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Els van der laan
8/7/2001 3:57:22 AM | Does anyone have information about the briefing of this mission, or is this secret and not available
I like to know how the target was look like before the bombing, anything about this is welcome ,fhoto,s ,bombing plan,details,etc.
Els
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Art Seder
8/15/2001 3:08:54 PM | The following information about the mission of 24 August 1944 is taken from Vic Maslen's history of the 614th Squadron:
After a break of five days due to some very foul English weather, the Group furnished 39 aircraft to form the 94th "B" CBW. This was made up of three boxes of twelve aircraft plus two PFF aircraft and a spare. The Air Commander for the mission was Lt. Col. W. T. Seawell.
The 614th flew the low poistion in the Lead Box to attack the armament factory making tanks, shells and bombs at Weimar, Germany. It was also reported to have been working on the V1 and V2 rocket weapons. Results were good in spite of enemy attacks. Single-engined fighters hit the Wing as they finished their climb to altitude and were strung out. Fort to fifty fighters attacked bvery aggressively from all angles making repeated passes to within 50 yards of the 401st B-17's. 2nd Lt. P.W. Finney's aircraft, 43-102394 was shot down about 30 miles S.E. of Hamburg. Flames enveloped the left wing and the plane went into a dive to about 8,000 feet where it exploded. Only one chute was seen to come out of the plane at the time although in fact six members of the crew did escape from the burning aircraft.
The plane "Down N' Go" was hit amidhsips badly wounding the top turret gunner, the rdio operator and the ball turret gunner who all died in the explosion minutes later. Although ordered to bail out the waist gunner, Sgt. B. V. Millet, continued totry to get the ball turret gunner out of his turret when the plane blew up and threw him clear of the wreckage to parachute to safety.
Two 613th aircraft also went down (42-97344, Lt. M. S. Fish and 43-37511, Lt. M.M. Cain) so the Group lost 27 men MIA with three wounded men among the returning crews. The Group claimed 21 enemy aircraft shot down but post war records show the whole of the 1st Air Division shot down 10 eenemy fighters that day. For many of the crews it had been their first real encounter with enemy aircraft.
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Jack "Dick" Lippert
8/15/2001 7:38:27 PM | The B-17 piloted by Lt. M.S. Fish of the 613th was used primarily by my dad. 42-97344 was known as "Jill's Jelopy." Dad was the pilot (Jack Lippert) and Joe La Grasta, tailgunner, is a member of the board of directors of the 401st BG Assn.
This is getting to be a small world!
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Klaus W. Otto
8/17/2001 5:49:19 AM | I've gotten an information that while mission to nazi concentration camp on August 24, 1944 a B-17 has shot down there in the area. The crew has bailed out - then was brought to the camp and there hanged.
If there are any more information about the crew, the planes nummber etc. - please write to my eMail address directly. In the WEIMAR area on August 28 a commemorative stone will get unveiled about three airmen who have killed on July 20, 1944.
mailto: ottoklaus@aol.com
Thanks Klaus
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Inge Grondin
8/18/2001 2:04:01 PM | Hello, iam from Weimar.I have some info,s but, i need to know what excactly are you looking for.We have been bombed very heavily. I have a map here from that bombing raid in Weimar. Iam very happy to send it to you.As soon as i get more infos on any thing i,ll posted in here
thanks my friends Inge
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KC Cribb
8/23/2001 8:56:47 PM | I was under the understanding that Lt. Fish was flying "Jills' Jalopy", 43-37511 when she was shot down. Can anyone clear this up? KC
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Els van der Laan
8/25/2001 4:56:50 PM | The pilot on Jill Jalopy was LT Fisch,the plane was
shot
Most of the crew was made POW and was injured
They are taken to a hospital in Weimar on a luftwaffe airfield.
The crew was:
2LT Melvin Fisch. POW
2LT Leslie Hauss killed
N:Sgt Eugene Cramer POW
B:Sgt Kenneth Lucas POW
RO:Sgt Melvin Warren POW
WG:Sgt John Hanchak POW
TG:Sgt James Huff killed
BT:Sgt william. R Cook killed
Els
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Donald Byers
8/26/2001 2:39:09 PM | 42-97344 was the Carrie B. II flown by 2Lt Maxwell M. Cain on which my uncle Donald C. Byers went down on.
Don
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Donald Byers
8/26/2001 2:43:01 PM | 2nd Lt. Fish was flying Jill's Jalopy. And 2nd Lt. Maxwell Cain was flying the Carrie B. II. In most of the books there two have been mixed up for many years. As I have eyewittnes infromation from the flight engineer who was on Jill's Jalopy when it was shot down.
