2nd Lt. Gerald H. Steussy

2ND LT GERALD H. STEUSSY	P	POW	29 JUL 44	MERSEBURG, OIL REF & HILDESHEIM
F/O FRANK C. PETRDIL	CP	POW	29 JUL 44	MERSEBURG, OIL REF & HILDESHEIM
2ND LT HOWARD J. LEECH	NAV	POW	29 JUL 44	MERSEBURG, OIL REF & HILDESHEIM
2ND LT ALLAN J. MacALLISTER	BOM	POW	29 JUL 44	MERSEBURG, OIL REF & HILDESHEIM
S/SGT ANTHONY NOCCHIERO	ROG	POW	29 JUL 44	MERSEBURG, OIL REF & HILDESHEIM
S/SGT CARLOS E. McCUTCHEON	TTE	CPT	6 OCT 44	BERLIN (SPANDAU) AC PARTS
SGT JULIUS GREENWALD	BTG	POW	29 JUL 44	MERSEBURG, OIL REF & HILDESHEIM
SGT JOHN L. GAUNCE	RWG	POW	29 JUL 44	MERSEBURG, OIL REF & HILDESHEIM
SGT EDDIE D. DUMAS	LWG	NOC	28 JUL 44	MERSEBURG (CREW REDUCED TO 9)
SGT JODA D. TICER	TG	POW	29 JUL 44	MERSEBURG, OIL REF & HILDESHEIM

350TH SQDN.. CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 25 MAY 1944.. See S.O.C. page 82/83

ON 29 JUL 44 S/SGT EDWARD LOWTHER, FROM THE J.M. SHELLY CREW, WAS FLYING AS TTE AND BECAME A POW. THIS WAS THE CREW'S 19TH MISSION…pw

MISSIONS OF LT STEUSSY CREW

DATE	AIRCRAFT	TARGET
6/2/1944	102657 BOSS LADY	BOULOGNE
6/4/1944	102657 BOSS LADY	BOULOGNE
6/5/1944	102695 LN-F NO NAME	BOULOGNE(CHG)
6/6/1944	97621 LN-A NO NAME	OUISTREHAM
6/6/1944	97621 LN-A NO NAME	FALAISE
6/7/1944	31220 FLETCHERS CASTORIA II	NANTES (BRIDGES)
6/8/1944	31220 FLETCHERS CASTORIA II	TOURS (BRIDGES)
6/20/1944	31220 FLETCHERS CASTORIA II	FALLERSLEBEN
6/21/1944	32009 BLACK CAT 13	RUHLAND (START OF 1st RUSSION SHUTTLE MISSON)
6/26/1944	32009 BLACK CAT 13	DROHOBYCZ
7/3/1944	32009 BLACK CAT 13	ARAD (RUMANIA)
7/5/1944	32009 BLACK CAT 13	BEZIER (FROM ITLAY)
7/11/1944	32009 BLACK CAT 13	MUNICH (AERO ENGINES)
7/12/1944	102598 LN-Z NO NAME	MUNICH (IND. AREA)
7/13/1944	32009 BLACK CAT 13	MUNICH (JET ENGINES)
7/17/1944	37815 YOU CAN'T LOSE	AUXERRE & MONTGOURNOY
7/18/1944	32009 BLACK CAT 13	KIEL & HEMMINGSTADT
7/28/1944	97829 REGAL EAGLE	MERSEBURG (Sgt Dumas comes off crew to reduce to 9 men)
7/29/1944	97829 REGAL EAGLE	MERSEBURG

EYEWITNESS:
"A/C #829 was hit by flak over the target. Bombs were dropped; then the aircraft fell back among the stragglers and was not seen again."

Statement by Lt. Petrdil indicates that all nine members of the crew abandoned the ship about 30 miles west of Merseburg. The only apparent injury was a fractured foot suffered by Lt. MacAllister hitting the ground. They were leading the high squadron on this day. Crew, with the exception of T/Sgt Edward D. Lowther from the J.M. Shelly crew, had joined the 100th on 25 May 1944. (They found the 100th despondent over the loss of 15 crews at Berlin the day before , 24 May 44) Lowther was flying in place of the crew's regular TTE, T/Sgt Carlos E. McCutcheon who went on to complete his tour

