350th Sqdn. Original 100th Crew #11  A/C #42-5862  DURATION PLUS SIX  - MACR #678

ON THE REGENSBURG MISSION THIS CREW WAS THE LEAD CREW OF THE SECOND ELEMENT, LOW SQUADRON. AT 1020 FIGHTERS ATTACKED THE LOW SQUADRON OVER EASTERN BELGIUM AND SEVERELY DAMAGED THE AIRCRAFT CAUSING CLAYTOR TO SOUND THE BAIL-OUT ALARM. EIGHT OF THE MEN ABOARD GOT OUT SAFELY, BUT MUSANTE'S CHUTE CAUGHT ON THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND WAS KILLED WHEN THE PLANE EXPLODED IN MID-AIR OR WHEN IT CRASHED. WILLIAM M. HINTON, WHO WAS FLYING IN PLACE OF ROBERT WUSSOW APPARENTLY DID NOT BAIL OUT- HE MAY HAVE STAYED TOO LONG TO ASSIST MUSANTE- AND WAS KILLED. BOTH HINTON AND MUSANTE WERE GIVEN A MILITARY FUNERAL AND WERE BURIED 20 AUG 43 ON THE AIRDROME AT ST. TROND. HINTON'S GRAVE NUMBER IS #287 AND MUSANTE'S #268 

Two other replacements flying on the crew that day were, William M. Quinn as radio operator and Clifford R. Starkey as tail gunner.  Starkey became a POW but Quinn evaded capture and made it back to England. Claytor, Nutting, Burgin and Bailey also were successful in evading capture and, after months with the underground, got back to England. Kenny Lorch was finally made a POW after hiding out nearly eight months. It was the 10th mission for most of the crew but only number two for Hinton.

When questioned, after the war, as to Musante, Claytor had this to say: "He was a strange boy and was frequently given to air sickness.  I think he was actually afraid of the air.  However, I mentioned having him removed from the crew several times but he always persuaded me to keep him.  He seemed to be brave and courageous except I believe he had an inherent fear of the air.  I admired him very much and have never seen him fail in anything but I do believe he was afraid to bail out.

Charles Bailey's statement as regards Musante was as follows: "Musante was the youngest and I was the oldest. I always took a personal interest in him because I was  older then he, and he seemed to depend on me to a great extent.  He always had trouble hearing over the intercom and I always made it a point to be sure that he always understood the commands given over the intercom so when the pilot gave the command to bail out I checked with Musante and he started making preparations to bail out.  We both went to the escape hatch and I pulled the emergency release, and Musante stepped up to jump but for same reason he changed his mind, and motioned for me to jump first. Because two engines were on fire, and the plane seemed to be going down fast, I couldn't see any reason to waste more time, so I jumped. After my chute opened, I tried to keep my eye on the plane to see how many chutes opened but all I could ever see was eight chutes. The underground organization that helped me told me that one of the crew members was killed when the plane went down because his chute hung on the plane and from their description I knew it was Musante.

Regarding the Regensburg Mission
From Century Bombers by Richard Le Strange, Page 24:

One of the first planes to be shot out of the sky, 'Alice from Dallas' (42-5867), was piloted by Roy Claytor, who with Crew 11, led the second element of the low squadron, which was attacked at 10.20 while over eastern Belgium.

The co-pilot Raymond (Jim) Nutting, recollects the crew were more interested in watching the incoming fighters that none of them paid much attention to the flak until a burst suddenly smashed the left aileron and holed the wing in several places, although the engines continued to function.  Peeling off to the right, the pilot 'sounded the bail-out alarm,' while the aircraft continued on an erratic course, 'to come back on the formation,' by which time 'it was on fire from stem to stern.'  Luckily, according to gunner Gordon Williams, who only minutes before had been flying in the plane on their left, 'it didn't quite catch up.'

Jim Brown writes: 'Eight of the men aboard got out safely but Edward Musante's chute caught on the horizontal stabilizer and, when the plane exploded in mid-air, or when it crashed, he was killed.  William M. Hinton, who was flying his second mission in place of ball turret gunner Robert Wussow, apparently did not bail out - he may have stayed too long to assist Musante and was killed. 

Two other replacements survived.  Gunner Clifford Starkey was taken prisoner of war, while radio operator William Quinn, 'evaded capture and made it back to England'.  The rest of the crew were on their tenth mission.

The pilot, co-pilot, engineer John Burgin and gunner Charles Bailey, also evaded the enemy and 'after months with the underground, got back to England.'  The bombardier Kenneth Lorch, was taken prisoner of war 'after hiding out for eight months.'  Previous to this, he was 'held up' in Paris for three months, but travelled freely in the city.  He was captured at Bordeaux as he made his way to Spain and the Frenchman who had given him shelter was executed by the Germans.

Sergeant Bailey, who returned to Thorpe Abbotts in January 1944, as did Lieutenant Nutting, recalls: 'Musante was the right waist gunner.  I always took a personal interest in him because I was older than he, and he seemed to depend on me to a great extend.  He always had trouble hearing over the intercom and I always made it a point to be sure that he understood the commands given over the intercom, so when the pilot gave the command to bail out I checked with Musante and he started making preparations to bail out.  We both went to the escape hatch and I pulled the emergency release, and Musante stepped up to jump, but for some reason he changed his mind, and motioned for me to jump first.  Because two engines were on fire, and the plane seemed to be going down fast, I coudln't see any reason to waste more time, so I jumped.  After my chute opened, I tried to keep my eye on the plane to see how many chutes opened, but all I could see was eight...  The underground organization that helped me told me that one of the crew members was killed when the plane went down because his chute hung on the plane and from their description I knew it was Musante.

MISSION LIST LT CLAYTOR:
(courtesy of Paul Andrews-Luck of the Draw appendix)