856th BS
Wroten Crew
A picture would be most appreciated!
Os:
Clayton W. Pluff
- Navigator ASN T-127085
Milton J. Trefny - Bombardier
ASN 0773012
Walter Turchen -
Copilot ASN 0771159
Don I. Wroten
- Pilot ASN 0771204
EMs:
Robert L. Bell -
Gunner ASN
17055915
Henry D. Corbin - Gunner
ASN 33642128
Benjamin F. Garrett - Gunner
ASN 38478949
James R. Kennedy - Engineer
ASN
34810750
William E. Lewis,Jr. - R.O.
ASN
39120406
Walter A. Merritt - Gunner
ASN
14122974
ASNs so-colored for
EMs link to their NARA Enlistment Record.
The Wroten crew arrived at Harrington as a ten-man crew in September of 1944, on Special Orders #154,dtd 20Sep44 they were assigned to the 856th BS. The crew must have been broken up as there are no entries for them in the Late Period Log. Turchen,Pluff,Trefny,Corbin and Merritt were sent DS with the 859th BS in Italy. Garrett had been transferred to the 857th BS in Special Orders #229,dtd 05Dec44. In Special Orders #022,dtd 1Feb45 Lewis was promoted to Staff Sgt, indicating that he remained on base at that time. Kennedy's only appearance was in the initial orders of September. Bell shows up in Special Orders #248,dtd 16Dec44 sending him to Sunnyside Mansions for R&R in late December of 1944 indicating he was still on combat status.
Additional Data Sources:
Wroten Crew
Personnel files
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)
