Target: Helmstedt - 20 February 1944 - Mission #38

On this date, the entire Eighth Air Force Bomber force was out to bomb targets in and around Berlin and, as far east as Danzig up in the eastern Baltic Sea. The 392nd’s aircrews were briefed at 0400 hours with the 578th assigned lead and Lt Joachim as lead Bombardier. At 0745, (36) B-24s took to the air for the briefed target of Halberstadt with Helmstedt finally being bombed as a Target of Opportunity. Fair results were achieved with (420) 500# GP bombs going down in the non-briefed target complex. Once again, enemy fighter attacks were heavy with some 35-40 single and twin-engine aircraft making passes and Group gunners claiming (5) kills. FW-190s and ME-109s were the predominant fighters engaged. Though flak was considered meager, (5) aircraft were damaged by aircraft fire and flak. Three (3) B-24s were lost by the Group on this raid. Two B-24s were lost as a result of crash landings on return to England. A 578th Squadron aircraft #340, pilot 2nd Lieutenant R. K. Goodwin, attempted landing at Southend to seek treatment for a seriously wounded crewmember, Staff Sergeant L. H. Brent who was hit by 20MM cannon fragments; the aircraft being damaged beyond repair and injuring one other crew man. In the 576th, 2nd Lieutenant C. E. Jones with damaged aircraft #938, landed at the 445th Bomb Group base of Tibenham southwest of Norwich demolishing the ship and injuring two crewmen, Staff Sergeant W. C. Surder and Technical Sergeant R. E. McAdams. Other mission aircraft began landing at approximately 1530 hours.

In his personal account of his war-time experiences, Harry E. Thomas, bombardier on the Jones crew, gives these details of their crash-landing: After leaving the target, four FW190s made several passes at their plane. One 20mm shell knocked out the #2 engine and one exploded near the top turret. For about 20 minutes, "we really had some aerial warfare," said Thomas. As a result, three other ships in their formation had one engine feathered and one ship had the entire back half of #3 shot off (he was later told that the wing came off this ship near their base). Then, "Just after we passed a B-24 base, circled back and passed it again, 'it' happened. Jack [Morris, the navigator] and I were still in the nose when the engines quit. We were a little over 500 feet then. Jack had on his head set and heard Johnny call to 'clear the nose and prepare for crash landing.' Jack glanced at me with excitement and shock on his face and then went through the passage like a scared rabbit. I don't know what prompted me to grab my chute but I did, glancing at the altimeter as I left. The needle was just before hitting 0 feet!

I had a quick glance through our open bomb bay just before Bodoh piled down beside Jack, Surber and I to see the ground and ship about to meet. We all clung together like a bunch of biddies.

When we first hit it was like a normal landing then it seemed like all hell broke loose. I felt the force of the turret above me and the fuselage on my right came the 'force of all forces' to smash us down and together. Then we stopped.

The first thing we did was have a rapid roll call. Everyone was smothering almost and had the force of a ship's part or the part of one of the other fellows on him. Johnny was almost hysterical wanting to help yet not having anything tangible to work on, or with. Finally, Sgt. McAdams who was behind and pressing on me worked himself loose. Just after we hit I had grabbed his leg thinking it was mine and yelled "My God, my leg, I can't feel anything." This let me come back just enough so that Johnny and I could get off. Surber pulled up between the pilot and co-pilot. He was bleeding profusely about the forehead. Next we managed to squirm just enough so that Johnny and I could pull Jack out from under the material which was stationary now, yet so close. Sgt. Bodoh got out from my left, next, then we finally had enough room so I could pull my right leg out from under me and Johnny could reach down to untie my left shoe. That foot had gone through the floor board and was stuck fast. After a few pulls, pushes, pulls and grunts got loose and they slid me down the left side of the fuselage into some on-looking Limey's arms… An ambulance was on the way for Jack and me. Surber had already been taken away. Sgt's Lane, Morris and Rossi who were in the waist at the time of our crash were unhurt. Neither were George and Johnny. Bodoh didn't think he was at the time, but later his back showed he had sprained it. Sgt. McAdams had a deep cut over his left eye. Jack and I were bruised all over with small cuts here and there. We looked over the scene from where we were laying and saw the house that George [Jones, the pilot] had miraculously missed before setting her down. There was a smooth path through the beet field until the ship began swerving when the #4 engine re-caught and the prop governor went out. We hit the ditch at the end of the field and this was what slung us around and caused most all of the damage to the ship and us."

