Beachbell Echo Published by 446Th Bomb Group Association, Inc

Beachbell Echo Published by 446th Bomb Group Association, Inc. ♦ 561 Muirfield Lane, West Haven, CT 06516 Organized under IRS Code 501 (C)(3) ID 33-0312046 June 2011 Vol. 26 No. 2 Station 125 APO 558, Flixton A.B. 1943-45 B-24s leaving Ploiești through flak and smoke Bombing of Ploiesti, Romania Operation Tidal Wave was an air attack by bombers of the United States Army Air Forces on nine oil refineries around Ploiești, Romania on 1 August 1943. It was a strategic bombing mission and part of the “oil campaign” to deny petroleum-based fuel to Hitler. The mission resulted in “no curtailment of overall product output”, and so was unsuccessful. This mission was one of the costliest for the USAAF in the European Theater, with 53 aircraft and 660 aircrew men lost. It was the worst loss ever suffered by the USAAF on a single mission, and its date was later referred to as “Black Sunday”. Five Medals of Honor and numerous Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded to Operation Tidal Wave crew members. Continued on page 10 446th Website: http://www.446bg.com 1 446 BGA Administration President’s President: Message Walter Stelkovis By Walter Stelkovis 561 Muirfield Lane West Haven, CT 06516-7904 203-397-2300 he 25th annual meeting of the 446th BG was held at the [email protected] THilton St Charles, New Orleans, LA April 13 to 17, 2011. Vice President: Twelve veterans were able to attend, two less than last year. Un- Louis Valenti, Jr fortunately this is a trend that will inevitably continue until we 10387 W. Bellewood PL are reduced to zero. Fortunately we have begun our own “repple Littleton, CO 80127 depple” (replacement depot) enrolling the younger generation 303-932-9932 who with their youth and new ideas will carry on and likely do [email protected] a better job. Membership Treasurer: At the Executive Council meeting it was decided that the James Duckworth Washington, DC area would be the site of our next reunion in the 629 Mariposa Rd spring of 2012. Margi Rodriguez and her sister Olga Villareal Stanley, NC 28164 will not be able to continue the preparations. They will turn 704-263-8879 [email protected] over their findings to Beverly Tucker, who is currently working with a North Carolina group planning for a DC area-meeting Secretary: site, so some parallel issues are already a part of her arsenal. Beverly Tucker Margi and her sister Olga deserve kudos for the great effort and 2210 Englewood Ave. wonderful job they did with the New Orleans Reunion. Durham, NC 27705 919-280-1249 I will also be forever grateful for all the help Beverly Tucker [email protected] provided during my tenure as President of the 446th. The meeting was not without problems. Vice President John Historian: Sampson was unable to attend because of a brutal work and travel Bill Davenport schedule, which led to a vacancy on the board. I had planned 13383 Wheeler Pl. Santa Ana, CA 92705 to retire but agreed to stay for one more year. The following 714-832-2829 slate of officers was presented and voted in unanimously for [email protected] 2012 and 2013: President: Walter Stelkovis Editor: Vice President: Louis Valenti, Jr Susan Burrowbridge 838 Childs Point Road Continued on next page bottom Annapolis, MD 21401 727-599-4254 “Gone But [email protected] Not Forgotten” Co-Editor: Erin Leonard William C. Buchanan Nov 2010 602 Tayman Drive Joseph F. Quirk Jr. Nov 2010 Annapolis, MD 21403 Harlan (Hal) Hickenbottem Feb 2011 913-660-5308 Andrew “Jack” Maynard Mar 2011 [email protected] Bill Stevenson Mar 2011 Frederick J. Shawcross Mar 2011 Ernest Dale Little Apr 2011 Dale Story May 2011 Joe Betterino Jun 2011 2 Beachbell Echo, Vol 26, No 2, June, 2011 Top Photo, L to R: Walter Stelkovis, Antonio Rodrigues, John Barry, Kurt Kersten, Ray Barber. Bottom Photo, L to R: Bill Davenport, Robert Alexander, Steve Kralj, Keith Babcock, Carl Albright, George Mazzaferro. Treasurer: James Duckworth Invitees to the Board: year they expect to be able to Secretary: Beverly Tucker John Sampson serve as officers on the board. Wayne Albright Margie and Olga expressed Non-elected Members: Neither was able to serve this concern about our dwindling Bill Davenport, Historian year. As President, I am autho- membership and agreed to pro- Susan Burrowbridge, Editor rized to select two people as non- vide details of a proposed mem- officers on the board now. Next Continued on page 15 Beachbell Echo, Vol 26, No 2, June, 2011 3 Survivor’s account of Lowry