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By Stacy Scharch -
B-17 copilot, fifteen (15) missions with 487th Bomb
Group, January 7 to April 21, 1945. Campaigns: Air
Offensive, Europe; Rhineland;
Ardennes-Alsace; Central
Europe.
Crew and Aircraft
Assigned:
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Althouse Crew:
Commanded by
1/Lt Richard L.
Althouse; served thirteen missions total on three B-17s.
B-17G Mean Widdle Kid #43-37987 missions #1-5, 7-11,
13 (11 total)
B-17G
Paddlefoot
#42-97969
mission #6
(The History of the
487th Bomb Group (H)
B-17G Snake Bite #43-38042
mission #12
Two Crews of Mean Widdle Kid
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McDonagh Crew:
Commanded by 1/Lt John McDonagh; served two missions
total.
B-17G Gravel Gertie #43-39188 missions #14 and #15
(487th Bomb
Group (H) Association)
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RICHARD F. BAER,
born in 1923, of Madison, Wisconsin
and was the eldest son of Pauline (Farrell) and Raymond W. Baer. The family
purchased and moved into their first house in the West Lawn Heights
neighborhood of Madison at 2206 Hollister Avenue that same year. Dick's
father, Raymond, worked as manager of Globe Baking Company for his
father, Charles E.H. Baer, who was president of the corporation. In
1928, Ray Baer started up a successful insurance agency that is still in
existence today. In 1936, the Baer family moved into a new larger home
in Nakoma, a new neighborhood development on Madison's west side. The
new home had five bedrooms, an attached double garage, and was
completely clad in brick and topped with cedar shingle roof.
He
was a graduate of Madison West High School in 1941. It was during
his freshman year, at University of Wisconsin in Madison, when Pearl
Harbor was attacked. According to the U.S. National Archives and
Records Administration Baer joined the Army Air Corps as a private,
one
year later,
on
December 7, 1942.
As a cadet, Baer attended flight schools in
the states of Texas,
Arizona, California, and Florida where he became skilled at flying basic single
and advanced multi-engine aircraft under the U.S. Army Air Force.
On
January 7, 1943, Dick completed basic training and received the
"Champion Athletic Award" certificate, the title of which he found
humorous. The United States Army Air Force selected him for pilot
training on August 23, 1943 and sent him to Texas Technical College,
Cadet Training Detachment in Lubbock, Texas.
A
few months later, in a telegram dated December 2, 1943 to his parents
and siblings, Dick announced he 'soloed' in an Army aircraft trainer at
cadet school. He describes his fond experience of learning to fly in a
1943
AAF Christmas card to his family, featuring aircraft
formation photo of the
Ryan PT-22 "Recruit" primary trainer.
Continuing his ongoing training as a cadet for another six months, he
finally graduated as a pilot Second Lieutenant on June 27, 1944 and
received an "Advanced Pilot School Diploma". With high
spirits, he sent
his parents a
telegram from Pecos, TX proclaiming,
“...WINGS AND BARS ARE MINE. MUST
REPORT TO YUMA ARIZONA JULY 9TH..." Father, Raymond,
replied to his son's news with a
poem he wrote entitled, "THIS DAY MY SON PUTS ON HIS WINGS".
Dick
had two weeks of leave and returned home to his family in Madison before
resuming further training. Originally, he was scheduled to report to an
advanced flying school and
airfield near Yuma, AZ to undergo aerial formation flight
training. Dick's wife, Anne Baer, said
he was sent to California for advanced training instead.
He
may not have gone to Yuma, AZ for as long as first expected, if he did
at all. According to an old military pass/ID card found in his
scrapbook, dated October 7, 1944, Lt. Baer was stationed at
MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida, a major staging area for
Army Air Corps flight crews, and received "transitional training" in a
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress.
On
October 25, he sent another telegram home to his family, in Madison,
letting them know again that he was, “okay”. Then on December 13, 1944,
while embarking for Europe, he sent another telegram from "NYJ". Anne
Baer said he went over on a converted troopship the
Ile de France, an old French luxury liner, taking the
21-year-old airman across the Atlantic Ocean to the United Kingdom into
the
European Theater.
Richard F. Baer was assigned to the 839th Bombardment Squadron, part of
the 487th Bombardment Group, 4th Bomb Wing and the 3rd Air Division of
the
Eighth Air Force under the command of the United States Army
Air Force (USAAF) at Station 137 Lavenham, Suffolk, England.
Around 1943, the USAAF was given parcels of farmland to build an
airfield, which included several operations buildings and housing for
its airmen, in preparation for the Allied invasion. The airfield is
located in the remote countryside of Suffolk County, England, about 70
miles northeast of London and two miles northwest of Lavenham, an old
medieval village. It is a peaceful community of about 2,000 inhabitants
with several half-timbered medieval cottages, mansions and a unique old
church.
