Category: Jewish Aviators

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: 2 Lt. Peter Geiger – July 28, 1945

While military conflict by definition and nature brings with it the probability and near-inevitability of loss of life, nominal military service as such, even at locales often far removed from areas of actual combat, has always carried with its own degree of danger.  One aspect of the risk inherent to military service lies in support of and preparation for combat.  During the Second World War, a central aspect of this was reflected in the loss of aircraft and personnel by the United States Army Air Forces, Navy, and Marine Corps during flying training and routine air operations in the continental United States, and, overseas.

On August 9, 1945, an example of this appeared as an obituary published in the Times covering Army Air Force Lieutenant Peter Geiger, who was lost with his crew during a flight over Hawaii. 

Killed in Plane Crash Last Month

Lieut. Peter E. Geiger of the Army Air Forces died in an airplane crash in the territory of Hawaii on July 28, according to word received by his wife, Su D. Geiger.

Born in New York City twenty-two years ago, he was graduated from the Woodmere Academy and was attending Dartmouth College when he enlisted in the Air Forces in September, 1942.

Lieutenant Geiger was commissioned and received his wings as a pilot at the Columbus (Miss.) Army Air Field in June, 1944.  He was attached to the Seventeenth Tow Target Squadron in Hawaii.

In addition to his widow, he is survived by his mother, Mrs. Erwin Geiger, and his sister, Miss Joan Geiger of 419 East Fifty-Seventh Street.

A pilot in the 17th Target Towing Squadron of the 7th Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force, Lt. Geiger and his four crewmen were killed in the crash of B-24J Liberator 44-40706, the loss of which is described in Army Air Force Accident Report 46-7-28-515.  Like his father Erwin, who died on July 7, 1943, Peter is buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery, in Flushing, New York.  (Block 72, Section B, Lot 18, Grave 7)

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This is a view of the wartime residence of Lt. Geiger’s mother and sister, at 419 East 57th Street in Manhattan, as seen at Apartments.com.

And, a Google street view of the building’s entrance.

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This is the first page of the Accident Report (46-7-28-515) covering the loss of Lt. Geiger’s Liberator.  (Unlike MACRs – which have been digitized, and, which have long been available for research at the United States National Archives in College Park in microfiche format, Accident Reports must be requested in writing from the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.)  Note that the document accords substantial space for information about the training and flying experience – particularly hours flown – by the aircraft pilot.

This image presents an eyewitness account of the loss of B-24J 44-40766, by Sgt. Robert L. Burns.

The image is a summarized Description of the Accident.  The conclusion: “The Aircraft Accident Investigating Board was unable to determine whether power plant failure was a contributing factor in the crash.  The opinion of the Aircraft Accident Investigating Board is that the Pilot and Co-Pilot were fully qualified to fly this type aircraft.”

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Unlike Missing Air Crew Reports, though information about air crew members in Army Air Force Accident Reports includes a serviceman’s name, rank, and serial number, names of next-of-kin and residential addresses are entirely absent.  Certainly the accident report covering the loss of Peter Geiger’s Liberator follows this pattern, with the crew being listed at the bottom of page 1 of the document.  (See above.)

This “anonymity” of the crew members provided an opportunity to see what could be discovered about the crew, using Ancestry.com and other web-based resources.  The results were rewarding, for ample genealogical information about these four men was readily; easily found.  Very brief biographical profiles for them are presented below:

Co-Pilot: 1 Lt. Cecil E. “Pete” Tickner, 0-693712
Mrs. Dora Mae Brown Tickner (wife), Jon Tickner (son; YOB 1943), 1001 Brown St., Madison / 204 East Seventh St., Madison, ll.
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn and Lucretia (Gray) Tickner (parents), Harold E. Tickner (brother), 2711 Powhatton St., Alton, Il.
Born 12/18/17, Fairfield, Il.
Oakwood Cemetery, Upper Alton, Il.

Flight Engineer: T/Sgt. Robert J. Patterson, 17030270
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Alexander and Clara Grace Patterson (parents), Betty, Clara G., Helen, and Leslie Patterson (sisters), Jackson County, Mo.
Born 4/12/20, Colorado
Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, Fort Leavenworth, Ks. – Section I, Grave 175C

Flight Engineer: Sgt. Phillip Watrous “Phil” Hatfield, 39455940
Mrs. Theoda Violet (Campbell) Hatfield [Jenson] (wife)
Mr. and Mrs. Philip Augustus and Mabelle (Watrous) Hatfield (parents), Ray C. Hatfield (brother), Hallie E. Hatfield (nephew), Columbia County, Wa.
Born 5/12/10, Dayton, Wa.
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii – Plot E52

Radio Operator: PFC John H. McNally, 15104642
Mr. and Mrs. Francis J. and Mary McNally (parents), Mary E., Michael, and William (sister and brothers)
643 Fernwood Ave., Toledo, Oh.
Born 10/2/20, Ohio
Buried at Calvary Cemetery, Toledo, Oh.

Some other Jewish military casualties on Saturday, July 28, 1945, include…

– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Killed in Action

Adler, Bernard, 1 Lt., 0-1173139, Field Artillery, Silver Star, Purple Heart
United States Army, 32nd Infantry Division, 126th Field Artillery Battalion
Mrs. Sylvia Adler (wife) [8/10/19-3/11/95]
Mr. Samuel A. [3/23/88-5/11/83] and Leah [12/7/85-5/17/83] Adler (parents), 249 County St., New Haven, Ct.
Born 4/1/14
Mount Sinai Memorial Park, New Haven Ct. – Plot 160
https://www.findagrave.com/
Casualty List 8/28/45
American Jews in World War II – 61

Banker, Lea (“Lili Stefania”), LAW (Leading Aircraft Woman), 2992592
England, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
Died in aircraft accident, en route from Egypt to the Yishuv
Mr. and Mrs. Adolf and Sophie Banker (parents), Brighton, Ma.
Born 9/21/21, Lodz, Poland
http://www.lodz-israel.co.il/soldiers/22banker-pol.html
Ramleh War Cemetery, Ramleh, Israel – Special Memorial E (Buried in Jerusalem?)
The Jewish Chronicle 8/17/45
We Will Remember Them (Volume I) – 182

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2 Lt. Harvey M. Brandriss and F/O Lawrence H. Goldman were the radar operator and bombardier of a 63rd Bomb Squadron (43rd Bomb Group – “Ken’s Men”) B-24M Liberator, 44-42127 (nicknamed “Boots“) that vanished during an armed reconnaissance mission to the Inland Sea of Japan.  Biographical records of them follow… 

Brandriss, Harvey M., 2 Lt., 0-931344, Radar Operator, Air Medal, Purple Heart
Mrs. Lorraine D. Brandriss (wife), 2782 Modill St., Chicago, Il.
Class 44-G, Selman Field
Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii
American Jews in World War II – 94

Goldman, Lawrence H., F/O, T-132703, Bombardier, Air Medal, Purple Heart
Mrs. Mary Goldman (mother), 5801 8th Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii
Casualty List 8/22/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

The loss of Boots is covered in MACR 14845, the crew list, location map, and next-of-kin list of which are presented below:

Piloted by 2 Lt. Charles H. Kerns, the plane, and the 11 men aboard it, have never been found. 

However enigmatic information at the POW Research Network Japan, a project of Dr. Aiko Utsumi and teacher Toru Fukubayashi, sheds light on the loss of Boots.  One of the six documents they have compiled covering Allied aircraft and airmen lost over the Japanese Mainland during the war – specifically, over the Chugoku (Chugoku) and Shikoku Army Districts – states the following:

“B-24 Jul. 28, 1945  B-24 (#44-42127, nicknamed Boots, 43BG) crashed offshore between Hiroshima-ken and Ie-jima, Okinawa-ken.
The plane was hit by AA fire while attacking Kure Harbor.
All 11 crew members including 2 /Lt. Charles H. KERNS (A/C) were killed.”

Another source, Accident-Report.com, gives the location as “SAGANOSEKI AT SEA, JAPAN”.

Could the source of this information be Japanese military records? 

Could the source of this information be Individual Deceased Personnel Files?

I do not know.

In any event, the names of Boots’ crew are memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, in Hawaii.

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Stein, Harry, PFC, 32704732, Radar Operator
United States Army Air Force, 1347th Army Air Force Base Unit
Mrs. Ida Weinstein (aunt), 1002 Foster Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
MACR 14799; Aircraft: C-109 44-48890; “Little Chief”; Pilot: Capt. Claude W. Tucker; 4 crewmen – no survivors
Place of burial unknown
The Aluminum Trail – 460
American Jews in World War II – 453

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.

Quinn, Chick Marrs, The Aluminum Trail – How & Where They Died – China-Burma-India World War II 1942-1945, Chick Marrs Quinn, [Florida?], 1989

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

United States Army Air Force Accident Report # 46 – 7 – 28 – 515

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: The Gans Brothers – 2 Lt. Solomon Gans – January 3, 1945

The Second World War was characterized by near-universal military service among the warring nations, either voluntarily, or through conscription.  As such, multiple members of a single family – fathers and sons; sets of brothers – would find themselves wearing the uniforms of their countries, serving in combat or military support duties on land, in the air, or at sea.  Sometimes, this would occur in the same geographic theater of operations; sometimes, even in the same branch of service. 

Sometimes, fate – or God – would cast a favorable face upon a family: All its members would return, and resume their civilian lives in the fullness of time.  Or, like soldiers throughout history, they would be transformed, traumatized, or inspired (often in reinforcing or contradictory combination) by their military experiences, and embark – by decision or chance – upon new and unanticipated paths through life.

Sometimes, God – or fate – would cast an entirely difference “face” upon a family, perhaps manifesting what is known in Hebrew (most notably in the book of Isaiah) as an aspect of “hester punim”.  (Perhaps; perhaps.)  For such a family, the course of life would unalterably, irrevocably altered… 

In that sense, while my prior posts about Jewish soldiers reported upon in The New York Times have by definition covered specific individuals, in 1945, for the Gans family of the Bronx, life indeed took that different course.  The Gans brothers – Ralph (Rafael bar Yaakov) and Solomon (Zalman bar Yaakov) – lost their lives in military service with four weeks of one another, and their loss was covered in the Times on April 17 of that year.

Ralph, born in 1920 and the older of the two, lost his life in England on January 31 under non-combat circumstances while serving with the Ordnance Corps.  Solomon, a Second Lieutenant who had been enrolled at City College, was killed in combat while serving in I Company, 253rd Infantry Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division on January 3. 

The sons of Jacobs and Mary Gans of 494 Claremont Parkway (East 171st St.) in the Bronx, their obituary appeared in the Times on April 17.  They are buried adjacent to one another at Mount Lebanon Cemetery, in Glendale, N.Y. (Workmen’s Circle Society, Block WC, Section 5, Line 28): Solomon in Grave 12, and Ralph in Grave 13.

(While this post covers both brothers, information about other Jewish servicemen is limited to those soldiers who became casualties on the same day as Lt. Gans: January 3, 1945.  As such, the earlier post (about Sgt. Ralph Gans) presented the same biographical information about the Gans brothers as “this” post.  That post included information about Jewish military casualties on January 31, 1945.)

Bronx Family Loses Its Only Two Sons

War Department notification of the deaths of Lieut. Solomon Gans and T/Sgt. Ralph Gans, only sons of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Gans of 495 East 171st Street, the Bronx, has been received.

Previously reported missing, Lieutenant Gans, 22 years old, was killed in action in France Jan. 3, while attached to the 253rd Infantry.  He was a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School and had completed three years at City College before entering the Army, on June 16, 1943.

Sergeant Gans, 25, died in England on Jan. 31, according to the War Department.  Also a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School, he worked for the Noma Electric Company prior to induction.  He entered the Army on Jan. 20, 1942, and was serving with an ordnance battalion at the time of his death.

This image, by S. Daino, shows the matzevot of Ralph and Solomon, at Mount Lebanon Cemetery.

Some other Jewish military casualties on Wednesday, January 3, 1945, include…

Killed in Action

– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Bank, Louis, PFC, 32117222, Purple Heart
United States Army, 44th Infantry Division, 71st Infantry Regiment
Mr. Sam Bank (father), 2459 East 23rd St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Casualty List 2/22/45
Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y. – Section H, Grave 10353
American Jews in World War II – 269

Danchik, Samuel, Cpl., 32622948, Purple Heart
United States Army, 100th Infantry Division, 398th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Max Danchik (father), 826 Park Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mrs. Lillian Danchik (sister in law), 217 Hart St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. Maurice Gherman (friend)
Born 1921
Place of Burial – unknown
Casualty List 2/22/45
American Jews in World War II – 295

Druskin, Zalman, Pvt., at Liepaja (region), Latvia
U.S.S.R., Red Army, 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division, 294th Infantry Brigade
Mr. Shepsel Druskin (father)
Born 1919
Road to Victory, p. 293

Gildenberg, Isaac, Pvt., 42124609, Purple Heart
United States Army, 99th Infantry Division, 394th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Lena Y. Gildenberg (mother), 386 South 2nd St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born 1925
Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Glendale, N.Y. – Block WC, Section 5, Line 24, Grave 5, Society Workmen’s Circle
American Jews in World War II – 320

Gross, Harold J., Cpl., 35280304, Purple Heart
United States Army, 2nd Armored Division, 66th Armored Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Julia Gross (mother), 10511 Greenlawn Ave., Cleveland, Oh.
PFC Lawrence Gross (brother)
Address also 1400 South Kenmore, Los Angeles, 6, Ca.
Born 12/16/17
Place of burial: Los Angeles, Ca.
Cleveland Press & Plain Dealer, February 24 & 25, 1945, October 26, 1948 (at Cleveland Veterans Memorial)
American Jews in World War II – 489

Hafter, Ralph Lewis, EM 1C (Electrician’s Mate 1st Class), 3825644, Purple Heart
United States Navy, Submarine USS Swordfish (SS193)
Mrs. Mae Mary Agnes Hafter (wife), 6922 Southeast Morrison St., Portland, Or.
Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii
Date of 1/3/45 is conjectural; See the following references:
Account of the loss of the USS Swordfish (at “On Eternal Patrol”)
Account of the loss of the USS Swordfish (by Ed Howard, at Subsowespac.org)
Crew list of the USS Swordfish (at “On Eternal Patrol)
American Jews in World War II – 506

Heymann, Gerhard E., PFC, 32799312, Belgium (Wounded 1/3/45; died same day)
United States Army
Mr. and Mrs. Julius and Hanna (Braun) Heymann (parents), 42-42 Ithaca St., Elmhurst, N.Y.
S2C Werner L. Heymann (brother)
Born Landau in der Pfalz, Germany, 5/8/24
WW II Memorial database gives name as “Gerard”, while Long Island Star Journal gives name as “Gerald”
Tablets of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery, Epinal, France
Aufbau 2/9/45
New York Times 2/23/45
Long Island Star Journal 2/21/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Hurwitz, Julius Nathaniel (“Jay”), 2 Lt., 0-698120, Navigator
United States Army Air Force, 20th Air Force, 498th Bomb Group, 875th Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Ruth (Marks) Hurwitz (wife), 560 West Hudson Ave., Dayton, Oh.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel [1886-1950] and Freeda [1888-1990] Hurwitz (parents), 701 Lexington Ave., Dayton, Oh.Dayton Daily News 11/18/43, 12/3/43
Riverview Cemetery, Dayton, Oh. (at FindAGrave.com)
American Jews in World War II – 490

Julius Hurwitz, originally in training as a pilot at the 63rd Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment, in Coffee County, Georgia, was presumably reassigned to navigation training. 

Julius and his entire crew were lost on their first combat flight, a bombing mission to port facilities and urban areas of Nagoya, Japan.  Their aircraft, B-29 42-24748 (“T square 42“, piloted by 1 Lt. Richard C. Stickney), the loss of which is covered in MACR 10853, crashed on Anatahan Island, an island in the Marianas about 75 miles north of Saipan. 

As reported in the Stickney crew’s Missing Air Crew Report, “When last contacted [the] aircraft did not report difficulty of any kind,” while the plane did not respond to attempts at radio contact.  Similarly, it is notable that the MACR makes no reference of damage to the aircraft by anti-aircraft fire or enemy fighters, attributing no specific cause for the plane’s disappearance.

According to MACR, the B-29, “…had entered the crater at the Northeast side of the island through the lowest point in the rim of the crater, encircled to the left and crashed head-on into the higher peaks on the Southeast side.  The aircraft exploded and burned and partially buried itself in the mountain side.”

