THOSE LISTED ABOVE WERE DEFINITELY ON THE ORIGINAL CREW OF LT JOHN J. RARING IN OCTOBER 1943

OTHER POSSIBLE NAMES THAT COME UP FOR ORIGINAL CREW MEMBERS ARE:
LT A. J. O’LAUGHLIN BOM
LT JAMES J. LUX- BOM
S/SGT B. MOORE? TG
 

349TH Squadron, Assigned to Thorpe Abbotts October 1943.

From T/Sgt John P. Cooper (May 6, 2001)

"I arrived at Thorpe Abbotts in September 1943, Rosie arrived with the same group. I flew 5 missions with Lt John Raring, he broke his arm and from then on, I flew with at least six different Pilots. When Cowboy Owen Roane flew his last mission that was supposed to be a "Milk Run", I was his radio operator. The milk run was close to being a catastrophe when a 20MM shell exploded in our gas tank. Finally, around May 1944, I was assigned to a permanent crew and finished flying my last mission with Lt J. Trapnell. On July 17, 1944 on a mission to Auxerre (Not Bremen as John Cooper thought), our plane was severely damaged but we were lucky to reach the English Channel and the Crew bailed out."

349th SQUADRON, 100TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H)
Office of the Squadron Commander
11 August 1944

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

This will introduce, and highly commend, Technical Sgt. John P. Cooper, 32431713, who has flown nineteen (19) combat missions over Germany and German Europe in B-17 aircraft of this Squadron.

Technical Sgt. Cooper, a radio operator, proved himself a brave and cool combat airman under conditions of great peril and stress, and performed his highly exacting and essential duties excellently at all times. He participated in some very long, dangerous and difficult missions, escaping death narrowly on several occasions.

Aside from his fine combat record, I regard Technical Sgt Cooper as a young man of high character, good intellect and pleasant personality, well worthy of trust in any position or assignment requiring his specialized technical knowledge and skill.

SAM L. BARR
Major, Air Corps
Commanding 349th Sqdn.

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HEADQUARTERS
100TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H)

11 August 1944

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Technical Sgt. John P. Cooper, 32431713, is well known to me personally, and I wish to commend him as a brave and skillful combat airman who has flown nineteen (19) combat missions over German and German Europe.

As Radio Operator in B-17 aircraft, Technical Sgt Cooper made a fine record for courage, coolness and complete reliability in this very position. He displayed notable alertness and skill in his duties, being rewarded as on of the best Radio Operators of his unit. His missions included some of the toughest operations carried out during his tour of duty in the ETO.

I believe Technical Sgt. Cooper to be a man of sound principals, active mind and good hearing and feel his record merits his favorable consideration for any job or appointment for which his technical training might qualify him.

SUMNER REEDER
Major, Air Corps.

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INCOMPLETE MISSIONS OF S/SGT JOHN P. COOPER (mpf 2002)

349TH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON (H) ARMY AIR FORCES
Office of the Operations Officer
APO 569

4 August 1944

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

On 17 July 1944 at 0925 hours the following Combat Crew, assigned to this organization, parachuted from an abandoned B-17G somewhere over England. Aircraft was abandoned account of fire.

FRED W. CRAFT JR.
1st Lt. . Air Corps
Asst Ops Officer.

The aircraft on July 17, 1944 was A/C# 42-102977 was called "TRAPS".