Station 137 was built as a temporary base and housed the entire 487th
BG. It had a total
complement of about 300 officers and 1,500 enlisted men to fly and
support 48 heavy bombers for the
836th, 837th, 838th and 839th
Bombardment Squadrons. The 487th was also nicknamed
"Gentlemen From Hell"; its patch included a caricature of a
red devil worn on crewman jackets. The base was barely two years old
when Dick and his crew arrived for combat duty.
Lt.
Baer was with the 839th Bombardment Squadron and copiloted a
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (a/c #43-37987) called
Mean Widdle Kid. The ten-man crew was commanded and piloted
by Lt. Richard L. Althouse. Their ship was one of a dozen or more B-17s
that made up the 839th Squadron. The nose art on their
Flying Fortress was a cartoon figure of a popular cartoon character
called Junior the Mean Widdle Kid, a young troublemaker portrayed by
comedian/actor Red Skelton. The caricature was painted on the left side
of the B-17’s nose, and shows Junior marking off the number of missions
completed by the crew from 34 to 35, the final number need to go home.
Every crewmember was required to complete 35 combat missions before
their tour of duty ended. Dick only completed 15 missions due to
surgery for problematic sinuses and the end of war in Europe. Many of
his missions typically departed by 05:30 or later from Station 137.
“Daylight bombing”, as it was known, required crews to be woken as early
as 02:00 to dress, eat breakfast then assemble for mission briefing
where their target was unveiled. These young men, many between 19-22
years old, routinely spent several hours cramped inside their ships on
air raids over German occupied territory.
Formation take-offs were carefully planned and calculated down to
the second. Each aircraft had to take off in specific order every 30
seconds, fly straight for a specific amount of time, turn 180 degrees,
then pull into position alongside the leader’s wing to form their
squadron, all while ascending in altitude. Typically, nine Flying
Fortresses were in a squadron. Each squadron had a lead plane; they
followed to join up with, usually three, other squadrons to assemble
their group. Bomb groups joined other groups to form a bomb wing. Bomb
wings assembled into divisions, forming an armada of as many as 2,000
planes on some missions.
As
crews like the Mean Widdle Kid departed England, enroute to targets in
Europe, they typically flew over the North Sea into enemy territory.
Crews spent long periods packed inside the tight compartments of their
B-17s all loaded with high explosive bombs. Pilots struggled to
maintain tight orderly formation while flying alongside each other at
speeds over 200 mph. They typically flew at high altitudes of around
35,000 feet where temperatures often reached -30°F
or more. Riding in an unheated and non-pressurized cabin required
crewman to wear electrically heated suits and breath through oxygen
masks above 10,000 feet.
These formations
had a precise staggered pattern with only 50-feet of horizontal and vertical
space separating each bomber plane. This allowed for
simultaneous bomb release and minimized hits from enemy fire to an
armada of deeply stacked B-17s that often stretched for miles.
There was little room for error, separating each four-engine bomber.
Any evasive maneuver, while being pummeled by overwhelming German air
defenses, could not be made without colliding into another Fortress.
Everyone had to stay in position and on course
along a predetermined
route even, while under fire. It was almost impossible to avoid collateral damage
from another ship if you were in its path of its debris. Pilots had to keep cool
and fly
straight through enemy attacks from both ground and air while
maintaining precise control of their bulky aircraft. Meanwhile, the
other crewmembers worked the .50 cal. machine guns, scanning the skies
for "bandits" and shooting back as they strafed their ships,
There was a lot of activity aboard a Flying Fortress.
These B-17 crews had a high mortality rate as they conducted bombing
raids in Europe against the Nazi regime during WWII. U.S. airmen
routinely encountered flak (anti-aircraft artillery) from the
Wehrmacht's 88mm ground batteries as well as, gun and cannon fire from
enemy aircraft. Flak exploded all around the B-17 groups and many crews
witnessed other planes go down, often just feet away with their friends
onboard. Crewmembers felt helpless as their bombers flew into flak
barrages with black
clouds of smoke filling the sky.
Pilots struggled to avoid mid-air collisions by bumping into each
other. It was a tall order to maintain a safe distance, stay on course,
return enemy fire, and wait frantically for the bombardier/togglier to
throw the switch dropping the bombs. If clouds or smoke obscured the
target, they would have to return to destroy the target or select
another “target of opportunity.”
They
had to fly right through artillery explosions; the sound was a hailstorm
of shrapnel hitting the outside of their B-17, or much like gravel
hitting metal. A near hit would penetrate the thin aluminum skin and
damage their mighty yet vulnerable Flying Fortresses. A direct hit was
usually fatal. In some instances, Fortresses sustained direct hits and
miraculously returned with heavy battle damage. B-17s were rugged
aircraft; they could sustain heavy battle damage from flak and gunfire.
It
was not too uncommon to see a battle damaged B-17 with vital parts
missing following a mission. Some would return to base without wing
tips, vertical stabilizers, rudders, flaps, or with the entire nose of
the aircraft gone.