Though the cause of the plane’s loss will be forever unknown, it is notable that the description of Anatahan Island included in the MACR mentions, “…the crater rim rises to an elevation of 2,585 feet.  Inside the rim there is a relatively level grassy area two miles long and one mile wide.  Elsewhere on the island slopes are steep and furrowed by deep ravines.”  Given what seems to have been a controlled descent by T Square 42 into the crater – through the lowest point on the rim – perhaps (perhaps) Lieutenants Stickney and Langdon were attempting to make a landing within the crater.

Well, perhaps…  It is a moot point, now.

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Information presented in Marianas Air-Sea Rescue Bulletin Number 4, issued in June of 1945, may be based on the knowledge acquired during the search and recovery effort for Lt. Stickney’s crew from March 1 through March 5, 1945.  This 23-page-long document presents information about specific islands within the Marianas archipelago – between Iwo Jima and Saipan – in terms of suitability as locations for ditching, survival, and eventual rescue.  The islands covered comprise Pajaros, Maug, Asuncion, Agrihan, Pagan, Alamagan, Guguan, Sarigan, Anatahan, and Medinlla.  The Bulletin describes each island in detail, presenting topographic maps and panoramic aerial photos for each, concluding with a 3-page-long summary of detailed rules for survival at sea and on land, which lists islands based on whether they are uninhabited, or, sparsely inhabited islands, along with latitude and longitude coordinates. 

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The Bulletin’s map of the relative positions of these islands is shown below:

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The description of Anatahan Island follows below:

Confidential

ANATAHAN.

Jap survivors of small Merchant ships and escapees from SAIPAN make up the total population of 7 to 29, according to native evacuees.  At one time they had 2 heavy machine guns and several rifles which the natives were forced to keep in condition by pressing oil from coconuts.  No natives remain.

With this information in mind, it would be well to choose a spot well away from the NORTHWEST BEACH for any proposed ditching. The SOUTHWEST BEACH, due SOUTH of the high peak on the WEST end of the island, offers the best haven.  Watch out that you don’t come a cropper on the offshore rocks – and there are many.  The boulder beach is not the softest place to land but your rubber raft should cushion the shock.  Once ashore you will find some shelter in the shacks on the beach or in rocky caves.  Coconuts, bananas, papaya and seafood will give you a subsistence mean with such items as the edible flying fox or fruit bat and the giant monster lizards to supplement the diet.   Water in the cisterns MUST be boiled.

Don’t attempt a crash landing or bailout in the crater!  The floor is deceivingly Irregular and highly inaccessible to the outside world!

All in all, ANATAHAN is not a ditching haven and should be bypassed for greener pastures.

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The topographic map of Anatahan Island – show below – illustrates the seamount’s rugged topography.  (Unfortunately, the contour interval – 50 feet? – 100 feet? – does not appear to be given.)  Strikingly noticeable is the absence of any contours within the volcanic crater.  Perhaps this feature remained unmapped due to the recognition that the terrain within was unsuitable for emergency landing by aircraft. 

This page also includes a panoramic view of the island. 

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This high resolution air photo of Anatahan, at the University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Insitute’s website, gives an appreciation of the extremely rugged nature of the currently uninhabited island.

This image of the crater rim, from the Photostream of Southern Methodist University, also reveals the forbidding nature of Anatahan’s terrain. 

Additional information about this incident can be found in the history of B-29 42-24748, at Pacific Wrecks. 

The image below, from the blog of William C. Atkinson, former radar-navigator in the 874th Bomb Squadron, 498th Bomb Group, shows most of the crew members lost on the mission of January 3. The men (left to right) are the following:

Front Row

AMG – Boyd, Jack L., Sgt.
Gunner – Quinn, John P., Sgt.
Thomas (not on fatal flight)
Gunner (Central Fire Control) – Merriweather, James O., Sgt.
ROM – Haynes, Paul M., Sgt.
Elec. Sp. Gunner – Zeone, Edward M., Sgt.

Rear Row

H.A. Brandt (not on fatal flight)
Pilot – Stickney, Richard C., Jr., 1 Lt.
Co-Pilot – Winslow, Langdon G., 2 Lt.
Bombardier – Thompson, Richard F., 2 Lt.
Navigator – Hurwitz, Julius N., 2 Lt.

Flight Engineer 2 Lt. Howard G. King, Howard G. and Radar Countermeasures operator Sgt. John E. Burns do not appear in the photo.

This photo of Julius’ matzeva, from his FindAGrave biographical profile, is by Mary Downing-Mahan (“gravehunterMary“). 

Melinsky, Abraham, PFC, 31242242, Purple Heart, Medical Corps
United States Army, 26th Infantry Division, 328th Infantry Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Jennie Melinsky (parents), 3 Lamont St., Roxbury, Ma.
Born 1915
Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – Plot G, Row 10, Grave 27
American Jews in World War II – 171

Minsker, Faivel, Pvt., at Mezotne, Latvia
U.S.S.R., Red Army, 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division, 294th Infantry Brigade
Mr. Shmuel Minsker (father)
Born 1919
Road to Victory, p. 293

Pruzan, Murray, T/5, 32992938, Medical Corps (near Phillipsbourg, France)
United States Army, 70th Infantry Division, 275th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Medical Detachment
Mrs. Pauline Pruzan (mother), 1446 Carroll St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mount Judah Cemetery, Ridgewood, Queens, N.Y. – 1-BB2-R09, Wolkovisker Society
Casualty List 9/11/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Robbins, Lawrence, Cpl., 12049477, Purple Heart
United States Army
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Helen Rabinowitz (parents), Raymond and Robert (brothers), 325 West 86th St., New York, N.Y.
Born 1924
Acacia Cemetery, Ozone Park, N.Y. – Lots 216-217, Marks Goldstein
Casualty List 3/14/45
The New York Times (Obituary Section) 1/6/46
American Jews in World War II – 414

Roberts, Sidney J., PFC, 12111003, Purple Heart
United States Army, 70th Infantry Division, 275th Infantry Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Tillie F. Rabinowitz (parents), 33-21 69th St., Jackson Heights, N.Y.
Born 1924
City College of New York Class of 1945
Epinal American Cemetery, Epinal, France – Plot B, Row 24, Grave 30
Casualty List 2/22/45
Long Island Star Journal 2/21/45
American Jews in World War II – 414

Schaeffer, Samuel, Sgt., 32916161, Aerial Gunner, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 801st Bomb Group, 406th Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Rose Schaeffer (mother), 89 Heddon Terrace, Newark, N.J.
Born 2/6/20
MACR 15974, Aircraft: B-24H 42-52650, “Cancer”; Pilot: 1 Lt. Roy L. Hendrix; 10 crewmen – no survivors
Isserman Cemetery, Newark, N.J.
Casualty List 2/22/45
American Jews in World War II – 252

Wasserman, Gerald, Sgt., 32887164, Purple Heart
United States Army, 84th Infantry Division, 335th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Anna Wasserman (mother), 1506 Boston Road, New York, N.Y.
Born 1925
Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y. – Section H, Grave 10449
Casualty List 3/8/45
American Jews in World War II – 465

Wolfe, Marvin L., PFC, 36639407, Purple Heart
United States Army, 63rd Infantry Division, 255th Infantry Regiment, L Company
Mrs. Sylvia Wolfe (mother), 5480 South Cornell St., Chicago, Il.
Born 11/1/23
Westlawn Cemetery, Norridge, Chicago, Il.
American Jews in World War II – 121

Prisoners of War

Cole, Sidney L., 2 Lt., 0-1185213, Purple Heart
United States Army, 776th Field Artillery Battalion
POW at Stalag 4F (Hartmannsdorf-Chemnitz, Germany)
Mrs. Lena Cohn (mother), 79 Shoreham Road, Buffalo, N.Y.
Casualty List (Liberated POW) 6/20/45
American Jews in World War II – 293

Becker, Meyer D., S/Sgt., 36035573
United States Army, 87th Infantry Division, 346th Infantry Regiment
POW at Stalag 13C (Hammelburg, Germany) (German POW # 98440)
Mrs. Beatrice L. Becker (wife), 6810 East End Ave., Chicago, Il.
Born Illinois, 8/3/17
Casualty List (Liberated POW) 6/12/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Fine, Howard L., Cpl., 35077112
United States Army, 70th Infantry Division, 275th Infantry Regiment
POW at Stalag 4B (Muhlberg, Germany)
Mrs. Bessie E. Fine (mother), Route 1, Laura, Oh.
Casualty List (Liberated POW) 6/11/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Klein, Leonard, 2 Lt., 0-556880
United States Army, 70th Infantry Division, 275th Infantry Regiment
POW – location of camp unknown
2 Lt. Arthur Klein (brother)
Mr. Charles Klein (father), 109 States Ave., Atlantic City, N.J.
Born 1923
Philadelphia Bulletin 1/30/45
Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Record (Liberated POW) 5/9/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Rosen, Murray, Pvt., 12096956, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
United States Army, 70th Infantry Division, 275th Infantry Regiment
POW at Stalag 12F (Forbach Bei Saarbrucken, Germany)
Mr. Jacob Rosen (father), 159 Delancey St., New York, N.Y.
Casualty Lists 4/20/45, 4/24/45, Liberated POW List 5/25/45
American Jews in World War II – 416

Wounded in Action

Applebaum, Herbert, PFC, 33775404, Wounded in Belgium
United States Army
Born 1926
Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Betty Applebaum (parents), 1025 Wagner Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 12/4/25
Jewish Exponent 2/23/45
Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Record 2/18/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Novick, Joseph, Pvt., 33467896, Purple Heart, Wounded in Belgium
United States Army
Mr. and Mrs. Isadore and Anna Novick (parents), 924 N. 6th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 10/27/21
Philadelphia Record 3/17/45
American Jews in World War II – 541

Lenger, Robert J., Cpl., Purple Heart, Paratrooper
United States Army
Mr. Fred Lenger (uncle), 175-47 Underhill Ave., Flushing, Queens, N.Y.
Pvt. Carl Lenger and Sgt. Joseph Lenger (brothers)
Born Germany, 1919
Casualty Lists 9/21/44, 3/12/45
Long Island Star Journal 3/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 375

Other Incident (An aviator rescued after “ditching” in the Pacific Ocean…)

Lynch, Bertram Gerald, Capt., 0-669240, Bombardier / Navigator
United States Army Air Force, 20th Air Force, 497th Bomb Group, 871st Bomb Squadron
Aircraft ditched on January 3; Five survivors rescued by January 5
Mrs. Shirley (Golden) Lynch (wife), Ross D. Lynch (son), 1934 Spring Drive, Louisville, Ky.
MACR 10901, Aircraft: B-29 42-63418, “A square 50”, “JUMBO – KING OF THE SHOW”; Pilot: Capt. Howard M. Clifford; 11 crewmen – 5 survivors
Chaplain Cedarbaum Files at Center for Jewish History, New York, N.Y.
American Jews in World War II – 129

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Captain Lynch was one of the survivors of the crew of “JUMBO – KING OF THE SHOW”, a B-29 which was ditched northwest of Saipan during the evening of January 3.  Though all crewmen were aboard the aircraft, uninjured, and at their assigned ditching positions at the time of the plane’s water landing, only five men eventually reached life rafts (four crewmen in one, and one in another).  These men were rescued by the USS Grayson on January 5 and 6, respectively. 

As stated in MACR 10901, “Capt. Clifford and crew ditched at 2127Z 3 January 1945 due to engine trouble and lack of gasoline.  Capts. Clifford and Lynch, Lt. Whitely and Sgt. Lodato were picked up 6 miles west of plane at 16 28 N, 144 38 E on 5 January 1945 by the Destroyer Grayson.  Sgt. Smith, who was alone in the raft, was picked up at 16 27 N, 144 19 E at 09 40 K 6 January 1945, by the Destroyer Grayson.  No one was seriously injured.  Capt. Lynch who was slightly injured is being hospitalized.”

“Upon interrogation, the following facts were obtained in regards to the other crew members who are still missing:
Lt. Heiden the co-pilot, was out of the water and last seen hanging on the wing.
Lt. Barnes wasn’t observed.
All the remaining crew members with the exception of Martin, Tail Gunner, are certain to have gotten out.
The search is still being continued.”

As is sometimes encountered in Missing Air Crew Reports covering aircraft lost at sea – where at least some men were rescued – the MACR only lists the next-of-kin and addresses of airmen still missing at the time the Report was actually created. 

Along with Captain Lynch, the survivors were:

Airplane Commander: Capt. Howard M. Clifford
Navigator-Bombardier: 2 Lt. Montford S. Whiteley
Radio Operator: Sgt. Piere V. Lodato
Gunner (Left Blister): Sgt. H.J. Smith, Jr.

Those presumed to have been killed in the ditching (or in the case of Lt. Heiden known to have survived, but not rescued) were: 

Co-Pilot: 2 Lt. Robert L. Heiden
Flight Engineer: 2 Lt. Harold C. Barnes
Radar Operator: Sgt. William R. Fast
Gunner (Central Fire Control): Sgt. Jack F. Estes
Gunner (Right Blister); Sgt. Oscar L. Niece, Jr.
Gunner (Tail): Sgt. Delmas D. Martin, Sr.

The following two images, from MACR 10901, show the crew roster, and next, the list of still-missing crewmen.

These three images (the format of which is doubtless immediately familiar to anyone who has researched MACRs) are post-war Casualty Questionnaires completed by Captain Lynch, and Sergeant Smith, in response to efforts to resolve the status of the missing crewmen. 

Remarkably, images of JUMBO exist in both photographic print (now, JPG) and film (now, MP4) format. 

The print?…  Presented below, is an official Army Air Force picture of the JUMBO’s nose art, which quite appropriately is a baby elephant carrying a bomb in his trunk.  The picture (number A-55324AC / A45730, for those interesting in a visit to the National Archives!) is show below, both in its original appearance as a photographic print attached to an 8 ½ by 11 filing card, and, as a cropped and enhanced digital image. 

The film?…  Show below, is a newsreel (clip # “638274042”) from the Sherman Grinberg Library Collection, credited to Pathe Newreels. at the Getty Image Archive.  With a creation date of December 1, 1944, the location is given as the Northern Marianas Islands.

Fortunately, the Getty Image website presents a complete breakdown of the subject matter in the one-minute-long film, which is listed as follows:

Movie World War II: B-29s and their names

1) Generals Emmett O’Donnell and Haywood Hansell, and, Vice Admiral John Hoover talking together
2) O’Donnell and Hansell walking
3) B-29 “DAUNTLESS DOTTY”
4) 3 B-29s on tarmac
5) Crewman paints boxing dog on nose of B-29
6) Other painted B-29s:
6A) “JUMBO – KING OF THE SHOW”
6B) Close-up of JUMBO
6C) Close-up of “Miss Behavin”
6D) Close-up of “Special Delivery”

JUMBO can be seen at the 41 – 53 second interval.

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

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

USS Swordfish

Crew list of the USS Swordfish (at “On Eternal Patrol”) http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-swordfish-193.htm

Account of the loss of the USS Swordfish (at “On Eternal Patrol“)

Account of the loss of the USS Swordfish (by Ed Howard, at “Subsowespac.org”)

Julius N. Hurwitz

498th Bombardment Group Information (at “William C. Atkinson” / aka “AKINSOPHT”)

World War II Flight Training Museum and 63rd Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment (at wwiiflighttraining.org)

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Sgt. Simon Fogelman – Forward to Memory – December 14, 1944

When the obituary and photograph of Sergeant Simon Fogelman – son of Lazar Fogelman, editor of the Jewish Daily Forward, appeared in The New York Times on June 5, 1945 – few readers if any would have been aware that his image appeared in the press nearly six years earlier, during a moment of promise and hope. 

That event was his 1939 graduation with honors from Stuyvesant High School, as reported in the Forward.

Simon’s portrait was one of fifteen images of high school and college graduates which were published under the heading “Scholastic Honor Roll – Pictures of Honor Graduates Submitted by Readers of the Forward” in the newspaper’s July 16, 1939 issue. 

This page is presented below, with Simon’s portrait at the bottom center.

Top Row

Rabbi Morris M. Mathews

The three children of Dr. and Mrs. Hyde: Leroy and Bernard Hyde (graduates of Cornell University, and Anita S. Hyde, graduate of Erasmus High School)

Dr. Irving H. Itkin, son of Irving H. Itkin of Woodhaven

Middle Row

Miss Tillie Alderman, Miss Gertrude Thurm, Leon N. Satenstein, Jack Irwin Kaufman, George Perkel,

Bottom Row

Isidore Kraitsik, Wallen Paley, Simon, Aaron Baer, Hyman Simon

______________________________

Simon’s portrait, and caption

“Simon Fogelman, 17-year-old son of Dr. and Mrs. Lazar Fogelman of Brooklyn, who was graduated with honors from Stuyvesant High School.  Dr. Fogelman is a member of the Forward editorial staff.”

