453rd Bomb Group in formation
- Photo courtesy of Albert de la Garza.
Another of the 453rd in formation
- Photo courtesy of Chas. Reus.
Another of the 453rd Bomb Group in formation
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Aerial view of Station 144
- Can you find your old office? Photo courtesy of UK AIRFIELDS. (uk.airfields@virgin.net)
Airmen posing on a jeep
- with a lady, who also appears to be in uniform. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Ambulances and a grounded B-24
- Sweating out a mission. Photo courtesy of Albert de la Garza.
Arlie Aukerman
- Photo courtesy of Arlie Aukerman.
Arlie Aukerman
- Photo courtesy of Arlie Aukerman.
Lt. Bill Banias Crew
- Posing in front of STOLEN MOMENTS, the nose art of which has been
painted over. Nose Gunner Sgt. Bob Thompson is in the back row, third from
the right. Photo is believed to have been taken in early July 1944.
Courtesy of Tim Rathbone.
Bartl Crew
- Crew #617.
The BLONDES AWAY Crew
- This photo is believed to be taken at March Field, Ca. prior to being deployed to
England. Crew to be identified (possibly Lt. Fern Titus Crew or Lt. Joe DeJarnette Crew).
This photo is a close-up of the crew from the full view of BLONDES AWAY featured on
the AIRCRAFT page. Info per Don Olds. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow..
British children
- Schmoozing with two crewmen. Photo courtesy of Albert de la Garza.
Browning .50 Cal
- Crewmen removing (or replacing) a waist gun for maintenance. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Bunkhouse
- Ready for inspection.
Combat damage
- (Men looking at damaged tail of B-24) This photo has been printed backwards
from the negative. Notice the bar on the hat of the Lt. It is normal for it to be on the left side
of the head. Airman on left is unknown. Second from left with flying helmet on is Sgt. Walter
Thomas. Third from left is Colonel Ramsay Potts, 453rd Group Commanding Officer. Fourth
from left is Lt. James Munsey. Photo was taken on 20 April 44 upon the return from that day’s
mission. Munsey's tail gunner had been killed in his turret. Two days after this photo was taken
Lt. Munsey was KIA...and on 9 May 44, Sgt. Thomas was also KIA. Info per Don Olds.
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
More combat damage
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Control tower on wheels?
- 453rd Bomb Group tail marking; this must be Old Buck.
Counselman Crew
- (Counselman is misspelled in the photo label) Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
A lovely couple
- in front of a house. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
A crew in the desert
- The back of the photo reads: 732nd Crew 5, so this is the James Bingamen Crew.
Bingamen, the pilot, was KIA in March of '44. Info per Don Olds.
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Crew #17
- See the Crews sub-page for names. Plane #548 is unidentified; the plane in the
background appears to be BLONDES AWAY. Photo courtesy of William Squires.
Crew #31
- the Matecko crew posing with D variant #998 - probably during training?
Photo courtesy of Albert de la Garza.
Crew 41 in flight at March Field.
- Photo courtesy of Greg Matenkoski.
Crew 41 in flight at March Field. RELUCTANT DRAGON flies on their wing.
- Photo courtesy of Greg Matenkoski.
Crew 41 Ground Crew and Bomb Loaders near 16th mission; shown with the LUCKY PENNY.
- Photo courtesy of Greg Matenkoski.
Group photo of Crew 41.
- Photo courtesy of Greg Matenkoski.
Ground Crew of LUCKY PENNY.
- Photo courtesy of Greg Matenkoski.
Group photo of some Crew 41 personnel, taken in the Old Buc mess hall.
- Photo courtesy of Greg Matenkoski.
Crash landed B-24 at british airfield at Dover Cliffs.
- Photo courtesy of Greg Matenkoski.
Cyclist
- is Charles Mosgar per Dave Conner.
Lt. Charles Wayne Dean
- is on the right. He was a pilot in the 734th. Photo courtesy of
Caroline Thornburgh.
Dean Crew
- Lt. Charles Wayne Dean is in the left rear of the photo. Little is known
of Dean and his crew. If you know the identity of anyone pictured, or
have any information to share, please email me at the address given on
the home page. Photo courtesy of Caroline Thornburgh.
Five airmen sitting outside nissen hut
- They are (from left to right) Sgt. Kenneth Laux, Sgt. Ralph McClure,
Lt. Art Orlowski (bombardier - standing), Sgt. Norman Brown and Lt. Leon Helfand
(navigator). Info per Don Olds. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Flatt Crew
- Pilot was Roy Frederick Flatt, Jr., who was killed on his third
mission, with all the crew, after a mid-air collision on 6-Feb-1945. Click
here
to see the orders that sent the McFadden, Flatt, matecko and
McCarthy Crews to Old Buc. Photo courtesy of Victor Flatt.