As
soon as the Bombardier hit the switch, the plane abruptly jumped after
releasing 8,000 pounds of bombs at once. Squadrons then maneuvered to
change direction and headed toward a predetermined rally point, to
return to England, flying back through more barrages of flak and bullets
from enemy fighters.
By
the time they were out over sea, crews could regain their composure;
assess each other and their planes for battle damage. It was now
several hours later from the time they began their day. Not until
safely landing could a B-17 crew consider a mission completed.
On
20 Jan 1945, during his 6th sixth mission, Dick’s plane began
experiencing engine and navigational instrument failure. Just two
minutes before dropping bombs on their target, the situation became
unstable prompting half of the crew to bail out over France. Baer wrote
in his diary, “Finally managed to set her down at a little field near
Britinge twenty minutes south of Paris.” His wife Anne said, “He didn’t
want to put on a parachute and jump, instead, he decided to risk crash
landing. He didn’t like bailing out, even during training - he really
didn’t like heights.”
Separation papers indicate Lt. Baer logged 254.50 hours of flight time
when discharged from the Army Air Force on January 26, 1946.
Today, the control tower at Station 137 still stands, thanks in part to
recent restoration efforts by preservationists, and is now a museum
dedicated to the men of the 487th Bomb Group. The
countryside is peaceful again and the old paved runways are reclaimed
farmland.
Four
long years after Pearl Harbor, picking up where he left off, as so many
young WWII veterans did, Dick Baer returned to civilian life and resumed
his education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. However, the
lessons were far different from the one’s he learned in the
cockpit of a B-17 Flying Fortress over Germany.
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Duties and
Responsibilities of
THE COPILOT
The copilot is the executive
officer - your chief assistant, understudy, and strong
right arm. He must be familiar enough with every one of your
duties - both as pilot and as airplane commander - to be
able to take over and act in your place at any time.
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He must he able to fly the
airplane under all conditions as well as you would fly
it yourself.
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He must he extremely
proficient in engine operation, and know instinctively
what to do to keep the airplane flying smoothly even
though he is not handling the controls.
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He must have a thorough
knowledge of cruising control data, and know how to
apply it at the proper time.
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He is also the engineering
officer aboard the airplane, and maintains a complete
log of performance data.
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He must be a qualified
instrument pilot.
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He must he able to fly good
formation in any assigned position, day or night.
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He must he qualified to
navigate by day or at night by pilotage, dead reckoning,
and by use of radio aids.
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He must be proficient in the
operation of all radio equipment located in the pilot's
compartment.
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In formation flying, he must
be able to make engine adjustments almost automatically.
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He must be prepared to take
over on instruments when the formation is climbing
through an overcast, thus enabling you to watch the rest
of the formation.
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Always remember that the
copilot is a fully trained, rated pilot just like yourself.
He is subordinate to you only by virtue of your position as
the airplane commander. The B-17 is a lot of airplane; more
airplane than any one pilot can handle alone over a long
period of time. Therefore, you have been provided with a
second pilot who will share the duties of flight operation.
Treat your copilot as a
brother pilot. Remember that the more proficient he is as a
pilot, the more efficiently he will be able to perform the
duties of the vital post he holds as your second in command.
Be sure that he is allowed to
do his share of the flying, in the pilot's seat, on
takeoffs, landings, and on instruments.
The importance of the copilot
is eloquently testified to by airplane commanders overseas.
There have been many cases in which the pilot has been
disabled or killed in flight and the copilot has taken full
command of both airplane and crew, completed the mission,
and returned safely to the home base. Usually, the copilots
who have distinguished themselves under such conditions have
been copilots who have been respected and trained by the
airplane commander as pilots.
Bear in mind that the pilot
in the right-hand seat of your airplane is preparing himself
for an airplane commander's post too. Allow him every chance
to develop his ability and to profit by your experience.
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7 Dec 1942 |
Enlisted in Army Air Corps as
private. (NARA) |
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Date
unknown |
Texas Tech
College, Cadet Training Detachment in Lubbock, TX |
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7 Jan 1943 |
Received
"Champion Athletic Award" for completing Army fitness training. |
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23 Aug 1943 |
Selected by
U.S. Army Air Force
for pilot training at
Texas Technical College, Cadet Training Detachment in Lubbock,
TX.
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02 Dec 1943 |
The day
he “soloed” in trainer aircraft for first time. |
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27 Jun 1944 |
Awarded the
"Advanced Pilot
School Diploma" receives wings at base in
Lubbock, TX.
Air Wings (with propeller in vertical position)
pinned in his scrapbook. |
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Jul 1944 |
Dick went to
California,
Santa Monica area (or Stockton) because training was
interrupted. (Anne Baer) |
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7 Oct 1944 |
Stationed at
MacDill Field - Tampa, FL for transitional training. (Source:
USAAF
military pass/ID card) |
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25 Oct 1944 |
Stationed at
MacDill Field - Tampa, FL (Source: telegram), 3rd Air Force, Air Defense of Southeastern USA an
Army Air Force operational training field using B-26s, and B-17s. |
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13 Dec 1944 |
Location unknown,
Western Union Telegram, "NYJ". Initials may indicate New
York/Jersey? (Probably his port of embarkation.) Crossed
Atlantic on the Ile de France,
a French liner converted to a troopship. |
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Dec 1944 |
Arrived at Station 137,
Lavenham, Suffolk 487th Bombardment
Group. Assigned to 839th Bomb Squadron crew number
197.