______________________________

Simon’s name appeared in a Casualty List published in the Times on February 15, 1945, and in the Memorial section of the Times’ Obituary page on December 14th of 1945 and 1946.  He name is listed on page 311 of American Jews in World War Two. 

This is his obituary, from the June 5 issue of the Times. 

Brooklyn Honor Student Killed With Third Army

Sgt. Simon Fogelman of 625 Caton Avenue, Brooklyn, was killed in action with the Ninety-Fifth Infantry Division in Germany on Dec. 14, according to word received here.  He was 22 years old.

He was an honor student at Stuveysant High School and later attended Brooklyn College.  He was assigned after his induction to the University of Pennsylvania, where he attended engineering classes.  He served with Lieut. Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army and the Purple Heart was awarded posthumously to him.

He is survived by his father, Lazar Fogelman, editorial and feature writer for the Jewish Daily Forward; his mother, Sarah, and a brother, Edwin.

______________________________

Simon’s portrait, showing him wearing his uniform, was published in the Forward on January 7, 1945.

“FALLEN HERO. – Sergeant Simon Fogelman, son of Dr. L. Fogelman, prominent Forward writer, and Mrs. Sarah Fogelman, who died in action on the Western Front.  One of the finest and brightest boys we have known, Sergeant Fogelman was 22 years old and fought with an infantry unit of General Patton’s Third Army.  Surviving besides his parents, who reside at 625 Caton Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y., is a 14-yar-old brother, Edwin.”

______________________________

Simon was a member of the 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division (serial number 32689852).  Born in 1923, he is buried at Mount Lebanon Cemetery, in Glendale, New York (Block WC, Section 5, Line 28, Grave 11, Workmen’s Circle Society). 

______________________________

Below is a 2016 Google Street view of the Fogelman family’s home at 625 Caton Avenue, in Brooklyn.

Some other Jewish military casualties on Thursday, December 14, 1944, include…

Killed in Action

– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Bensaid, Norbert, Soldat de 2eme Classe
Armée de Terre, 17eme Régiment Colonial du Génie
Nécropole nationale “Rougemont”, Rougemont, Doubs, France – Tombe individuelle, No. 588
Information from SGA “Sepultures de Guerre” database.  Not in SGA “Seconde guerre mondiale” database.

Burness, Irving, 1 Lt., 0-863230, Bombardier / Navigator, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 20th Air Force, 40th Bomb Group, 25th Bomb Squadron
Mr. and Mrs. Leon B. [12/17/85-9/21/89] and Sylvia (Rashove) [10/15/97-3/23/84] Burness (parents), 139 Ardmore Ave., West Hartford, Ct.
Possibly from Philadelphia, Pa.
Born 1917
MACR 10401, B-29 42-24726; Pilot: Capt. Howard L. Gerber; 12 crewmen – no survivors
Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines
Emanuel Cemetery, Wethersfield, Ct. – Plot R, 30 (Commemorative Monument)
FindAGrave profile of Lt. Irving Burness
American Jews in World War II – 62, 514

Blitzer, Morris, S/Sgt., 32409763, Purple Heart (Germany, Nordrhein-Westfalen)
United States Army, 78th Infantry Division, 310th Infantry Regiment, F Company
Mrs. Pauline Blitzer (mother), 1100 Gerard Ave., Bronx, N.Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Phillip and Fannie Blitzer (parents); Louis, Minnie, and Rebecca (brother and sisters)
Born 9/28/16, Bronx, N.Y.
Place of burial unknown
American Jews in World War II – 279 (National Jewish Welfare Board biographical cards state “No Publicity”)

Cohen, Leon, PFC, 42036404, Purple Heart
United States Army, 45th Infantry Division, 180th Infantry Regiment
Mr. David Cohen (father), 41 E. 89th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Cypress Hills National Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y. – Section 3, Grave 123
American Jews in World War II – 291

Elsner, Harry, Sapper, 2132044
Royal Engineers, 220th Field Company
Mr. and Mrs. Wolf and Eva Elsner (parents), Manchester, England
Born 1908
Forli War Cemetery, Vecchiazzano, Forli, Italy – III, A, 1
We Will Remember Them (Volume II) – 10

Epstein, Louis Canner, PFC, 11131816 (Germany)
United States Army, 90th Infantry Division, 358th Infantry Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold H. and Yetta (“Ethel”) Epstein (parents), 48 Commonwealth Ave., Lynn, Boston, Ma.
Born Massachusetts, 1926
Place of burial unknown
American Jews in World War II – 156

Friedman, Albert L., Pvt., 42107361
United States Army, 99th Infantry Division, 395th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Roselia S. Friedman (mother), 308 Renner Ave., Newark, N.J.
Born 11/13/25
B’Nai Jeshurun Cemetery, Hillside, N.J.
Casualty List 3/3/45
War Department Release 2/12/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

______________________________

There sources of information pertaining to Jewish genealogy and military history are many and varied.  But sometimes, one learns about the past simply by chance.

Nearly two decades ago, while doing genealogical research at Mount Sharon Cemetery, in Springfield, Pennsylvania, I chanced across a pair of matzevot (Hebrew – plural – for tombstones) for a Lieutenant Alfred G. Frost, and his parents, David and Anna.  Previously, this man was unknown to me.  His name is not present (well, many names are not present…) in American Jews in World War Two, and no mention of him ever appeared in wartime issues of The Jewish Exponent, of Philadelphia, though his name did appear The Philadelphia Bulletin in January of 1945.

His story was an enigma.  He was an enigma.

It was only years later, through a fortunate meeting with Albert’s relative Susan, and then correspondence with his relatives Steven and Linda Korsin, that Lt. Frost’s story emerged:  He served as an infantry Lieutenant in the Army’s 36th (Texas) Infantry Division, and was awarded the Silver Star (and an Oak Leaf Cluster to the Silver Star) for military service in Italy. 

The citations for these awards, an account of his death written by Chaplain Charles W. Arbuthnot, Jr., and genealogical information about the Lieutenant and his family, are presented below.

Frost, Albert G. (Avraham Gitye bar David Henekh), 1 Lt., 0-1307533, Company Commander, Silver Star, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
United States Army, 36th Infantry Division, 143rd Infantry Regiment, A Company
(Previously wounded on 6/1/44)
Mr. and Mrs. David [6/28/59-1969] and Anna [11/2/82-1993] Frost (parents), 333 Lincoln St., Woodbury, N.J.
Born 6/13/13
Mount Sharon Cemetery, Springfield, Pa. – Section I (Buried 9/19/48)
Philadelphia Record 1/9/45
Jewish Exponent 9/24/48
American Jews in World War II – Not listed (National Jewish Welfare Board biographical Card states “No Publicity”)

______________________________

The citation for Lt. Frost’s Silver Star award. 

C O N F I D E N T I A L
HEADQUARTERS 36TH INFANTRY DIVISION
APO #36, U. S. Army

AG 200.6                                                                                       25 April 1944

Subject  :  Award of Silver Star.

To        :  Second lieutenant ALBERT G. FROST, 01307533,
143d Infantry Regiment, APO #36, U, S. Army.

Pursuant to authority contained in Amy Regulations 600-45, you are awarded a Silver Star for gallantry in action:

C I T A T I O N

     ALBERT G. FROST, 01307533, Second Lieutenant, 143d Infantry Regiment, for gallantry in action on 20-21 January 1944 in the vicinity of ANTRIDONATI, ITALY.  Company C, the assault company for the First Battalion, crossed the swift flowing and treacherous Rapido River despite a heavy concentration of enemy artillery, mortar and snail arms fire.  Lieutenant Frost, assigned the task of evacuating the wounded, swam back across the icy stream to secure a boat.  Realizing one boat would be insufficient to evacuate the men fast enough, he personally supervised the construction of a foot bridge from salvage material.  The bridge and boat then became the immediate target of enemy fire.  Dauntlessly, with great physical endurance and aggressiveness he continued to expose himself to the withering fire as he paddled the boat back and forth across the river until all the wounded were evacuated.  His calm courage and outstanding leadership saved the lives of many of his men and greatly inspired all who witnessed his deeds.  His gallant actions reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.  Entered the Service from Woodbury, New Jersey.

Fred L. Walker
FRED L. WALKER
Major General
U.S. Army Commanding

______________________________

His award of the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Silver Star.

HEADQUARTERS 36TH INFANTRY DIVISION
APO #36, U. S. ARMY

AG 200.6                                                                                         25 July 1944

SUBJECT  :  Award of Oak leaf Cluster

TO           :  First lieutenant ALBERT J. FROST, 01307533,
143d Infantry Regiment,
APO #36, U. S. Army

Pursuant to authority contained in Army Regulations 600-45, you are awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a second Silver Star for gallantry in action.

C I T A T I O N

      ALBERT J. FROST, 01307533, First Lieutenant, 143d Infantry Regiment, for gallantry in action on 1 June 1944 in Italy.  Lieutenant Frost, leader of the weapons platoon of company C, was instructed to support the 3d Platoon, in an attack against strongly fortified enemy positions.  The heavily wooded terrain afforded poor observation, and Lieutenant Frost determined to move forward and lay a wire line for a sound power phone in order to direct mortar fire on the hostile emplacements.  He advanced under intense artillery, mortar and small arms fire until he reached the 3d Platoon positions.  When he was told that the platoon leader had been wounded and evacuated, he immediately assumed command and led the men forward through barbed wire entanglements, pressing on against stubborn enemy resistance.  When the platoon was ordered to retire under the intense hostile fire, Lieutenant Frost, although wounded by a hurtling shell fragment, directed an orderly withdrawal, then reorganized the platoon and held the new positions until the unit was relieved.  His gallant actions reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.  Entered the Service from Woodbury, New Jersey.

JOHN E. DAHLQUIST
Major General, U. S. Army
Commanding

______________________________

A letter to Mrs. Frost from Chaplain Arbuthnot, concerning Lt. Frost’s death.

Office of the Chaplain
143rd Infantry A.P.O. 36
c/o Postmaster, New York, N.Y.

17 January 1945

Re:  1st Lt. Albert G. Frost, 0-1307533

Mrs. Anna Frost
555 Lincoln Street,
Woodbury, New Jersey.

Dear Mrs. Frost:

As Chaplain of the unit in which your son served so well I want to tell you briefly the circumstances of his death.  I realize I cannot even attempt to allay your sorrow but as spiritual advisor to the men, Albert was one of “my boys” and his friends and I share your loss.

In the stress of war one is not permitted to tell very much.  His burial place cannot even be divulged at this time though you may write to The Quartermaster General, ASF, Washington, D.C. and receive its location later.  Here is an extract from the official narrative, the only approved information:  1st Lt. Frost was the Commanding Officer of Company “A”.  On 14 December 1944, the company was holding an Alsatian town against increasing enemy opposition. Lt. Frost started to leave the Company Command Post when a burst of enemy machine gun fire hit him.  Lt. Frost was killed instantly.

After Albert’s death he was interred with the rites of his religion by a Hebrew Chaplain.  We all stand humbly with heads bowed before this soldierly example of the supreme sacrifice for a cause that must and will survive.  To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.

Our Father who giveth life and returneth it unto Himself, has been faithful and present to Albert; and I hope that your courage, though tested, may be deepened and strengthened with the assurance of the resurrection of all faithful souls.

Sincerely yours,
Charles W. Arbuthnot, Jr.
CHARLES W. ARBUTHNOT, JR.
Chaplain, 143rd Infantry.

______________________________

Lt. Frost’s Purple Heart Citation.

______________________________

The reason for the absence of Lt. Frost’s name from records of Jewish WW II military casualties became clear after searching Ancestry.com.  Lt. Frost’s “National Jewish Welfare Board – Bureau of War Records” index card, on which was recorded information which would – in theory – have been the basis for his record in 1947’s American Jews in World War Two, had been stamped “NO PUBLICITY”. 

He was to remain anonymous.  Thus, his name would not appear in that book.

Lt. Frost’s very brief – almost enigmatic – obituary appeared in The Jewish Exponent, on September 24, 1948.

The Jewish Exponent
September 24, 1948

Lt. Albert G. Frost

Services for First Lieutenant Albert G. Frost were held Sunday at Asher-Berschler’s, 1927 N. Broad St.  Internment was at Mr. Sharon Cemetery.  He was killed in France on December 14, 1944.  His Parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Frost, of 333 Lincoln St., Woodbury, N.J., survive.

______________________________

Gendler, William, PFC, 32544532, Purple Heart (Germany, Nordrhein-Westfalen)
United States Army, 78th Infantry Division, 309th Infantry Regiment, E Company
Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Dora F. Gendler (parents), 17870 Montgomery Ave., New York, N.Y.
Born Bronx, N.Y., 1913
Place of burial unknown Casualty List 2/20/45
American Jews in World War II – 319

Goldstein, Charles J., PFC, 36840619, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart
United States Army, 2nd Infantry Division, 9th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Max Goldstein (father), 4905 North Kimball Ave., Chicago, Il.
(Also Bronx, N.Y.?)
Kinishiner Cemetery, Forest Park, Il.
American Jews in World War II – 101

Greenblatt, Harry, Pvt., 42126718, Purple Heart (Germany)
United States Army, 95th Infantry Division, 377th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Julianna Greenblatt (wife), 402 Williams Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born 1916
Place of burial unknown
War Department Release 2/12/45
Casualty Lists 1/26/45, 2/13/45
American Jews in World War II – 335;

Handel, Asher Arnold, PFC, 12221153, Purple Heart (Germany, Nordrhein-Westfalen)
United States Army, 78th Infantry Division, 310th Infantry Regiment, C Company
Mr. and Mrs. Sol Z. and Etta Handel (parents), 136 Wallace Ave., Mount Vernon, N.Y.
Born Mount Vernon, N.Y., 1926
Place of burial unknown
Casualty List 2/27/45
American Jews in World War II – 340

Katsev, Bentsel, Pvt. (Saldus, Latvia)
16th Lithuanian Rifle Division, 167th Infantry Brigade
Born 1915
Mr. Israel Katsev (father), Pvt. Moshe Katsev (brother)
Place of burial unknown
Road to Victory – 285

Kaufman, Henry L., S/Sgt., 32296100, Purple Heart
United States Army, 77th Infantry Division, 305th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Bessie Kaufman (relationship unknown), 942 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y.
David M. Gottlieb (brother in law)
Born 1914
Mount Judah Cemetery, Cypress Hills, N.Y. – Section 2, Block 2, Grave 068, Path R07, Chaim Berlin Society – Buried 5/1/49
Casualty List 3/31/45
American Jews in World War II – 359

Krevsky, Herman J., Pvt., 12206509, Purple Heart
United States Army, 87th Infantry Division, 346th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Rose Z. Krevsky (mother), 223 3rd St., Elizabeth, N.J.
Born 1925
Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France – Plot K, Row 12, Grave 5
Casualty List 2/15/45
American Jews in World War II – 243

Kushner, Ruben, Pvt., 32631835, Purple Heart
United States Army, 778th Tank Battalion, Headquarters Company
Mrs. Fannie Kushner (mother), 14-12 Charlotte St., New York, N.Y.
Born 1922
Beth David Cemetery, Elmont, N.Y. – Section A, Block 6, Chev. Bain Abraham A. Treistiner Society – Buried 9/12/48
Casualty List 2/13/45
American Jews in World War II – 370

Libkovitz, Benyamin, Pvt. (Jaunberze, Latvia)
16th Lithuanian Rifle Division, 249th Infantry Brigade
Born 1912
Mr. Tuvia Libkovitz (father)
Place of burial unknown
Road to Victory – 296

Rappaport, Manley Samuel, PFC, 12227002, Purple Heart (France, Petit Rederching)
United States Army, 87th Infantry Division, 347th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Sadie Rappaport (mother), 90-34 214th St., Queens Village, N.Y.
Born 1/6/26 or 4/8/25
Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Glendale, N.Y. – Block PK, Section 27, Plot 25, Line Rear, Grave 3, West End Society
Casualty List 2/20/45
New York Times Memorial Section 12/14/45, 12/14/46
New York Times Obituary section 1/6/49
American Jews in World War II – 410

Reingold, Frank, PFC, 12206588, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart
United States Army, 87th Infantry Division, 347th Infantry Regiment, K Company
Mr. and Mrs. Irving and Anna Reingold (parents), 289 Weequahic Ave., Newark, N.J.
Born 1/5/26
King Solomon Memorial Park, Clifton, N.J.
Casualty List 2/17/45
American Jews in World War II – 249

Saltzman, Max (Mordekhai bar Moredekhai), S/Sgt., 33338623, Purple Heart (Germany)
United States Army, 83rd Infantry Division, 329th Infantry Regiment
Mrs. Rosa (Stutman) Saltzman (wife), Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Dora Saltzman (mother) [5/25/86-2/2/76], 5929 York Road, Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Odessa, Russia, 3/10/18
Montefiore Cemetery, Jenkintown, Pa. – Section I, Lot 464-A, Grave 1; Buried 4/15/48
Philadelphia Inquirer 4/14/48
American Jews in World War II – 548

Shamitz, Joseph, Cpl., 35711928, Purple Heart
United States Army, 87th Infantry Division, 347th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Herman Shamitz (father), 200 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y.
Lt. Milton Shamitz (brother), Mrs. Lothar Davids (sister), Great Neck, N.Y.
Born 1/2/22
Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.
Philadelphia Inquirer 3/3/45, 3/12/45
Philadelphia Record 3/21/45
New York Times Memorial Section 12/14/46
American Jews in World War II – 439

______________________________

Civilians (Killed during German V-2 ballistic missile strike on Brownlow Road, London)

Members of the Belasco family – mother and two daughters – at 139 Brownlow Road, Southgate, England.  All listed in Metropolitan Borough of Southgate, Section of the Civilian War Dead Register

Belasco, Estelle Esther
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Sarah (Harris) Belasco (parents), Marion Belasco (sister)
Born 1924

Belasco, Marion
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Sarah (Harris) Belasco (parents), Estelle Esther Belasco (sister)
Born 1932

Belasco, Sarah (Harris)
Mr. Samuel Belasco (husband); Estelle Esther and Marion (daughters); Mr. and Mrs. Henry and Matilda Harris (parents)
Born 1899

This image shows a 2016 Google (…what else but Google…?) Street View of Brownlow Road, with a view of houses along the Road’s “130” section.