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Time line for T/Sgt John P. "Sparky" Cooper

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S/SGT HOPKINS MISSIONS AFTER LT RARING CREW IS BROKEN UP: FLEW WITH THE CREWS OF: CAPT MARK V. WILSON, LT M. A. EHORN,

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S/SGT KENNETH V. HALE MISSIONS AFTER LEAVING LT RARING CREW. FLEW ALL MISSIONS BELOW WITH LT WINANS SHADDIX CREW

DATE: 27 April 1944 349th Sqdn. A/C #42-3534

TARGET: Thionville AF, France MACR #4268

This crew, except for Lestico, Cortelletty & Hale, had joined the 100th Group on 9/3/44-

EYEWITNESS REPORT: "A/C #534 was hit by flak as it left the target area at 1939 hours. No. 3 engine began to smoke and the A/C began to lag. It remained with the formation however, until 2010 hours when 10 chutes were seen to come out, and the A/C descended in slow spirals, apparently under AFCE control. '

WITNESSES: Capt. Van Steenis, Lt. McGuire, Lt. Harris

In a statement by Lt. Shaddix dated 7 (Dec. ?) 1944 he says that the A/C crashed near Ardoye, Belgium and exploded upon impact. It was on fire in air. He and Erb slightly injured. Seven men reported to have been captured by Germans and one man evading. Believed the evadee to

be Lt. Sullivan. (Shaddix did not know Sullivan had been captured at a later time. . pw)

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LT JOHN J. RARING AFTER BROKEN ARM HEALS,

CREW

418TH SQDN. . CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 26 FEB 1944. THE CP (Lt John J. Raring) HAD TRANSFERRED FROM THE 349TH TO THE 418TH ON 26 FEB 1944. ACCORDING TO THE DAUGHTER OF S/SGT DANIEL MCGILL, THIS CREW WAS TRANSFERRED FROM NORTH AFRICA TO ENGLAND AND WERE ASSIGNED TO 100TH BG. INFO SKETCHY ON THIS BUT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THIS CREW COMPLETING THEIR TOUR OF DUTY OF 30 MISSIONS BY THE END OF APRIL. SINCE SOME OF THE CREW WERE ONLY IN THE GROUP UNTIL APRIL 44, THEY COULD NOT HAVE COMPLETED 30 MISSIONS IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME UNLESS THEY HAD FLOWN OTHER MISSIONS IN THE 12AF OR 15TH AF. 2ND LT JAS M. HENRY, BOM CPT 29 JAN 45 KASSEL (FROM LT SAMUEL BARRICK CREW) FILLED IN AS A BOM ON THIS CREW

INCOMPLETE LIST OF MISSIONS FOR THIS CREW:

CREW

350th Sqdn. Crew as above, joined the 100th Group on 12/4/44. MACR #4947, Micro fiche #4947 A/C B 17G 42 38191. On 19/5/44, a 1st Lt John J. Raring was flying as CP and was KIA (He is on WALL OF THE MISSING) A/C #191 was shot down by E/A on their first pass through the formation at 1518 hours. It went down under control circling to the right. Six chutes came out as a/c went down. When last seen all props were turning and there was no smoke coming from the a/c. The crash was seen by some fishermen from Rodbyhavn, and they went to the crash point and picked up Lt. Barbour, but despite intense search in the area no other survivors llere found. Body of S/Sgt Hick was found at sea near Vejlo Island in Nakskov Fjord on 24/7/44 and he was buried at Sandby Cemetery. Body of Haswell & Hicks was found at sea 12 km W of Rodbyhavn on 22/7/44 They were buried in Rodby Cemetery. In 1948 S/Sgt Hick's remains were exhumed and returned to U. S. A. S/Sgt Haswell is still resting in the Rodby Cemetery.

Statement by Lynn Barbour "At the time of the first attack fire was started by enemy action, near the forward escape hatch. I immediately tried to extinguish it. In moving from my position; in the nose of the ship to the location of the fire, my inter phone & oxygen system were disconnected, therefore I was not in communication with the other members of the crew from the time the attack started until I bailed out.

As we were immediately put out of action, and the plane was out of control, there was no time to re-establish inter-phone communications. Not certain whether the crew had been notified to abandon ship, I shouted at the navigator to ascertain that fact and he did so. The plane being out of control and pilotless we had no choice but to bail out.