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Crewmembers |
Military
Occupational Specialty |
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Richard L. Althouse |
MOS# 1091
(Pilot, B-17) |
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Richard F. Baer |
MOS# 1091 (Pilot,
B-17)
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Douglass D. Couchran
Jr. |
MOS# 1034
(Navigator) |
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William R. Bressler |
MOS# 0757
(Radio operator, mechanic, gunner)
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Thomas J Fugere |
MOS# 0748 (Flight
engineer, mechanic, gunner) |
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Aaron C. Coon |
MOS# 0612 (Airplane
armorer, gunner) |
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Norman B. Garrison |
MOS# 0611
(Aerial gunner) |
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Stephen V. Giltinan Jr. |
MOS# 0611
(Aerial gunner)
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Harold
R. Gustine |
MOS# 0611 (Aerial
gunner) |
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7
Jan 1945 |
Arrived at Station 137,
Lavenham, Suffolk 487th Bombardment
Group. Assigned to 839th Bomb Squadron crew number
197.
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Dec 1944 |
Arrived at Station 137,
Lavenham, Suffolk 487th Bombardment
Group. Assigned to 839th Bomb Squadron crew number
197.
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26 Jan 1946 |
Discharged from US-AAF
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| All
missions departed from
Station 137, Lavenham, Suffolk
home base of 487th Bomb Group. Quotations by Lt.
Richard F. Baer, USAAF. |
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1st
Mission
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Sunday, January 7, 1945 |
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Paderborn - marshalling yards 51L42' N - 8L45'
E
PFF bombing @ 22,000 ft.
Time OET 02:40
hrs
B-17:
Mean Widdle Kid
Crew:
Althouse |
Seven (7) crews began takeoff at
7:45 am.
Dick Baer writes:
"So called 'milk run' no bandits
(fighters) saw one burst of
"Flak" - had a rough time finding field after
peel off over Splasher Seven. Over enemy territory
(OET) 02:40.
No losses" |
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2nd
Mission
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Monday, January 8, 1945 |
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Frankfurt - marshalling yards 50L06' N -
08L40' E
PFF bombing @ 26,000 ft.
Time OET 01:07 hrs
B-17:
Mean Widdle Kid
Crew:
Althouse |
Thirty-eight (38) crews began
takeoff at 6:25 am.
Dick Baer
writes:
"McCarty
landed in
France - engine trouble.
Sinus bothered hell out of me.
No bandits - moderate flak on bomb run -
received first flak hole in horizontal stabilizer.
Henderson
lost #1 engine, aborted after target bombed.
Over enemy territory 01:07.
Garrison
passed out in waist,
Gustine
was sick,
Giltinan spilled chute in tail,
Fugere
had to crank bomb bays open & closed.
Saw France & White Cliffs of Dover for first time." |
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3rd
Mission
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Saturday, January 13, 1945 |
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Mainz - marshalling yards
PFF bombing
Time OET
02:40 hrs
Mission length: 07:30 hrs
B-17:
Mean Widdle Kid
Crew:
Althouse |
Thirty-eight
(38) crews
began
takeoff at 7:51 am.
Dick
Baer writes: "Very
moderate
flak, no battle damage, no bandits. On oxygen for 5
hours. Formation horribly messed up as
everyone was ahead of schedule.
Coming home flight indicator went out, had to let down through
5,000 ft. of undercast on C1.
Home field had 0-0 rating -
really sweat out that landing couldn't see 50 yards. Circled field three
times - beautiful landing by Haus."
(Althouse) |
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4th
Mission |
Sunday, January 14, 1945 |
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Magdeburg - oil refinery
Visual bombing
Time OET
3:00 hrs
B-17:
Mean Widdle Kid
Crew:
Althouse |
Thirty-eight (38) crews began
takeoff at 7:35 am.
Dick Baer writes:
"Moderate to heavy flak, no battle
damage, bandits in area attacked group ahead and knocked out ten
ships -
ME109's.
Saw two P51's and one B17 blow up.
Anderson
aborted over
North Sea because of oxygen.
DeSelms aborted
right over German coast with runaway prop.