The location of Brownlow Road relative to central London, with Google Maps’ ubiquitous red pointer designating 139 Brownlow Road.

______________________________

Killed (non-battle)

Cohn (Cohen?), Herbert Shelton, Ensign, Fighter Pilot (Died of injuries in training in United States)
United States Navy, VF-98 (Fighter Squadron 98)
Mr. Morris Cohen (father), 7444 Georgia Ave., Northwest, Washington, D.C.
Born 1923
Aircraft: F4U-1D Corsair, Bureau Number 82239
From War Diary of “Comwest Seafron 251” at Fold3.com: “Crashed on final approach 500 yards west of Ventura County Airport.  The pilot, Ens. Herbert S. Cohn, was severely injured.  The plane was a complete loss.”
Place of Burial unknown
Aviation Archeology Database of United States Navy F4U Corsair Accident Reports
American Jews in World War II – 76

Prisoners of War (Europe)

Gelb, Emanuel S., Sgt., 32172295
United States Army, 36th Infantry Division, 143rd Infantry Regiment, A Company
POW at Stalag 13C (Hammelburg Main)
Mr. Isaac Gelb (father), 909 Beck St., Bronx, N.Y.
Born 1914
Casualty Lists 4/24/45, 6/7/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Gordon, Gerald Stanford, PFC, 16146591, Medical Corps, Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart
United States Army, 36th Infantry Division, 143rd Infantry Regiment, Medical Detachment
POW at Stalag 7A (Moosburg)
Mrs. Lillian Ruth (Rosen) Gordon (wife), 515 Noyes St., Saint Joseph, Mo.
Mr. Harold Gordon (father), 306 Victorian Court, Saint Joseph, Mo.
Cpl. Mark Gordon (brother), Elkhart, In.
Jewish Post (Indianapolis) 10/19/45, 11/16/45
American Jews in World War II – 211

Raiken, Nathan I., Pvt., 13129798 (Captured in France)
United States Army
POW at Stalag 7A (Moosburg)
Mrs. Frances Raiken (wife), Sherrie Ellen Raiken (daughter), 1929 S. 7th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Ethel Raiken (mother), 1713 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 8/11/22
Philadelphia Inquirer 6/12/45
Philadelphia Record 4/26/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Prisoners of War (Asia)

Levine, Joseph, 1 Lt., 0-811683, Bombardier, Bronze Star Medal
United States Army Air Force, 20th Air Force, 40th Bomb Group, 25th Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Lillian Levine (wife), 2065 Dean St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Prisoner of War, “Burma #5” (Moulmein & Rangoon Jail)
MACR 10378, B-29 42-24457; “Battlin’ Beauty”; Pilot: Capt. Cornelius C. Meyer; 12 crewmen – all survived
40th Bomb Group Memories: Mission of December 14, 1944, by Norman Larsen
25th Bomb Squadron, 40th Bomb Group Crew List
40th Bomb Group Prisoners of War: 1944-1945
American Jews in World War II – 377

“Battlin’ Beauty“, from the 40th Bomb Group website.

The nose art of “Battlin’ Beauty”, from the 40th Bomb Group website.

This is Joseph Levine’s postwar Casualty Questionnaire concerning the December 14, 1944, loss of Battlin’ Beauty, and three other 40th Bomb Group B-29s (42-24574, 42-93831, and 42-24726) during the Group’s mission to Rangoon. 

Paul, Chester E., 1 Lt., 0-807505, Co-Pilot, Air Medal, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 20th Air Force, 40th Bomb Group, 45th Bomb Squadron
Prisoner of War, “Burma #5” (Moulmein & Rangoon Jail)
Mrs. Shirley (Bagley) Paul (wife), 130-33 226th St., Laurelton, N.Y.
Mr. Henry Paul (father), 130-65 225th St., Laurelton, N.Y.
MACR 10377, B-29A 42-93831; “Queenie”; Pilot: 1 Lt. Wayne W. Treimer; 11 crewmen – 6 survivors
40th Bomb Group Memories: Mission of December 14, 1944, by Norman Larsen
25th Bomb Squadron, 40th Bomb Group Crew List
40th Bomb Group Prisoners of War: 1944-1945
Brooklyn Eagle 8/15/45
Long Island Daily Press 7/28/43, 8/17/43, 7/25/44
The Aluminum Trail – 316
American Jews in World War II – 403

“Queenie“, from the 40th Bomb Group website.

The nose art of “Queenie“, from the 40th Bomb Group website.

In 1945, Co-Pilot Norman Larsen wrote this remarkable account covering the loss of Queenie, and the fate of his fellow crewmen.  In April of 1990, Issue # 32 of the 40th Bomb Group Memories published the “other half” of Mr. Larsen’s story:  His account of his experiences as a POW of the Japanese, particularly including his sentence of “execution” by the Japanese.

Wounded

Gottlieb, Gerald Jerome, Pvt., Purple Heart (Germany)
United States Army
Born 1925
Mr. Harry Gottlieb (father), 72-72 112th St., Forest Hills, N.Y.
Long Island Star Journal 3/9/45
American Jews in World War II – 332

______________________________

Kozower, Sanford U., PFC, Medical Corps, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart (Europe)
United States Army
Wounded while administering first aid amidst enemy small arms and mortar fire
Mr. Abraham Kozower (father), 25-40 31st Ave., Long Island City, N.Y.
Born 1925
Pre-Medical Student at Temple University
Casualty List 4/19/45
Long Island Star Journal 2/4/39, 4/12/45, 4/18/45
American Jews in World War II – 367

From the Long Island Star Journal, April 12, 1945…

Private Kozower, 20-year-old medical corpsman of the 7th Army, was cited for the calm and efficient manner in which he administered first aid to members of his armored infantry unit during an advance in the face of enemy mortar and small arms fire on Dec. 14.

“His courage and devotion to duty were of substantial aid in the expeditious evacuation of wounded personnel,” according to the citation accompanying the award.”

Overseas since last October, Private Kozower was a pre-medical student at Temple University, Philadelphia, prior to his induction in August, 1943.

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Kozower, he is a graduate of Public School 5, Astoria, and Stuyvesant High School, Manhattan.

______________________________

Steinberg, Hyman, Pvt., Purple Heart (Europe)
United States Army
Mrs. Yetta Steinberg (wife), 300 North Fulton Ave., Baltimore, Md.
Mr. Samuel Steinberg (father), 2012 Linden Ave., Baltimore, Md.
Baltimore Jewish Times 3/23/45
American Jews in World War II – 145

Acknowledgements

     I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Susan Frost, and, Steven and Linda Korsin, for sharing documents concerning Lieutenant Albert Frost.  Without their help, Lt. Frost’s story and courage would have remained untold.

References

The Forward (at National Library of Israel)

Historical Jewish Press at the National Library of Israel (at National Library of Israel)

V-Weapon Attacks on Enfield (at Terror From the Sky)

40th Bomb Group History and Memorabilia (at 40th BombGroup.org)

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

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

Morris, Henry, Edited by Hilary Halter, We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945 – An Addendum, AJEX, United Kingdom, London, 1994

Quinn, Chick Marrs, The Aluminum Trail – China-Burma-India World War II 1942-1945 – How and Where They Died, Chick Marrs Quinn, 1989 (Privately Printed)

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Lieutenant (JG) Eugene V. Erskine – May 19, 1945

Navy Lieutenant (JG) Eugene V. Erskine was the co-pilot of PB4Y-1 Liberator of Patrol Squadron VP-104, commanded by Lieutenant Richard S. Jameson, which was lost in the Pacific Theater – specifically, during a patrol mission to the South China Sea – on May 19, 1945.  Though his obituary – below – appeared in the Times on July 20, his name never appeared in Casualty Lists published in either June or July. 

Navy Bomber Pilot Killed In the Pacific on May 19

The image below shows Eugene Erskine as a student at Johns Hopkins University.

Lieut. (j.g.) Eugene V. Erskine of the Navy, a pilot with Bombing Squadron 104, was killed in action in the Pacific theatre on May 19, the Navy Department has informed his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Max Erskine, of 2173 East Twenty-Third Street, Brooklyn.  He was 24 years old and a native of New York.

He held a B.A. degree from Johns Hopkins University.  He enlisted on July 4, 1942, and received his wings in 1943.  His father is a dress manufacturer.  Besides his parents, he leaves a brother, Sgt. Robert Erskine, now with the Ninth Army in Germany.

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The document below (from Fold3.com), from VP-104’s War Diary for May of 1945, covers – in a brief paragraph – the loss of Lt. Jameson’s PB4Y.  There is no specific information about the cause of the plane’s loss, albeit it was not attributable to combat. 

The crew (their towns and cities of residence taken from the 1946 book Combat Connected Naval Casualties, World War II, by States. 1946. U. S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard) consisted of the following:

Lieut. Richard Scott Jameson – Boston, Massachusetts
Lieut. (JG) Eugene V. Erskine – New York
Ens. David Winton Lanquist – Duluth, Minnesota
AMM3C James Walter Garrison – Ravenna, Texas
AOM3C Charles Jay Arnett – Sioux City, Iowa
ARM3C Roger Henry Skews – Waukgean, Illinois
ARM2C William Hamilton Ridge – Bloomington, Indiana (also Florida?)
ARM3C Donald Grover Fanelli – Atco, New Jersey
AMM3C Willard Sydenham Dodsworth – Franklin, Il.
AMM2C George Thomas Schoenwalder, Jr. – Johnstown, Pa.
AMM3C Louis Franklin Morris – Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The names of the crew are commemorated at the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery, in the Philippines.

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The two maps below, generated from (ahh, where else?!…) Oogle maps, show the position where PB4Y-1 38890 was lost: The South China Sea, approximately 100 miles east-southeast of Pratas Island.

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The image below is a larger-scale map of the above area, showing the position of the Liberator’s loss relative to uninhabited Pratas Island.  There is little to show except for water – and – more water.

Some other Jewish military casualties on Saturday, May 19, 1945, include…

Killed in Action
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Beitch, Morris, Pvt., 37647567, Purple Heart (Killed at Okinawa)
United States Army, 77th Infantry Division, 307th Infantry Regiment
St. Louis, Mo.
Chesed Shel Emeth Jewish Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo.
American Jews in World War II – 207

Kalish, Norbert, 2 Lt., 0-41915, Purple Heart (Killed at Okinawa)
United States Marine Corps, 6th Marine Division, 22nd Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion, B Company
Mr. Julius Kalish (father), 301 West 15th St., Linden, N.J.
Born 11/5/22
Casualty List 5/13/45
Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Iselin, N.J.
American Jews in World War II – 240

Stein, Robert, HA 1C (Hospital Apprentice), 9071256, Purple Heart (Killed at Okinawa)
United States Navy
Mr. Hyman Stein (father), 6413 Bay Parkway / 325 East 21st St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
1926
Casualty List 7/10/45
Cemetery Location Unknown
American Jews in World War II – 454

Died Non-Battle

Silverstein, Marvin M., Pvt., 32982076
United States Army Air Force, 1562nd Army Air Force Base Unit
Mrs. Belle E. Silverstein (mother), 1460 Grand Concourse, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born 1926
MACR Name index – No number on Index Card

Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines – Plot A, Row 9, Grave 105
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Prisoner of War

Zack, Milton E., 2 Lt., 0-707368, Navigator-Bombardier
United States Army Air Force, 11th Air Force, 28th Bomb Group, 77th Bomb Squadron
Hakodate POW Camp (Babai Machi), Hokkaido, Japan
Mrs. Pearl Zack (wife), 50 Harlem St., Dorchester, Ma.
Born 8/21/20; Died 12/13/06
MACR 14472; Aircraft: B-25J 43-36140, Pilot – 2 Lt. Raymond B. Lewis, 6 crewmen – 3 survivors
Casualty List 6/29/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Milton Zack’s moving story – of his training as an Aviation Cadet, service as a Navigator / Bombardier, being shot down, survival as a POW of the Japanese, liberation, and eventually his postwar life – is available under the appropriate title “Milt’s Military Memoirs“.

Milton’s B-25, piloted by 2 Lt. Raymond B. Lewis, was one of three B-25J Mitchell bombers of the 77th Bomb Squadron of the 11th Air Force’s 28th Bomb Group, which were lost during a mission to Cape Minami on Shimushu Island (the second northernmost island of the Kuril Islands) on May 19, 1945.

The other two aircraft were B-25J 43-36152 (MACR 14471), piloted by 1 Lt. John F. Mitchell, from which there were no survivors, and 43-36134 (MACR 14473), piloted by 2 Lt. Harold V. Beever, which landed at Petropavlovsk, Russia, with the plane’s crew of six surviving uninjured. 

Though Lt. Lewis’ entire crew survived the plane’s crash-landing and were captured, only Lieutenant Zack, flight engineer Cpl. Robert L. Trant, and aerial gunner Cpl. Walter Bradley survived the war.  As reported by the Japanese (?…), Lt. Lewis, co-pilot F/O Edward N.F. Burrows, and radio operator Cpl. William E. Bradley lost their lives when the ship on which they were being transported to mainland Japan (the “Tenryo Maru”) was torpedoed and sunk on May 29, 1945.   

The image below shows Milton in the bombardier’s compartment of a B-25 Mitchell during training in the United States. 

The image below, at the website of the Center for Research: Allied POWs Under the Japanese (created by the late Roger Mansell) shows Milton and his fellow crewmen in happier times. 

Front row:  Lt. Zack, Lt. Lewis, and F/O Burrows. 
Rear row: Corporals Bailey, Trant, and Bradley

Lt. Lewis and F/O Burrows are also seen in this photo.

Paralleling Milton’s story, Walter Bailey’s account of his military (and postwar) experiences – transcribed from audiotape – is also available at the Center for Research: Allied POWs Under the Japanese website, under the appropriate title Walter Bailey: B-25 Crewman – Zack crewman.  Walter’s story is very detailed, profoundly moving, and quite explicit about the physical and emotional nature of capture by – and captivity under – the Japanese in the Second World war.

A summary of the story of B-25J 43-36140 and her crew is also available at Pacific Wrecks.

And, another Incident:
Safely parachuting after a bombing mission to Japan…

Polansky, Harry H., 1 Lt., 0-686687, USAAF, Bombardier-Navigator, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart
20th Air Force, 40th Bomb Group, 45th Bomb Squadron
Parachuted with crew over Iwo Jima, after mission to Hamamatsu
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Bessie Polansky (parents), 1203 North Fulton Ave., Baltimore, Md.
Born 1921
B-29 # 271, Pilot – Major Donald M. Roberts, 12 crewmen – all survived (No MACR Index Card) (See 45th Bomb Squadron History, and, 40th Bomb Group Memories)
American Jews in World War II – 143

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

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Sergeant Michael E. (“Mickey”) Drucker – May 7, 1944

On June 23, 1944, the Times published a Casualty List encompassing the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, comprising the name of 3,073 soldiers “Missing  in Action” in the Asian, European, Mediterranean, and Southwest Pacific Theaters of War, as well as an extensive list of men reported as prisoners of war in Germany.  Of the Missing, the overwhelming majority were reported from the European and Mediterranean Theaters of War, with only seven soldiers – airmen, specifically – reported from the Southwest Pacific.