In your investigation as to the fate of my crew members, I suggest you contact Mr. James MacDougall, Nakskov Hospital, Nakskov, Denmark. He did, and should still be able to contact fishermen who rescued me from the Baltic Sea. I believe I was docked by these fishermen at a small town named Rodby, which is a small fishing village, believed to be East of the town of Nakskov on the Island of Lloland. I am not certain this is the correct name of the village, but this could be definitely ascertained from Mr. MacDougall, mentioned above. Mr. MacDougall could also put you in touch with a Doctor from this village who attended me at the dock. When rescued from the sea I was unable to make the fishermen understand that there were other crews in the area, due to my own mental and physical incapacity from injuries and exposure and also due to the language difficulties. None of the fishermen could speak or understand English. Upon reaching land, I was able to contact a person who spoke English. When the situation was described to him he promised to send the boats to conduct a search for the other crew members. I personally believe this was not done and also further believe that if such a search had been conducted other members of the crew would definitely have been found alive or their bodies would have been found floating with the support of their Mae West life vests. I was a patient at Nakskov Hospital for a period of three months, and during this time, upon repeated inquiries, I never received definite confirmation other boats were sent out. All inquires were instituted through Mr, MacDongall, who is the son of Dr. MacDongall, Head of the Nakskov Hospital, Nakskov City, Island of Lloland, Denmark. "

Signed: Lynn H. Barbour
 1st Lt. A. C. O-761287

Items found on the body of Sgt Hick, which washed ashore on 24 Jul 1944 :
1 Plain finger ring
1 Bracelet with plate engrave (Thomas E. Hicks and Caroline V. Barth)
1 Chain with I. D. tag
8 Photos
1 Box of pills
1 Rubber bag
1 Dictionary in cellophane.

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S/SGT LEON E. MACDONALD INFO

Mission: Gelsenkirchen
Date: 5 Nov 1943349th Sqdn. .

CREW:

Operations Report says: "Plane was hit in #! Engine after bombs away. All crew members except Pilot and Co-pilot bailed out, on orders, over the target area. " Flesh and Gossage managed to fly the ship back to England.

NOVEMBER 1943. MISSION GILSENKIRCHEN. "SQUAWKIN HAWK" PILOTED BY WILLIAM FLESH AND CO-PILOTED BY JOHN GOSSAGE, LOST IT'S CREW, INCLUDING OMAR GONZALES, 'ONCE GROUP NAVIGATOR' WHEN AFTER SUSTAINING HEAVY BATTLE DAMAGE, THEY WERE ORDERED TI BAIL OUT AND EVERYBODY EXCEPT THE PILOTS JUMPED. ON RECOVERING CONTROL, LIEUTENANT FLESH AND GOSSAGE BROUGHT THE SHATTERED PLANE BACK, TO LAND AT TANGMERE IN KENT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE RADIO OPERATOR, CONNOR BRESTER WAS KILLED WHEN HIS PARACHUTE FAILED TO OPEN. THE ENGINEER HAROLD POPE AVOIDED CAPTURE AND AIDED BY THE UNDERGROUND MANAGED TO GET BACK TO ENGLAND. WAIST GUNNERS GEORGE GINEIKIS AND LEON MACDONALD ALSO BECAME EVADEES. THE REST WERE TAKEN PRISONER OF WAR. THIS FORTRESS WAS REPAIRED AND RETURNED TO COMBAT STATUS. THE BADLY DAMAGED "SQUAWKIN HAWK" WAS REPAIRED AND RESTORED TO OPERATIONS. SHE BECAME THE FIRST 100^TH AIRCRAFT TO COMPLETE 50 MISSIONS. WITH HER SKIN AUTOGRAPHED BY THE MEN OF THE 100TH, SHE WAS FLOWN BACK TO THE STATES FOR A WAR BOND TOUR.

Message: S/Sgt Leon E. 'Al' MacDonald, 32287971 He is listed as E&E 256 and was the 208th evader helped by the famous Comete line, crossing into Spain on 27 Nov 43, together with fellow crew man George Gineikis.