Moser & Nyland had mid air collision over
Germany, went down.*
North Sea looked awfully
good after being over
Germany so damn long." |
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Notes about 4th mission: The
author of
The history of the 487th
Bomb Group (H) states, "... two B-17s in the rear of the
high Squadron collided in the target area. It was thought
they were piloted by Lts Kochczynski and Nyland, flying in
positions number 10 and 11. At 1:28 pm Kochczynski peeled
off to the right, heading northwest, with his rudder knocked off
and his top turret damaged. Nyland peeled off to the left
after salvoing his bombs, with his tail section damaged and two
engines out. German flak crews took advantage of the
excellent visibility to throw up a moderate, accurate flak
barrage in the target area. S/Sgt Blair R. Campbell,
gunner on Lt Pezzato's crew, was seriously wounded by a flak
fragment. Lt Moser's aircraft, number 12 in the high
Squadron, was hit in the rudder and also left the formation...
The Squadrons did not reestablish Group formation. The
high Squadron followed the others back to Lavenham, and the
first aircraft landed at 1602. It was a bad day for the
Group. Four aircraft were missing, three had major damage,
and eighteen had minor damage."
Lt Jack Leon who had flown his
second mission that day recalled, "The old boys around here say
its the toughest mission they have seen."
Lt Harry T. Nyland, pilot of the
838th BS, ordered the bailout after encountering heavy enemy
fire and engine trouble after passing through the Berlin flak
corridor. Everyone escaped except the navigator who was
shot up, but Lt Nyland and William H Rhett (copilot) took
the ship down and belly landed the plane to try and save the
navigator who died on impact. The rest of the crew was
captured by the Germans that day.
(The History of The 487th Bomb
Group) |
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5th Mission |
Thursday, January 18, 1945 |
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Kaiserlautern - marshaling yards
PFF
bombing
Time
OET 0:30 hrs
B-17:
Mean Widdle Kid
Crew:
Althouse |
Thirty-two (32) aircraft began
takeoff at 7:35 am.
Dick Baer writes: "Milk run of
all milk runs. No bandits - no flak
visible. Weather bad
over home field so landed in
France near town of
Laon -
didn't get to leave base, single runway - bomb pocked
field.
Took off next morning and flew home without any weather trouble."
The Althouse crew was one of 21
ships that landed at two airfields near Laon, the rest of the
Group in other nearby areas of France.
(The History of The 487th Bomb Group) |
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6th
Mission
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Saturday, January 20, 1945 |
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Heilbronn - marshalling yards
PFF bombing
OET
01:20 hrs
B-17:
Paddlefoot #42-97969
Crew:
Althouse |
Thirty-four
(34) crews
began takeoff
at 7:25 am.
The 487th BG
led Task Force-B.
Dick Baer writes:
"AIR MEDAL - HA! Two minutes before target on bomb run
#1 prop ran away - were unable to feather it - began to burn
itself
out. Coughran,
Gustine,
Giltinan, Garrison bailed out - no
navigational instruments - radio compass and G-Box were out. Finally managed to
set her down at a little field near Bretinge twenty miles south
of
Paris.
Were marooned in
France until Jan. 28.
Flew Air Transport Command back to Bovingdon
and then a train from
London to Bury St. Edmunds.
Giltinan still missing now on Jan 29."
"Most crews
arrived (back to base) between 15:00 and 16:00, but one crew
landed in France. Richard L. Althouse's crew was on its
6th mission in B-17G 42-97969 Paddlefoot and copilot Richard F.
Baer wrote about the mission in his diary:" (The History of The
487th Bomb Group) |
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7th
Mission |
Thursday, February 1, 1945 |
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Wesel - autobahn bridge
Mission length: 05:30 hrs.
B-17:
Mean Widdle Kid
Crew:
Althouse |
Thirty-four (34) crews began
takeoff at 11:56 am.
Dick Baer writes:
"This undoubtedly was the milk run of
all milk runs. We were awakened
at
07:30 with briefing at
09:00 - takeoff at
12:00. No bandits - no flak. Target time
15:30 landing time
17:30 - 05:30 hrs.
long mission. Hughes - instructor gunner rode in
Giltinan's place today - still no word from Gil - not even a
critique today - no difficulties encountered." |
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8th
Mission |
Saturday, February 3, 1945 |
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Berlin - communications
PFF bombing; OET
03:30 hrs
B-17:
Mean Widdle Kid
Crew:
Althouse |
Thirty-nine (39)
crews began takeoff
at 7:35 am.
Dick Baer writes:
"Biggest surprise mission in a
long time as there were no enemy fighters whatsoever and only
moderate
flak. Were
really sweating it out however as every thing was going too
smoothly. No mechanical difficulties encountered
until arriving back over
England,
then #2 and #4 prop governors began acting up.
Left formation and landed alone.
Were over
North Sea for
03:00 hrs.
Safe and happy in my
Nissen hut." |
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9th
Mission |
Tuesday, February 6, 1945 |
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Chemnitz - populace, built-up area of town; OET
04:00 hrs
B-17: Mean Widdle Kid
Crew: Althouse |
Thirty-nine (39)
crews began takeoff
at 7:06 am.
Dick Baer writes:
"Most messed-up mission the 8th Air Force has flown to date.
Timing and navigation was completely un-coordinated. Another group bombed abreast of us. On the way
back the group was diverted to
France and then recalled
back to
England.