Missing in the Southwest Pacific was Sergeant Michael E. Drucker.  An aerial gunner in the 64th Bomb Squadron of the 43rd Bomb Group (5th Air Force), his B-24D Liberator (42-40525, “Toughy“), piloted by 1 Lt. John E. Terpning, vanished during a mission from Nadzab, to Sarmi.  On March 5, 1946, almost two years later, with no further information forthcoming, Sgt. Drucker’s obituary – transcribed below – was published in the Times. 

Now Listed as Killed In New Guinea Mission

Sgt. Michel [sic] (Mickey) Drucker of the Army Air Forces, who was reported missing in action on May 7, 1944, while on a bombing mission from Nadzab, New Guinea, is now presumed to be dead, the War Department has informed his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Marcy Drucker of 359 Fort Washington Avenue.  Sergeant Drucker did radar and radio work on a B-24 Liberator bomber.

Born in New York on Jan. 27, 1922, Sergeant Drucker was graduated from Haaren High School, where he was a member of the swimming team, and then attended New York University.  Later he was associated with a wholesale hardware concern, the Guarantee Speciality Company, 60 Lispenard Street, in which his father is a partner.  He enlisted on Aug. 15, 1942.

Besides his parents, he leaves a sister, Miss Eveline Drucker of New York.

____________________

Here are three pages of the Missing Air Crew Report (#5664) for Toughy and her crew. 

____________________

Toughy was originally assigned to the 529th Bomb Squadron of the 380th Bomb Group.  The image below, from the 380th Bomb Group wesbite, gives a nice impression of her nose art, which consists of a simple nickname.  By the time the aircraft has been transferred to the 43rd Bomb Group, the bombardier’s nose “greenhouse” had been replaced with a field-installed A-6 tail turret, giving the aircraft better protection against head-on fighter attack.

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Nineteen years after they went missing, the remains of Toughy and her crew were discovered in mountainous terrain five miles northeast of Nadzab. 

The remains of the crew were interred at Arlington National Cemetery, in a group burial, on October 18, 1974.  (Section 30, Grave 486)  In April of 2013, after further investigation of the crash site, the remains of S/Sgt. Raymond E. Thompson (whose name also appears on the monument) were buried at Olney Cemetery in Pendleton, Oregon.  

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The image below is a contemporary (2017) Google Street view of the wartime residence of the Drucker family, at 359 Fort Washington Ave., in the (I assume…?!) Washington Heights section of New York. 

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Some other Jewish military casualties on Sunday, May 7, 1944, include…

Killed in Action
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Friedland, Max, Lt., 96919V, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner (At Maleme Airdrome, Crete)
South African Air Force, No. 24 Squadron
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac and Sarah Friedland (parents), 9 Alexandra Ave., Oranjezicht, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Born 1917
Aircraft: Martin Marauder II; Serial number: FB508 (“T” – “HonkyTonk”); Pilot – Lt. Deryk Broosbank; 6 crew – no survivors
Buried at Suda Bay War Cemetery, Crete, Greece – Collective Grave 13,B,12-15
http://aviationarchaeology.gr/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Martin-B26-Marauder-losses-in-Greece-1943-1945.pdf
Eagles Victorious – 189
85 Years of South African Air Force – 292, 416
South African Jewish Times 9/7/45

Klippel, John Owen, F/O, 412149, Navigator
Royal Australian Air Force, No. 31 O.T.U. Unit, Debert / Headquarters, Ferry Command, Royal Air Force / Number 45 Atlantic Transport Group
Mr. and Mrs. Alec and Haidee Klippel (parents), Eridge Park Road, Bowral, New South Wales, Australia
Born Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia; 11/28/21
Mosquito XX, KB220, Pilot – F/Lt. George H. Wood; Aircraft lost during severe icing conditions on ferry flight between BW1 airfield, Greenland, and United Kingdom, via Iceland
Commemorated at Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England – Panel 257
World War II Crash Sites in Iceland
Aviation Safety Network
The Jewish Chronicle 5/26/44

Silverman, George S., 2 Lt., 0-688116, Navigator, Air Medal, Purple Heart, 18 Missions
United States Army Air Force, 5th Air Force, 43rd Bomb Group, 64th Bomb Squadron (also in the Toughy crew)
Miss Florence Langbaum (fiancé), 70-39 Kessel St., Forest Hills, N.Y
Mrs. Lena Silverman (mother), 111-14 76th Ave., Forest Hills, N.Y.
Mr. Harry N. Below (brother in law), 111-32 76th Ave., Forest Hills, L.I., N.Y.
Born 3/19/19; Last letter to fiancé written 5/6/44
Casualty List 6/23/44
Long Island Daily Press 6/22/44
American Jews in World War Two – 444

Aviator – Prisoner of War

Barron, Israel Manuel, 2 Lt., 0-684468, Co-Pilot, Air Medal, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, 13 Missions
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 801st Bomb Group, 406th Bomb Squadron
(Also wounded 8/9/43)
Stalag Luft III (Sagan), Stalag VIIA (Moosburg)
Mrs. Eleanor J. Barron (wife), 160 University Road, Brookline, Ma. / 146 River Road, Winthrop, Ma.
Born Roxbury, Ma., 2/19/20
MACR 4603, B-24D 42-40530, Pilot – 1 Lt. George Pipkin, 8 Crewmen – 7 survivors
Aircraft shot down by Feldwebel Hugo Fütscher (Fintscher?) of 12 / NJG (Nachtjagdgeschwader) 3
Casualty List (Liberated POW) 6/4/45
American Jews in World War Two – 150

The photograph and other images below are part of the Israel Manuel Barron collection at the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.  The digitized items include Israel’s German POW information card, transcribed Missing Air Crew Report, and POW Diary (“A Wartime Log”).  Through the generosity of Mr. Barron and the foresight of the Veterans History Project, the documents are fully; openly available to the public, the pages on display “below” giving an impression of the nature of this material, which is as fascinating as it is moving. 

The Israel Barron collection also includes a video file of an interview with Mr. Barron, conducted on November 11, 2002. 

References

General

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.

B-24D 42-40525 “Toughy“

History of Aircraft (at website of 380th Bomb Group)

Loss and Postwar discovery of aircraft (at Pacific Wrecks website)

Burial of crew at Arlington National Cemetery (at ArlingtonCemetery.net)

Israel Manuel “Red” Barron and B-24D 42-40530

Collection at Veterans History Project (General Description)

Digital Collection

POW Diary – “A Wartime Log” (27 pages)

B-24D 42-40530 (Description of loss of aircraft and fate of crew – “Airwar Over Denmark” website)

Loss of 42-40530 also described at juhlerdenmark (Kim Juhler) website

Max Friedland

Brent, Winston, 85 Years of South African Air Force – 1920-2005, Freeworld Publications, Inc., Nelspruit, South Africa, 2005

Martin, Henry J., and Orpen, Neil, South African forces, World War II. Vol. 6, Eagles victorious : the operations of the South African forces over the Mediterranean and Europe, in Italy, the Balkans and the Aegean, and from Gibraltar and West Africa, Purnell, Cape Town, South Africa, 1977

Martin B-26 Marauder Losses in Greece, at Maritime Aviation Archeology

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Private Marc C. Dauber – November 18, 1944

The name of Private Marc C. Dauber, a resident of Brooklyn, appeared in The New York Times on February 4, 1945, in a list of soldiers killed in action in the European Theater of War.  His obituary – shown below – was published on September 26 of that year.

____________________

Second Highest Honor Awarded Him After Death

The nation’s second highest honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, was awarded posthumously yesterday to Pvt. Marc C. Dauber, 22 years old, a Brooklyn soldier who was killed in action in the Huertgen Forest at Hamich, Germany, after twice leaving “safe” Army assignments to get into front-line action.

At a ceremony at 90 Church Street, Col. John R. Reitmeyer, Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Defense Command, presented the award to the soldier’s father, Emanuel Dauber of 1574 Fifty-Sixth Street, Brooklyn.  Private Dauber was killed last November while serving with Company L of the Sixteenth Infantry Regiment, of the First Division.  Badly wounded in a German counter-attack, he defended his position until he was killed, shouting and throwing grenades, and drawing enemy fire away from the rest of his platoon.

He had left his engineer camouflage unit to stow away on a landing barge, for the D-Day landing.

Assigned to a desk job in Brittany, he again transferred himself to the infantry unit, and served so well that his commanding officer requested his official transfer.

Before entering the Army he was a senior at Brooklyn College.

____________________

The official citation for Private Dauber’s DSC award, available at Military Times Hall of Valor, states:

A member of 3rd Battalion, L Company, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, he was killed in action on November 18, 1944.  A recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the citation for his award states, “During action near Hamich, Germany, Private Dauber assumed command of his platoon when the platoon and squad leaders became casualties. He led a group of men into the town, silenced a German machine gun with a grenade, courageously advanced alone on a second machine gun nest and eliminated that position with rifle fire. He continued to lead his men until nightfall when the enemy counterattacked and surrounded his platoon. Although seriously wounded he defended his position with heroic determination against overwhelming odds until he was killed. Private Dauber’s inspirational leadership and supreme devotion to duty at the cost of his life, exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army.”

____________________

Born in Germany on October 24, 1922, Private Dauber is buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, in Grave 18, Row 6, Plot B.  A photograph of his tombstone, by WW II military history researcher Des Philippet, can be found at his biographical profile, at FindAGrave.com.

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A late-2016 Google view of the residence of Marc and his parents – Emanuel (a veteran of the German Army in WW I) and Pauline – in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, appears below.

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Some other Jewish military casualties on Saturday, November 18, 1944 include…

Killed in Action
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Egel, Ely, PFC, 37619938, Purple Heart
United States Army, 26th Infantry Division, 101st Infantry Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. Simone and Minnie Egel (parents), 956 Hamilton Ave., St. Louis, Mo.; Mr. Sam Goldblatt (best friend), St. Louis, Mo.
Place of burial unknown
Saint Louis Post Dispatch 3/5/45
American Jews in World War II – 209

Ellman, Alan H., Pvt., 32978581, Purple Heart
United States Army, 95th Infantry Division, 377th Infantry Regiment
Dr. Isadore William Ellman (father), 701 Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born 1924
Place of burial unknown
American Jews in World War II – 302

Emmer, Raymond Philip, Pvt., 37618928, Purple Heart
United States Army, 99th Infantry Division, 394th Infantry Regiment, F Company
Mr. and Mrs. Vivien Horace and Blanche (Nathan) Emmer (parents), 6304 Rosemary Drive, St. Louis, Mo.
Born Saint Louis, Mo., 4/6/25
American Jews in World War II – 209

Raymond P. Emmer and Carol Strauss, at Beverly Hills, California, in 1942.  (Photo c/o Robert Alyn)

Fried, Louis, Pvt., 35233154, Purple Heart, Casualty in France
United States Army, 95th Infantry Division, 379th Infantry Regiment
Mr. Samuel Fried (father), 139 Roslyn Drive, Youngstown, Oh.
Born 1923
Place of burial unknown
The Jewish Times (Youngstown, Ohio) 12/22/44
American Jews in World War II – 486

Kaufman, Arthur S., Pvt., 32525103
United States Army, 32nd Infantry Division, 32nd Signal Company
Mr. and Mrs. Meyer and Mollie Kaufman (parents); Irvin and Norman (brothers), 1735 Walton Ave., Bronx, N.Y.
Born 1921; City College of New York Class of 1942
Place of burial unknown
Casualty List 2/6/45
New York Times obituary page (Memorial Section) 11/17/46
American Jews in World War II – 47, 359

Schlamowitz, Milton, Pvt., 32803627, Purple Heart, Casualty in Germany
United States Army, 29th Infantry Division, 116th Infantry Regiment, B Company
Mrs. Jennie Schlamowitz (mother), Herbert (brother), 1234 Vyse Ave., New York, N.Y.
Born 1925
Place of burial unknown
Casualty List 3/6/45
American Jews in World War II – 431

Schor, William, PFC, 42056382, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Casualty in France
United States Army, 103rd Infantry Division, 411th Infantry Regiment, Anti-Tank Company
Died of Wounds 12/5/44
Mrs. Mina R. Schor (mother), 3640 (3650?) Rochambeau Ave., New York, N.Y.
Place of burial unknown
Casualty List 1/28/45
American Jews in World War II – 433

Sussman, Daniel, Pvt., 36727698
United States Army, 95th Infantry Division, 377th Infantry Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Bess (Kaiserman) Sussman (parents), Chicago, Il.; Mrs. Thelma Friedman (sister)
Westlawn Cemetery, Norridge, Chicago, Il. (Buried August, 1949)
Chicago Tribune 8/4/49
American Jews in World War II – 118

Wiesen, Fred R., PFC, 18151571, Purple Heart, Casualty in France
United States Army
Mr. and Mrs. Alex and Ruth Wiesen (parents), New York, N.Y. / Orleans Parrish, La.
Mrs. Estelle (Wiesen) Levine (sister), Harold and Lois (?); Lenore and Milton, Seasonwein; Gertrude and Arthur Holzsager; Naomi Hicks; Fred and Clara Penner; Carl, Julius, Charlotte, and Harold
Place of burial unknown (Buried 5/21/48)
New York Times Obituary page 5/20/48, 5/21/48, 5/22/48;
New York Times Obituary page Memorial section: 11/18/45, 11/24/26
American Jews in World War II – 472

Died of Wounds
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Captain Wallace Nathan Emmer, USAAF (brother of Raymond Philip Emmer), Capt., 0-730422
United States Army Air Force, 9th Air Force, 354th Fighter Group, 353rd Fighter Squadron
138 combat missions
Silver Star
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Service Cross,
Air Medal with 24 Oak Leaf Clusters
Purple Heart
Born Omaha, Nebraska, 11/18/17
Shot down by flak 8/9/44; Prisoner of war; Died 2/15/45 at Wetzlar / Lahn, Klosterwald, Germany, of a heart attack, from effects of severe burns received when his Mustang was shot down.
MACR 8149, P-51D 44-13948, No Luftgaukommando Report
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Unlike all other soldiers listed in this post, Captain Wallace N. Emmer was not a casualty on November 18, 1944.  Information about him is presented here because he was Private Raymond P. Emmer’s brother. 

Raymond and Wallace are among the numerous sets of brothers profiled in Helen Kantzler’s article “Double Gold Stars”, which was published in the Jewish Criterion (Pittsburgh) on September 20, 1946.  The Emmer brothers were buried alongside one another at New Mount Sinai Cemetery, in Saint Louis, Missouri, on April 21, 1948.  (Section Q, Lot 25)   For more information about Raymond and Wallace, visit their biographical profile (by Trip Alyn) at FindAGrave.com.

The image below, reproduced from a photographic print loaned to me by Robert Alyn, shows Wallace’s personal P-51D, “Arson’s Reward”.  Very (very, very!) close magnification of that photographic print showed that this aircraft’s serial number is 44-13400.      

According to the Aviation Archeology database, 44-13400 was wrecked in a landing accident Criqueville, France, on August 3, 1944, while being flown by Franklin Rose, Jr.  This was six days before Captain Emmer was shot down in P-51D 44-13948. 

Though low resolution, the image below, from the book History in the Sky: 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group, clearly shows the wreck of “Arson’s Reward”.  The picture shows the plane’s nickname on its forward cowling.  (Plus, a rather broken left wing.)

Notice that while the photo above shows the plane with 11 crosses denoting German planes shot down, the image below shows 16 crosses.  Based on the dates (in USAF Historical Study 85) of Emmer’s 13 full-credit and two half-credit aerial victories, this suggests that the above photograph was probably taken in very late June through mid-July of 1944.

Therefore, it seems that 44-13948 – the aircraft in which Wallace Emmer was shot down – was not “Arson’s Reward” and thus, not his “personal” Mustang.

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Since information about Captain Emmer abundantly exists in digital and print formats, the following two pictures are included here as representative images.

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This superb photograph shows Captain Emmer standing before a P-51B Mustang fighter, at the 354th Fighter Group’s base at Boxted, England.  Curiously, it is not an official USAAF photograph.  Instead, it was obtained through Britain’s Imperial War Museum, where it has been cataloged as image EA18248.  It may have been taken by Childs & Coxey Photographers, who apparently visited Boxted for a photo session early in 1944.

