Status: Replacement 788th crew.
The Beller crew probably arrived at Harrington toward the end of June 1944. On 27 July 1944 they flew their first combat mission and by the end of September 1944 had flown 21 combat missions and possibly some gas-haul missions. The crew departed for Italy on 17 December 1944 for detached service with the 885th BS, never to return.
The names of the crew members gathered from several sources were:
O's:
Albert J. Beller - Pilot
ASN 01102624
Gerard T. Flaherty - Copilot
ASN 0886674
Levi O. Rust - Navigator
ASN 0874025
Sam A. Cox, Jr. - Bombardier
ASN 0716834
EM's:
Joseph Moravich - Dispatcher
ASN 36852686
Francis E. Pluhar - R.O.
ASN
17033284
Robert L. Van Buren - Engineer
ASN
34623410
Bernard E. Williams,Jr. - Tail Gunner
ASN
38511993
Orphaned:
Frank E. Cromp - R.O.
ASN 36580517
Walter J. Luke - Gunner
ASN
35227020
ASNs so-colored for EMs link to their NARA Enlistment Records.
Preferred Aircraft: B24H 42-95054
With a sample of ten missions taken for August of 1944, the crew were sixty percent successful, a completely satisfactory record for new Carpetbagger crew. An obvious preference for a single plane is evident. All targets were French locations. The aircraft has a rather mysterious history, showing up at BAD 2 on 6 December 1944, it disappears from Carpetbagger records after that date and has an ultimate fate which is unknown.| MR# | OK | Fail | Cntnrs | Pkgs | Nickels | Date | DZ | Aircraft |
|
|
1 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
3 |
Peter 52 |
42-95054 L |
|
|
1 |
|
12 |
0 |
10 |
5 |
Salesman 15B |
42-95054 L |
|
|
1 |
|
12 |
10 |
9 |
7 |
Peter 89 |
42-95054 L |
|
|
1 |
|
12 |
0 |
10 |
9 |
Donkeyman 73 |
42-95054 L |
|
|
1 |
|
12 |
8 |
7 |
10 |
Percy 33 |
42-95054 L |
|
|
1 |
|
12 |
10 |
8 |
14 |
Shipwright 26 |
42-95054 L |
|
|
|
1 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
15 |
Ventriloquist 45 |
42-95054 L |
|
|
1 |
|
12 |
6 |
8 |
17 |
Donkeyman 66D |
42-95054 L |
|
|
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
18 |
Singlet 13 |
42-95054 L |
|
|
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
28 |
Bob 277 |
42-95054 L |
