of the fallen Lieutenant Fred B. Schwartz.  The pilot, who came from Pennsylvania, found his final place of rest at the military cemetery in Luxembourg.

In the meantime, nothing has been known about the findings gained during the days-long search on the Ammersee.  “We are also surprised that we have not heard anything at all,” said Wolfgang Müller, the courthouse’s spokesman yesterday regarding the Lieutenant.  Furthermore, the employees of the water authority would be interested in the findings of the Americans about the conditions on the bottom of the lake.

Without giving any details, Bob Collings and Bob Mester had told the search company Underwater Admiralty Sciences (UAS) about the wreckage of cars, boats and craters their sonar had encountered.  Whether or not they found the plane they were looking for, remained open.

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The P-47 Was Already Salvaged in 1952 (“Die P-47 wurde schon 1952 zerlegt”)

Gerald Modlinger
June 5, 2010

Diessen – The aircraft search by an American company one and a half years ago at the Ammersee was probably not only with regard to the unfortunate pilot, but also with regard to his aircraft from the start without certainty.  The underwater archaeologist Lino von Gartzen from Berg reports in the magazine Flugzeugclassic that the airplane wanted by the Americans already 1952 from the Ammersee had been salvaged.  Previously, Lachen avocational researcher Josef Köttner had already shown that the pilot who had been killed on July 12, 1945, has been lresting in an American military cemetery in Luxembourg for decades.

This picture shows the salvage of the P-47 Thunderbolt near St. Alban in the spring of 1952.  The American search team arrived 56 years too late to find it still.

Photo: 1952 Ludwigshain / Collection of Gartzen

This Wikimedia Commons image of the Ammersee is by Carsten Steger.

Aerial image of the Ammersee (view from the south)

The fact that there are probably no more aircraft in the southern Bavarian lakes today is mainly due to Ludwiging, a native of Inning, who reported on Gartzen in October 2009 in Flugzeugclassic.

Ludwigshain (1920-2009) had been trained in the Second World War by the Navy in Norway as a salvage dredger.  One needed such people among other things, in order to be able to lift airplanes, which were sunk by saboteurs in the harbor.  His knowledge remained useful to Hain after the end of the war.  With a partner he began to retrieve aircraft which had fallen into the Bavarian lakes.  When he had fished the lakes largely empty, he went to Lake Constance, where he died in the spring of 2009.

All metal was strongly sought in the 1950s

It is today the high antiquity of historical aircraft wrecks that arouses the interest in them, making after the Second World War the scarcity, especially in metals, of aircraft wrecks to worthwhile companies.  It was only in the early 1960s that such [wrecks] became gradually uninteresting, as the price of scrap metal fell sharply.

In southern Bavaria, Hain with his partner Schuster, among other things [found] a British Lancaster, a B-17, a Bf-109 and two P-47 Thunderbolts, besides various vehicles, boats, a mini-U-boat and heavy bridge parts, writes Gartzen, after a conversation he had had with Hain shortly before his death.

The eye-witnesses did not agree on the type of aircraft

Ludwigshain found one of the two American P-47 Thunderbolt machines taken from the Ammersee in the spring of 1952.  The Landsberger Tagblatt had already been mentioned by Rolf Haunz in November 2008 for this aircraft.  The Kaufbeurer spent his childhood in Diessen and was a witness to the spectacular flight of aircraft in front of St. Alban.  Haunz said at the time that it must have been a P-47.  However, other people who saw children as the plane was landed could not confirm this with certainty.

According to Gartzen, “99.99 per cent” of Ludwigshafen’s photographs made it clear that in 1952 the P-47, which was sought again a year and a half ago, was taken from the Ammersee.  The serial number was exactly what the Americans were looking for.  The cockpit of the P 47 was closed, indicating that the aircraft pilot could not leave his machine.  In addition, the time of the salvage coincided with the identification of missing pilot Fred B. Schwartz in April 1952.

After the plane was pulled ashore, it was disassembled.  The parts were transported by truck and train.  Crashed airplanes were a real treasure in the 1950s: Gartzen knows of a case in which such an aircraft produced 25,000 marks. “That was the value of a family home.”

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United States Army Air Force

5th Air Force

Though combat missions had ended for the Army Air Force in the European Theater, they would continue without respite in the Pacific for four more months.

On one such mission, – to destroy oil storage tanks at Toshien, Taiwan (formerly Formosa) – B-24M Liberator 44-50390 “Becomin’ Back” of the 528th Bomb Squadron, 380th Bomb Group, piloted by Major Kenneth E. Dyson, was struck by three or four bursts of 90mm anti-aircraft fire.  Of the plane’s 11 crew members, there would be six survivors.  Second Lieutenant Eugene Stark (0-2024001), the bombardier, would not be among them.  He was seen to bail out by T/Sgt. Edward Treesh, the flight engineer, but was not seen afterwards.  The plane’s loss is described in MACR 14921.        

The son Martin and Julia (10/27/98-7/21/90) Stark, of 950 Aldus Street in New York City, Lt. Stark would be the recipient of the Air Medal, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, and Purple Heart, indicating that he’d completed between five and ten combat missions.  His name appeared in official casualty lists on August 8 and October 3, 1945, and can be found on page 453 of Volume II of American Jews in World War II.  

The plane’s crew consisted of:

Dyson, Kenneth E., Major – Pilot (Killed – Not recovered)
Muchow, Robert Leonard, 2 Lt. – Co-Pilot (Rescued)
Flanagan, Michael J., Jr., 1 Lt. – Navigator (Killed – Buried at sea)
Stark, Eugene, 2 Lt., Bombardier (Killed – Not recovered)
Bongiorno, Thomas G., F/O – H2X Navigator (Killed – Not recovered)
Treesh, Edward Oren, T/Sgt. – Flight Engineer (Rescued)
Nagel, Lawrence J., T/Sgt. – Radio Operator (Rescued)
Latta, William E., S/Sgt. – Gunner (Rescued)
Heffington, James C., S/Sgt. – Gunner (Killed – Not recovered)
Wood, Albert W., S/Sgt. – Gunner (Rescued)
Dalton, Maurice G., S/Sgt. – Gunner (Rescued)

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This image of the 528th Bomb Squadron insignia is from the MASH Online military clothing and insignia store.  

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The Missing Air Crew Report for the plane’s loss includes detailed eyewitness statements by all six survivors – 2 Lt. Muchow, S/Sgt. Latta, T/Sgt. Treesh, S/Sgt. Dalton, T/Sgt. Nagel, and S/Sgt. Wood – of which S/Sgt. Dalton’s is by far the longest and most detailed.  Notably, the only survivor from the front of the plane was Lt. Muchow.  The last of the survivors to be rescued, he was picked up from the sea by a Martin PBM Mariner.  Here’s his account of the loss of “Becomin’ Back“:

528TH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON (H) AAF
APO # 321

19 JULY 1945.

EYEWITNESS DESCRIPTION OF CRASH

On July 12, 1945, we were on a mission to Toshien, Formosa to knock out some oil storage tanks in the northeast corner of the town.  We were lead ship of the second squadron.  Instead of making the planned bomb run, Major Dyson asked the H2X Operator for a direct heading to the target from that position which we later found out to be north of the prescribed bomb run and directly over a battery of 90mm anti-aircraft guns.  After starting on the bomb run I could see a solid barrage of ack-ack about a mile in front of us and at out altitude.  It appeared at the time that our evasive action was insufficient an then we were hit. 

I remember only one burst close in on the left side of the plane.  This burst shattered the pilot’s window, injured Major Dyson, shot out the auto-pilot and burst the hydraulic lines in front of my feet.  I immediately called the engineer and asked him to check the leaking gas.  I then asked Major Dyson how bad he was hit.  I could see he had superficial cuts about the face and he added that his left arm or side was hit.  The blast had blown off his earphones and mike and he was very dazed.  I was dazed enough that the one burst is all I recall, later I found out we received three or four. 

I switched to “D” Channel and tried to contact the submarine, to no avail.  I finally switched to “B” Channel and contacted a fighter plane who in turn gave me the sub’s position.  I looked back then and the leaking gas in the bomb-bay looked like a solid sheet of rain.  The fumes had penetrated the plane and we were all affected to a certain degree.  We had the side windows open up front so were lucky in that respect. 

I asked Sgt. Wood to get me the navigator and when I finally made him look my way he just laughed in my face.  H was like a drunk from the gas fumes and so too, were the others on the flight deck.  This, helped account for the dazed reactions of all of us. 

All this time Major Dyson just sat with a dazed expression on his face, said nothing, and flew the ship by instinct, I thought, than from realization, of the situation.  Or ordered us to bail but we were too close inshore and continued to the submarine.  Several times I took the ship and turned it back toward the sub when Major Dyson turned back toward Formosa.

The ship was running okay from the recordings of the instruments and our main worry was losing an engine.  We were headed toward the sub and loosing altitude at about three hundred (300) feet per minute.  We were hit while at about 13,000 feet.  The first man bailed out at about 10,000 feet and I bailed out at about 8,500 feet.  I was the last man to leave the ship.  Before Lt. Flanagan bailed out he told me he was going.  I asked if all had bailed and ‘chutes opened and he said they had.  I left soon after he did and thought Major Dyson would follow me.  After my ‘chute opened I saw the ship just before it hit the water.  It had apparently lost an engine and gone in on a wing.  The men on the sub said it started burning before hitting the water, then blew up. 

The following was taken from the Log of the U.S.S. Cabrilla (SS-288), the submarine that picked us up. 
July 12
1140, received word that plane was going to be ditched. 
1145, sighted seven ‘chutes in the air.
1210, picked up Dalton, M.G.
1212, picked up Wood, A.W.
1302, picked up Flanagan, M.J.
1331, picked up Treesh, E.O.
1400, picked up Latta, W.E.
1404, picked up Nagel, L.J.
1422, picked up Muchow, R.L.
1640, buried Lt. Flanagan, M.J. at sea, Goron Bi, Formosa, baring 036 T, distance fifteen (15) miles

Robert L. Muchow

ROBERT L. MUCHOW,
2nd Lt., Air Corps,
Co-Pilot, 528th Bomb Sq.
380th Bomb Gp (H).

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This image of the nose art of Becomin’ Back can be found at the website of the 380th Bomb Group (the “Flying Circus“), in the historical profile of B-24M 44-50390.

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Here’s the 1945 map from MACR 14921 showing the approximate location of the loss of Becomin’ Back…

…while here’s a 2021 Oogle Map showing the crash location, based on longitude and latitude coordinates as listed in the MACR.

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United States Army Air Force

20th Air Force

During the early evening hours of July 12, 1945, the 20th Air Force’s 16th Bomb Group incurred its first combat loss.  This happened during the start of a night mission to “Kawasaki”, the name probably meaning the city of Kawasaki, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.  At approximately 1935 to 1940 hours K (kilo)* time, not long after taking off from Guam, three of the four engines of the 16th Bomb Squadron B-29 42-63603 ran away, and, the engines’ propellers could not be feathered. 

As the aircraft descended rapidly from 4,500 feet, aircraft commander Lt. Milford Berry ordered his crew to bail out.  Though it will never be known if Lt. Berry himself escaped the descending plane, all other crew members in the B-29’s forward section left the airplane.  

In the rear crew compartment, all crew members left their bomber with the exception of right blister gunner S/Sgt. Harold I. Schaeffer and tail gunner Sgt. Philip Tripp.  

Of the eight men known to have parachuted from their B-29, only three survived: pilot 2 Lt. James Trivette, Jr., bombardier 1 Lt. Rex E. Werring, Jr., and left blister gunner Sgt. Clarence N. Nelson.  Four of the other five crewmen were never found.  However, Sgt. Tripp’s body was recovered; he is buried at Forest Dale Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts.    

Among the crew members of 42-63603 was Sergeant Morton Finkelstein (32977132) the bomber’s flight engineer.  Born in a placed called Brooklyn on June 22, 1925, he was the son of Edward E. (1/30/01-5/21/83) and Rose (Lubchansky) (1900-1/24/85) Finkelstein, their family residing at 32 Joralemon Street. 

His name appeared in casualty lists published on August 15, 1945 and April 21, 1946, and can be found on page 309 of American Jews in World War II, where he is recorded as having received the Air Medal and Purple Heart.  Like the other four missing crew members, his name can be found in the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.  

(Kilo Time Zone is often used in aviation and the military as another name for UTC +10.  Kilo Time Zone is also commonly used at sea between longitudes 142.5° East and 157.5° East.)

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This image of Sgt. Finkelstein, at the archives of the National Museum of the Pacific War, at Fredericksburg, Texas, was uploaded to FindAGrave by Chris McDougal.  

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Here’s the Record of Casualty for Sergeant Finkelstein, completed by Chaplain Bernard J. Gannon and provided to Major David I. Cedarbaum.  This document is from the Honor Roll in the Cedarbaum Files (Folder 5) at the American Jewish Historical Society.  

As stated in the Record of Casualty:

“The plane in which Finkelstein was riding was commanded by Lt. Milford A. Berry.  At least a portion of the crew bailed out.  Finkelstein is known to have left the plane.  The plane had three run-away engines and exploded a few feet above the water.  Three men were recovered, one body [Sgt. Tripp] was buried at Saipan the identity of which was known.

It is understood that prayers for soldier’s safety were included in your service at the 73rd Air Service Group Chapel, 15 July 1945.”

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A symbolic matzeva for Sgt. Finkelstein appears in this image by FindAGrave contributor Mary Lehman.  It’s located at Mount Golda Cemetery in South Huntington, New York.

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The crew of 42-63603:

Berry, Milford Audrain, 1 Lt. – Aircraft Commander (Last seen in aircraft)
Trivette, James, Jr., 2 Lt. – Pilot (Rescued)
Rollins, K. Warren, 1 Lt. – Navigator (Last seen bailing out)
Werring, Rex E., Jr., 1 Lt. – Bombardier (Rescued)
Ameringer, Irving W., 2 Lt. (Last seen bailing out)
Finkelstein, Morton, Sgt. – Flight Engineer (Last seen bailing out)
Lynch, Robert E., Sgt.  (Last seen bailing out)
Schaeffer, Harold I., S/Sgt. – Gunner (Right Blister) (Last seen in aircraft)
Nelson, Clarence N., Sgt. – Gunner (Left Blister) (Rescued)
Tripp, Philip Gregory, Sgt. – Gunner (Tail) (Killed (see Cederbaum report)

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A flying, bomb-carrying, world-spanning hippo is the central motif of the insignia of the 16th Bomb Squadron, in this image from Pinterest, uploaded by Nikolaos Paliousis.  

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Here’s a partial transcript of post-war “fill-in” Missing Air Crew Report 15373, which covers the loss of 42-63603:

Time and position of bailout: 1934K, 12 July 1945, approximately 80 miles north of western tip of Orote Peninsula, Guam.  Coordinates:  14-36 N, 114-25 E.

The aircraft acted properly during take-off (1940 K) and climb.  After leveling off at 6,200 feet, RPMs were reduced but No. 1 engine remained at 2400.  The Airplane Commander reduced the RPMs of No. 1 engine to 2000 with the feathering button.  Almost immediately however it increased and went wild.  The Airplane Commander hit the feathering button but it had no effect, so he pulled the throttle back, told the Bombardier to salvo the bombs and headed for Guam.  On the turn, No. 3 engine started building up and again the feathering button was ineffective.  The Airplane Commander gave the order to prepare to ditch.  Almost immediately, No. 4 engine ran away and the order to bail out was given.  The altitude was about 4500 feet, and the aircraft was dropping at about 1000 feet per minute.  The Pilot took over the plane was the Airplane Commander fastened his parachute and one-man life raft.  The Pilot rang the alarm bell and called the left scanner and tail gunner on the interphone. 

The airplane commander attempted to transmit on VHF channel, but it appeared to be dead.  He then switched to Channel A.  Bombardier reported that Pilot was not getting out on this channel.  Also, no word has been received of receipt of any message by any aircraft or ground station.

Bail out:

Exit through forward bomb bay:

The Navigator and Radio Operator went out first (order unknown), and their chutes were seen to open by the Bombardier who was third out.  The Radio Operator hesitated but left sometime between the time the Bombardier and Pilot bailed out.  The Pilot was next out and saw one chute open just before he left the airplane.  With the exception of the Airplane Commander, the front of the airplane was clear when he left, and the altimeter indicated 500 feet.  No difficulty was experienced in leaving the hatch.  The Bombardier and Pilot put their hands along the edge of the bulkhead door and dove out in one motion.

Exit through rear bomb bay:

The Right Scanner had been briefed to bail out first and was fully geared and ready to go.  The Left Scanner motioned him out but he (Right Scanner) “looked blank”.  The Left Scanner then asked him to step aside so he (Left Scanner) could go out, thinking that by so doing the Right Scanner might gain confidence.  The Right Scanner stepped aside, still mute, and the Left Scanner dove out the pressure bulkhead door.  The Right Scanner was never seen to leave the airplane. 

Altitude and time for Bail Out:

Between 1500 feet and 500 feet.  Time interval approximately 1 ½ minutes between first and last man.

Like some other MACRs for B-29 crews whose members were rescued after parachuting over, or ditching in, the Pacific Ocean, the document accords much attention to the many factors involving aircrew survival, in terms of bailout procedure, safely parachuting, use of a one-man life raft (in terms of deployment, inflation, and how-to-actually-successfully-get-into-the-raft in the first place), physical and psychological factors involved in survival at sea, and, attracting the attention of searching vessels and aircraft.

What’s notable about the bailout from 42-63603 is that this occurred at about 7:40 at night (civilian time).  Given that sunset in the Kilo Time Zone on July 12, 1945 would have occurred at 8:30 P.M., the crew would have had less than an hour of light before the arrival of total darkness.  At sea; alone.

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Akin to the Oogle map illustrating the loss location of Becomin’ Back, this map shows the loss location of B-29 42-63603.

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This cutaway image from Boeing’s B-29 Maintenance and Familiarization Manuel (HS1006A-HS1006D) shows the interior arrangement of a B-29’s forward crew compartment.  The location of the flight engineer’s station, on the right side of the compartment, is directly behind the co-pilot. 

This panoramic 360-degree-view, at 360Cities, gives a high resolution, clear view of the B-29’s front crew compartment.  Upon going to the link you’ll arrive at a view of the interior of a B-29’s forward crew compartment, facing forward.  Rotate the view 90 degrees to the right (use the right arrow), and you’ll see the flight engineer’s station with it’s small myriad of dials and switches, as well as throttle leavers.  

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The following diagram, from the XXI Bomber Command Combat Crew Manual, specifically Section XII – “Emergency Procedures” – depicts the sequence by which the members of a Superfortress crew were to bail out of their bomber during an in-flight emergency.  

In the nose, the bailout sequence was: 1) bombardier, 2) flight engineer, 3) co-pilot, 4) navigator, 5) radio operator, and 6, pilot.  Escape could be made through a hatch in the cockpit floor situated directly above the nose wheel (by definition, necessitating that the nose wheel be lowered), or, through the bomb bay, the latter option requiring that the crew compartment to be depressurized so that the bomb bay could be accessed through a circular hatch.

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British Army

Died while Prisoner of War

The fact that four of the five servicemen mentioned in this post were aviators, all members of the United States Army Air Force, is a coincidence of the timing of July 12, 1945.  The war in Europe had ended on May 8 (or May 9, in the former Soviet Union), and combat, as such, was now only occurring in the Pacific Theater.  Along with Captain Arbib, Lieutenants Schwartz and Stark, and Sgt. Finkelstein, the fifth (known) Jewish soldier who was a casualty on July 12 was – as mentioned in the “intro” to this post – a member of the British Army.  Probably captured during the fall of Java on March 12 1942, he was Gunner Solomon Rosen (1827101).

Born in 1914, he was the husband of Henrietta Rosen, of Heathway, Dagenham, Essex, and the son of Sam and Annie.  A member of the 78th Battery, 35th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, he arrived in Singapore aboard the ship Nishi Maru on September 14, 1942, and then in Kuching, Borneo, aboard the Hiteru Maru on October 9 of the same year. 

It was there that he died, in tragic irony only a little over one month before the end of the Second World War.  Then again, more than a few POWs of the Japanese succumbed to illness, starvation, mistreatment, or appallingly worse, through and even after the last day of hostilities in the Pacific Theater of War.  (Such, as…)  

Gunner Rosen, whose name appears on page 148 of Volume I of Henry Morris’ We Will Remember Them, is buried at the Labuan War Cemetery, in Malaysia; Plot N,C,6.  His name appears in the Roll of Honor – Java Index.  

Gunner Rosen’s matzeva, with the Hebrew abbreviation .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. (Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím – May his soul be bound up in the bond of life) inside the Magen David, appears in this photo by FindAGrave contributor GulfportBob.

References

Bernstein, Jonathan, P-47 Thunderbolt Units of the Twelfth Air Force, Osprey Publishing, Long Island City, New York, N.Y., 2012

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947.

Mireles, Anthony J., Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 – Volume 3: August 1944 – December 1945, McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, N.C., 2006

Morris, Henry, Edited by Gerald Smith, We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945, Brassey’s, United Kingdom, London, 1989

Rust, Kenn C., Twelfth Air Force Story, Historical Aviation Album, Temple City, Ca., 1975

No Specific Author Listed

XXI Bomber Command Combat Crew Manual, A.P.O. 234, May, 1945 (reprint obtained via EBay)

Jonas Phillips (wikipedia), at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Phillips

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: May 4, 1945 – United States Navy – Naval Aviator Saul Chernoff

My prior posts about Jewish military casualties on May 4, 1945, have covered men who served in army ground forces, the United States Army Air Force, United States Marine Corps, and United States Navy.  However, I’ve retained one last name; one last identity; one last biography … for this “last” post.  The reason being, the sheer abundance of information about the man in question: Lt. (jg) Saul “Sonny” Chernoff of the United States Navy.

There are some vague parallels with the fate of 2 Lt. Wallace Franklin Kaufman, whose “story” has been the basis for this group of posts: 

Kaufman was shot down on May 4, 1945, and survived as a POW of the Japanese, until he was murdered on the following May 24 – three weeks later.  

Chernoff, too, was shot down (during aerial combat with Japanese fighters) on the same May 4, an event depicted – below – on the cover Edward M. Young’s F4U Corsair vs. Ki-84 “Frank” Pacific Theater 1945.  After rescue, Lt. (jg) Chernoff resumed flying combat missions. 

One June 2, 1945 – almost one month later – he was shot down (again) during aerial combat with Japanese fighters (again). 

Sadly, that time he did not survive. 

A chronicle of the events of both days from the Spring of 1945 follows below.  But first, some biographical information:

Born in Los Angeles on January 11, 1923, Saul Chernoff – his given name was originally “Saule” – was the son of Morris (9/2/90-2/4/70) and Sima (Gorelick) (1/15/93-6/11/50) Chernoff (parents), and brother of Lillian.  The family lived at 456 North Gardner Street, in Hollywood, California.  

Married, Saul’s wife was Georgette Dorothy (Kamm) Chernoff, who resided at (or originally hailed from) 139 Main Street, in Northport, Long Island, N.Y.  Another relative may (?) have been A Mr. B. Oxhorn, who resided at 854 South Harvard Boulevard, in Los Angeles.

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This is the only good photograph I’ve thus far been able to locate of him.  From Ancestry.com (like everything else…but I digress), this is Saul’s graduation portrait from the Hollywood High School Class of 1940 Yearbook.  

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Completely unlike Major Milton Joel, other than a very (very (v e r y)) brief funeral notice in the Los Angeles Times in 1949, substantive information about Saul’s pre-war wife, and military training, is thus far unavailable to me.  (That is, assuming it’s survived some-unknown-where across a span of nearly eight decades.)  Thus, I’ll “jump” directly to his service as a fighter pilot in Navy fighter Squadron VBF-85, alias the “Sky Pirates”.  

The squadron emblem of VBF-85, portraying a sword-wielding one-eyed pirate holding the reins of a descending lightning bolt, set against a murkily moonlit, starry night-time sky, appears in several variations.  This version, also manufactured in cloth form during WW II for use as a jacket patch, is mentioned at VBF-85 as having been used as a decal actually placed about the Squadron’s F4Us, at least relatively early during the Squadron’s combat service.

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Probably (?…) taken in December of 1944, this image, from the War History of VF-85 (via Fold3), shows the squadron’s officers and enlisted men posed in front of an F4U.  Names of personnel, left to right, are listed below. 

Front Row (Sitting)

Ens. Bean, Roy N.
Ens. Hatfield, Elvin H.
Ens. Siddall, Frank S.
Ens. Edwin, Norman L.
Ens. Kirkham, Charles N.
Ens. Noel, Richard L.
Lt. Cdr. Gilmour
Lt. Cdr. Ford, Warren W.
Lt. Cdr. Roberts
Lt. Tilton, Eugene B.
Ens. Lawhon, David W.
Ens. Dunn, John C.
Ens. Bloomfield, Robert A.
Ens. Solomon, Leonard E.
Ens. Egolf, James O.
Lt. Irgens, Donald L.
Lt. (jg) Lamphar
Ens. Huber, Joseph A.

Second Row

Lt. (jg) Blair, George M.
Lt. (jg) Robbins, Joe D.
Ens. Moos, Kennard “A.”
Lt. (jg) Edwards, (William H.?)
Ens. Moore, John H.
Ens. Meltebeke, Raymond L.
Lt. (jg) Callan, Allie W.
Lt. (jg) Nichols, James B.
Lt. Wollum, Donald G.
Ens. Chernoff, Saul
Ens. Shinn, William G.
Ens. Marr, William H.
Ens. Clark, John G.
Lt. (jg) Sovanski, Lawrence
Ens. McCraken, Billie R.
Ens. Fuog, Howard W.
Ens. Yirrell, Francis
Lt. Goodnow, Robert G.
Ens. Loeffler, John D.

Third Row

Lt. (jg) Webster, Bayard
Lt. Fuller, Roy A.
Ens. Kling, Nelson P.
Ens. Kennedy, Harold R.
Ens. Pierce, James W.
Lt. Vickery, Arthur E.
Ens. Bruening, Floyd W.
Lt. (jg) Black, James B.
Lt. (jg) Horne, Hugh R. or Joseph S.
Lt. (jg) Whitney, Robert C.
Lt. (jg) Horne, Hugh R. or Joseph S.
Ens. McPhee, Duncan C.
Ens. Harrington, Henry M.
Ens. Clarke, William “R.”
Ens. Meyers, Donald E.
Ens. Fitzgerald, Louis A.
Lt. (jg) Spring
Lt. (jg) DeMott, Richard W.
Ens. Sabin, Donald G.

Enlisted Men on Wing

Schmidt
Goessling
ART 1C Curry, Roland H.
AMM 2C Thompson, Claud W.
AMM 1C Stransky, Lloyd J.
AMM 2C Kusmer, Erwin L.
AEM 1C Lewis, Frank H.
AM 1C Callahan, William J., Jr.
ACMM Young, Kenneth D.
ACRM Wright, Wilbur T.
Y 1C Hager, Franklin T.
AMMP 1C Brackett, William A.
AMM 3C Keegan, Joseph J.
PR 2C Kinner, Wilbert K.
AOM 3C Tanner, Charles L.
AOM 1C Richardson, William L.
ACOM Klein, Irving

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Friday, May 4, 1945

(22 Iyyar 5705)

I first learned “about” Lt. (jg) Chernoff by happenstance, while reviewing Casualty Files pertaining to Allied aviator POWs of the Japanese, as well as Navy War Diaries, at the National Archives in College Park – a few (some? several?!) years back.  Within records for VF-85 / VBF-85, I discovered the squadron’s Aircraft Action Report that was filed for a Combat Air Patrol mission near Okinawa on May 4, 1945, during which the squadron shot down thirteen Japanese aircraft for the loss of two F4Us.

The squadron’s victories comprised:

Five “Type 93 twin-float advanced trainers“: The Yokosuka K5Y intermediate trainer / floatplane (九三式中間練習機), which went by the Allied reporting name of “Willow”.  Though a biplane, the K5Y was still a viable kamikaze weapon, as attested to by the destruction of the USS Callaghan on July 28, 1945, the last Allied ship to be sunk by a kamikaze attack.    

Three “Petes“: The Mitsubishi F1M reconnaissance floatplane (零式水上観測機), otherwise known to Allied pilots by the reporting name “Pete”.

Five “Zeke 52s“: The well-known Mitsubishi A6M (零式艦上戦闘機) carrier fighter, otherwise known – and very well known – as the “Zero”.  (Still known in 2021 and beyond? – That’s another topic entirely.)

These aerial victories were credited as follows:

Lieutenant Lawrence Sovanski: Two Petes
Lieutenant Jack Sidney Jacobs: Two Petes
Lieutenants Sovanski and Jacobs (shared): One Pete
Ensign W.R. Green: Two Petes
Ensign M.M. (Marvin M.?) Fogarty: One Pete
Lt. (jg) David W. Lawhon: Two Zeke 52s
Lt. (jg) Saul Chernoff: Three Zeke 52s.  (Which, may well not have been Zeke 52s after all, as will be revealed below…)

The Squadron’s Aircraft Action Report, prepared by ACI Lt. J.E. Curby, is so well written, flowing so well as a historical and “action” document, that it would be redundant for me to summarize it.  So instead, a transcript of the Report immediately follows this composite image of the Report’s first two pages:

Comparative performance of own and enemy aircraft:

The type 93 trainers could not evade the Corsair.  Speed no more than 150 knots.  Very little protection.

Pete was more maneuverable than Corsairs, but easily overtaken by Corsair.  Could turn inside Corsair.

Zeke-52 could not dive away from Corsair.  Apparently had very little armor for wing tanks since they burned readily.

Twelve VF-85 fighters were sent out on patrol C.A.P. north of Okinawa to intercept any Japanese planes coming from Kyushu.  The planes were vectored out at 0842 to a large bogey.  The engagement which followed was the first for the day fighters of VF-85.

The engagement was divided into two parts.  One third of the planes led by Lieut. J.S. Jacobs, USNR, engaged type 93 seaplane intermediate trainers and “Petes” while the other two thirds fought with Zeke52s.

The Petes and trainers were contacted about seven miles north of Iheya Jima.  The trainers were armed with bombs, but none were observed on the Petes.  The Japanese were apparently on a suicide mission against shipping targets in the Okinawa area.

Lieut. Jacobs saw one of our destroyers under attack by a “Nick”, and as he turned in to attack, the Hick dove into the destroyer before he had an opportunity to fire.  He then observed, with his wingman, Ensign W.R. Green, USNR, about eight seaplanes low on the water.  Lieut. Jacobs immediately attacked, and splashed a twin float seaplane.  He later identified this plane to be a type 93 seaplane intermediate trainer.  Lieut. Jacobs then sighted another one heading for a destroyer and he got a 45 [degree] deflection shot.  It burst into flames but continued into the destroyer.

During this time Ensign Green obtained hits with a full deflection shot on another trainer which began to burn and landed on the water.  Lieut. Jacobs then strafed it and was followed by Lieut. Lawrence Sovanski, USNR, who caused it to explode.

Ensign Green then got on the tail of a Pete and splashed him with a short burst.  A few seconds later he was on the tail of another Pete which he splashed in short order.

Lieut. Sovanski, with his wingman, Ensign M.M. Fogarty, USNR, had also been busy attacking the trainers as soon as they were sighted.  Lieut. Sovanski made on pass at a trainer and scored hits, but failed to splash him.  He then spotted the plane wounded by Ensign Green and Lieut. Jacobs and exploded it.  Just then another Bogey of about eight planes was sighted.  Lieut. Sovanski pulled up and made a stern approach on a 93 trainer.  He burned it with a short burst and it exploded.  He then followed another one but had to hold his fire while another Corsair passed out of his sights; however, a second or two later he opened up and the trainer exploded.

Ensign Fogarty, meanwhile, made a flat side, full deflection run on a Pete.  It burned, hit the water and exploded.

During this entire melee there were fighters from the Yorktown attacking these groups of bogies.

While the above engagement was in progress, Lt. (jg) J.D. Robbins’ (USN) division was engaging some 12 – 16 planes, Zeke-52s, fifteen miles north of the other encounter.  This group was tallyhoed at 17,000 feet.  The flight had been at 22,000 feet.  Unfortunately, the 20mm cannon in three planes in Lt. (jg) Robbins’ division froze up and they were forced to retire from the engagement.  Lt. (jg) Saul Chernoff, USNR, and Lt. (jg) F.S. Siddall were both shot down at this time.  They were both rescued and are in good shape. 

Lt. (jg) Chernoff’s plane was the only one which had all guns operating.  He soon learned that there were two groups of Zekes, the first one consisting of 16-20 planes and the second also consisting of 16-20 planes.  His story is best told in his own words.  (It should be mentioned that he had no intimation that his fellow pilots were having difficulties with their guns, and had left the scene of battle.)

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Continuing with the Aircraft Action Report, here is a transcript of Lt. (jg) Chernoff’s account of the engagement, which appears in the Action Report as a typewritten document:

OKINAWA – Angels 20

4 May 1945

At approximately 0845 we were vectored out on a heading of 030 degrees.  No speed was given and when a request for information was asked, a report was given that the bogey was 40 miles at angels 15.  We went on vector for about ten minutes when Ensign E.L. MYERS, USNR, my wingman, spotted the bogeys behind us and above.  I immediately gave him the lead and followed. 

About a mile from the bogey which appeared to be a large group of Zekes in two formations, Ensign MYERS pressed home his attack.  I don’t believe he saw the second formation as he made his attack on the first group.  I saw he would be in a bad way from the second group, so made an attack on them.  It was a low side attack, coming from underneath.  I don’t believe they saw me as no evasive action was taken.  I gave a short burst to the lead plane and his port wing came off and he spun in.  Still coming up, I gave a short burst to the second plane and he blew up.  I skidded to one side and came down in another run on two more planes.  They started evasive action, making a hard turn to port.  I fired about three bursts and the second man and he, also, blew up.  I closed on the first but couldn’t turn inside of him.  At that time I looked behind and saw three Zekes on my tail so immediately did a split “S”.  Going down I was hit and my engine was smoking very badly and oil completely covered the windshield.  My oil pressure started dropping and then my prop governor went out.  Using my throttle, my R.P.M.s went as high as 5000, and when I cut it off it still read about 3500.  I was followed down to about angels ten by one Zeke who then broke off and left, climbing back up. 

I made several radio transmissions and tuned on my IFF to emergency.  Two fighters from VF-85 drew alongside me and I then made a water landing.  I couldn’t determine the direction of the waves so made a landing between them.  I put my flaps down and held off until my airspeed indicator read 60 kts.  There was quite a jar but I didn’t receive any injury.  My life raft, which I had loosened in the air, fell to the bottom and I couldn’t get it out, so jumped into the water with just my Mae West.  Both planes did a marvelous job of directing L.C.S.-11 to my position which was about 4 ½ miles south-east of Yuron Shima.  They were relieved by another flight of four planes from VBF-85.  After two and a half hours I was picked up.

My mistakes:

1. I forgot to jettison my belly tank.
2. Landed cross wind.
3. Let raft fall to bilge.
4. Jumped into water before inflating Mae West.

S. CHERNOFF

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The Aircraft Action Report does not include a parallel statement concerning the shooting down and survival of Lt. (jg) Siddall.  In any event, Siddall was flying F4U-1D 82746, and Chernoff F4U-1D 82542.  

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This Oogle map shows the approximate location – indicated by Oogle’s emblematic red pointer – where VF-85 intercepted the Japanese attacking force, based on latitude and longitude coordinates listed in the Aircraft Action Report.  The location can be seen to have been approximately 50 miles east of Radar Picket Station 4.  

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But, wait, there’s more…!

Though Lt. (jg) Lawhon and Lt. (jg) Chernoff claimed two and three Zeke 52s, respectively, there is a high probability that this was a case of misidentification, for the Japanese fighters may have been Nakajima Ki-84 Hayates of the 60th Shinbu-Tai (60th Special Attack [kamikaze] Unit (Dai 60 Shinbu-tai / (第六十振武隊).  This clarification comes from Edward M. Young’s F4U Corsair vs. Ki-84 “Frank” Pacific Theater 1945, where it is stated:

On May 4, Maj. Michiaki Tojo, commanding the 103rd Hikō Sentai, led a formation of Hayates from his own unit and the 102nd Hikō Sentai that were charged with escorting a mixed Special Attack airplane formation consisting of Ki-27 “Nates,” Ki-43 “Oscars,” Ki-84 “Franks” and two Ki-45 “Nicks” (Type 2 Two-seat Fighters) to Okinawa.  More “Oscars” from the 65th Hikō Sentai also participated in the mission. 

That same morning VF-85 sent up three divisions on CAP north of Okinawa.  Flying at 20,000ft, Ens. E.L. Myers, wingman to Lt. (jg) Saul Chernoff, saw a formation of what he identified as 12-16 “Zekes,” and Chernoff ordered him to take the lead.  The other members of the division found that the 20mm cannon in their F4U-1Cs had frozen and had to break off the attack.  Chernoff continued, seeing that the Japanese aircraft were in two formations, one higher and one lower.  He decided to attack the higher formation on his own in order to protect Ens. Myers, even though he would be attacking from below.  Another division of VF-85 was climbing rapidly to help.  Chernoff came in on what he identified as a formation of “Zekes” and opened fire with his cannon, knocking the port wing off one airplane.  He fired on a second, which blew up under his fire, then came down to make a run on two more fighters, firing three bursts at one that blew up (these may well have been “Franks,” as the 60th Shinbu-Tai lost three that day and the escort force lost eight). 

As he tried, and failed, to follow the second fighter through a turn, Chernoff noticed three “Zekes” coming down on him from above.  Maj. Tojo had been watching the Special Attack airplanes targeting what he thought was a group of US Navy cruisers and destroyers when he saw two Corsairs come into view below him, one behind the other.  They were firing on the Special Attack airplanes, and apparently did not see him.  The second Corsair, apparently flown by Lt. (jg) F.S. Siddell [sic], came within range and Tojo immediately opened fire and sent it down smoking.  Chernoff did not see Tojo closing behind him, the Ki-84 pilot opening fire and hitting the Corsair’s engine, which began to smoke badly and covered the windscreen with oil.  Chernoff did a split-S to escape, but his Corsair was finished.  Major Tojo was not sure how badly he had damaged the two Corsairs, but wisely did not follow them down.  Chernoff and Siddell were badly hit, but both made water landings and were rescued.  With an experienced pilot at the controls and an altitude advantage, the Hayate had shot down two Corsairs in under a minute. 

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This brief moment in time has been imagined and depicted in a painting by aviation artist Gareth Hector.  Mr. Hector’s composition forms the “bottom half” of his dual cover montage for Mr. Young’s book, issued in 2016 by Osprey Publishing, one of the (thus far) 122 books comprising Osprey’s Duel series.  The cover of Mr. Young’s book, viewable at 96 dpi resolution c/o Mr. Bezos.  

Mr. Hector’s painting depicts Saul – moments after having previously downed three Ki-84s (not Zeke 52s) – diving away in his burning Corsair after having been attacked by Major Michiaki Tojo.  Clearly shown on Saul’s F4U are the white lightning-bolt wing and tail markings of VF-85.  

The caption parallels the excerpt quoted above:  “On May 4, 1945, Maj. Michiaki Tojo, commander of the 103rd Hikō Sentai, led a formation of 30 Ki-84s from the 101st, 102nd and 103rd Hikō Sentai as escorts for a mixed formation of Special Attack airplanes sent to attack US Navy vessels off Okinawa.  The Ki-84s had to zigzag above the slower bomb-laden kamikaze.  Near the island of Iheya Shima, northwest of Okinawa, the formation spotted several American ships and the Special Attack airplanes began their final dives.  Flying above and monitoring the attack, Maj. Tojo suddenly saw two F4U Corsairs below him, intent on intercepting the Special Attack formation.  One Corsair turned to the right and came into firing range.  Apparently unseen, Maj. Tojo opened fire and sent the F4U down smoking.  The leading Corsair, probably flown by Lt. Saul Chernoff of VF-85, also turned to the right and failed to notice the Ki-84s above until Maj. Tojo was in a position to open fire, hitting Chernoff’s engine.  The naval aviator dove away, with his Corsair smoking badly, and successfully ditched.  Chernoff was rescued, only to be killed subsequently on June 2, 1945 when VF-85 clashed with the N1K2-J “Georges” of the 343rd Kokutai over Kyushu.  (Cover artwork by Gareth Hector)”

(Given the way that Mr. Hector’s has depicted this aerial engagement in such a vivid, detailed, well-imagined yet entirely realistic manner, and his composition’s fortunate availability at very high resolution, I took his work one [small] step “beyond” (- quite intentional pun -) and – rather than simply nominally include it within “this” post – retouched it using Photoshop to remove the “upper” half of the montage and eliminate text from this “lower” half, simplifying the scene and giving it a little bit more “oomph”. )

You can view fourteen examples of Mr. Hector’s work at his website, Gareth Hector Military Art, while fifty books featuring his cover illustrations can be viewed here, at Osprey Publishing.  His work is characterized by a visual perspective that captures action at – or just before – its height, a use of lighting and illumination that have an optimum balance, and, an near photographic attention to detail.

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From VBF-85, this photo shows three (plus a wingtip) F4Us, probably in the vicinity of Hawaii, marked with the squadron’s emblematic white lightning bolt on tail and wingtip…  

…while this illustration, by Don Greer (via WarWall) appearing on the cover of Jim Sullivan’s F4U Corsair in Action, provides a much clearer view of VF-85’s / VBF-85’s squadron markings.  Though individual plane-in-squadron numbers are painted on the tail and cowling, unfortunately, these are not recorded in Aircraft Action Reports.  Note that the aircraft carries the Sky Pirates squadron insignia below the cockpit; this insignia reportedly appeared on the squadron’s Corsairs less frequently as the war progressed.  

________________________________________

________________________________________

Almost one month later, on Saturday, June 2, 1945 (22 Sivan 5705), Lt. (jg) Chernoff was no longer among the living.    

– .ת. נ. צ. ב. ה –
תהא נפשו צרורה בצרור החיים

What happened?

…thirty-two Corsairs from VF-85 / VBF-85 were tasked with a fighter sweep mission to the Chiran, then Kagoshima, and finally, Izumi airfields on the island of Kyushu.  Prior to returning to the Shangri-La and while rendezvousing over Kagoshima Bay (Kagoshima-wan; 鹿児島湾), a radio request was received to provide high cover for an air-sea rescue operation for three downed F6F Hellcat pilots (two from the USS Ticonderoga and one from USS Yorktown) who’d ditched in the bay.  As the Corsairs orbited the area in the vicinity of the Ibusuki Seaplane Base, they were attacked from above by what was estimated to have been 20 to 30 (actually 23) Japanese fighter planes.  The planes were described as a mixture of Franks [Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate; キ84 疾風, “Gale“], Jacks [Mitsubishi J2M Raiden; 雷電, “Lightning Bolt], Oscars [Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa; 隼, “Peregrine falcon” / “Army Type 1 Fighter” 一式戦闘機], and Tojos [Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki; 鍾馗, “Devil Queller”], and even the Judy [Yokosuka D4Y Suisei; 彗星, “Comet” dive-bomber], but in reality the only enemy aircraft encountered by VF-85 / VBF-85 were all N1K2-J Shiden-Kai (紫電改 – “Violet Lightning – Modified”) fighters of the elite 343rd Naval Air Group, which was commanded by Captain Minoru Genda.  The 343rd was comprised of (this quote is from Wikipedia, but okay, it’s valid), “…the best surviving ace fighter pilots the Imperial Navy had at the time.”  

The result?  Well, as aptly stated in the opening paragraph of the Shangri-La War History, “2 June was the one disastrous day for the squadron.”  VF-85’s prior encounters with Japanese warplanes were limited to kamikaze aircraft, as recounted above for the mission of May 4, 1945.

By day’s end, VF 85 / VBF 85 suffered one pilot killed on take-off at the mission’s start, two pilots killed outright in combat, three pilots who ditched (two after their aircraft had been damaged by anti-aircraft fire and / or enemy aircraft; one from lack of fuel) but did not survive to be rescued.  Two pilots managed to return to the Shangri-La in damaged Corsairs, of which one aircraft may (?) have been junked.

The 343rd Naval Air Group lost two pilots in the battle.

As for the three Hellcat pilots floating in Kagoshima Bay?  They were all rescued, as was the complete crew of a seaplane that was lost early in the air-sea rescue effort.

Of VF 85 / VBF 85’s losses, Lt. (jg) Saul Chernoff was the second pilot to have been killed:  He was shot down – “jumped” – outright, at the start of the 343rd Naval Air Group’s attack, after breaking away from his Section Leader in order go to independently attack a Shiden fighter, an action which was noted (though Chernoff’s name isn’t mentioned, the implication is obvious) in VF-85 / VBF-85’s Aircraft Action Report.

The above summary is a distillation of information in documents filed by VF-85 / VBF-85, VH-3 and VPB-13 (the two squadrons involved in the air-sea rescue for the three downed Hellcat pilots), the Shangri-La, histories of VBF-85 and VF-85 published at the war’s end, and, Henry Sakaida and Koji Takaki’s history of the 343rd Naval Air Group, Genda’s Blade, published in 2003.  

The information in these sources is as interesting as much as it is well-written.  Rather than “pick and choose” snippets from these documents, the text is presented below in full…  (Gadzooks.  Veritably, again there I go making another really long post!)  My additional commentary appears inside brackets, italicized, in maroon font.  [Just like this.]

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First, I’ll begin at the “end”, with post-mission comments by the Air Group Commander, in the USS Shangri-La War Diary – Report of Air Operations Against Kyushu:

Comments of Air Group Commander

Fighter Sweep Over Kyushu

Pilots must learn to stay together. In our first real fighter sweep the desire to kill as many Japs as possible caused new pilots to become dispersed. They knew better and admitted it later. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any way of learning this lesson except by experience.

The Japs still have some first class pilots and airplanes. Prior to these sweeps this group had encountered only Kamikaze pilots who offered no real opposition. This, plus rumors that the Jap air force was definitely low on good pilots, gave us an erroneous appreciation of the situation such that we were greatly surprised in our encounter. The Japs flew tight formations, executed well-timed coordinated attacks and retained an initial altitude advantage. Their initial attack was made through high overcast at 22,000 feet indicating apparent radar control. Some of the planes out dived Corsairs at well over 400 knots IAS and were able to make tight turns in those dives.

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Second, from the Shangri-La War History:

2 June was the one disastrous day for the squadron. A fighter sweep was ordered against airfields on Kyushu. The weather was worse than terrible and added to that the nearest field was over 300 miles away. It was necessary to fly on instruments a good deal of the time to the target and over an hour on the return trip.

The sweep first attacked Izumi airfield where Lieut. L. Sovanski, USNR, Lt. (jg) N.L. Edwin, USNR, both had their planes damaged by flak. The next sweep attacked Chiran airfield, however, in both cases few aircraft were observed. In the meantime, two pilots from the Yorktown were downed in Kagoshima Wan. Comdr. W.W. Ford, USN, took charge of aiding them. A Coronado attempted to land near one of the pilots, but on landing damaged its propeller rendered the plane useless. Another Coronado orbited the area. A Dumbo (PBM) finally arrived and rescued the downed pilots and also the crew of the Coronado.

During this time the high cover for the downed pilots was jumped by Franks, Jacks, Oscars and Judys, [a statement to this effect is repeated in further documents] all first line planes piloted by experienced pilots.  [Though the Ki-43 Hayabusa would serve throughout the duration of the war, by 1945 it had been superseded in performance, armament, and other features by later Japanese fighters, such as the Ki-84 Hayate.]  Lt. (jg) W.R. Clarke, USNR, shot down one Jack and one Oscar, and Lieut. G.M. Blair, USNR, damaged a Jack. However, the enemy took heavy tool on our fighters. Lieut. R.A. Fuller, USNR, was shot down by antiaircraft fire over Ibusuki auxiliary seaplane base. Lt. (jg) Saul Chernoff, USNR, was shot down by an enemy plane. The planes of Lt. W. Atkinson, USNR, and Lt. (jg) H.R. Kennedy, USNR, were so badly damaged that they had to make forced water landings. Lt. (jg) C.N. Kirkham, USNR, orbited Lt. (jg) Kennedy in the hope of effecting his rescue and remained with him until he, too, was forced to make a water landing due to lack of fuel. All three pilots were in their rafts, but due to the foul weather none of the pilots were recovered. Lt. (jg) C.N. Kirkham, USNR, has been recommended for the Navy Cross for his heroism.

In addition, two other planes were so badly damaged they had to be jettisoned and one plane was forced to ditch near a destroyer due to lack of gasoline.

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Lieutenant (jg) Saul Chernoff was shot down in the attack over Ibusuki. Lieutenant Wallace Atkinson, Jr. – struck by Japanese fire in the same encounter – crashed with his plane near Kuchino Shima. Flak bursts off the Ibusuki seaplane base sent Lieutenant Roy A. Fuller into the sea.

Two other pilots who failed to return had managed to survive the dynamic air battle but were lost enroute to the ship. When Lieutenant (jg) Harold R. Kennedy was unable to keep his plane in flight because of previously sustained damaged, Lieutenant (jg) Charles N. Kirkham – while orbiting the position where his comrade had fallen – ran out of gas and landed in the water. Neither was recovered.

In addition, there were two plane losses without personnel casualties. One pilot was picked up when his fighter was forced down at sea by fuel exhaustion. Another managed to fly his F4U back to the carrier for a landing despite severe damage by enemy fire, but the plane was cannibalized and jettisoned over the side.

The squadrons of Air Group 85 took a great deal more than they gave that day. Against the quick surprise blows of the Japanese, their own retaliatory punches seemed vainly ineffectual. For the gallant fight which they waged and the heavy casualties which they suffered they extorted a disproportionate toll of two planes downed, one probably destroyed and one damaged.

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Third, from the History of Bomber Fighting Squadron Eighty-Five:

Black Saturday for Fighting Squadron EIGHTY-FIVE. The day started out with a 0500 CAP, Irgens’ and Whitney’s divisions. At 0600, CAG Sherrill led a fighter sweep on Kyushu airfields. The weather was extremely bad – the worst we had ever operated in – and the nearest field was over 300 miles from the force.

The hop got off to a bad start when “Bill” Marr, VBF, went in on take off. He was lost when he tried to swim to a destroyer that was picking him up. “Bill” Clarke took off and filled in GAG’s division.

The strike group consisted of 32 planes and the divisions were led by Comdr. Cherrill, Comdr. Ford, Lieut. Comdr. Hubert, Lieuts. Fuller, Sovanski, Blair, Callan and Jacobs.  [That’s eight sections; I guess 4 planes per section?]  The sweep went in over the coast of Kyushu at about 9,000 feet. The first attack was on Chiran Airfield, a partial attack in which only three divisions participated. A rendezvous was made and the group headed for Kagoshima and Izumi Fields in Northern Kyushu. Again another partial attack was made on Izumi, most of the divisions maintaining their altitude to carry out the flight instructions of getting the Jap planes that might be in the air.

At Kagoshima Field, a flak barrage damaged the planes of Larry Sovanski and “Red” Edwin. A retirement was made from this field to Kagoshima Wan, where two Yorktown pilots were in the water. Lieut. Comdr. Ford took charge of aiding them, establishing contact with the Dumbo planes.

The five remaining divisions were orbiting at about 8,000 feet. Fuller’s division was ordered to join the Captain to assist in the rescue – one Dumbo had crashed on landing and a second one was expected to arrive. In letting down, Fuller led his division in an attack against Ibusuki Auxiliary Seaplane Base. He was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed.

The four divisions remaining as top cover were then jumped by a group of some 20-30 Japs flying Franks, Jacks, Oscars and Tojos. [Similar to earlier statement.]  The enemy attack was unobserved until it was pressed home.  Sovanski, Callan, Kennedy, Edwin and Atkinson were hit in this attack and Chernoff was shot down. Kennedy was thought to have been wounded.

In the melee which followed, “Bill” Clarke shot down one “Jack” and one “Oscar” and George Blair damaged one “Frank”, Sovanski’s and Callan’s divisions retired as soon as possible and headed for the base. On the way, Kennedy made a rough water landing, but got into his raft. Kirkham stayed with Kennedy and attempted to effect a rescue. He remained until he ran out of gas and then landed beside Kennedy.

