Related Pages:
William E. Baldwin, Jr.
| Jerome S. Garrison
Paul B. Batterman |
John J. Dodrill |
James W. Knowles
|
Robert C. Ellis Crew (left to right)
Standing: Howard Weber (TG), John Lukasavich (ARMORER),
Keevin Moriarty (ROG),
Russell Kendig (BTG), Frederick Randleman (WG), Cecil
Giberson (TTE)
Kneeling: Wallace Polansky (NAV), Francis Beedle
(CP), Robert Ellis (P), William Maynard (BOM)
This photo was taken at Dyersburg, Tennessee -
Courtesy of Russ Kendig - 8 Jun 2006
2nd Lt. Robert C. Ellis
Courtesy of Russ Kendig - 8 Jun 2006
|
| 2ND LT ROBERT C. ELLIS |
P |
FEH |
-- |
-- |
21 Missions - listed below |
| 2ND LT FRANCIS G. BEEDLE |
CP |
KIA |
3 APR 45 |
KIEL |
With
Lt Baldwin Crew |
| 2ND LT WALLACE H. POLANSKY |
NAV |
FEH |
-- |
-- |
Went to Lt Garrison Crew |
| CPL CECIL W. GIBERSON |
TTE |
FEH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| CPL KEEVIN T. MORIARTY |
ROG |
FEH |
-- |
-- |
Flew 23 missions |
| CPL JOHN A. COCKERHAM |
NG/
TOG |
FEH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| CPL RUSSELL G. KENDIG |
BTG |
FEH |
-- |
-- |
Became TG/Formation Officer
when this became a lead
crew |
| CPL FREDERICK J. RANDLEMAN |
WG |
FEH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| CPL HOWARD O. WEBER |
TG |
POW |
3 APR 45 |
KIEL |
With Lt Baldwin Crew
RAD/spot jammer on the
Baldwin Crew |
351ST SQDN. . CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 15
NOV 44.
BEEDLE AND WEBER WERE FLYING WITH W. E. BALDWIN ON 03 APR 45 (see
memo below).
Lt Beedle was replaced on the crew by LT WILBUR W. KREAMER from
Lt
Munoz Crew after V-E Day. SGT WEBER WAS SENT TO SPARE GUNNERS POOL
WHERE HE WAS TRAINED AS A RADAR CONTROLLER/SPOT JAMMER. HE SERVED IN
THIS CAPACITY ON LT BALDWIN'S CREW ON 3 APR 45 MISSION TO KIEL.
LETTER TO JIM BROWN FROM ROBERT ELLIS OF 17 APR 1986. . "After two
missions as wingman we were moved to Lead Crew training in Nov. 44.
(believe this to be Dec 44…mpf) We flew two missions in Jan 45 as
element leads and then flew out first Sqdn lead in Feb 45. We flew a
total of 22 missions, (21 is the exact number from Lt Ellis based on
his mission diary…mpf 2006) a number of Group leads and we made the
Honor Roll for Best Bombing of the Month every month from March
until the end of hostilities. Our plane/ crew was called the "BRASS
HAT" as we had the highest ranking crew on the base; 3 Capts. , 1
1st Lt and all the enlisted made T/Sgt. Our crew chief was Hermann,
who passed away this winter (1986). I am pleased that we had 9 of
our crew(plus 5 wives) at the Dayton Reunion and we all got together
with Hermann and his wife there. Lt W. F. Kreamer, from the crew of
A. Munoz, became the CP after Beedle left the crew. " (this happened
after V-E Day…mpf 2006)
List of Missions for Lt Robert Ellis list compiled from Capt.