Don
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Jack "Dick" Lippert
8/26/2001 7:20:03 PM | I stand corrected with an apology for misinformation I may have caused.
My dad didn't discuss his experience as a pilot in WWII. I knew the name of Jill's Jalopy but never knew the number by which it was officially registered. In fact, until I discovered this Forum, it had been my belief that dad's B-17 was shot down following his tour of duty in October, 1944.
I called my mother and she said it went down with another crew before that. It was only here that I learned that Jill's Jalopy went down with Lt. Fish as pilot. I'm on a learning curve that could have been filled in by my father during his lifetime. So I'm getting it here and from his tailgunner, Joe La Grasta.
I check this site everyday with fascination and anticipation!
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Donald Byers
8/28/2001 8:23:26 AM | Most of the books you look in will not show this tail number as Jill's Jalopy as apparently it was never registered officialy. Even the 401st BG books shows the aircraft with no name. It is listed seperaterly with others which could not be connected to an aircraft serial number.
Don Byers
Lubbock Texas
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Joe La Grasta
9/4/2001 7:26:37 PM | Jack the serial # 42-97344 was an error that was placed in the Group books. Fish was flying serial #
43-37511 Jill's Jalopy on Aug. 24 1944. So number 344 was not Jill's Jalopy just to keep the records right. So if you can have that change made I will sleep well tonight ha-ha.
Your Dad's Tail Gunner Joe La Grasta
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Joe La Grasta
9/4/2001 7:34:43 PM | This is Joe La Grasta and you are so right KC Cribb as serial # 43-37511 was call Jill's Jalopy. I know as I have flown many missions in it as a Tail Gunner in 1944.
Jack Lippert was my Pilot and Tom Youmans my Co- pilot.
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james f. risher
9/14/2001 2:05:14 PM | my father's last mission, james f. risher, jr. was weimar, his 32nd mission he was a pilot in 614th squadron of the 401st bg, airplane was the "home james". my wife and ivisited deanthorpe and 401st memorial allmost ten years ago for our 25th anniversery. he enjoyed 401st reunions and he had an airforce career of 34 years, retireing as colonel usaf. deceased july 22, l946
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Donald Byers
9/14/2001 3:18:01 PM | Actually the information I have show that he flew Chute The Works on the Weimar flight.
Don Byers
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Brad Duling
3/25/2002 3:05:33 PM | Hello Art,
I was interested to see your posted info on Mission # 132. My father, S/Sgt William J. (Bill) Duling, was tail gunner that day on the "Down 'n Go" and was in Luft Stalag 1 near Barth until May 1945. He had been ball turret gunner until that mission when the ball turret and tail gunner traded positions. I would be interested to know if there are any of my father's crew members still alive. The only names that I can remember him referring to are: Finney and Brown. The first names and positions are unknown to me. Thanks.
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Calvin Cook
6/19/2002 6:45:51 PM | My brother was killed on this plane, William R. Cook
I have been trying to find out some on him as I was only 5 when he got killed, We got him back in March of 1949 and he is bured here at Sayre, Okla.
We lost all of his papers and his medal in a house fire In march ,1954 would like any info I could get on him, His service No# was 38563060 Sgt 10
SS N0# was 440-22-1374
Thanks for any help you can give
Calvin Cook
406 Spurlin Dr.
Sayre,Okla
73662
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wj pettit
7/1/2009 3:07:42 PM | I'm trying to make contact with you. My dad was Jack Lippert's TT/engineer. I would really like to find you. I am in contact with Joe Lagrasta Bill
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William M. Mussetter Jr.
8/2/2009 2:24:45 PM | My father was radio operator in Cpt. Risher's crew in 1944. I have been trying to get information on my dad's wartime experiences, which has been difficult given the last time I saw him I was 6 years old. Any help here?
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Greg Marino
7/18/2010 7:52:35 PM | My uncle, 2nd LT Leslie Hauss, flew as co-pilot that fateful day. Greg Marino (nu4r@hotmail.com)
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Greg Marino
7/18/2010 7:54:03 PM | My uncle was 2nd LT Hauss
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Greg Marino
7/18/2010 7:56:11 PM | My uncle, 2nd LT Hauss was also killed that day. Let me know if you still need more info. I've been to reported crash site as well. Take care...Greg marino nu4r@hotmail.com
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