The rest of the group retired, about one and one half hours of the flight, back being on instruments. Atkinson lost all oil pressure and was forced to make a water landing. Toenges landed in the water beside a destroyer of the screen when he ran out of gas, and was immediately recovered. Kennedy, Kirkham and Atkinson were not recovered because of a storm which came up that afternoon. Sovanski’s tail hook ‘snapped on landing and Fitzgerald, who followed him aboard, made a two turn ground loop on the deck without getting a barrier.

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Fourth, the Aircraft Action Report of VF-85 / VBF-85.  But (!) a caveat (!!):

Well, though I couldn’t find the Aircraft Action Report for VF-85 and VBF-85 at Fold3.com despite searches using a variety of key-words and time-frames (gee why am I not surprised?) I w a s able to find the Report in Japan’s National Diet Library Digital Collections, where it’s titled “Aircraft Action Report No. VF85#27 VBF85#25 CVG85#20 1945/06/02 : Report No. 2-d(64): USS Shangri La, USSBS Index Section 7“., under the “Level” 文書名:Records of the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey = 米国戦略爆撃調査団文書 ; Entry 55, Security-Classified Carrier-Based Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft Action Reports, 1944-1945. 

And so, here is a composite image of the Report’s first two pages:

[Note the following statement at the bottom of the second sheet:]

COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE, OWN AND ENEMY AIRCRAFT.

Jack: Speed about same as Corsair, apparently well armored. Good diving characteristics, self sealing tanks, more maneuverable than Corsair.
George: Outdive and outclimb Corsair, appear faster.
Oscar: Turn inside Corsair.
Tojo: More maneuverable, dives faster.
Frank: Faster than Corsair, outdives and outclimbs Corsair.

[Despite mention of the Jack, Oscar, Tojo, and Frank, the only Japanese fighter encountered by VF-85 / VBF-85 on this mission was the N1K2-J Shiden-Kai (Allied code name “George”).  Though – at first glance – a striking example of misidentification, the assumption that other types of Japanese fighters had been encountered does makes sense, given the context and nature of the aerial engagement.  The main and common characteristics of these Japanese warplanes was that they were radial-engine, single-seat, low-wing monoplanes, having (except the Jack) a 360-degree-vision pilot’s canopy.  Thus, given the element of complete surprise incurred by VF-85 / VBF-85, the intensity of the aerial battle, and the fact that the Navy pilots were up against Japanese pilots of equal or greater combat experience, an error in identification was not at all surprising.]   

So, here’s the subsequent and substantial text of the report:

Aircraft Action Report – 2 June 1945

After a delightful breakfast of baked beans, well done toast, grape fruit juice and scrambled eggs, [interesting, how the Report starts with mention of breakfast, and ends with mention of lunch – see below!] 29 fighter pilots from VF-85, 2 fighter pilots from VBF-85 and CAG-85 took off at 0600-I from the U.S.S. SHANGRI-LA, for a fighter sweep against airfields on Southern Kyushu. The sweep was under the leadership of CAG-85, Commander W.A. SHERRILL, U.S.N. The Fighting Squadron was led by Lt. Cdr. W.W. FORD U.S.N. Each plane carried two 150 gallon Universal wing tanks.

The sweep started off badly. Lt. (jg) W.H. MARR, A1, USNR., in one of the first planes to take off, crashed on take-off. He was able to get out of the plane and obtain a life raft, but just as he was about to be picked up by the guard destroyer he disappeared under the surface and was not seen again.

At the time of the launching the ship was approximately 400 miles from the farthest field to be attacked. The weather to Kyushu was poor with a ceiling varying from 300 to 400 feet and visibility from 50 feet to two miles. During most of the trip it was necessary to fly on instruments. A cold front was encountered on the way. The weather over the target areas was better than on the trip up, overcast 3000 to 4000 feet, visibility good.

The group hit Chiran airfield at about 0800, strafing planes in the revetments, many of which were believed to be dummies. Damage was not assessable. No planes were seen to burn. Moderate heavy and medium antiaircraft fire was encountered. Evasive action was taken and none of our planes were damaged. The heavy antiaircraft fire was accurate in altitude but not in deflection.

The group then effected a rendezvous south of Kyushu and proceeded to Kagoshima airfield. Some planes were observed around the perimeter of the field but attack was not made as the targets did not seem worth while.

Izumi airfield was the next target. The group orbited the field several times. Moderate medium antiaircraft fire was encountered, one of our planes being hit. One half the group searched the field and one division strafed the only plane observed on the field, a twin engined job. It did not burn but was seriously damaged. Empty three-sided huts near the runways were observed, indicating their use for covering aircraft.

While returning at about 0900 toward Kagoshima, a request was received to orbit two downed pilots in Kagoshima Wan. One was northeast of Ibusuki auxiliary seaplane base and one southeast of the same base. Commander SHERRILL and his division orbited the pilot in the northeast position and Lt. Cdr. FORD and Lt. Cdr. T.R. HUBERT, USN and their divisions orbited the pilot in the southeast position.

The weather began closing in and in a short while the ceiling was between 300 to 400 feet and visibility poor. The remainder of the fighters wore orbiting at approximately 8000 feet below a second overcast. There was another overcast at about 18000 feet.

Lieutenant R.A. FULLER, A1, USNR, and his division wore over Ibusuki auxiliary seaplane base when he observed some Emilies [Kawashini H8K seaplane] on the water. He was at about 4500 feet going about 180 knots. He asked for permission to strafe but was told to join in orbiting the downed pilots. He pushed over and after a very short time in his dive very accurate medium antiaircraft fire came up and hit him. He crashed in the bay. The rest of his division pulled out of the dive and acted as cover for the orbiting planes.

At approximately 0920 two PB2Ys arrived, one of which made a landing in Kagoshima Wan to rescue the downed pilot [Koeller] in the southeast position. He tore off his port wing float and lost his port outboard propeller upon landing, and was unable to take off. A second PB2Y orbited over the same area. Finally, at about 0930 a Dumbo PBM landed successfully and picked up the pilot and the crew of the PB2Y. Enemy planes were reported over the orbiting aircraft. Commander SHERRILL and his division climbed to 4500 feet, then to 8000 feet. Zekes and Tojos attacked from about 10000 feet from 12 o’clock high, then fell back to 6 o’clock and established section weaves. None were hit.

Three Tojos made a run from 2 o’clock on CAG who was on the starboard side. His wingman, Lt. (jg) J.C. DUNN, Al, USNR., turned into the Tojos and got a good burst head on. The Tojo smoked and some flame was seen coming from the engine wall. He dove into the clouds and was not observed again. Five or six other planes made section runs on CAG’s division but caused no damage. After each pass the enemy joined up for another pass.

At about this time Jap pilots in Franks, Oscars, Tojos and Jacks, [again] approximately between 20 to 30 in all, began attacking from 16,000 foot.

Unfortunately, after the first attack several of our planes split up and had a hot time of it. The Japs were most aggressive and were experienced pilots. They made section passes and attacked only when they had the tactical advantage. However the Japs would not attack when they saw our planes in a defensive weave, even though they had altitude advantage and numerical superiority. Four Franks jumped Lieut. G.M. BLAIR’s division in an overhead pass. His division was at 8000 feet and the Japs attacked from about 14,000 feet, just below the overcasts. One Frank made a head-on pass on Lieut. BLAIR and pressed home its attack. Lieut. BLAIR finally had to break away to avoid colliding with him. Lieut. BLAIR scored some hits but did not seriously damage it. Lt. (jg) Saul CHERNOFF, Al, USNR., flying on Lieut. BLAIR broke off dive [sic] after a Jap. He was apparently jumped from above and was last seen burning and spinning through the overcast at about 4500 feet.

Lieut. BLAIR then tried to get some six or seven other planes to form a Lufbery circle and climb. After gaining about a thousand feet he discovered they had left him. He and his wingman then joined another division.

Lieut. CALLAN’s division was also attacked at this time by four Georges or Franks. Three of the planes in his division were damaged, one seriously, that of Lt. (jg) H.R. KENNEDY, Al, USNR., who subsequently was forced to make a water landing on his way home. Lt. (jg) C.N. KIRKHAM, Al, USNR., flew with him and remained, orbiting him in foul weather and was also forced to ditch when he ran out of gasoline. Neither has been recovered.

Lieut. L. SOVANSKI, Al, USNR., and his division were also jumped by several fighters. His plane was severely damaged (see picture). He was able to make it back to the ship, but with only 10 gallons of gas left at the time of landing aboard.

Lt. (jg) W.R. CLARKE, Al, USNR., after having become separated from CAG’s division after having first been jumped, found an Oscar below him. The Oscar was crossing in front of him. Lt. (jg) CLARKE turned after him and fired from 900 to 1000 feet. The Oscar made a shallow wing-over and then began to climb. Lt. (jg) CLARKE stayed on his tail and continued firing. Part of the Oscar’s cowling came off and it started down. It began burning and went through the overcast out of control enveloped in flames.

Lt. (jg) CLARKE then joined up on Lt. (jg) R.L. MELTEBEKE, Al, USNR., and Lt. (jg) H.W. FUOG, Al, USNR. They were at 4500 feet and observed a Jack about 500 feet above them. Lt. (jg) MELTEBEKE and Lt. (jg) FUOG made a head on attack, but did not damage the Jack. However, Lt. (jg) CLARKE, weaving, got on its tail and had no difficulty in catching it. He scored hits in the engine, cockpit and wing roots. The plane smoked and then burned and was in a radical angle of dive, out of control going through the overcast a short distance above the mountains when last soon. The pilot was seen to parachute.

About this time, 1100, the PBM was able to take off using JATO with its passengers. Lt. Cdr. FORD and the rest of the planes orbiting the Dumbo headed for home. After they had been on course about ten minutes the PB2Y which had remained in the vicinity called for help. Lt. Cdr. FORD turned back and when near the PB2Y was to _____ it had found refuge in the clouds and was safe.

After having stayed over Kyushu for more than an hour and a half longer than planned, the planes headed for home. The weather was terrible, necessitating instrument flying for over an hour. Ceiling was practically zero and visibility zero during this time. Lt. (jg) W. ATKINSON, Al, USNR, was forced to ditch due to loss at-oil pressure, the cause of which is unknown. Lt. (jg) R.F. TOENGES, Al, USNR., ditched near a picket destroyer when he had but 12 gallons of gas left. He had expended an abnormal amount of gas due to the buffeting of his two belly tanks, forcing him to use an excess power setting to maintain formation.

Finally the group returned to the ship after six and three quarter hours in the air in time for a hearty lunch of broth and crackers.  [Hmmm…  I just don’t know.  I think steak, potatoes, and pie would have been richly deserved.]

Lessons learned:

(1) Don’t orbit airfields when a/a is known to be present.
(2) Don’t leave your section leader to become a hero. [This is an obvious reference to Lt. (jg) Chernoff.]
(3) Don’t be taken in by decoys so as to be easy meat for a/a or enemy fighters.
(4) Don’t try to cover without obtaining sufficient altitude to prevent being jumped from above.
(5) If outnumbered or at an altitude disadvantage, immediately start defensive weave.  Japs apparently will not attack.

XIII. MATERIAL DATA.

Two Universal Wing Tanks on ono plane buffeted seriously, causing need for higher power settings. Gas consumption was thereby increased to such an extent that the plane was forced to ditch. Neither tank could be jettisoned.

Although every piece of radio equipment in plane Bureau Number 32290 was hit by 20mm fragments, it continued to operate satisfactorily.

REPORT PREPARED BY:
J. E. CURBY, Lieut. USNR. A.C.I.
APPROVED BY:
W.W. FORD, Lt. Cdr. USN, 6-8-45

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Fifth, excerpts from Chapter 15 (“We learned some lessons today”) of Genda’s Blade, which covers the 343rd’s encounter with VF-85 / VBF-85.  The chapter incorporates excerpts and information from the Aircraft Action Report, as well as reminiscences from surviving Japanese and American pilots.  For brevity (me brief? – !) I’m limiting this excerpt to text pertaining to the Japanese side of the air battle:

… Capt Genda received word that a large group of enemy carrier aircraft had been spotted en route, heading for the southern tip of Kyushu where the Kamikaze airfields were located.

*****

Capt Genda was fully aware of the attacks on Chiran and Kagoshima, but he was not in a hurry to counterattack. “The enemy had overwhelming strength” he wrote in his memoir. “Formations of about 30 aircraft would come in, one after another, within a short interval.  It would not have been effective to have brought our squadron of only 20 or 30 aircraft in front of such large enemy waves, even though the Shiden-Kai group was the cream of the Naval fighter force.  If we hit the first enemy group, we would be surrounded and slaughtered by other groups that would follow in succession.  Therefore, I thought it would be advantageous for us to attack the enemy’s tail end group.  Upon departure following the raid, its formation would be disorderly and its pilots would be in a mood to hurry home.  It would take much more time for the preceding groups to come back to aid the tail end group being attacked by our fighters.”

At 08.45 hrs, Capt Genda decided to put his plan into action.  Lt. Keijiro Hayashi, newly appointed squadron leader of Squadron 407, was ordered to take charge of the interception.  His unit contributed eight fighters.  Flying under his leadership were Lt. Ryoichi Yamada of Squadron 701 with eight aircraft, and Lt. Masaji Matsumura from Squadron 301 with five aircraft.

Lt. Hayashi was a very capable leader and a veteran of the air battles at Balikpapan, Borneo.  A graduate of the Naval Academy, he was a classmate of S301’s Lt. Naoshi Kanno.  Capt Genda was favorably impressed with the new squadron leader.  Hayashi had been an ensign assigned as a navigator to the carrier Akagi when he crossed paths with the CO who was a staff officer of the 1st Fleet Hayashi later commanded S602 at Balikpapan, Borneo, before being transferred along with ten of his men to the 343 Kokutai in mid-May.  He was brought in to replace Lt. Yoshishige Hayashi who was killed in action against B-29s on 21 April.

Twenty-one Shiden-Kais took off at 08.45 hrs. Eight aircraft from Hayashi’s S407 and another two-division group were led by Lt. Ryoichi Yamada from Squadron 701.  A top cover flight of five aircraft was commanded by Lt. Matsumura.  It was airborne within minutes, with a mix of aircraft drawn from all three squadrons.

“It took about 30 to 45 minutes for our Shiden-Kais to reach the southern tip of Kyushu” wrote Genda. “During that time they reached an altitude of 6,000 to 7,000 meters.  I wanted our pilots to be in a good position when encountering the enemy aircraft.  This was ideal though we could not always do it like that every time, as I wanted.”

*****

Twenty-one Shiden-Kais finally arrived over Kanoya at an altitude of almost 6,100 m at 09.55 hrs local time.   he weather was fair and visibility was good.  The sky was virtually cloudless and there were no enemy aircraft to be seen as they approached Kagoshima Bay.  With no fear of being jumped from above, Lt. Hayashi wondered where the Americans had gone.  Suddenly, he saw them far below; 16 gull-winged aircraft heading south to the right of their direction of flight.

Lt. Hayashi, leading Squadrons 407 and 701, dived on the orbiting Corsairs of Cdr Sherrill’s group.  He worried that their excessive diving speed would cause them to overshoot their prey and negate the element of surprise.  But the Corsairs scattered as Hayashi’s formation came screaming down from twelve o’clock high, with a 2,000 ft altitude advantage.

“For a few minutes, we maintained discipline and organization, but soon there were sections and singles all over the sky,” recalled Blair. “My transmitter was out so I could not give any directions.  My wingman, John Moore, stayed right with me, but Chernoff, a substitute section leader, went off on his own to be a hero and was shot down.  [Interesting; almost a quote from the Action Report.]  Moore and I started for altitude and were immediately looking ahead on a Frank (?) section.  We both fired a short burst and at the last second, I broke under the leader, sure he was going to hit me.  I heard his engine as he passed overhead!  The Japs really knew the game.  They’d make section runs about four at a time, leaving eight or 12 above us as cover, and all of them would re-form after each pass.”

“It was a complete surprise attack,” recalled Genda. “The enemy aircraft had no means to cope with it.  Most of them were unable to enter into an ordinary dogfight.  Our Shiden-Kais glued themselves to the enemy’s tails or dived at them and destroyed one after another.  Enemy fighters flamed, wings flew off, and spiraled down…”

*****

The Shiden-Kais of Squadron 301, on cover duty, descended upon a group of eight Corsairs led by LCdrs Ford and Hubert. They were orbiting a downed pilot in the southeast position.  The Japanese believed that these Corsairs were not aware of the other group’s situation.  Genda wrote later. “If they had been alerted and joined in the combat the situation might have changed.  The 301st division rushed into the new group of eight Corsairs.  The fight was as one-sided as the first one.  Five of the eight were shot down.”

*****

On the credit side, Fighting Squadron 85 put in claims for two destroyed, one probable, and two damaged.  The day’s high scorer was Lt(jg) William R. Clarke with two victories, followed by Lt(jg) John C. Dunn with a probable, with a damaged each to Lt. George M. Blair and Lt(jg) Donald P. Grau.

On the Japanese side, two pilots failed to return – CPOs Eiji Mikami from Squadron 301 and Jiro Funakoshi of Squadron 701 [shot down by Lt. (jg) William R. Clarke].  So wild was this encounter, the 343 Kokutai claimed 18 victories, with Lt. Hayashi’s men claiming 13!  [18 victories?!  Not really; not at all.  Overclaiming – not at all uncommon in aerial warfare – in this instance, by a factor of 6.]

*****

During the year 2000, locals in Kagoshima Prefecture were cultivating land in the vicinity of Kanoya and found an aircraft machine gun.  They dug further and discovered a name chop (family seal) inscribed with the name “Mikami.”  Name chops are used by the Japanese to imprint the family seal on documents and letters.  This further confirms that Lt(jg) William R. Clarke hit CPO Jiro Funakoshi, who parachuted into the sea.  His bleached bones were found along the shores of Takeshima and his identity was confirmed by the name written on his life jacket.  He had no relatives and died alone.

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Sixth and Seventh, here are documents pertaining to the rescue of one of the three downed F6F Hellcat pilots, Ensign Roy G. Kueller:

From the War Diary of VH-3:

RESCUE SQUADRON THREE
FLEET POST OFFICE
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

RESCUE OF TWELVE SURVIVORS – 2 June 1945

On 2 June 1945, Lieutenant DORTON and his crew in PBM-5, F-5, departed Kerama Retto at 0545 and were waiting to rendezvous with VF 20 miles east of Suwanose Shima in the northern Ryukyus when they intercepted a report of a fighter pilot down in Kagoshima Bay, southern Kyushu. They proceeded without VF cover and enroute heard a search plane give an ETA of 15 minutes at the position of the survivors.

Enroute, he intercepted a further message that the search plane in attempting this rescue had been damaged due to rough water and subsequently overturned. However, he continued into the bay and landed in 4-5 foot swells and into a 20-knot south wind a half mile off the enemy beach. He encountered anti-aircraft fire from shore batteries while both airborne and waterborne, but succeeded in taxing to the location of the downed personnel. With the original downed fighter pilot and the entire crew of the sunken search plane aboard, he made a rough water JATO take-off and returned safely to base.

The VF pilot was Ensign Roy G. KOELLER, of VBF-9 based aboard the U.S.S. YORKTOWN. He was hit in the right wing and engine by AA while strafing parked aircraft on Kanoya East airfield. He headed south and ditched at 0830 in the middle of the bay. He made a no-flap landing, hitting hard, and lost his raft before he could inflate it. About 20 minutes later, an orbiting VF dropped a wing tank and he clung to that until rescued.

The PB2Y, having intercepted the report of the VP pilot down, had landed in the middle of the bay at 1015. One large swell threw the plane into the air, the left wing dropped and the plane came down, losing the port float, and the port outboard propellor. The plane capsized 10 minutes later while taxing and the crew took to rafts being picked up 25 minutes later. Survivors were…

Lieutenant G.W. HEAD
Lieutenant (j.g.) H.S. MILLER
Ensign R. STRAUS
BAILEY, E.R., AMM2C
BRISLAUN, H.A., AMM3C
COTTELL, C.R., ARM2C
NURNBERG, C.W., AOM3C
WILLIAMS, C.E., ARM1C
JOHNSON, R.F., ARM2C
MYERS, D.N., AMM2C
…and…
COLLINS, C.H., AOM2C

R. P. WATERS, Jr.,
R. P. WATERS, Jr.,
Lieutenant Commander, A, U.S.N.R.,
Air Intelligence Officer.

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From the War History of VP-13 / VPB-13:

On 2 June while on a routine patrol along the southern coast of Kyushu, Lieut. George P. Yonkers, USN, and Lieut. George Head, USNR, intercepted radio voice transmissions from fighter pilots off the U.S.S. YORKTOWN who were returning to their ship after a strike in Kyushu. The conversations indicated that they were circling a downed pilot and calling for Dumbo assistance.

Lieut. Yonkers answered the call and learned that two fighter pilots were downed in Kagoshima Wan, a large bay approximately five miles wide and 18 miles long, located at the southern tip of Kyushu. The two PBYs were 30 minutes from the position and informed the fighters that they would lend assistance. When the Coronados arrived on the scene the YORKTOWN pilots informed them that the closest Dumbo plane was 40 minutes away, that they were very low on gas and could remain over the area for approximately 20 minutes more. An added complication was that the area was reported to be heavily fortified. Antiaircraft positions and enemy fighter fields were nearby and without the then existing cover of 35 fighters, rescue would be quite difficult. The downed flier was drifting toward the shore and action had to be taken then or never.

From the air, conditions looked favorable for a landing and at 1000I a decision was made to attempt to get the ladened plane down, rescue the pilot and get off the water without JATO assistance. Two dye markers gave the position of one of the fighter pilots and the 2Ys were informed that another was down 10 miles up the bay. Lieut. Head made an approach and touched the water at 31-17N 130-45E. Tide and wind were in opposite directions and the surface was choppy. Upon contact the plane bounced into the air and stalled out on the left wing. The left wing-tip float and No. 1 propeller were torn off and the fuselage buckled amidships but crew members were at ditching stations and no one was injured. There were 1900 gallons of gasoline aboard the plane. The bombs had been jettisoned.

Meantime, Lieut. Yonkers was circling the area to assure himself that the landing was successful and then intended to go on up the bay and make a landing near the other pilot.

Shortly after the landing a Dumbo PBM from VH-3 arrived on the scene and was given a complete picture of the situation by Lieut. Yonkers and the carrier pilots. In the water below Lieut. Head and his crew had abandoned the plane. Seven men were in a Mk 7 life raft, three were clinging to its side. WILLIAMS, C.E., ARM1C, swam to the side of the fighter pilot and was giving what assistance he could.

The light-weight, JATO equipped air-sea rescue plane circled close to shore, and benefitting from the PB2Y’s experience, landed in less choppy water.

Above the floating raft, gas-nervous fighter pilots wheeled in a protective circle and finally headed in the direction of their carrier hoping to have enough fuel to make a landing. Finally the PB2Y-5 was the only protection the stricken men and their rescuers had. As the last fighter faded into the clouds, enemy shore batteries lost their timidity and opened up.

Just in time the PBM’s engines roared, and four charges of JATO rocketed them into the air with the downed fighter pilot and the eleven man crew of the patrol bomber aboard. They were saved just 22 minutes after their plane had been abandoned. As the rescue plane made its getaway, Lieut. Yonkers made two bombing and strafing runs on the damaged plane leaving it in a sinking condition. When last seen the hull was sinking rapidly with its classified equipment, in from 80 to 100 fathoms of water.

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The Toll

Here is a list of the six VF-85 / VBF-85 pilots killed on June 2, as well as information about Lieutenants Sovanski and Toenges (who returned to the Shangri-La in damaged planes), and, the three F6F pilots who were rescued.  Upon correlating aircraft Bureau Numbers and pilot names between those listed in the Aircraft Action Report, those associated with a set of twenty photos of two damaged Corsairs (see below…), and, Bureau Numbers and pilot names as listed at Aviation Archeology, there are discrepancies for the Corsairs flown by Atkinson, Kennedy, and Sovanski.  

Killed

Atkinson, Wallace Payne, Jr., Lt., 0-157866 – Enemy aircraft damage over Ibusuki seaplane base (affected oil pressure); forced to ditch near Kuchino Shima; Not recovered
VF-85 F4U-1D 82547 or 82751

Chernoff, Saul, Lt. (jg), 0-347306 – Enemy aircraft over Ibusuki seaplane base
VBF-85 F4U-1D 82789

Fuller, Roy Arthur, Lt., 0-106132 – Anti-aircraft over Ibusuki seaplane base
VBF-85 F4U-1D 82298
WW II Memorial

Kennedy, Harold Ray, Lt. (jg), 0-337469 – Enemy aircraft damage (possibly wounded); forced to ditch near Kyushu en-route to Shangri-La; Not recovered
VBF-85 FG-1D 76540 or 82751

Kirkham, Charles Noble, Lt. (jg), 0-347317 – Ran out of fuel while orbiting Kennedy; ditched nearby; Not recovered
VBF-85 FG-1D 76528
WSU Magazine
WW II Memorial

Marr, William Howard, Lt. (jg), 0-338032 – Crashed into sea (spun in) on take-off from USS Shangri-La; drowned.  Pilot seen to get out of plane and into life raft.  Left life raft on approach of destroyer, but disappeared underwater about thirty-five feet from raft in an apparent attempt to swim to destroyer.
VF-85 F4U-1D 82371

Returned in Damaged Planes

Edwin, Norman Leon, Lt. (jg)
VBF-85 FG-1D 87843 (Listed in Aviation Archeology as having been lost 6/8/45 at Kyushu – a typo?)

Sovanski, Lawrence, Lt., 0-121394 – Damaged by anti-aircraft and enemy aircraft; landed aboard carrier and aircraft jettisoned; Recovered
VF-85 F4U-1D Listed in Aviation Archeology as 82547, but probably 82290. 
Born 9/8/15 – Died 3/16/00

Toenges, Robert Frederick, Lt. (jg), 0-337588 – Ran out of fuel en route back to carrier (high fuel consumption due to weather, and could not drop tanks); ditched; Recovered
VBF-85 FG-1D 76477
Born 11/22/23 – Died 11/3/06

Rescued

Head, G.W., Ensign (and 10 crew members) VPB-13, PB2Y-3 7132

Kueller, Roy G., Ensign, VBF-9 (USS Yorktown (CV-10)), F6F-5 78145

Scott, Frank Vaughn, Jr., Lt., VF-87 (USS Ticonderoga (CV-14)), F6F-5P 72853

Hershey, Merle Murray, Lt., VBF-87 (USS Ticonderoga (CV-14)) F6F-5 78633

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One that made it back: Lieutenant Lawrence Sovanski’s damaged F4U-1D, aircraft number “1“, Bureau Number 82290, has just landed on the Shangri-La.  This picture, via VF-85, is from “… VBF-85 XO “Tex” O’Neill’s diary, thanks to his son Kevin O’Neill, and captioned, “Larry Sovanski brings Bernie’s plane back from Kyushu.  You should have seen the other side.”  The plane was subsequently jettisoned.  

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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Also found in “Aircraft Action Report No. VF85#27 VBF85#25 CVG85#20 1945/06/02 : Report No. 2-d(64): USS Shangri La, USSBS Index Section 7“, here are four of the above-mentioned twenty 8 1/2″ x 11” images showing battle damage to two Shangri-La Corsairs after the mission: Aircraft F4U-1 87843 (“Repaired aboard ship.”) and 82290 (“Stripped and stricken from the roll.”). 

The Aircraft Action Report describes the damage to these two plane as comprising:

87843: “Left flap, 1 1/2 foot hole in left aileron, hits by a/a in oil tank.  Knocked out entire right aileron.”

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82290: “.50 caliber holes in fuselage, 40mm in root of wing panel, right outboard flap damaged by shrapnel, 1×1/2 foot hole in left aileron by 20mm, HE, below rudder, shrapnel in fuselage, propeller, and cowling.”

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This series of Oogle Maps shows the scene of the action:

This map shows the southern tip of Kyushu, where Ibusuki (designated by the blue oval) in situated on the Satsuma Peninsula, in Kagoshima prefecture.

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Oogling in for a closer view of the Satsuma Peninsula, here’s a topographic / geographic map of the location of the seaplane base, which is now the site of the Ibusuki Naval Air Base Memorial (指宿海軍基地記念館).  Chiringashima Island lies to the northeast.  

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This is an air photo view of the above map, at the same scale.  In 2021, lots of restaurants and places to stay.

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This photo, taken on May 12, 1945, shows Ibusuki Seaplane Base looking north-northeast.  This picture, discovered on EBay, is from a lot of four original photos (no longer available by 12/15/21 – I guess they were sold!) of bombing target photos of Japan, covering Kure Harbor and the Ibusuki Seaplane Base.  Note the Uomidake Cliffs to the left of the base and its access road, and Chiringashima Island to the northeast, which – in this 1945 view and still today, is connected to the mainland – specifically, the Tara Peninsula – by a stretch of sand, which may be known as (I don’t know Japanese, so this text is phonetic and simply taken from Oogle) the “Chiringashima Suna no Michi.”  

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This image of the Ibusuki Seaplane Base, looking southwest, is from Report of Air Operations Against Kyushu Airfields, and was photographed on March 18, 1945. 

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This painting by aviation artist T. Toshino, appearing as “box art” for the Hasegawa Corporation’s 1/32 plastic model kit of the Kawashini N1K2-J fighter, is a striking representation of this excellent fighter plane.  Toshino’s art appropriately depicts – for the purposes of this post – an aircraft of the 343rd Naval Air Group (note the “343” on the rudder), with the dual yellow stripes denoting a plane flown by a “commander”; this plane is depicted a little differently in Donald Thorpe’s book covering the camouflage markings of Japanese naval aircraft.  You can read much more about the floatplane-derived Shiden fighter at Arawasi – Wild Eagles, and (of course) Wikipedia.   

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And, from Sakaida and Takaki’s Genda’s Blade, here’s an image of the r e a l white 15.  Caption: “Shiden-Kai 343-A-15 at Matsuyama Airfield on 10 April 1945 just before Squadron 301 departed for its new base at Kanoya.  Lt. Naoshi Kanno frequently flew this aircraft.  As with other units, pilots of the 343 Kokutai flew aircraft on an availability basis.  Poor-quality fuel caused maintenance problems, making the assignment of individual aircraft to units impossible.  However, aircraft marked such as this were reserved for flight leaders.”  (Photo from K. Osuo)

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From Genda’s Blade, here are color profiles (by Shigeru Nohara and Thomas Tullis) depicting N1K2-Js of each of the 343rd Kokutai’s three squadrons, designated by Roman letters painted at the top of the aircraft’s rudders as “A” (301st Hikotai), “B” (407th Hikotai), and “C” and 701st (Hikotai), respectively. 

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Japanese Losses

Chief Petty Officer Eiji Mikami – Squadron 301
Chief Petty Officer Jiro Funakoshi – Squadron 701 (shot down by Lt. (jg) William R. Clarke)

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I have no further specifics about Lt. (jg) Saul Chernoff.  Perhaps he crashed at sea, just off the Ibusuki Seaplane Base; perhaps somewhere on the Satsuma Peninsula.  To the best of my knowledge, he was never a POW.  Even if he had been captured, his chance of survival to the war’s end, even during these closing three months of the Pacific War, in the context of the fate of Allied fliers captured by the Japanese, would only have been about 1 in 2.  

Lt. (jg) Chernoff was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery / Beth Olam Cemetery,  in Hollywood, California, on January 16, 1949.  (Section 18, Lot 718, Grave G).   His burial announcement appeared in the Los Angeles Times on the same date. 

Saul Chernoff’s name appears on page 288 of American Jews in World War II, where he is listed as having been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and Purple Heart.  His name also appears in both volumes of the 1946 publication Combat Connected Naval Casualties of World War II.  In Volume I, his name appears on page 99 as being “Missing in Action or During Operational War Missions”, while in Volume II, his name can be found on page 12, where he is listed as “Reported in California as Missing”.  

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And, another pilot…

In VF-85’s Aircraft Action Report for the mission of May 4, 1945, the name of pilot “Lieut. J.S. Jacobs” makes an appearance.  This man was Jack Sidney Jacobs (0-157472).  Born in Massillon, Ohio, on January 6, 1920, he was the son of Meyer and Eva Jacobs, and the brother of Gwendolyn and Leslie.  His family lived at 6820 Crandon Ave., In Chicago, Illinois. 

Like many American Jewish WW II servicemen – like innumerable other American Jewish WW II servicemen; as alluded to very frequently at this blog – his name never appeared in the 1947 book American Jews in World War Two.

The article below, by Jonah Meadows at patch.com, is apparently the only information about Jack Jacobs present on the Internet.  (Well, at least aside from genealogical information at Ancestry.com.)  Interestingly, note the statement, “One his most harrowing experiences was flying through a typhoon.  Twenty-two people were lost during that mission, including his best friend who was shot down.”  While obviously on no mission did VF-85 lose anywhere near that number of planes and pilots, given the nominal mention of a “typhoon”, the implication of the loss of many planes, and consequently many planes participating in the mission, this comment may actually be a reference – however inaccurately remembered and/or recorded – to the mission of June 2, 1945, which VF-85 / VBF-85 commenced with 31 aircraft.  

Jack Jacobs, U.S. Navy Veteran of World War II, Honoree

Jack was a student at DePaul University and was participating in the Civilian Pilots Training Program and had completed 30 hours of flight time.  The day after Pearl Harbor, Jack joined the U.S. Navy.  After completing psychological testing and physical training at the University of Chicago, Jack was one of Chicago’s Own, a group of seventy enlistees sent to a base in New Orleans for training and then to Jacksonville, Florida.  He was not immediately shipped overseas.  Jack was initially stationed in Pensacola as a flight instructor, training not only American pilots but even members of Britain’s Royal Air Force.  In March of 1945, Jack was sent to the Pacific with Air Group 85.  He was a Lieutenant Senior flying CV-38 [sic] otherwise known as Corsairs, and was a fighter pilot assigned to the Shangri-La, an SS [sic] Class aircraft carrier.  His group provided combat air patrols for 3 destroyers and Jack made 179 carrier landings.  During his service, Jack earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and five Air Medals.  One his most harrowing experiences was flying through a typhoon.  Twenty-two people were lost during that mission [error], including his best friend who was shot down.  Another time, he was returning to the Shangri-la and had only 6 or 7 gallons of fuel left but he was ordered to hold at 10,000 feet as enemy pilots had been spotted in the area.  He was then instructed to hold at 12,000 feet.  Then advised to hold at 30,000 feet.  While temperatures near the carrier’s deck surface were in the 70s, at 30,000 feet temps drop to 30 degrees below freezing.  He was wearing his nylon jumpsuit and began to experience the effects of hypothermia, he started to lose control of his plane but was able to communicate the emergency and his need to land immediately.  The fleet turned around – a protocol that was unheard of – he was able to land in practically making a vertical drop to the carrier deck.  Air Group 85 was part of the massive preparations for an invasion of Japan.  The Shangri-la was only 80 miles away from Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped.  Naval personnel aboard the carrier were only told about a “device the army had.”

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Here Are Some Books

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947

Green, William, Famous Fighters of the Second World War, Hanover House, N.Y., 1958 (Kawashini Shiden pp. 111-116)

Green, William, Famous Fighters of the Second World War – Volume II, Doubleday and Company, Inc., Garden City, N.Y., 1969 (Chance Vought Corsair pp. 79-92; Nakajima Hayate pp. 125-132)

Sakaida, Henry, and Takaki, Koji, Genda’s Blade – Japan’s Squadron of Aces 343 Kokutai, Classic Publications, Surrey, England, 2003 

Thorpe, Donald W., Japanese Army Air Force Camouflage and Markings – World War II, Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, Ca., 1968

Young, Edward M. (Illustrated by Gareth Hector), F4U Corsair vs. Ki-84 “Frank” Pacific Theater 1945, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, England, 2016 

Specific Reference Works – No Author Listed

Combat Connected Naval Casualties, World War II, by States, United States Navy Department Office of Information, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1946

Nakajima Ki-84, Profile Books Limited, Windsor, Berkshire, England, 1982

History of Bomber Fighting Squadron Eighty-Five, at VBF85.com

Fighting Squadron Eighty-Five – May 15, 1944 – September 25, 1945, at VBF85.com

VBF-85 Cruise Book, at VBF85.com

List of Imperial Japanese Army air-to-surface special attack units, at Wikipedia

Aircraft Action Reports, Reports of Air Operations, War Diaries, and War Histories – at Fold3.com

VF-85 Aircraft Action Report (Target Combat Air Patrol over Okinawa) – 4 May 1945

VF-85 / VBF-85 Aircraft Action Report (Fighter Sweep over Airfields at Kagoshima, Chiran, and Izumi, Kyushu, Japan) – 2 June 1945

USS Shangri-La Report of Air Operations against Kyushu, Japan

USS Shangri-La War Diary – Report of Air Operations Against Kyushu

VH-3 War Diary

USS Shangri-La War History

War History, VP 13, 12 7 41–10 1 44 & War History, VPB 13, 10 1 44–12 21 45

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Captain William Hays Davidow – January 21, 1943 [Doubly updated post… “New and improved! – Twice!”]

[[December 13, 2021 – “Once more, with feeling!”:  Updated yet again!  I recently obtained a copy of the Army Air Force Accident Report covering the loss of P-40F 41-14403, and the death of its pilot, Captain William Hays Davidow.  I’ve included the first two pages of this 14-page document, below.  Much as I surmised or “read between the lines” of the Times’ obituary for Capt. Davidow – I assumed he crashed on take-off or landing – he indeed crashed on take-off, when his Warhawk’s engine cut, forcing him to make an emergency belly-landing, 1/12 miles south of the airdrome.]]

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[Dating back to January of 2018 and updated on November 27 of 2021, this post is now updated:  New pictures and new images.]

Army Air Force Captain William Hays Davidow, a pilot in the 12th Ferry Group, lost his life in the crash of a P-40 Warhawk fighter plane at Accra, British West Africa (now Ghana), on Sunday, January 21, 1943 (15 Sh’vat 5703).  His aircraft, P-40F 41-14403, suffered engine failure on takeoff.

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Here’s an Applish Map showing the coast of Africa (specifically, along the Gulf of Guinea) with Ghana at the center.  Accra is situated on the coastline.   

Appling in for closer look: The city of Accra, with Kotoka International Airport.  Established as a military airport by the British in WW II, this was probably the location of Captain Davidow’s crash.  

An even closer look:  A view of the contemporary international airport.

From NARA’s collection “Black and White and Color Photographs of U.S. Air Force and Predecessor Agencies Activities, Facilities, and Personnel – World War II”, via Fold3, here’s a May, 1943 view of the Accra Air Base Operations Building, certainly much as it would have appeared to Captain Davidow in early 1943.  (Photo 342-FH-3A00701-77499AC)

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The second and third pages of the Accident Report for Capt. Davidow’s loss are shown below.  As seems to be pretty standard for early war Accident Reports, the initial page(s) – below – comprises a very brief handwritten summary (an abstract, as it were) of the report.  This includes the serial number of the report, and, the location of the plane’s loss.    

Accra, British West Africa

1615 GMT                                                                                          43-1-21-502

Immediately after take-off when about 150 – 200 ft. altitude the engine failed.

Pilot made forced landing with gear-up in rough terrain.  The belly tank was sheared off upon contact with the ground.  The plane skidded about 150 ft. hit a tree stump, snapping off the left wing, breaking gas tank & caught on fire.

Fatal to pilot.  Plane completely destroyed.

P.B.H.

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The next page in the document is a standard form (A.A.F. Form No. 14, of May 15, 1942, that is), appropriately dubbed a “Report of Aircraft Accident”.  The form’s data fields cover the date, time, location, and military organization of the plane and pilot (or crew), identifying information about the plane in question, and especially, a record of the pilot’s flight hours.  This is followed, at bottom, by a very brief descriptive summary of the accident.

Note that Captain Davidow, though having amassed a total of over 1,000 flight hours, had only completed 4 hours in P-40s (P-40Fs, to be specific) prior to the accident, which was a test flight.  But, his lack of experience with this aircraft was entirely unrelated to the plane’s loss, which was attributed – at bottom, in faint handwriting – to “100% material” [failure].”  As to w h y the engine failed, other documents in the report offer no explanation.  

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On January 27, an obituary of Captain Davidow appeared in The New York Times, albeit not in association with a Casualty List.  Rather, it was published as a “stand alone” news item on page four in the newspaper’s first section.  The prominence of the obituary – which is shown and transcribed below – was probably due to Captain Davidow’s familial relationship to Arthur Hays Sulzberger, publisher of the Times. 

Born in New York on December 15, 1919, William Davidow was employed by the Times prior to entering the Army Air Force as an Aviation Cadet.

Along with The New York Times, news about Captain Davidow appeared in the Herald Statesman (Yonkers) (1/28/43), the Long Island Daily Press (12/17/40, and 1/29/43), and Nassau Daily Review – Star (6/30/42, 2/5/43) while a tribute in his honor, written by fellow employees at the Times, was published in the German exile newspaper Aufbau on June 11, 1943. 

Captain Davidow is buried in the North African American Cemetery, in Carthage, Tunisia, at Plot C, Row 19, Grave 7.  His name appears on page 295 of American Jews in World War Two.  

His obituary from the Times is presented below…

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Army Flier Is Victim Of a Crash in Africa

SCARSDALE, N.Y., Jan. 26 – Captain William Hays Davidow of the Army Air Forces has been killed in an airplane accident in Africa, the War Department has notified his mother, Mrs. Irwin Friend, of 44 Graham Road, Scarsdale.  [Also 121 East 94th Street, in the Carnegie Hill section of Manhattan – MGM]  There were no further details.

Captain Davidow was born in New York City twenty-three years ago.  He attended Lafayette College for two years, and was a member of the swimming team.  In 1939 he became a member of the merchandise research department of THE NEW YORK TIMES.

In October, 1940, he enlisted in the Air Forces as an aviation cadet, graduating as a pilot in August, 1941.  He was trained at Maxwell Field, Birmingham, Ala.  He went to Africa shortly before Pearl Harbor.

Surviving besides his mother are his father, Leonard H. Davidow of New York, and two sisters, Mrs. Marjorie D. Mathias and Miss Betty Davidow.  Mrs. Arthur Hays Suzlberger of New York is a cousin.

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This image of Captain Davidow standing in front a PT-17 Stearman biplane, presumably a semi-official portrait taken during his pilot training, appeared in the Scarsdale Inquirer on November 6, 1942.

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A more formal portrait of William Davidow as a Flying Cadet, from the United States National Archives collection of “Photographic Prints of Air Cadets and Officers, Air Crew, and Notables in the History of Aviation“.  (RG 18-PU)  Lt. Davidow received his wings on August 15, 1941. 

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This portrait of William Davidow appeared both in the Times’ obituary and the Lafayette College Book of Remembrance, the latter profiling alumni of Lafayette College (in Easton, Pennsylvania) who lost their lives in World War Two.

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Here’s a memorial poem in honor of Captain Davidow from the June 11, 1943 issue of Aufbau, by Ben Samuel, a journalist who contributed many biographical profiles of American Jewish soldiers to the Jewish press during the Second World War.  Though Samuel’s work is invaluable in terms of chronicling the participation of American Jews in the United States’ war effort, unsurprisingly – given the ethos of the era – his writing is largely if not entirely absent of a perception of the nature of the war, in terms of the identity and survival of the Jewish people on a collective basis.  

Jews in
Uniform

By BEN SAMUEL

Obit

     As a tribute to his memory,
his co-workers on the editorial staff of
the New York Times recently
dedicated the following poem to
Captain William Hays Davidow,
Army Air Force, who died in action
“somewhere in Africa” early
in January:

They told us today that Bill had
     been killed,
in action,
in Africa.

It brought the war home to us,
     right into
the office, closer than it’s ever been.

Not rationing…
Not service stars posted in the lobby
Not saying goodbye to the others,
like Bill, who go off every day to
     the war…
Not reading Rex Stout’s preachment
To “hate the enemy”…
Not hearing the sirens wail
every Saturday noon…
Not anything
has brought the war so close to us
as telling us that Bill had been
killed in action
in Africa

You see, Bill was one of us.
We worked with him.
We played with him.
We ate and drank with him.
Complained and griped with him.
Laughed and kidded with him.
Dreamed and hoped with him.
Got drunk with him.
Sobered up with him.
And said so long to him
when he went off to war.

And now they tell us he’s been killed
in action,
in Africa.
That he won’t be coming back
when this show is over.
That he won’t be laughing with us
and eating with us and working
     with us.
and being alive with us.
any more.

And that’s hard to take,
because we loved Bill.
We love him still
We know who killed him, too,
You killed him, Hitler,
You dirty swine,
Damn you!

We thought we knew before
what it was all about.
We didn’t.
But we know now,
Because of Bill.
And it’s going to be tough with you,
Hitler…

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The Davidow family home in Scarsdale, New York, as it appeared in 2017, via Zillow.com.

United States Navy

Two Jewish members of the United States Navy are known to have been involved in military incidents on January 21.  They were Lieutenant Albert Plotkin, killed in a domestic flying accident, and Seaman Bernard Applebaum, who was rescued during the sinking of his ship, but who died of illness in October, 1945.

Plotkin, Albert, Lt., Co-Pilot
Navy Air Transport Squadron VR-3
Aircraft (R4D-1 Skytrain Bureau Number 5051), struck Fremont Peak, near Flagstaff, Arizona; Pilot – Lieutenant Max S. Knudsen; 6 crew and passengers – no survivors
Mrs. Virginia Elizabeth “Betty” (Ogle) Plotkin (wife), New Smyrna, Fl. / Kansas City, Mo.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Herman and Pearl Plotkin (parents), David and Ruth Plotkin (brother and sister), 90-36 149th St., Jamaica, N.Y.
Born Akron, Ohio, 12/14/16
Buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. – Section 8, Grave 6169 – Buried 5/23/43
Herald Statesman (Yonkers) (1/28/43)
Long Island Daily Press 12/17/40, 1/29/43
Nassau Daily Review-Star 6/25/41, 3/4/42, 6/30/42, 2/5/43
American Jews in World War Two – 406

The article below appeared on the first page of the January 29, 1943 issue of the the Long Island Daily Press. 

Wreckage of the Skytrain was only discovered four months later, as seen in this article from The Washington Post of May 17, 1943.

Navy Plane Lost Since January Found in Arizona

Flagstaff, Ariz., May 16 (AP) – The wreckage of a Navy cargo plane missing since January 21 with six men aboard was found today by a high school hiking club on the San Francisco peaks.

Sheriff Peery Francis said the plane was “pretty badly torn up,” and that all the bodies had been found.

When the plane was three days overdue on its flight from Kansas City to San Pedro, Calif., the Navy said those aboard were:

Pilot: Lieut. Max S. Knudsen, Kansas City, Mo.; co-pilots, Lieut. Albert Plotkin, Kansas City, Mo.; Lieut. (j.g.) Phillip H. Pitts, Jr., Birmingham, Ala.; Chief Radioman Cullen A. Snyder, Central City, Pa.; Aviation Machinist’s Mate Wilford De Booth [Wilford D. Booth], Cainesville, Mo.; Seaman Second Class, Don J. Steele, Carmichaels, Pa.

These two images of Lt. Plotkin’s matzeva in Arlington National Cemetery are by FindAGrave contributor Anne Cady.  Note that Lt. Plotkin was a Freemason.    

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Applebaum, Bernard (David bar Rav Yakov), Seaman 1st Class, serial number possibly 5791828
Crew Member of Submarine Chaser USS SC-709 (lost off Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia)
Born 1926
Mr. Jacob Applebaum (father), Philip (brother), 16 Henry St., Malden, Ma.
Died (non-combat) at Brooklyn Naval Hospital on 10/26/45; Malden Press 11/2/45
American Jews in World War Two – p. 149
Buried at Meretz (Mont Vale?) Cemetery, Woburn, Ma.

This image of Bernard’s matzeva is by Donna Halper.  

Soviet Union / U.S.S.R. (C.C.C.Р.)
Red Army [РККА (Рабоче-крестьянская Красная армия)]

Among Jewish military casualties on January 21, 1943, were these members of the Red Army:

Eylenkrig, Yakov Isaevich – Lieutenant [Эйленкриг, Яков Исаевич – Лейтенант]
Platoon Commander
314th Rifle Division, 598th Autonomous Sapper Battalion
Disappeared / missing in action, during tank activity under force of artillery shelling [Пропал без вести при содровождении танков при силы артиллерийский обстреле]
Born 1913 or 1916, city of Kiev
Mother I.Ya. Eylenkrig; lived in Kurshabsk raion

Flomin, Natan Abramovich – Captain [Фломин, Натан Абрамович – Капитан] (In battle for Stalingrad)
Battalion Commander
226th Rifle Division, 987th Rifle Regiment
Born 1915; city of Pervomansk, Odessa oblast
Father: A. Yakov Flomin, resided in city of Chkalov
Place of burial: Stalingrad oblast

Grossman, Lev Moiseevich – Lieutenant [Гроссман, Лев Моисеевич – Лейтенант]
Platoon Commander
225th Rifle Division, 695th Rifle Regiment
Died of wounds / Died of disease / illness
Born: 1907; Chkalov region, Kvarkensky district, mine Aydir
Wife: Ida Isaevna Dubenskaya, city of Znamenka, Mosseynaya 66
Russia, Saratov oblast, Kirovsky raion, Resurrection Cemetery (northeastern part, mass grave) / Saratov oblast, city of Saratov, city cemetery

Kleyn, Iosif Lazarevich, Lieutenant – [Клейн, Иосиф Лазаревич, Лейтенант]
Platoon Commander
16th Autonomous Rifle Brigade
Born: 1915; Kongradskiy region, Poltovskaya oblast, Ukraine SSR
Wife: Anna Maksimovna Kleyn, lived in city of Tbilisi
Place of burial: Krasnodar Territory, Northern raion, Severskaya Station, southern margin

Mitelman, Yeshaooiy Volfovich – Lieutenant – [Мительман, Е. Вольфович – Лейтенант]
Platoon Commander
18th Rifle Division, 424th Rifle Regiment
Born: 1920; Dunaevskiy raion, Kaments-Podolsk oblast
Mother: Anna Shmulevna Mitelman; lived in city of Sizran

Pasik, Iosif Mikhaylovich – Lieutenant [Пасик, Иосиф Михайлови – Лейтенант] (In battle for Stalingrad)
Platoon Commander
13th Guards Rifle Division, 34th Guards Rifle Regiment
Born 1922; Satanovskiy raion, Kamenets-Pololsk oblast, Ukraine SSR
Father resided in city of Kazatin
Buried at Mamayev Kurgan – city of Stalingrad, Stalingrad oblast

Pogorelskiy, Samuil Mikhaylovich – Guards Lieutenant [Погорельский, Самуил Михайлович – Гвардии Лейтенант] (In battle for Stalingrad)
Deputy Company Commander (Political Section)
57th Army, 15th Guards Rifle Division, 47th Guards Rifle Regiment
Born 1904; city of Urgench, Kharkovskiy oblast
Wife: Elena G. Podgorelskiy, resided in Kharkovskiy oblast
Buried: City of Volgograd, Sovetsky raion, Peschanka settlement, center, mass grave

Veseliy, David Lazarevich – Junior Lieutenant – [Веселый, Давид Лазаревич – Младший Лейтенант]
Platoon Commander
364th Rifle Division, 1216th Rifle Regiment, 1st Gunnery Company
Born: 1909; Volkovetskiy raion, Kamenets-Podolsk oblast
Mother: Frida Ayzikovna Veselaya; lived in Kamanets-Podolsk oblast

Zilberg (Zilberberg?), Matvey Mironovich – Lieutenant [Зильберг (Зильберберг?), Матвей Миронович – Лейтенант]
Tank Commander
39th Autonomous Tank Brigade
Missing in action in Kamenskiy raion, Rostovskaya oblast
Born: 1922, city of Kiev, Ukraine SSR
Mother: Zinaida Petrovna Zilberg (Zilberberg?), resided in city of Kiev

…while this man, captured on January 21, survived as a prisoner of war and was repatriated from German captivity:

Podolnik, Solomon Semenovich – Lieutenant – [Подольник, Соломон Семенович – Лейтенант]
Deputy Battery Commander (Political Section)
Captured 1/21/43
98th Rifle Division

Some References

Websites

Arthur Hays Sulzberger (Wikipedia)

Captain William H. Davidow incident of January 21, 1943 (Aviation Archeology Database)

Scarsdale Inquirer for November 6, 1942 (Hudson River Valley Heritage Historical Newspapers)

Aufbau, poem honoring Captain William H. Davidow, in issue of June 11, 1943 (German Exile Press newspapers, at Deutsche National Bibliothek)

Submarine Chaser USS SC-709

Wrecksite.com

and

Wikimapia.org

Books

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947.

