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Dave
7/20/2007 12:24:48 PM | Hey everyone, I am new here to the forum and registered because my great-uncle served with the 401st, flying 35 missions as a gunner and bombardier. It took me a while to find him because the air crew he is listed with has his last name spelled wrong. He was in the 613th squadron with M.S. Fox as the pilot. The name on there says T.P. Guilley, which in fact it should say T.P. Guilfoy. Does anyone know if this can be changed to the correct spelling? Thank you
The link to the page: http://401bg.com/history/crew.asp?cid=11181
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donaldbyers
7/23/2007 9:37:17 AM | Dave,
Thanks for posting. There have been a few names that were not spelled correctly. This could have come from the British person Vic Maslen who retrieved documents before they were burned and compiled the information we now have today to work with. It could also have been mispelled one time as this is a static crew list. In other words there were other crew members that flew with this crew that don't show up.
Interesting enough was that my uncle flew on 42-97344 "Carrie B II" when it went down on 24 Aug 1944 and he was KIA. I have been searching for a picture of this aircraft for a long time now. Also did he happen to keep a diary of which plane he flew on during the 32 missions of this crew.
Thanks Don
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
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Dave
7/23/2007 9:53:50 AM | Thanks alot for the reply. My uncle had said that he flew only a few of his 35 total missions with this crew. He was a waist gunner for them, and then he was rotated around with other crews in the 401st with the 613 squadron as a bombardier. The plane on this particular crew he said they called was the Silver Fox, but it doesn't show it on the web-page.
His name is Thomas P. Guilfoy, and he also said that perhaps the pilot wrote down their names quickly on the crew list, often misspelling them. Thanks alot for your help, and hopefully they will change it to the correct spelling.
.............Dave
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donaldbyers
7/23/2007 12:01:08 PM | Enlisted crew members serving as Bombardier's were called Togglers. As was my uncle who trained as a waist gunner but ended up as a Toggler on his first and last mission.
Don Byers
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
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donaldbyers
7/23/2007 2:38:13 PM | I am sorry but there will bd no change in the spelling. The 401st BG established the policy on this as printed in an article on page 11 of Poop From Group #135.
Don Byers
Lubbock Texas
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
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Dave
7/23/2007 5:46:40 PM | Thank you very much for your help and looking into it. I wonder why they do not want the individuals recognized properly? I guess some things don't make much sense.
Togglers, that's pretty neat. It must had been common for enlisted crewman to train at multiple positions. My own grandfather was a navigator of B-17's for the 457th and I grew up learning alot about it, so I am completely interested in finding out more about what life was like here in the 401st, and all over Europe.
Dave
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Cody Dailey
9/11/2007 8:59:34 PM | I am also curious as to the reasoning behind the "no corrections" policy.
It would seem to me that accuracy would reign supreme, particularly as the veterans begin to dwindle in numbers. I would hope that the association would want to preserve accurate information about those that served with the Group in hopes that future generations can find out about their forefathers.
Perhaps if Dave provided documentation showing it was a misspelling on the Group's part (copies of service records which can be obtained at NARA showing name and assignment) maybe exceptions can be made?
If not a full "change", perhaps a notation that it was spelled a different way in the Group's notes?
Cody Dailey
Son of S/Sgt. JB Dailey
Tail Gunner on board Tail-End Charlie/Morning Star, aircraft number: 42-31730, piloted by George Sombart (August 1944-January 1945)
615th Squadron, 401st BG
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