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361st FG |
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News
Latest happenings from the association & related topics Last Updated August 2006 |
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361st FG |
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News
Latest happenings from the association & related topics Last Updated August 2006 |
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P-47 Identification Can you help us identify this P-47- marked E9-Z?
Steve Gotts thinks it is the mount of Billy D Welch of the 376th FS - can anyone confirm this? The query has been raised by Michael Rodgers of the 457th Bomb Group Association who is researching the photo for a B-17's crew members family. It pertains to the mission of the 11th April 1944. He writes" The 457th Bomb Group was based at Glatton (Station 130) about 8 miles south of Peterborough, England. It was part of the 94th Combat Wing, First Division, Eighth Air Force.
The April 11, 1944 mission to Sorau,
Germany was the Group's 25th mission of the war. The target was
the eastern complex of the FW-190 aircraft factories located at
an airdrome near Sorau. Overall, a thousand heavy bombers and
eight hundred escort fighters were involved in the operations of
the day. Remembering the occurrences of 9 April, the Group
expected a tough mission. The mission was flown at an altitude
of sixteen thousand feet.
The 457th supplied twenty-four aircraft to compose all the high and part of the lead box of the 94th A Combat Wing. Major Rod Francis was Air Commander of the high box with pilot Lt. Edward M. Bender. On the way to the target, heavy flak was encountered in the Hanover area. Two planes, piloted by Lt. Marsden W. Mattatal and Lt. Adrian W. Seabock, were knocked out of formation and returned to England badly damaged. However, five of Lt. Seabock's crew, including the navigator, parachuted. Frank T. Ingersoll, the ball turret gunner, parachuting down close to William B. Woodell, the radio operator, landed in high tension wires and was killed instantly. The other four crew became prisoners of war. The lead aircraft was also hit, had to salvo the bombs, but stayed with the formation. As they emerged from the flak, Me-109s were waiting, but escort fighters and gunners kept them away. The primary target was covered with clouds; so the formation headed north for the Politz Oil Refinery, the secondary target, where clouds and other wings prevented bombing. Targets of opportunity were bombed; and the aircraft took the Baltic Sea, Denmark, North Sea route back to Glatton, completing a ten hour mission. Thirteen craft sustained minor, and eight major, damage. The P-47 was photographed by Francis E. Cornue, the tail gunner of B-17G serial number 42-97088 flown by Adrian W. Seabock. This was the Seabock crew's 15th mission. The two pilots, bombardier, engineer and tail gunner were the five crew who did not bail out. According to the son of Francis E. Cornue, Lt. Seabock's airplane was escorted back to the UK by this P-47. He said his father remembered at one point the P-47 using its wing to lift the wing of the hard-to-control B-17. Eventually, the aircraft made an emergency landing at Ludham, an RAF base assigned to the USAAF, about 10 miles west of Norwich, England. None of the crew were injured in the landing. Lt. Seabock and crew, including five replacements, went on to complete a 35 mission tour. The damaged aircraft was repaired and returned to service. Exactly three months later, on July 11, 1944, B-17G 42-97088 exploded over England while forming up for a mission, killing three crew." Any help would be much appreciated in identifying the pilot and perhaps shedding more light on yet another example of the fantastic job the 361st did in protecting their 'big friends.' Jason Webb & Steve Gotts 361fg.com & Michael Rodgers 457th BG Assoc. The President's Corner Greetings Fellow Octogenarians Chapter 2: DILATE .....No, I don't mean the medical term; I'm referring to a longer life. Can we achieve the goal of one hundred years in 2020 performing the daily tasks and being alert ? How can we get there? Some times ago I realized that picking up a dropped object and standing up straight again was a chore; walking any distance was a problem; carrying a heavy package to the car was difficult. A year or so ago Rita joined a gym. After noticing the improvement in my bride's physical well being, I decided to "give it a shot." Too bad I didn't go with her sooner. Now I can walk further, stand more erect, have less pain and more energy, and overall I feel much better. What was lost in those years of sedentary living cannot be regained in days or weeks; it takes time and a lot of effort. A major basis for good health, well being and relieving stress is physical fitness. Like brushing your teeth, physical activity becomes a habit. The prize is worth the price. Keep healthy through activity. A good place to start is at our reunion, SO KICK UP YOUR HEELS IN SAVANNAH!! God Bless America.Henry Lederer, President.