Lafayette College Book of Remembrance, 1946, Lafayette College, Easton, Pa. (With special thanks to College Archivist Elaine M. Stomber!)

January 1, 2018

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: United States Army Air Force, May 4, 1945

This is the second of four posts covering Jewish military casualties on Friday, May 4, 1945, “this” post pertaining to members of the United States Army Air Force. 

The four men listed here – 2 Lt. Bernard Prizer, PFC Rodney E. Jacobson, F/O Aldwyn W. Fields, and Cpl. Milton Jcobs – were casualties in very different settings.  These ranged from a training flight in the United States (Prizer), to an as-yet-unknown ground action in Germany (Jacobson), to a combat mission against the Japanese (Fields and Jacobs). 

Of the four, only Fields survived.    

On Friday, May 4, 1945

(22 Iyyar 5705)

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United States

2 Lt. Bernard Prizer

450th Army Air Force Base Unit 

– .ת. נ. צ. ב. ה –
תהא נפשו צרורה בצרור החיים

2 Lt. Bernard Prizer (0-763854) serving as a co-pilot, was killed in the crash of a Martin TB-26B Marauder (41-18241) piloted by 2 Lt. Arthur C. Middleton and assigned to the 450th Army Air Force Base Unit (Combat Crew Training Station, Night Fighter), based at Hammer Army Airfield, Fresno, California.  The aircraft crashed 1 1/2 miles north of the city of Pinedale, with none of the plane’s six crewmen surviving.  Investigators speculated that that cause of the accident was detonation of the port engine, which reportedly had been cutting out in flight.   

Lt. Prizer was not buried in a Jewish cemetery in his home city of Cleveland, but instead in a Christian cemetery – the Little Bethel Freewill Baptist Cemetery, southwest of Macon, Georgia – presumably because his wife Margaret was from the city of Ideal.

Born Ohio, 2/6/17
Resided with wife at 944 F Street, Fresno, Ca.
Mr. and Mrs. Julius and Selma Prizer (parents); Edith and Nathan Prizer (sister and brother), 3421 E. 135th St., Cleveland, Oh.
Fresno Bee 5/5/45 (via GenDisasters.com, submitted by Stu Beitler) – see transcript below…
Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 – Volume 3: August 1944 – December 1945 – p. 1091 (Incident “5-4-45A”)
American Jews in World War II – 497

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From the Williams T. Larkins collection at 1000aircraftphotos.com, this 1945 photo shows a bedraggled but colorful TB-26B (42-43332) at Kingman, Arizona, before conversion to pots & pans, or, aluminum siding.  Quoting 1000aircraft photos, “In 1943, a conversion program was initiated to strip B-26s of operational equipment and provide them with target towing gear.  In all, 208 B-26B and 350 B-26C were converted in this way, and re-designated AT-23A and AT-23B in the advanced trainer category.  These designations were later changed to TB-26B and TB-26C respectively…”

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FRESNO ARMY BOMBER CRASH KILLS 6 MEN

Fresno Bee – May 5, 1945

Six army airmen, including a Fresnan, were killed instantly yesterday afternoon when the twin engined medium bomber in which they were flying crashed and burned about two miles north of Camp Pinedale on the Yosemite Highway.

The Fresnan was Corporal PAUL H. BROWN, 25, a son of Sam Lee Brown of Orange, Tex.  He had lived with Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. Beverly H. Jones, 5707 Wilson Avenue, for the last six years, and attended the Fresno High School and the Fresno State College, where he played football before he entered the service three years ago.

The fatal accident was the most serious in the recent history of Hammer Field, and the first crash involving more than one or two fliers since a B-24 fell into Huntington Lake in 1943, killing six men.

Eye witnesses to the crash, including a rancher living nearby who reported to Hammer Field authorities the plane was in trouble when it passed over his home at treetop level, said the ship was having engine trouble before it struck the ground.

The terrain in the area is rolling, and small knolls rise several feet above the highway.

The pilot of the ill-fated ship was Second Lieutenant ARTHUR C. MIDDLETON, 29, a son of Mrs. Mary K. Chambers, 5000 East Broadway, Long Beach.

The copilot was Second Lieutenant BERNARD PRIZER, 27, whose home before he entered the service was at 3421 East 135th Street, Cleveland, O.  He resided with his wife, Mrs. Margaret Jane Prizer, at 944 F. Street.  Mrs. Prizer was taken to the Hammer Field Base Hospital, suffering from shock, after she was told of the crash which killed her husband.

The other four men aboard the plane were:

Sergeant JOSEPH J. HIZNY, 23, whose wife, Mrs. Anna Mae Hizny, resides at 1717 River Road, Pittston, Pa.

Sergeant JOHN B. SZUES, 29, a son of Mrs. Mary Szues, RFD (no number), Machias, N.Y.

Corporal PAUL F. REDHEAD, 29, a son of Mrs. Colista Redhead, 11815 Chesterfield Avenue, Cleveland, O.

BROWN is survived by three brothers, John G., a veteran of the marines, and Sammy B., both of whom live in Stillwater, Okla., and Frank, who has been a prisoner of the Japanese since Manila fell early in the war, and three sisters, Mrs. Glen Smith, Miss Helen B. Brown and Miss Lillian Brown, all of Valliant, Okla.

He had been stationed at Hammer Field for the last year as an aviation mechanic.

Shortly after the plane took off from Hammer Field, its crew radioed the control tower at the army base the ship was in trouble and was planning to try for a crash landing.

The radio report was the last word from the ship, and moments later army personnel at Hammer Field, about seven miles from the scene of the crash, saw smoke rising after the plane had struck the ground.

Competitors in the California State Open Gold Tournament pro-amateur division, playing on the Fort Washington Golf Course about three miles away, heard the explosion which followed the plane’s crash.

Hammer Field authorities said the plane was on a routine combat training flight when the fatal crash occurred. A board of army officers has been appointed to investigate the accident.

Fire crews from both Camp Pinedale and Hammer Field rushed to the scene of the crash after the report was received of the plane’s difficulties, but were too late to attempt any rescue work.

This image of Lt. Prizer’s simple matzeva is by FindAGrave contributor Doug Cromer.  

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European Theater

United States Strategic Bombing Survey

PFC Rodney Edward Jacobson

– .ת. נ. צ. ב. ה –
תהא נפשו צרורה בצרור החיים

Though one might ostensibly assume that every casualty associated with service in the Army Air Force would be directly associated with flying “in” or activity “with” an aircraft, PFC Rodney Edward Jacobson (36589029) shows that this was not – hardly at all – so.  A member of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey, PFC Jacobson was killed only four days before the war’s end in Europe.  The reasons is unknown: perhaps his unit was engaged in a firefight with German soldiers; perhaps he was riding in a vehicle which struck a mine; perhaps something else.  He received the Purple Heart.

Born Detroit, Mi., 3/17/23
Mr. and Mrs. Harry [7/4/95-1/10/72] and Sophie (Victor) [1/2/97-8/12/81] Jacobson (parents), 1 Lt. Ivan Mayer Jacobson (brother), 2030 Chicago Blvd., Detroit, Mi.
Clover Hill Cemetery, Royal Oak, Mi. – Section 5, Lot 41; Buried 8/21/49
Student at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; Member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity
Casualty List 6/19/45
Detroit Jewish Chronicle 6/15/45, 10/1/48, 8/19/49
The Jewish News 6/15/45, 8/19/49
American Jews in World War II – 191

This portrait of PFC Jacobson, first published in the 1954 Jewish War Veterans of Michigan Golden Book, is one of the many images from that publication now viewable via the Jewish War Veterans – Department of Michigan.

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In this image from the October 1, 1948, of the Detroit Jewish Chronicle, of a plaque honoring members of Temple Beth El who served in the recently ended war, which specifically lists the names of those who were killed in action, or who – like Lieutenants Green or Weil – died in accidents, PFC Jacobson’s name appears fourth from the top in the right column.  Biographical information about nine of these men – three in the army ground forces, four in the air force, and two in the navy – follows the image…

United States Army

Davis, Charles Pershing, PFC, 36128967, Purple Heart (Biak Island)
162nd Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division
Killed in action June 14, 1944
Born August 1, 1918
Mrs. Helain (Abel) Davis (wife), 3255 Cortland St., Detroit, Mi.
Mrs. Rose Davis (mother); Cpl. Marshall, Raymond, and Bernard (brothers), 18015 Ohio Ave., Detroit, Mi.
Graduate of Detroit Institute of Technology
Clovel Hill Cemetery, Royal Oak, Mi.
The Jewish News 7/14/44, 11/3/44
American Jews in World War II – 189

Rafelson, Robert Julien, PFC, 36868672, Purple Heart (Rhine River, Germany)
Engineer Corps
Died of wounds March 13, 1945
Born March 15, 1914
Mrs. Ileen (Jacobson) Rafelson (wife); Tommy (son; YOB 1943), 18922 Muirland, Detroit, Mi.
Mr. Mark Rafelson (father), 18085 Oak Drive, Detroit, Mi.
Graduate of Adrian College; MS degree from University of Michigan
Beth El Memorial Park, Livonia, Mi. – Section 2, Lot 113, Grave 2
The Jewish News 4/6/45
American Jews in World War II – 194

Simon, Lewis Arthur, T/5, 36589807, Purple Heart (Germany)
Died February 20, 1945
2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron
Born September 5, 1924
Mr. Harold Simon (father), 19 Lasalle Blvd., Detroit, Mi.
Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Mi. – Section North F; Buried 8/1/48
The Jewish News 3/9/45
American Jews in World War II – 196

United States Army Air Force

Green, Roy Frank, 2 Lt., 0-661308, Fighter Pilot
23rd Fighter Squadron, 36th Fighter Group
Killed in flying accident November 12, 1942.  Aircraft crashed 5 miles south of Corozal, Puerto Rico
Aircraft: P-39D 41-6919
Born 1918
Mr. Max Greene (father); Mrs. Ida Greenberg (mother), Arlene, Ray and Russ (brother and sisters), 2923 Pasadena Ave., Detroit, Mi.
Clover Hill Park Cemetery, Royal Oak, Mi. – Section 17; Buried 5/13/48
The Jewish News 12/29/44
American Jews in World War II – 191

Jacobs, Alfred L., Sgt., 36145928
Killed in ground accident at Rapid City, South Dakota June 25, 1944
Born March 8, 1919
Mr. Henry Jacobs (father); Richard (brother), 931 Beaconsfield, Grosse Pointe, Mi.
Beth El Memorial Park, Livonia, Mi. – Section 6, Lot 72, Grave 6
The Jewish News 7/14/44
American Jews in World War II – 191

Seymour, William Seymour, 1st Sergeant, 39024032, Drop Crewman, Air Medal, Purple Heart
2nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 10th Air Force
Killed in action January 18, 1944
Aircraft: C-47 41-19476; Pilot: Capt. Ferde A. Larson; Eight crewmen – no survivors
Born 1909
Mr. Emil Schubot (father); Mr. Jules R. Schubot (brother); Betty, Maurice, Rosalind, Sadie, and Samuel (siblings), 18624 Wildemere, Detroit, Mi.
Lt. Harvey Schubot (brother), 400 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, Ca.
Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, Il. – Section E, Grave 407; Buried 6/8/50
Detroit Jewish News 2/25/44
American Jews in World War II – 195

Weil, Victor Hugo, 1 Lt., 0-513327, Co-Pilot
9th Ferry Squadron, 6th Ferry Group
Killed in flying accident October 7, 1943.  Aircraft crashed at 3048 E Street, in San Bernardino, California
Aircraft: B-25H 43-4203; Pilot: 2 Lt. Randall R. Weiland; Three crewmen – no survivors
Born Michigan, March 27, 1901
Mrs. J.W. Roemer (sister), 49 Virginia Park, Detroit, Mi.
Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Mi. – Section North F, Beth El Plot, Lot 25, 26
Detroit Jewish News 10/15/43, 2/9/45
American Jews in World War II – 197

United States Navy

Kopman, Joseph W., Lt. JG, 0-283230, Fighter Pilot, Purple Heart
VF-13 (Navy Fighter Squadron 13), USS Franklin (CV-13)
Killed in action October 17, 1944, Pacific (ABMC lists date as October 18, 1945)
Aircraft: F6F-5 Hellcat 58375; Ditched, but did not survive.
Born 1922, Missouri
Mr. and Mrs. Saul Louis and Ann Kopman (parents), Fay Barbara Kopman (sister), 300 Whitmore Road, Detroit, Mi.
Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines
The Jewish News (Detroit) 1/19/45
OurOldNavy
USSFranklin.org
American Jews in World War II – 192

Lewis, Leonard Leon, Lt. JG, 0-275815, Assistant Beachmaster, Purple Heart
6th Naval Beach Battalion
Killed in action June 6, 1944, in Normandy France (ABMC lists date as June 8, 1944)
Born April, 1924
Michigan State Normal College, Class of 1938
Mrs. Esther (Berger) Lewis (wife); Linda Stark (daughter; YOB 1943), 15818 Meyers Road, Detroit, Mi.
Mr. Jacob B. Lewis (father); Lillian, RM 3C George K., Philip, Albert, Henry, Warren (sister and brothers), 20 Worcester Place, Detroit, Mi.
The Jewish News (Detroit) 7/14/44, 1/19/45
Normandy American Cemetery, St. Laurent-sur-Mer, France – Plot J, Row 10, Grave 32
6thBeachBattalion.org
American Jews in World War II – 1923

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Pacific Theater

20th Air Force

As has been recounted in many prior posts in this series (and recounted above for Lt. Prizer) many wartime casualties occurred in situations that were not actually associated with enemy action, or if a result of an encounter with the enemy, were not related to the immediacy of that event.    

Such an incident on May 4, 1945 concerned Flight Officer Aldwyn Bernard Fields (T-129136), a B-29 Superfortress navigator in the 60th Bomb Squadron of the 39th Bomb Group.  He was one of four survivors of the crew of eleven in B-29 44-70004 (an anonymous aircraft upon which the crew had intended, but never had the opportunity, to bestow the nickname “City of Cooperstown”) commanded by 1 Lt. Smith L. Edwards. 

Rescued from the Pacific Ocean after bailout, the story of F/O Fields’ and the other three survivors is related in detail in MACR 14367. 

This was F/O Fields’ first combat mission, and as a result of the tragic severity of his injuries, for which he received the Purple Heart (no Air Medal, let alone no Distinguished Flying Cross, the former necessitating the completion of five combat missions) it proved to be his only combat mission. 

Born in Manhattan on August 28, 1917, F/O Fields was the son of Beatrice L. Fields (subsequently Kaplan), who passed away on April 6, 1959.  His sister, Beverly (Fields) Sacks, lived at 69-10 Yellowstone Boulevard in Forest Hills, Long Island, while his father’s identity is uncertain.  His father may (may…) have been Max Fialkoff (thus, the name change to “Fields”).  If (?) so, the Fialkoff family experienced tragedy a full decade before the war, for the New York Times reported that a Max Fialkoff, a dress manufacturer born in 1891, took his life at his place of work – at West 33rd Street in Manhattan – on February 13, 1934.  

Brief news articles about F/O Fields appeared in the Long Island Daily Press and Long Island Star Journal on June 20, 1945, while his name appeared in a Casualty List published in the New York Times on June 21.  Beyond that, the only other facets of information I’ve been able to uncover about him indicate that he graduated from City College in 1938, attained a Master’s Degree – subject unknown – from Columbia University prior to World War Two, and postwar, was somehow associated – perhaps philanthropically? – with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Aldwyn Bernard Fields, 65 years old, passed away on March 16, 1982.  He is buried near his mother, at Wellwood Cemetery in West Babylon, New York.  (Section 1, Block 3, Division 43897, Plot A-14, Grave 1). 

As has become evident from the majority of posts in this series, akin to very many American Jewish WW II military casualties, or, servicemen who received military awards, Aldwyn Fields’ name never appeared in the 1947 book American Jews in World War II.    

More about his story follows…

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Seen at Batista Field, Cuba, during training, here’s the Smith Edwards crew: (Replacement Crew 16, 60th Bomb Squadron) in a photo from Fold3, via Sam Pennartz.  Names follow below…

Standing (left to right):

Hetherington, Donald W., 1 Lt. – Newfield, N.Y. – Pilot – Rescued (See also…)
Kelly, Odie Allen, 2 Lt. – Midland, Tx. – Radar Operator – Missing (KIA) (See also)
Fields, Aldwyn Bernard, F/O – Navigator – Rescued
Engelholdt, James Mathias, 1 Lt. – Fond du Lac, Wi. – Bombardier – Missing (KIA)
Edwards, Smith Long, 1 Lt. – La Salle, Il. – Airplane Commander – Missing (KIA) (See also…)
Anderson, Clyde Raymond, Sgt. – Buxton, Me. – Radio Operator – Rescued

Kneeling (left to right):

Arundale, Gerald Wilbur, S/Sgt. – Sheridan, Il. – Gunner (Central Fire Control) – Missing (KIA) (See also…)
Nyholm, Ernest E., Jr., Sgt. – New York, N.Y. – Gunner (Right Blister) – Missing (KIA)
Ogilvie, James R., T/Sgt. – Gunner (Tail) – Did not fly with this crew on this mission
Clark, Harry Wilber, T/Sgt. – La Grange, Il.- Flight Engineer – Missing (KIA)

Sitting (front):

O’Brien, Herbert J., Jr., Sgt. – Otsego, N.Y. – Gunner (Left Blister) – Rescued

____________________

Images of the emblem of the 60th Bomb Squadron are not too abundant, but an excellent example can be found – and purchased as a decal, in different sizes and formats – at MCGraphicsDecals.  Since the image is copyrighted, I’m providing the aforementioned link, rather than showing the insignia itself, “here”!

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As mentioned above, it had been the intention of the Edwards crew to bestow the nickname City of Cooperstown (as in Cooperstown, New York) upon their bomber, but fate never granted them this opportunity.  However, if the wheels of time had revolved differently, this moniker would presumably have appeared in the style of nose art carried by other 314th Bomb Wing (thus, 39th Bomb Group) aircraft.  This emblem was in the form of a pennant superimposed on a map of the United States, the pennant’s flagpole pointing to the specific town or city inspiring the aircraft’s name, with the name of that town or city marked on the pennant.  

An example of this appears below: The nose art for B-29 City of Knoxville (44-69995), of the 458th Bomb Squadron, 330th Bomb Group.  This image is from a set of “Original U.S. WWII B-29 Bomber City of Knoxville Bombardier Fuse Key Grouping – 20 Missions” at Original Military Antiques.  

____________________

Via Ancestry.com, here’s Aldwyn’s graduation portrait in the yearbook of City College of New York, Class of 1938 …

… and, now twenty-eight years old, his portrait from the Long Island Star Journal on June 20, 1945, which accompanied an article about his rescue on the May 4 mission.

Here’s a transcript of the Star Journal’s article. 

The text mentions Aldwyn’s B-29 as having been the Purple Shaft, but this was in error.  As explained by Donald Hetherington (below), on arrival in the Pacific the Edwards crew and the real Purple Shaft (42-65361) were mistakenly assigned to the 19th Bomb Group.  When the crew was transferred back to the 39th Bomb Group, the Purple Shaft remained with the 19th.

Lieut. Fields Wounded On Tokyo Raid

Second Lieutenant Aldwyn B. Fields, 24, Forest Hills flight officer on a B-29, “Purple Shaft”, was wounded while returning from a bombing raid over Tokyo, his mother, Mrs. Florence Fields of 69-10 Yellowstone Boulevard, has been informed.

The “Purple Shaft” had completed her mission, but caught fire and exploded on the way back to its Marianna base.  Lieutenant Fields parachuted into the Pacific and was picked up by the Navy off Iwo Jima.  He has been in the Army for three years and overseas three months.

He was graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School, the Bronx; City College, and received a Master’s Degree from Columbia.  He was commissioned at Austin, Texas.  

____________________

This brief newspaper article, published in the Cooperstown Evening Telegram on May 18, 1945, pertains to Sgt. O’Brien’s arrival in the Marianna Islands.  The article specifically mentions that the crew’s B-29 was to be named after that city, but doesn’t actually specific that this nickname was really painted on the plane.  

Digital Newspaper Archives of US & Canada

SUPER FORTRESS NAMED ‘COOPERSTOWN’

Cooperstown – The CWW of a B-29 Super-Fortress of which Sgt. Herbert J. O’Brien, Oaksville, is turret gunner, recently arrived in the Marianna Islands.

He was given the honor of naming the bomber and “Cooperstown” was the choice.  O’Brien is the eldest son of three sons of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert O’Brien, in service.  Cpl. Robert is with the Infantry in Germany and Richard is waiting call for Navy service.

____________________

This article about Sgt. O’Brien, from The Otsego Farmer of June 8, 1945, mentions him having been wounded on the mission of May 4, but (well, unsurprisingly) doesn’t give any details about the incident.  (This article, and the preceding article from the Cooperstown Evening Telegram, were obtained via Thomas M. Tryniski’s Fulton History database / website.)  

Old Newspapers

Sgt. O’Brien Awarded Purple Heart Medal

Sergeant Herbert J. O’Brien, Jr., of Cooperstown, was presented with the Purple Heart on May 16th.  The medal was presented by his commanding officer, Colonel George W. Mundy, at a Superfortress base on Guam.  Sergeant O’Brien was wounded in action on May 4th while participating in a Superfortress attack on strategic targets on Kyushu, Japan.  Having recovered from his wound, he was returned back to duty on May 8th.

Sergeant O’Brien is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert J. O’Brien of Cooperstown.

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So, what actually happened to 44-70004 and her crew?  In Missing Air Crew Report 14367, the story is best and most appropriately told in the vivid dispassion typical of military documents.  Here it is:

Narrative Report [from Missing Air Crew Report]:

Prior to Abandonment:

The emergency of the aircraft developed at 0345 on May 4th.  The position of aircraft was approximately 20 miles south of Iwo Jima at 10,000 ft.  There was no indication of any trouble before the fire started.  No one in the plane smelled or saw any smoke before the fire broke out.  The fire was first seen by the radio operator [Anderson] in the vicinity of the voltage regulators under the Liaison Radio.  The flames looked as if they were coming off the floor.

The radio operator notified the crew in the nose by voice.  Steps were immediately taken to put out the fire with the extinguisher.  The flames were out for a moment but started again and the extinguisher was empty.  The radio operator made attempts to smother the flames with flak curtains but could not get at it to do any good.

Preparation for Abandoment:

A state of emergency was declared by the pilot.  [Edwards]  There was no electrical power as soon as the fire started.  The pilot hit the gear switch to get nose gear down and also hit the alarm bell.  The alarm bell gave one very short ring, but the nose gear did not start down.  The co-pilot tried to call buddy ship but the radio was out and also the interphone became inoperative. 

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This Oogle map shows the approximate location of 44-70004’s loss, based on latitude and longitude coordinates (24-18N, 141-22 E) listed in the Missing Air Crew Report.  To the best of my knowledge, there were no restaurants, hotels, pharmacies, or ATMs in this part of the Pacific Ocean in 1945, though I’m sure Iwo Jima has them aplenty now.  (As for “transit”, “parking”, and “attractions”, wellll…  In a sort of sense those sort of existed in 1945, but not in a sort of way anyone would want to take have taken advantage of.  Sort of.)

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The bombardier [Engholdt], engineer [Clark] and navigator [Fields] were attempting to crank the nose gear by hand.  There was a great deal of smoke in the nose of the plane.  It was a whitish grey smoke and very irritating.  The windows in the pilot’s compartment were tried open and closed with no noticeable changes in the smoke.

Abandonment:

The co-pilot seeing that the efforts of the crew to get the nose gear down were not going too well, as he was coughing a great deal and couldn’t see very well, left the co-pilot’s seat to go back to the bomb bay door to tell the men in back to bail out.  The co-pilot saw the CFC gunner [Arundale] going through the tunnel to tell the men in back to bail out.  The radio operator [Anderson] jumped down in the bomb bay and pulled the emergency handle.  The doors opened and he fell out.  The co-pilot [Hetherington] was standing on the cat walk and was just going back inside when the navigator came out and jumped.  He was so badly burned that he was hardly recognizable.  The fire had increased in intensity a great deal in about 15 seconds.  When the co-pilot had come out, the flames were coming out under the top turret but when he started to go back in the flames were all over the turret, with intense heat; so he turned around and jumped.  The navigator had tried to bring the engineer [Clark] back with him but he [Clark] wouldn’t go through the fire. 

The left gunner [O’Brien] heard the alarm bell, fastened his parachute and started for the rear escape hatch, telling the right gunner [Nyholm] to follow him.  The right gunner had started to get a fire extinguisher to take up front.  The radar officer [Kelly] was in his chute and was fastening on his dinghy when the left gunner got back to the radar room.  He told him some one had bailed out of the front and to jump.  Two men, the radar and right gunner, were standing behind the left gunner when he jumped. 

The co-pilot jumped and pulled the cord when he saw he was clear of the plane.  The plane came around in a circle and the whole nose was on fire, flames were coming out of the top and right side of [the] fuselage.  After about a ninety degree turn more it blew up before hitting the water.

The co-pilot saw four other chutes below him and just before the explosion another one open quite low and close to the plane, therefore, the co-pilot was certain that six got out of the plane.

Escape:

The co-pilot, navigator, and radio operator bailed out through the front bomb bay.  The left gunner bailed out through the rear escape hatch.

Weather:

Visibility was good.  The swells were from ten to fifteen feet high.  Wind velocity was unknown.

Survival:

Other B-29s which saw the men parachuting out radioed in their position.  The survivors had been in the water ten minutes when they saw planes flying low overhead.

A Navy PBY spotted the co-pilot [Hetherington] and dropped sea marker dye and smoke bombs.  The co-pilot was in his dinghy approximately two minutes after contact with the water.  He paddled about ten feet, got his parachute and dropped it over his dinghy.  It was very easily spotted from the air and worked well as a sea anchor.  The co-pilot did not drift at all and stayed in the same position as the sea marker dye.

The navigator [Fields] had only his Mae West and had considerable trouble in inflating it.  His hands were severely burned, also his head and arms.  It took him about thirty minutes to inflate his Mae West.  A PBY spotted him and dropped a five man dinghy to him, to which he swam and got into with quite a lot of trouble due to his weak condition.

The left gunner [O’Brien] had his dinghy.  He was spotted by rescue planes and smoke bombs and sea marker dye was dropped.

The radio operator [Anderson] did not have his dinghy as it was lost in the fire but he had his Mae West.  He was not spotted by any rescue planes.  Planes flew directly over him several times.  No sea marker dye or smoke bombs were dropped near him.

Rescue:

A mine sweeper had been sent out immediately and a destroyer escort soon after.  The mine sweeper arrived at the scene first.  It picked up the navigator first who was about five miles from the co-pilot.  It then came over and picked up the co-pilot.  The radio operator was picked up about 15 minutes later by luck, some one saw something out quite a ways and it was he swimming.  The destroyer escort was at the scene by this time and picked up the left gunner.

Although efforts were made until dark to pick up the other men, no one was found.  There was considerable wreckage still floating where the plane went down.  In the area near the wreckage a number of large sharks were seen.

The two ships stayed out until dark and then the survivors were transferred to the destroyer escort and taken into Iwo Jima so that the navigator could have better medical attention.  The mine sweeper anchored in the vicinity of the wreckage and continued search the next day, but no further survivors were found.

Crew recommendations:

More coordination between the planes and ships.

Modification of puncturing mechanism of CO2 cylinders on Type B-4 life preservers.

Use of canopy on raft after person bails out for purpose of easy identification by aircraft; also helps as an emergency sea-anchor.

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Here’s Donald Hetherington’s account of the incident, from History of the 39th Bomb Group.  The book’s 1996 publication implies that this account was written in the early 1990s.

On May 4 over Oita, we had some damage to the right wing, close to the fuselage; it was probably from a phosphorous shell.  Fire started coming through the radio operator’s compartment.  Engineer Harry Clark, Bombardier James Engleholdt, and Navigator Al Fields were attempting to lower the nose wheel with a hand crank and said it had jammed.  I hit the alarm bell, called on the intercom to bail out and called to our buddy plane that we were going out.  I later assumed that our engineer had turned off the battery and generator switches, as I did not transmit.  I said that I would go back and to see if I could get the bomb bay doors open.  Radio Operator Clyde Anderson was working on the emergency handles and jumping on the doors.  After four or five jumps, the doors opened and he fell out with his one-man life raft on fire.  I called out to the crew up front that the doors were open.  …

As I stepped into the bomb bay, there was an explosion up front and I was blown out.  It apparently popped my chute; I saw the D-ring falling beside me.  Hugh O’Brien said when he got to the rear door someone had frozen.  Hugh thought if he jumped the rest would follow.

The following would be Missing In Action: Smith Edwards, James Engelholdt, Odie Kelly, Harry Clark, Gerald Arundale, Ernest Nyholm and a tail gunner who’s name I never knew.  [Jacobs]  He replaced our regular tail gunner James Ogilvie, who had accidentally shot himself in the foot just before going to the gunner’s briefing.

Our buddy airplane saw debris on the ocean and when we did not respond to radio calls, they called Guam and also Iwo and PBY was out to look for us.  They spotted me and dropped smoke flares and marker dye.  They found Al and dropped him a five-man life raft.  He was too weak to get in but could get his arm over the edge.  Just before dark, a minesweeper and a destroyer escort arrived.  The minesweeper found me then Clyde Anderson in his Mae West.  The destroyer escort found Al Fields and Hugh O’Brien.  …

We were going to name our plane after the “City of Cooperstown”.  Our crew was assigned to the 19th BG by mistake.  We were loaded with bombs and ready for Tokyo when orders came down to transfer us back to the 39th.  They would not let us fly the mission, as the 39th would get credit for it.  Our plane did not come back from Japan so we were lucky once.  The second time we weren’t.  We were just not meant to fly.  My form 5-Flight Record says: one take off, no landings.

I returned to the 60th and was assigned to the 314th Wing as an Air Sea Rescue Officer where I remained until I returned to the States in December 1946.  I got promoted in August a day after General Power asked about my rank.

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Akin to biographical information I’ve posted about other 20th Air Force casualties, here’s Major David I. Cedarbaum’s record covering F/O Fields’ casualty status.  This document is from the Honor Roll in the Cedarbaum Files (Folder 5) at the American Jewish Historical Society…

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The other Jewish crewman aboard 44-70004 was Corporal Milton Jacobs (35517801), the plane’s tail gunner, who was filling in for T/Sgt. Ogilvie, the latter recovering from an accidental gunshot wound.  Ogilvie eventually completed his missions with Replacement Crew 11 – that of 2 Lt. Vincenzo Ricci, of which Jacobs was originally a member.  

Milton was born in Czechoslovakia on January 16, 1922.  His parents, Henry [6/3/98-1985] and Olga (Breitbart) [1899-1986] Jacobs, and brother Lester, lived at 11609 Hopkins Ave., in Cleveland, Oh.  A member of Ohio State University Class of 1947, his name is commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial in Hawaii.

His name appeared in a War Department Casualty List released on June 19, 1945, the Cleveland Press & Plain Dealer on June 17, 18 and November 21, 1945, and can be found on page 490 of American Jews in World War II.

This portrait of Cpl. Jacobs was taken when he was simply “Milton Jacobs”.  The picture appears in the 1941 yearbook of the Cleveland East Technical High School.  It’s from Ancestry.com.

Three or four years later, this picture is from the photo of the Ricci crew.  

Here’s Major David I. Cedarbaum’s record concerning Cpl. Jacobs, also from the Cedarbaum Files Honor Roll (Folder 5) at the AJHS. 

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Many visitors to this blog doubtless have familiarity with military history in general (…I guess…), and military aviation in particular (…I suppose…), and thus, need no introduction to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.  However, given that nearly eight decades have transpired since the Second World War’s end in 1945, and the seeming lack of even general knowledge concerning that war, its weapons, and tactics in contemporary generations, a few photos and diagrams of the B-29 follow.  These shed light on the dire predicament faced by the Edwards crew as they flew above the Pacific Ocean, a little over seventy-six years ago. 

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First, this diagram, from the XXI Bomber Command Combat Crew Manual, specifically Section XII – “Emergency Procedures” – depicts the sequence by which the eleven members of a Superfortress crew were to bail out of their bomber during an in-flight emergency.  Note that the crew of a B-29 is situated in three separate areas of the fuselage:  Pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, radio operator, and flight engineer are in the nose; behind the plane’s rear bomb bay are three aerial gunners and a radar operator; in the tail, isolated from the rest of the crew, is the tail gunner.

As indicated by this manual, in the nose, the bailout sequence was: 1) bombardier, 2) flight engineer, 3) co-pilot, 4) navigator, 5) radio operator, and 6, pilot.  Escape could be made through a hatch in the cockpit floor situated directly above the nose wheel (by definition, necessitating that the nose wheel be lowered), or, through the bomb bay, the latter option requiring that the crew compartment to be depressurized so that the bomb bay could be accessed through a circular hatch.    

In the rear, the bailout order was: 1) right blister gunner, 2 left blister gunner, and 3) central fire control gunner.  The two remaining crew members – the radar operator and tail gunner – would exit separately.  Escape could be made through the aircraft’s entrance door at rear starboard fuselage, or, through the rear bomb bay, either of which which (as per the nose) required that the rear crew compartment be depressurized.

The tail gunner could escape through the same entrance door, or (not too clearly illustrated here) via an emergency escape hatch (in the form of a jettisonable window) on the starboard side of his compartment.

Well, that’s the idea, but there were four unwritten provisos:  The crew was largely or entirely uninjured; the plane relatively intact or undamaged; the aircraft in relatively level flight; the plane under control.  In this, the bailout diagram is consistent with depictions in instruction manuals pertaining to emergency procedures for other multi-place USAAF WW II aircraft: Whether “ditched” at sea, or in mid-air, the aircraft is illustrated as being entirely intact, with crew members able to nominally carry out their assigned responsibilities.  (I don’t know about diagrams in instruction manuals for British Commonwealth warplanes…) 

But, even the most cursory review of accounts by crew members of B-29s – let alone other USAAF bombers, such as B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, and B-26s – who bailed out of their planes due to combat damage, or in emergency situations unrelated to battle, reveals that such idealized conditions were far (far) more often the exception than the rule. 

Such as, for the Edwards crew.       

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Here’s a wartime painting of a B-29 by Norman Dawn, from WW2OnLine, which presents a clear (yet not entirely accurate – I’ll explain why in a moment!) cutaway “view” of the plane’s design, specifically in terms of the crew layout.  In front, the pilot and co-pilot sit side by side, with the bombardier (obscured by canopy frames) in the very nose.  On the right side of the fuselage and behind the co-pilot is the flight engineer, while behind the engineer is the radio operator.  On the left side of the fuselage and behind the pilot is is the navigator.  Above the bomb-bay, a pressurized tunnel connects the front and rear crew compartments.

While Dawn’s painting is extremely helpful in illustrating the relative locations of the aircraft’s crew positions, it’s also deceptive, for the dimensions of the human figures in the painting have been greatly diminished in size – deliberately so? – relative to the size of the aircraft, deceptively implying that the crew compartments were far, far (did I say far?!) roomier (and big) than in reality.  Another error is apparent in the figure of the crew member moving through the tunnel:  Though he’s wearing a parachute, the actual tunnel diameter was – I think – far too narrow to permit this.

Otherwise, regardless of the painting’s degree of (in)accuracy, it depicts a real aircraft; “136954” was the serial number of an actual bomber, specifically, 41-36954 (the first YB-29, the prefix “Y” denoting a test aircraft), which made its first flight on June 26, 1943.  Though the plane never flew in combat, it’s correctly shown in olive drab camouflage, which was applied to the three XB-29s (“X “for experimental), all fourteen YB-29s (“Y” for testing), and very early production Superfortresses.  You can view an image of the actual plane here.  So, I suppose that Mr. Dawn’s painting (was he employed by Boeing?) dates from 1943.      

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This illustration is vastly more realistic.  From Boeing’s B-29 Maintenance and Familiarization Manuel (HS1006A-HS1006D), this cutaway shows the interior details of a B-29’s forward crew compartment in entirely correct proportion, and, in detail.  Immediately apparent from the design in the maximum use of available space for equipment, with room personnel being kept at a bare and functional minimum.

The location of the navigator’s station (Fields’), with its wooden table, is directly behind the pilot.  The radio operator’s station (Anderson’s; where the fire began) is opposite, while the flight engineer (Clark would) have been directly behind the co-pilot.         

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From TheBestFilmArchives, this film How it Works: The B-29 Superfortress – USAAF Training Film 1944 – provides an excellent overview of the operation of the B-29, primarily from the aircraft commander’s perspective.  Particularly noteworthy in the context of this post are the animations showing the crew arrangement, and, the aircraft’s defensive systems. 

Several YouTube channels host this particular video, TheBestFilmArchives version being the best of the lot in terms of contrast, lightness, and, resolution.    

The particular B-29 featured in the video is aircraft 42-6211, which was delivered to the Army Air Force on October 26, 1943.  A very early B-29, it’s notable that the side blisters have bracing frames or multiple panels, and – more obviously – the plane is camouflaged.  

This picture of the plane’s tail, taken on December 12, 1943, is from WorldWarPhotos.

The bomber was eventually assigned to the 771st Bomb Squadron of the 462nd Bomb Group, and piloted by Carl T. Hull, Jr., destroyed during a take-off crash at Piaradoba, India, on May 23, 1944.

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On a note vastly less serious and vastly more pop culture…

The hemispherical multi-panel design of the B-29’s plexiglass nose and canopy was the inspiration for the cockpit of Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon spacecraft in the iconic series of Star Wars movies.  (Digression:  With the exception of Rogue One – the only good film in the series, and even an excellent stand-alone film – Star Wars is emphatically not science fiction, though it heavily relies on the pop-culture tropes of science fiction, such as “space!”, “aliens!”, and “spaceships!”.  It’s really a paper-thin, brightly colored mélange of morally empty “new age” merde indirectly inspired by Joseph Campbell.  Digression herewith ends.)

David Cenciotti, of The Aviationist, discusses this aspect of the cultural history of the B-29 bomber at: “Did you know that the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit was inspired by the WWII B-29 Superfortress bomber?“

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This image, looking forward from the B-29 navigator’s station (as configured in an early production B-29) gives a general impression of what F/O Fields would have seen from his crew position.  The work table with its foldable extension is immediately obvious.  There’s a small window to the left, fabric lining covering the cockpit walls, while the fabric lined dorsal turret – which was surrounded by flames as the crew attempted to escape from 44-70004 – is immediately to the right. 

In terms of the photo’s specifics, it was taken inside B-29A 42-93824 on December 22, 1943, probably (?) at the Boeing factory, given that a hangar door is visible through the window.  On September 13, 1944 the plane, assigned to the Combat Crew Training Squadron of the 234th Base Unit, crashed near Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, while landing after a training mission.  Pilot Captain Jack F. Clark was killed, and his twelve crew members injured.  

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Here’s another view of the B-29 navigator’s station (via the National Air and Space Museum) which, in terms of furnishings and equipment, p r o b a b l y has a vastly closer resemblance to F/O Fields’ station in the Edwards’ crew’s 44-70004 than does the early 42-93824.  This is likely so because this is the interior of the later production B-29 44-86292, better known as the Enola Gay.  While basic components are the same as above, note the presence of the orange-screen cathode ray tube for the plane’s AN/APQ-13 radar indicator.    

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To visually sum things up, this panoramic 360-degree-view, at 360Cities, gives a high resolution, clear view of the B-29’s front crew compartment.  The view can be adjusted to show the escape hatch in the center of the nose compartment, through which – given that the bomber’s nose wheel wouldn’t fully extend – forced the Edwards crew to exit through the bomb bay.      

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Moving from front to rear:  Also from the B-29 Maintenance and Familiarization Manuel, this cutaway shows the interior details of a B-29’s aft compartment, where was situated the tail gun position, occupied by Cpl. Jacobs.  As tail gunner, he had two means of escape from 44-70004:  He could have depressurized his compartment and exited the bomber via the plane’s rear entrance door, or, jumped through the escape hatch created by jettisoning the starboard window at the tail gunner’s position.  

But, the Missing Air Crew Report makes no mention of Cpl. Jacobs.  Physically isolated from the crew, his fate will forever be unknown.  

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This video, from the YouTube channel of SkyJockDS, appropriately entitled B-29 Tail Turret View!, clearly shows the interior of the Commemorative Air Force’s B-29A FiFi (44-62070), with particular attention to the view from the compartment’s side windows.  The emergency exit, through which Cpl. Jacobs (could?) have escaped, appears from 0:36 through 0:39.  The center of attention is the General Railway-manufactured Pedestal Gunsight, images of of the B-29 bombardier’s version of which can be viewed here.  

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So much for the aircraft.  So much for technology.  

And about F/O Fields?

According to the report filed by Major Cedarbaum, he “Jumped through flames; [and was] burned on [his] face”.

The Missing Air Crew Report recounts that his injuries were much more severe; he was, “Seriously injured in action; [with] 2nd or 3rd degree burns”.

But, the true gravity of his injuries is actually revealed – decades later – in a communication by Donald Hetherington to the 39th Bomb Group, in which it was related that the navigator’s injuries were far more grave than indicated in Major Cedarbaum’s report.  As described by Hetherington in the History of the 39th Bomb Group, “Al dove through the emergency hatch with his entire flying suit on fire.  

“Clyde [Anderson] and I were transferred to the destroyer by Bosun Chair and taken to Iwo.  We were evacuated to Guam in about 10 days.  The hospital in Guam kept me to assist in caring for Al and keep his spirits up until he was sent back to the States.  This was about six weeks.

“He would spend about 3 years having plastic surgery to rebuild his nose, ears and damage to his arms and legs.”

But, even the very little that is known is tragically remarkable, for despite the severity of his injuries (it took a half-hour for him to inflate his Mae West, indicative of the degree to which his hands had been injured), F/O Fields had the presence of mind and willpower to endure until rescue by the Navy just before sunset.    

But, Donald Hetherington’s comment about Aldwyn Fields receiving medical treatment until 1948 (!) implies that the two maintained communication for at least a few years after the war’s end.  

Alas, his postwar story will probably remain unknown. 

(Well, that is merely among men.)

Books, References, Websites, and Other Things

Specific Reference Works

Birdsall, Steve, B-29 Superfortress in Action, Squadron / Signal Publications (Aircraft No. 31), Warren, Mi., 1977

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947

Freeman, Roger A., Camouflage & Markings – United States Army Air Force 1937-1945, Ducimus Books Limited, London, England, 1974 (B-29 pp. 145-168)

Lloyd, Alwyn T., B-29 Superfortress in detail & scale, Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, Ca., 1983

Mireles, Anthony J., Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 – Volume 3: August 1944 – December 1945, McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, N.C., 2006

No Specific Author Listed

XXI Bomber Command Combat Crew Manual, A.P.O. 234, May, 1945 (reprint obtained via EBay)

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Second Lieutenant Richard H. Davis – October 18, 1944 [Updated post… “New and improved!”]

[Created a couple of years ago – ! – this post has been updated, with the inclusion of maps, as well as new documents and illustrations.  I also removed the two images of MACR 10140 (covering the loss of Lt. Davis’ B-24), due to the (non-typically) poor quality of the digital (Fold3) versions of these documents, replacing them with a simple list of the names of the plane’s crew members.]

Lieutenant Richard H. Davis, from Belle Harbor, New York, was the subject of several news items during his military service.  Three such items appeared in The Wave (Rockaway Beach) on July 22, 1943, and May 18 and August 24, 1944, and covered his military training and deployment to England. 

On April 12, 1945 the sad news item covering Lt. Davis’ death – during an operational mission over Europe on October 18, 1944 – appeared on The Wave’s front page.  This announcement was accompanied by a photograph of the Lieutenant standing before a B-24 Liberator bomber. 

The article (found and accessed via Thomas M. Tryniski’s fantastic FultonHistory.com website) is presented below.

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Lt. Richard H. Davis Killed In Action

Lieutenant Richard H. Davis, 20-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Davis of 156 Beach 134th Street, who was reported missing October 18, 1944, was killed in action on that date in the European Theatre of Operations, his parents were notified by the War Department last week.

Lieutenant Davis was a navigator on a Liberator B-24 bomber with the 8th Air Force.  He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and was called in February, 1943.  He received his training at Selman Field, Louisiana, and few to England in July, 1944, and attended combat training school in North Ireland.  While there he underwent a period of intensive training in high altitude bombing procedures used in the European Theatre of Operations.

Lieutenant Davis was the holder of the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.

He was a graduate of Public School 114 and of Far Rockaway High School, class of 1942.  Before enlisting in the service, he was active in Boy Scout Troop 112 and in the Beth-El Players Guild, having appeared in “It Can’t Happen Here,” “Out of the Frying Pan,” and “Our Town.”

Before enlisting, Lieutenant Davis was a Government Civil Service employee in Manhattan.

The B-24 serving as the backdrop in the photograph appears, based on the shape of the forward fuselage and bombardier’s window, to have been a modified “D” version Liberator, with a Consolidated A-6 tail turret (installed by the Army Air Corps Oklahoma Modification Center) replacing the conventional D-version bombardier’s “greenhouse”.  Given that such planes were assigned to the 8th Air Force’s 479th Anti-Submarine Group, the image probably was taken after Lt. Davis’ arrival in England, while he and his crew were undergoing additional training in that country.

By way of example…  The images below (Army Air Force Photographs 76491AC / A11896 and 76493AC / A11897, respectively) showing 479th ASG aircrews at Saint Eval, England, in 1943.  The crew in the former image are anonymous, while the caption of the latter image states that the pilot is Lt. Hill.  

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A month after the article in The Wave, on May 12, 1945, The New York Times carried an obituary for Lt. Davis, which included a portrait taken when he was an Aviation Cadet.   

Bombing Plane Navigator Lost in Europe Last Fall

Lieut. Richard H. Davis, navigator of a Liberator bomber and holder of the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, who was reported missing last Oct. 18, was killed on that date in the European theatre, according to word received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Davis of 156 Beach 134th Street, Belle Harbor, Queens.

Lieutenant Davis, who was 20 years old, entered the Army Air Forces in February, 1943.  He was attached to the Eighth Air Force.

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Nearly a year after the mission of October 18, 1944, The Wave – on October 25, 1945 – carried mention of a memorial tribute held in Lt. Davis honor at Temple Beth El, on Friday evening, October 19, 1944. 

Another year – October 20, 1946 – and Lt. Davis’ was mentioned in the “In Memoriam” section of the New York Times obituary page.

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Lt. Davis was and his crew were assigned to the 68th Bomb Squadron of the 44th Bomb Group, otherwise known as the “Flying Eight-Balls”. 

Missing Air Crew Report 10140 covers the loss of Lt. Davis and his crew in B-24H Liberator 42-50381 (WQ * K), piloted by 1 Lt. Julian H. Dayball.  As described in detail in Will Lundy’s 44th Bomb Group Roll of Honor and Casualties, during a mission to chemical works at Leverkusen, Germany, there was apparently a mid-air collision between WQ * K, and B-24H 41-28944 (NB * D, “Flying Ginny“) of the 67th Bomb Squadron, which was piloted by 1 Lt. Michael Bakalo.  This occurred over Belgium in severe weather, while their formation was returning to the 44th’s base at Shipdham, England. 

The planes crashed 1 kilometer from Petegen, near Deinze, in Belgium, the general location indicated by the red oval in the map below.

Of the 21 men aboard the two aircraft there emerged two survivors – waist gunners S/Sgt. George J. Encimer and S/Sgt. Cecil L. Scott – who were both seriously injured after parachuting from Flying Ginny.

Lt. Davis’ crew, none of whom survived, comprised:

1 Lt. Julian H. Dayball – Pilot
High Mill, Mo.

F/O Robert L. Phillips – Co-Pilot
Washington

S/Sgt. Arthur August Steinke – Gunner (Nose Turret)
Snohomish, Wa.

S/Sgt. Ivan W. Fink – Flight Engineer
Juniata, Pa.

Sgt. Edward Paul Sicard – Radio Operator
Turners Falls, Ma.

Sgt. John J. Shea – Gunner (Tail)
Dubuque, Ia.

Sgt. Wilbert L. Couvillion – Gunner (Right Waist)
Baton Rouge, La.

Sgt. Malcolm R. Smith – Gunner (Left Waist)
Washington, D.C.

S/Sgt. Conrad Raymond Bettley, Jr. – Radar Observer
Worcester, Ma.

Richard Davis is buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo. (Section 82, Collective Grave 114-115.)  Other crew members buried at the same site include Lt. Dayball; right waist gunner, Sgt. Couvillion; tail gunner, Sgt. Shea; flight engineer, Sgt. Fink; nose gunner, Sgt. Steinke, and radio operator, Sgt. Sicard.  The image below – from FindAGrave contributor “Remo” (the late Bobby Jean “Remo” Remelius) – shows their collective grave marker.   

Lieutenant Davis was awarded the Air Medal and two Oak Leak Clusters. 

His name never appeared in the postwar publication American Jews in World War Two. 

____________________

Some (some) other Jewish military casualties on Wednesday, October 18, 1944 (1 Cheshvan 5705), include…

Killed in Action
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

United States Army Air Force

Herman, Bernard L., 2 Lt., 0-817213, Co-Pilot, Purple Heart
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin C. and Molly Herman (parents), 7301 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore, Md.
Place of burial unknown
Baltimore Sun 2/6/45
American Jews in World War II – 140

Stern, Jerome J., T/Sgt., 16105797, Radio Operator, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Mrs. Celia Stern (mother), 1656 47th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Place of burial unknown
Casualty List 2/6/45
American Jews in World War II – 455

Lieutenant Herman and T/Sgt. Stern, members of the 67th Bomb Squadron, 44th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, were crewmen on “Flying Ginny”, the loss of which is covered in MACR #15241. 

Witkin, Leonard, 2 Lt., 0-701359, Navigator, Purple Heart, Ten Missions
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 44th Bomb Group, 68th Bomb Squadron
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Sylvia S. Witkin (parents), 2851 Baxter Ave., New York, N.Y. / 980 Simpson St., Bronx, N.Y.
Born 9/2/21
MACR 9654, B-24J 42-50596, “Flak Magnet”, “WQ * O”, Pilot – 1 Lt. Edward C. Lehnhausen, 9 crewmen – no survivors
Wellwood Cemetery, East Farmingdale, N.Y. – Section B, Block 45, Row 6, Grave 7R, Division North
American Jews in World War II – 474

Wasserman, Gerald M., 2 Lt., 0-2060421, Navigator, Purple Heart, Four Missions
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 390th Bomb Group, 568th Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Ruth W. Wasserman (wife), 1020 E. 7th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. Samuel Wasserman (father), c/o Ferber, 732 N. 26th St., Allentown, Pa.
MACR 9484, B-17G 43-38189, “Powerful Katrinka / Bugs Bunny”, “CC * M”, Pilot – 2 Lt. Donald T. Drugan, 9 crewmen – 4 survivors, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3131
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo. – Section 84, Grave 235-239 (Buried 10/16/50)
American Jews in World War II – 465

(See more about the Drugan crew below, specifically pertaining to the account of Lt. Harry W. Love’s survival…)

United States Army (Ground Forces)

Fiegelman, Joseph, PFC, 33603325, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
United States Army, 90th Infantry Division, 358th Infantry Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Dora Fiegleman (parents), Lawrence and Louis (brothers), 520 S. Washington Ave., Scranton, Pa.
Dalton Jewish Cemetery, Dalton, Pa.
American Jews in World War II – 520

Gordon, Oscar, Pvt., 31406940, Purple Heart
United States Army, 85th Infantry Division, 359th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Sarah Gordon (mother), Bridgeport, Ct.
Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy – Plot D, Row 10, Grave 19
American Jews in World War II – 64

Marcus, Herbert, Pvt., 32802905, Purple Heart
United States Army, 35th Infantry Division, 320th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Abraham Marcus (father), 4701 12th Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England – Plot F, Row 7, Grave 102
Casualty List 11/28/44
American Jews in World War II – 387

Canada

Hurwitz, Samuel Moses, Sgt., D/26248, Distinguished Conduct Medal, Military Medal
Canada, Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, Canadian Grenadier Guards, 22nd Armoured Regiment, No. 3 Squadron
Captured 10/18/44; Died of wounds 10/20/44
Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Bella Hurwitz (parents); Archie, David, Esther, George, Harry, Ian, and Max (brothers and sisters), 6093 Park Ave., Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Born Lachine, Quebec, Canada, 1/28/19
Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands – 9,F,1
The Jewish Chronicle 1/12/45, 6/29/45
Canadian Jews in World War II – Volume I – 46, 52
Canadian Jews in World War II – Volume II – 34

Sergeant Hurwitz was the subject of the lengthy story “Some Never Die”, published by the Canadian Grenadier Guards (cover shown below) which was later incorporated into the Sergeant’s biography in Part I of the 1947 publication Canadian Jews in World War II – Decorations.  The image below, of the front cover of Some Never Die, is from Shelly Reuben’s November, 2013 essay “Big Footsteps – Sgt. Samuel Moses Hurwitz“, at patch.com, which was originally published in The Evening Sun of Norwich, New York.  Ms. Reuben’s story includes six other photos of Sergeant Hurwitz as well as members of his family (unfortunately, none of these photos have captions).  Her account, which includes recollections of the Sergeant’s life and last days from veterans who’d served with him in combat, is as detailed as it is deeply felt, for Sergeant Samuel Moses Hurwitz was her uncle: “Uncle Moe”.    

