In Memoriam 21 May 1943

May 21, 2013

Seventy years ago today, 2nd Lieutenant Roscoe V. Black, Jr. was awakened  at 2:30 AM British Double Summer Time for his fourth combat mission along with several hundred other men of the 91st Heavy Bombardment Group stationed near Bassingbourn, a hamlet in the British countryside a few miles south of Cambridge. At the briefing shortly after 3 AM the men were told that this would be a "maximum effort" mission to the shipbuilding yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

These shipyards were of vital strategic importance, and previous attempts to disable them had been unsuccessful. Today every available plane and crew of the 1st Bombardment Wing would attack the German port city. The 91st would lead the mission.  Bombers of the 4th Wing would mount a second attack on Emden. Takeoff was at 10 o'clock and opposition was expected to be heavy.

When the crews headed for the dispersal areas after breakfast to ready their planes, the weather was marginal with low clouds throughout the area. The 91st would be joined on the mission by the two squadrons of the new 94th Bomb Group that were temporarily housed at Bassingbourn while their base was being completed. The 94th would take off after the 91st had formed up and would follow them to the target.

The weather enroute was even worse than over England. By the middle of the North Sea, the formation was flying over a cloud cover that varied from 80 to 100 percent. But as they approached the German coast from the northwest, the clouds broke. Under the clouds, though, was a heavy ground haze compounded by a thick smoke screen put up by the enemy in anticipation of the raid.

As the bombers approached the target area, they noticed a large formation of German fighters standing slightly off the front of the formation. When the B-17s turned into the bomb run, the fighters jumped them. Between 100 and 150 single- and twin-engine fighters began relentless frontal attacks on the 91st in larger-than-normal groups of up to twelve aircraft at a time.

Rather than breaking off their attacks and reforming for another assault as was their custom, the Germans dove daringly through the bomber formation while other fighters attacked from the flanks and below from the rear in a desperate attempt to disrupt and scatter the bombers so the assault on the target would be ineffective. It was one of the most aggressive attacks the 91st had ever seen.

Several of the 91st's lead group were shot up, including the lead plane piloted by Captain Clancy with the new CO Colonel Reid onboard as copilot. It took a cannon shot in the nose compartment, disabling its navigation and  bombing gear as well as knocking out the oxygen system, causing it to jettison its bomb load and descend to a lower altitude so its crew could  breathe.

The Group began reforming on the deputy lead, but the brief time it had loosened up allowed the determined German fighters to break through and attack inside as well as from the perimeter. The formation eventually pulled together and pushed on to the aiming point to deliver their bombs.

As the bombers approached the target, the fighters pulled back to avoid the intense antiaircraft fire from the ground, but not before more fighters flying high above them unloosed a barrage of aerial bombs. While not having the intended effect of blowing the planes out of the air, the new tactic nonetheless caused considerable concern as the crews watched the bombs fall past their ships.

The Group dropped its bombs relatively effectively, considering the circumstances, causing a great deal of damage to the port area and the support facilities nearby. But the German fighters were not yet through with the 91st.

The vicious frontal attacks continued, this time concentrating on the exposed right flank of the lead formation. Lt. Retchin's plane from the 323rd Squadron, flying "Tail End Charlie" in the second element, had already been hit and it dropped out of formation before the bomb drop. Now fighters poured into the gap behind the second element, concentrating on the six planes in the middle of the pattern.

The 324th, leading B Flight, took the brunt of the attack. Marie Jane, that day’s lead due to the retirement of The Memphis Belle two days earlier, was hit and went down with its entire crew. Two planes behind, Lt. Koll's Desperate Journey, leading the second element was hit and going down, too.

Off Desperate Journey’s right wing, 1Lt. Jack Miller and copilot 2Lt. Roscoe Black in 857 were jumped by six FW-190s that raked their left side with machine gun and cannon fire. Fire broke out in the No. 1 and 2 engines on the left and threatened to engulf the entire wing.

When Jack hit the alarm bell signaling the crew to bail out, Tail Gunner Newell Lane went out his back escape door. Bombardier David Snow made it out the bottom nose hatch and Ball Turret Gunner "Shorty" Trahan dropped straight out of  the escape hatch in his turret.