William Carleton's mission report notebook, Jack O'Leary, Joe Urice
and Keevin Moriarty's transcribing of Lt Ellis mission diary…mpf
2006):
| DATE |
TARGET |
AIRCRAFT |
POSITION & COMMAND PILOTS |
| 12/11/1944 |
GIESSEN |
43-38523
GLORY BOUND |
-- |
| 12/12/1944 |
DARMSTADT |
43-38523
GLORY BOUND |
-- |
| 01/14/1945 |
DERBEN |
43-38770
PFF (PATHFINDER) |
-- |
| 01/17/1945 |
HAMBURG |
43-38610
PFF |
S/Sgt Hooper from Batterman /
Knowles Crew
flew as TG |
| 02/22/1945 |
WEHINGER |
-- |
-- |
| 02/23/1945 |
TREUCHTLINGEN |
-- |
-- |
| 02/25/1945 |
MUNICH |
-- |
-- |
| 02/26/1945 |
BERLIN |
44-8209
THE BRASS HAT, PFF |
-- |
| 03/09/1945 |
FRANKFURT |
44-8209
THE BRASS HAT, PFF |
B-SQDN LEAD, STAPLES, ELLIS
|
| 03/1019/45 |
DORTMUND |
44-8209
THE BRASS HAT, PFF |
B-SQDN LEAD, GIBBONS, ELLIS
|
| 03/12/1945 |
SWINEMUNDE |
44-8717
MISS SWEETNESS, PFF |
C-SQDN LEAD, STIVERS, ELLIS |
| 03/15/1945 |
ORANIENBURG |
44-8717
MISS SWEETNESS, PFF |
C-SQDN LEAD, ALBRECHT, ELLIS
|
| 03/18/1945 |
BERLIN |
44-8226
JIMBO, PFF |
B-SQDN LEAD, WOOTEN, ELLIS |
| 03/23/1945 |
UNNA |
44-8334
PFF |
C-SQDN LEAD, ELLIS |
| 03/24/1945 |
ZIEGENHAIN |
-- |
-- |
| 03/28/1945 |
HANOVER |
44-8009
THIS WILL KILL YOU, PFF |
B-SQDN LEAD, ROBBS, ELLIS |
| 03/30/1945 |
HAMBURG |
-- |
-- |
| 04/07/1945 |
BUCHEN |
42-97696
PFF/ 95TH BG |
B-SQDN LEAD, C. W. WILSON , ELLIS
|
| 04/08/1945 |
EGER |
44-8824
MIKE, PFF |
A-SQDN LEAD, STAPLES-KING-ELLIS |
| 04/14/1945 |
ROYAN |
44-8824
MIKE, PFF |
B-SQDN LEAD, LILJENQUIST-ELLIS |
| 04/18/1945 |
STRAUBING |
44-8794 |
A SQDN LEAD, STAPLES-CROTTY-ELLIS
|
CHOWHOUNDS AND OTHER SORTIES POST WAR:
| DATE |
TARGET |
AIRCRAFT |
POSITION & COMMAND PILOTS |
| 05/04/45 |
CHOWHOUND MISSION SCRUBBED |
44-8916 |
C-SQDN LEAD, LILJENQUIST ELLIS |
| 05/05/45 |
CHOWHOUND |
44-8916 |
C-SQDN LEAD, LILJENQUIST ELLIS |
| 05/07/45 |
CHOWHOUND |
44-8183 |
B-SQDN LEAD, GUNN ELLIS |
| 05/19/45 |
DP FERRY MISSION TO HORSCHING FIELD |
44-8209 THE BRASS HAT |
B-SQDN LEAD ROBBS- ELLIS |
| 06/04/45 |
CASABLANCA FERRY MISSION |
44-8917 |
FLYING COMMAND AIRCRAFT STIVERS- ELLIS
|
LEAD CREW OF LT ROBERT C. ELLIS
| Lt. R. C. Ellis |
Pilot |
-- |
| Lt. F. C. Beedle |
Co-Pilot |
Possible Formation officer for one mission |
| Lt C. F. Romanowski |
Navigator |
from Lt S. Johnson Crew |
| Lt Farris A. "AL" Turner, Jr. |
Radar Navigator |
from Lt Tom C. Hughes Crew |
| Lt. Melvin D. Snyder |
Bombardier |
351st BS Lead Bombardier |
| T/Sgt Keevin T. Moriarty |
Radio Operator |
-- |
| T/Sgt C. W. Giberson |
Engineer |
-- |
| S/Sgt F. J. Randleman |
Waist Gunner |
-- |
| S/Sgt R. G. Kendig |
Waist Gunner |
then to TG/Formation Officer after 2
missions |
LT MELVIN D. SNYDER (from Lt Dodrill Crew) FLEW WITH THE BOB ELLIS
CREW AS THE 351ST'S LEAD BOMBARDIER.