This image of Sergeant Hurwitz, via Operation: PictureMe, is from his FindAGrave biographical profile…

…while this image Sgt. Hurwitz’s matzeva, also at FindAGrave, is from Astrid.  The Hebrew inscription at the base of the stone can be translated as: “Here lies the young man Shmuel Moshe son of Khayim Avraham ha _____ [covered by flower] Hurwitz, may the Lord avenge his blood, from Montreal, Canada, [probably dates, partially obscured by flower].  

Czechoslovakia

Lobel, Alois, Pvt., B/1196 (Died in France, at Dunkirk)
Czechoslovakia, 1st Armoured Brigade
Born Czechoslovakia, Rajec, okres Diein; 5/23/21
La Targette British Cemetery, Neuville-St, Vaast, Pas de Calais, France – M,13
(The above information about Pvt. Lobel was originally obtained via the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces of the Czech Republic website.  I don’t know if this information is still openly accessible.)
Zide v Ceskoslovenskem Vojsku na Zapade (Jews in the Czechoslovak Army in the West) – 246

England

Freedman, Israel, Pvt., 4038716
England, Pioneer Corps
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis and Rachel Freedman (parents), 15 Mayland St., Stepney, London, E1, England
Born 1914
East Ham (Marlow Road) Jewish Cemetery, Essex, England – Block U, Grave 21
The Jewish Chronicle 10/29/44
We Will Remember Them – Volume I – 086

This image of Pvt. Freedman’s matzeva is via Mike Ganly.

Poland

Kolsberg, Mieczyslaw, Cpl., Poland, Mazowieckie, Otwock, Otwock Hospital
9th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Karol Kolsberg (father)
Born 1904
Andriolli Street Cemetery, Otwock, Mazowieckie, Poland
Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Army in World War II – Volume I – 38

Soviet Union

Red Army
U.S.S.R. (C.C.C.Р.) – Red Army [РККА (Рабоче-крестьянская Красная армия)]

Borshchevskiy, Mikhail Borisovich – Junior Lieutenant [Борщевский, Михаил Борисович – Младший Лейтенант]
Machine Gun Platoon Commander [Командир Пулеметного Взвода]
93rd Rifle Division, 266th Rifle Regiment
Born 1924; Kiev, Ukraine
Mother: Olga Romanovna Golotgor
Buried Moravian Banovina, Yugoslavia, 1 km west of Krusevac

Sherman, Aleksandr Abramovich – Junior Lieutenant [Шерман, Александр Абрамович – Младший Лейтенант]
Machine Gun Platoon Commander [Командир Пулеметного Взвода]
9th Guards Mechanized Corps, 30th Guards Mechanized Brigade
Born 1924; Belaya Tserkov, Ukraine
Mother: Anna Sherman
Buried in Hungary, southern outskirts of Beretyesamar

Diskant, Isaac, Pvt. (Died at Silute, Lithuania)
16th Lithuanian Rifle Division
Mr. Moshe Diskant (father)
Born 1922
Road to Victory – Jewish Soldiers of the 16th Lithuanian Division – 293

Gruzd, David, Sgt. (Died at Silute, Lithuania)
16th Lithuanian Rifle Division
Mr. Gutman Gruzd (father), Pvt. Chaim Gruzd (brother)
Born 1915
Road to Victory – Jewish Soldiers of the 16th Lithuanian Division – 294

Shamis, Monia, Lt. (Died at Priekule, Latvia)
16th Lithuanian Rifle Division
Mr. Shmuel Shamis (father)
Born 1912
Road to Victory – Jewish Soldiers of the 16th Lithuanian Division – 304

____________________

Wounded in Action

United States Army (Ground Forces)

Dienstman, Samuel, Pvt., 33778251, Purple Heart (Mediterranean Theater)
(Captured on January 27, 1944, and escaped)
Mr. Raphael and Anne Dienstman (parents); c/o Morris Dienstman, 404 W. Rittenhouse St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Pvt. Benjamin Dienstman and Morris Dienstman (brothers), 1533 Devereaux St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Pa., 1924
The Jewish Exponent 1/12/45
Philadelphia Inquirer 1/7/44
Philadelphia Record 1/7/44, 2/29/44
Philadelphia Bulletin 1/8/45
American Jews in World War Two – 517

Via FultonHistory, here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer’s January, 1944 article about Pvt. Dienstman’s capture and escape from German forces.  Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to identify his military unit.    

Old Newspapers

This photograph of Samuel Dienstman appeared in The Philadelphia Bulletin on January 8, 1945. 

____________________

Prisoners of War

United States Army (Ground Forces)

Nadelman, Jack W., Sgt., 32822644, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
United States Army, 30th Infantry Division, 119th Infantry Regiment
(Also wounded ~ 9/22/44)
POW at Stalag 6G (Bonn)
Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Mary (Feber) Nadelman (parents), 58 E. 1st St., New York, N.Y.
Born N.Y., 1/6/26
Casualty Lists 11/22/44, 4/1/45, 7/6/45
American Jews in World War II – 398

Peters, Abraham, Pvt., 42087543, Purple Heart
United States Army, 30th Infantry Division, 119th Infantry Regiment
POW at Stalag 2B (Hammerstein)
Mrs. Doris F. Peters (wife), 1664 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Casualty Lists 6/6/45, 6/15/45
American Jews in World War II – 405

Strauss, Arthur, PFC, 32648586
United States Army, 1st Infantry Division, 18th Infantry Regiment
POW at Stalag 2B (Hammerstein)
Mrs. Klara Adler (sister), 140 Vermilyea Ave., New York, N.Y.
Casualty List 6/18/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

United States Army Air Force

The date of October 18, 1944 became notable for 2 Lt. Harry Wilson Love (0-777006) of the United States Army Air Force – mentioned above in regard to Lieutenant Gerald Wasserman – in three ways:  It was his 21st birthday, fourth combat mission, and signified his survival under extraordinary circumstances:  

A bombardier, Lt. Love was one of the four survivors of “Powerful Katrinka / Bugs Bunny” / “CC * M”, B-17G Flying Fortress 43-38189, piloted by 2 Lt. Donald T. Drugan.  An aircraft of the 568th Bomb Squadron of the 8th Air Force’s 390th Bomb Group, the plane was struck by flak near Koblenz during the 390th’s mission to Kassel, and, exploding in mid-air, fell to earth in the vicinity of Leutersdorf.  The incident is covered in Luftgaukommando Report KU 3131. 

Born on October 18, 1923, he was the son of Samuel Edgar Wilson and Fannie (Genov) Love of 1717 Parkview Ave. (and 1590 E. 172nd St.?) in the Bronx,

Lt. Love was eventually interned at Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany.  Though his name appeared in a Casualty List released on March 7, 1945, it was absent from the 1947 compilation American Jews in World War II.  He passed away on March 27, 2016.   

This image of Harry, from Ancestry.com (I don’t know if it’s still available there) shows him as an Aviation Cadet, immediately recognizable as such by the two-bladed propeller on his cap.  

From MACR 9484: A/C #189 was hit by flak 6 miles South of Koblenz at 1245 hours.  Hit was between #3 and #4 engines which set his right wing on fire.  No. 4 engine was knocked out.  A/C stayed level for 10 seconds, then made a slow right turn losing altitude, and trailed formation for about ½ mi.es.  A/C then lost right wing, going into flat spin and disintegrating.  One chute was observed, with possibly 4 delayed jumps.

From translated document in Luftgaukommando Report KU 3131:  On 18 oct 1944, 1148 o’clock an American bomber was downed by Flak at Leutersdorf / 9 km northwest of Neuwied (71  PP 3).  Type, factory No., and markings not to be confirmed because craft exploded in an altitude of 3000 m and the fragments are scattered around widely.  Damage 99%.  Crew bailed out and is fugitive.  – (KU 3131).  (Note…  The digital version of KU 3131, accessible via NARA, is incomplete.)

These two Mapple Apps Apple Maps maps show the location of Powerful Katrinka’s loss.  The upper map shows Neuwied in relation to Aachen, Cologne, Koblenz, and Frankfurt am Main…  

…while this map shows Neuwied and Leutersdorf, which lie on the east bank of the Rhine River.  

In 1985, Harry Love’s account of his singular (emphatic understamtent) experience was published in Volume II of the 390th Bomb Group Anthology.  His story follows…

Birthday “Blow Out”
by Harry W. Love
Bombardier, 568th Bomb Squadron

My story begins like so many other bomber crews… at 0400 hours 18 October 1944.

As per schedule, the crews are awakened; the quick wash-up; off to the mess hall for the usual chow-down; back to barracks for completion of dress, storing of personal papers and finally, off to the briefing room.  As rhetoric will have it, this is basically the routine for any bomber crew in the 8th Air Force, flying out of England.

My story, however, departs from the traditional version espoused by so many others on 18 October 1944…  It was my 21st birthday.  My attitude, no different from any other 21 year old; I was happy, had a great crew and festivities were planned for that evening when we returned from the bombing mission.

At the briefing, we received our instructions.  Our mission was to Koblenz, Germany.  (Considerably less difficult or dangerous we thought than Berlin, Regensburg, Augsburg, or so many others.)  During the briefing session, the members of the crew contemplated no unusually heavy problems.  At the completion of the general briefing, the pilots, navigators and bombardiers parted ways for individual briefings.  We then were driven to our assigned aircraft.

The plane we originally had been assigned to was the Silver Meteor.  It was, however, taken out of service for this particular mission because of heavy damage it sustained two days prior, on a mission to Cologne.  Therefore, we were reassigned to a brand new B-17G.  It was a truly magnificent looking craft as we approached it that morning.

Inspection of armament loading procedures (which was my responsibility as Bombardier) was conducted and before too long, it was takeoff time.  Reflecting back I feel a few words are deemed necessary regarding my Pilot, Donald Drugan.  He was a masterful, highly prestigious, military man and competent in all aspects of his assigned field.  Our Co-Pilot, John Mohn, was very astute, tolerant and somewhat more pacific than Donald Drugan.  Our Navigator, Gerald Wasserman, a Brooklyn boy, was very dedicated to his job and an asset to our crew.

Take off was uneventful.  The weather was clear (although dark at the time of departure).  We found our assigned positions at the prescribed altitude.  Not too long thereafter, the British Coast was behind us.

The order to “check your guns, and fire your guns” was given.  The response traditionally heard was, “All guns firing properly and in order.”

We approached the coast of Europe at approximately 0830 hours.  Our target Koblenz was still an hour and a half away.  We encountered no enemy fighters en route, and the flak was light.

The bomb run over the target was considered very successful.  Upon making our turn off the bomb run (after release of bombs), we then headed in a northwesterly direction to meet up with the balance of the Wing which could be seen some 15-20 miles away.  At this time, it was quite apparent that we were some 5 or 6 minutes behind schedule in our rendezvous with the Wing for our trip back to England.  This necessitated our lead crew to change course some degrees further to the north which brought us over a portion of the Ruhr Valley.  On approaching this particular area, some 5 or 10 miles from our rendezvous, we began to pick up massive concentrations of flak fire.  One of the first bursts came within 100 yards of the front of our plane.  This was followed by 5 or 6 more immediately, thereafter, each one closer than the preceding one.  It seemed that we were well tracked down below by the antiaircraft crews.  At this time, I announced to the crew that the bursts were directly in line…  the Pilot, in accord, confirmed my communication.

Some 2 or 3 seconds later, we received a hit in the nose of the plane directly above the chin turret leaving a hole some 15-20 inches in circumference.  I immediately back tracked away from my chin gun position and took up a station to the right (which was the cheek gun).  The cyclonic rush of air that came through was impossible to control.  I recall vividly the Navigator stating over the intercom, “Nobody will know how close the Bombardier came to buying it…  the bursts of flak came through within inches of his right leg.”

The antiaircraft gunners on the ground weren’t finished tracking our plane, for at that instant we received a direct hit in one engine (starboard side) with shocking impact.  Massive vibrations developed and fumes and smoke filled the plane.  The pilot, without hesitation, pulled out of formation, and attempted to put out the flames within that particular engine by sides-lipping the plane.

Upon looking at the right wing, it was obvious that the damage thereto, was extensive.  The entire right wing was oscillating up and down some 20-30 degrees.  On seeing this, I assisted the Navigator Gerald Wasserman in putting on his chest pack.  As Bombardier, I always wore my backpack throughout the entire mission.

I called to the Pilot in the customary technique…  “Bombardier to Pilot, do you have any instructions?”  He replied, “Bombardier, I hear you.”  Looking back at the wing again I could clearly see the oscillation increasing.  The Engineer, Sgt. Parker, dropped down from his position to our station with the Navigator between us.  I instructed the Engineer to open the escape hatch located directly in front of him.  He complied immediately.  I again called to the Pilot asking if there were any further instructions regarding possible bail out.  The Pilot, once again replied, “Bombardier, I hear you,” but no instructions followed.

Looking out at the wing again (which was oscillating even more), it was obvious to me that the wing could not stay on much longer.  At this point, firmly believing the alarm bell and intercom were no longer operating, I directed the Engineer to bail out.  He (Parker) looked up to the Pilot for some expression of guidance…he did not receive any.  He then looked back at me and the Navigator who was directly in front of me.  At this critical point (with little or no time for conversation), a mandated determination had to be directed and carried out.  The Engineer would have to bail out of the plane first, the Navigator second and then myself.  I, in a loud tone (after removing my oxygen mask), ordered the Engineer to bail out… again he hesitated.  I then began to physically push the Navigator in that direction stating, “We have to go, the wing is coming off.”  The Navigator looked at me with quite an acceptable (and understandable) look of doubt, and shook his head.  At that instance, the wing came off!

It is apparent that with one of the wings off of a B-17, it will not fly.  Our plane began to plummet down in a spiraling, leafy fashion to earth.  At this point, I would assume we were in the neighborhood of 20-22,000 feet.  Quite instantaneously, all within the craft were seemingly welded to their specific positions.  I was flung against the starboard cheek gun slamming my neck against it in a rigid fashion, unable to move a muscle due to the powerful centrifugal force exerted during the spiraling effect.  At this moment, I vividly recall thinking of one thing, and one thing only…  “What will Mom say or feel when she hears about me being killed in action?”  There was no question or doubt in my mind that I was to meet “my maker” in a matter of moments.  There was no possible chance for anyone to successfully escape this situation.

Approximately two or three seconds later, there erupted a tremendous, all-encompassing explosive force, I felt my entire body weight being lifted by an unknown force.  I was literally catapulted through the air, head first and out the front plexiglass nose of the aircraft.  The plane had exploded.  The gas tanks (I am assuming), from the other wing or in the body of the craft, had been ignited by the flak we took.  Luckily I did not black out.  I was alert and fully cognizant of the entire situation.  I knew instantly that I was free from the aircraft.  I had the foresight, however, not to pull the rip cord immediately.  As I began to fall to earth, I could clearly see burning debris from our aircraft.  Far to the left, a chute opened; shortly thereafter on my right, another chute; and then a few seconds later, still another chute opened.  This chute (the latter), perhaps opened too soon, and as fate would have it, part of the burning debris struck his chute as it opened.  Which crew member it was, I could not identify.  I held my rip cord with a firm grasp for what seemed to be hours, but I’m sure it was only a second or two before making a move.  I saw clear areas around me.  I then pulled the cord and to my utter surprise, I felt no jerk, as anticipated.  My most prevalent thought at this time was, “The parachute must have been torn from my back when I was blown from the front of the plane.” I looked up and there it was … blossoming beautifully above me.  Perhaps the reason for not feeling the impact of the chute opening, can be attributed to the mental trauma I had so recently experienced, i.e., being blown out of the aircraft.  My thought at this time, “My God, I’m going to be safe.  I’m floating down to earth.”

At this juncture, everything began to go black, or more accurately, red.  I now realized I could not see.  I placed my hands over my eyes, wiped them and realized I did not come away from this situation unscathed completely.  I was bleeding profusely from head wounds received when I was blown through the front plexiglass of the craft.  I also realized that my shoes that were tied to my parachute harness were not there.  They had been snapped, or torn, off when I was blown out of the aircraft.

On descending, I could see a forest area and remembered some of the instructions we received concerning means of generating control over the parachute.  I was able to tug at the harness, thus controlling the direction of the chute so that my landing would be between some very large fir trees.  I landed on a 45-degree slope of a hill.  Not being proficient in parachute landings, I came down extremely hard, striking both legs in a rather awkward position, that later would prove to give me untold pain and discomfort.  The impact of landing so hard and abruptly, caused one of my legs to collapse on the base of my spine.

Reflecting back to military orders and instructions, concealment of the chute after landing was of the utmost concern.  I picked the chute up as quick as I possibly could and dug and scratched a large hole in a leafy area where I buried it under branches, twigs, etc.  I began moving in a westerly direction but soon, thereafter, collapsed.  The injuries I had sustained were not as minor as I initially thought.  Both of my ankles were swollen out of proportion, and the bleeding from my skull wounds were now in a hemorrhaging state.  I took stock of what medications I had and treated myself with sulfur [sulfa] for my scalp wounds and bandaged them the best I could.  I then constructed make-shift crutches and again attempted to move on.  As my arduous journey continued, I further realized I was experiencing pain at the base of my neck.  Later I found that my 2nd Lieutenant bar was bent completely in half.  Something most assuredly had struck it with a great impacting force to have caused it to bend.  The object which had struck the metal bar so precisely, had to have been metal; the 2nd Lieutenant bar undoubtedly saved my life.  I sustained a massive hematoma on my neck where the bar had originally been affixed to my collar.

I placed the time of my landing at 1230 hours.  I continued to move on through the afternoon.  I traveled for several hours in a westerly direction as best I could, and rested part of the night in a thickly wooded area.  I did not know for sure how many of the crew got out, but I had seen two chutes at a distance.  Later I was informed that a fourth airman had in fact gotten out.  There were only four survivors from our B-17G.

The following day, during the early hours after dawn, determined and still limping, I continued to move on.  The wooded area that concealed me began to echo with a terrifying sound; that of track dogs.  The area where I had descended was flooded with civilian and Wehrmacht troops.

I was finally detected and captured by the aforementioned group of people, at approximately 0900 hours on the 19th of October 1944.  I was taken to a town (to the best of my recollection, Oberursel) where my imprisonment began.

Some weeks later, during which time I spent a week of interrogation procedures in Dusseldorf, I had the heartwarming pleasure of seeing three of the enlisted members of my crew.  The Tail Gunner, Conwell, related to me that he was blown out of the tail section.  Raymond Hutt was blown out of the Waist Gunner’s compartment and the Radio Operator, Ledford, was blown out of the top section of the craft’s radio compartment.  I was further informed that the Ball Gunner, Stevens, had not emerged from the ball nor did he have his chest pack on at the time the wing disengaged itself from the aircraft.  Out of a crew of nine, only four survived.

After spending about eight months in prison camps, Stalag Luft 3, Sagan and Moosburg, I was liberated by Patton’s Third Army on 29th April 1945 and returned home in May of that year.

October 18th, Nineteen Hundred Forty-Four, was my day of infamy, it too was my Birthday … my day of Rebirth.

This Is My Story.

Control Tower Log for 18 October 1944 shows one aircraft MIA

0715: All mission a/c off except 325-T – hydraulics out – ship stuck off edge of r/w and field will be u/s (Ed: unserviceable) for landing a/c until at least 1030 – possibly later.

0930: 831-C aborted with #3 feathered, prop run away.  Will circle until 325 is cleared.

1130: 325 off r/w.  Ship 007-M (Lewis) lost a piece of 325 plexiglass nose on t/o.  No damage to 007.

1131: 831 C landed. (Ellis)

1542: All a/c returned except 189-M (Drugan)

J.H. Stafford 1 Lt. S.C.

____________________

On August 9, 2002, Harry spoke about his wartime experiences, and other aspects of life, in an interview available at the New York State Military Museum.  

When Harry passed away on March 27, 2016, he was the last survivor of the crew of Powerful Katrinka / Bugs Bunny.  He is buried at New Montefiore Cemetery in West Babylon, New York.  

____________________

A photograph of Donald Drugan’s crew (contributed by FindAGrave contributor Patootie), taken during training in the United States, is shown below.  The names of the crew members are listed beneath the image. 

Rear (L – R)

Sgt. Jurl Thomas Parker (Flight Engineer – KIA)
Tamaha, Ok.
Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium – Plot D, Row 3, Grave 5

Sgt. Willis T. Ledford (Radio Operator – survived – Died July 3, 1996)
Cleveland, Ga.
Hoschton City Cemetery, Hoschton, Ga.

Sgt. Raymond LaVerne Hutt (Waist Gunner – survived – Died Nov. 19, 2008)
Tecumseh, Ne.
Tecumseh Cemetery, Tecumseh, Ne.

Sgt. Robert Stevens (Ball Turret Gunner – KIA)
Long Beach, Ca.
Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium – Plot A, Row 38, Grave 47

Kaiser (Waist Gunner – did not fly on mission of October 18)

Sgt. Cleon Conwell (Tail Gunner – survived – Died April 6, 2006)
Monticello, In.
Buffalo Cemetery, Buffalo, In.

Front (L – R)

2 Lt. Donald Terrance Drugan (Pilot – KIA)
Portland, Or.
Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium – Plot D, Row 1, Grave 47

2 Lt. Jonathan V. Mohn (Co-Pilot – KIA)
Portland, Or.
Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium – Plot D, Row 5, Grave 30

2 Lt. Gerald M. Wasserman (Navigator- KIA – (See more above…)
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo.

2 Lt. Harry Wilson Love (Bombardier – survived – Died March 27, 2016)
Bronx, N.Y.

____________________

Here are four pages from the Missing Air Crew Report (#9484) for Powerful Katrinka / Bugs Bunny comprising postwar reports about the plane’s loss by Lt. Love and Sgt. Conwell.  Because of the nature of the plane’s loss – a mid-air explosion – there was little that could definitively be said about the five crewmen who were killed.

Here’s Harry Love’s account…

When my chute opened, after I was blown out, I saw 2 other parachutes floating down – actually there were 3 besides my own.

Pieces of the plane were falling all around my chute, truthfully there was nothing left of the plane to speak of. 

The out look for the (5) members of my crew that are still listed as missing, seems very bad.  I would say after 16 months that they were killed when the plane exploded.

If I can be of any further assistance, or any additional information is needed, please let me know.  I’ll comply immediately.

Kindly acknowledge by mail, any thing concerning the members of my crew – or upon receiving these forms.

Sincerely,
Harry W. Love, 2nd Lt.

And here’s Sgt. Conwell’s…

I am sorry to say that there is very little that I can tell to shed light on this mystery, because of my position as tail gunner I depended upon the intercom system to keep in touch with the rest of the crew.  Therefore I could not see anything that happened in the forward part of the plane.

The Bombardier Love & Radioman Ledford came together by chance at the transit camp at Wetzlar Germany.  But could not come to any conclusions about the rest of the men.

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Here’s the “header” page of Luftgaukommando Report KU 3131, which, typical of most such reports compiled by the Germans for American aircraft losses from early 1944 onwards, includes such data as general type of aircraft, location and time of the plane’s loss, information about the crew where known and established (such as surname and given name, rank, serial number, and status – prisoner, wounded, hospitalized, or killed), and the date upon which the document was completed.  It can be seen that KU 3131 covers only the four survivors of Powerful Katrinka / Bugs Bunny.    

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Also from Ancestry.com (don’t know if it’s still available there), here’s a close-up of Harry Love’s POW identification portrait (“mug-shot”, as it were) from his German Prisoner of War “Personalkarte”, which was probably taken within a few days of his capture.  

And, from KU 3131, his dog-tag.  Note that the tag has been stamped with the single letter “P”, which would ostensibly indicate that its bearer was of the Protestant religion.  Though unfortunately I never had the opportunity to interview Harry Love about his experiences, it would have been interesting to have asked him if he ever pondered the implication of being captured by the Germans (let alone other aspects of being a Jewish soldier during WW II).  I think his dog-tag indirectly answers that question, though such an answer brings forth another question: Harry certainly received his tog-tag months before his assignment to his own crew, as well as – in turn – his crew’s assignment to the 8th Air Force, and thus, service in the European Theater of War.  So, did his choice of the abbreviation “P”, well in advance of the knowledge or certainty that he would be assigned to the European Theater of War, suggest a longstanding, unarticulated concern about the implications of being a Jewish prisoner of war?

Though Harry’s dog-tag would not suggest as much, his name still appeared in the National Jewish Welfare Board’s Bureau of War Records card index of American Jewish servicemen, part of the data from which formed the basis of the state-by-state compilation (Volume II) of American Jews in World War II.  For other examples of NJWB Index Cards, see the three such cards filed for Major Milton Joel.

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This image (WW II Army Air Force Photo 3200 / A45511) is captioned, “Lt. Maurice A. Bonomo, Bombardier, 333 W. 86th St., New York City, 18 daylight missions; holds Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters”.  The picture gives an excellent representative view of the the bombardier’s position in a B-17 Flying Fortress (specifically, a B-17G Flying Fortress). 

Lt. Bonomo, viewed as if looking forward from the navigator’s position, is facing the bombardier’s control panel.  Above the control panel can be seen a nose-mounted “flexible” port M-2 Browning 50 Caliber machine gun, with its ammunition feed chute hanging to the right.  (Another flexible M-2 Browning, out of view of the photograph, is mounted within the right side of the nose.)  The remote control for the aircraft’s Bendix chin turret (housing two M-2 Brownings) is visible – in its stowed position – to the right of Lt. Bonomo.  In front of Lt. Bonomo is the bombardier’s plexiglass nose “bubble”, which – despite variations in design among different versions of the B-17 – is so visually characteristic of the Flying Fortress.

Given that Lt. Bonomo is not (!) wearing his oxygen mask, and is directly touching the control panel without (!) gloves (neither of which would be advisable at altitude…) this is almost certainly a “posed” photograph, taken while the B-17 was on the ground.

Though the date of this photograph is unknown, what is known is that Lt. Bonomo, a member of the 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, became a prisoner of war on July 20, 1944, during a mission to Leipzig, Germany.  On that date, he was a member of 1 Lt. Arthur F. Hultin’s crew in B-17G 42-102509, which was lost due to anti-aircraft fire.  Fortunately, all 10 crewmen survived as POWs.  The plane’s loss is covered in MACR 7274 and Luftgaukommando Report KU 2560, the latter document being unusually detailed in its description of the plane.

Maurice (serial number 0-754720), the husband of Janet A. Bonomo, of 333 West 86th Street, in New York, was imprisoned in North Compound 2 of Stalag Luft I, in Barth, Germany. 

His name appeared in Casualty Lists published on December 13, 1944, and (as a liberated POW) on June 15, 1945, and can be found on page 281 of American Jews in World War Two.

References

Books

Blue, Allan, The B-24 Liberator – A Pictorial History, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, N.Y., 1975

Davis, Larry, B-24 Liberator in Action (Aircraft No. 80), Squadron / Signal Publications, Inc., Carrollton, Tx., 1987

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947

Kulka, Erich, Zide Československém Vojsku na Západé, Naše Vojsko, Praha, Czechoslovakia, 1992

Leivers, Dorothy (Editing and Revisions), Road to Victory – Jewish Soldiers of the 16th Lithuanian Division, 1941-1945, Avotaynu, Bergenfield, N.J., 2009

Lundy, Will, 44th Bomb Group Roll of Honor and Casualties, Green Harbor Publications, 1987, 2004

Meirtchak, Benjamin, Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: II – Jewish Military Casualties in September 1939 Campaign – Jewish Military Casualties in The Polish Armed Forces in Exile, World Federation of Jewish Fighters Partisans and Camp Inmates: Association of Jewish War Veterans of the Polish Armies in Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1995

Richard, Wilbert H.; Perry, Richard H.; Robinson, William J., The 390th Bomb Group Anthology – Volume II, 390th Memorial Museum Foundation, Inc., Tuscon, Az., 1985

Canadian Jews in World War II – Part I: Decorations, Canadian Jewish Congress, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1948.

Canadian Jews in World War II – Part II: Casualties, Canadian Jewish Congress, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1948

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: 1 Lt. Norman F. Hirsch (November 26, 1944) – I [Updated post…  “New and Improved!”]

[Created “way back when” – in August of 2018 – this post – focusing on November 26, 1944 – has now been updated, with additional information primarily pertaining to the 8th Air Force’s mission to the Deurag-Neurag oil refinery at Misburg, Germany.  New material comprises the following: 1) Crew lists for 8th Air Force B-24 losses, including airmen’s names, crew positions, serial numbers, home towns of residence, and indications about an airman’s ultimate fate (those who survived are denoted by a boldface surname), 2) Extracts from Luftgaukommando Reports pertaining to the location where an aircraft crashed, 3) Mapple Apps Apple Maps showing the locations of these crash sites, with the crash site denoted by a red oval, and – for reference – the target location at Misburg Nord denoted in blue, 4) For two lost B-24s – THE FIREBIRD and ARK ANGEL – images of pages from relevant Luftgaukommando Reports, from NARA, 5) Also from NARA, a few images of personal documents from B-24 crewmen who were casualties on the mission, 6) A few Army Air Force photographs from Fold3, 7) New images of B-24s Problem Child, and, ARK ANGEL.  Plus, a small amount of commentary.

I’m aware, that in the world of 2021; an age dominated by the civilizationally corrosive oxymoron otherwise known as “social media” (Gee, thanks, Jack!  Golly, thanks, Mark!), this post will appear to be extraordinarily long (hmmm…  most of my posts are that way) but, well, so be it. 

After all, the past is worthy of contemplation, and cannot be captured in a “Tweet”. 

Then again, neither can nor should the present.   

So, back to the post…!]

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There is more to “the news” than mere news. 

Like a Matryoshka doll, the events of every age – whether of “man” in the abstract, or “men” as individuals – contain within themselves tales, within stories, within memories.  Often, stories can be understood only long after they occurred: when participants and witnesses are few, or longer exist. 

Such was the case on the 24th of February in the year 1945, when an obituary for Army Air Force aerial navigator 1 Lt. Norman F. Hirsch, killed in action over Germany on November 26, 1944, appeared in The New York Times. 

As situated within a list of names of wounded servicemen from the New York Metropolitan area and northern New Jersey (the Times’ list having been derived from combined Army and Navy nationwide casualty lists comprising over 4,300 names), the reader could not – then – have known what occurred over Germany three months before: On November 26, during Eighth Air Force mission number 725, over 1,100 B-17s and B-24s, escorted by over 730 P-47s and P-51s, were dispatched to attack rail viaducts, marshaling yards and oil installations in western Germany, the latter target being the Deurag-Nerag Synthetic Oil Refinery, in Misburg, a district of Hannover.  

Targets allocated to the heavy bombers on Mission 725 were as follows:

Altenbeken – Railroad viaduct: 118 B-17s
Bielefeld – Railroad marshalling yard: 36 B-17s
Bielefeld – Railroad viaduct: 240 B-24s
Gutersloh – Railroad marshalling yard: 37 B-17s
Hamm – Railroad marshalling yard: 266 B-17s
Hannover – Railroad marshalling yard: 26 B-24s
Herford – Railroad marshalling yard: 24 B-17s
Misburg – Deurag Industry oil refinery: 243 B-17s and 57 B-24s

…and…

Oosterhout, Netherlands – Leaflet drop: 8 B-17s and 6 B-24s

That day, American bombers were intercepted by approximately 500 Luftwaffe fighters.  The 8th Air Force lost over 30 B-17s and B-24s, and 9 fighters, in turn claiming the destruction of over 130 German aircraft.

While Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs) record the loss of 9 fighters (among the 55th, 78th, 339th, 355th, and 364th Fighter Groups), 1 F-5E reconnaissance Lightning (43-28619, of the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group), and 14 B-17 Flying Fortresses (among the 91st, 303rd, 305th, 351st, 381st, 388th, 390th, 398th, and 487th Bomb Groups), strikingly, the loss of 21 B-24 Liberators occurred only among three Bomb Groups – the 389th “Sky Scorpions” (1 aircraft), 445th (5 aircraft), and 491st “Ringmasters”, which lost 15 Liberators.  Additionally, the 8th AF Historical Society notes the loss – for which there are no MACRs – of an additional three B-24s (among the 445th, 453rd, and 491st Bomb Groups) respectively through crash-landing, crashing, and abandonment by the bomber’s crew over Belgium. 

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The emblem of the Ringmasters, from the US Militaria forum.  The three-banded horizontal green-white-green pattern reflects the 491st’s group markings as displayed on their B-24s’ outer tails and rudders, following the Bomb Group marking system of the 8th Air Force’s 2nd Air Division. 

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This toll of men and planes represented one of the heaviest losses incurred by an Army Air Force Combat Group during the Second World War, with the worst such event – resulting in the loss of 26 Liberators – befalling the 445th Bomb Group during a mission to Kassel, Germany, on September 27, 1944.  (The initial cause of the 445th’s losses of September 27 was an error in radar navigation in the 445th’s lead Liberator, B-24J 42-51541, RN * H, piloted by Captain John H. Chilton, with Major Don W. McCoy as command pilot; neither man survived.)  Another such incident, perhaps less widely known, was the 483rd Bomb Group’s loss of 14 B-17s during a mission to Memmingen, Germany on July 18, 1944, which included seven B-17s of the 816th Bomb Squadron. 

The commonality of these incidents was that they were situations in which the German air defense network was able to detect, recognize, and exploit the absence of American escort fighters, directing its fighters to strike the temporarily undefended American Bombardment Groups, overwhelming the bombers’ combined defensive firepower through a succession of coordinated, tightly concentrated, and close attacks by multiple aircraft.

Thus, the loss of the Ringmaster’s 15 Liberators within the space of fifteen minutes, on November 26, 1944. 

As part of the 8th Air Force’s B-24-equipped 2nd Bombardment Wing, the Ringmasters were sequentially the “last” combat group (preceded by the 389th and 445th Bomb Groups) allocated to bomb the Deurag-Neurag oil refinery. 

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This map gives a sense of the the location of Hannover relative to other cities in northern Germany, as well as the Netherlands, Belgium, and France…  

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…while this map shows the locations of Hannover and Misburg Nord relative to one another.

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Before the Misburg mission.  (Well, long before the Misburg mission.)  This photo – presumably taken by the Royal Air Force – shows the Deurag-Nerag Synthetic Oil Refinery as it appeared in 1942.  The channel running parallel to the bottom of the image is the Stichkanal Misburg.  For the purposes of this post, I’ve digitally “rotated” the photo (you can view the original at Fold3) such that its orientation is consistent with the refinery’s actual geography:  Thus, “up”, or the “top” of your screen, is north, and “down”, or the bottom of your screen, is south.

Caption:  “Synthetic plant at Misburg, Germany with monthly pre-attack capacity of 25,000 tons looked like this in 1942.”  Print received January 1945 from Pub. Sec., AC/AS Intel.  Used in January, 1945 issue of Impact.  (Photo 55774AC – A22022 (1942)

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By the time the Group approached the target, the horizontal distance between the Ringmasters and the two preceding Groups had notably increased, diminishing the potential effectiveness of escort fighter coverage for all three Groups, as well as placing the 491st in a relatively isolated position relative to the remainder of the 2nd Bomb Wing as a whole.

At 1226 hours, the 491st had just turned at the I.P. (the “Initial Point”, an identifiable land mark about 20 miles more of less from a target, from which location a Group’s bomb-run would typically commence); in this case the Lower Saxon town of Wittingen, approximately 46 miles northeast of Hannover.  Just prior to reaching this location, a large number of Luftwaffe fighters – approximately 150 to 200 aircraft – was seen southeast of the 491st’s formation.  As stated in Ringmasters, “They [Luftwaffe fighters] made no move toward the Liberators but were “just playing around in the clouds” as if daring the Mustangs and Thunderbolts to come over and mix it up.  The chance seemed too good to miss and the entire close fighter escort, consisting of 197 P-51s and 48 P-47s, went storming after the Germans, estimated at from 150 to 200 strong.  In a matter of minutes they were fully engaged, leaving the B-24s on their own.  Area coverage fighters, as noted above, had already been diverted to meet an earlier appearance of the enemy.”   

The Group’s Air Commander (and Commanding Officer of the 854th Bomb Squadron) Lt. Col. Parmele – about whom possibly more in a future post – was immediately faced with the decision of whether to: “…uncover his three squadrons in the face of imminent enemy attack or to preserve the Group formation and meet the enemy with a united front.  Realizing that superior bombing results could only be achieved by uncovering, he unhesitatingly ordered this maneuver.”  The 491st thus commenced its bomb run.  Then, a mishap occurred in the lead B-24 of the “low” – 854th – Bomb Squadron (Lt. Haney’s plane, #735, 6X * Z –): Within the already crowded nose of the plane, the nose gunner accidentally tripped the bomb toggle switch, which caused the B-24 to release its bombs.  The rest of the 854th Bomb Squadron immediately followed suit, that entire squadron’s bomb load falling into open fields 15 miles from Misburg. 

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After “a” Misburg mission.  (But which mission?!)  Dated as having been received on October 6, 1944 from the BPR (Bureau of Public Relations?) this reconnaissance photo shows the level of destruction incurred from aerial bombardment.  While damage is readily apparent across the facility, particularly among the storage tanks, it seems that other parts of the plant are still relatively intact.  Also, note the degree to which bombs have impacted on nearby farmland.  

Akin to the previous image, this image has been rotated to conform to geographic north.  As such, the very long southwest to northeast oriented shadows, particularly those projecting from infrastructure near the Stichkanal, suggest that the image was taken very late in the afternoon.  Well, an afternoon.       

Caption: “HITLER’S OIL PLANT AT MISBURG HIT HARD – Gutted installations and burned out storage tanks set the stage at the German synthetic oil plant at Misburg, near Hannover, after U.S. Army 8th Air Force heavy bombers had attacked it several times in the past few months.  It was last attacked on 12 September 1944.”  Negative received 10/6/44 from BPR, to accompany Press Release: “HITLER’S OIL PLANT AT MISBURG  (Photo +54123AC – A22017)

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The image below, from Ringmasters, is captioned “The COs – Golf, Miller, Parmele”, but doesn’t specify “who” commanded “what”.  While I can’t identify “Golf” and am uncertain of “Miller’s” identity (could he be Group CO Colonel Frederic H. Miller, Jr.?), “Parmele” is definitely Lt. Col. Charles C. Parmele of the the 854th.  (In 2007, Edward Kamarainen, one of the six survivors of 853rd Bomb Squadron’s DORTY TREEK, wrote and published (via lulu.com) This Is War and We Are Prisoners of the Enemy, in which he states that the commander of the 853rd was Lt. Col. Harry Stephy.)

The German air defense network recognized the status and disposition of the 2nd Bomb Wing’s three trailing B-24 Groups, particularly the sudden vulnerability of the 491st.  Thus, flak stopped, a prelude to attack by Luftwaffe fighters.  As noted by Sal Leotta, Dead-Reckoning navigator in Lt. Haney’s crew (in a description and tone consistent with the above quote pertaining to the Group’s fighter escort), “After passing the Dummer Lake area we received many reports of enemy fighters.  The mission continued until about 20 minutes before the IP when a large force of enemy fighters was sighted.  Our fighter escort peeled off to intercept and stave off any attack on the bombers.  I recall the subsequent air battle drifting off in the distance.  Looking back later, it became obvious that this engagement was a ruse to strip us of our fighter escort.” 

The impression arising from these accounts is that the 491st was – in effect and reality – left on its own, the escort fighters having been drawn away off in the pursuit and attack of nearby concentrations of Luftwaffe interceptors.  Doubtless events could genuinely and sincerely have been perceived as such by the crews of the Ringmasters.  (This comes across in Edwin Kamarainen‘s book.)  However, it could be ventured that – given the sheer number of aircraft (American (732) and German) operating in a geographically limited airspace; the near-inevitable fluidity and complexity of aerial combat; the simple unpredictability inherent to any military engagement – a difference in perspective and priority vis-a-vis bomber crews and fighter pilots might well have been, and be, sadly inevitable.  So…  If you’re interested in more information about the 8th Air Force fighter engagements of November 26, 1944, you can find 38 combat reports for this mission (and 790 reports for other dates) at WW II Aircraft Performance.

In any event…  As described in the Group’s mission report, “At 1240 hours approximately 100 E/A attacked the formation just south of Hannover.  The attack was made by FW 190s in line astern formation mostly from 6 o’clock high and pressing attack to within 100 yards — Peeling off and coming in again from any angle — This attack lasted until 12:55 hrs.  The squadrons were in trail when the attack started and the last squadron [853rd] was attacked first — Then the middle [854th] and finally the lead [855th] — The attack on the lead squadron was not intense and no A/C were lost from the squadron.”  Again, Sal Leotta: “In what appeared to be seconds, the sky filled with enemy fighters and the high squadron (853rd BS) was literally blown out of the skies.  Without a pause, we (854th BS) were the next target.  They came at us about 10 to 20 abreast firing their cannons.  During the attack I felt useless with no gun to fire.  All I could do was to call out the positions of incoming bandits.  In retrospect, I am amazed at the intensity, speed and success of the attack.  It may have felt like an eternity but it actually was very swift, a matter of a few minutes.  It happened so quickly that there was not time to pray or be frightened.”

In an indirect and sad way, the nature of the tactic employed by Jagdgeschwader 301 against the 491st is verified by a review of Missing Air Crew Reports for Ringmaster B-24 losses that day:  These documents reveal that a slight preponderance (well, in a general sense) of aircrew casualties occurred among those airmen whose crew positions were situated in the rear of their aircraft – tail, waist, and ball turret gunners, while those situated in the front – pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and flight engineers – seem to have had a somewhat better chance of survival.  Of the 16 491st B-24s that were lost, there were no survivors on three planes (Problem Child, ARK ANGEL, and Blue Circle) while in the B-24s piloted by Lieutenants Ecklund (853rd) and Lanning (854th), all crewmen but one survived the mission.  In no case did a shot-down Ringmaster crew survive intact, though all crew members in two of the five 445th Bomb Group’s losses (both of the 703rd Bomb Squadron) survived the mission.  

The bombers were attacked by Jagdgeschwader 301, a Luftwaffe fighter wing based at Stendal (110 miles east of Hannover), at the time equipped with FW-190A-8 and A-9 fighters.  After the Wing’s three Gruppen downed 15 Ringmaster and then 5 445th B-24s (389th Bomb Group B-24J 44-10579 Pugnacious Princess Pat was shot down by flak), P-51s of the 2nd Scouting Force, followed by P-51s of the 339th, 355th, and 361st Fighter Groups, responding to radio calls, came to the defense of the Liberators, pilots of the three Fighter Groups respectively claiming 28, 21, and 23 enemy planes, these 72 aerial victories comprising FW-190s from JG 301, and, fighters from other Luftwaffe fighter wings.

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Combat in real time:  This image, probably captured by a B-24’s automatic downward-facing camera, has photographically “captured” an FW-190 flying over Hannover.  Paralleling the two above images of the Deurag-Nerag Synthetic Oil Refinery, I’ve photoshopifically “rotated” this image such that geographic north is “up” towards the top of your screen.  This orientation was determined by comparing the layout of streets and other features in the photo (the original image at Fold3 has a typical horizontal format) to Apple Map views of Hannover.

The FW-190, flying south-southeast, is situated almost exactly halfway between the two puffy clouds in the left half of the image.  

Caption: “A Nazi FW-190 wings over the Misburg area as U.S. 8th Air Force heavies, high overhead drop their lethal load on the oil refinery there 26 Nov 44.”  Passed for publication 22 December 1944.  Negative received 12/29/44 from BPR.  (Photo 55593AC – A22019)

This’ll make it easier to see the FW-190:  It’s a cropped view of the above photo, with the FW-190 in the very center of the image.  Nothing on camouflage and markings, but hey, it’s an interesting and relevant picture.  

So, where exactly is – more accurately, where was – the plane in relation to Hannover?  This 2021 view reveals that the plane’s location – shown by the red circle – was directly over what appears to be the Stadtfriedhof (State Cemetery) Lindener Burg… 

…as shown in the map below.

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The diagram below, from Ringmasters, illustrates the arrangement of the 491st’s formation as if viewed from above, with each aircraft identified by the pilot’s surname, the last three digits of its serial number, and its individual squadron code letter.  (Edward Kamarainen noted that one 853rd Liberator – #341 (T8 * – W) – turned back because of radio failure.)  Red boxes indicate aircraft shot down, with 1 Lt. Harold E. Lanning’s plane (blue box: Reluctant Dragon, 6X * I –, probably 42-95610) surviving the attack.  Mortally damaged and with one waist gunner (S/Sgt. Lee A. Taylor) dead, its nine survivors safely parachuted near Brussels.  Note that the lead (855th) squadron survived the mission intact.

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Lieutenant Hirsch was the navigator of an aircraft ironically named THE FIREBIRD (B-24J 42-110167; a camouflaged plane with squadron code T8 * – O), piloted by 1 Lt. Daniel C. Budd.  There were two survivors from the plane’s crew of ten: right waist gunner S/Sgt. Frank Verbosky and left waist gunner S/Sgt. Thaddeus C. Jarosz, for whom postwar Casualty Questionnaires are conspicuously absent from the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR 10768) covering their plane’s loss. 

Perhaps there was little for them to say. 

Crash location as listed Luftgaukommando Report KU 3452:
Bredenbeck near Bennigsen; 20 km northwest of Hildesheim.

Budd, Daniel C., 1 Lt. – (0-797459), Falls Church, Va. – Pilot
Oury, Noel A., 2 Lt. – (0-1998532), Richmond, Va. – Co-Pilot
Hirsch, Norman F., 1 Lt. – (0-709375), Brooklyn, N.Y. – Navigator
Walker, Floyd A., Jr., 2 Lt. – (0-2058592), Des Moines, Ia. – Navigator (Nose)
Phelps, William F., 1 Lt. – (0-706899), New London County, Ct. – Bombardier
Brock, Vernon R., T/Sgt. – (36458670), Albion, Mi. – Flight Engineer
Bemis, Elmer H., T/Sgt. – (31261913), Marlboro, Ma. – Radio Operator
Verbovsky, Frank, S/Sgt. – (32911685), North Bergen, N.J. – Gunner (Right Waist) (Survived)
Jarosz, Thaddeus C., S/Sgt. – (31362327), Laurence, Ma. – Gunner (Left Waist) (Survived)
Crane, Thomas R., S/Sgt. – (32757283), Salem, N.J. – Gunner (Tail)

As reported in the Luftgaukommando Report, the bomber crashed 20 kilometers northwest of the town of Hildehseim, at “Bradenback near Bemimgsen”.  (The correct spellings should be “Bredenbeck” and “Bennigsen”.)  Curiously, MACR 10768 lists aircraft as being assigned to the 853rd BS, as does “Ringmasters”, but B-24BestWeb designates plane as belonging to the 852nd BS.  (Perhaps the plane was assigned to 853rd BS prior to the mission of November 26.)

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Here are pages from Luftgaukommando Report KU 3452.  The degree of destruction of the plane is indicated by the near-complete absence of technical information about the wreckage, with the exception of one entry about radio equipment.  Apparently, there was very little left.    

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Lt. Hirsch, serial 0-709375, received the Air Medal and Purple Heart, and is buried in Section 24 of Arlington National Cemetery, in a collective burial with Lt. Budd, co-pilot 2 Lt. Noel A. Oury, flight engineer T/Sgt. Vernon R. Brock, and radio operator T/Sgt. Elmer H. Bemis.  They presumably had flown all their prior missions together, as mentioned in Ringmasters by 853rd Squadron bombardier Vince Cahill:  “It was a quiet hut that night.  Pilots Budd and Orley, Navigator Hirsh [sic] and Bombardier “Shorty” were gone.  I wondered if we would ever be lucky enough to complete our 35 missions.  This was Budd’s crew’s 26th mission, four more to go for 30 and a complete tour.” 

This photo of the mens’ collective grave is by FindAGrave contributor John Evans.

This photograph of THE FIREBIRD’s nose art is from B-24 Best Web…

…while this image is from the 491st Bomb Group website, now available through Archive.org’s “Wayback Machine”.

…and this image, taken on May 13, 1944, is from the Flickr photostream of the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

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Lt. Hirsch’s obituary, as published in The New York Times on February 24 (and in the Brooklyn Eagle on February 21, 1945), follows:

Killed While in Action In Battle of Germany

First Lieut. Norman F. Hirsch of the Army Air Forces was killed in action over Germany on Nov. 26, the War Department informed his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Reuben [and Esther] Hirsch of 416 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn, on Jan. 26, it was announced yesterday.  Twenty-three years old, Lieutenant Hirsch held the Air Medal, was a Liberator navigator with the Eighth Army Air Force in England and had flown thirty-five missions.

Born in Elizabeth, N.J., Lieutenant Hirsch attended Brooklyn College and City College and was a senior in the latter institution when he enlisted in 1942.  He began his air training in 1943 and received his wings in 1944.

His father is a lawyer.  Besides his parents, he leaves a brother, Second Lieut. William J. Hirsch of the Fifteenth Army Air Force in Italy.

The New York Times 2/24/45 (obituary), Casualty List 3/14/45
Brooklyn Eagle 2/21/45 (obituary), 5/16/46, 5/17/46, 6/6/46, 6/10/46
American Jews in World War II – 345

Here’s a contemporary view of 416 Ocean Parkway, from Jeff Reuben’s Flickr photostream.

Over a year later, the Brooklyn Eagle would carry two brief news items mentioning Lt. Hirsch, both mentioning a Jewish War Veterans Post named in his honor, which met at Congregation Ahavath Israel and Talmud Torah of East Midwood, at 2818 Avenue K in Brooklyn.    

May 16, 1946

Three years ago a certain Brooklyn College student left behind classroom and books to enlist in the army and did not return.  Tonight one of his former instructors, Prof. Louis A. Warsoff, will speak at an open meeting to be held by the Jewish War Veterans post named for the student, Norman F. Hirsch.  Professor Warsoff will speak on “The World of Tomorrow” at the session of the Lt. Norman F. Hirsch Post, Congregation Ahavath Israel, 2818 Avenue K.

June 6, 1946

Annual memorial services will be held at 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Congregation Ahavath Israel, 2818 Avenue K.  Participating will be members of Flatlands Post, American Legion, and Lt. Norman F. Hirsch Post, Jewish War Veterans.

This Flickr image, by Matthew X. Kiernan, is a 2012 view of the schul, now the home of Young Israel of Avenue K.

