406th BS
Kitko Crew
Shown above as a ten-man crew probably taken shortly before they went overseas, the picture was provided by Ron Gaidos, nephew of Kanizar.
Standing, L-R:
Cecil C. Coon
- Engineer
David Kitko
- Pilot
French M. Russell
- Copilot (Evader)
Wilhelm C. Eklund
- Navigator
Raleigh E. Fuller
- Dispatcher
Kneeling, L-R:
Joe
Demay - Gunner (Orphaned)
Albert J. Westfall - R.O.
C.K. Brittingham - Gunner (Orphaned)
Harold F. Schwar - Gunner
Shown below at Station 179,
spring of 1944. This is not a good picture,if
you have a better one please send it in. Cecil Coon identified all but the
copilot.
Standing,L-R:
David Kitko
- Pilot ASN 0804684
Unidentified
Wilhelm C. Eklund - Navigator
ASN 0542180
George J. Kanizar - Bombardier
ASN 0685481
Kneeling,L-R:
Cecil C. Coon
- Engineer ASN
34473680
Albert J.
Westfall - R.O.
ASN
13154222
Harold F. Schwar - Gunner
ASN
12095783
Raleigh E.
Fuller - Gunner
ASN
35621835
Unidentified Possibles:
Melvin W. Maxam - Copilot
ASN 0748729 (After Russell was lost)
French M. Russell - Copilot
ASN 0687076 (Evader)
ASNs so-colored for EMs link to their NARA Enlistment Records.
French M. Russell went down with the Simon crew in early May of 1944 and successfully evaded, hooking up with the first Dakota mission of the group, piloted by Colonel Heflin in July of 1944. He returned to Harrington and was returned to the Zone of the Interior after interrogations. Kitko was killed in a November 1944 crash of a B-24 at Chesapeake Bay, Virginia.
Agents Inserted/Not
inserted:
MR 0597
(2)
Lincoln 1 DZ
No Drop
MR 0601
(2) DeSoto 1
DZ No Drop
MR 0638
(1) Percy 73
DZ No Drop
MR 0954
(3) Fredrick
5 DZ
Jedburgh Team FELIX
MR 1114
(1) Historian 40 DZ
Unidentified
MR 1373
(5)
Salesman 5 DZ
No Drop
Group-Related Downloads:
AAFRH-21 "AAF Aid to European
Resistance"
Allied
Leaflets Index
"Carpetbaggers" by Parnell
"They Flew by
Night" editor Robert Fish
Serial
Number Index of B24s
Station 179 Operations Log (handwritten
Apr44-Jul45)
Station 179 Operations Log(transcribed
Sep44-Jul45)