From
The Editor's Desk Is it any wonder that General Sherman spared Savannah on his march through Georgia? As you will note in the Address Corrections column, Craig Quattlebaum has relocated to Alaska after accepting a position with Pen Air in June. Being located just a few miles out of Anchorage, he and Gail may get to meet another Associate Member, Jim Sterling and wife Ann. We send congratulations, wish them well, and hope the change in weather will be well tolerated. From information passed along by Joe Ormond, we learned that 361st FG ace, Ben Drew, participated along with a distinguished group of World War II fighter aces in attendance at a symposium sponsored by the No. Cal. Chapter of Friends of American Aces that was held at Travis AFB in June. Glad to hear that Ben is still making the rounds. It might be well to make mention at this time that our Bylaws state that "any member in good standing may propose an amendment to Association Bylaws provided such proposal is forwarded in writing to the Secretary no later than thirty (30) days prior to the date of the annual business meeting." It is also worth mentioning that only members whose dues are paid can have a vote in any action brought before the membership at the meeting. Since this is also a meeting at which officers are elected for the coming year, it is imperative to protect your right to vote. Another topic of importance will be up for consideration at the upcoming reunions --- whether we will, in fact, continue to survive as a viable organization, and if we decide to hang around a little longer, where will we hold next year's reunion? Along those lines, when Bill and Ginny Street visited England earlier this year, they met up with Steve Gotts and Jason Webb in Cambridge. During their conversations while visiting the sites of interest, having a reunion once again in the UK came up, and it would not be a surprise to see it proposed at the meeting. It will, of course, require a majority vote of those in good standing in attendance, which is another reason to keep your dues current. As we look forward to another good time in Savannah it might be well to pause for a moment to remember those in our group who cannot join us because of a sickness, an ailment, or because that old nemesis, Father Time, decrees otherwise. We wish them well, and hope for a brighter tomorrow for all. I hope to see you all in Savannah. Until then, remember the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "If you can't take part in the sport, be one anyway." Joe Redden
Secretary/Editor 361st Fighter Group Commemorated on Memorial Day in England, 30th May 2005 Conducted under the auspices of the United States’ Embassy, Third Air Force and the 48th Fighter Wing, in co-operation with the Cemetery Staff, the annual Memorial Day Service was held at the American Military Cemetery near Cambridge. As on many previous occasions, the service was well attended by both American and British servicemen, their wives and families, various groups of Second World War veterans and British friends. The focal point of the service was the presentation of floral decorations. This year, a total of 114 wreaths were paraded by US Air Force personnel along the Wall of the Missing, prior to their placement by the various representatives. On this occasion, the 361st Fighter Group Association was represented by Ray King, who in this picture was joined by his brother, Warrant Officer Ken King of No.104 (City of Cambridge) Squadron, Air Training Corps. Following the Firing of Volleys, Flag Raising and Taps, four F-15 Eagles from the 48th Operations Group, RAF Lakenheath, performed the “Missing Man” Formation, after which a pair of P-51 Mustangs, flown by Rob Davies and Maurice Hammond, performed a fly-by tribute.
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Little Walden Tower Becomes a Family Home
Having been built to a standard Air Ministry design in 1943, when Little Walden airfield was constructed between Hadstock and Little Walden villages in Essex, the airfield’s control tower stood derelict for over thirty years after the end of World War 2 while, apart from developments around the old technical site and the other T2 hangar, the airdrome itself was slowly but surely broken up for hardcore and reclaimed for agriculture.
It seemed that the old tower would go the way of so many other disused airfield buildings but, in the early 1980s, was given a new lease of life when it was acquired by Roger Lynn Associates (architects) and fully restored as drawing offices. A few alterations were made, notably to a balcony door and a few windows and with the addition of double-glazing, but essentially the tower regained its wartime appearance, largely due to the enthusiasm of the new owner. In fact, it was Roger’s interest in the history of Station F-165 that brought about the unveiling of the 361st Fighter Group memorial plaque in June 1984.
Today, Little Walden
tower is under new ownership and has been converted once again by local
businessman Adrian Thomas, this time into a family home for himself, his
wife and two young sons, but also incorporating a studio area for the
design of ladies wear. Inevitably, this involved a number of changes to
the internal layout but, perhaps surprisingly, the building still
retains most of its original external features, as shown in these
pictures taken in September 2004. Altogether, they present an
interesting comparison with the photograph taken sixty years ago.
(With thanks to Mr & Mrs Thomas and family.) Photo and text by Steve Gotts Hilgay P-51 Recovery In November 2004, the remains of one of the 361st Fighter Group’s longest serving aircraft were recovered near Hilgay in Norfolk, almost sixty years after it crashed during a low flying training mission on 22 June 1945. Piloted by Flight Officer Wade C. Ross of the 376th Squadron, P-51B 42-106638 suffered coolant failure, resulting in steam entering the cockpit, injuring the pilot. However, F/O Ross baled out safely and later received treatment for his burns at RAF Ely hospital.
Originally assigned to
the 376th Squadron in May 1944 at Bottisham, the Mustang was
named Impatient Virgin? and carried the squadron codes E9:R. In
July of that year, the aircraft featured in a number of official
publicity photos taken of 361st formations over England,
during which time it was flown by Lt. Victor E. Bocquin. Later that
year, it was assigned to Lt. John B. Bricker, recoded E9:B and
subsequently modified with the installation of a British made Malcolm
“bubble” sliding canopy, plus an additional fin fillet.
Although the crash-site was located in 2002 by aviation archaeologists David Wade and Jeff Carless, it was not until November 2003 that the first exploratory dig, by hand, was carried out. Even so, the results were spectacular. Items recovered included the windscreen armour glass, canopy cover and the pilot’s dinghy, which was in such good condition that it was capable of being inflated! Further digging also revealed a well preserved K-14 gunsight and the complete, but damaged, instrument panel bearing the radio call plate, confirming the aircraft’s identity.
Delayed by the sugar-beet harvest in late 2004, a full-scale excavation with a mechanical digger revealed yet more finds, especially from the cockpit area including the radio set, rudder pedals and pieces of the control column. Of special interest was part of the right side of the cockpit with the canopy crank handle and release lever still in position and, as a poignant reminder of the pilot who, it was later revealed, had sadly died in the 1960s, F/O Ross’ flying helmet was also discovered, left behind in his haste to escape the stricken Mustang.
Unfortunately, the Packard Merlin appeared to be beyond the reach of the digger, even though parts of it were found, along with sections of the engine bearers. However, another attempt at recovery may be made at a later date. Meanwhile, restored items from this 361st Fighter Group veteran will eventually be added to the displays in the 93rd Bomb Group Museum at Hardwick, in Norfolk.
(With thanks to David Wade, Jeff Carless and Wade C. Ross, Jr.) Photo and text by Steve Gotts |