Some other Jewish military casualties on Sunday, November 26, 1944 (10 Kislev 5705), include…

Killed in Action
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

United States Army Air Force

8th Air Force

445th Bomb Group, 701st Bomb Squadron

Bailey, Herbert Edward, 2 Lt., 0-712477, Navigator, Air Medal, Purple Heart
Mr. and Mrs. Meyer E. [7/22/97-10/10/65] and Marion T. [1902-2/12/60] Bailey (parents), Alan P. Bailey (brother), 100 Laurel Road, New Haven, 13, Ct.
Born Hartford, N.Y., 6/17/23
MACR 10754, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3366, Aircraft B-24H 42-94940 (The Green Hornet), Pilot 2 Lt. William K. Boykin, 9 crew – 3 survivors
Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium – Plot D, Row 24, Grave 21
American Jews in World War II – 61

Statement in MACR: “Ship #940 was jumped by fighters after bombs away and started going down.  Four (4) chutes were observed.  Plane was not on fire and seemed under control.”

Crash location:
In MACR: 15 miles southeast of Hannover
In Luftgaukommando Report: Sorsun, 10 km southwest of Hildesheim

Boykin, William L., Jr., 2 Lt. – (0-772784), Philadelphia, Pa. – Pilot
Tubergen, Gary V., Jr., 2 Lt. – (0-821812), Plymouth, Mi. – Co-Pilot
Bailey, Herbert E., 2 Lt. – (0-712477), New Haven, Ct. – Navigator
Price, Junius C., T/Sgt. – (34644499), Florence, S.C. – Flight Engineer (Survived)
Welch, Donald N., T/Sgt. – (35549094), Lima, Oh. – Radio Operator (Survived)
Gutowsky, Joe A., S/Sgt. – (36262079), Racine, Wi. – Gunner (Nose)
McFadden, Walter C., S/Sgt. – (33679986), Grove City, Pa. – Gunner (Waist) (Survived)
Crespolini, Americo A., S/Sgt. – (33609563), Old Forge, Pa. – Gunner (Waist)
Craig, Otis D., S/Sgt. – (32956491), Wilmington, De. – Gunner (Tail)

____________________

This is an image of Herbert Bailey before he became “Lieutenant” Bailey: It’s his graduation portrait from the Milford, Connecticut, (junior?) high school class yearbook of 1939, via Ancestry.com. 

Here’s Lt. Bailey’s Officer’s Identification Card.  Note that the card is designed to be twice folded, enabling it to fit inside a wallet. 

While certainly hardly every Luftgaukommando Report includes this type of document, in terms of the materials that can be found in these Reports, Officer’s Identification Cards tend to be among the more common items.  Note that information is limited to name, serial number, date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye color, and a set of fingerprints, and the card’s serial number – the latter not identical to the officer’s military serial number.  No information is present concerning next of kin or place-of-residence.

Herbert Bailey’s Army and Navy Officer’s Club (of Beverly Hills, California) dated March 25, 1944.  

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____________________

And, a newspaper clipping, undated.  Crumpled and torn, but still intact.      

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T/Sgt. Junius C. Price was one of the three survivors of The Green Hornet.  This is his Individual Issue Record of flying equipment, which appears to have been assigned to him on May 27, 1944.  Some of these items are described and illustrated in Gordon Rottman’s 1993 book (published by Osprey) US Army Air Force: 1.

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Sgt. Price’s Merit Award, dated May 20, 1944.

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And, his Class “A” Pass from Biggs Field, Texas, dated June 30 of that year.    

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Levy, Robert D., 2 Lt., 0-825915, Co-Pilot
Mrs. Gertrude Levy (mother), 4917 B Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
MACR 11214, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3386, Aircraft B-24J 42-50467, Pilot 1 Lt. John D. Barringer, 9 crew – no survivors
Possibly from Hamilton County, Tennessee
Nashville National Cemetery, South Madison, Tn. – Section MM, Graves 64-64A-65; Buried 4/24/50
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Statement in MACR: “Ship #467 was jumped by fighters and two (2) chutes were seen coming out of the plane.  This ship was under control at the time.”

Crash location:
In MACR: 15 miles southeast of Hannover
In Luftgaukommando Report: “Hammerswald” (probably Hämelerwald) near Peine / 6 km east of Lehrte

Barringer, John D., Jr., 1 Lt. – (0-763904), Nashville, Tn. – Pilot
Levy, Robert D., 2 Lt. – (0-825915), Philadelphia, Pa. – Co-Pilot
Juliano, Paul J., F/O – (T-126230), Niagara Falls, N.Y. – Navigator
Brunswig, Norman F., 2 Lt. – (0-722691), Rock Island, Il. – Bombardier
Black, Joseph F., S/Sgt. – (39414426), Fort Smith, Ar. – Flight Engineer
Sullivan, Eugene J., S/Sgt. – (11069588), North Cambridge, Ma. – Radio Operator
Lyons, Roland C., Jr., Sgt. – (33543987), Portsmouth, Va. – Gunner (Waist)
Personette, Eldon R., Sgt. – (37568985), Minneapolis, Mn. – Gunner (Waist)
Vance, William J., Jr., Sgt. – (34778642), Asheville, N.C. – Gunner (Tail)

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491st Bomb Group, 853rd Bomb Squadron

Negrin, Carl, Sgt., 32823090, Right Waist Gunner, Purple Heart
MACR 10762, Aircraft B-24H 41-28884 (T8 * – X / Problem Child), Pilot 2 Lt. John P. Hite, 9 crew – no survivors
Born 7/17/24, Rochester, N.Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Joseph [1895-?] and Esther [12/4/97-10/63] Negrin (parents)
Mrs. Sarah M. Lindenfeld (sister), 509 Hegeman Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. Michael Negrin (brother) [5/5/34-12/22/00]
Labety and Zacharia Negrin (half-brothers)
Place of Burial unknown
American Jews in World War II – 398

Aircraft crash location unknown.

Hite, John P., 2 Lt. – (0-448833), Christiansburg, Va. – Pilot
Volden, Morris J., 2 Lt. – (0-689416), Cottonwood, Mn. – Co-Pilot
O’Brien, Thomas R., 2 Lt. – (0-2062692), Maspeth, N.Y. – Navigator
Sutton, Bill H., Jr., 2 Lt. – (0-780446), Little Rock, Ak. – Bombardier
Tykarsky, Edward B., Sgt. – (13108280), West Alliquippa, Pa. – Flight Engineer
Weible, Kenneth F., Sgt. – (37356037), Chappell, Ne. – Radio Operator
Negrin, Carl, Sgt. – (32823090), Brooklyn, N.Y. – Gunner (Right Waist)
Marko, Andrew, Sgt. – (31409763), Bridgeport, Ct. – Gunner (Left Waist)
Wagers, Harold R., Sgt. – (35872381), College Corner, Oh. – Gunner (Tail)

Two in-flight views of Problem Child (images UPL 17514 and UPL 17515, respectively) from the McCool collection, via the American Air Museum in England…

…and the nose art of Problem Child, from the FindAGrave biography of S/Sgt. Harold R. Wagers, contributed by Jap Veermeer.

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Starr, Irving B., S/Sgt., 32995257, Nose Gunner, Air Medal, Purple Heart
MACR 10764, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3385, Aircraft B-24J 44-40073 (T8 * –  B / ARK ANGEL), Pilot 1 Lt. David N. Bennett, Jr.; 9 crew – no survivors
Mrs. Dora E. Starr (mother), 54 Lott Ave., Brooklyn, 12, N.Y.
Place of Burial unknown
American Jews in World War II – 453

Statement in MACR: “Aircraft came up from High Squadron and joined Lead Squadron after attack by enemy aircraft.  Martin turret was missing and there was large hole in right wing.  Last seen at 1258 hrs losing altitude.  No chutes were seen.”

Crash location:
In Luftgaukommando Report:
1) 3 km south of Oerrie
2) 15 km northwest of Hildesheim
Or, Between Jeinsen and Oerie, 5 km west of Sarstedt

Bennett, David N., Jr., 1 Lt. – (0-686214), Norwood, N.C. – Pilot
Blount, Jessie F., 2 Lt. – (0-710548), Gainesville, Tx. – Co-Pilot
Engel, George B., 2 Lt. – (0-723332), Pittsburgh, Pa. – Navigator
Warford, Norman G., T/Sgt. – (35703424), Frankfort, Ky. – Flight Engineer
Patrick, Peter, Jr., T/Sgt. – (33741746), East Point, Ky. – Radio Operator
Starr, Irving B., S/Sgt. – (32995257), Brooklyn, N.Y. – Gunner (Nose)
Hixson, Charles E., S/Sgt. – (34505462), Cleveland, Tn. – Gunner (Right Waist)
McKee, Raymond O., S/Sgt. – (38199681), East Baton Rouge, La. – Gunner (Left Waist)
Stovall, Henry P., S/Sgt. – (35869219), Beckley, W.V. – Gunner (Tail)

____________________

Here’s Luftgaukommano Report KU 3385.  It closely parallels that for THE FIREBIRD, in that virtually nothing remained of ARK ANGEL for evaluation and salvage.  

____________________

____________________

__________

1 Lt. David N. Bennett, Jr. and his crew, in an image from Ringmasters.  The crewmen are unidentified, but Lt. Bennett, co-pilot Lt. Jessie Blount, navigator Lt. George Engel, and flight engineer T/Sgt. Norman Warford, are probably standing at rear.  (The crew did not fly with a bombardier during the Misburg mission.)  This B-24 bears nose-art inspired by an Albert Vargas pin-up from Esquire.

__________

The Ark Angel, as depicted by artist Mark Rolfe, in Robert F. Dorr’s B-24 Liberator Units of the Eighth Air Force…

A color image of ARK ANGEL (via the American Air Museum in England) taken in the summer of 1944…


__________

The nose art of ARK ANGEL, from Ringmasters…

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An in-flight view of ARK ANGEL, also from the 491st Bomb Group website, now accessible via Archive.org’s “Wayback Machine”.  (On this aircraft, oddly, the 491st Bomb Group identification letter – a white “Z” within a black circle, atop the outer right wing – has been painted in reverse.)

__________

The story of the ARK ANGEL presents a mystery…

As is typical for MACRs covering aircraft lost in the European and Mediterranean Theatres of War (those for aircraft and airmen known to have been accounted for and identified by German investigators, which entailed the compilation of Luftgaukommando Reports), ARK ANGEL’s MACR (10764) includes the English-language translation of the above-illustrated Luftgaukommando Report (KU 3385).  This includes documentation for every airman determined or believed to have been aboard the plane.

As such (see above) KU 3385 lists the names of:

Blount, Jessie F., 2 Lt.
Engel, George B., 2 Lt.
Warford, Norman G., T/Sgt.
Patrick, Peter, Jr., T/Sgt.
Starr, Irving B., S/Sgt.
McKee, Raymond O., S/Sgt.

While the names of…

Bennett, David N., Jr., 1 Lt.
Hixson, Charles E., S/Sgt.
Stovall, Henry P., S/Sgt.

…are absent. 

But, one of the “Report of Capture of Member of Enemy Air Forces” forms in KU 3385 lists the name and serial number of a member of the United States Woman’s Army Corps: Her name: Ida Rosenfield, serial A-202639.

Here’s a translation of the above document, from MACR 10764.  

However!…  A check of all relevant historical databases reveals that while an Ida Rosenfield definitely existed and served in the Army (she was born in New York in 1924, and enlisted at Caspar, Wyoming in 1943), she probably never left the continental United States to begin with.

According to records at Ancestry.com, she seems (?) to have been the daughter of Fred and Elizabeth (Di Pillo) Rosenfield (and sister of Estelle, Leon, Nathaniel, Pearl, and Theresa), who owned a store at 2875 Butler Ave., in the Bronx.   

Who was Ida Rosenfield?  How did German investigators discover her name?  Was she the girlfriend or fiancée of a member of ARK ANGEL’s crew – perhaps S/Sgt. Starr, as he was from Brooklyn?  Might he have carried her dog-tag as a sign of friendship, affection, or much more?  I don’t know.  The answer has assuredly been lost to time.  

______________________________

Steinman, Elmer, S/Sgt., 32775794, Tail Gunner, Air Medal, 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart, 32 missions
MACR 10763, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3390, Aircraft B-24H 41-29464 (The Unlimited), Pilot 1 Lt. Charles W. Stevens, 9 crew – 5 survivors
Born 6/7/22, Bayonne, N.J.
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham / Abram (Yudel) [8/8/86-11/8/62] and Anna / “Annie” (Kronitz) [11/18/86-2/28/79] Steinman (parents), 18 Linden Ave., Bayonne, N.J.
Edith and Meyer (brother and sister)
Mount Moriah Cemetery, Fairview, N.J. – Section D03, Section D; Buried 5/29/49
American Jews in World War II – 256

Crash location in Luftgaukommando Report:
1) Hannover / near Huepede
2) 3 km southwest of Pattensen

Stevens, Charles W., Jr., 1 Lt. – (0-811461), Charlotte, N.C. – Pilot (Survived)
Thornburg, Brice E., 1 Lt. – (0-813609), Davidson, N.C. – Co-Pilot (Survived)
McCarty, David W., 1 Lt. – (0-702065), New York, N.Y. – Navigator (Survived)
Boyer, Joseph L., T/Sgt. – (37261239), Mullen, Ne. – Flight Engineer
Dechaine, Joseph P., T/Sgt. – (31215932), Waterville, Me. – Radio Operator (Survived)
Ryan, Troy L., S/Sgt. – (34622806), Balwyn, Ms. – Gunner (Nose)
Shepherd, Elmore W., S/Sgt. – (32755264), Virgilina, Va. – Gunner (Right Waist)
McJimsey, John D., Jr., S/Sgt. – (38387667), Bethany, La. – Gunner (Left Waist) (Survived)
Steinman, Elmer, S/Sgt. – (32775794), Bayonne, N.J. – Gunner (Tail)

Infantry

Brodsky, Milton, Cpl., 32707024, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart
United States Army, 821st Tank Destroyer Battalion, B Company
Born 1916
Mrs. Norma Brodsky (wife), 495 Vermont St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Holland – Plot C, Row 6, Grave 12
Casualty List 4/3/45
American Jews in World War II – 284

____________________

Feldblum, Charles V., Pvt., 31373724, Purple Heart (Germany)
United States Army, 104th Infantry Division, 414th Infantry Regiment, C Company
Born April 14, 1925
Mr. Harry J. Feldblum (father), #9 Pleasant St., Hillsboro, N.H.
Beth Jacob Cemetery, Concord, N.H.
American Jews in World War II – 224

A photo by FindAGrave contributor bhd, of Pvt. Goldblum’s matzeva, at Beth Jacob Cemetery…

____________________

Gollender, Warren, Pvt., 19132367, Purple Heart (Germany)
United States Army
Mr. and Mrs. Albert and Rae Gollender (parents), Morton (brother), 63-109 Saunders St., Forest Hills, N.Y.
Mount Ararat Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y. – Section 25, Range I, Lot 22 (?); Buried 11/23/47
Casualty List 2/17/45
The New York Times (Obituary Section) 11/22/47
American Jews in World War II – 329

Greenblatt, Morris, PFC, 39715208, Purple Heart
United States Army, 35th Infantry Division, 134th Infantry Regiment
Born August 29, 1925
Mrs. Annie Greenblatt (mother), 1467 Canfield Ave., Los Angeles, Ca.
Beth Olam Cemetery of Hollywood, Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles, Ca. – Section 14, Row J, Grave 41
Casualty List 2/14/45
American Jews in World War II – 45

Lewis, Leonard Sidney, PFC, 35927001, Purple Heart (France)
United States Army
Born 1919
Mr. and Mrs. Hyman and Sarah Lewis (parents), 290 Parkwood Drive, NE, Cleveland, Oh.
Martin, Sam, Mrs. Lillian L. Jacober, Mrs. Dorothy Rothman, Mrs. Adele Bass, and Mrs. Shirley Friedlander (brothers and sisters)
Mount Olive Cemetery, Cleveland, Oh.
Cleveland Press & Plain Dealer, 1/7/45, 1/8/45, 9/10/48
American Jews in World War II – 493

Merrill, Edwin J., T/4, 35608805, Radio Operator, Purple Heart
United States Army
DNB (“…as a result of injuries incurred in a vehicle accident.”)
Born April 11, 1924
Mr. Ralph Merrill (father), 1368 W. 64th St., Cleveland, Oh.
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. – Section 12, Grave 5906
Cleveland Press 1/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 495

______________________________

Sadowsky, Louis M. (Ari bar Moshe Yakov), Pvt., 33847832, Purple Heart (Germany)
United States Army, 5th Armored Division, 47th Armored Infantry Battalion
Born 6/20/14
Mrs. Marian Sadowsky (wife), 249 Atwood St., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Beth Abraham Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Matzeva unveiled 9/18/49
Casualty List 3/11/45
Jewish Criterion 9/7/45
American Jewish Outlook 9/9/49, 9/16/49
American Jews in World War II – 548

A photo by FindAGrave contributor Bill Bodkin, of Pvt. Sadowsky’s matzeva, at Beth Abraham Cemetery…

______________________________

Weiler, Arthur, 1 Lt., 0-1054299, Purple Heart
United States Army, 1st Infantry Division, 18th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Caroline H. Weiler (wife), 1506 West 4th St., Wilmington, De.
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Henri-Chapelle, Belgium – Plot H, Row 6, Grave 49
Jewish Criterion 2/14/45
American Jews in World War II – 74

______________________________

England

Sonenthal, Alfred, WO, 1814140, Wireless Operator
England, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 131 Operational Training Unit
Aircraft: Catalina IVA (PBY-5A) JX252, Pilot Sgt. John Rew, 9 crew – no survivors
As described at Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives, “The crew was scheduled to land on the Lough Erne but due to a visibility reduced by foggy conditions, he misjudged Lake Navar with the Lough Erne.  On approach, the seaplane hit a mountain and disintegrated.  All nine crew members were killed.”  (Data from BAAA.)
Crashed near Ely Lodge, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland (For additional information, see JoeLoughlin.com)

Crew: (All Royal Air Force)
Sgt. John Rew
F/Sgt. Noel George Edward Ladbrook
Sgt. Bernard Alfred Rosentreter
Sgt. Alfred Sonenthal
W/O Reginald William Shallis
Sgt. David Henry Pidgeon
Sgt. Kenneth Percy West
Sgt. Edmond Thomas Crow
Sgt. James Pringle
Mrs. H. Sonenthal (mother), 37 Garden Road, Dunstable, Beds., England
Enfield (Adath Yisroel) Cemetery, Middlesex, England – Section D, Row 1, Grave 30
The Jewish Chronicle 12/1/44
We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945 – 228

In 2006, a memorial for the crew was visited by Joyce Hotson, fiancée of W/O Shallis, as reported in The Mirror (London).  “CLOSURE: 62 YEARS LATER; EXCLUSIVE Joyce finally gets to grieve WWII airman who crashed on Ulster”  (May 31, 2006)

A photo by FindAGrave contributor DerealJolo, of W/O Sonenthal’s matzeva, at Enfield Cemetery…

______________________________

France

Hertz, Andre (AC-21P-48961) (France, Haut-Rhin, Riesen)
France, Armée de Terre, 152eme Regiment d’Infanterie
Born 1/19/12
Benfeld, Bas-Rhin, France

Mochet, Marcel Louis, Soldat (AC 21 P 93870), Croix de Guerre (France, Territoire de Belfort, Bretagne / Montreaux-Chateau)
France, 21eme Regiment d’Infanterie Coloniale
Born France, Haute-Marne, Charmoy; 6/8/21
“On November 26, 1944, during a reconnaissance patrol on Montreux-Chateau, he was the first to search for a passage.  He crossed a region flooded with water up to his belt.  _____ on the opposite bank, where the enemy was not revealed, he went with a comrade to the first houses of the locality.  He fell gloriously, avoiding by his sacrifice that his group would be caught in an ambush.”
[Le 26 novembre 1944, lors d’une patrouille de reconnaissance sur Montreux-Chateau, s’est mis le premier à l’eau pour rechercher un passage.  A traversé une région inondée avec de l’eau jusqu’à la ceinture.  Parve-un sur la rive opposée où l’ennemi ne se dévoilait pas, s’est porté avec un camarade aux premières maisons de la localité.  Est tombé glorieusement, évitant par son sacrifice que son groupe ne soit pris dans une embuscade.]
Livre d’Or et de Sang – Les Juifs au Combat: Citations 1939-1945 de Bir-Hakeim au Rhin et Danube – 169
 Information also at Memorial Gen Web

Mosseri, Nessim Lionel (AC 21 P 102408) (France, Haut-Rhin, Masevaux)
France , 1ere Groupe de C.D.O.S Legers de France
Born Sannen, Switzerland, 8/31/21

Slomsky, Armand, Second-Maitre, CC8 62 K 12505, Char (Fusilier), Croix de Guerre
France, Régiment Blindé de Fusiliers Marins
Born Moselle, France, 11/15/14
“Disappeared after having commanded his tank; burnt by the enemy’s fire to the last extremity.”
[Disparu aprés avoir commandé jusqu’à la derniére extrémité son char mis en flammes par le feu d l’ennemi.]
Livre d’Or et de Sang – Les Juifs au Combat: Citations 1939-1945 de Bir-Hakeim au Rhin et Danube – 169
Information also at Memorial Gen Web, and, 2ème Division Blindée de Leclerc

______________________________

Soviet Union

Red Army
РККА (Рабоче-крестьянская Красная армия)

Amelkin, Ilya Samoylovich – Lieutenant [Амелькин, Илья Самойлович – Лейтенант]
Infantry (Company Commander)
337th Rifle Division, 1127th Rifle Regiment
Died of wounds
Born 1919, in Saint Petersburg (Leningrad)
Mr. Solomon Mikhaylovich Amelkin (father)
Buried Arad, Rumania

Abramovich, Pavel Fedorovich – Guards Senior Lieutenant [Абрамович, Павел Федорович – Гвардии Старший Лейтенант]
Infantry (Rifle Company Commander)
Lightly wounded in action 6/14/42 (Southern Front, 353rd Rifle Division, 1145th Rifle Regiment)
Killed in action 11/26/44 (4th Guards Army, 41st Guards Rifle Division, 124th Guards Rifle Regiment)
Born 1921, in Dnepopetrovsk
Mrs. Mariya Moiseevna Abramovich (wife)
Buried Lanchok, Hungary

Dumay, Isay Borisovich – Junior Lieutenant [Думай, Исай Борисович – Младший Лейтенант]
Infantry (Mortar Platoon Commander)
113th Rifle Division, 1290th Rifle Regiment, Headquarters
Died of wounds
Born 1925, in Pervomansk, Odessa Oblast
Mrs. Esfir Izrailovna Dumay (wife)
Buried in Yugoslavia (Osevskaya region, Batinsky district)

Grishpun, Shaul Moiseevich – Guards Senior Lieutenant [Гришпун, Шаул Моисеевич – Гвардии Старший Лейтенант]
Infantry (Rifle Platoon Commander)
Wounded 8/25/41 (Southern Front)
Killed in action 11/26/44 (3rd Ukrainian Front, 20th Guards Rifle Division, 6th Autonomous Army Penal Company)
Born 1907, in Mogilev-Podolsk
Mrs. Anna Adolfovna Grinshpun (wife)
Buried in Hungary

Menster, Matvey Efimovich – Guards Lieutenant [Менстер, Матвей Ефимович – Гвардии Лейтенант]
Infantry (Platoon Commander)
228th Rifle Division, 767th Rifle Regiment
Died of wounds at Evacuation Hospital 3332
Born 1918
Mrs. P.P. Menster (wife)
Buried Lithuania (Kaunas district, Upper Shantsy, military cemetery, Grave No. 24A)

Morchik, Ruvik Davidovich – Senior Lieutenant [Морчик, Рувик Давыдович – Старший Лейтенант]
Infantry (Platoon Commander)
43rd Engineer-Sapper Brigade
Killed in action / Died of wounds
Born 1915, in Moscow
Relative – Ekaterina Mikhaylovna Derevyankina
Buried Hungary

Military Air Forces
VVS [Военно-воздушные cилы России – ВВС]

Kleyman (Клейман), Mordko Volfovich (Мордко Вольфович), Technician-Lieutenant [Техник-Лейтенант]
13th Air Army, 203rd Autonomous Corrective Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment [203 ОКРАП [Отдельный Корректировочно-Разведывательный Авиационный Полк]]
Two other crewmen – also killed – were…
Pilot: Lieutenant Vasiliy Pavlovich Kuznetsov (Лейтенант Василий Павлович Кузнецов)
Pilot-Observer: Junior Lieutenant Viktor Vasilevich Sovenko (Младшии Лейтенант Виктор Васильевич Совенко)
Aircraft lost (in accident?) in vicinity of Kirimäe, Estonia
Year and Place of Birth: 1920; city of Odessa
Mr. Volf Mordko Kleyman (father), Vostochnaya Street, city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Place of Burial: Estonia

This document is a “List of Irrecoverable Losses” for the 13th Air Army, dated 10 December 1944.  Mordko Kleyman’s crew are listed as #4 (Kuznetsov), #5 (Kleyman), and #6 (Sovenko)…

Prisoners of War

United States Army Air Force

Aschendorf, Irving, F/O, T-127406, Navigator, Air Medal, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, 12 missions
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 390th Bomb Group, 568th Bomb Squadron
MACR 11209, Luftgaukommando Reports KU 1160A and KU 3474, Aircraft B-17G 44-6491 (BI * Y / I’ll Be Around), Pilot 2 Lt. Gilbert A. Meyer, 10 crew – all survived
Prisoner of war at Stalag Luft I (Barth, Germany), North Compound 3
Mrs. Joan E. Aschendorf (wife), 1916 Robinson Ave. (or) 1818 Kendall St., Apt. E, Portsmouth, Oh.
Mrs. Francis (Marder) Aschendorf (mother), 1938 Green St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Casualty List (Liberated POW) 6/11/45
The Story of the 390th Bombardment Group (H) – 448
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Some years ago, Mr. Aschendorf kindly shared with me memories of his experiences as a navigator and prisoner of war, as well as documents and photographs.  Some of the latter are shown below…

Irving Aschendorf’s crew, during training in the United States.  The plane is probably B-17G 42-102462, a Flying Fortress assigned throughout the war to various Army Air Force Base Units, which never left the continental United States and finally passed on to Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, in December of 1945. 

Unfortunately, the image does not carry any names (albeit Irving is designated by the “x”), but the men, based on the crew list in MACR 11209 (the plane was lost with a crew of 9, as opposed to the ten men in the photo!), probably were:

Front (L-R)

2 Lt. Gilbert A. Meyer, Pilot
2 Lt. Alfred W. Burkhart, Co-Pilot
2 Lt. Dan W. Finlayson, Bombardier

Rear (L-R)

S/Sgt. Dale T. Westell, Radio Operator
S/Sgt. John L. Bartram, Flight Engineer
Sgt. Raymond W. Maul, Gunner (Ball Turret)
Sgt. Richard W. Kuerten, Gunner (Tail)
Sgt. Aaron E. Mickelson, Gunner (Waist)

__________

Irving.  The chalked “6364” might represent a crew number. 

__________

From KU 3474, here’s the document’s header sheet, listing seven of I’ll be Around’s ten crew members.  

Here’s the English-language translation of KU 3474’s “Report on Captured Aircraft”, covering equipment in I’ll Be Around.  While the data in this report is typical of technical information about American aircraft appearing in Luftgaukommando Reports, some Luftgaukommando Reports are very perfunctory in this regard, while others are vastly more detailed.

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This is the English-language translation of the Luftgaukommando Report (KU 1160A) listing Irving’s possessions at the time of his capture.  Note that the information stamped on Irving’s dog-tag (serial number, and symbols for blood-type and religion) has also been recorded.

Here’s the original document, with Irving’s dog-tag still attached.

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Irving’s German Prisoner of War Kriegsgefangenenkartel – Prisoner of War [information] card.  Though the card has numerous data entry fields, information in this example is relatively limited.  Significantly, however, it includes two images of Irving (front and profile) taken shortly after his capture – with his German POW number (“6375”) – and thumbprint.

__________

A front photo…

__________

…and an (almost) side photo.  It looks as if Irving has a half-smile: Humor?  Defiance?  Irony?    

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Kuptsow, Aaron, 2 Lt., 0-710276, Radar Navigator, Air Medal
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 398th Bomb Group, 600th Bomb Squadron
MACR 11146, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3375, Aircraft B-17G 42-97740 (“N8 * Q”), Pilot Capt. Gene L. Douglas, 10 crew – all survived
Solitary confinement at Oberursel between 11/28 and 12/24/44.  “To this day [2000], I don’t know if the length of my stay in solitary was because he [interrogator] really wanted that information [about frequency of H2X radar navigation system] or if it was because I was Jewish.”
POW at Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany
Born 1922
Mrs. Anita L. Kuptsow (wife)
Mr. David Kuptsow (father), 3000 S. Sydenham St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Jewish Exponent 3/23/45
Philadelphia Record 3/9/45
Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Record 3/12/45, 6/1/45
American Jews in World War II – 534

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Here the crew list in the header sheet for Luftgaukommando Report KU 3375.  

____________________

And, something odd.  A map of Lager Nürnberg Buchenbühl [Nuremberg Buchenbühl Camp] (prison camp?), which somehow became part of KU 3375.  Buildings outlined in dark blue are correlated to the map key “geschäftszimmer” – translating as “business room”.  How, and why, this map was incorporated into KU 3375 (it certainly wasn’t carried aboard N8 * Q!) is a matter of conjecture.    

____________________

But, though the following paper may be surprising, there is no surprise as to why it’s found in KU 3385:  This paper, text almost entirely in Yiddish, is a protective amulet or talisman which was carried by Lt. Kuptsow … perhaps on all his missions?

The “rear” of the paper (the “bottom” sheet, below) bears Aaron’s Hebrew name: אהרן בן דוד בן יהודת, which phonetically is pronounced “Aharon ben Dovid ben Yehúdes”, translating as “Aaron, son of David [his father] son of Yehuda“, Yehuda having been Aaron’s grandfather.

As to the front of the paper (the “top” sheet, above) which bears text arranged in boxes?  An explanation follows, care of scholar and translator Avi Gold:  

The contents are described in the following manner:

1. Above the large rectangle
2. Under the large rectangle
3. Three compartments on the right (a, b, c) with vertical writing
4. Three compartments on the left (a, b, c), also with vertical writing.
5. Three middle compartments (a, b, c) (with horizontal writing)
6. The one remaining thin compartment on the bottom with horizontal writing)

Hebrew Transcription

1. שמירה ; עזרי מעם ד’ עושה שמים וארץ
2. מהרב הצדיק המקובל ר’ משה טייטלבוים אב”ד אוהעל זצוק”ל ע”י נכדו הרה”צ ר’ משה ליפשיץ שליט”א
3a. ד’ ישמר צאתך ובואך
3b. ויעמד פנחס ויפלל ותעצר המגיפה
3c. ושם בת אשר שרח
4a. ד’ ישמרך מכל רע
4b. אבינו מלכנו מנע מגפה מנחלתך
4c. אימא דאברהם אמתלאי בת כרנבו
5a. בזה השער לא יבא צער, בזה הדלת לא יבא בהלת, בזה הפתח לא יבא רצח
5b. רבש”ע כשם שפסחת על בתי בני ישראל במצרים ולא נתת המשחית לבא אל בתיהם, כן תעצור המגפה מעלינו ומעל כל בני ישראל אמן.
5c. דא האט מען שוין געפאקט, געמוזעלט און געשרלכט
6. וישב אהרן אל משה אל פתח אהל מועד ומגפה נעצרה

English Translation

1. Protection (underlined); [under that word] My help is from God, Creator of Heaven and Earth

2. From the Righteous Mystical Rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Teitelboim, [otherwise known as the Yismach Moshe] Chief Judge of the Rabbinical Court of the town of Oyhel by his grandson, the Righteous Rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Lifshitz, Shlita [abbreviation meaning “May he live a long and good life, Amen”]  [Thus, the talisman was presumably transcribed from a talisman authored by Rabbi Teitelboim, the original talisman dating to some time within the late 18th and early 19th centuries.]

3a. May God protect your going out and your coming in

3b. And Phineas stood and prayed, and the plague stopped [a verse from Psalms which refers to an event in the Torah, in the Book of Numbers, where Phineas is credited with stopping a plague which afflicted the Israelites in the desert]

3c. And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah [Serah, the daughter of Asher, appears in some midrashim as the female parallel to Elijah, and according to midrashic tradition she lived a very long life indeed: She was a young girl when Jacob and his family went down to Egypt, and she was an elderly woman when the Exodus took place centuries later!  Several midrashim say that she was the one who helped Moses find the tomb of Joseph, because she remembered where his sarcophagus had been placed centuries earlier!]

4a. May God protect you from all evil

4b. O our Father, O our King, prevent plague from afflicting Your Land

4c. The mother of Abraham, Amtelai, daughter of Karnevo

5a. Through this gate, no sorrow will enter, through this door no terror will enter, through this entrance no murder will come.  [In Hebrew, the three lines are meant to rhyme.]

5b. Master of the Universe, just as You protected the homes of the Israelites in Egypt and did not allow the destroyer to enter their homes, so too may the plague cease to afflict us and all of Bne Yisrael, Amen!

5c. Here one had already caught / packed (This is Yiddish, rather than Hebrew) 

6. And Aaron returned to Moses to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and (the) plague ceased

According to Avi, “Interestingly enough, this protective amulet/talisman speaks of protection against a plague, and causing the plague to cease, and it even has a Pesach connection.”

Avi’s final comment, from early 2021:

May we all see better days soon, and may the plague of authoritarian politicians as well as the plague of the Chinese virus both cease soon!

P.S. Thanks very much, Avi!

____________________

The experiences of Aaron Kuptsow – who was among the Jewish POWs segregated at Stalag Luft I in early 1945 – are recounted in detail at:

Stalag Luft I (“World War II – Prisoners of War – Stalag Luft I ) – A collection of stories, photos, art and information on Stalag Luft I”) incldues Aaron’s story, in his own words.

You can read Robert W. Martin’s interview of Aaron Kuptsow at the website of Clyde D. Willis, radio operator / gunner in the 451st Bomb Squadron, 322nd Bomb Group, 9th Air Force.  (Clyde Willis was shot down and captured during the disastrous mission of the 450th and 452nd Bomb Squadrons to Ijmuiden, Holland, on May 17, 1943; he was one of the 26 survivors of that mission.)

It’s interesting none of these accounts make mention of the presence of this document, particularly in light speculation about the motivation for his month-long solitary confinement before being released to Stalag Luft I.

The Library of Congress Veterans History project’s biographical profile of Aaron Kuptsow includes a half-hour duration audio interview.

Men who were Aaron’s barrack-mates after the segregation of the Jewish POWs at Stalag Luft I were:

Bauman, Mort (2 Lt. Morton Bauman, Bombardier; 506th Bomb Squadron, 44th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force)

Edgar, Richard (2 Lt. Richard Edgar, Navigator; 861st Bomb Squadron, 493rd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force)

Davis, “Bwana” (2 Lt. David Davis, Navigator; 725th Bomb Squadron, 451st Bomb Group, 15th Air Force)

Eskenazi, “Esky” (1 Lt. Jack Eskenazi, Bombardier; 553rd Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force)

Finklestein, “Fink” (1 Lt. Frederick G. Finkelstein, Co-Pilot; 331st Bomb Squadron, 94th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force)

Galfunt, “Hap” (2 Lt. Abraham Galfunt, Co-Pilot; 861st Bomb Squadron, 493rd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force)

Kattef, Max (2 Lt. Maxwell Samuel Kateff, Navigator; 863rd Bomb Squadron, 493rd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force)

Labowitz, Jack (2 Lt. Jack Oscar Labovitz, Pilot; 743rd Bomb Squadron, 455th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force)

Oppenheimer, “Oppy” (2 Lt. Alfred Martin Oppenheimer, Bombardier; 578th Bomb Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force)

Rubin, Melvin (2 Lt. Melvin Rubin, Co-Pilot; 824th Bomb Squadron, 485th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force)

Safer, Henry (1 Lt. Henry Safer, Bombardier; 429th Bomb Squadron, 2nd Bomb Group, 15th Air Force)

Scheer, Harold (2 Lt. Harold Scheer, Navigator; 359th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force)

Stovroff, “Russian” (2 Lt. Irwin Joseph Stovroff, Bombardier; 506th Bomb Squadron, 44th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force)

______________________________

8th Air Force, 491st Bomb Group, 853rd Bomb Squadron

Pollak, Harry Hamilton, T/Sgt., 12093803, Radio Operator, Air Medal, 5 Oak Leaf Clusters
MACR 10767, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3368, Aircraft B-24J 42-51530 (Idiot’s Delight), Pilot Capt. Wayne E. Stewart, 10 crew – 5 survivors
Crashed at Annaturm-Deister, 5 kilometers north of Springe
Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft IV (Gross-Tychow, Germany)
Born New York, March 21, 1921;
Mr. Sigmond Pollak (father), 278 Ackerman Ave., Clifton, N.J.
Casualty List (Liberated POW) 6/7/45
Harry Pollak, who served in the States Department as an authority on international labor affairs, died on September, 27, 1980.  His obituary can be found at the Washington Post. 
American Jews in World War II – 249

Crash location in Luftgaukommando Report:
1) Annaturm
2) Deister, 5 km north of Springe

Stewart, Wayne E., Capt. – (0-811152), Meadow, Ut. – Pilot
Spady, Frank A., Jr., 1 Lt. – (0-815007), Chuckatuck, Va. – Co-Pilot (Survived)
Johnson, Woodrow G., 1 Lt. – (0-702443), Iron River, Mi. – Navigator
Reese, William L., 1 Lt. – (0-703016), Garfield Heights, Oh. – Navigator (Nose)
Valachovic, George A., 1 Lt. – (0-886529), Johnstown, N.Y. – Bombardier (Survived)
Anderson, Laverne G., T/Sgt. – (17154654), Littlefield, Ma. – Flight Engineer
Pollack, Harry H., T/Sgt. – (12093803), Clifton, N.J. – Radio Operator (Survived)
Corona, George H., S/Sgt. – (39122650), San Francisco, Ca. – Gunner (Right Waist)
Mosley, Henry K., Jr., S/Sgt. – (15140725), Arcade, N.Y. – Gunner (Left Waist) (Survived)
Reichenau, Walter W., S/Sgt. – (38366475), Fredericksburg, Tx. – Gunner (Tail) (Survived)

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Rosenfield, Samuel Stanley, S/Sgt., 12075010, Right Waist Gunner, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
MACR 10761, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3362, Aircraft B-24J 44-10534, Pilot 1 Lt. Charles J. Ecklund, 9 crew – 8 survivors
Crashed at Rieste, District of Bersenbrueck
Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft IV (Gross-Tychow, Germany) and Stalag Luft I (Barth, Germany) (North Compound 3)
Mr. Frank M. Rosenfield (father), 2067 Mapes Ave., Bronx, N.Y.
Casualty List (Liberated POW) 6/6/45
American Jews in World War II – 419

Crash location in Luftgaukommando Report: Rieste, County of Bersenbrueck


Ecklund, Charles J., 1 Lt. – (0-772320), Harveyville, Ks. – Pilot (Survived)
Strohl, Marvin E., 2 Lt. – (0-720957), Detroit, Mi. – Co-Pilot (Survived)
Vosiepka, George K., 2 Lt. – (0-2056649), Omaha, Ne. – Navigator (Survived)
Simms, Horace R., Jr., 2 Lt. – (0-773343), Oakland, Ca. – Bombardier (Survived)
Guerry, Edward C., T/Sgt. – (39281104), Imperial, Ca. – Flight Engineer (Survived)
Heib, John N., T/Sgt. – (39203497), Seattle, Wa. – Radio Operator
Rosenfield, Samuel S., S/Sgt. – (12075010), New York, N.Y. – Gunner (Right Waist) (Survived)
Johns, Burton A., S/Sgt. – (39290817), Los Angeles, Ca. – Gunner (Left Waist) (Survived)
Cole, Dennis C., S/Sgt. – (16115245), Westby, Wi. – Gunner (Tail) (Survived)

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445th Bomb Group, 703rd Bomb Squadron

Spiegel, Harvey, 2 Lt., 0-834053, Co-Pilot
MACR 11217, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3387, Aircraft B-24J 42-50756 (RN * J), Pilot 2 Lt. Dance W. Snow, 9 crew – all survived
Crashed at Fischbeck / Weser (1 kilometer north of Fischbeck, 6 kilometers northwest of Rinteln)
Prisoner of war at Stalag Luft I (Barth, Germany), North Compound 3
Born April 7, 1924
Mrs. Janice Spiegel (wife), 1739 Dahill Road, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Casualty List (Liberated POW) 6/20/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Statement in MACR: “No information has been received about ship # 756.  The four (4) ships flying nearby all failed to return.”

Crash location:
In MACR: 15 miles southeast of Hannover
In Luftgaukommando Report: Fischbeck, 6 km northwest of Rinteln

Snow, Dance W., 2 Lt. – (0-690264), Silver City, N.M. – Pilot (Survived)
Spiegel, Harvey, 2 Lt. – (0-834053), Brooklyn, N.Y. – Co-Pilot (Survived)
Hudson, Robert F., 2 Lt. – (0-2056798), Rochester, N.Y. – Bombardier / Navigator (Survived)
Barbieri, Joseph W., Jr., T/Sgt. – (32781916), Jamaica, N.Y. – Flight Engineer (Survived)
McKim, Ernest M., T/Sgt. – (32905189), Glen Cove, N.Y. – Radio Operator (Survived)
Valore, Biaggio F., Sgt. – (35924434), Cleveland, Oh. – Gunner (Nose) (Survived)
Maronski, Stanley J., Sgt. – (42029120), Angola, N.Y. – Gunner (Waist) (Survived)
Rogers, J.B., S/Sgt. – (38346476), Wheeler, Tx. – Gunner (Waist) (Survived)
Jordan, Robert, Sgt. – (42101534), Upper Montclair, N.J. – Gunner (Tail) (Survived)

From Luftgaukommando Report KU 3387, here’s co-pilot Harvey Spiegel’s wallet-size Identification Card, issued almost three months before the Misburg mission…  

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…and, his New York state driver’s license. 

United States Army

Cromnick, Harry, S/Sgt., 32167040
United States Army, 44th Infantry Division, 71st Infantry Regiment
Prisoner of War at Stalag 3B (Furstenberg, Germany)
Mr. Hyman Cromnick (father), Alex (brother), 120 West 54th St., Bayonne, N.J.
Casualty List (List of Liberated POWs) 6/4/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Goldsmith, Clifford H., Pvt., 42050862
United States Army, 34th Infantry Division, 168th Infantry Regiment
Prisoner of War at Stalag 7A (Moosburg, Germany)
Mr. Fred Singer (brother-in-law), 680 West 204th St., New York, N.Y.
Casualty List 4/1/45; List of Liberated POWs 6/21/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Greenberg, Sam, Pvt., 33699813
United States Army, 34th Infantry Division, 168th Infantry Regiment
Prisoner of War at Stalag 7A (Moosburg, Germany); German POW # 142238
Mrs. Geraldine R. Greenberg (wife), 43 South Remington Road, Columbus, Oh.
Mr. Paul Greenberg (father), 2328 Sherbrook St., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Employee of Frank and Seder’s Department Store
List of Liberated POWs 6/5/45
Pittsburgh Press 3/21/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Ratner, Alvin J., T/5, 32702618
United States Army, 44th Infantry Division, 71st Infantry Regiment
Prisoner of War at Stalag 12A (Limburg an der Lahn, Germany)
Mrs. Sarah Ratner (mother), 85-37 91st St., Woodhaven (Brooklyn?), N.Y.
Lists of Liberated POWs 6/10/45, 6/14/45
Casualty List 4/19/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Wounded

Canada

Gilboord, Norman, Gunner, B/18743
Canada, Royal Canadian Artillery
310 Roxton Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Canadian Jews in World War II – Part II: Casualties – 98

United States

Etkin, Morris S., Cpl., 33173559, Purple Heart (France)
United States Army
Wounded
Born 1914
Mrs. Gussie R. Etkin (wife), 513 Reed St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Jewish Exponent 3/9/45
Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Record 2/28/45
American Jews in World War II – 519

Kaiser, Arthur, Pvt., 32000743, Purple Heart (France)
United States Army
Wounded
Born 1913
Mrs. Fannie Kaiser (mother), 307 Fox Hill Place, Exeter, Pa.
Mrs. Esther Burmil (sister), 207 Fox Hill Place, Pittston, Pa.
Originally from New York, N.Y.; Worked at Lee Manufacturing Company, West Pittston, Pa.
Wilkes-Barre Record 1/11/45
American Jews in World War II – 530

Another incident…

Witness to the loss of two B-17s

Tolochko, Joseph S., 2 Lt., 0-820102, Bomber Pilot, Air Medal, 6 Oak Leaf Clusters, 35 missions
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 398th Bomb Group, 600th Bomb Squadron
Born in Pennsylvania
Mr. and Mrs. M. Leon and Bess Tolochko (parents), Dorothy and Jacob (sister and brother), 5840 Phillips Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Jewish Criterion (Pittsburgh) 2/9/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

On 11/26/44, witness to loss of two B-17s:

1) B-17G 43-37846 (“N8 * T”, “Phony Express”), Pilot 1 Lt. Kermit R. Pope, 10 crew – all survived ; MACR 11144, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3371

An image of the wreck of Phony Express (near Velswijk, in the Eastern Netherlands) via the American Air Museum in England, taken by the grandfather of American Air Museum Contributor Fer Radstake… The appearance of the bedraggled wreck (sans engines and armament, with a multitude of holes in the airframe) suggests that the plane had received ample attention from souvenir hunters.

2) B-17G 42-97740 (“N8 * Q”), Pilot Capt. Gene L. Douglas, 10 crew – all survived; MACR 11146, Luftgaukommando Report KU 3375

On 11/30/44, witness to loss of another B-17:

Aircraft 43-38463 (“N8 * X”), Pilot 1 Lt. Roger J. Weum, 10 crew – 7 survivors; MACR 11145

The February 9, 1945 issue of Pittsburgh’s Jewish Criterion, which – as was typical through the war – presented in every issue news about Jewish servicemen from Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.


A news item about Lieutenant Tolochko, whose name never appeared in American Jews in World War II.

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to Avi Gold, for Hebrew and Yiddish scholarship and translation!

References

Books

Abelow, Samuel P., History of Brooklyn Jewry, Scheba Publishing Company, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1937

Caldwell, Don, and Muller, Richard, Luftwaffe Over Germany: Defense of the Reich, Frontline Books, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, 2014

Carter, Kit C., and Mueller, Robert, Combat Chronology – U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, 1941-1945, Center for Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1991

Chiche, F., Livre d’Or et de Sang – Les Juifs au Combat: Citations 1939-1945 de Bir-Hakeim au Rhin et Danube, Edition Brith Israel, Tunis, Tunisie, 1946

Dorr, Robert F., B-24 Liberator Units of the Eighth Air Force (Osprey Combat Aircraft 15), (Mark Rolfe, Illustrator), Osprey Publishing, Inc., 1999

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom – Compiled by the Bureau of War Records of the National Jewish Welfare Board, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947

Forman, Wallace F., B-24 Nose Art Name Directory, Specialty Press Publishers and Wholesalers, North Branch, Mn., 1996

Freeman, Roger A., The Mighty Eighth – A History of the U.S. 8th Army Air Force, Doubleday and Company, Inc., New York,. N.Y., 1970

Freeman, Roger A., and Osborne, David, The B-17 Flying Fortress Story: Design – Production – History, Arms & Armour Press, London, England, 1998

Kamarainen, Edwin, This Is War and We Are Prisoners of the Enemy, lulu.com, June 5, 2007

Morris, Henry, Edited by Gerald Smith, We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945, Brassey’s, United Kingdom, London, 1989

Rottman, Gordon, US Army Air Force: 1, Osprey Publishing Ltd., London, England, 1993 (with color plates by Francis Chinn)

Other Works

Binghamton Press, February 23, 1945, “Two Binghamton Lieutenants Win New Honors in Battles in Air: Harold Lanning Awarded DFC; Richard Bailey Hits Nazi Plane” (via FultonHistory.com)

Canadian Jews in World War II – Part II: Casualties, Canadian Jewish Congress, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1948

The Story of the 390th Bombardment Group (H) (Privately printed for the Men and Officers of the 390th Bombardment Group 1947), 1947

The 491st Bombardment Group (H) Inc., “Ringmasters”: History of the 491st Bombardment Group (H), Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Tx., 1992

USAAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II, USAF Historical Study No. 85, Office of Air Force History, Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center – Air University, 1985

Websites

Misburg-Anderten, Germany, at Wikipedia

Deurag-Nerag Synthetic Oil Refinery, Germany

Eighth Air Force Historical Society – Missions by Date – November 26, 1944  

Eighth Air Force Historical Society – Mission to Deurag-Nerag Industry Oil Refinery, Misburg, Germany – November 26, 1944

445th Bomb Group – Kassel Mission of September 27, 1944

The Kassel Mission Historical Society

491st Bomb Group

B-24J 42-110167, at B-24 Best Web

Jagdgeschwader 301 History, at Wikipedia

8/25/18

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: A Soldier from Germany – PFC Harry Kaufman (April 17, 1945)

Among the ninety-odd obituaries for Jewish servicemen published in The New York Times during the Second World War, were three for Jewish soldiers born in Germany.  Whether these servicemen were selected for news coverage specifically because of that ancestry – or – this number by chance approximated the relative proportion of German-born Jews in the American armed forces – or – whether the Times’ reporting about these men was influenced by other publications, such as Aufbau – or? – whether this was attributable to social connections with the families of these soldiers on the part of the Times’ staff (which was evidently the case for Army Air Force Captain William Hays Davidow) is unknown.  

In any event, thus far in this project I’ve presented the story of T/4 Alexander H. Hersh, who was killed in action in the European Theater on January 21, 1945. 

In the future, I hope to present information about Berlin-born 2 Lt. Alfred Kupferschmidt, who, as a member of the 116th Reconnaissance Squadron, 101st Cavalry Group, was killed by artillery fire on February 25, 1945, and reported upon in the Times the following May 6.  Like many of the soldiers profiled in this series of posts, Kupferschmidt’s name never appeared in American Jews in World War II. 

But, until then, here’s a “third” German-born Jewish soldier:  Private First Class Harry Kaufman, 32817804.  Born in Bielefeld in 1925, he was the son of Sally and Elsie Kaufman, his family residing at 3593 Bainbridge Avenue in the Bronx.  A member of the 254th Infantry Regiment of the 63rd Infantry Division, his name appeared in a Casualty List published on May 10, 1945.  He was the subject of (brief) news stories in the Times on May 23, the Daily News on May 17, and Aufbau on May 4.  His name appears on page 359 of American Jews in World War II.  A recipient of the Purple Heart, he is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery at Saint Avold France, in Grave 32 Row 16, Plot D.  

Here is his very brief obituary, as it appeared in the Times:

Refugee in U.S. in 1936 Is Casualty in Germany

Pfc. Harry Kaufman was killed in action in Germany on April 17, according to word received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sol Kaufman, of 3593 Bainbridge Avenue, the Bronx.

He came to this country in 1936 from Germany with his parents and tried to enlist in the armed forces in 1942, but was not accepted.  He was a student at the Bronx High School of Science when drafted in February, 1943.

Private Kaufman was injured while a paratrooper.  He later was transferred to the infantry. 

Here’s Private Kaufman’s portrait, as published in the Times.  

Here’s the first page of Aufbau’s May 4 issue.  The headlines are self-explanatory even if one doesn’t know German!

And, here’s the paper’s last page, on which appeared information about military awards, military accomplishments, and inevitably, casualties.  The practice of publishing such news items specifically on te final page of every issue page was established in the newspaper as early as 1944.  In this instance, the news article about Harry Kaufman appears in the upper left corner.  

Once again, Harry Kaufman’s portrait.  This is the same image which appeared in the Times, albeit the latter published only a cropped version of the photo.  Here, Harry’s glider infantry shoulder patch is visible on his left shoulder, indicating that this picture was taken before his assignment to the 63rd Infantry Division.  

Here’s a better view of the shoulder insignia of the glider infantry…  

…and here’s the shoulder patch – an original from WW II – of the United States Army’s 63rd Infantry Division.

A transcript and translation of Aufbau’s very brief news item about Harry Kaufman’s death in battle….