My sinuses were killing me so we couldn't
let down very fast.
We landed just south of
Brussels near
Mons and stayed with 487th Fighter Sqd. Came back on the 8th
of February."
"Lt Althouse
landed at Chievres..." (The History of The 487th Bomb Group) |
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Wednesday, February 14, 1945 |
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"Nose Surgery" |
Dick Baer finally went into hospital after
putting off
surgery for an ongoing chronic sinusitis
condition that effected him during high-altitude
missions. |
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Crew Photo |
Friday, March 16, 1945 |
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Mean
Widdle Kid crew |
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10th
Mission
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Wednesday,
March 21, 1945
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Wittmundhafen
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J. P. airfield
Visual
bombing
Time OET
01:20 hrs
Mission length: 05:00 hrs
B-17:
Mean Widdle Kid
Crew:
Althouse
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Thirty-nine (39)
crews began takeoff
at 6:07 am.
Dick Baer writes:
"Flew #3 spot in lead
(formation). Another milk run. No bandits and no
flak, just a shallow penetration northeast of the
Zuider Zee.
This was my first operational mission since my operation.
My sinuses were quite painful but I think I can stick out 25 more
missions.
5 hr. mission, takeoff
06:45 landing
11:45. Clobbered the MPI of two intersecting runways."
MPI = main point of impact |
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11th
Mission
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Thursday, March
22, 1945 |
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Kupferdreh
-
barrack area &
motor pool.
Visual
bombing
Time
OET
00:13 hrs
B-17:
Mean Widdle Kid
Crew:
Althouse |
Forty-five (45) crews began
takeoff at 8:35 am.
Dick Baer writes:
"Another milk run - two in a row -wow!!
No bandits, meager inaccurate flak.
05:30 hr. mission -more like it.
Really clobbered the target. Flew #7 spot in the high, this was #26
for Haus."
Allied ground forces were
preparing to cross the Rhine river and requested support to bomb
tactical targets.(The
History of The 487th Bomb Group) |
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12th
Mission |
Friday, March 23,
1945 |
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Holzwickede
- marshalling yard
B-17: Snake Bite #43-38042
Crew: Althouse
Photo:
damaged rudder
Newspaper story:
"Madison Flier Saves Buddies In Damaged Plane"
Dick's Oak Leafs citation
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The first of forty-two (42) crews
began takeoff at 9:30 am.
Dick Baer
writes: "OAK LEAFS - HA! Today we flew with Rattlesdon as #7 in
their high. On bomb
run
we hit prop wash and were forced to leave formation. We dropped our bombs on a target of
opportunity, and turned left to R.P. (rally point). We joined up with Mendelsham of 93rd
Wing and flew #13.
Their #11 ship was hit over the lines by flak
losing his left wing tip and #1 engine.
He lost control of plane and his #4 prop cut off our rudder -
then he crashed into the ship on our left wing and they both
went down."
The unfortunate aircraft that was
hit by flak when crossing the battle lines was Lt Myron A.
Bolser's B-17G 43-38971 of the 34th Bomb Group at Mendelsham.
Bolser and the eight other men on his crew were killed.
The other B-17 that Bolser's aircraft struck was Lt Charles H.
Bruckman's B-17G 42-31582 of the 447th Bomb Group at Rattelsden.
He and six others of his crew perished. Two men
miraculously survived the mishap. Richard Althouse
managed to keep his B-17 flying and returned to Lavenham.
The tower log entry at 3:56 pm noted that he "made a long
straight in approach and landed OK."
(The History of The 487th Bomb
Group) |
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13th
Mission |
Saturday, March
24, 1945 |
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Varrelbusch
- jet airfield
Mission length: 05:30 hrs
B-17: Mean Widdle Kid
Crew: Althouse |
Thirty-nine (39) crews began
takeoff at 5:37 am on "Operation Varsity" the Allied airborne
operation to cross the Rhine river.
Dick Baer writes:
"Another
milk run - in fact
didn't even see any flak - only a 5 1/2 hr. job. We supported an airborne
offensive which dropped behind the German lines around
Wesel in direct support of
Montgomery's troops.
Landed at
11:20 and hit the sack.
Many rumors that we were going to fly two missions today - thank
God we didn't as I am dragging - some
groups did and the 8th really was up in force today.
Three task forces.
Sinuses are beating me up again.
Haus is going to get D.F.C." (Distinguished Flying Cross) |
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Special Orders |
Saturday,
March 31, 1945 |
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"'Special Orders' AAF Station 101:
Camp
Lynn,
High Wycombe,
Bucks County,
England;
AAF Station
511:
Moulsford Manor,
Berkshire"
(Air Force Rest Home)
(This was probably the
other time he was hospitalized for sinusitus.)
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34th
Mission* (shot down) |
Tuesday, April 10, 1945 |
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Briest,
Germany - airfield
Copilot: 1Lt
Clyde E Oliver,
(Dick Baer not with crew)
B-17: Mean
Widdle Kid
Crew: Althouse
Note: Plane destroyed by
flak, two crew fatalities. |
Thirty-nine (39) aircraft began
takeoff at 10:07 am.
