B-17F-40-DL
"Our Baby", 42-3233
B-17F-40-DL
"Our Baby", 42-3233
Lost on October 8, 1943
Original 100th BG by James R. Brown
Crew #15
A/C #42-3233 "Our Baby" MACR 950
Original Crew
1st Lt Bernard A. DeMarco P POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
F/O James P. Thayer CP POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
1st Lt John W. Downs N POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
2nd Lt Francis C. Harper B POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
T/Sgt Benjamin J. Barr E POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
Cpl Leo T. Callahan WG POW
Cpl Thornton Stringfellow R POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
S/Sgt Albert M. Freitas BT POW 28-Apr-44 Sottevast-Noball
S/Sgt Harry C. Calhoun WG POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
S/Sgt Leon A. Castro TG Appointed Aviation Cadet
Replacement
Cpl Jerome E. Ferroggiaro WG POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
S/Sgt William J. Williams BT POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
William R. Woodbury TG POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
Add
Major Gale W. "Bucky" Cleven Squadron Commander POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
On the Bremen mission Leo Callahan, Albert Freitas and Leon Castro had been replaced by Jerome Ferroggiaro (from Crew #13), William J. Williams (from Crew #10), and William R. Woodbury (a replacement gunner).
The crew, with "Bucky" Cleven, Squadron Commander, aboard, was leading the 350th on the mission and was hit by flak and fighters over the target.
All eleven aboard reached the ground safely but three suffered slight injury on landing. Stringfellow's parachute canopy caught in a tree and his body swung into the trunk of the tree causing fracture of several ribs.
Several farmers with pitchforks were soon at the tree and escorted Thornton to a nearby village where the rest of the crew were gathered. The enlisted men spent the balance of the war at Stalag 17B, Krems, Austria where they were later joined by Leo Callahan and Albert Freitas.
Site of the crew's capture was Essen/Assen, Germany, not far from Oldenburg. For most of the crew, it was the 16/18 mission.
Sometine before this final mission, Leon Castro, tail gunner, had been appointed an Aviation Cadet and returned to the U.S.A. for training.
Data from Thomas Sarbaugh October, 1996 :
Jerry Ferroggiaro was trained as a Boeing B-17 gunner, usually assigned to the top turret and tail positions, but preferred the waist. There, apparently before the testing of the YB-40 gun-ship version of the B-17, Ferroggiaro fashioned a double 50 caliber machine gun mount.
The photo on p.62 of Great American Air Battles of WW II show him at his waist position on the 350th Sqdn. B-17F named "Phartzac." On August 17, 1943, Ferroggiaro was a gunner in this plane, which was piloted by 1st Lt. Norman H. Scott.
After the August 17th mission, Capt. Scott was transferred out of the 100th Group and the gunners of "Phartzac" were assigned to other crews. On another disastrous raid for the 100th. October 8th, 1943 attack on Bremen, Jerry was a gunner in B-17F 42-3233 piloted by Bernard A. Demarco, with the 350th Squadron Commanding Officer, Major Gale Cleven acting as Command Pilot. The B-17 was shot down, with several crew members. Including Cleven becoming POW’s. Ferroggiaro was in (the real) Stalag 17B for 19 months, although he did lead the first escape attempt. After WW II he remained in the USAAF as a gunnery instructor.
Source : 100th Bomb Group Foundation
Capt. Ev Blakely - Gp. Lead -- Bremen
Oct 8, 1943 (Bremen)
Group alerted early evening of the 7th - scrubbed soon afterwards - enemy bombed between Bungay and Nowich around 2200 hours. Lots of Ack Ack visible. There were a dozen or so planes reported shot down in the vicinity of our base, some in flames. Early radio reports stated 175 planes over England during the night.
At 0500 hours the group alerted for Bremen with take-off time set for 1145 hours. Two other big missions on with B-24's also with Bremen as their target.
Radio reported that the 100th bombed the primary at 1520 hours.
Group returned at 1700 hours - missing seven (7) planes and crews.
Major Cleven with DeMarco missing; Nash, Meadow, McDonald, Gormley, Murphy in the famed Piccadily Lily; and Becktoft
were also missing. Colonel Kidd and Blakely crashed landed near Norwich after a historic air battle all the way home from Bremen. Two crewmen were severely wounded - they claimed 12 fighters and were allowed nine.
October 8, 1943 1130 taxi time of the first aircraft
23233 Maj Gale Cleven Capt B. A. Demarco
8 OCT 43 BREMEN MISSION CHRONOLOGY 1130 100Th leaves the english coast 1426 23433 LN-W UNNAMED Aborts; loss of oxygen to top turret 1453
100th crossed european coast 10 miles nnw of groningen;
aggressive fighter attacks begin1515 100TH reaches the initial point 1521
25864 EP-A PICCADILLY LILY Dropped bombs on the target 1521 Group becomes disorganized 1525
100TH Reaches the rally point; fighter attacks decrease. 1533
23233
LN-R
OUR BABY
Uncertain circumstances regarding this aircraft's loss, resulted in the capture of all crew members.