Für die Freiheit gefallen
Pfc. Harry Kaufman

ist am 18. April in Alter von 20 Jahren “irgendwo in Deutschland” gefallen.  Er wurde in Bielefeld geboren und kam 1936 mit seinen Eltern nach New York.  Ende Februar 1943 wurde er in die Armee eingezogen und im November 1944 nach Uebersee geschickt.  Er gehörte der 7th Army an.

Fallen for Freedom
Pfc. Harry Kaufman

fell “somewhere in Germany” on April 18th at the age of 20.  He was born in Bielefeld and came to New York with his parents in 1936.  At the end of February 1943 he was drafted into the army and sent overseas in November 1944.  He was a member of the 7th Army.

__________

This Oogle map of the New York metropolitan area shows the location of the Kaufman family’s residence at 3593 Bainbridge Avenue in the Bronx…

…and, here’s a larger scale Oogle map of the same area.  

__________

Harry Kaufman’s matzeva at the Lorraine American Cemetery, photographed by FindAGrave researcher Thomas Welsch.

Some other Jewish military casualties on Tuesday, April 17, 1945 (Yom Shishi, 5 Iyar, 5705) include…

– .ת. נ. צ. ב. ה –

תהא
נפשו
צרורה
בצרור
החיים

United States Army (Ground Forces)

Butler, Manfred, PFC, 42136245, BSM, Purple Heart (Italy)
10th Mountain Division, 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment
Born in Germany, in 1926
Mrs. Natalie J. Butler (mother), 863 Hunts Point Ave., New York, N.Y.
Florence American Cemetery, Via Cassia, Italy – Plot F, Row 14, Grave 25
Aufbau 11/9/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Cohn, Irving, PFC, 32272686, BSM, Purple Heart (at Ie Shima, Okinawa)
77th Infantry Division, 307th Infantry Regiment, I Company
Born 5/22/10
Mrs. Mary Cohn (mother), Evelyn (sister), 825 Gerard Ave., Bronx, N.Y.
Mount Hebron Cemetery, Corona, N.Y.
American Jews in World War II – 293

Goltman, David Monroe, PFC, 42126851, Purple Heart
97th Infantry Division, 303rd Infantry Regiment
Born Brooklyn, N.Y, 1/24/26
Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Jeanette Goltman (parents), 1675 54th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Cemetery location unknown – buried 1/7/49
Casualty Lists 5/9/45, 6/8/45
The New York Times (Obituary Section) 1/6/49
American Jews in World War II – 329

Hayek, Teddy K., PFC, 32681062, Purple Heart
30th Infantry Division, 117th Infantry Regiment, Medical Corps
Mr. Albert K. Hayek (brother), 239 West 103rd St., New York, N.Y.
(also) 4 W. 109th St., New York, N.Y.
Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y. – Section H, Grave 9586
Casualty Lists 5/14/45, 5/28/45
American Jews in World War II – 342

____________________

Kiel, David (David Bar Yosef), PFC, 32863120, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
34th Infantry Division, 168th Infantry Regiment, K Company (Signal Corps)
Wounded previously, approximately on 1/15/44 and 7/9/44
Mr. Joseph Kiel (father), PFC Bernard Kiel, and, Hyman Kiel (brothers), 37-07 61st St., Woodside, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 9/18/24
Mount Hebron Cemetery, Flushing, N.Y. – Society T.D. Young Men, Block 50, Reference 2, Section A-C, Line 7, Grave 39
Casualty Lists 2/15/44, 9/9/44, 5/12/45
Long Island Star Journal 6/13/45
American Jews in World War II – 361

A pensive mood: Private Kiel’s portrait, as it appeared in the Long Island Star Journal on June 13, 1945…  

…which accompanied the following news item:

Killed in Italy

Private First Class David Kiel was killed in Italy, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kiel of 37-07 61st St., Woodside, have been informed by the War Department.  He was extending a communications line to a forward position when he was fatally wounded by bomb fragments, his father and mother were told.  He has been buried in Italy.  His brother, Bernard, is a private first class in the Army in New Guinea.  Another brother is a seaman, 2/C, at the Sampson Naval Training Center.

__________

David’s matzeva at Mount Hebron Cemetery, photographed by FindAGrave researcher Ronzoni.

PFC David Kiel’s story continued, at least indirectly, at least for a time, at least (and at most) for a few years beyond 1945:  In 1949, Jewish War Veterans Post named in his memory was established in Woodside.  The following three news articles, from the (good ‘ole!) Daily News, and, Long Island Star Journal, report on this event:

JWV to Install
Daily News (New York)
March 13, 1949

Joseph Newman, commander, heads a staff of officers to be installed tonight by the David Kiel Jewish War Veterans Post of Woodside.  The installation will be held in Paprin’s restaurant, 60-21 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, Queens.

__________

Long Island Star Journal
March 1, 1949

Organizing New Jewish War Veterans Post in Woodside

Four Woodsiders go over plans for the David Kiel Jewish Veterans Post of Woodside institution ceremony, to be held March 13 in Paprin’s restaurant, Woodside.  They are (seated, left to right) Raymond Newman of 59-16 Woodside Avenue, chairman, and Philip Paprin, the restaurant owner, and (standing, left to right) Henry Rosenblatt, Queens J.W.V. Musical Director, and, Rabbi Yehudah Pehkin of the Woodside Jewish Center.  The program includes a dinner and installation of officers.

__________

DAVID KIEL POST TO SEAT OFFICERS
Long Island Star Journal
March 10, 1949

The David Kiel Jewish War Veterans Post will be formally instituted Sunday night in Paprin’s restaurant, 60-21 Roosevelt avenue, Woodside.  Joseph Newman of 59-16 Woodside avenue, Woodside, commander, and other officers will be installed.

They include Bernard Kiel and Jordan Rolnick, vice-commanders; Arthur Schulman, quartermaster; Isadore Kamen, adjutant; Harold Morrison, officer-of-the-day; Dr. Arthur Gordon, surgeon; Milton Hong, chaplain; Wallace Green, officer of the guard; Joseph Zarchy, historian; Joseph Honig, patriotic instructor; Arthur Zarchy, service officer, and Stanley Ganz, Max Schaffer and William Bell, trustees.

Raymond Newman is the arrangements committee chairman.  Dancing will follow the installation.

It would seem that by now, the year 2021, the David Kiel Jewish War Veterans Post no longer exists: Searching the very phrase “David Kiel Jewish War Veterans Post” in DuckDuckGo, and that o t h e r search engine – y’know, that one in Menlo Park? – yields parallel results:  “No results found for “David Kiel Jewish War Veterans Post””, and, “It looks like there aren’t many great matches for your search,” respectively.  This should not be too surprising, given the passage of time and the fragility of human memory, let alone the enormous sociological, demographic, and technological changes that have transpired in the United States, and the rapidly atrophying “West” in general, since the late 1940s. 

If such forces have affected the Western world in general, so are they similarly affecting the Jews of the United States.  As for the future of the Jews in the United States?  About that I make no predictions, other than to say that while history never repeats itself congruently, there is a similarity in patterns of thought and behavior across time and space, for human nature remains unchanged.  And so, the following two essays – by Joel Kotkin and Caroline Glick, despite all their likely ideological differences! – deserve equal contemplation. 

And in time, not just contemplation.

Why American Jews are Looking to Israel

The Threats American Jewry Refuses to Face

____________________

Klein, Jerome R. (Yosef Bar Yakov Klein), Pvt., 13179290
Died Non-Battle
Born 1924
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob E. (7/1/92-5/6/69) and Minnie (1/12/99-8/14/89) Klein (parents), Philadelphia, Pa.
Montefiore Cemetery, Jenkintown, Pa. – Section 4, Lot 353, Grave 1; Date of burial unknown
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Here’s the Klein family plot at Montefiore Cemetery in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.  Jerome’s resting place is at the left.  

Jerome Klein’s matzeva.  Information concerning the specific military unit to which he was assigned is unavailable.  Given that he’s categorized as having “Died Non-Battle”, I believe his military service was limited to the United States.

____________________

Krieger, Morris J., PFC, 35517750, BSM, Purple Heart (at Mount Serra, Tuscany, Italy)
10th Mountain Division, 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, F Company
Born 1917
Mrs. Emilie Krieger (wife); Charles Krieger (son; YOB 1942), William J. Krieger (brother); Mrs. Sadie Thomas and Mrs. Mary Winston (sisters), 110 Hill St., Bay City, Mi.
Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy – Plot B, Row 6, Grave 5
Cleveland Press & Plain Dealer – 5/23/45
American Jews in World War II – 492

____________________

London, Maurice (Moshe Bar Benyamin), PFC, 33786461, Purple Heart (Germany)
283rd Field Artillery Regiment, A Battery
Born 10/18/19, Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Norma London (wife); “Ganelle” / “Janella”?) (daughter), 3209 W. Dauphin St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Benjamin London (father); Billie and Lena (sisters)
Mount Sharon Cemetery, Springfield, Pa. – Section L, Lot 450, Grave 2; Buried 9/26/48
The Jewish Exponent 5/18/45, 6/8/45, 10/1/48
The Philadelphia Inquirer 5/12/45, 9/24/48
Philadelphia Record 5/12/45, 5/28/45
American Jews in World War II – 537

Private Maurice London’s matzeva.  Examination of the upper part of the column reveals that a photographic portrait set in a ceramic mount may once have been attached to it, in the custom of many matzevot from the 20s through the 40s.  That picture has been lost in the decades since the late 1940s.  

____________________

Paul, Solomon, PFC, 33053838, BSM, Purple Heart
77th Infantry Division, 307th Infantry Regiment
Born 4/25/20
Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Rose Paul (parents), 2732 North Front St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii – Plot E-170; Buried 1/3/49
Philadelphia Inquirer 6/11/45
Philadelphia Bulletin and Philadelphia Record – 6/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 452

Penso, Stanley, PFC, 42183678, Purple Heart (Germany)
Born 1926 (?)
Mrs. Ray Penso (mother), 1460 Grand Concourse, New York, N.Y.
City College of New York Class of 1947
Cemetery location unknown
Casualty List 5/19/45
American Jews in World War II – 404

____________________

Sapperstein, Melvin S., Pvt., 36978192, Purple Heart
91st Infantry Division, 361st Infantry Regiment, I Company
Born Detroit, Michigan, 8/7/20
Mrs. Theodora (Alpert) Sapperstein (wife), 2923 Monterey St., Detroit, Mi.
Mr. Sol Sapperstein (father); Eileen (sister), 2923 Monterey, Detroit, Mi.
Machpelah Cemetery, Ferndale, Mi. – Section 6, Lot 36, Grave 413D; Buried 11/28/48
Casualty List 5/22/45
The Jewish News (Detroit) 6/15/45, 11/26/48
Baltimore Jewish Times 4/27/45
American Jews in World War II – 195

Announcement of a memorial service for Private Sapperstein, published in The Jewish News on June 15, 1945.  

Private Sapperstein’s matzeva, as photographed by FindAGrave contributor KChaffeeB.  His name appears atop the stone in Hebrew characters, but the text cannot be resolved due to the angle of the image.      

____________________

Schwartzman, Henry, Pvt., 32899677, Silver Star, Purple Heart
14th Armored Division, 48thy Armored Tank Battalion
Mrs. Sylvia Schwartzman (wife), 1559 40th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tablets of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France
Casualty List 5/31/45
American Jews in World War II – 436

Unger, Irwin M. (Ezriel Mordechai Ben Yehuda Tzvi), PFC, 42064656, Silver Star, Purple Heart (Germany)
8th Armored Division, 49th Armored Infantry Battalion, A Company
Born 1926
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph (Juda) [1892-3/13/41] and Molly M. (Gottesman) [1897-2/17/77] Unger (parents), 133 Clarke Place, New York, N.Y.
Baron Hirsch Cemetery, Staten Island, N.Y. – First Nadworner Sick Benevolent Association (matezva is missing)
Casualty List 5/18/45
American Jews in World War II – 463

United States Army Air Force

First Lieutenant Nathaniel Norman Shane

– Murdered while Prisoner of War –

On the 17th of April, 1945, First Lieutenant Nathaniel Norman Shane (0-781687), a co-pilot in the 327th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, was one of three airmen – from a crew of eight – who were able to parachute from their B-17G Flying Fortress (43-39110, UX * E, otherwise known as Naughty Nancy), after their aircraft was struck by another 327th Bomb Squadron B-17G (44-8903, the un-nicknamed UX * G) in a mid-air collision during a mission to Dresden, Germany.

Missing Air Crew Report 14053, for Naughty Nancy, reveals that the plane’s other two survivors were the pilot, 1 Lt. John W. Paul., Jr., of Dundalk, Maryland, and tail gunner, S/Sgt. Peter B. Taylor, of Worcester, Massachusetts.  Of the eight crew members aboard UX * G, covered in MACR 14052, there were two survivors:  Pilot 1 Lt. Arthur H. Heuther, and co-pilot 2 Lt. Frank K. Jones.

Shane landed uninjured in the vicinity of the German town of Reinhardtsgrimma*, south of Dresden, and was soon captured by a member of the SS named “KIRSTEN”. 

As angry civilians arrived on the scene, Shane was murdered:  He was shot several times by Kirsten.

As documented in Shane’s Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) – in the context of the discovery and identification of Shane’s body in 1948 – “The [Parish] Preacher [“Hinke”, who reported the shooting] evidently seemed to know more than he was willing to talk about.” 

A review of documents in Shane’s IDPF, and, NARA Records Group 153 (Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General), shows that the case was not investigated beyond the context of recovering Shane’s body.  The limiting factor, of course, was the Cold War (the first Cold War?!):  Correspondence in 2017 with the German Central Office of the National Judicial Authorities for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes revealed that the, “…events and persons described … are unknown or unidentifiable.  This, et. al., is due to the fact that both Reinhardtsgrimma and Dippoldiswalde are located in Saxony and thus lay in the Soviet occupation zone or the GDR, for which the central office was not responsible due to the German division until 1989/90.”

As recorded in Shane’s IDPF, the last information about Kirsten – first name unknown – was that as of February, 1948, the former member of the SS was jailed in the town of Dippoldiswalde. 

Beyond that, there is nothing.

Shane’s body was in time returned to the United States.  He was buried at King Solomon Memorial Park, in Clifton, New Jersey (Section Lebanon, Block 66, Grave 43) on April 23, 1950.

Having flown 27 missions, Nathaniel Shane received the Purple Heart, Air Medal, and three Oak Leaf Clusters.  Born on June 6, 1922, in Manhattan, he was married, his wife Beatrice residing at 1231 Boynton Avenue, in the Bronx.  His parents, Harry A. and Sadie Shane, and his brother, Sidney, lived at 810 Hunts Point Avenue, (also) in the Bronx.

While Lt. Shane’s name appeared in a Casualty List published on May 22, 1945, his name – like the names of many American Jewish WW II military casualties – is absent from American Jews in World War II, as attested to by many prior posts at this blog. 

Strangely, while the National WW II Memorial hosts an Honoree page for Lieutenant Shane created by his brother, with the statement, “AIR CORPS PILOT.  HE WAS KILLED ON APRIL 17, 1945 IN A RAID OVER DRESDEN, GERMANY. RECEIVED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 1 BRONZE STAR, AND THE WWII VICTORY MEDAL,” (accompanied by the above photo of the Lieutenant), Nathaniel Shane’s name is absent from that website’s National Archives Registry.  (I’ve encountered this discrepancy with other record searches at the National WW II Memorial website.)

Akin to the post about Corporal Jack Bartman, I hope to create a separate post about Nathaniel Shane’s story in the future. 

“…a former municipality in the district of Weisseritzkreis in Saxony in Germany located near Dresden. On 2 January 2008, it merged into the town Glashütte.

This Oogle map image shows Reinhardtsgrimma in relation to Dresden. 

…and, Oogling on in, here’s a map of the town at a larger scale. 

Soviet Union

Red Army
U.S.S.R. (C.C.C.Р.), Red Army [РККА (Рабоче-крестьянская Красная армия)]

Altman, Boris Shlemovich – Guards Senior Sergeant [Альтман, Борис Шлемович – Гвардии Старший Сержант]
385th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
Telephone Operator [Телефонист]
Born 1924; Tetievskiy Raion

Beloshevskiy, David Borisovich – Junior Lieutenant [Белошевский, Давид Борисович – Младший Лейтенант]
6th Guards Tank Corps, 51st Guards Tank Brigade
Tank Commander [Командир Танка]
Born 1922; city of Serdobsk
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume I – 126

Dekhtyar Iosif Markovich – Lieutenant [Дехтяр, Иосиф Маркович – Лейтенант]
Battery Commander – Self-Propelled Guns [Командир Батареи – Самоходной Установки] – SU-76 [СУ-76]
Armored and Mechanized Troops, 1221st Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, 1st Belorussian Front
Born 1919, city of Korosten, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine

Gimelfarb / Gimelford, Nikolay Naumovich – Guards Sergeant Major [Гимельфарб / Гимельфорд, Николай Наумович – Гвардии Старшина]
Cannon Commander – Self-Propelled Gun [Командир Орудия – Самоходной Установки] – ISU-122 [ИСУ-122]
367th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, 31st Tank Corps
Born 1925; city of Moscow

Greys, Grigoriy Danilovich – Guards Junior Lieutenant [Грейс, Григорий Данилович – Гвардии Младший Лейтенант]
54th Guards Tank Brigade
Tank Commander [Командир Танка]
Born 1911; Kushchenskiy Raion, Rostov Oblast
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume VIII – 206

Perelman, Lev Solomonovich – Private [Перельман, Лев Соломонович – Красноармеец]
Machine-Gunner [Автоматчик]
240th Rifle Division
Born 1923; city of Nezhin
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume VIII – 401

Sunik, Abram Shaevich – Junior Lieutenant [Суник, Абрам Шаевич – Младший Лейтенант]
175th Tank Brigade
Tank Commander [Командир Танка]
Born 1921; city of Tashkent
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume III – pp. 395, 423

Tsimkin / Tsinkin Aleksandr Yakovlevich, Guards Sergeant [Цимкин / Цинкин, Александр Яковлевич – Гвардии Сержант]
Gun Charger (Заряжающий)
51st Guards Tank Brigade
At Ette, Germany
Born 1910; city of Mari, Turkmen SSR

England

“FROST, WITH A GESTURE STAYS THE WAVES THAT DANCE.”

Warrant Officer II Class John Gamble was one of the 37 members of the Jewish Brigade who were killed during the time in which the unit was engaged in combat with German forces.  Biographical information, his portrait, and his story as presented in Jacob Lifshitz’s The Book of the Jewish Brigade: The History of the Jewish Brigade Fighting and Rescuing [in] the Diaspora – the latter transcribed as Hebrew, with English translation – are presented below…  

Gamble, John Allan, WO 2C, 938393, Battery Sergeant-Major
England, Royal Artillery
200th Field Regiment, Palestine Regiment, Jewish Brigade Group
Mrs. Joan Gamble (wife), Kingsbury, Middlesex, England
Mr. and Mrs. Graham and Caroline Susan Gamble (parents)
Born 1918
Forli War Cemetery, Vecchiazzano, Forli, Italy – VI,C,23
We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945, Volume I – 244
The Book of the Jewish Brigade – 249

סרגינט מיגיור גאמבל ג’ון אלאן ז”ל.

Sergeant Major John Allan Gamble of blessed memory.

נפצע ומת מפצעיו ביום 17 באפריל 1945 בתאונת-דרכים באיטליה.

He was injured in a car accident in Italy on April 17, 1945 and died of his injuries.

סוללת התותחנים שלו נסעה לחזית ,וג’ון ,שרכב על אופנוע ,שימש כמפקח-התנועה.  מכוניות השיירה העלו גלי אבק גדולים לאורך הדרך ,שסינוורו את העינים והאופנוע שלו התנגש עם מכונית-משא גדולה והוא נפצע קשה בברכיו ובשוקיו ומת מפצעיו .נקבר בבית-הקברות הצבאי (Forli)  בעיר פורלי.

His artillery battery drove to the front, and John, riding a motorcycle, served as traffic inspector.  The convoy cars raised large waves of dust along the road, which dazzled his eyes and his motorcycle collided with a large truck and he was badly injured in his knees and calves and died of his wounds.  He was buried in the military cemetery in the town of Forli.

בן כ”ז במותו  .נוצרי יליד אנגליה  .נתחנד בבית-ספר ברונט שבמאנספילד  .ספורטאי נלהב ,ייצג את בית-ספרו בתחרויות קרירט וכדור רגל והיה חבר פעיל במשד כמה בקלוב חובבי הקריקמ בוודהאוז ;שחייו וצולל מובהק  .עסק לפני התגייסותו בהנהלת-חשבונות  .גשוי  .התגייס לצבא עם פרוץ המלחמה וצורף לחיל התותחנים  .עד שנת 1943 שימש כמדריך בשיעורי-תותחנות בדרום וולס ובאירלנד ,אחר כך נשלח לצפון-אפריקה ושירת במחנה השמיני  .אתר עבר לאיטליה והצמיין באומץ-לב בפעולות בפיזה וזבה על בך באות-ההצטיינות “עלי אשל” ביום 24 באוגוסט 1944  .ושוב הצטיין באומץ-לב זוכה להיוכר בהודעה צבאית ביום 11 בינואר 1945  .כשהחי”ל נכנס לחזית ,צורף אלאן לחיל התותחנים שבחי”ל.

He was 27 years old at the time of his death.  A Christian born in England.  He became an enthusiastic athlete at the Brunt School in Mansfield. He joined the army when the war broke out and joined the artillery.  Until 1943 he served as an artillery instructor in South Wales and Ireland, then was sent to North Africa and served in the camp “Ali Eshel” on August 24, 1944.  And again he excelled in courage.  He was recognized in a military announcement on January 11, 1945.

This phot of Warrant Officer II Class’ Gamble’s matzeva is by FindAGrave researcher bbmir (no longer active), who apparently took images of many tombstones at the Forli War Cemetery.  

____________________

Gordon, Stanley Edward, Lt., 331196
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
Mr. A. Gordon (father), “Aloha”, King__on (?) Lane, Southwick, England
(also) 86 Great Tischfield St., London, England
Becklingen War Cemetery, Borkel, Kreis Becklingen, Germany – 3,B,16
Jewish Chronicle 5/18/45
We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945, Volume I – 96

____________________

“GRIEVOUSLY MOURNED BY LOVING PARENTS, SISTERS, BROTHERS AND RELATIVES.”

Rosen, Michael, Lance Bombardier, 1544792
Royal Artillery, 71st Anti-Tank Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Leah Rosen (parents), Sheffield, England
Born 1920
Hanover War Cemetery, Germany – 7,F,12
We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945, Volume I – 148

This image of Lance Bombardier Rosen’s matzeva is by FindAGrave researcher pfo.  Akin to the photo of Warrant Officer II Class Gamble’s tombstone, this image reveals the powerfully simple standardized design of tombstones in Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries, where commemorative inscriptions always appear below the religious symbol engraved in the stone’s center.  

France

Bouaziz, Isaac, at Meknes, Morocco
France (Maroc), Armée de Terre, 16eme GA FTA Alger
From Fez, Morocco
Born 10/21/21
Died of illness (Maladie)

Golberg, Salomon, at Baden-Baden, Germany
France, Armée de Terre, 19eme Bataillon de Chasseurs à Pied
From Paris, France
Born 2/16/24
Died of wounds (Des suites des Blessures)

Perez, Moise, at Kehl [sic], Germany
France (Maroc), 101eme Genie
Born Marrakech, Morocco, 1919
Killed in combat (Tue au combat)

Poland

(Operation Bautzen-Elba, and, Operation Brand-Berlin)

Fajfer, Leon, Pvt. (Germany, Brandenburg, Karlshof (Operation Brand-Berlin))
Polish People’s Army, 7th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Daniel Fajfer (father)
Born 1919
JMCPAWW2 I – 19

Frenkiel, Maksymilian, Pvt. (Germany, Altreetz (Operation Brand Berlin))
Poland, Polish People’s Army, 5th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Baruch Frenkiel (father)
Born Kuchary, Poland, 1918
JMCPAWW2 I – 22

Gondowicz, Henryk, Pvt. (Operation Pomeranian Wall)
Polish People’s Army
JMCPAWW2 I – 25

Grynblat, Jakub, Sergeant Major (Germany, Altreetz (Operation Brand Berlin))
Polish People’s Army, 5th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Chaim Grynblat (father)
Born Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland; 1917
JMCPAWW2 I – 26

Klugman, Oskar, Pvt. (Poland-Germany, Oder River (Operation Brand Berlin))
Polish People’s Army, 2nd Light Artillery Regiment
Mr. Henryk Klugman (father)
Born Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland; 1917
JMCPAWW2 I – 37

Kniazanski, Maks, First Sergeant (Germany, Altwriezen (Operation Brand Berlin))
Polish People’s Army
Born 1925
JMCPAWW2 I – 37

Lampert, Leon, Lance Corporal, 27094 (Rhede, Germany; Canadian Hospital No. 6 at Ootmarsum, Netherlands)
1 Polska Dywizja Pancerna, 10 Pulk Dragonow
Poland, Polish Army West
Born Czernin d. Pieszew, Poland; 2/4/19
Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands – Plot V, Row A, Grave 3; Initially buried in Cemetery “Kuiperberg”, Ootmarsum, Netherlands
JMCPAWW2 II – 118

Landau, Antoni, Pvt. (Germany, Brandenburg, Neurüdnitz (Operation Brand Berlin))
Polish People’s Army, 6th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Natan Landau (father)
Born Tyczyn, Podkarpackie, Poland, 1905
JMCPAWW2 I – 43

Majner, Tadeusz, Cpl. (Germany, Brandenburg, Bad Freienwalde (Operation Brand Berlin))
Polish People’s Army, 4th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Leon Majner (father)
Born Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland; 1912
JMCPAWW2 I – 47

Nadryczny, Beniamin, Pvt. (Germany, Brandenburg, Bad Freienwalde (Operation Brand Berlin))
Poland, Polish People’s Army, 4th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Shlomo Nadryczny (father)
Born Tulicze (d. Kobryn), Poland, 1920
JMCPAWW2 I – 51

Panas, Wladyslaw, Pvt. (German-Polish border, Niesse (Operation Bautzen Elba))
Polish People’s Army, 37th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Daniel Panas (father)
Born 1908
JMCPAWW2 I – 53

Perelberg, Izaak, Cpl. (Germany, Brandenburg, Bad Freienwalde (Operation Brand Berlin))
Poland, Polish People’s Army, 1st Howitzer Regiment
Mr. Ben-Zion Perelberg (father)
Gorn Hrubieszow, Lubelskie, Poland; 1922
JMCPAWW2 I – 53

Rajchel, Jozef, Cpl. (Germany, Brandenburg, Neuwustrow (Operation Brand Berlin))
Lithuania, Polish People’s Army, 5th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Izrael Rajchel (father)
Born Braslaw (d. Vilna), Lithuania; 1915
JMCPAWW2 I – 56

Roza, Izrael, WO (Germany, Konigsreetz (Operation Brand Berlin))
Poland, Polish People’s Army, 4th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Icek Roza (father)
Born Lochow (d. Wegrow) [Mazowieckie?], Poland, 1916
JMCPAWW2 I – 59

Rozenbaum, Chaim, Pvt. (Germany, Saxony, Lodenau (Operation Bautzen Elba))
Polish People’s Army, 33rd Infantry Regiment
Mr. Izrael Rozenbaum (father)
Born 1924
JMCPAWW2 I – 58

Szafran, Chil, Pvt. (Germany, Saxony, Lodenau (Operation Bautzen Elba))
Polish People’s Army, 33rd Infantry Regiment
Mr. Mojzesz Szafran (father)
Born 1903
JMCPAWW2 I – 65

Szwarc, Roman, Cpl. (Germany, Klemzow (Operation Brand Berlin))
Poland, Polish People’s Army, 13th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Jozef Szwarc (father)
Born Wygnanka (d. Lublin), Poland, 1916
JMCPAWW2 I – 69

Trostenman, Zelik, Pvt. (Germany, Altreetz (Operation Brand Berlin))
Poland, Polish People’s Army, 5th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Lejb Trostenman (father)
Born Wolomin, Mazowieckie, Poland, 1908
JMCPAWW2 I – 71

Prisoners of War

United States Army

Glassoff, Isadore, Pvt., 31028697, Field Artillery, Purple Heart
6th Armored Division, 212th Field Artillery Battalion, Service Battery
Born in Massachusetts, 9/14/14; Died 2/21/78
Prisoner of War; POW camp (if any…) unknown
Mr. and Mrs. Hyman and Ida Glassoff (parents), Joseph (brother), 143 Cottage St., Everett, Ma.
Casualty List (Liberated POW) 6/21/45
American Jews in World War II – 160

____________________

United States Army Air Force

8th Air Force
78th Fighter Group
82nd Fighter Squadron

While a number of my prior posts have either focused on, profiled, or mentioned in passing Jewish aviators who served as fighter pilots in the WW I United States Army Air Service (like Jacques M. Swaab), United States Army Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and Royal Air Force, the 17th of April in 1945 was somewhat unusual in this respect.  That day, two Jewish fighter pilots – assigned to the same Air Force – the England-based 8th Air Force; members of the same Fighter Group – the 78th; members of the same Fighter Squadron – the 82nd; flying the same type of aircraft – the P-51D Mustang; were lost during a bomber escort and strafing mission to the Dresden area.  The Parallels continue.  Both were immediately captured (one was injured) and both survived the war’s closing weeks (well, the war obviously continued in the Pacific Theater!) to eventually return to the United States.

On another, more abstract level, documentation about these two pilots has its own curious parallel:  The Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs) covering their loss in combat were filed sequentially, and their portraits can be found in the same official Army Air Force Photograph, image 72440AC (A12409).  

Who were they?  Second Lieutenant Alvin Mordecai Rosenberg (MACR 13940) and First Lieutenant Allen Abraham Rosenblum (MACR 13939).  

____________________

Lt. Rosenberg, 0-830084, parachuted from his P-51D 44-72357 (the probably un-nicknamed MX * D) at a point southwest of Adorf and north-northeast of Selb, Germany, due to an engine fire (and possible coolant leak) of unknown origin.  Though nothing is known about his experiences as a POW, he would eventually return to his home state of New York.  Born on January 6, 1924, he was the son of Raphael and Estelle, the family living at 2261 64th Street, in Brooklyn.  He received the Air Medal, three Oak Leaf Clusters, and Purple Heart, though it’s not known if the latter award was specifically granted for the April 17 mission.  His name appeared in the Brooklyn Eagle on July 25, 1941 (yes, 1941, not 1944), and in a War Department Casualty List of May 18, 1945.  And, his name also appears on page 416 of American Jews in World War II.  

Here’s a very high resolution scan of his portrait, from Army Air Force Photo 72440AC (A12409)…

…and, here’s a transcript of the Missing Aircrew Report pertaining to his loss:

S T A T E M E N T

I was flying Surtax Yellow leader when Surtax leader went down on an airdrome to destroy a jet that had just landed.  My wingman couldn’t get his left combat tank off, so I didn’t take my flight down.  Surtax spare, Lt. Rosenberg, was flying #5 in Yellow flight.  He called that something had popped out the right side of his cowling.  He had not been hit by flak.  I told him to open his coolant and oil shutters wide, which he did, and to pick up a heading of 270 degrees, which he failed to do.  He kept steering about 180 degrees and called in about 3 minutes later that he had returned his shutters to automatic because the plane seemed to be OK.  I told him again to steer about 280 or 290 degrees, which he did, and told him to open his shutters again, which he did.  By this time, I was flying fairly close formation with him, so I could observe the right side of his plane.  A thin steady stream of white smoke was coming out of the exhaust stacks, which became increasingly worse after about 4 or 5 minutes.  He said it was going to quit and wanted to know if we were in friendly territory.  I told him to prime like mad, and the smoke stopped temporarily.  I told him to try to keep it going for at least 7 minutes, because we were still in enemy territory.  Every time the smoke started, I would yell at him to prime, and the smoke would stop.  About 3 minutes from the time it got bad, however, the engine quit altogether and flames emanated from around the exhaust stacks.  He immediately released the canopy and bailed successfully.  The plane crashed and exploded, and he landed about 100 yards from a house.  Two people came out to him, and he seemed to be OK, for he stood and waved to us.  Lt. Childs, my element leader, buzzed them a couple of times, so his description of the people with Lt. Rosenberg follows.  Lt. Rosenberg’s exact position is not known, but his approximate position is in the vicinity of Adorf, just south of Plauen.

IVAN H. KEATLEY 0-665815
Captain, Air Corps.

I was flying Surtax Yellow 3.  After Lt. Rosenberg bailed out, I saw him land safely in an open field and saw him met by two German men.  One appeared to have on an olive drab uniform, the other was wearing civilian clothes.  As I passed over, he waved that he was OK.  The second time I passed over he was standing in a small village, which I believe was Adorf.

JOHN C. CHILDS 0-2005853
1st Lt., Air Corps

I certify I have interrogated every pilot in the vicinity of Adorf, where Lt. Rosenberg became MIA, and that all available information is incorporated in the statements above.

ERWIN C. BOETTCHER
Captain, Air Corps
Intelligence Officer

Here’s by the map accompanying the MACR.  Not too precise, but it does the job.  

I’ve been unable to trace information about Lt. Rosenberg further.  

____________________

The day was rather more eventful for Lieutenant Rosenblum.  During a strafing attack against the Kralupy Airdrome, north-northwest of Prague and just east of the Vltava River, where his formation position was that of “Surtax Red Leader”, his left drop tank (which he couldn’t jettison) and propeller struck the ground, even as his Mustang (P-51D 44-72367, the probably un-nicknamed “MX * C”) became the focus of German antiaircraft fire.  After a brief farewell radio message, he attempted to belly-land his plane, but the aircraft tumbled, and – as anti-aircraft fire continued – it cartwheeled, tearing off the right wing.  Though no sign of life was seen by an observing pilot (Lt. Klassen) once the hurtling Mustang stopped moving, Lt. Rosenblum emerged from the wreck quite alive, his only injury a broken arm.  As revealed in an Atlanta Constitution article of October 30, 1945 (see below), he was interned at Stalag 18C, in Markt Pongau, Austria, and like Lt. Rosenberg, in time returned to the United States.  

Serial number 0-678943, he completed 56 missions, and received the Air Medal and two Oak Leaf Clusters, at least based on information in American Jews in World War II, where his name appears on page 89.  Given his injury and total number of missions flown, it seems that he should have received the Purple Heart and eleven Oak Leaf Clusters…  

Lt. Rosenblum’s parents were Nathan (Nuchum) Beryl and Freda (Bain) Rosenblum, of 127 Peachtree Street, in Anderson, South Carolina, while his sister Sarah was married to Sergeant David D. Danneman (himself a POW, as described below), from 771 Washington Street, in Atlanta.  Born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on April 26, 1923, he passed away on October 12, 1986, and is buried at  Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, in Lilburn, Georgia.  Along with American Jews in World War II, his name appeared in an official Casualty List on May 17, 1945, the Southern Israelite on November 2, 1945, and the Atlanta Constitution on March 9, 1945.  This latter article follows below…  

Lt. Allen Rosenblum In Air Convoy to Berlin

Lt. Allen A. Rosenblum, whose sister, Mrs. David Danneman, lives at 771 Washington Street, S.W., was one of 900 fighter pilots convoying 1,000 Eighth Air Force Fortresses in a recent devastating attack on the heart of Berlin.

Flying a P-51 Mustang, Lt. Rosenblum was in the air more than five and a half hours on the Berlin mission.  His group, which went down to strafe an airfield at Luneburg and trains in other parts of western Germany, left 15 Nazi planes burning on the field and damaged 11 others, in addition to several locomotives and oil cars which were destroyed.

____________________

Here’s a very high resolution scan of Lt. Rosenblum’s portrait, from Army Air Force Photo 72440AC (A12409)…

…and, here’s a transcript of the Missing Aircrew Report pertaining to his loss:

STATEMENTS OF EYE–WITNESSES

We were flying in Surtax Red flight, led by Lt. Rosenblum, on a bomber escort to Dresden.  After the target, we flew south into Czechoslovakia and hit the deck to strafe an airdrome north of Prague.  Surtax Red leader tried to drop his tanks, but his left one would not come off.  One the run toward the field, while on the deck, Lt. Schneider called him, but he never did get it off.  As we neared the field, on the deck, flak began to come at us.  I saw it was being concentrated on Red leader.  We were line abreast and I saw Rosenblum’s prop and tank hit the ground before reaching the field as he was hugging the ground to get under the flak.  We believe he also hit his prop again on the field.  He then said, “I’ve got to belly in here, so long fellows.”  We passed him just as he was bellying in and did not get another look at the aircraft. 

EDWIN O. SCHNEIDER  0-713584
1st Lt., Air Corps.

HARRY L. ROE JR 0-830318
2nd Lt., Air Corps.

__________

I was Cargo (83rd Fighter Squadron) Yellow leader on bomber escort In the Dresden area when Nuthouse reported jets in the area.  I took my Section south of target to investigate some Bogies which turned out to be Surtax White and Red flights.  They were positioning themselves to strafe an airdrome, so I circled to observe results.  As Surtax Red Flight went over the drome, I saw one aircraft lagging behind and going very slow, and at that time Surtax Red leader called and said, “I’ve got to belly in here, so long fellows.”  He cleared the west edge of the airfield, but hit something with his left wing just as he bellied in, which spun the aircraft around and tore off his right wing as he cart-wheeled.  From the time he reached the edge of the field until after the aircraft came to a stop, I observed hits on and all around his aircraft from small caliber arms.  The aircraft did not burn, and no one got out as I circled. 

PETER W. KLASSEN 0-708695
1st Lt., Air Corps

I certify that I have interrogated every pilot in the area of Kralupy Airdrome at the time Lt. Rosenblum became MIA.  All available information is Incorporated in the statements of the above. 

ERRIN C. BOETTCHER
Captain, Air Corps
Intelligence Officer.

Here’s by the map accompanying the MACR.  Like that for Lt. Rosenberg, not too detailed, but close enough, considering the conditions (combat conditions, that is!) under which observations were made. 

Given the nearly eight decades that have transpired since the events in question, I thought it would be interesting to identify the actual location and current appearance of the Krapuly Airfield.  This was not difficult, for the website Vrtulníky v Česku (Helicopters in the Czech Republic) has substantial information (at “Kralupy nad Vltavou Kralup“) chronologically arranged, about the airfield’s history from 1913 through 1955, of course in Czech.  This includes the statement;

“16.4.1945 nálet stíhačů od 78th FG a 339th FG, 8th USAAF z Velké Británie.

Jako první byly zničeny čtyři stroje He 177.  Pozoroval jsem vzdušný kolotoč z výšiny nad Minicemi, nad kterými dokončovaly některé stroje otáčky a vracely se zpět ke kralupskému letišti.  V krátké době zůstaly z pýchy německého letectva na zemi jen hořící trosky.  Po osmi průletech spojeneckých stíhačů byl celý prostor letiště zničen.  Proti útočícím Mustangům nezasáhli Němci ani ze země, ani ze vzduchu. Zdroj.

Přímý účastník útoku na kralupské letiště Leutenant J.W. Gokey od 503rd FS, 339th FG, 8th USAAF z Velké Británie vzpomíná: “V oblasti, kam jsem směřoval, jsem spatřil několik letadel 78th FG, útočících na letiště u Kralup.  Zapojili jsme se také krátce do boje.  Plocha byla špatně přístupná a již na ni hořelo 30 nebo 35 transportních Ju 52.  Zaměřili jsme se na vybavení letiště a zničili několik baráků na severu hlavní dráhy. Pro nedostatek paliva jsme prostor brzy opustili.  Ze země nešla žádná palba, ale viděl jsem dva palposty flaku, které pravděpodobně zničila již 78th FG ..”

Approximate translation?

On April 16, 1945 raid [by] fighters from the 78th FG and 339th FG, 8th USAAF from Great Britain.

The He 177 aircraft were the first to be destroyed.  In a short time, out of the pride of the German Air Force, only burning debris remained on the ground.  After eight flights by Allied fighters, the entire area of the airport was destroyed.  The Germans did not intervene against the attacking Mustangs either from the ground or from the air.

A direct participant in the attack on Kralupy Airport, Lieutenant J.W. Gokey from the 503rd FS, 339th FG, 8th USAAF from Great Britain recalls: “In the area where I was heading, I saw several 78th FG aircraft attacking the airport near Kralupy.  We also participated briefly.  The area was difficult to access and 30 or 35 Ju-52 transports [had] already burned.  We focused on airport equipment and destroyed several barracks in the north of the main runway.  Two flak outposts were probably destroyed by the 78th FG.”

Interestingly, given that Kralupy nad Vltavou Kralup has no information about an attack against the Kralupy Airfield on April 17 – and I don’t think the 78th Fighter Group would have conducted a strafing attack against the same distant enemy airfield on two consecutive days – I wonder if the above statement about a mission on April 16, actually refers to the 78th’s mission of April 17.  (I think it may!)  In any event, here are three images of an April strafing attack against the Kralupy airfield from the same web page.  (The source of the photos is not listed.)

In the image below, a P-51 is visible banking to the left, in the upper right corner.  

But, what about the airfield’s specific location?  Kralupy nad Vltavou Kralup displays air photos of the area, taken in 1946 and 1953, which show the field in relation to nearby geographic features, as well as the wreckage of Luftwaffe aircraft (I think Siebel 204s) that after the war were dumped in nearby quarries, or, pushed into wooded areas bordering the field.  This photo, taken in 1953, shows the locations of four of these aeronautical junk piles – denoted by red ovals – at the periphery of the field.  

Using this information and these photos in conjunction with the map in MACR 13939, I’ve created the following series of Oogle maps which – as you move “down” this page – reveal, at successively larger scales and therefore in greater detail, contemporary views of the airfield’s location.  In each case, the airfield site is denoted by a red circle.    

First, the airfield in relation to the city of Prague:  A teeny-tiny red circle on this small-scale map.

Oogling on in, the airfield in relation to Veltrusy, and, Karlupy nad Vltavou (“Kralupy on the Vltava River”).  

Oogling even closer…

Here’s a 2021 Landsat view of the area above.  You can see that much of the terrain once occupied by the airfield is now taken up by buildings.  

A map view again, but closer…

…followed by another Landsat image at the same scale as above.  Note that probably more than half of the area once occupied by the airfield is now taken up by industrial development.  

Finally, in this 3-D Oogle image of the airfield site (looking west-northwest) the extent of postwar construction is very clear.  Also noticeable at the lower center right is one of the forested areas that existed back in 1945.  Perhaps some aircraft wrecks – even including the remnants of P-51D 44-72367? – still lie there, deeply buried, awaiting discovery?

____________________

But, what of the two lost Mustangs?  The fate of the P-51s is clearly described in the MACRs:  Lieutenant Rosenberg’s plane crashed and exploded not far from where he landed by parachute, while Lieutenant Rosenblum’s aircraft broke apart when he crash-landed on the airfield.  Given the time-frame of the planes’ losses, there are no Luftgaukommando Reports pertaining to them.  End of that story.    

As for the markings of the two aircraft, information comes from Garry Fry’s Eagles of Duxford, which lists the squadron codes assigned to the planes as MX * C for Lt. Rosenblum’s, and MX * D for Lt. Rosenberg’s.  Though Eagles does not indicate if the planes carried nicknames or nose art, this possibility is not entirely precluded, for – given the fact that the pertinent MACRs don’t even record the P-51’s squadron codes in the first place! – if the planes had been nicknamed, this information may simply have never been preserved.

Regardless, the following two images, from Peter Randall’s Little Friends website, give a very good representation of the presumable appearance of the two fighters: Natural metal finish, red rudders, “swept” black and white checkerboard nose trimmed in red surrounding the front half of the aircraft’s nose, and squadron codes painted in black (or, insignia blue?) trimmed with red. 

First, P-51D 44-63246:  This particular image was, “Taken in Duxford, England by Maj. Atlee G. (Pappy) Manthos while operations officer with the 78th Fighter Group following the end of hostilities in Europe.  The pilot of this 82nd FS P-51D was Lt. John C. Childs of Hot Springs, Arkansas.”

Second, P-51D 44-15745: “Lt. Walter E Bourque.  Detroit, Mi.  82nd Fighter Squadron.  P-51D 44-15745 MX-T.”  This photo also appears as image UPL26433 via the American Air Museum in England.

__________

But then, there’s this…  Lt. Rosenblum, seated in the cockpit of unidentified P-51D Rosey THE Riveter.  Unfortunately (!), specific identification of this plane is impossible, since the plane’s individual aircraft code letter – painted on the aft fuselage – does not appear in the image.  Otherwise, the shade of the Rosey THE Riveter logo and MX squadron code letters – both dark, with lighter outline – appear to be identical.  Interestingly, rather than a K-14 gyroscopic gunsight, the plane is equipped with a (N-9?) reflector gunsight. 

Unfortunately, the source of this image – the very title of the book in which I discovered it – escapes me for the moment (!), but I think the picture appeared in a book about the history of the Jews in the South.  In any event, the image is credited to Raymond and Sandra Lee Rosenblum.  [Update 8/14/21: The image is from the 2002 book A Portion of the People – Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life, and is from the collection of Raymond and Sandra Lee Rosenblum.]  

__________

But, there’s more, and even earlier, to Lt. Rosenblum’s story.  April 17, 1945 was not the only day on which he did not – immediately – return to his base. 

On September 18, 1944, he bellied in east of Brussels in P-47D 43-25300 (“MX * I”, nickname: “B Hope”).  As described by Garry Fry in a letter to Rudy Kenis of De Panne, Belgium, of October 31, 1986,

Dear Rudy,

This P-47 43-25300 was successfully belly-landed on Sept. 18, 44…  The pilot was 1 Lt. Allen A. Rosenblum, 82 F.S., who was not hurt and he returned to England and resumed his duties.  The reason for the crash is that he ran out of gasoline on the way home. 

Photographs of the wreck of MX * I can be viewed here, while a summary of the day’s events, from the 82nd Fighter Squadron History, follows:  

2 October 1944

September 18.  17 Planes on fighter bomber mission of Flak positions in Holland.  In Rotterdam 1530 hrs.  Out Amsterdam 1709 hrs.  Take off 1435 hrs.  Down at 1740 hrs.  Bombing poor to good results on flak positions and barges.  30 Plus trucks in convoy strafed on highway between Brest and Vianen, 18 destroyed and 11 damaged.  Heavy accurate light and heavy flak from Rotterdam and flak barges west of the city.  2 Cat. AC and 1 Cat. A flak damage.  Lt. R.C. Snyder MIA, hit by flak and bellied in SW of Rotterdam and heard to say he was O.K. after landing.  [P-47D 42-75551, MX * M, MACR 9001] Pilots were Capt. May, Lts. Lamb, Bolgert, Coss, Shope, Rosenblum, Mattern, Nelson, Brown, Snyder, Boeckman, Croy, Sharp, Miller, Bosworth, Eggleston, and Keatley. 

Finally and perhaps most importantly, some comments about Allen A. Rosenblum as a “person”, from letters to Rudy Kenis in late 2012 by Allen’s son Michael.   

28 October 2012

Hi, Rudy – I have a picture of my dad in a plane with the MX * I marking, but not certain that was his plane.  I also have a photo of dad in a plane marked “Rosey the Riveter”.  He was shot down twice, but I only have information on his second crash in Poland (see attached).  It is possible that his first crash was in Belgium – he was able to make it back to Allied lines safely.  After his second crash, he was a POW until the end of the war (2-3 weeks) – fortunate.  Please let me know if you find out anything about the Belgium crash.  Dad never spoke much about his war efforts – doing so gave him nightmares for weeks afterwards.  I recently learned some of these details through contacts on the P-47 pilot website.

Many thanks

__________

4 November 2012

Hi, Rudy – Many thanks for the email.  I think Dad’s earlier crash because of low fuel matches what I know of his war efforts.  Here is a picture of Dad in his Rosey the Riveter (MX) aircraft.  [See above.]  Hope this helps.

……….

Forgot to mention that you words about my father are very kind.  He would have been very pleased to have heard them.  Dad almost never spoke about his time in the war.  Doing so would cause him to have nightmares for weeks afterward.  We would have called it PTSD.  It is amazing to me to find that there are efforts of others honoring efforts of pilots like Dad.  Many thanks.

____________________

Lieutenant Rosenblum’s brother-in-law, Sergeant David Daniel Danneman (34261537) served as a togglier in the 547th Bomb Squadron of the 384th Bomb Group.  His plane, B-17F 42-29870 (JD * U, otherwise known as BIG MOOSE)  piloted by 1 Lt. Giles F. Kauffman, was shot down on October 14, 1943.  Its loss is covered in MACR 1038 and Luftgaukommando Report KU 296 (which, being a very early “low numbered” Luftgaukommando Report, is missing from NARA Records Group 242), the entire crew of ten surviving.  

Born on August 1, 1918 in Anderson County, South Carolina, he was the son of Aaron and Jenny (Jacobovitz) Danneman.  His wife Sarah resided at 771 Washington Street in Atlanta, Georgia.    

David Danneman passed away at the young age of 49 on December 25, 1967.  His name appeared in a Casualty List released on June 15, 1945, and on page 87 of American Jews in World War II, where he is recorded as having received the Purple Heart.  His commemorative page at the National World War II Memorial can be found here.  

As mentioned above, on October 30, 1945, The Atlanta Constitution published a lengthy article (by Katherine Barnwell) about the experiences of Lt. Rosenblum and Sergeant Danneman, in the context of a postwar reunion of the two men.  Like many newspaper articles of the era, the account, which includes an excellent photo of the brothers-in-law and Sergeant Danneman’s wife Sarah, is particularly valuable in presenting information unavailable in military records.  A transcript follows:

Brothers-in-Law Meet Here; Held as POW 50 Miles Apart
STORY-BOOK-ENDING

It was a joyous reunion at 771 Washington street yesterday for two Atlanta brothers-in-law who met here for the first time in many months after being prisoners of war – 50 miles apart – in Germany.

It was an equally happy occasion for Mrs. Sarah Danneman, who was present at the meeting between her brother, Lt. Allen A. Rosenblum, and her husband, S/Sgt, David D. Danneman.  Both men served in the Eighth Air Force in England, and both were shot down in missions over Nazi territory.

It was, in fact, a story-book ending for all concerned, as the smiles which all three wore yesterday amply proved.  Danneman received his discharge about a week ago, and Rosenblum expects to become a civilian again around the first of December.

Danneman spent the longer period in a German prison – 19 months, though “it seemed much longer.”  He was sent overseas in April, 1942, and received his training at an RAF school in Kirkham, England.

NOSE GUNNER ON “FORT”

A nose gunner on a Flying Fortress, he was shot down on his third mission, over Schweinfurt, Germany, Oct. 14, 1943.  His plane was hit by antiaircraft flak, and he parachuted 28,000 feet to safety.

“That mission,” Danneman explained proudly, “caused the war to end six months earlier than it would have otherwise.  Although we lost 60 bombers, we destroyed the largest ball bearing factory in Germany.”

Danneman was taken to Krems, Austria, where he was imprisoned at Stalag 17B.  He remained there until April of this year when all prisoners there were forced marched to Braunau, Austria, Hitler’s birthplace.  He was liberated by the Third Army last May 2.

Like other American prisoners in Germany, he received little food except “wormy soup, a few potatoes, and some black bread.”  He himself received only one beating from guards, but he witnessed the torture of hundreds of Jewish prisoners who were “more dead than alive.”

HOMEMADE RADIOS

“We had hundreds of ‘bugs’ (homemade radios) in the camp,” Danneman said.  “We would swap cigarettes sent us by the Red Cross to French workers for radio parts, so that we could keep up with the progress of the war.”

But Danneman did not know that his wife’s husband, Lt. Allen Rosenblum was overseas, much less that he was a prisoner only 50 miles away later in the war.

Rosenblum went overseas in July, 1944, and completed 56 missions before being shot down.  He was attached to the 78th Fighter Group of the Eight Air Force and he was credited with destroying four German planes and damaging two others.

It was in April 1945, when he was strafing an air field in the Sudetenland that his plane was hit by antiaircraft fire.  He made a crash landing in a clump of trees, and suffered head wounds and a broken arm.

Taken prisoner immediately, he was sent to Stalag 18-C in Austria.  Although he was in prison only about three weeks before he was liberated, he lost 30 pounds during that time.

“BETTER OFF THAN MOST”

“But I was better off than most,” he admitted.  “I saw guys by the road so hungry that they were eating leaves from the trees – and grass too.”