The following Lead Crew make up flew at least one mission
together:
| Lt. R. C. Ellis |
Pilot |
-- |
| Lt. F. C. Beedle |
Co-Pilot |
-- |
| Lt C. F. Romanowski |
Navigator |
from Lt S. Johnson Crew |
| Lt Farris A. "AL" Turner, Jr. |
Radar Navigator |
from Lt Tom C. Hughes Crew |
| Lt. A. H. Belimow |
Bombardier |
from Lt Blanding Crew |
| T/Sgt P. Glanz |
Radio Operator |
from Lt Blanding Crew |
| T/Sgt R. J. Whybrow |
Engineer |
from Lt Blanding Crew |
| S/Sgt R. D. Thomas |
Waist Gunner |
from Lt Blanding Crew |
| S/Sgt R. G. Kendig |
Waist Gunner |
then to TG/Formation Officer |
From Joe Urice (June 2006):
This following summary is information primarily gathered from crew
members Keevin Moriarty and Russ Kendig and my own records.
Additionally, I will sent you, separately by USPS, a packet of Ellis
Crew photos , basically from Russ Kendig's records, and which
includes a 1944 stateside crew picture which evidently was the only
one ever taken. I have earlier furnished Kendig and Moriarty both
with copies of this summary and they found no areas of disagreement
except in one minor detail during a training flight [which is
related below]. This difference was during the training flight
nighttime buzz job over Canton, Oh. Moriarty could not remember
having to land at a naval base in Memphis to refuel and which Kendig
had recalled in detail. The only other living crew member is Wilbur
W. Kreamer [CP] who was evidently a post VE Day addition to this
crew and I have nothing to add from him. }……. [ju]. JOE URICE
Prior to leaving Dyersburg, TN the crew was assigned a night
navigation flight from base to Indianapolis to Memphis to base when
it was decided to buzz Canton, OH [pilot's home town] at 2 AM. This
buzz job is described in the attached newspaper article. Before
returning on to base, it became necessary to land [unscheduled] at
the Memphis Navy Air Base to refuel as a result of the extra miles
involved. As a result of this flight the pilot was reportedly
reduced one grade in rank. Russ Kendig of this crew was earlier in
Air Cadets [he was in pilot training and had already soloed] when he
and thousands of other cadets were reduced again to privates and
assigned as gunners for the convenience of the government when it
was determined that there were far more men in officer training than
required. Before leaving the US, Lukasavich was reassigned from the
crew and replaced by John Cockerham [from Hamilton, MS] at the
armorer--togglier position. After completing training, the crew went
[back] to Lincoln, NB and then to Gilmer, NJ. They next left the US
on the Queen Mary [as a troop ship] from NYC and landed five days
later at Grenoch, which is the port for Glasgow, Scotland. During
that voyage, the pilot would bring food from the officers mess for
his enlisted men who were not fed at the same quality level [a lot
of lamb I'm told] as the officers were. Ellis is reported to have
had a high concern level for his personnel. The crew then made a day
long train trip to Stone, England for Bomb Group assignment.
At that base, Bill Maynard [BOM] was removed from the crew and sent
to another [unknown] ETO Bomb Group. On 15 Nov 44, the remaining
Ellis crew was assigned to the 100th BG and after flying two combat
missions, Ellis was selected to be a lead crew pilot. Further
personnel changes were then implemented as Wallace Polanski was
replaced as Navigator by Chester Romanowski [who transferred from
the Sidney C. Johnson Crew, who then gained M/Sgt Gordon Sinclair as
its replacement navigator]. Romanowski was from Chicago, IL. Mel
Snyder [from Buchard, NB] became crew Bombardier replacing Sgt John
Cockerham in the nose area who then became a spare gunner. Lt.