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This photograph, of Raymond and Wallace’s parents, Vivien Horace and Blanche (Nathan) Emmer, accompanied by Robert Alyn, was taken in Saint Louis on July 14, 1951.  They passed away within a day of one another in October, 1975.  (Image c/o Robert Alyn.) 

Wounded in Action

Burstein, Charles, 2 Lt., 0-1822586, Purple Heart
United States Army, 702nd Tank Destroyer Battalion
Mrs. Mary Burstein (mother), 1002 Keniston Ave., Los Angeles, Ca.
Casualty List 1/31/45
American Jews in World War II – 286

Friedenwald, Aaron, Capt., Silver Star, Purple Heart
United States Army, 29th Infantry Division
Miss Dorothy Lane (fiancée)
Dr. and Mrs. Edgar B. Friedenwald (parents), 1616 Linden Ave., Baltimore, Md.
Baltimore Sun 1/21/45, 1/26/45
Jewish Times (Baltimore) 2/2/45
American Jews in World War II – 138

Epstein, Herbert W., Pvt., 12225760, Purple Heart, Severely Wounded, France
United States Army,
Mr. Samuel S. Epstein (father), 229 Van Cortlandt Park Ave., Yonkers, N.Y.
Born 1925
Casualty List 1/31/45;
The Herald Statesman (Yonkers) 12/21/44
American Jews in World War II – 303

Prisoners of War

Feier, Joseph Arthur, Pvt., 42109607
84th Infantry Division, 334th Infantry Regiment
Stalag 2B (Hammerstein)
Mrs. Elsie Feier (mother), 153 Grove St., Passaic, N.J.
Casualty Lists 4/6/45, 6/13/45
American Jews in World War II – p. 232

Hanowitz, Stanley, Pvt., 33588225
84th Infantry Division, 334th Infantry Regiment
Stalag 2A (Neubrandenburg)
Mrs. Rosita Hanowitz (wife), 601 West 163rd St., New York, N.Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Albert and Frances Hanowitz (parents), 5058 F Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 4/26/24
The Jewish Exponent 4/13/45; The Philadelphia Inquirer 4/5/45, 6/10/45; The Philadelphia Record 1/23/45, 4/5/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Sackter, Arnold M., Pvt., 36864894
26th Infantry Division, 104th Infantry Regiment
Stalag 12A (Limburg an der Lahn)
Mr. Jacob Sackter (father), 3824 Humphrey St., Detroit, Mi. / 446 1/2 North Curson, Los Angeles, Ca.
Casualty Lists 5/4/45, 6/19/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

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References

Brown, Arthur F., History in the Sky: 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group, San Angelo, Tx., 1946

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.

The 16th Infantry: 1798 – 1946, Edited by Lieutenant John W. Baumgartner, 1st Sergeant Al De Poto, Sergeant William Fraccio, and Corporal Sammy Fuller

Brooklyn Eagle, February 23, 1946, “96 Jewish Vets Get State Service Cross” (p. 2)

New York Post, October 6, 1945, “Parents Seek Word of Son” (p. 11)

New York Post, October 10, 1945, “Seek Word of Missing Relatives” (p. 11)

Military Times Hall of Valor – DSC Award for Private Marc C. Dauber, at
http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=22028

USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II, Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center, Air University, Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1978 (Wallace N. Emmer, pp. 60-61)

Soldiers from New York: Jewish Soldiers in The New York Times, in World War Two: Second Lieutenant Arthur Chasen and Sergeant Alfred R. Friedlander – December 23, 1944

Sometimes, a coincidence is only apparent in retrospect.

On February 27 and March 6, 1945, the Times published obituaries for two members of the Army Air Force – Second Lieutenant Arthur M. Chasen, and Sergeant Alfred Robert Friedlander – respectively, who were both described as having been killed in action in Yugoslavia on December 23, 1944, during their second combat mission.  At the time, it might only have been realized by the most astute reader that Chasen and Friedlander were members of the same aircrew.  Both were lost – along with their seven fellow crewmen – in the same aircraft, on the same combat mission: A sortie to parachute two B.A.F. (Balkan Air Force) agents into the area of Banja Luka, Yugoslavia. 

Chasen and Friedlander were assigned to the 15th Air Force’s 885th Bomb Squadron, based at Brindisi, Italy, and were crew members of the B-24L Liberator 44-49336, “Lady Mary”, piloted by Second Lieutenant Arthur B. Legath.  As recorded in the Missing Air Crew Report (#10934) covering the plane’s loss, the aircraft, which departed at 1024, was contacted twice during the mission: once at 1202 hours, and later at 1545 hours.  Each message was acknowledged shortly after its receipt, with the plane’s last response being received by the 885th at 1549. 

No further communication was received from the aircraft. 

By the time the Missing Air Crew Report was compiled (on either the 28th or 30th of December) unofficial word was received that the aircraft had crashed on the Yugoslavian coast.  News about the crew’s loss presumably reached the United States not longer after.     

According to information compiled by Enrico Barbina at his superb The Solomon Crew website, the mission of December 23, 1944 was also the second combat flight for Lieutenant Legath.  The flight was the 13th combat mission of Lady Mary. 

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Lieutenant Chasen’s obituary was published in the Times on February 27, and in the Brooklyn Eagle on February 28, 1945.  His name appeared in a Casualty List on March 27.  He is presumably buried in a private cemetery in the United States. 

Brooklyn Flier Casualty on Yugoslav Mission

Lieut. Arthur M. Chasen, navigator in the crew of a bomber that was lost over Yugoslavia Dec. 23, was reported as killed in action on that date, in a telegram received by his parents from the War Department Thursday.  He lived at 727 East Third Street, Brooklyn.  It was his second mission from a base in Italy.

Prior to enlisting while a senior at St. John’s University in Brooklyn in 1942, Lieutenant Chasen had attended Erasmus Hall High School in that borough.  He was commissioned at San Marcos, Texas, in July, 1944.  In addition to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isidor Chasen, the young navigator is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Betty Lebowitz and Mrs. Gladys Hyman, both of Brooklyn.

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Sergeant Friedlander’s obituary was published in the Times on March 6, and appeared in a Casualty List on March 27, 1945.  His name also appeared in the “In Memoriam” section of the Times in October of 1945, and, in 1946 and 1947.   

Initially a member of the 721st Bomb Squadron of the 450th “Cottontails” Bomb Group, he was also mentioned in The Herald Statesman (Yonkers) on January 6, 1944.  He is buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, in Nettuno, Italy.  (Plot I, Row 3, Grave 69) 

Killed on Second Mission From Italy Bomber Base

Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Friedlander of 461 Riverdale Avenue, Yonkers, have received word from the War Department of the death of their son, Sgt. A. Robert Friedlander, radio-gunner in the crew of a B-24 bomber that was lost over Yugoslavia on Dec. 23.  Sergeant Friedlander, who was reported killed on that date, was on his second mission from a base in Italy.

He was in his second year at the University of Illinois when he enlisted as an aviation cadet in September, 1942.  He was a member of the Sons of the American Legion, Post 935.

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Here is a 2013 Google Street view of the wartime residence of the Friedlander family: 461 Riverdale Avenue, Yonkers. 

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Here are pages from Missing Air Crew Report 10934 for “Lady Mary”.  Although specific mention is made of the two B.A.F. agents, neither their names nor information about their fate are presented.

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Some other Jewish military casualties on Saturday, December 23, 1944 are listed below.  (The names of casualties for army ground forces on this date are presented in the post covering Private Alfred A. Berg)

Killed in Action
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –

Cummings, Benjamin B., F/O, T-005736, Bombardier, Purple Heart (Killed on his very first combat mission)
United States Army Air Force, 9th Air Force, 397th Bomb Group, 599th Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Dorit (“Little”) Cummings (wife); Benjamin Cummings, Jr. (son), 4400 Pacific Ave., Wildwood, N.J.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Celia Cummings (parents), Henry, Dr. Martin M., and Reuben M. Cummings (brothers), 301 West High St., Glassboro, N.J. / 11 Clementon Road, Camden, N.J.
Born at Blenheim, N.J., 1/16/24; Graduate of Glassboro State Teachers College
MACR 11897, B-26G 43-34159, “Hun Conscious II”, “6B * J”, Pilot – 1 Lt. Philip C. Dryden, 6 crew – 2 survivors
Buried at Crescent Burial Park, Pennsauken, N.J.
American Jews in World War II – 230 (See full biography at DVRBS.com)

 

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Korn, Abraham J., PFC, 12029144, Togglier, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force,  9th Air Force, 397th Bomb Group, 596th Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Nellie Korn (mother), 354 Fabyan Place, Newark, N.J.
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo. – Section 84, Grave 156-158; Buried 6/9/50
American Jews in World War II – 242

Lewis, Craig E., 1 Lt., 0-417548, Bombardier, Air Medal, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force,  9th Air Force, 397th Bomb Group, 596th Bomb Squadron
Mr. Benjamin F. Lewis (father), 5486 Blackstone Ave., Chicago, Il.
Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium – Plot C, Row 9, Grave 22
Casualty List 11/7/45
American Jews in World War II – 108

PFC Korn and Lt. Lewis were crewmen in B-26B Mauarder 42-96144, “Bank Nite Betty”, “X2 * C”, piloted by 1 Lt. Charles W. Estes.  (MACR #11483)  None of the plane’s seven crewmen survived the mission.

Excellent and highly evocative photographs of Bank Nite Betty and her crew can be found at the website of the American Air Museum in Britain.  As mentioned in the photo’s the caption, the plane received a direct flak hit and crashed northeast of Saint Vith.  As captioned at the website, the men are as follows:  “Crew: Pilot 1st Lt Charles W Estes (Mo.) [standing at far left], Co-pilot 1st Lt William D Collins (Ia.), Bomb 1st Lt Craig E Lewis (Il.), Eng S/Sgt James P Negri (N.Y.), Radio T/Sgt William E Epps (Ar.), Arm Sgt Bruno T Daszkiewicz (I.) X Gun Pfc Abraham J Korn (N.J.).”

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Mendelsohn, Jerome H., Sgt., 32538446, Radio Operator, Air Medal, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, 12 to 14 missions
United States Army Air Force, 9th Air Force, 394th Bomb Group, 584th Bomb Squadron
Mr. Irving Mendelsohn (father), 1432 Harrod Ave., New York, N.Y.
MACR 11402, B-26B 42-96061, “Heavens Above”, “K5 * P”, Pilot – 2 Lt. Fred E. Riegner, 6 crewmen – 2 survivors
Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France – Plot J, Row 50, Grave 19
Casualty List 12/7/45
American Jews in World War II – 391

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Sampson, William Gilbert (“Sonny”) (וועלוויל נעציל בן מענדיל – Velvel Getzel ben Mendil), Cpl., 36589011, Radio Operator, Air Medal, Purple Heart, 8 missions
United States Army Air Force, 9th Air Force, 391st Bomb Group, 574th Bomb Squadron
Mr. and Mrs. Max [2/22/00-12/13/51] and Debby (Levine) Sampson [1905-11/22/58] (parents), 11818 14th St., Detroit, Mi. [only child]
Born 12/2/24
MACR 11671, B-26B 42-95841, “Powerful Katrinka”, “4L * S”, Pilot – 2 Lt. Edward F. Donnelly, 6 crewmen – no survivors
Machpelah Cemetery, Ferndale, Mi. – Buried 1/2/49; Unveiling 6/12/49
Detroit Jewish Chronicle 12/31/48, 6/9/49
Jewish News (Detroit) 12/14/45, 12/31/48, 6/10/49, 6/14/49
American Jews in World War II – 430

This excellent in-flight image of Powerful Katrinka is from the website of the American Air Museum in Britain.

This image of Corporal Sampson appeared in the Jewish News (Detroit) on December 31, 1948. 

The following two images show the matzevot of Corporal Sampson, and, his father, Max, at the Machpelah Cemetery, in Ferndale, Michigan. The upper image was photographed in 2013 by FindAGrave contributor KChaffeeB., while the lower image was photographed in 2009 by FindAGrave contributor Denise.  I assume (?) that William Sampson’s mother, Debby, is also buried at Machpelah Cemetery.

The similarity of symbols on these two matzevot is more than coincidental.   

Apparently, William was an only child. 

Both of his parents passed away in the 1950s.  They were quite young, even by demographics of that decade:  His father Max was only fifty-one, and his mother Debby only fifty-three.

William’s matzevot bears a pair of wings, centered upon the symbol “9th AF”. 

Max’s mazevot also bears pair of wings, centered upon the symbol of a shield (representing the United States armed forces) surmounted by a resting dove.  

Alas, the Second World War did not “end” in 1945…

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Scherer, Norman S., 1 Lt., 0-887158, Navigator, Air Medal, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
United States Army Air Force, 9th Air Force, 397th Bomb Group, 598th Bomb Squadron
Mr. Arthur Scherer (father), Monument Square, Southampton, Long Island, N.Y.
Casualty List 4/12/45; Nassau Daily Review-Star 10/22/45
MACR 11549, B-26G 43-34221, “Lil’ Jan”, “U2 * L”,  Pilot – Capt. Donald H. Stangle, 8 crewmen – no survivors
Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – Plot C, Row 1, Grave 15
American Jews in World War II – 430

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Shweder, Howard, Cpl., 12219444, Tail Gunner, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 9th Air Force, 387th Bomb Group, 559th Bomb Squadron
Mr. Herman Shweder (father), 1957 74th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
MACR 11482, B-26B 42-95869, “The Front Burner II”, “TQ * F”, Pilot – 2 Lt. Matthew J. Pusateri, 7 crewmen – no survivors
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo. – Section 82, Grave 48; Buried 9/22/49
American Jews in World War II – 441

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Wolf, Edward, 2 Lt., 0-761272, Bombardier-Navigator
United States Army Air Force, 9th Air Force, 391st Bomb Group, 575th Bomb Squadron
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin and Tillie Wolf (parents); Abraham, Anna, and Ruth (brother and sisters), Chicago, Il.
Mrs. A.S. Wolf (sister in law), 412 South Wells St., Chicago, Il.
Born Connecticut, 1920
(Parents’ and sister’s name from 1940 Census – uncertain if this is correct!)
MACR 11670, B-26B 42-95844, “MISS Behavin”, “O8 * D”, Pilot – 2 Lt. William A. Kloepfer, 7 crewmen – 1 survivor
Place of burial – Unknown
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

This photograph of Miss Behavin is (also) from the American Air Museum in Britain website.  The identities of the men standing before the aircraft are unknown. 

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Schuster, Bernard, F/O, T-123627, Navigator, Air Medal, 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 9th Air Force, 9th Troop Carrier Group, 3rd Troop Carrier Squadron
Mrs. Lucille (Rothman) Schuster (wife), 2877 N. Grand Blvd. (or) 2821 Frederick Ave., Milwaukee, Wi.
Mr. Jacob Schuster (father), 2039 N. 9th St., Milwaukee, Wi.
University of Wisconsin Class of 1942
MACR 11025, C-47A 43-48056, Pilot – 1 Lt. Hildren Tyson, 6 crewmen – no survivors
Agudas Achim Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wi. – SB,L3,G3
American Jews in World War II – 586

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Spear, James Dreyfuss, F/O, T-223175, Pilot (Reconnaissance), Air Medal, 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 25th Bomb Group, 654th Bomb Squadron
Mrs. Marjorie D. (Stern) Spear (wife), Adrian Apartments, 601 Kirtland St., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander and Lillian (Newman) Dreyfuss (parents), 6306 Beacon St., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Born Cleveland, Oh., 6/7/17
Enlisted in RCAF 9/25/41, with service number R131216; Enlisted in US forces 6/28/44
No MACR, aircraft was Mosquito XVI, NS638; Navigator was 2 Lt. Carroll B. Bryan, of Sevier County, Tennessee – also killed;  Aircraft crashed 2 miles west of Dursley, Gloucestershire, England, on test flight. 
West View Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Jewish Criterion (Pittsburgh) 9/7/45 (Name only – no other information)
American Jews in World War II – 554

Wounded in Action

Haas, Alvin Hugo 2 Lt., 0-744129, Navigator, Air Medal, 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart, 56 missions
United States Army Air Force, 5th Air Force, 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron
Wounded by bomb fragments during Japanese air raid
On 10/26/44, he was a crew member of an OA-10A seaplane that crash-landed in the open sea 30 minutes north by northwest of Morotai at 1920 hours.  He was rescued (along with co-pilot 2 Lt. Richard F. Finn) by a PT boat at 2345 hours; aircraft 44-33877; Pilot – 1 Lt. Fredric F. Hoss, Jr.; 8 crewmen – 6 fatalities
Mr. and Mrs. Hugo (“Hugh”) and Minnie Haas (parents), 28-35 34th St., Astoria, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 10/7/22; Died September 21, 2009
Long Island Star Journal 3/14/45, 3/20/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

This image of Lt. Haas is from Jim Bob Teegarden’s excellent PBY Rescue website, which covers the history of the Second Emergency Rescue Squadron.