Flying through flak
- Flak, an acrostic for the German "flieger abwehr kanonen", was called Ack Ack
by the British. It meant exploding shells fired from cannons strategically placed on the ground
around target areas. The little black puffs of smoke look harmless enough, but the hunks of steel
that went flying through the air could knock out an engine or even collapse a wing. If you look
closely you can see two white smoke trails. It is probable that they are smoke bombs dropped by
lead aircraft to mark the release point. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Four officers in the snow
- The man on the left is Del Wangsvick, the 732nd Squadron Navigator. Others unknown.
Info per Don Olds. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Four airmen in front of an early B-24
- (Probably a D variant; note the greenhouse in the front of the plane).
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Ground crewmen on jeeps
- Sweating out a mission, perhaps. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Group photo.
- Names per Dave Conner: 1st row kneeling(L to R): Shaner, Evje, Conner, Cass.
Top, standing(L to R): Lenutia, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Parsons, Oppenner,
Nellis, Gray, Vossard
Another group shot.
- Photo courtesy of David J. Cardoza. Names?
Crew #48: The Hart Crew
- Shown with D variant #286 RELUCTANT DRAGON; not listed as
a 453rd ship. Therefore, this photo was apparently taken during training in
the States. The Hart crew was lost on the 8th of May, 1944, on a bombing run
to Brunswick, Germany. Lt. Dean Hart, T/Sgt William Barden, and T/Sgt
Horace Dunham were the only survivors. All three became POWs. The crewmen that
day were: Lt Dean H. Hart P;
2Lt Norbert A. Urschalitz CP;
2Lt Leo J. Poladian N;
2Lt Dominic Fallacaro (apparently flying Bombardier in place of Dinneen);
T/Sgt Horace K. Dunham (apparently flying Engineer in place of Garrett);
T/Sgt William A. Barden RO;
S/Sgt Valmore V. Bedard TTG;
S/Sgt Howard F. Damonte TG;
S/Sgt Joseph F. Gallagher BTG;
S/Sgt Maurice L. Swan NG.
Photos and names courtesy of Robert Rew.
The Hart Crew
- This time with their names. Photo courtesy of Robert Rew.
Lt. Dean H. Hart
- Pilot Photo courtesy of Julia Hart Petersen, who confirms that the
RELUCTANT DRAGON was used in training, and that the plane in which they
were shot down was the SHOO SHOO BABY.
The Hart Crew's Co-Pilot
- 2Lt Norbert Urschalitz. Photo courtesy of Robert Rew.
The Hart Crew's Nose Gunner
- S/Sgt Maurice L. Swan. Photo courtesy of Robert Rew.
The Hoggatt Crew
- Taken Feb 6th 1945 at Old Buck. His crew members starting from
the back row are S Sergeant Kenneth Crim (side gun), S Sergeant Donald
Lun (Nose gun), S Sergeant Lawrence DePaul (Ball tur), S Sergeant Albert
Potash (Tail gun), Tech Sergeant Elmer Johnston (Engineer), S Sergeant
Otis Palmer (Radio). Front row left to right, Lt. Jack Wawizha (C Pilot),
Lt. Ralph S. Hoggatt (Pilot), Lt. Chauncey Meacham (Navigator).
Photo courtesy of Bernie Potash.
Hurry up and wait.
- Photo courtesy of David J. Cardoza. Anyone know what's happening here?
Kolb Crew (#69)
- Posing in front of JUNIOR. (Back row L-R: Manual, Kolb, Wessel,
Halliburton per
notation
on the back of the photo.) This was one of the original crews.
It normally flew BECKY (Battle Letter T in the 735th BS). On June 20th, while
flying the unnamed 42-94850, they were hit by flak and landed in Sweden, and
were subsequently interned.
The original personnel of that crew were:
Pilot Lt. Donald Kolb;
Co-Pilot Lt. Ben Wessel;
Navigator Lt. J. G. Halliburton;
Bombardier Lt. David Mandel;
Engineer T/Sgt. Martin C. Helke;
Radio Op Sgt. John A. Dolan;
Nose Gunner Sgt. Kelvin Henry;
Top Turret Gunner Sgt. Angelo Fermo;
Ball Gunner Sgt. Harry E. Kershaw;
Tail Gunner Sgt. James R. Kelly.
Click
here
for a colorized photo of Navigator Lt. Joseph Grayson Halliburton III,
of Knoxville, Tn. He had died on the LILLIE BELLE on March 6, 1944.
He was not a regular crew member of that plane, but was filling in for
Lt. Bill Thom, who was sick in the hospital with a severe cold.
Only Lt. Gerald J. Cyr survived the crash into the North Sea.
Click
here
for a photo of Lt. Halliburton's wedding party. His bride, not identified
in the subscript, was Katie Parker.
Click
here
for a photo of Halliburton and friend at Kessler Field, MS in 1942.
