850th/857th BSs
Standing, L-R:
Ervin
M. Jasczak
- R.O.
ASN
36289518
William J. Simonson - Bombardier
ASN 0695549
Henry A. Majefski - Navigator
ASN 0700029
Norman W. Harris - Copilot
ASN 0758563
Rudolph B. Melinat - Pilot
ASN 0803844
Joseph Dul - Engineer
ASN
16021521
Kneeling, L-R:
John
W. Marshall - Dispatcher
ASN
17088443
Ray A. Thorington
- Gunner
ASN 36595822 (Orphaned)
John P. Mitchel -
Gunner
ASN
16126618 (Orphaned)
John W. Munsell - Gunner
ASN 16128911
Hyperlinked ASNs for EMs displays their
enlistment records at the National Archives (NARA).
The Melinat
crew are shown above as a 10-man crew at Mountain Home with their
flyover plane "Pappy's Pill",
B24-H 42-94792.
The picture below was taken at Harrington,summer of 1944.
Despite a late start which kept them at Harrington past most of the squadrons stay, the crew did well in the field, missing only one completion in August 1944. (all targets in France) shown below. In the gas haul period, Melinat and a short crew flew 10 missions, one of which was a C-47 flight.
Henry Majefski (picture from cadet class below) trained at San Marcos, Texas during the summer of 1943.
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)
Available on Request:
Group Mission Reports Jan-Sep44
(On
disk $12ea - $10ea via Paypal)
"Chronology of SOE Operations with the
Resistance In France During WWII"
by Foot & Boxhall
"Spies,Supplies & Moonlit Skies Vols 1&2"
by Ensminger (On disk
$12ea - $10ea via Paypal)