21 Jan The Crew
I want to go ahead and post the names of the Liberty Lady crew who flew with Herman on March 6, 1944. These airmen flew out of Thurleigh Air Field, 306th Bomber Group, 368th Bomber Squadron.
Some members of the Liberty Lady crew
- Pilot: 1st Lt Charles W. Smith (Smithy)
- Co-Pilot: 1st Lt Merle P. Brown (Merle)
- Navigator until 11-January-1944: Charles L. Stevenson (Steve)
- Navigator: 1st Lt Stanley N. Buck (Stan)
- Bombardier: 1st Lt Herman F. Allen (Bomby)
- Engineer: Sgt Carl A. Heuser (Tiny)
- Radio: Sgt Victor R. Marcotte (Vic)
- Waist Gunner: Sgt Donald S. Courson (Don)
- Waist Gunner until 6-March-1944: Sgt. Howard C. Granger
- Waist Gunner: Sgt Joseph R. Paul (Joe)
- Tail Gunner: Sgt RB Trumble (RB)
- Turret Gunner: Sgt Thomas E. Stillson (Tom)
In the photo are 7 of the crew members in early 1944. On the top row, first is Herman Allen and 2nd is Charles W. Smith. I love this picture. Personalities come through from facial expressions and stance. (Click on the photo for a better view.)
In addition to Herman of course, the only other crew members that I know are still alive are the co-pilot Merle P. Brown and waist gunner Donald S. Courson. I have spoken with both of them.
Merle met Herman at Moses Lake, Washington B-17 School when the original crew was organized. This would have been in 1943. However, I have a photo marked “Kearney, Nebraska” that shows 3 of the Liberty Lady crew members.
Digging for clues …
Rowdy
Posted at 21:27h, 22 MayYour Dad’s crew followed the same path as my father’s crew did. Each individual underwent basic training at different bases, then specialized training (bombardiers, navigators, pilots, gunners, etc.) at still different bases, and finally they were brought together and assembled as a crew at Moses Lake. There were other Moses Lakes…Drew Field in FL, for one.
At Moses Lake they trained as a crew to fly cross country missions where each member could exercise their skills and the crew could begin to function as a unit, as well as get to know one another and establish the trust that would later be necessary. It was here that they were first introduced to their B-17’s. After about 3-months, they moved to Kearney, NE for advanced training which was more of the same and I think there was a second base around Sioux City where they spent some time training. It was here that they made out their wills.
From NE, some flew their planes to Detroit, Chicago, Presque Isle, Newfoundland, and across the North Atlantic to the northern tip of Scotland where they left their planes and boarded a train that would deliver them to a ferry for Northern Ireland and theater training. Here they learned the nitty gritty bits of successful survival from instructors who had finished their tours.
Then it was to a replacement depot for final assignment to a Group as needs dictated. The needs that dictated were always the loss of another crew, for which a replacement was immediately needed. The young guys probably never really appreciated how all this fit together, just that they were on their way and they were being kept busy as they went.
They didn’t spend much time, only a day or two at the replacement depot, waiting for an assignment. My father’s crew was first assigned to a Group near the 447th, but within a day, was re-assigned to the 447th. I don’t think he ever understood why. However, with the knowledge we are sharing today, I’ve been able to discover why his crew was reassigned.
The day before Dad’s reassignment, the 447th lost 2 crews on a mission…there were now 2 vacancies. The spooky thing is that both of the lost crews are shown on the 447 site–one crew got out and were taken POW, and the second were all KIA. Dad would never have known those details, and if he did, it would have been one of those things he would clearly have wanted to forget.