Letter to Colonel Bill E. Thompson from Howard J. Leech dated 27 Oct 1995…pw

297 Shoreline Drive
New Bern, N.C. 28562
Oct. 27, 1995

Dear Bill,

"…You are correct that we were on the first shuttle mission to Russia in June, 1944, and some of the pictures are from this mission. Also, we were shot down over Germany on the July 29, 1944 bombing mission to Merseberg. I will give you the account from my "kriegie's diary8 and my memory of other details. We were hit by flak two minutes before the target in the number four engine. Initially the propeller couldn't be feathered, but later that was accomplished. We left the formation making a turn to the right and losing altitude, and dropped our bombs at 1010. Leaving Merseberg we flew to the rally point and took the planned course for return to England, hoping to rejoin the other planes as they descended on the way home. We never saw any U.S. fighter planes which we hoped could escort us on the return to England. Before long we saw parachutes below us and realized that a plane ahead of us had probably been picked off by German fighters. Sure enough, it wasn't long before a Folke-Wulf 190 found us. He came in from about 6 or 7 o'clock low and fired two 20 mm shells at close range. My radio was knocked out at this point, so I give you the damage report from what others told me later. I was told that one shell went through the waist and the second hit in the left wing starting a fire between No. 1 and No. 2 engines. I know the F-W 190 flew past us quite close, and we were all firing at him. I can't see how we missed him, but he flew on away as if he hadn't been hit. The pilot dived our plane in an attempt to put out the fire, but the attempt did not succeed. We were deep in Germany with little hope of getting back to England, and risking an explosion of the wing gas tank at any time, so the pilot gave the order to bail out about 1025."

"I pulled the rip-cord, felt a jerk, and then saw the white chute above me. It was just like being suspended in mid-air; I couldn't see or feel any movement whatsoever. I also recall the deep quiet after the roar of the engines while we were in the plane. I looked around and could see one other chute than my own, and perhaps a mile away our plane was making a slow bank to the left, losing altitude, and smoking profusely". I was fortunate to come down near a small creek or irrigation ditch and slipped my chute so I landed in the creek. As I climbed out of the water, local people were running across the field, and at about the same time an English-speaking German doctor arrived and took charge. He told me of extensive damage in Hamburg and Munich, and mentioned having relatives in Milwaukee or Minneapolis. He took me to a village about one half; mile away where some local authorities took all my possessions, including my watch and-the escape kit (which was apparently never turned in, for I was questioned about it several times later). Soon a Wehrmacht soldier arrived, and we retraced our steps to the place where I had landed. When the doctor left, the soldier clapped my boots and Mae West over my shoulder and motioned to pick up the parachute which he had been carrying, and shouted l'Raus, Raus!!" I double-timed to the next town about 1 k; miles away, letting the chute slide out from time to time to get a chance to stop and get my breath. When I did, I was kicked in the butt or clapped over the head. Before long we arrived at Weisensee, a slightly larger town, where I was put in a cell in the local jail. It was poorly built, and I had visions about trying to break out that night (which I realized later would have been futile). That evening, I was taken out and met our pilot, Gerry Steussy, and we were driven to a Luft Waffe base in Erfurt, where we were kept for several days. Then we were taken by train with other prisoners to Frankfurt where we were in the interrogation center (they knew much more about the 100th bomb group than I did!!). We then were sent to Wetzlar to the transit center (Dulag Luft). Here, I found that all our crew had managed to get out of the plane, and were safe. The bombardier, "Mac" MacAllister, broke his ankle on landing and was taken to the hospital. At Dulag Luft, the enlisted men were separated from the officers and sent to another prisoner-of-war camp. Gerry Steussy, Pete@ Petrdil, and I were sent to Stalag Luft III at Sagan. By that time, the American compound must have been getting pretty full, and I believe we were the first or one of the first to be put in the North compound with the British. We were given a room for all Americans in Block 121.

I will not detail life Stalag Luft III, as you are undoubtedly familiar with that. In late January, we made that terrible march out of Sagan for two days in blizzard conditions to a French POW camp near Sorau. After a day or so, we marched on to Spremberg, and I believe it was at this time that we rejoined the American prisoners from other compounds of Stalag Luft III. Then it was over-crowded 40 & 8 boxcars for several days journey to Nurnberg. I recall food shortage and the Green Deathll soup provided by the Germans at Nurnberg, and crowded barracks without even straw mattresses for some time. etc., etc. We left Nurnberg on April 4, and marched over the ensuing days about 150 kilometers to Moosberg, where we were liberated on April 29, 1945. After a few days we were flown by C-47 out of Landshut to Le Havre and put up at Camp Lucky Strike until we were assigned a ship to take us back to America.

I have rambled on here, as I remember those days. I'm sorry to say that Gerry Steussy died several years ago. I am still in contact with MacAllister, and know the whereabouts of Petrdil and Greenwald, but have not been able to locate any others of the crew. I had hoped to be able to find them and send them some pictures of our war years together.

Sincerely,
Howard J. "Bill" Leech

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