____________________

Prisoners of War

Lander, Marvin B., 1 Lt., 0-825204, Pilot (Bomber)
United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 94th Bomb Group, 331st Bomb Squadron
Mr. Philip Lander (father), 170 Sherman Ave., Teaneck, N.J.
Born 11/14/23
POW, Stalag Luft I (North Compound I)
MACR 11346, B-17G 44-6619, “Darling Dot“, crash-landed near Woltingen, Germany; 9 crewmen – 8 survivors; Luftgaukommando Report KU 1171A
Teaneck Newspaper 11/30/43, 11/10/44, 12/20/44, 1/18/45, 1/28/45, 3/8/45, 6/1/45
American Jews in World War II – Not listed

Ovis, Harold, 2 Lt., 0-722655, Radar Operator, Air Medal, Bronze Star Medal
United States Army Air Force, 9th Air Force, 387th Bomb Group, 559th Bomb Squadron
POW, Stalag Luft I (North Compound I)
Mr. Nat Ovis (brother), 1497 Carroll St. / 1113 Avenue O, Brooklyn, N.Y.
MACR 11464, B-26C 42-107598, “Miss Kam”, “TQ * G”, Pilot – 1 Lt. William I. Pile, 9 crewmen – 6 survivors; Luftgaukommando Report KU 1191A
American Jews in World War II – 402

References

Book

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.

People

Alvin Hugo Haas, at PBY Rescue

          Biography: http://www.pbyrescue.com/Crewmembers/haas.htm

          Mission of October 26, 1944: http://www.pbyrescue.com/Rescues/26oct44.htm

Corporal William G. Sampson (at FindAGrave.com)

Max Sampson (at FindAGrave.com)

The Solomon Crew, at https://thesolomoncrew.com/

Aircraft

B-26B 42-96144, “Bank Nite Betty”, at American Air Museum in Britain, at http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/10132

B-26B 42-95844, “Miss Behavin“, at American Air Museum in Britain, at

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/25748

B-26B 42-95841, “Powerful Katrinka”, at American Air Museum in Britain, at http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/10064

B-17G 44-6619, “Darling Dot“, at

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/15755

Mosquito XVI NS638, at Aviation Safety Net, at

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=139104

Military Units

Second Emergency Rescue Squadron

http://www.pbyrescue.com/Photos/2ERS0000/817.htm

The Flight of a Magen David – I: To War In a Hurricane

If Phil Goldstein’s P-38 was unusual in terms of the name it carried – JEWBOY – then one other second world war fighter plane – a Hawker Hurricane of Number 213 Squadron, Royal Air Force – was notable for the symbol it carried:  A Magen David; the Shield of David.

The pilot?  Flight Officer Gordon Steinberg, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force from Toronto.

Sadly, he did not survive the war.

A biography of Gordon’s too-brief life from Canadian Jews in World War II – Part II: Casualties (the companion volume to Canadian Jews in World War II – Part I: Decorations, both published in 1948) follows:

FLYING OFFICER GORDON STEINBERG, J-17346, of Toronto, died of injuries received while in action near Alexandria, Egypt, on February 17, 1944.  He was forced to bail out of his plane as a result of enemy action.  He was buried at sea.

Flying Officer Steinberg enlisted in the air force at Toronto on September, 1940.  He was trained at St. Hubert, Victoriaville, Dunnville, Regina, and at Yorkton where he was awarded his pilot’s wings on November 6, 1941.  In December of the same year he landed in England and proceeded for further training as a fighter pilot.  Flying Officer Steinberg went to Africa in June, 1942 while the Axis forces were pushing the Allied Eighth Army back into Egypt.  Attached to the 213th R.A.F. (Middle East) Squadron, he participated in the battles in which Montgomery’s forces repelled the enemy.  He was attached to the Eighth Army all the time this force was advancing across the African continent from Egypt to Tripoli.  While in Africa Flying Officer Steinberg was commissioned and promoted three times, attaining the rank of flying officer a few months before his death.  He visited “Palestine” several times on his leaves and developed a great interest in the country.  The R.C.A.F. wrote to his family:  “Flying Officer Steinberg completed 92 operational flights.  His duties included patrols, air-sea rescue searches and scrambles against enemy aircraft.”

Born in Toronto on October 9, 1914, Flying Officer Steinberg was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Steinberg of 127 Maria Street.  He attended Strathcona Public School and Humberside Collegiate Institute from which he was graduated in 1934.  Flying Officer Steinberg had been a member of the Jewish Boy’s Club.  Prior to enlistment he had been employed as a salesman, clerk and truck driver.  A brother, Private Lawrence Steinberg, served in the army. 

An aspect of F/O Steinberg’s life not touched upon in the biography is the fact that he’d married in November of 1941, while training to be a pilot.  His wife was Ruby Alma (Schopf) Steinberg, who resided at 3251 Dundas Street, in Toronto.  Also not mentioned were his four siblings (Bernice, Lawrence, Lilyan, and Louis), as well as his mother, Bella (Nagelburg).  Like his father, Bella was born in Austria and naturalized as a Canadian citizen.

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F/O Steinberg’s death on his 92nd operational mission was not due to enemy fighters, flak, or weather.  It was due to mechanical failure:  The engine of his Hurricane fighter failed in flight.

On February 17, 1944, he departed at 9:30 A.M., with Flight Sergeant S.G. Pickford, from 213 Squadron’s landing ground at Ikdu (also known as “Edku”: a town in the Beheira Governorate, east of Alexandria and very close to the shore of the Mediterranean sea) on a convoy patrol mission.  Approximately one hour later, while over the sea roughly between Marsa Matruh and Alexandria, his engine cut as dense black smoke poured from it.  F/O Steinberg called F/Sgt. Pickford over his radio indicating that he was going to bail out. 

This, he immediately and successfully did.

The loss of his plane and his parachute descent were witnessed by Royal Hellenic Navy Commander N. Sarris aboard the escort destroyer H.H.M.S. Themistocles, who immediately steered his ship towards the position at top speed.  He reached the location (31 26 N – 29 16 E; about 35 miles west-northwest of Alexandria) about ten minutes later.  Through the dedicated efforts of the Themistocles’ crew F/O Steinberg was eventually found, but sadly, his life could not be saved. 

He was buried at sea that afternoon.

The following two images, obtained from The National Archives in Kew, extracted from the Squadron Record and Squadron Summary for No. 213 Squadron, cover the events of 17 and 18 February 1944.

Air Ministry Squadron Operations Records
Air Ministry Squadron Operations Records

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As is typical for Casualty Files covering deaths of servicemen in the British Commonwealth forces (analogous to Individual Deceased Personnel Files for American military deaths), the documentation for F/O Steinberg includes a detailed inventory of his effects, which is shown below: 

Notable in the list of F/O Steinberg’s possessions is his Hebrew Alamack and Hebrew Prayer Book, as well as his yarmulkah, or kippah (“1 small black cap”), tefillin (“2 prayer straps”), and tallitot (“4 Jewish shoulder capes”), these items listed among a variety of the typical personal possessions of a serviceman and aviator. 

Later that year, his wife Ruby, who F/O Steinberg designated as the recipient of his small estate, instructed authorities to, “…give his holy books & religious articles to some religious institution. – Thank You”. 

With the passage of over seventy-three years and the absence of documentation (assuming any notes were kept, in the first place), there is almost certainly no way of knowing what eventually became of these items.  One imagines that they found their way back to the Jewish community of Toronto, or, that they were donated to a synagogue, school, or Jewish family in Alexandria.  Whoever received them likely never knew of the bravery, dedication, or identity of their original owner, but no matter.  It would be nice to think; it would be nice to dream, that F/O Steinberg would have been satisfied knowing that their purpose and meaning would continue.  

____________________

F/O Steinberg’s name is commemorated on Column 281 of the Alamein Memorial, in Egypt. 

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As for the Hurricane?  As shown in the photo, P/O Steinberg’s “personal” aircraft carried a Magen David composed in the style of interlocking triangles, in two colors (one light and one dark) painted on the forward fuselage.  While his Casualty File and Number 213 Squadron’s historical records for February of 1944 indicate that he was lost in Hurricane IIC BP563 (a plane with over 250 flight hours), and Number 213 Squadron’s Hurricanes were identified by the code letters “AK”, neither set of documents list the aircraft’s specific, individual identification letter.  In the absence of other photographs of the plane, it is impossible to tell if F/O Steinberg was lost in his “own” plane, or another aircraft.   

The image below, from History of War, shows a Hawker Hurricane in North Africa, with the letters “AK” indicating its assignment to Number 213 Squadron RAF.

The 213 Squadron Association website carries a photo essay – The Hornet’s Sting – that appeared in FlyPast magazine in 1995.  Two images show Hurricanes bearing the Squadron’s “AK” code letters, while a third image shows over thirty of the squadron’s pilots at a Christmas Party at Ikdu in 1943.  Perhaps F/O Steinberg was among them?

References

Forman, Wallace R., B-17 Nose Art Name Directory, Phalanx Publishing Co., Ltd. (Specialty Press), North Branch, Mn., 1996

Forman, Wallace R., B-24 Nose Art Name Directory, Phalanx Publishing Co., Ltd. (Specialty Press), North Branch, Mn., 1996

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

RHS Themistocles, at
http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5921.html

Number 213 Squadron RAF

At Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._213_Squadron_RAF

At History of War, at
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/213_wwII.html

Number 213 Squadron Association, at
http://213squadronassociation.homestead.com/

Number 213 Squadron Association – The Hornet’s Sting (From FlyPast magazine No. 175, 1995), at
http://213squadronassociation.homestead.com/Flypast/flypastarticle.html

Hawker Hurricane IIC in No. 213 Squadron Service, at
http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/pictures_hurricaneIIC_213sqn.html

The National Archives (Kew), Royal Air Force Operations Records Books 1939-1945, at
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/raf-operations-record-books-1939-1945/

 

 

 

 

The Flight of JEWBOY: A Jewish Fighter Pilot in the Second World War – III: The Plane – P-38J 42-104107

Doubtless some visitors to this blog will already be familiar with Lockheed’s P-38 Lightning, but for those who are not…  The Lightning was one of most versatile, successful, and particularly one of the most physically distinctive fighter aircraft of the Second World War.  Designed by the Lockheed corporation to meet a 1936 Army Air Force Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new fighter (“interceptor”) aircraft capable of protecting the continental United States from bomber aircraft, in time the P-38 would also successfully fulfill the roles of aerial reconnaissance, pathfinder, bombardment leader (“droop-snoot”), and night fighter (albeit not actually used in combat in that role).

Particularly and immediately noticeable is the aircraft’s general design:  The configuration of most fighter aircraft of the Second World War – whether powered by radial or in-line (liquid-cooled) engines – was manifested in the “conventional” planform of a fuselage with engine at front, atop low-mounted wings, and with a single tail.  Of course, tremendous variation in design existed between the Axis and Allies, let alone among the aircraft manufacturers of any warring nation.  Due to the RFP requirements for speed, a fast rate of climb, heavy firepower, and duration of flight at full throttle, the Lightning was strikingly different.  This was due to the innovative approach of the aircraft’s design team, which was headed by Clarence C. “Kelly” Johnson.

Two supercharged engines were used.  But, rather than a conventional, continuous fuselage extending to and terminating in a single tail unit, the pilot and armament (and other equipment, such as aerial cameras, bombsight, or bombing radar), and radio were situated in a central “pod” or “gondola” between the engines, the latter being housed in individual nacelles, each extending rearward to an individual fin and rudder.  Mounted between and “connecting” these twin fins and rudders was a horizontal stabilizer / elevator, with the plane resting on tricycle landing gear.  The resulting design was visually distinctive and thus readily identifiable at great distances, by coincidence imparting an almost “art-deco” quality to the plane.

Though other WW II American military aircraft may be better known in popular culture, the Lighting’s technologically innovative design and consequent versatility, combined with its performance and firepower, eventuated in an outstanding and eminently successful military aircraft. 

And in another sense, an aesthetically beautiful flying machine, as well.         

The Lightning was used by the Army Air Force in all combat theaters, rising to special preeminence in the Pacific, the United States’ two most successful WW II aces (Major Richard I. Bong and Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr.) attaining the entirety of their victories against the against the Japanese in P-38s.  In the European Theater, though eventually almost entirely superseded – in the fighter role – in the 8th and 9th Air Forces by the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt – the plane was continuously used by three Mediterranean-based fighter groups (1st, 14th, and 82nd) which were assigned to the 12th (and in turn 15th) Air Forces.

For a comprehensive and detailed account of the development and use of the P-38 Lighting upon the air war against Germany and Japan – with particularly insightful analysis of the strategic impact of the P-38 in the European Theater, where the reputation of the P-38 was eventually overshadowed by the P-51 Mustang – the following document by Dr. Carlo Kopp, from the Air Power Australia website, is particularly noteworthy and very highly recommended:  Der Gabelschwanz Teufel – Assessing the Lockheed P-38 Lightning (Technical Report APA – TR – 2010 – 1201).

The image below is an excellent representative photograph of a P-38 in flight.  When this picture was taken, this specific P-38J – 42-68009 – later (temporarily) nicknamed Snafuperman – was probably being flown by Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier (mentioned in Phil’s interview).  42-68009 was lost in a flying accident in New Guinea in early 1945. 

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JEWBOY, P-38J, 42-104107, was photographed some time in late May through early June of 1944, when it was assigned to the 49th Fighter Squadron (“Hangmen”) of the 14th Fighter Group.

The Individual Aircraft Record Card for the aircraft is shown below.

The plane was manufactured at Lockheed Aircraft’s Burbank factory, and accepted by the Army Air Force on January 11, 1944.  The aircraft departed Newark Army Airfield (now Newark Liberty International Airport) for the Mediterranean Theater on February 4, arriving overseas by February 9.  The final entry in the Record Card, corroborates the record in the database of Aviation Archeological Investigation and Research, the latter indicating that the plane was wrecked in a landing accident at Triolo on July 31, 1944.  

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The 14th Fighter Group, like most Army Air Force fighter groups, was comprised of three squadrons (the other two being the 37th and 48th), as well as a Headquarters Squadron.

The individual aircraft in the 14th’s squadrons were identified by numbers painted upon both sides of the nose, and also upon the outer surfaces of the tail-boom mounted coolant radiators.  A specific numerical range was used to denote the planes in each squadron, with numbers 1 through 30 being allocated to the 48th, 31 through 60 for the 49th, and 61 through 90 for the 37th.  The squadron’ aircraft were further distinguished from one another by horizontal stripes painted upon the upper, outer surface of their planes’ fins and rudders, with all aircraft in a squadron bearing the same color:  Red for the 37th, blue for the 49th, and white for the 48th.  This stripe was sometimes highlighted or trimmed in black or gold to render it more distinctive.  The central part of the horizontal stabilizer and elevator was also painted and trimmed in the same squadron color.  Finally, common to all 15th Air Force fighters as of early 1944, the propeller spinners were painted red. 

The plane’s squadron markings are thus typical in appearance for P-38s assigned to the 49th Fighter Squadron in 1944 and 1945.

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Though the date of the photograph is unknown, it was probably taken some time between May 25, 1944 (the date of Phil’s last victory), and his departure for the United States on Jun 9 of that year.  The circled swastikas likely denote aerial victories, while the “uncircled” swastikas probably denote aircraft destroyed in a strafing attack against a German airfield at Villaorba, Italy, on May 14, 1944.

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The two images below are from the flickr photostream of Stefanie Comfort; specifically her album “Jewish Military, U.S.”, where they are listed as “U.S. Military WW2 Jewish Philip M. Goldstein scan0069“.

Unfortunately, the name of the photographer, and the date and location of the images are not given.  However, the B-24 Liberators in the background of the photos provide a clue.

In this photo, a B-24 Liberator is visible in the right center of the photograph.  The horizontal bar on the lower portion of the bomber’s starboard fin and rudder indicates that the aircraft probably belonged to the 461st Bomb Group.  This implies that the photos were taken at the 461st’s base at Torretto.

This image confirms that the word “Jewboy” was painted in English – rather than German – on the plane’s starboard nacelle.