According to an article in the August 1994 edition of the 392nd BGMA NEWS, "S/Sgt Landon H. Brent was the flight engineer on the R.K. Goodwin crew, flying their fourth mission. On the way in the formation was hit by about 50 ME 109's and FW 190's and the Goodwin a/c was severely damaged, losing two engines. Brent was hit in the back by a 20 mm cannon shell. The a/c began to lose altitude and could not maintain formation. Four P-47's provided cover as long as they could, and over the channel the B-24 was down to 5,000 feet. There was talk of ditching, but Lt Goodwin realized that Brent was seriously wounded and nursed the crippled plane to a crash landing at Southend. Brent was taken to a British hospital for treatment and later the attending doctor gave him the 200 mm shell that entered his back but did not explode. Brent still has the shell. He was transferred to a US hospital and while he was there the Goodwin crew was assigned to the 15th AF. Brent finished his tour flying with other crews, and two of his missions were on D-Day. Brent said in a letter to the NEWS: 'Sometimes I look at the 20 mm shell that hit me and I think of Lt Goodwin and Lt McGee (the co-pilot) and other crew members and the four P-47 pilots I never knew. I have not seen any of the crew since that day. I wish I could tell them how much I appreciate what they did for me."

Read Harry Thomas, Bombardier, 576 Squadron, first hand account, "It Can Happen To You", of this mission by CLICKING HERE

CASUALTIES NOT LISTED IN MACR

1/LT Peyton, John B.  (P) 579th         KIA
2/LT Rueffer, Arthur P. (CP) 579th      KIA
2/LT Gregory, George (NMI) (N) 579th    KIA
2/LT DeMontier, Herbert E. (B) 579th    KIA
T/S Smith, Orville L. (EnG) 579th       KIA
T/S Conner, Daniel Jr (NMI) (R/O) 579th KIA
S/S Burglund, Bermarr J. (G) 579th      KIA
S/S Bass, Ralph T. Jr (G) 579th         KIA
S/S LaVick, Kermit C. (G) 579th         KIA
S/S Welch, Roy E. (G) 579th             KIA

This aircrew and aircraft were returning from a combat mission to Helmstadt this day with the ship severely damaged from enemy fighter attacks. During an attempted emergency landing at the large English airfield at Manston, the plane exploded while on a landing approach killing all aboard. No other circumstance of this fatal loss is known from records available. Four (4) of this crew are interred at the CAMBRIDGE Cemetery: Lt. Peyton in Grave D-5-39 having been awarded a Silver Star for bravery, the Air Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart; Lt. Gregory in Grave D-2-29 and having been awarded the Purple Heart; Sgt. Berglund in Grave C-0-l 9 with a Purple Heart citation; and Sgt. Welch in Grave F-5-58 with an Air Medal award with Oak Leaf Cluster but no record of any Purple Heart been given posthumously. Home States of record for these men were noted as: Peyton (Illinois); Gregory (New Jersey); Berglund (Illinois) and Welch (Virginia). Their aircraft being flown this mission was #42-7529, a B24 H model nicknamed "CORAL PRINCESS", Call Letter "D-Bar" on it’s 20th mission.

CREW LOADING LIST - MISSION #38

1Lt C.L. Lowell and Capt. J.E. Slowik were aboard the PFF ship, #644.