406th BS
Crance Crew

The crew is shown above at Pueblo, Colorado in the fall of 1943:

Standing, L-R:
Jerome    Crance     -   Pilot           ASN 0679050
Ray N.    McCall     -   Copilot         ASN 0684755
Joseph P. Cox        -   Navigator       ASN 0673101
William   Rees       -   Bombardier      ASN 0679281  (KIA)

Kneeling, L-R:  
Harold W. Hanson     -    Engineer       ASN 15196190 (Orphaned)  
Graden C. Burke      -    Unknown        ASN 38208297 (Dismissed) 
James K.  Wright     -    R.O.           ASN 37225811 (Orphaned)
Joe A.    Escalada   -    Gunner         ASN 15335838
William   Willis     -    Gunner         ASN 36442147 (Orphaned)
Kermit A. Duehring   -    Gunner         ASN 36279575 (Orphaned)

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

The picture above was taken at Harrington near the end of their tour.

L-R Standing:
Jerome         Crance        - Pilot       ASN 0679050
Frederick M.   Burk          - Bombardier  ASN 0733022
Ray            McCall        - Copilot     ASN 0684755
Robert W.      Martin        - Navigator   ASN 0733056

L-R Kneeling:
Horace B.      Ragland       - Gunner      ASN 20361753
Jose A.        Morales       - Engineer    ASN 38123436
Armond C.      Hartzie       - R.O.        ASN 17018056
James H.       Mays          - Engineer    ASN 14026554

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

Status: Augmentation crew, they arrived at Alconbury on 30 Dec 1943 on orders from the 2nd CCRC, UK. Their combat period stretched from February of 1944 through July of that year. Picture and identifications provided by Ray McCall. Of the Enlisted, only Escalada remained with the crew at Station 179. At Topeka,it was discovered that Graden Burke had epilepsy and he was dropped from the crew. William Rees was reassigned to the 36th BS and was seriously injured on the night of 3/4 March 1944 when he went down with the Carpenter crew. Pinned beneath the fuselage, both legs were broken. Turned over to the Germans, both legs were amputated and he died of shock the day following surgery. He is the only known Carpetbagger to have died while a captive.

Close Call:
On their 5/6 April mission to a Belgian DZ at 50° 19'N 04°47' E, the number one engine was knocked out by flak. They returned to base but the plane "Dark Angel" (B24D 42-63773) did not return to service again until 2 May 1944.

Agents Inserted:
MR 317 1/2May DZ Scientist 82 - Phyllis Latour (Genevieve)