Airfield at Briest - Four Aircraft
in group shot down, 3 by
Me-262, 1 by flak - 3 other aircraft
evidently lost, but no MACR on them.
(487th Bomb Group (H) Association)
Lt Althouse's B-17 in the lead
Squadron had escaped the fighter attacks, but was hit by flak.
It circled out of formation to the left, and passed over the
formation with the number 2 propeller windmilling. It
began to lose altitude, but leveled off with no sign of fire.
Then one observer reported seeing the left wing break off and an
explosion which caused the aircraft to spiral out of control. The crew of B-17G
#43-37987 "Mean Widdle Kid" was shot down over Germany at 14:56 hrs. See
(MACR #13883) |
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14th
Mission |
Friday,
April 20, 1945 |
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Neureppin
-
marshaling yards
Berlin area
Time OET 01:15
B-17: Gravel Gertie
Crew: McDonagh
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Dick Baer writes:
"Milk
run
-no flak -no bandits.
Flew #10 in low with
McDonogh & crew -good man.
Only over enemy territory
01:15, oxygen
03:00. Very
uneventful got to see a good
bit of devastated
Germany -Wesel
is a terrible mess." |
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15th
Mission |
Saturday, April
21, 1945
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Ingolstadt - Autobahn & road center
Mission length: 09:00 hrs
B-17: Gravel Gertie
Crew: McDonagh
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Dick Baer writes:
"Milk
run as far as enemy opposition no flak
seen -no bandits but the weather -worst I've ever seen.
Assembly was okay -then began to run into scud -finally were
flying formation through solid cloud banks.
Lost formation - tacked onto Bury St. Edmunds and bombed with
them. Lost them due
to prop wash, went into tight spiral when
McDonogh got vertigo.
Lost 3,000 ft., horizon tumbled - pulled out - flew home alone
above bomber stream. Nine hour
mission." |
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After
April 21,
1945; the 8th Air
Force stopped flying missions in the European Theater of
Operations due to a lack of targets. |
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Mean Widdle Kid Shot Down:
On
April 10, 1945
at
14:56 hrs (almost
3:00 p.m.) B-17G Flying Fortress #43-37987
was hit by flak and went down in the Jerichow area of
Germany. It was the last mission for many
in this crew. Flying in Dick Baer’s
place as Co-Pilot, 1st Lt. Clyde E. Oliver
was killed in action. Oliver went down with the plane on fire, and was last
observed in the bomb-bay trying to gather up a spilled
parachute moments before the ship exploded.
See the
Missing Air Crew Report (MACR #13883). The
Tail-Gunner, 1st
Lt. Willis E. Peake, was on his first mission and
suffered a head wound. Barely conscious when he was bailed out,
his parachute didn’t open, and
became the other casulty. The remaining crew was captured by German
infantry and became
POWs at Stalag XIA - Altengrabow, They spent a
month in the German prison camp from 10-Apr-1945 until 12-May-1945
after being returned to U.S. military control
following liberation. The
prison food was "horrible", according to
pilot Dick Althouse's son, a concoction of
discarded scraps and spoiled food mixed together as slop.
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Crewmembers aboard
Mean Widdle Kid on April 10, 1945:
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Pilot (P) |
Lt Richard
L Althouse
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POW |
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Co-Pilot (CP) |
1Lt
Clyde E Oliver
|
KIA |
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Navigator (N) |
2Lt Douglas
D Couchran Jr |
POW |
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Engineer (E) |
T/Sgt
Thomas J Fugere |
POW |
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Radio
Operator (RG) |
T/Sgt
William R Bressler |
POW |
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Togglier (T) |
S/Sgt Aaron
C Conn
|
POW |
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Ball Turret
Gunner (BTG) |
S/Sgt
Norman D Garrison |
POW |
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Waist
Gunner (WG) |
S/Sgt
Harold R Gustine |
POW
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Tail Gunner (TG) |
1Lt Willis E Peake |
KIA |
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Temporary Waist Gunner (WG) |
S/Sgt
Lincoln
Hudson |
POW |
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Names
in Dick's diary:
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Anderson:
Possibly, Donald R. Anderson, Pilot 839th BS?
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DeSelms:
Roy V. DeSelms, Pilot 839th BS
"Dinah-mite" B-17G #44-8694 Note: Assigned to the 487th
on
2-Feb-45.
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Henderson:
Possibly, Zeno M. Henderson Pilot, 839th BS?
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Hughes:
Gunner-instructor,
took Giltinan's place (MIA)
on "Mean Widdle Kid" February 1,
1945.
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McCarty:
Possibly, Harold J. McCarty,
1st Lt Pilot 836th
BS #43-38816 B-17G Note:
12-Oct-44 transferred to 487th from 305th,
12-Jan-45 battle damaged, forced landing
continent,
21-Jan-45 salvaged.
