453rd Bomb Group Crews


From time to time people have e-mailed to ask that the names of their crew
be posted. This page was created to accommodate their wishes.
For a (nearly) complete listing of Crews contact the 453rd BGA
and buy a copy of _The Liberator Men of Old Buck_, currently selling
at $35.00, which includes shipping.


Crew #617, a 735th Squadron replacement crew:
    (From Bob Bartl)

Pilot:  2nd LT  Ted Hultgran
Co Pilot: 2nd LT Robert Bartl
Navigator: 2nd LT Earl Bennett
Crew Chief/Staff Sargent:  John Vance
Ball Gunner/Sargent: Able Weinraub
Radio/Sargent: Jim Dupell
Upper Gun/Sargent: Earl Cramer
Nose Gunner/Sargent: Eddie Courtney
Tail Gunner/Sargent: Carl Smith

Missions flow by this crew:
3/7/45 Soese Germany
3/10/45 Paderborn Germany
3/11/45 Kiel Germany
3/12/45 Wetzlair Germany
3/15/45 Gardelegen Germany
3/17/45 Munster Germany
3/18/45 Berlin Germany
3/31/45 Brunswier Germany
4/2/45 Denmark coast - no credit for mission
4/4/45 Wesendorf Germany - did not return...landed in Belgium
4/11/45 Amburg Germany

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Crew of the GIPSY QUEEN (42-109805) 453 BG  733 BS
    (From James Scott Spencer)

Pilot Al Bryson, 
Co-pilot Ed Watson, 
Bombardier Al Gehrt, 
Navigator Sol Greenberg,  
Top Turret/Asst Crew Chief Clarence Marrone, 
Nose Gunner Joe Grunas, 
Tail Gunner Bob Adkins,  
Radio "Mitch" Mitchnick, 
Crew Chief Maxey Spencer

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Crew #21, 733rd Sqdn.
    (From Bill Wilson - nephew of Ray Behymer)

P.  Lt.  William M. McCrocklin
CP. Lt.  James N. Workman
B.  Lt.  Raymond C. Behymer
N.  Lt.  Harrison E. Cassell
E.  Sgt. John J. Doyle
TG. Sgt. Martin S. Sasala
RO. Sgt. David G. Roberts
NG. Sgt. James H. Roberts
TG. Sgt. Harold G. Pace     (formerly listed incorrectly as Pale)
BG. Sgt. Curtis O'Neal

"Also the plane name for crew 21 was Her-man with a bull for the nose art
and on some of the crews jackets. Apparently this originated with a
Bordens Milk, Elsie the Cow advertising campaign that had Elsie's
boyfriend named as "Herman" in the ads."  --also from Bill Wilson
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Crew Roster; McCracken's Crew, 732nd Sqdn.
    (From Bob Snider - son of James E. Snider)

PILOT:1stLt. Joseph M. McCracken, Middlesboro, Ky. ASN 0-714729
CO-PILOT: 1stLt. Albert P. Rudisill, Rock Hill,S.C. ASN 0-830963
NAVIGATOR: Frank (probibly "Allers")(maybe from NY)
BOMBARDIER: 1stLt. Roland E. Lesher,San Leandro, Ca. ASN 0-2061398
FLT. ENGINEER: T.Sgt James E. Snider, Terre Haute, In.ASN 15084627
RADIO: T. Sgt. Thomas A. Isreal, Chicago,Il. ASN 36707290
R. WAISTGUN: S.Sgt. Richard L. Osier, Fond-Du-Lac,Wi. ASN 16007555
L. WAIST & BALL TRT: S. Sgt. Joseph F. Alliffi, Brooklyn, N.Y. ASN 42064234
NOSE GUN: S.Sgt. Sidney Price, New York, N.Y. ASN 42064062
TAIL GUN: S.Sgt. James F Owens, Greenville, Tx. ASN 38627554

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Crew #17:
    (From William Squires)

Lt.  V.C. Mikko - Navigator
Lt.  William P. Bates - Pilot
Lt.  E.F. McDowell - Co-Pilot
Lt.  O.W. Becker - Bombardier
S/Sgt. G.R. Bruce - Nose Gunner
S/Sgt. W. Bilowich - Ball Gunner
S/Sgt. J.T. Reynolds - UpperTurret / Armorer
T/Sgt. R. Lastrapes - Waist Gunner / 1st Engineer
S/Sgt. K.M. Berry - Tail Gunner
S/Sgt. Walter W. Berg - Waist Gunner / 1st Radio Operator

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CREW #34   (733rd Sqdrn.)
    (From Vince Pale & Bill Wilson)

P.  LT August V. Bergman  (Gus) 
CP. LT. John B .Durborow
N.  LT  William H. Kyre
B.  LT  Kyle R. Goff
E.  SGT. James B. Dick
TG. SGT. Paul W. Cullinan
RO. T/SGT. Vincent J. Pale
TG. SGT  Fred L Fisher Jr
NG. SGT  Willis W. Cole
BG. SGT. Calvert S. Whitehurst 

This crew went down on April 8th, 1944 over Brunswick, Germany.