Meanwhile, Mrs. Danneman here in Atlanta did mot merely wait idly for the return of her husband and brother.  Besides holding down a full-time job, she worked three nights a week as a nurse’s aid, and most other nights as a USO hostess.  She amassed more than 2,000 hours in USO work.

Both Danneman and Rosenblum were much-decorated for their Army service.  Rosenblum wears the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, wight eight oak leaf clusters, the Purple Heart, Good Conduct medal, and the presidential unit citation.  Danneman received the Purple Heart last Friday, and the Air Medal and Good Conduct medal are on the way.

“Good conduct was sort of forced on me,” Danneman laughed, “since German guards were watching me for nearly two years.”

Wounded in Action

United States Army (Ground Forces)

Abramson, Harry, Pvt., 33939323, Purple Heart (Italy, Bologna)
Born 1919
Mrs. Eva Abramson (mother), 707 S. 4th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
The Jewish Exponent 5/18/45
Philadelphia Record 5/10/45
American Jews in World War II – 508

Cooper, Sidney, Sgt., 13077767, Purple Heart (at Ie Shima, Okinawa)
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 1/31/20
Mrs. Anne Cooper (wife); Gail Eileen and Marsha Sharon (daughters), 2500 N. Marston St. / 523 Snyder Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin and Florence Cooperman (parents), 2711 South 9th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
The Jewish Exponent 6/8/45
Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Record 5/29/45
American Jews in World War II – 516

Kaitz, Aaron A., Pvt., 33815875, Purple Heart (Germany)
Born 1926
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham H. and Anna C. Kaitz (parents), 1316 South Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Jewish Exponent 5/18/45
Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Record 5/9/45
American Jews in World War II – 530

United States Marine Corps

Polotnick, Harry, Sgt., 810771, Purple Heart
6th Marine Division, 29th Marine Regiment, 3rd Battalion, G Company
Born 10/4/23; Died 3/27/91
Saint Louis, Mo. (next of kin unknown)
American Jews in World War II – 215

Other Incidents…

…United States Army Air Force

Rescued with fellow crew members after ditching in the Pacific…

Greenfogel, Maurice “Mo” (Moshe Bar Mordechay HaCohen), Sgt., 32874753, Passenger
5th Air Force, 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron
No Missing Air Crew Report, Aircraft C-47B 43-47995, Pilot 1 Lt. Robert L. Rohlfing, 12 crew and passengers – all personnel survived; Rescued 4/18/45 at 2130 by Hospital Ship USS Maetsuycker
Born 10/23/24, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Died 6/4/17
Mr. and Mrs. Max and Gussie Greenfogel (parents), Albert and Evelyn (brother and sister), Brooklyn, N.Y.
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

The pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress, who witnessed the loss of another B-17…

Rabinowitz, Eugene, 1 Lt., 0-831796 (Bomber Pilot)
8th Air Force, 305th Bomb Group, 366th Bomb Squadron
In MACR 14172, witness to loss of B-17G 43-38085 (“KY * L”, “Towering Titan”), pilot by 2 Lt. Brainerd E. Harris, 8 crew – no survivors
Probably from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Opelika-Auburn News – 9/15/20
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Soviet Air Force
Military Air Forces – VVS (Военно-воздушные cилы России – ВВС)

Missing during combat mission on April 17 – 18, 1945.  Actual fate unknown.  

Shapiro, Mikhail Solomonovich – Junior Sergeant [Шапиро, Михаил Соломонович – Младший Сержант]
1st Guards Aviation Corps, 16th Guards Bombardment Aviation Regiment (By June of 1945, at Military Post 15539 “V”)
Aerial Gunner – Radio Operator [Воздушный Стрелок-Радист]
Aircraft: Probably… Il-4 [Ил-4]
Born 1926; city of Kiev
Mr. Galina Mikhaylovna (Moiseevna?) Shapiro (mother), Labzik Street, Uichi Building, Block 36, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

References

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947

Freeman, Roger A., The Mighty Eighth – A History of the U.S. 8th Army Air Force, Doubleday and Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1970

Freeman, Roger A., Camouflage & Markings – United States Army Air Force, 1937-1945 [“North American P-51 & F-6 Mustang U.S.A.A.F., E.T.O. & M.T.O., 1942-1945”], Ducimus Books Limited, London, England, 1974

Fry, Garry L., Eagles of Duxford: The 78th Fighter Group in World War II, Phalanx Publishers, St. Paul, Mn., 1992

Lifshitz, Jacob (יעקב, ליפשיץ), The Book of the Jewish Brigade: The History of the Jewish Brigade Fighting and Rescuing [in] the Diaspora (Sefer ha-Brigadah ha-Yehudit: ḳorot ha-ḥaṭivah ha-Yehudit ha-loḥemet ṿeha-matsilah et ha–golah ((גולהה קורות החטיבה היהודית הלוחמת והמצילה אתספר הבריגדה היהודית)), Shim’oni (שמעוני), Tel-Aviv, 1950

Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume I [Surnames beginning with А (A), Б (B), В (V), Г (G), Д (D), Е (E), Ж (Zh), З (Z), И (I)], Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russian Federation, 1994

Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume III [Surnames beginning with О (O), П (P), Р (R), С (S)], Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russian Federation, 1996

Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume VIII [Surnames beginning with all letters of the alphabet], Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russian Federation, 2005

Meirtchak, Benjamin, Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: I – Jewish Soldiers and Officers of the Polish People’s Army Killed and Missing in Action 1943-1945 [“JMCPAWW2 I”], World Federation of Jewish Fighters Partisans and Camp Inmates: Association of Jewish War Veterans of the Polish Armies in Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1994

Meirtchak, Benjamin, Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: II – Jewish Military Casualties in September 1939 Campaign – Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armed Forces in Exile Soldiers and Officers of the Polish People’s Army Killed and Missing in Action 1943-1945 [“JMCPAWW2 II”], World Federation of Jewish Fighters Partisans and Camp Inmates: Association of Jewish War Veterans of the Polish Armies in Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1995

Morris, Henry, Edited by Gerald Smith, We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945, Volume I, Brassey’s, United Kingdom, London, 1989

Rosengarten, Theodore and Rosengarten, Dale, A Portion of the People – Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life, University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, S.C., 2002

No Author

Duxford Diary, 1942-1945, W. Heffer & Sons (printer), Cambridge, England, 1945

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Flight Officer Leonard H. Busch – January 29, 1945 [Revised post…]

Update:  Though I’ve long known “of” the man at the focus of this post – F/O Leonard H. Busch, whose family lived at Haven Avenue, in New York City – specific details of his story have remained obscure.  Recently, however (almost three years after having created this post in May of 2017) I obtained documents from the Army which may have solved this enigma. 

It turns out that F/O Busch was a member of the 56th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 5th Air Force’s 375th Troop Carrier Group, which was equipped with C-46 transports.

Correlating this information to records of C-46s lost on Monday, January 29, 1945, via the Aviation Safety Network, reveals that two C-46Ds (42-101039 and 42-101157) were lost in accidents that day.  In turn, searching for information about these two C-46s yields FindAGrave records for the C-46 crew lost aboard aircraft #157, piloted by 1 Lt. Mumford M. Heard, with the following information about what transpired that Monday (from Russ Pickett):

“C-46D #42-101157, while cleared to takeoff and while attempting to takeoff from Tacloban, Leyte Island, Philippines, was directed to clear the runway immediately.

A C-54, without the knowledge of the radio tower, was attempting to land on the same runway.  C-46D #42-101157, while attempting to avoid a collision, veered off and ended up hitting two B-24’s and another C-46 causing the entire crew to be killed in this crash.”

(January 29, 1945 was an especially bad day for the 56th CCS, with C-46D – 44-77420, piloted by 2 Lt. William P. Spiess and carrying nine other crew and passengers – going missing.)

But…  F/O Busch is not listed as a crew member of 42-101157, the crew comprising:

Pilot: Heard, Mumford M., 1st Lt.
Co-Pilot: Robinson, Clark A., F/O
Crew Chief: Braley, Scott, Sgt.
Radio Operator: Duncan, James K., S/Sgt.
Radio Operator (assistant): Richter, Milton R., Cpl.

So, perhaps he was a crewman of the enigmatic “other” C-46D – 42-101039 – which was struck by Mumford’s plane, about which no information is available on the internet.

(As for the B-24, the plane was actually an F-7B photo-reconnaissance Liberator (44-40659) of the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron, in which three men (pilot 2nd Lt. Richard I. Tubbs, co-pilot 2nd Lt. Paul J. Vivian, and flight engineer T/Sgt. Leland L. Lane) were lost.)  

If I find anything further, I’ll update this post accordingly.  Meanwhile…

________________________________________

The original post starts here:  Flight Officer Leonard H. Busch, an aerial navigator, was killed in Philippines on Monday, January 29, 1945.  His name appeared in a Casualty List published in the Times on March 20, 1945, while his obituary – transcribed below – was published on April 5. 

However, his story is otherwise enigmatic.  Very enigmatic.   

There is no Missing Air Crew Report pertaining to him, and a check of the varied internet databases (government and private) covering WW II military aircraft losses or American military casualties, yields no records concerning his death, or, any relevant entry for a 5th or 13th Air Force C-46 or C-47 aircraft on January 29, 1945.

His obituary follows…

__________

Flight Officer Killed on Mission in Pacific

Mr. and Mrs. G. Walton Busch of 217 Haven Avenue have been notified by the War Department of the death of their son, Flight Officer Leonard H. Busch, 21 years old, at Leyte, in the Pacific, while on a troop-carrier mission Jan. 29.

Flight Officer Busch was a graduate of George Washington High School, and at the time he entered the service, October, 1942, was employed as a commercial artist.  He was trained as a radio technician at Scott Field., Ill., as an aerial gunner at Laredo Field, Tex., got his pilot’s wings at Jamestown College, Jamestown, N.D., and studied navigation at Santa Ana, Calif., and Hondo, Tex.  He went overseas last November.

In addition to his parents he is survived by two brothers, Merwin and Raymond.

____________________

The Busch family residence at 217 Haven Ave., in the Washington Heights neighborhood (as seen at Apartments.com) is shown below.

____________________

Another Jewish military casualty on January 29, 1945, was 1 Lt. Frank F. Oppenheimer (0-722672), a B-26 Marauder bombardier in the 558th Bomb Squadron, 387th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force, who was severely wounded by flak. 

Born in Del Rio, Texas, on September 25, 1915, he was the son of Libby F. Oppenheimer, and brother of Alex and Max, and lived at 211 East Dewey Place, in San Antonio.  He passed away in France, from a heart attack, on October 7 of that year.  (Reported in the San Antonio Express on August 23.)  He is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, in San Antonio.  (Section T, Grave 72)

Reference

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947.

May, 2017; March 22, 2020

89

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Hospital Apprentice 1st Class Stuart E. Adler – March 15, 1945 [Revised post…]

History does not end: It persists.   

An ongoing aspect of this blog has been the presentation of information about American Jewish WW II military casualties in the context of news items about Jewish servicemen that appeared in The New York Times between 1941 and 1945.  As such, I’ve created and organized such posts in the simplest manner possible – alphabetically, by the soldier’s surname – the posts thus far encompassing servicemen whose surnames began with the letters “A” through “J”. 

This information emerged from my research into identifying relevant articles and news items found by manually scrolling through every issue of The New York Times published between 1941 and 1946, on 35mm microfilm.  (Microfilm, you ask?  Well, this was a few years ago.) 

I focused on Times because I initially assumed that the combination of the newspaper’s status, scope of news coverage, and especially its geographic setting in the New York metropolitan area (sort of the symbolic and demographic center of American Jewish life) would have resulted in its featuring information about the role of American Jewish soldiers to a greater degree than other national publications, and this specifically in the context of the Second World War having been – even if it was unrecognized, denied, or ignored at the time – parallel battles for the survival of the Jewish people, and, the Allied nations.

In the process, I discovered I was half right. 

Certainly the paper featured many, many (many) such items, as well as – alas, inevitably – many obituaries (particularly from 1944 through 1946) for Jewish soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who lost their lives in the conflict. 

In the same process, I learned I was half wrong. 

I was soon disabused of my assumptions about the Times’ coverage of Jewish military service, for Jewish participation in the war never seemed to have been perceived or recognized as such by the newspaper, to begin with.  Every article, news item, and (yes, too) obituary about or alluding to Jewish servicemen was absent of any mention of the war’s ideological underpinnings – at least in the European Theater – and its implications in terms of the collective survival of the Jewish people.  Then again, among WW II issues of other American newspapers I’ve reviewed (not as thoroughly as the Times, but deeply enough), I found this to have been equally so, and really no differently perceived by Jewish newspapers, as well.

Here’s how this subject was approached by The Jewish Exponent in its issue of August 4, 1944, in which the newspaper began to specifically focus on coverage of the military service of Jewish soldiers from the Philadelphia metropolitan area.  In light of the era, that the Exponent attempted to cover this topic in a comprehensive manner to begin with, stands to its credit. 

The text of this article follows below.  I’ve italicized some key passages….

Our Sons and Daughters In the Armed Forces

The Day-to-Day Story of Their Valor and Heroism

Please Note

We want to tell the entire community about the heroism, sacrifices and contributions of our Jewish men and women of Philadelphia serving in the armed forces at home and abroad.  Mail letters, photographs, citations, communications from the War Department and other items of interest about your son or daughter, husband, relative or friend in the service to the Jewish Exponent, Widener Building, Philadelphia, 7, Pa.

All such data will be documented by the Jewish Welfare Board, and within the uncontrollable limitations of space, will be published in these columns each week.

Today, thousands of Philadelphia’s sons and daughters of Jewish faith are making an imperishable record of American heroism and sacrifice, following in the tradition of their fathers who served with courage, loyalty and devotion in every crisis that has confronted our Nation – a glorious tradition that began with Chyam Solomon and reaffirmed with Meyer Levin.

To them, we respectfully dedicate these columns.  Not merely to show the undying patriotism of the Jews of Philadelphia, but that in doing so they are emphasizing their Americanism and the inestimable value of this great country’s heritage of racial and religious freedom.

KILLED IN ACTION

Until entering the service in October, 1942, Private Wallace Jay Epstein, 5034 “D” St., was associated with his father’s business, the Regal Corrugated Box Co.  Since March, 1943, he served overseas, and earlier this month, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Epstein, were notified that their 19-year-old son died of wounds in France.

Also entering service in October, 1942, was Private First Class Morris Cherry, 100 East Meehan Street, in Germantown.  A well-known amateur photographer, he was sent overseas last February.  His parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. Cherry, were informed by the War Department that he was killed in France.

Killed in action in France was 10-year-old Private Harold G. Miltenberger, 2208 Bainbridge Street, who first took up arms in September, 1943, and went overseas in April.

WEST POINT GRADUATE

The youngest member of his graduating class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in June, 1943, Lieutenant Colonel Paul H. Berkowitz, 31, son of Mr. and Mrs. William F. Berkowitz of 434 West Ellett Street, Mt. Airy, has been reported missing since July 26 in the Southwest Pacific area while returning to his base in Australia from a mission in this country.

Nine months after his marriage to the former Jeanne Grandy, of Portland, Me., in April, 1942, he went overseas to command a topographical battalion of Army engineers.  He did not return to this country until last June on a mission from the Pacific, where his wife joined him on the West Coast to mark their third wedding anniversary, the first they had been able to celebrate.

His sister, Sylvia, is the husband [sic] of Major Charles S. Morrow, Newark, N.J., heart specialist, serving with the Medical Corps in Panama.

Also “missing in action” is First Class Seaman Raphael Weinstein, 18-year-old hospital attendant, of 621 Parrish Street.  A Graduate of Northeast High School, he has a brother, Corporal Joseph, 21 years old, serving in the Army.

FLAME OF HOPE

This is the story of the type of faith to which thousands of parents of sons reported killed or missing in action are clinging.  Ordinarily, Samuel Gross and his wife, Freda, 3026 West Susquehanna Avenue, place little credence in “second-hand news”.  But a bit of “second-hand news” relayed to them over thousands of miles has kept their spirits buoyed up since July 17.

It was back in January that they received word their 22-year-old son, Technical Sergeant Joseph Gross, was missing in action over France, when the Flying Fortress on which he was a gunner and radio operator was shot down, over Bordeaux.  But the flame of hope for their son, one of two in the armed forces, burned feebly.

Then a letter received from the mother of Lt. James Bradley, of Lido, N.M., fanned the flame of hope into a burning conviction that their son was alive.  She revealed that she had received a letter from a French woman who told how her son and three other members of the crew of the plane, including Gross, had been picked up by a Frenchman, hidden and smuggled out of France.  An then the other day a cable from Sgt. Gross to his parents.  It read: “All well and safe.”

Sgt. Gross, an honor graduate of West Philadelphia High School, class of 1939, joined the Air Force in September, 1942.  His 18-year-old brother, Morris, is an aviation cadet at San Antonio, Tex., and his wife, Martha, 21, lives at 5405 Walnut Street.

The same flame of hope now burns brightly for Mrs. Rae W. Fleishman, 4600 North Marvine Street, who was officially notified this week that her 20-year-old son, Second Lieutenant Milton H. Fleishman, a navigator on a B-24, who was missing over France, is safe.  He has two other brothers in the service, William, a signalman in the Navy, and Leon, a sergeant in the Army Transport Command.

Reported missing in June, Mr. and Mrs. S. Finkelstein, 5814 Montrose Street, were informed this week by the War Department that their 19-year-old son, Private Morris M. Finkelstein, is a prisoner of the German government.  A brother, Alex F., is also an Army private.

(Portrait of Morris M. (Martin) Finkelstein, from the Honoree Page at the WW II Memorial created in his honor by his daughter.  A member of H Company, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, he was captured on D-Day, and spent the remainder of the war at Stalag 4B (Muhlberg).  The son of Samuel and Mollie Finkelstein, his name never appeared in American Jews in World War II.)

THE MARINES ARE IN

The largest group of First Division Marines to be returned from combat duty in the South Pacific landed by transport at San Diego.  These were all men from the famous First Division, that fighting group which started America’s offensive against the Japs on August 7, 1942.  Among this group was Private First Class Martin S. Rothstein, 24 years of age, husband of Megan Rothstein and son of Mr. and Mrs. Samnuel Rothstein, 6116 Castor Avenue.

WITH THE LADIES

The welcome mat is getting a special dusting at 4550 “D” Street, where Mr. and Mrs. Harry Applebaum are eagerly awaiting the homecoming this week of Corporal Zelda Applenbaum, her first furlough since joining the U.S. Women’s Marine Corps 17 months ago, and stationed at San Francisco.  Zelda’s sister, Apprentice Seaman Betty B. Applebaum, is in the WAVES, stationed at Hunters College, New York.

Proud parents are Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Lazar, 424 Tree Street, whose daughter, Seaman First Class Bettye Lazar, graduated this week from the WAVES Naval Training School at Stillwater, Okla.

WOUNDED IN ACTION

Private Gilbert B. Shapiro, 24, husband of Mrs. Claire B. Shapiro, 3864 Poplar Street, was wounded in France.  An infantryman, he attended Overbrook and Central High Schools and worked in the fur business until joining the service in October, 1942.  He has been overseas since last January.  A brother, Milton, is a captain in the Army.

Private Irving I. Bleiman, 17, son of Harry B. Bleiman, 494 North 3rd Street, was wounded on Saipan Island in the Pacific while fighting with the Marine Corps.

Staff Sergeant Morris Krivitsky, husband of Mrs. Charlotte Krivitsky, 5009 “B” Street, was reported wounded in action.

Technical Sergeant Arnold Miller, son of Mrs. Fannie Miller, 2518 South Marshall Street, in the European Theatre.

Private Armand F. Eiseman, son of Mrs. Rose Weiss, 1594 North 52nd Street, in the European theatre.

Private Herman S. Hershman, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hershman, 4515 North 13th Street, was wounded in France.

Private David Polnerow, son of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Polnerow, 4822 North 9th Street, is recuperating in a hospital in England from wounds received in action in France.

Private Aaron Leibowitz, 5383 Columbia Avenue, was wounded in France, his brother Philip was notified.

Private Alexander Glick, 33, husband of Mrs. Lena Glick, 524 South 60th Street, in the European theatre.  Before joining the Army in April, 1943, he worked as a salesman, and went overseas last November.

Staff Sergeant Martin Glickman, son of Boris Glickman, 7919 Harley Avenue.

________________________________________

Anyway, regarding the Times, only over time (accidental pun…) did I arrive at an appreciation of the evolution and ideological orientation of the newspaper, in terms of the collective identity and survival of the Jewish people as a people (not merely a religious group).  This was through such works as Laurel Leff’s Buried By the Times, which revealed how strongly the Times’ ethos influenced wartime coverage of the Shoah by the news media, in general.  Does this perhaps irrevocably ingrained attitude continue to animate that newspaper’s news reporting concerning the Jewish people and especially the nation-state of Israel?  Well,…

Not merely a sign of the Times, but an ongoing sign of our “times”…

________________________________________

In any event, my first post about this topic appeared on April 30, 2017 and pertained to Navy Hospital Apprentice First Class Stuart Adler, who was killed on Okinawa on March 15, 1945. 

The post was limited in scope, only covering Jewish naval personnel and Marines who were casualties on that March day.  Nearly three years having passed since April of 2017, I thought it worthwhile to revisit the post to correct a few inaccuracies, and of far greater importance, add records about some of that day’s other Jewish military casualties.

As a result, the post is now a little longer than it was three years ago.

________________________________________

Finally, more than a little “off-topic” but very much “on time” (that is, time past): An artifact from March of 1945:  That month’s issue of Astounding Science Fiction…

And herewith, back to the post…

________________________________________

________________________________________

Notice about Hospital Apprentice Stuart Emanuel Adler (7124266) appeared in a Casualty List published in The New York Times on May 17, 1945.  Stuart was attached to the 1st Marine Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division when he was killed on Iwo Jima by a sniper, while attempting to render medical aid to a wounded Marine.  Born on May 2, 1926, he is buried at the Washington Cemetery in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Chevra Anshe Ragole, Section 4, Post 440)

His obituary, transcribed below, was published on August 9, 1945.

__________

Slain Hospital Apprentice Honored by His Comrades

Hospital Apprentice Stuart Adler, 18 years old, who was killed on March 15 on Iwo Island by a Japanese sniper’s bullet, has been honored by his comrades, who have named a company street on Iwo in his memory.

In a recent letter to his mother, Mrs. Betty Lee Adler of 245 East Gunhill Road, Maj. Gen. G.B. Erskine, Marine Corps, praised the youth’s “devotion to duty”.

Enlisting in the Navy on Feb. 8, 1944, shortly after his graduation from DeWitt Clinton High School, he was attached to the First Battalion, Twenty-First Marines, during the Iwo Campaign.  He was killed when he went to the aid of a wounded marine.

A younger brother, Robert; a sister, Faith, and his father, David Adler, also survive.

These are contemporary (2010-ish) views – from apartments.com – of the Adler family’s wartime residence: 245 East Gunhill Road, in the Bronx.

________________________________________

Saperstein, Charles (Yekutiel ben Hayyim), MoMM1C, 6425696, Motor Machinist’s Mate
Born 1921
United States Navy, Probably crew member of LCT(6) – #36
Mr. Herman Saperstein (father), 32 Lakeview Drive, Silvermine, Norwalk, Ct.
Memorialized on Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines
Memorial matzeva at Beth Israel Cemetery, Norwalk, Ct.
Casualty List 5/27/45
American Jews in World War II – 69

Finkelstein, Albert Jacob, HA1C, 7109973, Hospital Apprentice
United States Navy, 5th Marine Division, 31st Replacement Battalion (attached)
Mr. Samuel Finkelstein (father), 1445 Saint Marks Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Place of burial unknown
Casualty List 6/30/45
American Jews in World War II – not listed

Photograph via ShaneO

Wounded in Action

Percoff, Manuel, PFC, 884682
United States Marine Corps, 5th Marine Division, 28th Marine Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Headquarters Company
Mr. Sam Percoff (father), Laurel, Mississippi
Casualty List 6/6/45
American Jews in World War II – 206

Swarts, John Leonard, Cpl. 863329
United States Marine Corps, 2nd Armored Amphibious Division, C Company
Mrs. Rosalind M. Swarts (wife), 225 West End Ave., New York, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y. 1/14/12, Died 8/17/03
American Jews in World War II – 459

________________________________________

Some other Jewish military casualties on Thursday, March 15, 1945 (1 Nisan 5705) include…

Killed in Action

– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

United States Army (Ground Forces)

Amira, Ralph (“Robert”?), S/Sgt., 32398826, Silver Star, Purple Heart
11th Airborne Division, 188th Glider Infantry Regiment, B Company
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Becky (Rebecca?) Amira (parents), 1920 24th Ave., Astoria, Long Island, N.Y.
Mount Hebron Cemetery, Flushing, N.Y. – (Possibly Block 12, Reference 3, Section A, Line E/F, Grave 12, Society Life & Charity / Source of Life); Buried 4/12/49
Casualty List 4/14/45
Long Island Star Journal 9/23/48
American Jews in World War II – 265

Auerbach, Robert, PFC, 12219224, Infantry, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
(Wounded previously, on 12/3/44)
103rd Infantry Division, 410th Infantry Regiment, K Company
Born 1924
Mrs. Mildred Auerbach (mother), 1132 Fulton St., Woodmere, N.Y.
Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y. – Section J, Grave 16229
Casualty List 4/10/45
American Jews in World War II – 267

Bass, Solomon, M/Sgt., 6667553, Infantry
United States Army, 45th Infantry Division, 157th Infantry Regiment
Born 1922
Mrs. Adelle Bass (wife), 916 Parkwood Drive, Cleveland, Oh.
Pvt. Jack Bass and Mrs. Ann Falcone (brother and sister)
Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Ky. – Section I, Grave 231
Cleveland Press & Plain Dealer 9/10/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

________________________________________

Bernstein, Louis (Levi bar Levi), PFC, 32876996, Infantry, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
3rd Infantry Division, 30th Infantry Regiment
(Wounded previously, around 2/25/44 and 10/20/44)
Born 1910
Mrs. Beatrice Bernstein (wife), 1163 President St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Beth David Cemetery, Elmont, N.Y.
Casualty Lists 3/25/44, 12/20/44, and 4/10/45
American Jews in World War II – 276

Photograph of matzeva by Lainie Cat

________________________________________

Cantor, Alvin D., PFC, 42108329, Infantry, Purple Heart
100th Infantry Division, 397th Infantry Regiment
39 North Park Ave., Buffalo, N.Y.
Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France – Plot B, Row 18, Grave 56
Buffalo Courier-Express 12/31/44, 5/8/45
American Jews in World War II – 287

________________________________________

Cohn, Jack B. (Yakov Benymain bar David Haayim), PFC, 32923274, Infantry, Purple Heart, on Luzon Island, Philippines
25th Infantry Division, 161st Infantry Regiment
Born 2/19/23
Mrs. Anna Cohn (mother), New Brunswick, N.J.
Poile Zedek Cemetery, New Brunswick, N.J.
Casualty List 5/5/45
American Jews in World War II – 230

Photograph of matzeva by F Priam

________________________________________

Cohn, Jack L., T/5, 37604995, Signal Corps, Purple Heart
103rd Infantry Division, 103rd Signal Company
Born 1913
Mrs. Ida Cohn (mother), 5883 Maffitt Ave., St. Louis, Mo.
Chevra Kadisha Adas B’Nai Israel Vyeshurun, University City, St. Louis, Mo.
Saint Louis Post Dispatch 3/28/45 and 3/29/45
American Jews in World War II – 208

Drucker, Simon, PFC, 32882827, Infantry, Purple Heart
3rd Infantry Division, 7th Infantry Regiment, Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion
Born 3/30/20
Mrs. Fanny Drucker (mother) and Mr. Morris Drucker (brother), 721 Van Sicklen Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mount Hebron Cemetery, Flushing, N.Y. – Block 25, Reference 12, Section I, Line 6, Grave 14, Society 1st Toporower S&B
Casualty List 4/14/45
American Jews in World War II – 299

Farash, Solomon, Pvt., 32420791, Infantry, Purple Heart
36th Infantry Division, 142nd Infantry Regiment, Headquarters Company
Born 1921
Mr. Hyman Farash (father), 250 New Lots Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Also Pittsburgh, Pa.
Cemetery unknown
Casualty List 4/14/45
American Jews in World War II – 305

Finer, Morris L., 2 Lt., 0-2005368, Infantry, Purple Heart
99th Infantry Division, 393rd Infantry Regiment
Born 1920
Mr. Miller Finer (father), Greene and Johnson Streets, Philadelphia, Pa.
Mount Sinai Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa.
The Jewish Exponent 4/20/45
The Philadelphia Record 4/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 520

________________________________________

Fleck, Jack (Yakov bar Pesach HaLevi), Cpl., 35510000, Purple Heart, in Germany
290th Field Artillery Observation Battalion
Born Youngtown, Oh., 7/7/22
Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Getrude (Sachs) Fleck (parents), 741 Kenilworth SE, Niles, Oh.
Also Warren, Oh.
Bernard and Irwin (brothers), Mrs. M. Reisman (sister)
Ohio State University Class of 1945
Beth Israel Cemetery, Warren, Oh.; Buried 11/19/47
Warren Tribune Chronicle 11/17/47
American Jews in World War II – 486

This is Corporal Fleck’s obituary from the Warren Tribune Chronicle of November 17, 1947, provided by FindAGrave contributor Rick Nelson. 

________________________________________

Geller, Seymour L., 2 Lt., 0-1329107, Infantry, Purple Heart
36th Infantry Division, 142nd Infantry Regiment, F Company
Born 1921
Mrs. Seymour L. Geller (wife), c/o H. Cohen, 85 McClellan St., Bronx, N.Y.
Also 1727 Walton Ave., New York, N.Y.
Cemetery unknown
Casualty List 4/14/45
The New York Times – Obituary Page (In Memoriam Section) 3/15/46
American Jews in World War II – 319

Gold, Louis, Pvt., 16185802, Infantry, Purple Heart
36th Infantry Division, 142nd Infantry Regiment, G Company
Mr. Charles Gold (father), 6632 South Troy St., Chicago, Il.
Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France – Plot K, Row 14, Grave 10
Casualty List 6/10/45
American Jews in World War II – 100

Horowitz, Bernard L., 2 Lt., 0-534380, Bronze Star Medal, 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
9th Infantry Division, 746th Tank Battalion
(Wounded previously, around 12/16/44 and 1/15/45)
Born 2/8/23
Mr. Isaac M. Horowitz (father), 2-12 Sickles St., New York, N.Y.
Mr. Gilbert Horowitz (?), 1155 Walton Ave., c/o Kessler, Bronx, N.Y.
City College of New York Class of 1943
Cedar Park Cemetery, New York, N.Y.
Casualty Lists 2/28/45 and 4/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 348

Klein, Bernard, PFC, 32249842, Infantry, Purple Heart
3rd Infantry Division, 7th Infantry Regiment
Born 3/6/15
Bronx, N.Y.
Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y. – Section J, Grave 15567
American Jews in World War II – 363

________________________________________

Lebrecht, Alfred W., PFC, 32897544, Infantry, Purple Heart
3rd Infantry Division, 15th Infantry Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. William and Emma F. Lebrecht (parents), 920 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y.
Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France – Plot B, Row 31, Grave 13
Casualty List 4/17/45
New York Post 1/21/51
Jewish Criterion (Pittsburgh) 9/20/46 – “Double Gold Stars”, by Helen Kantzler
American Jews in World War II – 373

 

Photograph of Alfred’s matzeva by Marc Burba

Among the many families who lost multiple sons during the war – profiled in Helen Kantzler’s 1946 Jewish Criterion article “Double Gold Stars” – was that of William and Emma Lebrecht, German refugees who arrived in the United States in 1939.  Alfred’s older brother Ferdinand was killed on February 20, 1945, while serving in the 10th Mountain Division. 

The brothers (Alfred’s matzeva shown above and Ferdinand’s below) are buried adjacent to one another at the Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint Avold, France.

Lebrecht, Ferdinand, PFC, 32695706, Bronze Star Medal, Silver Star, Purple Heart
10th Mountain Division, 85th Mountain Infantry Regiment, L Company
KIA 2/20/45
Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France – Plot B, Row 31, Grave 14
Jewish Criterion (Pittsburgh) 9/20/46 – “Double Gold Stars”, by Helen Kantzler
New York Post 1/19/51, 1/21/51
American Jews in World War II – 573
 Casualty List 3/20/45
Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France – Plot B, Row 31, Grave 14

 

Photograph of Ferdinand’s matzeva by Marc Burba

The incident in which Ferdinand was killed in action is described at Next Exit History:

18 Feb 45 • On the evening of the 18th, 700 men of the 86th Regiment make a daring night climb and successful assault on Riva Ridge, which rises steeply 1700-2000 feet above the rushing Dardagna River.  Using five carefully prepared climbing routes, including two that require fixed ropes, the attack takes the enemy by complete surprise.

American casualties result from fierce counterattacks that occur over the next four days.  For their heroism on Riva Ridge, three soldiers receive Silver Stars posthumously:

Pvt. Michael G. Bostonia (33938591, Washington County, Pa.)

Pfc. Ferdinand Lebrecht, and

1st Lt. John A. McCown II (0-1305285, Philadelphia, Pa.)

Eight other Silver Stars are awarded to: Pfc. Jack A. Booh [?], Pfc. Franklyn C. Fairweather, 1st Lt. Frank D. Gorham, Jr., 2nd Lt. Floyd P. Hallett, Lt. Col. Henry J. Hampton, 1st Lt. James W. Loose, Jr., Pfc. Roy Steen, and S/Sgt. Robert P. Thompson.

Two days later, engineers from D. Company of the 126th Engineers complete an aerial tramway to a point near the top of one of Riva’s peaks, Mt. Cappel Buso.  On the first day of operation, 30 wounded are evacuated and 5 tons of supplies delivered.

Just before midnight, without artillery preparation, five other battalions of the 10th Mountain Division begin their attack of Mt. Belvedere and its sister peak, Mt. Gorgolesco.  Orders are to use only grenades and bayonets until first light.  By dawn the positions have been taken.

____________________

Here is another account of Ferdinand’s last battle, from Charles J. Sanders’ The Boys of Winter – Life and Death in the U.S. Ski Troops During the Second World War:

Fortuitously obscured by a dense fog, the climbers attacked the stunned Nazi defenders at dawn.  The Germans fell back in confusion as the Tenth Mountaineers charged out of the mist, firing and hurling grenades, and screaming demands for surrender.  A number of the enemy capitulated, but the rest quickly regrouped.  The Americans then endured fierce counterattacks throughout the following days, as the enemy desperately and unsuccessfully tried to stave off the main attack on Belvedere and its sister peaks by attempting to recapture the heights of Riva.  Among the many who would give their lives holding this precious ground was Private Ferdinand Lebrecht of 86 C.  He was a big Austrian-born mountaineer who had knelt in prayer with Jacques Parker and the others in the tiny attic at the base of Rive prior to the climb.

____________________

The story of the Lebrecht brothers appeared as two articles in The New York Post in January of 1951.  The first article follows (transcribed below)…

Dad Receives 10 Hero Awards For GI Killed in Italy in 1945

The New York Post
January 19, 1951

The father of an Upper Manhattan soldiers killed in World War II near Mt. Sarrasiccia, Italy, on Feb. 20, 1945, today received belated recognition for the heroic feats of his son.

A Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal and eight other awards were presented to William Lebrecht, 920 Riverside Dr., father of PFC Ferdinand Lebrecht, who was 26 at the time of death, by 1st Army officials at a quiet ceremony in his home.

Official notification of the outstanding role played by young Lebrecht was received by the father a month ago in the form of a letter from the Army Dept., office of the Adjutant General, St. Louis, Mo.  The letter said that, after five years of search, missing copies of general Army orders had been located, disclosing Lebrecht’s courageous record under fire.

First word of his son’s bravery came to Lebrecht from young men who kept dropping into his home during the past five years.  Each said that, “Ferdie helped to save my life.”

The official message, signed by Col. John J. Donovan, said: “During a recent examination of the retained records of the 10th Mountain Division, the missing copies of General Orders announcing the award of the Silver Star to your son, service number 32,695,706, were located.

“Your pride in the gallantry displayed by your son in rendering aid to his wounded comrades while subjected to intense fire, will no doubt alleviate to some extent the grief caused by your great loss and the delay in receiving evidence of his heroism.

“It is hoped that these mementoes of your son’s outstanding service will be a source of comfort to you.  They are tangible evidence of his country’s gratitude for the gallantry and devotion to duty that your son so courageously and heroically displayed.”

The general order itself, dated Nov. 21, 1945, specifying the posthumous award of the Silver Star, told of the uptown soldier’s care for his wounded comrades and how he died in the act of aiding his squad leader and several other men unable to move because of severe wounds suffered during fighting in a “most forward area.”

…while here is the second article, accompanied by a photograph of William, seated with Emma, holding his sons’ portraits.  Their sons’ Purple Hearts are on the right, and Ferdinand’s Silver and Bronze Stars on the left.

Father Has 10 Medals For Son Slain in War

The New York Post
January 21, 1951

It’s official now. 

William Lebrecht, 920 Riverside Dr., has 10 medals, including a posthumous Silver Star, to prove that his son, Ferdinand, 26, a private, first class, died a hero on Mt. Sarrasiccia in Italy five years ago.

But the grieving exporter, who fled to this country from Nazi Germany in 1939, also had the sad memory of another son lost in World War II.  Both sons had given their lives for the country in which he had hoped they would live in freedom.

The uptown man yesterday told the story of his sons, after an Army major and a captain came to his home last week from First Army Headquarters on Governor’s Island to bring him Ferdinand’s hero citation, which had been lost in heaps of Army records since Feb. 20, 1945.

And in recalling his sorrows, he revealed that the second son, Pfc. Alfred Lebrecht, 21, had been killed by Nazis while fighting on the Metz front in France – just 20 days after the older brother fell in action.

“Within a few short weeks,” the father said yesterday, speaking for himself and for his wife, Emma, “we lost everything we lived for.”

The death of Alfred was an especially bitter blow, since his parents had tried in vain to save him.

Soon after they learned of Ferdinand’s death, they went to Washington and begged that Alfred be withdrawn from the fighting front.  War Dept. officials told them, however, that such measures were taken only after two fatal casualties in a family.

The Lebrechts returned home, only to receive word a week later that Alfred too had been killed.

A sergeant in Alfred’s outfit later told the father than the younger brother had been grieving about Ferdinand’s death at the time he was killed.

“He was so downcast,” the sergeant said, “that he just moved about in a daze.”

Told of Son’s Heroism.

The elder Lebrecht might never have known of Ferdinand’s posthumous citation had it not been for one of the beneficiaries of his son’s heroism. One of the eight men the young soldier saved in the action which cost his life visited the father and told him of the citation.

The War Dept., however, at that time reported it had no record of the citation, indicating that the records were lost.  But after years of searching, they were turned up a month ago.

I don’t know if the Post reported any further stories about the Lebrecht family. 

Then again, what more could be said?

________________________________________

Salus, Joseph W., PFC, 42057443, Infantry, Purple Heart
100th Infantry Division, 399th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Joseph Salus (father)
Mr. Francois Salus, Mr. Harry Salus, and Mr. William Salus (sons), 3560 Rochambeau Ave., New York, N.Y.
Harriet Hammer Minde (cousin); Gerson and Miriam Goldman (niece and nephew)
Cemetery unknown; Buried 9/28/48
Casualty List 4/19/45
Long Island Star Journal 4/7/45
The New York Times – Obituary Pages 9/27/48 and 9/28/48
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

________________________________________

Semansky, Jack, Pvt., 36914179, Infantry, Purple Heart
78th Infantry Division, 311th Infantry Regiment, L Company
Born Detroit, Mi., 3/4/26
Mr. and Mrs. Louis [1891-8/2/60] and Nettie [1895-7/15/69] Semansky (parents), Elmhurst Ave., Detroit, Mi.
Mrs. Ann Gertrude (Semansky) Golden and Clare (Semansky) Tierman (sisters)
Machpelah Cemetery, Ferndale, Mi. – Section 6, Lot 18, Grave 151D; Buried 11/23/47
Detroit Jewish Chronicle 10/31/47
The Jewish News (Detroit) 6/15/45
American Jews in World War II – 195

An article about Private Semansky from the Detroit Jewish Chronicle of October 31, 1947…

Though genealogical information about soldiers is not difficult to find, locating images of their next of kin is much more problematic.  The case of Private Semansky is an exception: The lady below is his mother Nettie, as she appeared in an article in the Detroit Jewish Chronicle of May 7, 1943, at the age of forty-eight. 

________________________________________

Sweet, Albert, S/Sgt., 36715694, Infantry, Purple Heart, in France
103rd Infantry Division, 411th Infantry Regiment, A Company
Born 10/21/05
Mrs. Judy Sweet (daughter)
Mr. and Mrs. Fishel and Rose Swislowsky (parents), Mrs. Annie Lohn (sister), 1542 S. Drake Ave., Chicago, Il.
Waldheim Jewish Cemetery (Ticktin Cemetery), Forest Park, Il.
American Jews in World War II – 118

Photograph of matzeva by Bernie_L

________________________________________

Theodore, Julius (Yehuda bar Kasriel), Sgt., 31142262, Medical Corps, Purple Heart
100th Infantry Division, 397th Infantry Regiment, Medical Detachment
Born 1908
Mrs. Fanny Theodore (wife), 6 Vine St., Hartford, Ct.
Beth Alom Cemetery, New Britain, Ct. – Section DB
American Jews in World War II – 71

Photograph of matzeva by Jan Franco

Killed Non-Battle

Beckenstein, Charles J., T/5, 33119096, Passenger (Infantry)
40th Infantry Division, Headquarters Company
Flight of C-46D 44-77360 from Elmore Field, Mindoro, to Tarauan, Leyte
Aircraft crashed 4 miles northwest of San Roque, Philippines.  Loss covered in Missing Air Crew Report 15996.

The plane’s crew consisted of…

Pilot: 1 Lt. Wilson B. Haslan
Co-Pilot: 2 Lt. Myles V. Reed
Flight Engineer: S/Sgt. Arthur T. Poillucci
Radio Operator: Samuel A. Bruno

  …and the aircraft carried 21 passengers, members of the Army ground forces and Army Air Force.  There were no survivors.

As reported in MACR 15996: “C-46 (Commando) Transport plane which departed from Elmore Field, Mindoro, P.I., about 1630, 15 March 1945, with intended destination Tarauan, Leyte, P.I.  Plane crashed into a mountain approximately 4 miles northwest of San Roque, Leyte, P.I.  Accident was apparently due to weather conditions.  All members of the crew and passengers were killed.”

An online memorial for 23 of the 25 crew and passengers of C-46D 44-77360 can be viewed at FindAGrave.

Corporal Beckenstein’s parents were Harry and Bella, of 949 Ridgemont Road, Charleston, in West Virginia.

Buried at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines – Plot F, Row 7, Grave 67
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Prisoner of War

Cohen, Jacob, S/Sgt., 33794401, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
3rd Infantry Division, 7th Infantry Regiment
(Wounded previously, around 6/6/44)
Born Salonika, Greece, 9/5/19
Mrs. Gertrude Cohen (wife), 412 Monroe St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Esther Cohen [Magriso] (mother), 1515 S. 6th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
POW Camp unknown
The Jewish Exponent 4/27/45
The Philadelphia Inquirer 4/17/45
The Philadelphia Record 7/6/44 and 4/7/45
American Jews in World War II – 515

Wounded in Action

Abrahams, Henry G., 0-1328211, 2 Lt., Purple Heart, in France
Born East Orange, N.J., 1920
Mrs. Lola Ruth (Waldman) Abrahams (wife), 36-08 29th St., Astoria, N.Y.
Major Herbert Waldman (brother in law), 29-11 36th Ave., Long Island City, N.Y.
Casualty List 4/10/45
Long Island Star Journal 4/10/45
American Jews in World War II – 262

Pearl, James, S/Sgt., 33050971, Purple Heart, France
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 5/28/13
Mr. Harry Pearl (father), 1014 North 63rd St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Elizabeth B. Pearl (mother), Deborah Rose and Rebecca (daughters), 1615 Robinson Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
The Philadelphia Record 4/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 543

Zlotnick, Leon, Sgt., 33805527, Purple Heart, Germany
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 9/11/26
Mr. and Mrs. Gersin and Anna Zlotnick (parents), 619 Porter St., Philadelphia, Pa.
The Jewish Exponent April 20, 1945
The Philadelphia Inquirer 4/10/45
The Philadelphia Record 4/11/45
American Jews in World War II – 561

 

United States Army Air Force

8th Air Force

Eighth Air Force losses on March 15, 1945 (8th Air Force Mission 889) occurred during heavy bomber strikes against 1) German Army headquarters at Zossen, 2) marshalling yards at Oranienburg, Stendal, and Birkendwerder, 3) rail sidings and centers at Gardelegen, Wittenberge, and 4) targets at Gusen and Havelburg.

303rd Bomb Group, 427th Bomb Squadron: B-17G 43-39220, “GN * G”
MACR 13568, Pilot 2 Lt. Thomas W. Richardson, 8 crew members – all survived

Grossman, Howard Alvin, S/Sgt., 36035598, Radio Operator
Returned to Molesworth with crew after aircraft landed at Okecie Airfield, near Warsaw
Born Chicago, Il., 2/21/19
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Anna (Marks) Grossman (parents), Chicago, Il.
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Tractman, Bernard Lawrence, F/O, T-133026, Navigator, 35 missions
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 6/9/22 (Died 9/15/97)
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Betty (Saltzman) Tractman (parents), 1515 Elbridge St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Within MACR 13568, listed as a witness to the loss of B-17G 43-39220
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

____________________

Four B-17G Flying Fortresses of the 447th Bomb Group, comprising one plane of the 709th Bomb Squadron and three of the 711th Bomb Squadron, were lost to flak on this mission.  These aircraft were:

709th Bomb Squadron

42-97836, “Bugs Bunny Jr.”, “IE * P”, piloted by 1 Lt. Ralph D. Putnam and hit by flak near Wittenburg.  The 447th Bomb Group Battle Damage Report mentions that the aircraft was seen by fighter pilots to have belly-landed in the Steinhuder Lake area.  The entire crew of nine survived.

711th Bomb Squadron

44-6016, “TNT KATIE”, “IR * P”, piloted by 1 Lt. Henry M. Chandler, also struck by flak in the vicinity of Wittenburg.  Of TNT KATIE’s nine crew members, three survived.

43-38731, “Blythe Spirit”, “IR * Q”.  Piloted by 1 Lt. Harluf T. Jessen, the plane exploded after being hit by flak near the I.P. (I.P. – an acronym for “Initial Point”:  “…some identifiable land mark about 20 miles more of less from the target.  The formation flew there and at that point had to fly straight and level, no evasive action, to the target with the bomb bay doors open, usually under autopilot for the bombardier to do his job.  This was sweating time. [Contributed by Wally Blackwell, B-17 pilot, at 398th Bomb Group website].)  Only two of Blythe Spirit’s crew of ten survived.

43-38849, “IR * O”, piloted by 2 Lt. Lloyd L. Karst.  Also hit by flak in the vicinity of the I.P, seven of the aircraft’s nine crewmen suvived the bomber’s “shoot-down”, but only five actually returned. 

More detailed information about these aircraft and their crews is given below.

____________________

711th Bomb Squadron: B-17G 43-38731, “Blythe Spirit”, “IR * Q”
MACR 13044, Pilot: 1 Lt. Harluf T. Jessen, 10 crew members – 2 survivors

Hoffman, Walter Samuel, 2 Lt., 0-2065557, Navigator, Air Medal, Purple Heart
Captured: Wounded and Prisoner of War (Name of POW camp unknown)
Mr. Morris Hoffman (father), 673 Avenue D, Rochester, N.Y.
New York Sun 4/19/45
Rochester Times-Union 2/15/44, 10/13/44
Rome Daily Sentinel 4/18/45
American Jews in World War II – 347

“Blythe Spirit” was struck by flak in the aircraft’s bomb-bay, and, between its #3 and #4 engines.  The aircraft fell straight down out of control and exploded.  Though no parachutes were observed to emerge from the falling plane, miraculously there were two survivors: co-pilot 2 Lt. Robert P. Dwight (son of Mrs. Isabel Dwight, residing at 1787 Granville Ave., in West Los Angeles, California) and navigator Walter Samuel Hoffman, of Rochester, New York, who both – being shot down over central Germany – were inevitably captured. 

The MACR includes Individual Casualty Questionnaires and Casualty Interrogation Forms covering the eight crewmen who did not survive, all these documents having been completed by Lt. Hoffman in late July of 1945, probably while at his home in Rochester.  There are no documents in the MACR by Lt. Dwight. 

With the exception of togglier S/Sgt. Hary E. Pfautz (probably already injured by flak, and not wearing a parachute) Lt. Hoffman’s comments about his fellow crewmen were all essentially the same:  “Plane was hit by flak and went into a spin.  The co-pilot and I were thrown out, and the plane broke into pieces.  Neither of us [Lt. Dwight] saw any more parachutes.  Later a German interrogation officer at Stendal POW Camp, Germany, told us that all eight men had been killed in the crash.  He had a correct list of their names.”

According to Lt. Hoffman, the plane crashed approximately 30 nautical miles due west of Oranienburg.  Fortunate in already wearing his parachute (he didn’t specify if it was a chest-chute or back-pack – probably the latter), he was thrown out of the B-17 through its shattered plexiglass nose (“after” S/Sgt. Pfautz), while Lt. Dwight, who was wearing a back-pack parachute (about which, see more below…) was also thrown to safety through the bomber’s nose. 

Concerning his month in German captivity, there is no information. 

____________________

711th Bomb Squadron: B-17G 44-6016, “TNT KATIE”, “IR * P”
MACR 13045, Pilot 1 Lt. Henry M. Chandler, 9 crew members – 3 survivors

The nose art of “TNT Katie”, displaying at least 53 mission symbols.  (Image UPL 24300, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection at the American Air Museum in Britain)

Murachver, Sidney Albert, 2 Lt., 0-788410, Bombardier, Air Medal, 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
Captured: Wounded and Prisoner of War (Name of POW camp unknown)
Born 10/30/22 – Died 8/26/05
Mrs. Rose Murachver (mother), 85 Francis St., Everett, Ma.
David, Joanne, and Roberta (children)
https://447bg.smugmug.com
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Skalka, David W., 2 Lt., 0-2000413, Navigator, Air Medal, 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
Captured: Wounded and Prisoner of War (Name of POW camp unknown)
Born 1919
Mrs. Frances Skalka (mother), 265 E. 176th St., New York, N.Y. / Bronx, N.Y.
https://447bg.smugmug.com
American Jews in World War II – 447

The fate of TNT KATIE and her crew was to a degree similar to that which befell Blythe Spirit: The plane was directly struck by flak.  Hit under the cockpit and nose, the plane was seen to break apart at the top turret.  Airmen in nearby aircraft witnessed between three and four parachutes emerge from the falling plane. 

Full information as to the fate of the bomber and its crew would would arrive after the war from the plane’s three survivors: First Lieutenant Henry M. Chandler (pilot), and Second Lieutenants Sidnay A. Murachver (bombardier) and David W. Skalka (navigator), all of whom succinctly and vividly recounted the events of their last mission in Individual Casualty Questionnaires or Casualty Interrogation Forms.

In sum, the flak burst blew the B-17’s bombardier / navigator (nose) compartment directly off the aircraft.  Both Sidney Murachver and David Skalka, temporarily rendered unconscious and still within this falling section of the plane, in turn fell away or were blown free, and awakening in mid-air, parachuted to safety.  The same flak burst tore away the B-17’s instrument panel, control columns, rudder pedals, throttle controls, and right wing, leaving (what was left) of the falling plane completely uncontrollable and in a near-vertical dive.  After vainly attempting to assist co-pilot Velmer Diefe, pilot Henry Chandler was left with no choice but to drop through the wreckage into empty space, to land by parachute. 