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McDonogh: [sic] John McDonagh, pilot
‘Gravel Gertie’ #43-39188 of 839th BS. Assigned to 487th BG on
3-Mar-45.
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Moser:
James L. Moser 2nd Lt Pilot 838th
BS “Our Baby” B-17G #43-38002
11-Jul-44: Assigned to 487th.
14-Jan-45: “...mid-air collision with Nyland
over
Germany, went down.”
Crashed
into church at border of the village Rhode, 21 km east
of
Brunswick. All crew bailed out and survived,
POW.
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Nyland:
Harry T. Nyland 2nd Lt Pilot 838th
BS “Yankee Maid” B-17G #43-37933.
2-Jul-44: Assigned to 487th.
14-Jan-45: Lost #4 engine dropped from
formation. Immediately attacked by six
Me109's. Six crew bailed out but pilot/co-pilot made belly landing.
"B-17 Flying Fortress Story" indicates mid air with
#42-98013.
B-17G #42-98013 of 838th BS,
30-Jun-44: Assigned to 487th,
14-Jan-45
either collided with German fighter, or other B-17
#43-37933 ("Yankee Maid") of 487th. A German report
states it collided with a German fighter. After bombing
and the collision, the B-17 peeled off in NW direction.
It went into a spin and exploded in mid-air.
Moser & Nyland involved in mid-air
collision over
Germany on
14 Jan 1945.
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Lavenham airfield was built during 1943. The technical
site and administrative buildings were on the southern side
of the airfield as were most of the dispersed temporary
buildings which gave accommodation for 2,900 personnel.
Concrete for the runways and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of perimeter
track totalled 190,000 cubic yards (150,000 m3)
and that for roads and buildings 52,000 cubic yards
(40,000 m3). Bricks used in buildings ran to
4,500,000 and excavations for all sites amounted to
679,000 cubic yards (519,000 m3).
The airfield was opened in April 1944 and used by the
United States Army Air Force
Eighth Air Force. Lavenham was given USAAF designation
Station 137 (LV).
The 487th Bomb Group arrived from
Alamogordo AAF New Mexico on 5 April 1944. the 487th was
assigned to 8th. Air Force, 3rd. Air Division, 4th Combat
Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Square-P"
or "Box-P". It's operational squadrons were:
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836th Bomb Squadron (2G)
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837th Bomb Squadron (4F)
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838th Bomb Squadron (2C)
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839th Bomb Squadron (R5)
The group flew both the B-24 Liberator and the
B-17 Flying Fortress as part of the Eighth Air Force's
strategic bombing campaign and began combat in May 1944,
bombing airfields in France in preparation for the invasion
of Normandy, then targeted coastal defenses, road junctions,
bridges and locomotives during the invasion. The unit's
first commander was Lieutenant Colonel Beirne Lay, Jr., a
prominent Hollywood screen writer until he was shot down on
11 May 1944 in one of the group's earliest actions. He was
shot down over enemy territory but evaded capture and was
returned to duty. After the war, he wrote the screenplay for
the 1949 film,
Twelve O'Clock High.
Aided ground forces in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
The 487th Bomb Group attacked German troops and artillery
positions to assist British forces near Caen in July; struck
gun emplacements to support the Allied effort at Brest in
August and to cover the airborne attack on Holland in
September 1944. Flew a few missions against German
industries, refineries, and communications during the period
May-August 1944, but operated almost solely against
strategic targets from August 1944, when conversion to
B-17's was completed in March 1945.
The 487th also attacked oil refineries in Merseburg,
Mannheim, and Dulmen; factories in Nuremberg, Hanover, and
Berlin; and marshalling yards in Cologne, Münster, Hamm, and
Neumünster. Aided ground forces during the Battle of the
Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945, and turned again to support and
interdictory operations in March 1945 as the Allies crossed
the Rhine and made the final thrust into Germany. Group
nickname was "Gentlemen From Hell".
The group flew 185 combat missions and sortied 6,021
aircraft. Total tonnage dropped - 14,641. 33 aircraft were
Missing In Action, and 24 lost in other operations. Enemy
aircraft lost were 22 destroyed, 6 probable, 18 damaged.
The group returned to Drew AAF Florida during Aug-Sep 1945,
and was inactivated on 7 November 1945.
Stations:
Bruning AAFld, Neb, 20 Sep 1943
Alamogordo AAFld, NM, 15 Dec 1943-c. 13 Mar 1944
Lavenham, England, 5 Apr 1944-26 Aug 1945
Drew Field, Fla, 3 Sep-7 Nov 1945.
Commanders:
Lt Col Charles E Lancaster, 4 Oct 1943
Lt Col Beirne Lay Jr, 28 Feb 1944
Col Robert Taylor III, 12 May 1944
Col William K Martin, 28 Dec 1944
Lt Col Howard C Todt, May 1945
Col Nicholas T Perkins, 3 Jun 1945-unkn.
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Copyright © Stacy Scharch 2006 All Rights Reserved.
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