Farris A [AL] Turner Jr. became the crew's new Radarman. (Flew 8
missions as Lt Tom Hughes bombardier, then went to radar school)
Russ Kendig [BTG] then became a waist gunner [in addition to
Frederick Randleman] at this lead
crew reassignment time, but after two further combat missions he
replaced Frank Beedle [CP] in the tail where Kendig then flew all
further missions as tail formation officer and gunner. As a
consequence, Lt. Frank Beedle became a spare copilot and was later
KIA on 3 APRIL 45 on the Kiel mission while flying as CP on the Lt
Wm F Baldwin Jr crew in A/C 43-38992 [no name] [MACR #13717] . The
A/C crashed near the Frisian Islands, The Netherlands.
Also during these reassignments, Howard Weber [TG] was sent to spare
gunner category and was later trained as radar spot jammer [as was
Norman Bowman formerly of the Jesse Wofford crew]. Weber later
became a POW while also flying on the above mentioned Lt. Baldwin
Crew on the 3 APRIL 45 mission to Kiel. Lt. W. H. Polansky then
briefly attended the 8thAF Radar school, but returned shortly to the
100th BG where he later flew missions as a Navigator with the Jerome
S. Garrison Crew [that crew also included E. F. "Tim" Hooper {TG} ].
Now that they were a lead crew, a Command Pilot would fly in the
right hand front deck seat with Robert Ellis [P]. As lead crew they
frequently flew the A/C "The Brass Hat" which then had John J.
Hermann as crew chief. Hermann is also shown in the 100th data as
crew chief on the "Piccadilly Lilly I & II" [2]. Ellis also flew A/C
# 473 which had Kelly as a crew chief.
The Ellis crew flew 21 missions except that Moriarty [ROG] flew 23.
Those two extra were as spare ROG and one was with Capt Brown crew
to Nurnburg on 21 Feb 45. One eventful crew mission is described in
the First Edition, Splasher Six [p. 19] in which Ellis relates their
experiences while on the 18 March 45 mission to Berlin. Moriarty
remembers the 7 April 45 mission to Buchen as the most vivid. This
crew later claimed to be the highest rated crew on the base as all
the enlisted men became T/Sgts [other than S/Sgt Randleman] {WG}
while three of the officers became Captains and the other officer
was a 1st Lt. The crew also received a week's flak leave and the
enlisted men spent it at the Phyllis Chapel at Henley on the Thames.
The crew flew two chowhound missions to Amsterdam and to HILVERSUM.
Moriarty thinks the crew actually flew three Chowhound missions.
Following VE Day, Lt Wilbur W. Kreamer [from the Lt Armand Munoz
Crew ] became the Ellis Crew Copilot as they flew a flight to Dachau
to load French POWs for transfer to Paris. A second POW flight took
them to North Africa for POW delivery. A third POW flight resulted
in transferring Russian POWs back into Russia. A recreation [?]
flight to visit a fighter pilot friend at Duxford resulted in heavy
damage to their B-17 as they overshot [overran] the short metal
fighter strip runway (the aircraft was PARD) Ellis later flew a B-17
back to the US via the South Atlantic route which took them through
Marseilles, France, on to Casablanca, Africa, on to Brazil, then to
Georgetown, then to Puerto Rico and finally to Palm Springs, FL.
Among the personnel on that flight was his regular radioman, Keevin
Moriarty. Some others on this flight were Paul Chandler [TTE] and
Norman Graham [NAV] from other than Ellis's regular crew. As best
known, only Kendig, Moriarty and Kreamer are the only crew members
that are still living as of this 3 May 2006 date. [JoeUurice)
BEEDLE & WEBER
Mission: Kiel 351st Sqdn.