"The crew flew CLOUD HOPPER out of Old Buck and went down on April 8, 
1944 on Brunswick mission. Lt.Myra was made lead navigator the day of 
that mission and was replaced by Lt.Richard Crown.  All were killed 
except Sgt.Pale, radioman, who baled in time and spent the remainder of 
the war in Stalag 17."  -John Durborow (nephew of the Co-Pilot)
(Note:  Mr. Durborow gives the Navigator's name as Lt.Bill Myra)

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The Lambert Crew
    (From Mary Edmondson)

Pilot - Capt. Herbert G. Lambert			
Radio Operator - Sgt. Michael Venezia
CoPilot - Lt. Ralph D. Tucker				
Nose Gunner - Sgt. Wesley Doolittle
Navigator - Lt. Harry McDermeuil			
Top Turret Gunner - Sgt. Lonnie Atkins
Bombardier - Lt. Alfred J. Belzer			
Waist Gunner - Sgt. Sidner Talisman
Engineer - Sgt. Kyle Clay				
Tail Gunner - Sgt. Ferris DeBerry

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Crew list for "COOTER" 732nd BS
    (From Joe Deely)

Pilot 2ndLt Odie L. Boyd
Co-P FO Robert  A. Saugen
Nav 2nd Lt Archibald Henderson
Bomb FO Edgar Jackson
Eng TT S/Sgt Anthony C. Corbo
Radio Sgt Chester L. Perry -- replaced by:
Radio Sgt Victor Templer
LW Sgt Noble D. Penny
RW Sgt Henry A.Gagnon
Ball/Nose Sgt Joseph C. Deely
Tail Sgt Edward R. Potter
 
"Of course, by the time we had all finished we had been promoted. Bob
Saugen had become a POW,  and most of us had flown missions as part of a
different crew.  None of that was at all unusual."       - Joe Deely 

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CREW OF LT. IRVING R. KRAUS	
    (From Mary Aukerman)
				
Arlie C. Aukerman - Nose Gunner; 
Ronald W. Barnhart - Radio Operator; 
Lloyd Blackburn - Top Turret Gunner; 
Harry I. Hecht - Tail Gunner; 
Irving R. Kraus - Pilot; 
Francis McCudden - Navigator; 
Guenther Ruhnke - Co-Pilot; 
Howard Sheehan - Waist Gunner; 
Silvester Wirant - Engineer								
								
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CREW OF  EL FLAKO
    (From Frans Ammerlaan)

C. Beaulieu T/Sgt.waist
H. Weddington Lt.co pilot
R. Vernon S/Sgt waist
N. Waldron S/Sgt top turret
A. Warfield Lt.pilot
C. Braun S/Sgt nose turret
Joseph Leone S/Sgt tail gunner
A. Thompson Lt. bombardier
L. Lunsford Lt.navigator 
D.A. DeHaven T/sgt radio  

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Crew # 41- 734 Squadron
Lucky Penny 1 & 2 (original crew)
Named after a dog the crew brought  over from U.S. (dog became a resident of
England.)
(From Greg Matenkoski)

Pilot- Nick Radosevich
Co-pilot- Luther Clark
Navigator- Carl Powell
Orig.Bombardier- Lt. Robert E. Burgess *
Bombardier- Leslie Lee
Nose- Joe Craft
Top turret- Bob Terwilliger
Ball turret- Laddy Head
Waist- Robert Hanson
Waist- Robert Victor
Tail- Edmund Survilla

First crew in group to finish tour, 31 missions, 7 kills. Crew's last
mission was D-Day.
* Burgess lost flying lead bombardier on another plane.
Lucky Penny 1 shot down while original crew was on leave. Finished tour
in Lucky Penny 2.
Highlights- First raid on Berlin, Participated in D-Day, Bombed train
station in Germany alone at low altitude when engine trouble forced plane 
out of formation.

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2ND LT WILLIAM W.PENN PILOT
2ND LT. MRYON A. WILLSON  CO. PILOT
2ND LT. WILLIAM F.KERN        NAV.
2ND LT. IRVING KATZ            BOMB.
S/SGT   LLOYD R. BRUCE        AIR.GUUNER.ENGR.
S/SGT   HUNTON L. MORGAN    GUNNER.ASST.ENG
S/SGT   PAUL A.COUTU           RADIO.GUN.
S/SGTCLARENC J. PATTOCK     GUNNER
S/SGT    ANDREW J RITORZE    ARMORER.GUN
S/SGT    CHARLES W. ROWAN   ARMORER.GUN.
 
WOULD YOU PLEASE PRINT THIS WITH YOU LISTING OF CREWS,
WE LEFT WITH THE GROUP FROM MARCH FIELD,CALIF.
WE WERE IN THE 733RD BM SQD.
 
                               HUNTON L. MORGAN

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Hi, 
Please add these men from the 453rd BG  732nd Squadron to your list.  Thanks. 
Ist Lt. Litman, pilot 
1st Lt. Hugh Hoyt, pilot 
S/Sgt. Julio alonso, waist gunner; 
T/Sgt. Robert Henderson, radio operator; 
T/Sgt. Frank Gottman, engineer; 
S/Sgt. Charles York, gunner; 
2nd Lt. Don Dumoulin, navigator; 
S/Sgt. John Cook, nose gunner; 
S/Sgt. Al Tracy, tail gunner. 
Thanks, 
Judi Gottman-Pingston 

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