While Miller kept the plane as steady as he could, the other men moved to their assigned bailout spots. Navigator John Ragsdale worked his way toward the nose hatch to avoid the raging fire that threatened to melt the left wing off. Oscar Stuart probably sent out a distress signal from his radio room before heading for the bomb bay to jump. The waist gunners, Ron Taylor and Curtiss Pope, struggled toward the crew door on the right side of the tail as the plane began losing altitude quickly and threatened to go into a spin.

Bill Spofford, the Flight Engineer and Top Turret Gunner, kept his parachute stowed behind Lt. Black's copilot seat. As he came down from the turret for his 'chute, Black was standing by the seat, ready to head for the bomb bay just ahead of Miller as soon as Jack was ready to let the ship go. Black stopped to help Spofford get his ‘chute on and Spofford went through the bulkhead door to the bomb bay and out of the plane.

Seconds earlier, Dave Snow's 'chute had deployed and he looked up at the burning wreck he had just escaped. As he saw Spofford fall from the bomb bay and open his parachute, 857 exploded in a ball of flame, trapping the other six crewmen inside. It plunged to the ground in its death spiral just outside the German town of Jevers, where it remained until the end of the war, a twisted wreck entombing the six men who rode it down.

The 91st lost forty good men that day. Some made it out of their Fortresses and into German prisons.  25 died.  On this, the 70th anniversary of their deaths, let us remember the sacrifices they made so that we might live today in freedom.

IN MEMORIAM

21 May 1943

41-24515  DF-H  324th Squadron  "Marie Jane"

1Lt Phillip S. Fischer, Pilot, MIA

1Lt Charles W. Freschauf, Copilot, MIA

2Lt Rollin P. Ball, Navigator, MIA

1Lt John W. Joslin, Jr., Bombardier, MIA

TSgt Herbert H. Harvey, Flight Engineer, MIA

SSgt Mark W. Margason, Radio Operator, MIA

SSgt Robert W. Cole, Ball Turret Gunner, MIA

SSgt Sidney L. Kohn, Waist Gunner, MIA

SSgt Willard O. Simpson, Waist Gunner, MIA

SSgt Jearld H. Jones, Tail Gunner, MIA

42-5857  DF-J  324th Squadron  Unnamed

1Lt John H. Miller, Pilot, KIA

2Lt R. V. Black, Jr., Copilot, KIA

2Lt John P. Ragsdale, Navigator, KIA

2Lt David F. Snow, Bombardier, POW

TSgt William D. Spofford, Flight Engineer, POW

TSgt Oscar L. Stuart, Radio Operator, KIA

SSgt Francis Trahan, Ball Turret Gunner, POW

SSgt Ronald Taylor, Waist Gunner, KIA

SSgt Curtiss B. Pope, Waist Gunner, KIA

SSgt Newell R. Lane, Tail Gunner, POW

42-3053  DF-Z  324th Squadron  "Desperate Journey"

1Lt Norbert D. Koll, Pilot, KIA

2Lt Wayne L. Buck, Copilot, KIA

2Lt Joseph H. Frey, Navigator, POW

2Lt Edwin H. Bruton, Bombardier, KIA

TSgt Albert W. Zaverl, Flight Engineer, KIA

TSgt Alfredo L. Davila, Radio Operator, KIA

SSgt Robert J. Abt, Ball Turret Gunner, POW

SSgt Guy F. Wyatt, Waist Gunner, KIA

Sgt Elwin J. Roberts, Waist Gunner, KIA

SSgt William L. Calligan, Jr, Tail Gunner, KIA

42-29657  OR-X  323rd Squadron  Unnamed

Lt. Norman Retchin, Pilot, POW

Lt Lamberson, Copilot, POW

Lt. Floyd, Navigator, POW

Lt Byrnes, Bombardier, POW

SSgt Joseph O. Wing, Flight Engineer, KIA

TSgt Anderw J. Musik, Radio Operator, POW

SSgt Cloren A. “Bud” Meade, Ball Turret Gunner, POW

TSgt E. E. Kalfsbeck, Waist Gunner, POW

SSgt Charles L. Huber, Waist Gunner, POW

SSgt John A. Conard, Tail Gunner, POW

Mike McClanahan

Nephew of 2Lt. Roscoe V. Black, Jr.