Photos and information courtesy of Bob Cannon.
The Lambert Crew
- Aug. 7, 1944. (Both Lambert crew photos courtesy of Mary Edmondson)
The Lambert Crew
- Nov. 28, 1944. Standing at far right is Co-Pilot Lt. Ralph D. Tucker
Head on view of a B-24 coming in for a landing
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Rear view of a B-24 coming in for a landing.
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
"The Line"
- B.T.O. is dead center.
Lt. Livingstone
- Identified on the back of the photo; apparently Lt. Richard F. Livingstone of the Bubier Crew?
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
LUCKY PENNY II Crew
- Accompanied by an explanatory note from Ed Walker. Photo
courtesy of Albert de la Garza.
MALE CALL's shack
- Huebner, Jackson & Nellis.
The McBride Crew
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
The McCracken Crew
- Posing with an unknown plane. Photo courtesy of Bob Snider.
Nissen huts
- Barracks 19 with neat picket fences. Photo courtesy of David J. Cardoza.
Inside a Nissen hut
- With crewman from Taunton, MA. Photo courtesy of David J. Cardoza.
Four Master Sergeants
- Names (l to r) are Conner, Agnew, Larson and Oppenner per Dave Conner.
Men relaxing by a Nissen hut.
- Names?
Morris Crew
- Pilot Lt. Kenton W. Morris is standing second from left. Co-pilot
Pershing J. Beechy is standing at the far right. The aircraft serial number
has apparently been censored out. This crew usually flew Ohio Silver according
to Mr. Morris, but here they pose with an unidentified ship.
Click here
for a colorized version of the same photo;
here
for a portrait of Beechy;
here
for a map of the Morris Crew's missions to France;
here
for a map of the Morris Crew's missions to Germany;
here
for a photo of his Air Medal and DFC;
and
here
for a scan of his obituary.
Photos, maps and information courtesy of Rick Webb.
The Morris Crew
- Taken March 1944, Topeka, Kansas.
Front row L-R: Lt. Kenton W. Morris -WV (P); Lt. Bernard L. DeLancey -NY (B);
Lt. Pershing J. Beechy, jr. -OH (CP); Lt. Thomas O. Owen -KY (N);
Back row L-R: Sgt. Morgan E. Folta -PA (TG); Sgt. Laverne R. Howe -IL (RO);
Sgt. Jack H. McCutcheon -AR (TTG); Sgt. William C. Main, jr. -IA (BG);
Sgt. Walter S. Rash -PA (NT); Sgt. John K. Barney -NJ (E);
Photo courtesy of Rick Webb. (Surnames taken from back of photo. A/C is
identified as B-24H #42-50319)
Officers Club
- (We guess). Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Old Buckenham Limousine Service
- Huebner & Jackson in back. Note plexiglass waist windows; the cure for frostbite. For some
screwball reason the Ford H variants had these, but the later model Consolidated J variants still
retained the open waist windows with wind deflectors.
Also, notice the turelle mount for the .50 cal Browning machine gun.
Old Buck's Control Tower
- Photo courtesy of UK AIRFIELDS. (uk.airfields@virgin.net)
Original Cadre 734th BS
- Must have been taken in Feb. 1944?
A P-38 crash
- This photo has the following written across the bottom: (GRD-24-453)(22-5-44)(A/C
68001-P-38-J-55th FG).Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
A P-47 and two officers
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
A P-47 and the same two officers.
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
A P-47 with Col. Van Dowda, Sqdn. Commander of the 734th, climbing in.
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
A P-47
- Looks like it might be from a stateside airfield possibly March Field, CA.
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
A Pilot in a P-47 Cockpit.
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
A P-51 named BAT CAVE.
- From the 357th FG 364th FS; the 'Yoxford Boys' per Martin Kyburz. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
M/Sgt. Patrick Pettigrew
- Sitting in front of the mission board. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
A pilot waving from the cockpit.
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Col. Ramsay D. Potts, Jr.
- 453rd B Commanding Officer 19-Mar-44 - 06-Jul-44. Photo courtesy of Jim Hellinger.
Red Cross Bus
- Names? Note tail of A/C "H" from 735th at extreme right.
Photo courtesy of David J. Cardoza.
Red Cross Bus
- Coffee and doughnuts after the mission. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Red Cross Bus again
- This time in front of the main hangar? Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Pre-flight Ritual
- No detail, however small, could be overlooked before a long flight
over enemy held territory. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
The Senter Crew
- of the 732nd, posing with LACE. Tail Gunner Al Kaplan is second
from the left in the back row .
Photo courtesy of Bruce Kaplan.
A Shack Bunny
- For those of you who always wondered what one was.
Soup Line
- Officers getting cups of soup. I'm almost sure I recognize the lady from
another photo that I never posted. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
STAR EYES Crew
- Photo courtesy of Stuart Wright.
