850th/857th BS - Bales Crew

First crew of the 490th BG to land in the UK, the Bales crew is shown above as a 10-man crew at Mountain Home,ID in April of 1944.

Standing, L-R:
Leo     J. Ensminger  - R.O.         ASN 15382623 (WIA)
Arthur J. Simcik     - Bombardier   ASN 0598927
Joseph M. Sekerak    - Navigator    ASN unknown
James   J. Doyle      - Copilot      ASN 0818126
William L. Bales      - Pilot        ASN 0664498
Jerome A. Hobbs      - Engineer     ASN 17154090 (Orphaned)

Kneeling, L-R:
James   P. Bowden      - Gunner      ASN 18209001
Silas   S. Stamper     - Gunner      ASN 14109343  (WIA)
Frank   J. Bielawski   - Gunner      ASN 16113637 (Orphaned)
William H. Fox         - Gunner      ASN 37554580

ASNs so-colored for EMs link to their NARA Enlistment Records.

Shortly before leaving for the UK, Sekerak was replaced by 1st Lt. Milton Silverstein formerly of the 849th BS at Mountain Home,ID. At Cheddington, when the crew was reduced to eight, Jerry Hobbs and Frank Bielawski were released. Once at Harrington, William Fox attended training at Ringway to become the Dispatcher. An 8-man crew picture has never been found. On the night of 8/9 August 1944, the crew encountered a JU-88 Night Fighter and ground flak over a Belgian DZ. The crew jettisoned their load, put out the fires, and tended to the wounded (Ensminger and Stamper) and returned to the UK, leaving the wounded at Castlecamp, an RAF base. On the morning of 9 August, Bales and the remainder of the crew returned to Harrington in B24H 42-51201 "The Loretta Ann II", on three engines, and with over 1,000 flak and cannon holes. The remaining six of the crew completed their 35 missions by mid-September and October of 1944, and returned to the ZI. After an eight-week hospital stay, Ensminger and Stamper returned to the ZI in October of 1944 to complete lengthy therapy in VA hospitals and were eventually discharged. Ensminger and Stamper were both awarded the Purple Heart, the rest of the crew were awarded the DFC (for completion of tour). The plane was repaired and later flew for the 15th AF, 859th BS, in Italy, and, like the first plane the crew, shown here (B24-H 41-29602), returned to the ZI to be scrapped in late 1945.

Status: Original 490th BG crew, arrived at Harrington at the end of May 1944.

Preferred Aircraft: B24H 42-51201 O "Loretta Ann II"

Data from July 1944 indicate the following for the crew:

Pilot	MR#	Day	Target	Aircraft
Bales	0792	2	Stationer 151	B24H 42-95170 F
Bales	0854	4	Mitchell 7	B24H 42-95170 F
Bales	0897	6	Percy 20	B24H 42-51201 O
Bales	0940	8	Digger 43	B24H 42-51201 O
Bales	1009	11	Stationer 137	B24H 42-51201 O
Bales	1012	12	Trainer 264	B24H 42-51201 O
Bales	1042	14	Percy 19F	B24J 42-50600 G
Bales	1062	16	Percy 19	B24H 42-51201 O
Bales	1089	17	Minister 12	B24H 42-95036 A
Bales	1129	19	Hamish 5	B24H 42-51201 O
Bales	1157	20	Ian 8	B24H 42-51201 O
Bales	1275	28	Historian 42	B24H 42-51201 O
Bales	1301	30	Shipwright 14A	B24H 42-51201 O
Bales	1349	31	Gerald 3	B24H 42-51201 O

Passengers:
Sadler            - MR 0520
Byerley           - MR 1009
Haines            - MR 1009
Winfield          - MR 1012
Bruning           - MR 1722
Cartmill          - MR 1752
Messner           - MR 1788

Agents:
Jedburgh Team CEDRIC - MR 1788 (3) - Bazata,Lesne & Floyd
SUSSEX/OSSEX Team    - MR 1847 (2) - Barthelemy,Berton & Faivre
PROUST Team          - MR 1847 (2) - Duguay & Ferry
SOE/OSS Team         - MR 2120 (3) - Gillette,Kitch & Boissiere

850th/857th BSs Bales Crew

850th/857th BSs
Bales Crew