crash Sgt. William A Baker Source: Microfilm created from the wear them. The following crew- a spin. It seemed to me that the record copy of the unit histories and members were in the waist: the other crewmembers in the waist related historical material of the tail gunner, the assistant radio had all slid back into the cam- United States Air Force stored in operator, the co-pilot and the era bay and were unable to get the Archives Branch of The Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center ball gunner. I did not see the out of that position to get their at Maxwell, AFB, Alabama. co-pilot’s parachute. The extra parachutes. co-pilot had allowed the passen- The co-pilot had been on a ger (Corporal John P. Emery) to walk-around oxygen bottle and , Sgt. William A. Baker ride in his position on the flight had started back to the tail. The ASN 34393107, aerial gun- “I deck because the passenger had tail gunner had been at the left ner, crew #302-7-8, 707th Bom- no heavy flying clothes. waist gunner’s oxygen station. bardment Squadron was the ball The pilot gave the crew in- The assistant radio operator gunner on B-24, 41-29162 on structions to put on oxygen had been at the station behind a routine training mission from masks at presumably 10,000 feet the left waist gunner’s position. Lowry Field to March Field. altitude. The passenger had dif- But all three slid into the camera The pilot was Lt. M. Bookmiller. ficulty with his oxygen mask as it bay and were apparently unable Take off was made at approxi- was a modified A-10 mask built to move. I finally was able to mately 0841 on runway 16 in to use with a helmet, and he had reach over from a seated position a southerly direction. Shortly no helmet. He tied on the mask and snapped on my parachute. after take off, the plane circled with a piece of string after a few While seated I tried to open the to pick up the rest of the four- minutes. No instructions were right waist window, but had ship formation. I saw them soon given the crew and no checks great difficulty in remaining at a after take off, the airplane gained were made on the crew after the standing position because of the altitude very slowly and was at order was given to put on oxygen motion of the plane. I looked an approximate altitude of 500 masks by the pilot. The plane around and saw that the left waist feet six or seven minutes after continued to climb for 10 to 15 window had become open and takeoff. The climb seemed much minutes and I noticed that the was open about six inches. I got slower than on other flights. We nose dropped twice. I heard a my left leg out the left window, were over the Municipal Airport tearing sound like the ripping of but noticed that the plane had at an apparently low altitude. metal, a sound loud enough to be stopped turning and had started Take off was to the south, and the noticed by all the crewmembers to lose altitude less rapidly. At Municipal Airport is due north of in the waist. The plane imme- first I thought that the pilot had Lowry Field. diately peeled off to the right in regained control, and hesitated Climb was started immediate- a very steep bank and started to to jump, but saw that the plane ly after picking up the formation. descend nose down. I was seated was still losing altitude, and I did not know which position on the right side of the plane by jumped. the plane took in the formation. I the waist window. I reached for My last glimpse of the other was occupied in putting on heavy my parachute, which was lying in crewmembers showed me that flight clothing. I was wearing my front of me on the widow ledge. they were still unable to get out parachute harness over my heavy Both windows were closed and of the camera bay. As I paused flying jacket. My parachute is locked. I knocked the parachute in the waist window for a sec- the detachable type. All other to the floor. During this time I ond or two, I glanced at the left members of the crew in the waist felt as though I was glued to the side of the empennage [The tail had seat type chutes and did not floor of the plane and turning in Continued center of next page 4 Beachbell Echo, Vol 26, No 2, June, 2011 assembly of an aircraft, including the horizontal and vertical stabilizers, el- evators, and rudder.] and it seemed to me that the left elevator was in shreds. The elevator seemed torn into long thin yellow strips. As I leaped, I reached for my ripcord, and my parachute opened immediately.

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