Notably, the three surviving crewmen specifically attributed their survival to back-pack type parachutes (probably of the “B-8” type; see the photograph below from The Rigger Depot), which by design and form they were already wearing when the plane was struck by flak.  As such, unlike Lt. Diefe and their five fellow crewmen, they did not have to rely on chest-type parachutes, which an airman had – in case of emergency – to lift and then attach to double clips on his parachute harness.  You can view this design of harness in the photo of Lt. Chandler’s crew (as worn by all five men in the front row) and, in the individual photos of Sergeants Ivos, Swem, Stephens, and Reinartson.

The photo shows a group of American fighter pilots, probably of the 8th or 9th Air Force, standing before the tail of a wrecked Focke-Wulfe FW-190 in the winter of 1944-45.  The man on the left wears a back-pack (B-8) parachute, while the pilot on the right is wearing a seat parachute, to which is attached a one-man life-raft. 

Text accompanying photo:  “Originally designed by the Pioneer Parachute Company as their Model B-3-B, the USAAF’s copy (B-8) was standardized on October 1942.  …  The B-8 saw operational use in the ETO around late 1943, replacing the rigid B-7 and serving well into the postwar era.  It was the standard rig for bomber pilots as well as operational fighter pilots of the P-38 and P-51.”

Here’s David Skalka’s statement in Missing Air Crew Report 13035 (not 13045), in reply to an inquiry from the Casualty Branch of January 11, 1946, concerning the loss of his crew:

“The nose and right wing of the plane were torn away, as the bombardier and myself were blown clear, and the pilot, unlatching his safety belt, dropped out.  Having been knocked unconscious, I woke up after falling through the air a few seconds and pulled my chute.  I looked around and noticed pieces of the plane falling about me.”

And, here are Sidney Murachver’s comments, from his Casualty Questionnaire in Missing Air Crew Report 13045…

“The reason I know so little of my crew is that I was unconscious when I left my plane.  I was probably knocked out by the concussion of the flak, which struck at the point where the nose of the B-17 joins the fuselage.  I know only of the pilot, Lt. Henry Chandler, who bailed out, and the navigator, Lt. David Skalka, who was also blown out.  We have never seen or heard any information as to the remaining six members of my crew.  We presumed that they never left the plane because we were told that it fell about 1,000 ft & then exploded.”

…while Murachver also replied to the Casualty Branch inquiry of January 11, 1946:

“The nose of the plane was blown off and I was blown out of the nose, or through it, unconscious.  I had on the new type back-pack parachute, fortunately.  I came to while falling through the air and opened my chute.  As for the rest of the crew, they all had chest pack chutes.  We never heard of or saw them again.  We were told that the plane fell a thousand feet and exploded.”

Likewise, Henry Chandler’s reply to the Casualty Branch, in MACR 13035:

“The action took place over Pearlburg, Germany, on March 15, 1945 at about 3:40 p.m. at which time our group was flying west following the bombing of a railroad yard at Oranianburg, north of Berlin.  As out group passed over the same (flak) battery we received at least one direct hit between the nose and cockpit on the right side, completely demolishing the nose section, destroying the instrument panel and the glass enclosure of the cockpit and removing both sets of controls including the throttle quadrant.  At the moment we were hit I was knocked unconscious.  When I recovered the ship seemed to be in a vertical dive and the condition of the cockpit was as described above.  My co-pilot, Lt. Diefe, was still in his seat and as soon as I realized there was no way in which to regain control of the airplane, I attempted to attract his attention and reach his chest pack which was hanging at his side of the seat.  However, I was unable to get his attention nor to move far enough to reach his chute and left the wreckage before it crashed.  I left the wreckage by releasing my safety belt and falling through the hole in front of me.  I was wearing a back pack.”

____________________

1 Lt. Henry M. Chandler and his crew in a happier time:  The men gather for an undated (but certainly Winter of 1944-45) group photo before B-17G 42-97836, Bugs Bunny Jr. (IE * P), of the 709th Bomb Squadron, mentioned above as having been lost to flak on March 15.  (Image UPL 24298, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection)

As I was unable to identify this photograph at Fold3’s collection of WW II USAAF photographs, I suppose it was taken and archivally retained at the level of the 711th Bomb Squadron, and thus never went “further” into the main holdings of the Army Air Force.  Notably, the unknown photographer – he had a good photographic eye – took individual portraits of eight of the crewmen, with each man standing near (or for the pilots, sitting within) his crew station.  Thus, in the evocative images below, Ivos and Swem stand by a waist gun position, Stephens by the dorsal turret, Reinartson by the ball turret, Chandler and Diefe sit in the pilot’s seat, and Murachver and Skalka by the nose compartment entry / exit hatch.         

Front row, left to right…

Sgt. Costas A. Ivos (Radio Operator) (Image UPL 24289, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection) 
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Garifelia Ivos (parents), Lowell, Ma.
Westlawn Cemetery, Lowell, Ma.

____________________

Sgt. Allan B. Swem (Waist Gunner) (Image UPL 24297, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection) 
Mrs. Bella M. Swem (mother), 1006 East Grand Boulevard, Detroit, Mi.
Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium

____________________

S/Sgt. Robert M. Stephens (Flight Engineer) (Image UPL 24295, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection) 
Mrs. Clara Wilkins Stephens (mother), 3rd Street, Manchester, Ga.
Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium

____________________

Sgt. Robert C. Reinartson (Ball Turret Gunner) (Image UPL 24296, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection) 
Mrs. Verna M. Reinartson (mother), 1620 12th Avenue South West, Fort Dodge, Ia.
Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium

____________________

Sgt. Rouse (?) (Not in this crew when aircraft shot down, and, going by records at Fold3.com, probably not a casualty)

____________________

Rear row, left to right:

1 Lt. Henry D. Chandler (Pilot) (Image UPL 24290, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection) – Survived
Mrs. Marie Chandler (mother), 361 Gates Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.

____________________

2 Lt. Velmer M. Diefe (Co-Pilot) (Image UPL 24294, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection) 
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick and Leontina Diefe (parents), Marlin, Wa.
Odessa Cemetery, Odessa, Wa.
____________________

2 Lt. David Skalka (Navigator) (Image UPL 24291, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection) – Survived

____________________

2 Lt. Sidney A. Murachver (Bombardier) (Image UPL 24292, from the Hutchinson & Cortright collection) – Survived

Not in photo:

Sgt. John R. Piccardo (Tail Gunner)
Mr. Peter J. Piccardo (father), 1701 West Acacia St., Stockton, Ca.
Casa Bonita Mausoleum, Stockton, Ca.

____________________

711th Bomb Squadron: B-17G 43-38849, “IR *O”
MACR 13030, Pilot 2 Lt. Lloyd L. Karst, 9 crew members – 5 survivors

Wiseman, Frank, 2 Lt., 0-926665, Navigator, Purple Heart, First mission
Apparently murdered upon capture.  According to statements by fellow crew members and a captured B-24 crew member, he was beaten to death by civilians after safely landing by parachute near the city of Tangerhütte.
Born Lowell, Ma., 5/20/22
City College of New York Class of 1944
Mrs. Evelyn R. Wiseman (wife), 301 West 20th St., New York, N.Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Solomon [Died 8/4/00] and Anne Wiseman (parents); Ruth (sister); Rifka (sister; 6/20/21-6/29/21), 548 West 164th St., New York, N.Y.
Wellwood Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y. – Block 45, Row 4, Section B, Grave 8R; Buried 12/4/49
Casualty List 4/19/45
American Jews in World War II – 473

The crew of IR * Q

Pilot: Karst, Lloyd L., 2 Lt. – Survived (POW)
Co-Pilot: Courtney, Samuel E., F/O – Survived (POW)
Navigator: Wiseman, Frank, 2 Lt. – Murdered upon capture
Bombardier: Corr, Raymond F., Sgt. – Survived (POW)
Radio Operator: O’Connor, William M., Sgt. – Survived (POW)
Flight Engineer: Isham, James M., Jr., Sgt. – Murdered upon capture
Mrs. Florence Isham (mother), Route Number One, Box 13, Buena Park, Ca.
Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre (Neuville-en-Condroz), Belgium, Plot A, Row 15, Grave 16
Awards: Purple Heart
Gunner (Ball Turret): Hannah, Cecil W., Sgt. – Survived (POW)
Gunner (Waist): Dove, Clyde Sherwood, Jr., Sgt. – Killed in action
Gunner (Tail): Huschka, Bernard F., Sgt. – Killed in action

Though it was assumed by other crews that this B-17 was headed to Russian-occupied territory, the crew, with the plane’s #4 engine feathered and the pilot and co-pilot reportedly wounded, experienced a very sad fate.

As revealed by co-pilot Courtney in post-war documentation, the aircraft never reached the Russian lines, for in reality, the aircraft lost power in all four engines and then caught fire. 

Pilot Karst, co-pilot Courtney, navigator Wiseman, togglier Corr, flight engineer Isham, and waist gunner Dove parachuted from the aircraft.  Dove, who had been calling for tail-gunner Huschka to parachute, remained too long in the aircraft, and was killed when he jumped at too low an altitude for parachute to fully open.  Radio operator O’Connor, ball turret gunner Hannah, and tail gunner Huschka (probably wounded or already dead) “rode the plane in”, the former two when they realized that the plane was already at too low an altitude for a safe parachute jump.  Remarkably, they survived the crash of the unpiloted bomber near Tangerhütte, Germany, albeit O’Connor’s back was fractured.

As for Frank Wiseman and Harry Isham? 

Though they made successful parachute jumps (Wiseman from 12,000 feet), they did not live to become prisoners of war.  According to statements in the MACR, both men were apparently murdered – beaten to death – by civilians upon landing.  They were seen lying near one another by an American POW from another aircrew, whose name in the MACR is listed as “Jack Smith”.  This man was probably Corporal Jack E. Smith, a radio countermeasures operator in the 565th Bomb Squadron of the 389th Bomb Group, who parachuted north of Magdeburg (52-40 N, 11-33 E) from B-24J 44-10510 (“You Cawn’t Miss It”, “YO * Q”) during a mission to Zossen, after his plane’s #2 engine caught fire from flak.  Ironically, pilot 1 Lt. Harold G. Chamberlain flew the bomber back to base.

Based on Individual Casualty Questionnaires in the Missing Air Crew Report, this seems to have been the Karst’s crew’s first mission.

There’s no Case File in NARA Records Group 153 (Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General) concerning Frank Wiseman, probably because the location of the aircraft’s loss – in what would become the Soviet Zone of Occupation of Germany, during the (first) Cold War – prevented American and Allied military investigators from investigating this incident, and identifying and prosecuting the murderers.

Frank Wisemen was one of a number of Jewish WW II servicemen in both the European and Pacific theaters who did not survive their initial capture, and / or their eventual captivity.  This was either because of the grim chances of fate that potentially befall all prisoners of war, or – in the European theater, in some cases – calculation: Because they were Jews.

This map shows the location of Tangerhütte in relation to Berlin….

…and here’s a map view of Tangerhütte and nearby towns at a larger scale…

…while this is an air photo view of the above map, at the same scale.

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487th Bomb Group, 838th Bomb Squadron: B-17G 43-38028, “High Tailed Lady”, “2C * O”
Pilot: 2 Lt. William C. Sylvernal.  9 crew members – all survived.  Aircraft crash-landed in Russian-occupied Poland; Entire crew eventually returned to squadron. 

Forgotson, Donald, T/Sgt., 32992703, Flight Engineer, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
487th Bomb Group, 838th Bomb Squadron
Injured in crash-landing. 
No Missing Air Crew Report
Born 1917
Mrs. Roslin Forgotson (wife), 2055 Anthony Ave., Bronx, N.Y.
Mr. Jerry Garavuso (son-in-law)
487th Bomb Group.org – Photo – High Tailed Lady
487th Bomb Group.org – Aircraft Roster
487th Bomb Group.org – 838th Bomb Squadron Roster
American Jews in World War II – 311

This is the probable loading list (crew roster) for mission of March 15, 1945, based on information at 487th Bomb Group wesbite:

Sylvernal, William C., 2 Lt. – Pilot
Peachey, Jim L., 2 Lt. – Co-Pilot
Personette, Chester A., 1 Lt. – Navigator
Forgotson, Donald, S/Sgt. – Flight Engineer
Taylor, Harold F., Cpl. – Radio Operator
Montague, Paul M., Cpl. – Gunner (Ball Turret) (and, Hughey, Henry W., S/Sgt.?)
Kennedy, Harold L., Cpl. – Gunner (Waist)
Payne, Harold L., Cpl. (or) Walsh, George P., Cpl. – Gunner (Tail)

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The High-Tailed Lady amidst flak bursts over Germany.  (Image FRE 8544, from the Roger Freeman collection)

The rather fragmented wreck of the High-Tailed Lady, behind Soviet lines in Poland.  (Photo from 487th Bomb Group wesbite.) 

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The following account of the High Tailed Lady’s final mission and the return of her crew was written by ball turret gunner Paul M. Montague (this was his 17th mission), and appears Martin Bowman’s Castles in the Air – The Story of the B-17 Flying Fortress Crews of the US 8th Air Force.

“This mission was another long haul into and out of Germany.  Our crew in the High Tailed Lady had made it before.  All went well until we approached the turning point toward the IP west of Berlin.  We were flying at 24,000 feet when, suddenly, an accurate burst of flak hit our ship.  The co-pilot was seriously wounded, one engine quit, the intercom only functioned sporadically and all the control cables on the port side, except the rudder, were severed.  This caused us to bank to starboard at about 30 degrees.  We dropped from formation, apparently unseen, lost altitude and turned toward Berlin.  At only 12,000 feet over Berlin a second flak burst smashed part of the Plexiglas nose, stopped a second engine, ruptured the oxygen system and started a fire in the bomb bay.  Twelve 500 pounders stuck there would neither jettison or toggle.  Several crew members were hit by shrapnel.  Our pilot gave us the alternative of baling out or staying while he attempted to ride the Lady down to a crash landing in Poland.  As we gazed directly down at the Tiergarten, no-one had the nerve to jump!  The fire in the bomb bay was finally extinguished and we managed to jettison our bombs into a lake below.  Thankfully, we were alone.  No German fighters appeared.  As we crossed the Oder River at only a few thousand feet, our Russian allies fired on us but no hits were sustained.

“Our pilot did a magnificent job of approach to what appeared to be a level field enclosed on three sides by woods.  We had no flaps, gear, air speed indicator and many other vital instruments but all the crew survived the crash landing.  The co-pilot and the engineer were later placed in a hospital for Russian wounded and the seven remaining crew were ‘looked after’ by their Russian army hosts.  The crew were disrobed by some Russian army women who then proceeded to wash them with cloths and basins of water.  Their uniforms were taken away and replaced with ‘pyjamas’ (the type worn in concentration and prison camps).  Paul Montague continues.  Little did we seven suspect that everything would be pantomime for two ensuing weeks and these pyjamas would be our clothes.  We were under constant guard.  We were prisoners – not guests of our ‘allies’.  Just as we were falling asleep several of us heard the unmistakable click of the lock in our door.

“Next morning we had our first breakfast.  I recall being very thirsty and I spotted a large cut-glass container of water in the centre of the oval breakfast table.  After pouring a glass-full, I took a large swallow and my breath was whisked away!  Pure vodka at 05:30!  I tried to warn the crew members but was speechless.  A few others made the same error.  The Russians roared with laughter.  For the next two weeks we used vodka in our cigarette lighters; it worked marvelously – like an acetylene torch!”

Montague and his fellow crew members were finally transported to Poznan and on through Poland to Lodz where they continued to Kiev.  They finally reached a Russian fighter base near Poltava where a Lend-Lease C-46 flew them nearer freedom.  Paul Montague recalls.  ‘After flying for quite a time we noticed the co-pilot coming back to the area where the wing joins the fuselage.  He unscrewed a cap of some sort, removed a rubber siphon from his jacket and proceeded to drink something.  Could this possibly be de-icer fluid?  Our pilot, his head still bandaged from our crash, remarked, ‘My God!  I may have to end up flying this plane’.  After flying some hours at high altitude over some mountain ranges, we began our descent and finally made a very rough landing in Tehran, Persia.  This was the last we were to see of any Russians.  After spending a few days at the American base in Tehran we were flown on to Abadan by an American pilot in a C-47 transport.  From then on it was shuttle hops by American pilots to Cairo, a nearly deserted base in the Libyan desert, on to Athens, Paris and finally to Lavenham.  Since we were due for “R&R” about this time, we were granted a week’s leave and spent a most pleasant time in Girvan, Scotland, before returning to base to fly two more missions.”

“Crew of the High Tailed Lady pose with their Russian hosts.  Paul Montague, the ball turret gunner, is second from left in the back row.  (Montague)”

________________________________________

Dressler, Jacob (“Jack”) Harry, 2 Lt., 0-824608, Fighter Pilot, Air Medal
355th Fighter Group, 357th Fighter Squadron
“Lieutenant Dressler on this mission ran short of gas and was last seen heading toward the Russian lines.  He wasn’t heard for two weeks and was given up as missing in action.  Then on the 30th of March the report came in that he was safe and was on his way back to the squadron.”
No MACR; Aircraft P-51D 44-14314 “Sexless Stella / One More Time”, “OS * L”
Born Brooklyn, N.Y., 4/25/23, Died 11/2/17
Mr. and Mrs. Morris [12/27/95] and Anna (Braunfeld) Dressler (parents), 81-21 20th Ave., New York, N.Y.
Jack, Miriam [8/22/26-3/19/06], and Paul (sister and brothers)
American Jews in World War II – 299
Information about Jack Dressler – identical to the record above – appears in an earlier blog post, concerning the experiences of Lieutenant William Stanley Lyons as a fighter pilot, both having served in the 357th Fighter Squadron of the 355th Fighter Group.

________________________________________

15th Air Force

Dobkin, Joseph, F/O, T-129423, Bombardier, Air Medal, Purple Heart
98th Bomb Group, 415th Bomb Squadron
MACR 12998, Aircraft B-24L 44-50225, “red T”, Pilot 1 Lt. Charles H. Estes, 11 crew members – all survived
WIA; Returned with crew (presumably after parachuting over, or landing in, Yugoslavia)
Mrs. Rose Dobkin (mother), 3054 Pingree, Detroit, Mi.
American Jews in World War II – 189

Koty, Gerald, T/Sgt., 20251634, Radio Operator
463rd Bomb Group, 772nd Bomb Squadron
MACR 12999, Aircraft B-17G 44-6555, Pilot 1 Lt. Walter R. Griffith, 11 crew members – all survived
Returned with crew (possibly after presumably parachuting over, or landing in, Yugoslavia)
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Florence Koty (parents), 465 National Blvd., Long Beach, N.Y.
Lew Koty and Helen (Koty) Globus (brother and sister)
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Polish People’s Army [Ludowe Wojsko Polskie]

Broch, Aleksander, WO, in Poland, at Zachodniopomorskie, Kolobrzeg
Born Sosnowiec, Poland, 1923
Mr. Stanislaw Broch (father)
Kolobrzeg Military Cemetery, Kolobrzeg, Poland
Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: Vol I, p 73

Chuszycer, Szaul, Pvt., during Operation Pomeranian Wall
4th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Jakub Chuszycer (father)
Place of burial unknown
Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: Vol I, p 13

Gotszalek, Wlodzimierz, WO, in Poland, at Pomorskie, Reda, during Operation Pomeranian Wall
1st Tank Brigade
Born Brodniki, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland, 1912
Mr. Stefan Gotszalek (father)
Place of burial unknown
Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: Vol I, p 25

Lelkowski, A., Sergeant Major, in Poland, at Zachodniopomorskie, Walcz (died at Walcz Hospital)
11th Infantry Regiment
Kochanowka, Poland, 1922
Mr. Szmuel Lelkowski (father)
Place of burial unknown
Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: Vol I, p 44

Rad, Ben Zion, Cpl., in Poland, at Zachodniopomorskie, Kolobrzeg
11th Infantry Regiment
Born Lodz, Poland, 1909
Mr. Michael Rad (father)
Place of burial unknown
Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: Vol I, p 95

Sajort, Icek, Pvt., in Poland, at Zachodniopomorskie, Gryfice
Kamien Pomorski Military Cemetery, Kamien Pomorski, Poland
Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: Vol IV, p 103

Suchopar, Jozef, Pvt., in Germany, at Kolberg
Born Milkiewicze (d. Nowogrodek), Poland, 1924
Mr. Seymour Suchopar (father)
Kolobrzeg Military Cemetery, Kolobrzeg, Poland
Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: Vol I, p 64

Widomlawski, Nachum, at Field Hospital 45, during Operation Pomeranian Wall
Born 1913
Mr. Icchak Widomlawski (father)
Place of burial unknown
Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: Vol I, p 74

Soviet Union

Army Ground Forces / Red Army

Killed in Action

Gekhtman, llya Natanovich (Гехтман, Илья Натанович), Junior Sergeant (Младший Сержант)
Cannon Commander (Командир Орудия)
55th Guards Rifle Division, 213th Tank Battalion
Wounded 3/15/45; Died of wounds (умер от ран) 3/20/45
Born: 1914
Wife: Sofya Aleksandrovna Valoshina
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume V – 452 [Книги Памяти евреев-воинов, павших в боях с нацизхмом в 1941-1945 гг – Том V – 452]

Gerber, Abram Kelmanovich (Герберь, Абрам Кельманович), Guards Lieutenant (Гвардии Лейтенант)
Tank Platoon Commander (Командира Танкового Взвода)
31st Tank Corps, 237th Tank Brigade, 3rd Tank Battalion
Killed in action (убит в бою)
Born: 1912; Wife: Frida Markovna Gerber
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume V – 443 [Книги Памяти евреев-воинов, павших в боях с нацизхмом в 1941-1945 гг – Том V – 443]

Krolik, Iosif Peysakhovich (Кролик, Иосиф Пейсахович), Guards Junior Lieutenant (Гвардии Младший Лейтенант)
Rifle Platoon Commander (Командир Стрелкового Взвода)
18th Guards Rifle Division, 53rd Guards Rifle Regiment
Killed (убит)
Born 1922, Tolochinskiy raion, Vitebsk oblast
Friend / Acquaintance: Nina Mikhaylovna Savinich

Levin, Boris Mikhaylovich (Левин, Борис Михайлович) Guards Junior Lieutenant (Гвардии Младший Лейтенант)
Rifle Platoon Commander (Командир Стрелкового Взвода]
1st Guards Tank Army, 19th Guards Motorized Brigade
Died of wounds (умер от ран), at Mobile Field Hospital 470 (Полевой Подвижной Госпиталь (ППГ) 470)
Born 1925, city of Omsk
Father: Mikhail Iosifovich Levin

Levin, Solomon Iosifovich (Левин, Соломон Иосифович), Lieutenant (Лейтенант)
Rifle Platoon Commander (Командира Взвода)
313th Rifle Division, 1072nd Rifle Regiment
Killed (убит)
Born 1908, city of Borisov, Minsk oblast, Belorussian SSR
Sister: Anna Iosifovna Levin

Magid, Leonid Moiseevich (Магид, Леонид Моисеевич), Junior Lieutenant (Младший Лейтенант)
Rifle Platoon Commander (Командир Стрелкового Взвода)
5th Rifle Division, 190th Rifle Regiment
Killed (убит)
Born 1923, city of Simferopol
Mother: Juliya Magid

Milner, Zinoviy Abramovich (Мильнер, Зиновий Абрамович), Guards Senior Lieutenant (Гвардии Старший Лейтенант)
Rifle Platoon Commander (Командир Стрелкового Взвода)
60th Guards Rifle Division, 180th Guards Rifle Regiment
Killed (убит)
Born 1912, City of Polotsk, Vitebsk oblast

Pritsman, Isaak Samuilovich (Прицман, Исаак Самуилович), Junior Lieutenant (Младший Лейтенант)
Self-Propelled Gun Commander (Командир Самоходной Установии) SU-100 (СУ-100)
17th Guards Tank Brigade, 1st Tank Battalion
Killed (убит)
Born: 1922
Father: Samuil Borisovich Polikarpov
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume III – 168 [Книги Памяти евреев-воинов, павших в боях с нацизхмом в 1941-1945 гг – Том III – 168]

Reytburg (or) Roytburd, Boris Avisheevich (Рейтбург (или) Ройтбурд, Борис Авишеевич), Guards Lieutenant (Гвардии Лейтенант)
Company Commander (Командир Танковой Роты)
10th Guards Tank Corps, 62nd Guards Tank Brigade, 3rd Tank Battalion
Killed (убит), in Lower Silesia, Gross Brizen, Germany (Германия, Гросс Бризен, Нижняя Силезия)
Born: 1922 or 1924
Father: Avishim Berkovich Reytburg (or) Roytburd, Vinnitskaya Oblast, Bershad, Uritskiy Street, Building 1
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume VI – 248; Volume XI – 282 [Книги Памяти евреев–воинов, павших в боях с нацизхмом в 1941-1945 гг – Том VI – 248, Том XI – 282]

Military Air Forces – VVS

Beylin, Sakhno Ayzikovich (Бейлин, Сахно Айзикович), Senior Technician-Lieutenant (Старший Техник-Лейтенант) Senior Technician / Construction (Старший Техник по Строительству)
2nd Air Army, 26th Air Base Area, 83rd Airfield Engineer Battalion
Killed in plane crash (Погиб при Катастрофе самолета)
Born: 1920
Sister: Anna Ayzikovna Beylin
Passenger in Po-2 (По-2) piloted by Junior Lieutenant Dmitriy Fedorovich Popov (Младший Лейтенант Дмитрий Федорович Попов); Both Killed
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume V – 160 [Книги Памяти евреев-воинов, павших в боях с нацизхмом в 1941-1945 гг – Том V – 160]

Images of the Po-2 / U-2 are abundant, which is hardly surprising given the aircraft’s long history, versatility, and lengthy production run, over 33,500 having been constructed between 1928 and 1954.  However, one of the better representations of the aircraft is actually plastic-model “box-art” painting for the ICM Model Company’s 1/72 kit of the U-2 / Po-2VS.  The painting clearly shows significant features of the aircraft (the depicted example, aircraft “white 19” of the 889th Night Light Bomber “Novorossiysk” Regiment (former 889th Composite / Aviation Attack Regiment, 654th Night Light Bomber Regiment) flown by a female crew) – like its five-cylinder Shvetsov M-11 engine – more clearly than many photographs.  While the camouflage and markings of the plane crewed by Beylin and Popov are unknown, the painting nonetheless gives a nice depiction of the aircraft’s general appearance. 

United Kingdom

Died of Illness

Ohrenstein, Edward, LAC, 3003850
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (probably stationed at RAF Stornoway)
Died of illness in Yishuv
Born 1926
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac and Bluma Ohrenstein (parents), Petach Tikva, Israel
Miss S. Ohrenstein (sister), 20 Charles Ave., Thornbury, Bradford, England
Bradford (Scholemoor) Jewish Cemetery, Yorkshire, England – Grave 166
The Jewish Chronicle – 3/30/45
We Will Remember Them Volume I, p 218

“VICTIM OF GERMAN FASCISM – DEEPLY MOURNED BY PARENTS AND SISTERS”

Photograph of matzeva by Bob the Greenacre Cat

Killed in Action

Martin, Felix Mondschein, Trooper, 13053492
Royal Armoured Corps, 3rd Carabiniers (POW Dragoon Guards)
Born 1920
Mr. and Mrs. Max and Eugenia Mondschein (parents)
Taukkyan War Cemetery, Taukkyan, Rangoon, Myanmar – 19,J,19
We Will Remember Them Volume I, p 218

“HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR THE SALVATION OF HIS OPPRESSED PEOPLE”

Finkelstein, Hans, Sapper, PAL/13194
Royal Engineers
Died in Yishuv
WWRT I as “Finkelstein (Funkel), Hans”; CWGC as “Funkenstein, Hans”
Heliopolis War Cemetery, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt – 4,A,27
We Will Remember Them Volume I, p 243

________________________________________

________________________________________

References

Bowman, Martin W., Castles in the Air – The Story of the B-17 Flying Fortress Crews of the US 8th Air Force, Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, Northants, England, 1985

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947

Meirtchak, Benjamin, Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: I – Jewish Soldiers and Officers of the Polish People’s Army Killed and Missing in Action 1943-1945, World Federation of Jewish Fighters Partisans and Camp Inmates: Association of Jewish War Veterans of the Polish Armies in Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1994

Meirtchak, Benjamin, Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: IV – Jewish Officers, Prisoners-of-War, Murdered in Katyn Crime; Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Resistance Movement; An Addendum, World Federation of Jewish Fighters Partisans and Camp Inmates: Association of Jewish War Veterans of the Polish Armies in Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1997

Morris, Henry, Edited by Gerald Smith, We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945, Brassey’s, United Kingdom, London, 1989

Rottman, Gordon (Colour plates by Frances Chinn), US Army Air Force: 1 (Elite Series), Osprey Publishing Ltd., London, England, 1993

Sanders, Charles J., The Boys of Winter – Life and Death in the U.S. Ski Troops During the Second World War, University Press of Colorado, Boulder, Co., December, 2004

Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume III [Surnames beginning with О (O), П (P), Р (R), С (S)], Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russia, 1996

Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume V [Surnames beginning with А (A), Б (B), В (V), Г (G), Д (D), Е (E), Ж (Zh), З (Z), И (I), К (K)], Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russia, 1998

Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume VI [Surnames beginning with Л (L), М (M), Н (N), О (O), П (P), Р (R), С (S), Т (T), У (U), Ф (F), Х (Kh), Ц (Ts), Ч (Ch), Ш (Sh), Щ (Shch), Э (E), Ю (Yoo), Я (Ya)], Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russia, 1999

Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume IX [Surnames beginning with all letters of the alphabet], Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russia, 2006

Websites

447th Bomb Group Documents and Photos, at 447th BG Smug Mug

East Pomeranian Offensive, at Wikipedia

WW II Parachute and Flight Gear Reproductions, at The Rigger Depot – Reproductions of United States Army, United States Army Air Force, United States Navy, and Royal Air Force WW II Flight Gear and related equipment

USAAF B-8 Backpack Parachute, at The Rigger Depot

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Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: 2 Lt. George Greenfield – January 9, 1945 [Updated post…]

Originally created on April 3, 2018, this post includes information about several casualties in the Army Air Force on January 9, 1945, among whom was Second Lieutenant Murray Karron, flight engineer on the B-29 “Wugged Wascal”.  I’ve now updated the post to include two images of the “Wascal”, one from Steve Birdsall’s 1981 book Saga of the Superfortress, and another from Prentice Burkett’s The Unofficial History of the 499th Bomb Group (VH).  These are the only images I’ve thus far found of this B-29 (42-24658).  Scroll down…

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By its very nature, military activity – even when limited to action such as instruction and training; even when geographically distant from engagement with enemy forces in actual combat – has always entailed a solid element of risk and danger.  One example of this appeared in The New York Times on February 15, 1945, through the publication of an obituary for Second Lieutenant George Greenfield (0-2070016), an Army Air Force navigator from the Bronx. 

Killed in Bomber Crash Last Jan. 9 in England

Lieut. George Greenfield, navigator on a B-24, was killed when his bomber crashed in England on Jan. 9, the War Department has notified his family here.  Lieutenant Greenfield was 22 years old.

Born in this city, he was graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1941 and then attended the University of Indiana for two years, majoring in languages.  He enlisted two years ago and was qualified as a pilot in the Air Corps, but later was transferred and graduated as a navigator at Selman Field, La.  He went overseas at the end of November.

His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Greenfield of 1180 Anderson Avenue, the Bronx; a twin sister, Jeanette; and two other sisters, Mrs. Paul Bergman and Margaret Greenfield, survive.

This Google Street view image shows a contemporary (2014) view of 1180 Anderson Ave.

Though there’s no Missing Air Crew Report for Lt. Greenfield and his crew (his MACR index card carries the simple notation “No MACR”), his record at the American Battle Monuments Commission provides the “clue” by which the incident of January 9, 1945, can be identified: He was a member of the 706th Bomb Squadron of the 446th Bomb Group, with the Aviation Archeology database revealing that a B-24H Liberator of that squadron (42-95306, “RT * S”, nicknamed “Dragon Lady” and piloted by 2 Lt. Andrew J. Puschock, Jr.) was lost in an accident at Whittlesford, England on that date. 

Though the records of the 706th Bomb Squadron, and, any Accident Report filed after the incident would certainly list the plane’s crew, only limited information is currently available about the other casualties in this incident.  Aside from Lt. Puschock, who is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, another fatality is known to have been 2 Lt. Robert Wallace Allen, presumably the bomber’s co-pilot, who is buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery, in Cambridge, England (Plot B, Row 5, Grave 54). 

Lieutenant Greenfield’s name appeared in the “In Memoriam” section of The New York Times on December 1, 1945.  Born on December 1, 1922, his name appears on page 335 of American Jews in World War II.  His sole award is the Purple Heart, suggesting that the Puschock crew – perhaps a newly arrived crew, as implied by his November arrival in England – may have flown fewer than five combat missions prior to the accident on January 9.  He is buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery, near Lt. Allen, at Plot B, Row 6, Grave 54. His matzeva, photographed by Skip Farrow, is show below:

Another aspect of this news item is more subtle, almost “hiding in plain sight”:  The single-bladed propeller on Lt. Greenfield’s cap was the emblem of World War Two Army Air Force aviation cadets, suggesting that his portrait (a very good portrait) was an image in his family’s possession which was donated to the Times. 

Some other Jewish military casualties on Tuesday, January 9, 1945, include…

Killed in Action
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Boyaner, Frank, Major
Canadian Dental Corps
Mrs. Hazel Olive Boyaner (wife)
Mr. and Mrs. Don and Kaylia Boyaner (parents)
Born Saint John’s, New Brunswick, Canada, 3/23/25
Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England – 56,D,9
Canadian Jews in World War II – Part II: Casualties – 12

Carp, Paul Iban, Lt. JG, 0-184815, Purple Heart
United States Navy
Possibly lost while serving as a member of a liaison team aboard a French escort vessel
Mr. Joseph Shepard Carp (father), 2738 SW 20th St., Miami, Fl.
Miss Clare Schwartz and Mrs. Ruth C. Rosow (sisters)
Graduate of Harvard University
Tablets of the Missing at North African American Cemetery, Carthage, Tunisia
WW II Memorial Honoree Record by Ruth C. Rosow (sister)
Jewish Floridian 3/2/45
American Jews in World War II – 82

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Cohen, Clarence, Cpl., 36895289, Gunner (Central Fire Control), Air Medal, Purple Heart, 2 missions
United States Army Air Force, 20th Air Force, 500th Bomb Group, 883rd Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Bettie (Nettie?) Romanoff (sister), 7454 Wykes St., Detroit, Mi.
Also 693 Alabama Ave., Brooklyn, 7, N.Y.
MACR 10903; Aircraft: B-29 42-24657 (“Mustn’t Touch”; “Z square 45”), Pilot: Capt. John J. Charters; 11 crewmen
Aircraft presumably ditched; no survivors

Corporal Cohen’s Superfortress, Mustn’t Touch, was lost during a mission to the Musashino Aircraft Works and Nakajima Aircraft Engine Factory near Tokyo.  There is little (and will forever be little) definitive information about the plane’s loss, seemingly attributable to mechanical problems with the plane’s engines necessitating ditching in the Pacific Ocean roughly half-way between Saipan and Japan.  As summarized in Missing Air Crew Report 10903:

 Shortly after take-off, his aircraft developed mechanical problems.  During climb-out the #1 engine was leaking oil, and puffs of black smoke were coming from the #4 engine.  At 16,000 feet his aircraft feathered the #1 engine propeller and began to abort the sortie.  Last visual contact was at a geographic location of 28 degrees 10 minutes north and 137 degrees 30 minutes east, at 0315Z.  Last radio contact, at 0410Z, stated they had lost an engine and were going to ditch in the ocean, approximately 900 nautical miles north of Saipan.  No survivors were ever found, and he was declared killed in action one year later. 


Corporal Cohen and his fellow crewmen are memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, in Honolulu.  His name appears on page 290 of American Jews in World War II. 

This below image of the nose art of Mustn’t Touch is from Tom McNamara’s flickr photostream, while the second image – Army Air Force photograph 64276AC / A39219 – taken on Saipan in November, 1944, shows the aircraft before the application of nose art.  (The soldiers in the foreground, from an engineer battalion, are drilling holes for dynamite charges during construction of an airstrip at Isley Field.)  Of technical interest, the image clearly shows the tail cannon characteristic of early B-29s, which weapon would eventually be deleted from the Superfortress due to its slow rate of fire, and, the difference between the trajectories of its 20mm shells, and, those of the twin tail-mounted co-axial 50 caliber Browning machine guns. 

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Cohen, Louis, PFC, 39558749
United States Army Air Force, 77th Air Service Group, Headquarters Squadron
Died (non-battle) on Tinian Island
Mrs. Betty G. Cohen (wife), 1318 S. Cochran Ave., Los Angeles, Ca.
Born 1911
No number on MACR index name card
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii – Section Q, Grave 662
American Jews in World War II – 41

Frenkel, Boris Mikhailovich (Френкель, Борис Михаилович) Senior Sergeant [Старший Сержант]
U.S.S.R., Red Army, 63rd Cavalry Division
Radio Operator in Valentine Mk IX tank
Born 1925
Probably buried at Zámoly Village, Fejér County, Hungary
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume IX – 307 [Книги Памяти евреев–воинов, павших в боях с нацизхмом в 1941-1945 гг – Том IX – 307]

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Hertz, Joseph, Cpl., 32794422, Tail Gunner, Air Medal, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 5th Air Force, 345th (“Air Apaches”) Bomb Group, 500th Bomb Squadron
Mr. and Mrs. Haney and Selma L. Hertz (parents), Arnold (brother), 120 Hopkins St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born Austria, 1920
MACR 16290; Aircraft: B-25J 43-36187 (“Man of War”, or, “Man-O-War”); Pilot: 2 Lt. James O. Buffington, and five crew members

Man-O-War was struck by anti-aircraft fire during bombing and strafing mission over Luzon, crash-landing south of the city of Angeles.

Cpl. Hertz, Lt. Buffington (Peru, Indiana), and, Bombardier / Navigator 2 Lt. Vernon C. Buchanan (Indianapolis) were killed in the immediate crash of the aircraft, while three crew members survived the loss of the plane.  The latter were Co-pilot Capt. Richard T. Thompson (Delta, Michigan), Flight Engineer Cpl. Bernard R. Dunnavant (Victoria, Virginia), and Radio Operator T/Sgt. Walter J. Nelson (Union City, N.J.)

Thompson and Dunnavant, both very seriously injured and unable to move, remained at the site of the wrecked plane.  T/Sgt. Nelson, less seriously hurt, aided them to the best of his ability, and then attempted to reach Filipino civilians for further help. 

During his absence, Japanese troops arrived at the scene of the wreck and murdered his surviving comrades.

Concealed by Filipino civilians from discovery by the Japanese – in the village of Delores Mabalacat – Sgt. Nelson was turned over to a band of Filipino guerillas, and, eventually joined by Sgt. Nolan W. Huddleston of the 387th Bomb Squadron, 312th Bomb Group, returned to American forces by January 23. 

The five casualties from Man-O-War are are listed as having been awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart, with Lt. Buffington having received two Oak Leaf Clusters, suggesting that they had flown between five and ten combat missions prior to January 9.  They are listed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American at Fort Bonifacio, Manila.   

FindAGrave includes a record for WW II Army Air Force veteran “Walter John Nelson”, who died in 2013 and is buried at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, New Jersey.  This biographical record seems (?) to “fit” information about T/Sgt. Nelson of Man-O-War, with the exception that the record is for a Corporal – and not T/Sgt. – Nelson.

The 500th Bomb Squadron Mission Report for the 9 January mission (extracted from the 500th Bomb Squadron’s Mission Reports encompassing August 1944 through August 1945, at the 345th Bomb Group) is shown below, with sections pertaining to the loss of Man-O-War outlined in red.  This is followed by a series of Google Maps showing – at successively larger scales – the probable area (as denoted by the red oval) where Man-O-War crash-landed.  This location was identified through information in Lawrence Hickey’s Warpath Across the Pacific, MACR 16290, and a map of Clark Field and Vicinity, at Pacific Wrecks. 

Mission Objective; Mission Description.

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Details of the Mission: “Lt. Buffington executed an unexplained 180 turn from South to North and has not been heard of since.” 

But, as recounted in Warpath Across the Pacific…

“Eight miles below Tarlac, 2 Lt. James O. Buffington pulled his plane from a loose formation and doubled back to hit a pair of trucks bypassed on the adjacent highway.  Minutes later, hastening to catch up with his flight, Buffington and his co-pilot, Capt. Richard T. Thompson, saw two trucks sitting on the tracks just north of Dau Junction.  Their initial attack was made from fifty feet and left three box cars blazing.  But as they pulled off their run, a flak battery found thee range.

T/Sgt. Walter J. Nelson was in the radio compartment when the plane jerked suddenly.  Glancing forward, he saw a fire blazing in the cockpit.  “This is it.  We’re going down!” his mind screamed at him.  Only seconds separated Nelson from possible death and he used them well.  He released the emergency escape hatch, then braced himself against the transmitter, using a parachute for a head cushion.  The plane jarred violently as the belly furrowed a rice paddy.  A low earthen mound ripped off a wing and spun the plane into a tight loop, pitching Nelson through the open hatch.

When he awoke, the radio operator found himself on the ground next to the burning aircraft.  Near the right nacelle lay Cpl. Bernard Dunnavant, the turret gunner, with one leg almost severed.  Five hundred yards away sat two camouflaged bombers bearing the blood-red Japanese hinomaru on their fuselages.  The ill-fated crew had come to grief on the very edge of Angeles South, one of the satellite airfields in the Clark Field complex.”

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The crew of Man-O-War.

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Luzon.

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Luzon, with Angeles and Mabalacat in the center of the map.

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The possible – general – crash location of Man-O-War: South of Angeles.

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A closer view of the possible crash site: An area bounded by the Angeles-Porac-Floridablanca-Dinaluphin Road (to the west), the Pasig-Potrero River (to the south), and MacArthur Highway / Manila North Road (to the east).

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Ioffe, Abel Abramovich [Иоффе, Абель Абрамович] (at Priekule, Latvia)
16th Lithuanian Rifle Division, 156th Rifle Brigade
Mr. Avraham Yofe (father)
Born 1922
Probably buried at Kuldiga County, Latvia
Road to Victory – 281 (Name given as Yofe, Abel, Sgt.)

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Karron, Murray, 2 Lt., 0-868393, Flight Engineer, Air Medal, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 20th Air Force, 499th Bomb Group, 877th Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Alyse (Cohen) Karron (wife), 1163 East 27th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Tillie [11/10/53] Karron (parents); Evelyn and Jack (siblings)
MACR: 10911; Aircraft: B-29 42-24658 (“Wugged Wascal”; “V square 3”) Pilot: Capt. Kimmel Parker Murphy; 11 crewmen
Aircraft presumably ditched; no survivors
Brooklyn Eagle 1/16/42
American Jews in World War II – 357
New York Times Obituary “In Memoriam” Section – 11/12/53

Old Newspapers

I’ve not been able to find a photograph of Murray Karron, but this is an image (not the best, but still it’s an image) of Murray’s fiancee and future wife, Alyce (Alyse?) Cohen, as published in the Brooklyn Eagle on January 16, 1942.

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The loss of Lt. Karron’s crew in Wugged Wascal, piloted by Captain Kimmel Murphy, parallels that of Corporal Cohen’s:  Target: Musashino Aircraft Works and Nakajima Aircraft Engine Factory.  Reason for loss: “Operational difficulties”.  Action: Ditching.  Result: No survivors. 

Oddly, the Missing Air Crew Report for Captain Murphy’s plane – lost after successfully completing its bombing-run – contains no statement specifically describing what actually befell the aircraft.  Instead, information about the missing bomber is found in a document dated January 10, 1946 within MACR 10907, which covers the losses of six B-29s (recorded in MACRs 10903, 10904, 10907 itself, 10908, 10911, and 11220) from the mission of January 9, 1945. 

The statement covering 42-24658 is as brief as it is enigmatic, simply stating:

The plane was last contacted by radio at 0908Z by Sergeant Irving R. Wirth, at 25-30 N, 146-30E.  The report states that the aircraft is believed to have been ditched in the ocean as a result of operational difficulties [nature unspecified]. 

The coordinates 25-30 N – 146-30 E mark a location about 250 miles east of Iwo Jima, Volcano Isles. 

Another statement notes the search for the missing crew:

Search started 1000 K 10 Jan 1945, to be continued until darkness or limited endurance of aircraft.  Search will continue on subsequent days for as long as the 73rd Bomb Wing permits.

Like Corporal Cohen, Lt. Karron and his fellow crewmen are memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, in Honolulu.  As for 2 Lt. Jack M. Danowitz (mentioned in the blog post covering 1 Lt. Arthur S. Goldstein), Major David I. Cedarbaum preserved a record (recorded by W.D. Bray) about Lt. Karron’s last flight – actually, far more informative than the MACR, albeit with the plane’s final location being incorrect – to which nothing further could ever be added:

The Airplane Commander was K.P. Murphy.  They flew to the Jap homeland, dropped their bombs, and an hour away began to have engine trouble.  They radioed the fire spread and they had to ditch, the plane being out of control.  They were about 100 miles north of Iwo presumably when they hit the water.  No rescue facility was ever able to locate anything of them.

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From The Unofficial History of the 499th Bomb Group (VH), this picture shows the crew of Prentice Burkett standing before “Wugged Wascal”.  Unfortunately, like all crew photos in the book, the men’s names are not given, but the five men standing at rear are likely Burkett and the crew’s other officers, while the six men in front are presumably NCOs.

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Printed as a full-page image on page 138 of Steve Birdsall’s Saga of the Superfortress, this photograph, from the collection of Lawrence F. Reineke, is captioned, “The 499th Group’s Wugged Wascal near Fuji on January 9, with Captain Kimmel Murphy and his crew.  A few hours after this photo was taken she crashed into the sea, less than seven hundred miles from Saipan.”  This image also appears (in smaller size) in The Unofficial History of the 499th Bomb Group (VH).

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This is a very-high-resolution (600 dpi) scan of the “Wascal”, as seen in the above image.  Even at this magnification the clarity of the image is remarkable, with structural details and the last four digits of the B-29’s serial clearly visible.  More important, of course, are the eleven men inside the plane..   

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Katz, Wolf, Sgt. (at Ginkunai, Lita)
U.S.S.R., Red Army, 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division, 224th Artillery Brigade
Mr. Chone Katz (father)
Place of burial unknown
Road to Victory – 290

Mirvis, Mikhail Borisovich (Мирвис, Михаил Борисович) Private [Рядовой]
U.S.S.R., Red Army, 58th Rifle Division, 20th Tank Brigade, 45th Autonomous Motor Rifle Battalion
Rifleman
Died of wounds at Medical Facility of 45th Medical Battalion, 53rd Rifle Division
Born 1924
Buried at Cemetery Number 80, Grave 1, Muzhla Village, Komarom-Estergom, Hungary
Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume II – 547 [Книги Памяти евреев-воинов, павших в боях с нацизхмом в 1941-1945 гг – Том II – 547]

Ples, Josef, WO 2C, W-336 (at Dunkirk, France)
Czechoslovakia, 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps, 1st Armored Brigade
Czechoslovakia, Lipník nad Bečvou, okres Přerov; 8/12/19
Cassel Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France – D,15
Zide v Ceskoslovenskem Vojsku na Zapade – 247

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Rifas, Leonard, 1 Lt., 0-771802, Bomber Pilot, Air Medal, 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart, 27 missions
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 385th Bomb Group, 549th Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Jeanette R. Miller (sister), 5125 N. Capitol St., Washington, D.C.
(Also Chicago, Il.)
MACR 11718; Aircraft: B-17G 44-6100 (“Miss “D” Day”) 10 crewmen – no survivors
Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England
American Jews in World War II – 113

Half-way ‘round the world from Mustn’t Touch and Wugged Wascal, another bomber – 8th Air Force Flying Fortress Miss “D” Day, piloted by Lieutenant Leonard Rifas – was lost in circumstances equally enigmatic:  The aircraft vanished during a short flight from an emergency landing strip in France, to the 385th Bomb Group’s base at Great Ashfield, England.  Though the bodies of two crewmen were found by Air/Sea Rescue, the other eight crewmen remained (still remain) missing.  There were no survivors. 

As stated in the Missing Air Crew Report:

Aircraft 44-6100, returning from operational mission to Frankfurt, Germany on 8 January 1945, landed at emergency landing strip, A-70, Laon-Couvron, France.  Radio message was received at station 155, that this aircraft had been given clearance on the afternoon of 9 January 1945, but due to weather conditions on the continent it was believed that clearance had been cancelled, as no further contact was made by either A-70 or station 155.

The bodies of two of the crew frozen together in a life raft [2 Lt. John W. Skoff, bombardier, and S/Sgt. Lowey I. Boyd, ball turret gunner] were picked up at 50 – 40 N, 00 – 20 E, 13 January 1945, by Air/Sea Rescue and taken to New Haven Mortuary.  [New Haven is located just east of Brighton, in southern England.]


What happened aboard the plane will never be known, but based on the above statements, no emergency calls seem to have been radioed from the aircraft during its brief flight (or, if they were, such signals were not received).  The fact that the bombardier (from the front of the aircraft) and ball turret gunner (from the plane’s aft fuselage) survived for a time in one of the plane’s two rafts, suggests that there may have been adequate time for the crew to at least gather in the radio room for a controlled ditching, probably somewhere between Boulgone, France, and Beachy Head, England.  Though Lt. Skoff and S/Sgt. Boyd were found roughly – only – fifteen miles south of Eastbourne, in the English Channel (the location designated by the red circle in the below map), in mid-winter, in an open raft, those fifteen miles might just as well have been one thousand…

Lt. Skoff, from Will County, Illinois, is buried at Camp Butler National Cemetery, Springfield, Il. (Section 4, Grave 26), while Sergeant Boyd, from Buchanan County, Virginia, is buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery, in Cambridge, England (Plot F, Row 6, Grave 110). 

According to records at the 385th Bomb Group, Lieutenant Rifas completed 27 missions.  For his first twelve missions, he served as co-pilot to Ted C. Findeiss.  Commencing with the Hannover mission of October 26, 1944 he served as pilot, with nine of his fifteen missions in this capacity being flown in Miss D Day.

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Rosenberg, Jacob Joseph, EM3c, 2425767, Electrician’s Mate, Purple Heart
United States Navy, USS John D. Henley (DD553)
“0821: Two men [EM3c Jacob J. Rosenberg and F1c Kenneth Dowd Russell] fell overboard and were not recovered after a thorough search of the area.” (11-34 N, 159-14 E)
Mrs. Sophia Anna (Rosenberg) Zitzer (sister), 16 Greenock St., Boston, Ma.
Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii
American Jews in World War II – 176

Rubin, Harold, S 2C, 8625065, Seaman, Purple Heart
United States Navy, USS Mississippi
Mr. Able Rubin (father), 1659 W. Euclid Ave., Detroit, Mi.
Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines
American Jews in World War II – 195

References

Birdsall, Steve, Saga of the Superfortress, Sidgwick & Jackson, London, England, 1981

Burkett, Prentiss M., Capt., The Unofficial History of the 499th Bomb Group (VH), Historical Aviation Album, Temple City, Ca., 1981

Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947

Hickey, Lawrence J., Warpath Across the Pacific – The Illustrated History of the 345th Bombardment Group During World War II, International Research and Publishing Corporation, Boulder, Co., 1984

Leivers, Dorothy (Editing and Revisions), Road to Victory – Jewish Soldiers of the 16th Lithuanian Division, 1941-1945, Avotaynu, Bergenfield, N.J., 2009

Kulka, Erich, Zide Československém Vojsku na Západé, Naše Vojsko, Praha, Czechoslovakia, 1992

Loyd, Alwyn T., B-29 Superfortress in detail & scale – Production Version – Part 1, Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, Ca., 1983. 

Sturzbecker, Russell L., The Roarin’ 20s: A History of the 312th Bombardment Group, U.S. Army Air Force – World War II, Russell L. Sturzbecker, Westchester, Pa., 1976

Canadian Jews in World War II – Part II: Casualties, Canadian Jewish Congress, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1948

Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume II [Surnames beginning with К (K), Л (L), М (M), Н (N)], Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russia, 1995

Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume IX [Surnames beginning with all letters of the alphabet], Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russia, 2006

B-29 42-24657 (Tom McNamara photostream, at flickr.com)