MACR #7815 -- Microfiche #2862
A/C #42-107007 "SHE HASTA"
351st Sqdn. . This crew joined the 100th on 17 Jul 44

Note:
Lt. Stanley S. Diamond KIA 28 Jul 44 with the Albert S. Spear crew.

29 Jul 44 this crew suffered flak damage over the target (Merseburg) and was forced to ditch in the North Sea off the coast of Ameland. Made it to shore & immediately captured. Baumgarten severely wounded and went down with the A/C. William L. Greiner was flying as pilot to break in a new crew and became a POW

DATE: 29 July 1944 351st Sqdn.
A/C #42-107007 "SHE HASTA"
MISSION: Merseburg
MACR #7815l -- Micro-fiche #2862

All of the above except for William Greiner were members of the James D. Coccia crew, which had joined the 100th Gp. on 17/7/44. Greiner was flying as pilot on 29/7/44 "to break in a new crew".

EYEWITNESS: " A/C #007 was observed to have one engine smoking as it went over the target. It dropped back and took over the lead of the second element of the low squadron and gradually lagged further and further behind. Friendly fighters were all around and when last seen the A/C was under control and appeared to be in good condition. This A/C later was seen over Wesermunde by a flight of P-38s from Station 337, 479th Fighter Group. A jet-propelled E/A was attacking and was driven off by the P-38's. The B-17 was escorted until it reached the Frisian Islands where the P-38's were forced to return to England because of a shortage of gasoline. When last seen all engines were operating and the A/C was headed for home at 10, 000 feet. "

The A/C ditched in the North sea a few miles off the island of Ameland and all save Baumgarten made it to shore in the rafts. They were immediately taken prisoner.

Sgt. Baumgarten had been badly injured by flak (Left leg nearly torn off & wounds in abdomen) and was unconscious in radio room when plane ditched. Attempts by Sgt. Vuchetich & another to get him to a raft were not successful. Ship stayed afloat only about 30/45 seconds. This was the 2nd mission for the Coccia crew.

MISSIONS FLOWN BY LT ROBERT FULKERSON (mpf 2001)

1. 24/7/44 ST LO (with Lt E. J. Simmons Crew) Replacement Nav.
2. 25/7/44 ST LO (with Lt E. J. Simmons Crew) Replacement Nav
3. 28/7/44 MERSEBURG
4. 29/7/44 MERSEBURG-Flak damage

"I was the navigator on the James Coccia's crew in the 351st Squadron, 100th Bomb Group and arrived at Thorpe Abbotts on July 17, 1944. July 24 & 25 I flew as a replacement Navigator with the EJ Simmons Crew on the two St Lo Missions. July 28 & 29th, Coccia's crew flew on the Merseburg Missions. William Greiner, whose crew finished all their missions, flew with Coccia's crew on the July 29th Mission to "help break them in" and to fly his "last mission". On the July 29th mission, my fourth mission, as a result of losing one engine over the target, subsequent loss of a second engine by more flak and a brief encounter with a ME 163 German Jet fighter, our crew ditched our B-17 "SheHasta" in the North Sea. After four days at sea, having been spurned by a Danish ship on our second day at sea, we landed on Ameland, one of the Frisian Islands North of Holland. We were captured by the Germans as we landed on the beach.

After a few days in Holland, we were taken to Germany. At Stalag Luft III, located southeast of BERLIN. I lived in a room across the hall from where the tunnel began in the Great Escape, which occurred before I arrived. Fifty of the POW's that had escaped and had been re-captured were murdered by the German by orders from Hitler. Another Tunnel was ready to break out at the time the Russians were advancing in our direction. Hitler, not wishing to allow the Russians to liberate us, wanting to keep us as hostages, ordered us to evacuate the camp and march 56 miles in blizzard conditions before packing us into boxcars and shipping us to Stalag XIII D at Nurnburg. After two months at Stalag XIII D, American Forces began advancing in our direction. We were evacuated and forced to march approx 100 miles to Stalag VII A at Moosburg Germany. April 29, 1945, we were liberated by General Patton's Third Army. " (Lt Robert Fulkerson, Jan 2001 mpf)