Jimmy Stewart
- "In photographs, there is a photo of Stewart and four airmen around a table.
They are, Keith Dibble, Roger Counselman, Jimmy Stewart, Joe Fiorentino and Ed
Wilen. This and a few other Pictures were staged publicity shots and Jimmy
asked that all air crew members from Pennsylvania be included. They were not
from a single crew. I have a photo of the same five people walking away from
MALE CALL and I have had several phone conversations with Ed Wilen.
Joe Fiorentino was my best friend before we joined up. Joe died June 22, 1944
When his plane was shot down by flak near Paris. I hope this some use to you.
I served with the 357th Fighter Group." --Joe Black
(I believe Dibble is the same man identified elsewhere as the tail
gunner of MALE CALL. -kn) Photo courtesy of Albert de la Garza.
Jimmy Stewart
- Debriefing Capt. Ray Sears of the SPIRIT OF NOTRE DAME after the June 21, 1944
raid on Berlin. Left to right: 2nd Lt. Robert F. Sullivan, NAVIGATOR; Capt Ray L. Sears,
("Spears" in the caption is a misprint.), PILOT of the "Spirit of Notre Dame"; 1st Lt. Arthur
Cromarty; and Lt Col James Stewart Group Operations Officer. June 30, 1944. Photo
courtesy of Albert de la Garza. Thanks to Patrick Tomlinson for the men's names!
Jimmy Stewart
- Standing on the left in front of the control tower. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Cpt. Stoermer
- on the control tower. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Target practice
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Thanksgiving Party
- Labelled 735th Sq. Thanksgiving Party, Nov. 22, 1944 on the back Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Thanksgiving Party
- Party animals seeking refills, apparently at the same 735th Sq. Thanksgiving Party.
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Col. Larry Thomas
- Unlike lesser bombers, the B-24 came with a sunroof as standard equipment. 453rd Group
C.O. Colonel Larry Thomas. Info per Don Olds. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Col. Larry Thomas with Officer/Civilians
- 453rd Group C.O. Colonel Larry Thomas (2nd from left)
With unidentified officer and two civilians. Info per Don Olds. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Lt. Richard S. Kelsey
- a navigator in the 735th squadron. Identification by Leon Helfand. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Cpt. Larry Doyle (left) with Lt. Leon Helfand
- Identification by Leon Helfand. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Major Russell F. Webster
- Squadron Commander of the 735th after July 1944, when Major Andy Low
failed to return from a mission. Identification by Leon Helfand. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Lt. Leon Helfand
- Navigator for the Lien Crew, and Squadron Navigator of the 735th. Identification by Leon's son
Jonathan Helfand. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Lt. Leon Helfand, Unidentified Airman
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Unidentified Airman
- Was taken overseas as plane shows bombing mission symbols on side.
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
The same Unidentified Airman
- Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Unidentified Airmen
- (in front of EL FLAKO?) Anyone know who these fellows are?
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Unidentified Airmen
- Anyone know who these fellows are?
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Major Andy Low, Lt. Bill Burgin, Sgt John Randall
- Major Andy Low, 735th BS Commanding Officer, Lt. Bill Burgin, 735th BS
Engineering Officer in center and Sgt John Randall, a ground crew chief. Info per Don Olds.
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
PORTLAND ANNIE Crew
- Per Glenn Jokner this is a picture of the PORTLAND ANNIE crew of the 735th Sqdn.
Here they are posing with another plane, #109, probably at some stage of their
training. The third person from the left is the navigator,
Glenn's father-in-law, Marlowe Olson. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
SPIRIT OF NOTRE DAME /Missouri Airmen
- The five guys in front of SPIRIT OF NOTRE DAME just happen to be five guys
from Missouri. Airman on the right is Wilbur Clingan. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Unknown 'drome
- Maybe Old Buck before tail markings applied?
Two unknown officers
- Can anyone supply their names? Notice the Marston mat (pierced sheet metal mats used to
create temporary runways) behind them. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
V-Mail
- Mailed by my father to his parents.
Vail Crew
- Howard R. (Buck) Haney, navigator, is 4th from the left, rear row.
Photo courtesy of James Rowland.
Volleyball game.
Another of the Volleyball game.
Col. Edward Hubbard & Maj. Robert Harris
- The man on the left is Colonel Edward Hubbard the former 735th BS Commanding Officer
and was also the 453rd BG Commander when the war ended. The man on the right is Major
Robert Harris who was Commanding Officer of the 735th BS. Info per Don Olds.
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
An officer, possibly Webster
- Speaking with crew members at the nose of a plane.
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Another of Col.Webster
- Talking with an unidentified officer.
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Col. Frank Russel Webster
-
Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
Col. Webster
- at the Skeet range. Photo courtesy of Mark Forlow.
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