350TH SQDN. . CREW JOINED THE 100TH ON MAY 31, 1944. CREW FLEW A/C 337882
"HAPPY-GO-LUCKY" LN-W

WELLS CAME TO THE GROUP AS WG ON THE E. C. JONES CREW. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHY HE IS LISTED HERE . . . jb

WELLS MAY HAVE FLOWN A FEW MISSIONS WITH THIS CREW AS A REPLACEMENT GUNNER. HE WAS IN THE SPARE GUNNERS POOL AFTER HE WAS REMOVED FROM LT E. C. JONES CREW (CREW REDUCED TO NINE MEN). SEE COMMENT FROM SGT CASSELL FROM EC JONES CREW.

LETTER FROM CASSELL 21/6/91 SAYS CORDY RAMER REPLACED THE ORIGINAL BOM, FERREL O. MASON. ALSO THAT EUGENE R. WELLS WAS ON CREW WHEN IT CAME TO THE 100TH BUT REMOVED TO REDUCE CREW TO NINE MEN. WELLS APPEARS ON THE KASSEBAUM CREW AS A WG.

Missions of Lt Leslie E. Kassebaum (mpf 2002). All missions in 1944

WILLIAM J. RUSSELL, SR
20 SOUTH FIRST AVE
MINE HILL, NJ 07801-2911

Dear John;

I apologize for being so late and lax in joining the 100th Bomb Group Association, should have joined long ago. I was member of Les Kassebaum's (KASSEBAUM L. E. ) crew and flew my first mission (BERCK sur MER, SHORE DEFENSES) on June 11, 1944 - five days after D-Day. I was taken off our crew when it was decided the Radio Operator's gun could be removed, as not being helpful. All Assistant Engineers were made Spare Gunners. I flew two missions as a Spare Gunner, was then trained as a Togglier, and assigned to Lt Baker's crew, I believe for my last eight missions dropping bombs. I finished up with 25 missions, my crew flew 35 missions. My crew and I were very lucky in not getting a scratch in combat. On the day our 350th Sqdn was wiped out completely (9/11/44 RUHLAND, OIL REFINERY) I had left the base early to go see my cousin in another part of England, and my crew did not fly that day. I met them in London later and was really shocked when the told me. I was very happy to be picked as Flight Engineer for Colonel Jeffrey (JEFFREY T. S. COL GP CO) when he flew down to see our C. O. , Major Rosenthal (ROSENTHAL R. MAJ 350TH CO) in the hospital. I'll never forget it. I think Major Revegno (ROVEGNO E. LT COL) also went down, they tried to talk "Rosie" (ROSENTHAL R. MAJ) into going home. He said no and couldn't wait to get back flying missions again. Our crew truly represented the Unites States, being form 10 different states. Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, Tennessee, South Carolina, Minnesota, Texas, Illinois, Nebraska, and New Mexico.