Date: 3 April 1945 A/C #43-38992
Source:MISSING AIR CREW REPORT #13717
Letter from Kermit E. Jones 17 JUNE 82.
| 2nd Lt William E. Baldwin, Jr.
|
P |
KIA |
-- |
| 2nd Lt Francis G. Beedle |
CP |
KIA |
FROM LT ELLIS CREW |
| F/O John H. Buckley |
NAV |
KIA |
-- |
| Sgt Leslie O. Davis |
TOG |
KIA |
-- |
| Sgt Kermit E. Jones |
ROG |
POW |
-- |
| Sgt Kenneth E. Wright |
TTE |
KIA |
-- |
| Sgt Randolph A. Goodwin |
BTG |
KIA |
-- |
| Sgt Alfred Mantopoli |
WG |
KIA |
-- |
| Sgt Ogden W. Barron |
TG |
KIA |
-- |
| S/Sgt Howard O. Weber |
Rad/Spot Jammer |
POW |
FROM LT ELLIS CREW |
This crew, with Robert C. Fletcher as pilot, joined the 100th GP on
4/3/45. He was LWA on 18/3/45 and apparently Lt Baldwin took over as
Pilot. Francis Beedle had been the CP on the crew of R. C. Ellis.
Howard Weber was the original TG on Lt Ellis Crew.
Eyewitness report had following to say: "A/C #992 was unable to
release bombs over target and retained them until formation reached
5417-0600E on return route. Bombs were then released. The A/C
appeared to be undamaged and continued on with the formation to
5405-0620E at 1850 hours when wheels were lowered and pilot called
over VHF saying he was low on gas and would try to get back alone.
The A/C peeled off and down toward the undercast. When the formation
reached 5250-0300E at 1952 hours, a VHF message from A/C 992 was
received saying that 80 gallons of gas per engine was left and the
A/C was an estimated 15 minutes from land. Nothing further was
heard. Other pilots suggest that cloud conditions were favorable for
icing and that A/C may have been lost due to ice picked up in
passing through clouds. "
Actually, icing was not the problem as Kermit Jones explains. "We
were returning from Kiel when it was discovered we were running out
of gas so we headed for Belgium. While in route, and over the first
Frisian Island off the Peninsula of Holland, at an altitude of 5000
feet, we were hit by flak which destroyed two engines and set the
ship on fire. "
According to Jones, he, Goodwin and Wright bailed out but the others
did not and the A/C exploded upon hitting the ground. Jones adds
that, "Sgt. Goodwin landed on the island (Texel) and shed his chute
and flying boots. These were later shown to us by the Germans with a
comment that Sgt. Goodwin was dead. The Germans at the same time
showed us the seven pairs of twisted and burned dog tags of
remaining members of the crew with a statement that they were all
dead. "
| 1st Lt Jerome S. Garrison |
P |
FEH |
-- |
| F/O Warren A. Storz |
CP |
FEH |
-- |
| 2nd Lt Francis J. Dolan |
NAV |
RFS |
After 6 Missions, Replaced by Lt Wallace
Polansky from Lt Ellis Crew |
| 2nd Lt George N. Yee |
BOM |
FEH |
-- |
| S/Sgt Harold F. Costaldo |
TTE |
CPT |
8 APR 45 EGER, MY (CZECH)
Replaced by T/Sgt Robert May from Lt Batterman /
Lt Knowles Crew |
| Cpl Steve J/ Kowalski |
ROG |
FEH |
-- |
| Cpl William H. Andrews |
BTG |
FEH |
-- |
| S/Sgt George F. Miller |
WG |
FEH |
sn# 3386826 |
| Cpl Robert J. Mackeigan |
TG |
RFS |
After 2 Missions. Replaced by S/Sgt. Elmer Hooper
from Lt Batterman /
Lt Knowles Crew |
351st Sqdn. . Crew, as above, joined the 100th on 21
Jan 1945
After six missions, Lt Wallace Polansky from Lt Robert Ellis Crew
replaced Lt Dolan. After 2 missions, S/Sgt Elmer Hooper from Lt
Batterman/Lt Knowles Crew replaced Cpl Mackeigan. S/Sgt Costaldo was
replaced by T/Sgt Robert May from Lt Batterman/Lt Knowles Crew. Crew
flew SKIPPER II 42-31708 EP-R. On March 28, 1945 this crew flew
SKIPPER II on its 100th MISSION to Hanover.
-end-
|
|