The following image is particularly useful in illustrating the blue tail stripe of the 49th Fighter Squadron on the plane’s fin and rudder, and, the individual aircraft squadron number “47” painted on the exterior of the starboard oil cooler housing.  Though the aircraft’s serial number “2104107” is situated below the tail stripe, it has been obscured by exhaust gases from the supercharger, which (not visible in the photo) is mounted atop the engine nacelle.  (This was a common effect in P-38s, often making photographic identification of specific planes difficult.)

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Here are two beautiful illustrations of 42-104107 by Andrej T. Sadlo, which appear in the Mini Topcolors series book P-38 Lightning at War, Part 2 (coauthored with Maciej Góralczyk, and published by Kagero). Like other works in the Mini Topcolors series (which covers both aircraft and armored vehicles), the book is a painting and markings guide for a few, select military subjects with significant and unusual markings, and includes 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32 scale decal sheets, published by Cartograf, for each subject.  Each aircraft is illustrated by a four-view profile.

 

This vertical view illustrates the central stripe painted on the horizontal stabilizer and elevator of 14th Fighter Group P-38s.

The Flight of JEWBOY: A Jewish Fighter Pilot in the Second World War: A Voice From the Past

Phil, in front of his plane.

In this 24-minute file (derived from a much lengthier interview) Phil relates memories and highlights of his service as a military pilot.  The “sections” of the interview are listed below.

1: 0:00 – 0:42 – Mother attending Graduation at Williams Field, Arizona; Saying good-bye to family and friends
2: 0:45 – 3:46 – Aircraft flown in training (PT-17, BT-13, P-322, AT-9); Encountering and overcoming antisemitism
3: 3:50 – 5:22 – Departing United States (via ship) for overseas from Hampton Roads, Va.; Encountering a rabbi before departure; Saying good-bye to family
4: 5:29 – 9:00 – Use of P-38s by 8th Air Force; Maintenance and flyability of P-38 in England (8th Air Force) versus Mediterranean (12th and 15th Air Forces); Losing engine on take-off while flying the P-38; Witnessing Tony LeVier fly P-38
5: 9:05 – 11:23 – Nature of combat flying (physical and mental aspects); Living conditions in North Africa and Italy (diet)
6: 11:28 – 13:00 – Personalities of fighter pilots (“Tiger” Jones and James W. Tipton); Opinion about movie “Top Gun”
7: 13:05 – 16:14 – Wingmen; Best wingman (Warren E. Semple); Incident over Ploesti; Three B-24s attacked by German fighters; Me-109s engaged by Goldstein and Semple; Claims not confirmed; Semple later killed in action.  (Actually, incident with Semple occurred over Piacenza, Italy, on May 25.  Goldstein shot down an FW-190; Semple shot down an Me-109 and FW-190.  Phil actually shot down the Me-109 on April 2, over Steyr, Austria.)
8: 16:20 – 16:42 – Death of best friend (Edgar G. Hemmerlein)
9: 16:45 – 17:32 – Psychologically acclimating oneself to combat flying on a routine basis
10: 17:37 – 22:06 – Thoughts about implications of being a Jew flying combat missions over German-occupied Europe; Assumption that he would not survive war; Meeting rabbi at Hampton Roads; Saying good-bye to family; Most dangerous mission he flew (Wingman to Robert K. Seidman 5/14/14); Witnessing loss of B-24s over Munich
11: 22:09 – 23:42 – Getting his “own” P-38 and naming aircraft “JEWBOY”; Reaction of others to nickname
12: 23:47 -24:13 – Reading from the Tanach and saying Shema Yisrael every night; Wearing Mezuzah with dog-tags.

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This is a 1944 or 1945 aerial view of the 14th Fighter Group’s airfield at Triolo, Italy, looking south-southwest. (Photograph from Historical Records of 14th Fighter Group, in NARA Records Group 18.)

This is a very contemporary (2017) Google Earth 3-D view of the site of the Triolo Airfield, adjusted to view the location from the same orientation and perspective as the above photograph.  Though the runway, taxi strips, and revetments no longer exist, the locations of these features can be distinguished by the areas of light-colored soil which have the same “shape” as these wartime features.  Akin to the above image, south-southwest is towards the top.

This image shows the same area as the above photo, but in a conventional, vertical view.  The locations of the taxi strips are readily distinguished by light-colored soil.

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Interview Part 4: Use of P-38s in 8th Air Force

According to Bert Kinzey, in P-38 Lightning in Detail & Scale – Part 2, difficulties with P-38s in England were attributable to the, “…poor quality of British fuels.  These fuels did not cause problems in inline engines which had mechanical superchargers or even in radial engines with turbo-superchargers.  But they simply did not work at high power settings in an inline engine that was turbo-superchargers.  Wherever Lightnings were used with high grade American fuel, they performed admirably and established a great record for reliability.”

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Interview Part 6: Pilots of the 49th Fighter Squadron, May, 1944

The 49th Fighter Squadron is credited with 139 confirmed aerial victories attained between November 24, 1942, and March 22, 1945.  Of the 184 pilots known to have been assigned to the squadron, 79 were lost, based on an examination of squadron records and Missing Air Crew Reports.  Of the 79, 24 survived as POWs, 45 were killed in action, 8 were killed in non-combat related flights, 1 evaded capture, and 2 others survived under unknown circumstances. 

This photograph of the squadron’s pilots was taken on May 22, 1944.  The 27 men pictured comprise only those pilots assigned (or, at least present for the photograph!) at the actual time the image was taken.  As mentioned above, many other pilots were assigned to the squadron before, and after, this date.   

Front Row (L – R; seated)

Nathan M. Abbott, Major (Squadron Commander) 0-378458, 103 Shelburne Rd., Burlington, Vt.; 4 aerial victories.
John G. Schill, Jr., 1 Lt., 0-798170, 317 West Rockland St., Philadelphia, Pa., KIA 7/14/44 over Hungary (P-38J 42-104148, # 138, MACR 6868); 1 aerial victory; Buried at Lorraine American Cemetery, Saint Avold, France – Plot B, Row 23, Grave 20
Houston C. Musgrove, Jr., Lt., 0-802060, Box 431, Homer, La.
Warren L. Jones, Lt., 0-1703079, Box 112, Live Oak, Ca.; 5 aerial victories (ace)
Wesley L. Jule, 2 Lt., 0-1703109, 404 Baker St., Bellingham, Wa., POW 6/14/44; over Hungary (P-38J 42-104135, # 49, “Fighting Irishman”, MACR 6420); 1 aerial victory
Philip M. Goldstein, 2 Lt., 0-750574, 642 George St., Norristown, Pa.; 3 aerial victories

Second Row (L – R; seated)

Edgar G. Hemmerlein, 2 Lt., 0-75058, 423 Fourth St., Huntingburg, In., Died on May 27, 1944, after an accident at Serragio, Airdrome, Corsica the preceding day (P-38J 42-104236, # 53, No MACR); Buried at Fairmount Cemetery, Huntingburg, Indiana
Warren E. Semple, 1 Lt., 0-744772, 12 France St., Norwalk, Ct., KIA 6/15/44 France (P-38J 42-104266, # 54, MACR 6423); 2 aerial victories; Buried at Rhone American Cemetery, Draguignan, France – Plot B, Row 9, Grave 3
Harold Simmons, Lt., 0-659192, 580 Beach St., Revere, Ma.; 2 aerial victories
Jack Lenox, Jr., Lt., 0-1703108, 123 West Birch, Enid, Ok.; 5 aerial victories (ace)
Louis L. Benne, 1 Lt., 0-802235, Box 156, Listie (Somerset County), Pa., POW 6/14/44 Hungary (P-38J 42-104229, # 38, MACR 6031); 5 aerial victories (ace)
Wilson H. Oldhouser, Lt., 0-739662, 43 North Albermarle, York, Pa.; 3 aerial victories

Third Row (L – R; standing)

Quentin A. Teige, 2 Lt., 0-758887, 1529 Mary St., Marinette, Wi., KIA 5/24/44 Austria (P-38J 43-28261, # 60, MACR 5184); 1 aerial victory; Buried at Forest Home Cemetery, Marinette, Wi. – Plot K, 24, 1, 1
John D. Lewis, Lt., 0-754522, 1282 Oxford St., Berkeley, Ca.; 1 aerial victory
George T. Johnson, Lt., 0-817958, 582 Cate Rd., Pico, Ca.; 1 aerial victory
Gunvald B. Thorsen, Lt., 0-758891, 429 61st St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Swanson T. Shortt, 2 Lt., 0-744776, Galax, Va., KNB 6/20/44 Triolo, Italy (P-38J 43-28450, No MACR); 3 aerial victories; Buried at Gladeville United Methodist Church Cemetery, Galax, Va.
Moses J. Long, 2 Lt., 0-816126, 513 S. Conception St., Mobile, Al., POW 8/14/44 France (P-38J 43-28643, # 42, MACR 7953, Luftgaukommando Report ME 2274); 1 aerial victory
William R. Palmer, Lt., 0-729052, 3565 Calafia Ave., Oakland, Ca.; 2 aerial victories

Rear Row (L – R; standing)

Thomas S. Purdy, Lt., 0-802343, 165 South 1st Ave., Alpena, Mi.; 4 aerial victories
Richard L. Fowler, 2 Lt., 0-750564, 1565 Chestnut St., San Francisco, Ca. / Indian Rock, Tx., POW 5/24/44 Italy (P-38J 42-104202, # 44, MACR 5638); 1 aerial victory
James W. Tipton, Lt., 0-750724, 324 1/2 South 18th Ave., Phoenix, Az.
Jackson R. Schetler, Lt., 0-799654, 526 Fairview St., Riverside, N.J.
John F. Cullen, Lt., 0-743922, 99 Knowles St., Pawtucket, R.I.; 1 aerial victory
Walter C. McConnell, 2 Lt., 0-816901, Box 58, Cornelius, N.C., KIA 8/14/44 France (P-38J 42-104123, MACR 7976); Tablets of the Missing at at Rhone American Cemetery, Draguignan, France – Possibly Buried as “Unknown X107”
Lawrence A. O’Toole, Lt., 0-760486, 387 Cross St., Akron, Oh.; 1 aerial victory
Clyde L. Jones, Jr., 2 Lt., 0-760324, 1104 S. Adams St., Fort Worth, Tx., POW 6/14/44 Hungary (P-38J 42-104262, # 48, MACR 6127); 4 aerial victories

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First Lieutenant James W. Tipton

“1st Lieut. James W. Tipton, 24, 324 1/2 South 18th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona, and his crew chief S/Sgt, Maimone.  The Lieut. has successfully completed 50 combat missions and returned to the United States.”  (Image from Historical Records of the 14th Fighter Group – Headquarters Squadron, AFHRA Microfilm Roll BO079)

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Interview Part 7: Aerial victories of First Lieutenant Warren E. Semple, May 25, 1944

First Lieutenant Warren E. Semple (Image from FindaGrave.com)

These two accounts are transcribed from Combat Claim Forms in the Historical Records of the 49th Fighter Squadron, from AFHRA Microfilm Roll AO742.

“On May 25, 1944, I was flying number four position in White flight on a mission escorting B-24s to the A/D at Piacenza, Italy.  As we entered the target area we engaged 8 to 10 Me 109s.  During the combat I followed my leader down in a long dive.  Due to the terrific speed of my plane I was unable to pull out at the same time my leader did.  When I managed to pull out of the dive I was fairly far behind my leader.  As I pulled up to join him a FW 190 crossed in front of me at 30 [degrees] and I made a slight turn as I fired.  I saw three or four 20mm strikes around the cockpit and then the whole canopy seemed to be blown off.  At this time the plane flipped onto its back out of control and it was still spinning as it passed thru the cloud level 5 or 6 thousand feet below.  As there seemed to be no recovery, I judge that the pilot had been killed after my shells hit the cockpit.  I did not follow him thru the clouds for it was imperative that I return and join the squadron.”

“On May 25, 1944, I was flying in white four position, escorting B-24s in a mission over Piacenza Airdrome in Northern Italy.  As we entered the target area at approximately 25,000 feet, we saw a group of 8 or 10 Me 109s in flights of two.  These enemy planes were a little high to us at three o’clock.  One other Me 109 was flying at the same clock position as a decoy.  The flight leader called out the flight which would engage the enemy.  As the 109s broke toward us and down I got on one’s tail.  From dead astern I fired a very long burst while closing in.  I saw the plane burst into flame all along the engine and cockpit.  I followed it through a cloud and saw it crash into the ground.”

Warren Semple was killed on June 15, 1944, during a strafing mission against Luftwaffe airfields at Lajasse (near Salon), Orange and Avignon, France.  He is buried at the Rhone American Cemetery, Draguignan, France. 

There were no actual witnesses to his loss; squadron records simply state that he was “…last seen in the target area at 44-08 N, 04-52 E.”  He is among a group of five American fighter pilots – killed at the Plan de Dieu between June 15 and August 13, 1944 – who in April of 2005 were memorialized on a commemorative tablet at Travaillan, Vaucluse, France.  According to the Kracker Luftwaffe Archive, he was shot down by 56 victory Luftwaffe ace Leutnant Eduard Isken of III / JGr (Jagdgruppe) 200. 

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Here is the Combat Claim Form for Phi Goldstein’s aerial victory of May 25, 1944, from AFHRA Microfilm Roll AO742.  The description of the combat is transcribed below.

“On May 25, 1944, I was flying blue three position on a mission escorting B-24’s to the A/D at Piacenza, Italy.  As we entered the target area we sighted several enemy airplanes and immediately engaged them in combat.  During this engagement a FW 190 made a head on pass at me.  I gave him a quick burst and then pulled around to get behind him.  As I completed my turn I noticed that his engine was on fire and then I saw the plane roll over and the pilot bail out.”

Unfortunately, 49th Fighter Squadron Combat Claim Forms only seem to exist (or least, to have been preserved) from May of 1944 forward.  Thus, no such document is available for Phil’s victory of April 2.  A Combat Claim Form does exist for his victory over an (apparent) IAR 80 on May 7, but is not presented here. 

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Interview Part 8: Second Lieutenant Edgar G. Hemmerlein

Similar to the accounts for Warren Semple, this account is transcribed from a Combat Claim Form in the Historical Records of the 49th Fighter Squadron, from AFHRA Microfilm Roll AO742.

“On May 25, 1944, I was green three on a mission escorting B-24s to the A/D at Piacenza, Italy.  As we escorted the bombers to the target area we were engaged by approximately 30 mixed enemy aircraft.  I sighted one FW 190 in a dive.  He was approaching us from head on.  I lowered my nose to give him a little lead.  I saw that I was giving him too much lead so I held my trigger and let him fly through my line of fire.  I saw several pieces fly off the plane and also saw my cannon shells bursting on his fuselage.  As the enemy plane passed under my nose I lost sight of him.  Due to the enemy action I was not able to look for him, as I was too busy trying to keep away from the other enemy fighters.”

Edgar G. Hemmerlein, as an Aviation Cadet.  He is buried at Fairmount Cemetery, in Huntingburg, Indiana.  Edgar’s tombstone carries the inscription “2 LIEUT 49 AAF FIGHTER SQ – WORLD WAR II”

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Interview Part 9: Phil’s Combat Missions (From Historical Records of the 14th Fighter Group, in NARA Records Group 18.)

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Brigadier General Atkinson, Major Bright, and Colonel Oliver B. (“O.B.”) Taylor, the latter Commander of the 14th Fighter Group from September 26, 1943 to July 17, 1944.  (Image from Historical Records of the 14th Fighter Group – Headquarters Squadron, AFHRA Microfilm Roll BO079.)

Interview Part 10: “With Seidman” – Phil is referring to the loss of 1 Lt. Robert K. Seidman, who was shot down by flak and killed during the 14th Fighter Group’s strafing mission against German airfields near Aviano and Villaorba, Italy, on May 14, 1944, on his 50th, and last scheduled combat mission.  (P-38J 42-104259, #42, “Peg”, MACR 5049)  From Pittsburgh, Robert is seen below, with fellow Pittsburgher Lt. Joseph Havrilla, in an official photograph taken on December 21, 1943.  (Army Air Force Photograph 3A-49287 / C-27286)

From Lt. Seidman’s diary, “Dec. 21st: No mission today.  Overcast heavy everywhere.  All of our targets obscure.  Photographer came out from Wing and took pictures of Colonel Taylor, Lt. Havrilla, Lt. Schoener and myself in front of a 38.”

Robert’s fate was resolved in 1948.  He is buried at B’Nai Israel Cemetery, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.