858th BS
Sidorek Crew

Names transcribed from Special Orders #212,dtd 17Nov44 Sta 179.

Picture credit: Donna (Thornton) Hamby

Above,Standing,L-R: (2nd USA crew picture)
Thomas,Thornton,Beverly,Gibson,Watkins
Above,Kneeling,L-R:
Lee,Sidorek,Benton,Villforth

The Sidorek crew reported in on 17Nov44. They do not show in the Late Period Log until the night of 11/12 April 1945. Names on the accident report of 17Jun45 are shown below. Jeleniewicz and Watkins were not onboard when the crash occurred.

Os,Standing:
Francis A.  Sidorek        - Pilot         ASN 0824269    (DNB)
Lloyd J.    Benton         - Bombardier    ASN 02061139
George R.   Villforth      - Copilot       ASN 0829595    (DNB)
William D.  Lee            - Navigator     ASN 02064279   (DNB)
EMs,Kneeling:
James E.    Thornton       - Gunner        ASN 34882444 *
James T.    Watkins        - Gunner        ASN 14072486
Richard W.  Gibson         - Engineer      ASN ?
Thomas M.   Beverly,Jr.    - Gunner        ASN 38532255
Sam H.      Thomas         - R.O.          ASN 18202586   (DNB)
John S.     Jeleniewicz    - Gunner        ASN 42102110
James T.    Watkins        - Gunner        ASN 14072486

Not Pictured:
William F.  Wright         - Engineer      ASN 31300466   (DNB)
Lewis E.    Hart           - Crew Chief    ASN 17019123   (DNB)
Rex M.      Flowers        - Technician    ASN 18199254   (DNB)

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

* Thornton's surname is incorrectly spelled on his NARA enlistment card.
Gibson was apparently dropped prior to the crew's arrival at Station 179.

Incident Aircraft: B24 44-49523

Crewmember Pictures: (Prepare to Scroll)

L-R: Thornton,Watkins,Jeleniewicz,Gibson,Thomas,Beverly. All but Thornton picture taken at Tucson,AZ during crew training phase. Pictures courtesy of Donna (Thornton) Hamby.

Status: Replacement crew. On 17 June 1945, during a wring-out run prior to returning to the USA, their plane went down a few miles from base - all aboard were killed.

Additional Crew Data Sources:
 Sidorek Crew Personnel Files
Sidorek Crew Honor Roll cards
Sidorek Crew Incident Documents
Sidorek Crew Mission Reports (partial)

Group-Related Downloads:
 "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)

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