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446th Website: http://www.446bg.com 1

Beachbell EchoPublished by 446th Bomb Group Association, Inc. ♦ 561 Muirfield Lane, West Haven, CT 06516

Organized under IRS Code 501 (C)(3) ID 33-0312046

December 2009 Vol. 24 No. 4 Station 125 APO 558, Flixton A.B. 1943-45

On September 26, 2009, a monument was dedi-cated in Rijsvijk, The Netherlands with over

200 people present, to the Gill crew of the 446th Bomb Group. The pilot and most were on their first mission, crashed into a green-house here. The crew was returning from a mission bombing the rail marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany. “Lil Max” was hit by flak in the target area losing two engines. The crew bailed out over land as they approached the probable ditching in the sea. They reported being fired upon in their chutes from the ground by machine and small arms. The pilot and co-pilot were reported to have been killed by the Germans.

Those aboard “Lil Max” and their fate

Pilot 2/lt Thomas H. Gill KIACo-Pilot1/Lt William G. Raymer KIANavigator 2/Lt Marvin J. Charwat Evadee Bombardier F/O Harold D. Kirchblum POWEngineer S/Sgt Enrico T. Menitto POWRadio Operator S/Sgt Malcolm L. Ed Wardsen Evadee Radar Observer T/Sgt David G. Smith EvadeeBall Gunner Sgt Paul Kutzar POWR. Waist Gunner Sgt Jack .Culbertson POWL. Waist Gunner Sgt Millard R. Kreinhede EvadeeTail Gunner Sgt Walter E. Kasievich Evade

Five of the crew members were able to avoid capture because of the effectiveness of the Dutch Underground.

“ Lil Max” Memorialby Bill Davenport

Continued on page 4

Beachbell Echo, Vol 24, No 4, December, 20092

“Gone But Not Forgotten”

446 BGAAdministration President’s

MessageBy Walter Stelkovis

President: Walter Stelkovis 561MuirfieldLane WestHaven,CT06516-7904 203-397-8881 [email protected]

Vice President: JohnSampson 10387W.BellewoodPL Littleton,CO80127 303-932-9932 [email protected]

Membership Treasurer: JamesDuckworth 629MariposaRd Stanley,NC28164 704-263-8879 [email protected]

Secretary: BeverlyTucker2210EnglewoodAve.Durham,[email protected]

Historian: BillDavenport 13383WheelerPl. SantaAna,CA92705 714-832-2829 [email protected]

Co-Editors:

MaryNellRoos 5491TyshireParkway ProvidenceForge,VA 23140 Phone804-966-1445 [email protected]

SusanBurrowbridge 1540HuntleighCourt Oldsmar,FL34677 727-599-4254 [email protected]

Bernard Nordenstrom Mar ‘09

Gerald Anderson Mar ‘09

Kenneth Shook May ‘09

Cal Chany, Sr. Sept ‘09

Robert Gore Aug ‘09

Tim Russert Sept ‘09

Harold Belk Oct ‘09

Ervin Snyder Oct ‘09

Nathan Hawthorne Aug ‘09

I recently came back from a funeral in Florida. My 45 year old niece had asked me “What do you mean when you tell me you

were in the 446th Bomb Group?” A simple answer escaped me. I, then, told her that foremost we were part of the 8th Army Air Force based in Bungay, East Anglia, England. If you traveled five miles there would be another base similar to ours. Our plane was one of some 18,000 to 20,000 that were built for World War II. A ten man crew included a Pilot, Copilot, Navigator, Bombardier and Flight Engineer who also was a gunner in the top turret. Other gunners were in the nose, tail and two at each waist. Toward the tail, under the plane was the shortest man in the crew because he was in a fetal position in the ball turret, which could be rotated 360 degrees. There were no pressurized cabins then, so at 10,000 feet you had to wear oxygen masks and heated suits and gloves. Each man had a throat mike with which to speak and listen. Twin 50 caliber machine guns were strategically placed.

We need to constantly keep this info to be told to family and friends so that our service to our country will have meaning for future generations.

Dues Reminder!

Please send your $20 annual dues to James

Duckworth if you want to continue to

receive the Beachbell and other important member benefits.

This publication is expensive to print

and mail.

3Beachbell Echo, Vol 24, No 4, December, 2009

446th BG Reunion May 5 - May 9, 2010Reno, Nevada

Harrah’s Reservations – 1- 800-726-6311, Call between 8:00 and 3:00 central time.

Specify 446th Bomb GroupReunion room rates are $80 a night

All reservations must be made by April 4th, 2010You may cancel 72 hours before check in

These room rates are available 2 days prior to the reunion and 2 days after.

Rated #1 by a leading consumer magazine, Harrah’s is Reno’s premier downtown casino and hotel. With seven

fabulous restaurants, a 60,000 square foot, 24-hour casino, the hottest revues and amazing headline entertainment, they have what it takes to show the 446th members a great time.

Harrah’s is a full-service resort with complimentary valet, self-parking and shuttle service to and from the Reno/Tahoe In-ternational Airport. Additional ammenities include free wireless internet, complimentary use of Harrah’s Health Club, and rooms in the newly renovated West Tower.

The Event Registration Form at the bottom of the page should be completed and mailed with your check in the amount of $260 made out to Reunion/446th Bomb Group. Payment must be received by the 4th April, 2010.

Mail to: James Duckworth, 629 Mariposa Rd, Stanley, NC 28164. Phone 704-263-8879

Name: _______________________________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________

Telephone: ________________________ Unit or Squadron ____________________

Spouse and Guest Names: _______________________________________________Please complete form and enclose check for $260.00 for each person attending. Optional Reno Tour on Wednesday, $15 for each person attending.

Reunion 2010 Registration Form

Event ScheduleWednesday — Registration Optional Reno bus tourThursday — Virginia City and lunch tour Reception at National Auto MuseumFriday — Carson City, Lake Tahoe, Truckee ToursSaturday — Business Meeting, Oral History, BanquetSunday — Chapel


“ Lil Max” Memorial — Continued from page 1

This monument has a special significance to the 446th Bomb Group Assn. and all it has ac-complished.

Harold Jansen, the young author of a Dutch publication, “VLUGht 648” related the story of “Lil Max” to Dutch readers in 1985.

Harold’s mother was a wit-ness to the events near her home as a young lady. Relating the story to her son he remembered as a young man in high school and started collection of the data needed to tell the story. When published by the Elmar Publishing Company it came to the attention of Buckaroo Vere McCarty, then the 446th Group Vice President of the Second Air Division Association. Vere had a scheduled tour of Europe and contacted the young au-thor in The Hague to offer his congratulations, there he found that during the research almost enough mate-rial had been collected and reviewed to make a complete history of the 446th Bombardment Group (Heavy). Jansen now employed on an oil platform in the North Sea volunteered to undertake this to occupy his off duty time.

In 1987 a mock-up copy was available at the second reunion of the 446th BG association in Omaha, NE. The at-tendees somewhat reluc-

tantly agreed that a history was needed, but Jean and I took the copy home and together with our son, Bill Jr. spent many hours converting the Dutch-English to English. Returned the copy to Jansen who then turned it into the book that was published in 1989. As you remember we conducted an advance sale raising the esti-mated cost of publication. Elmar did not want to fund a book in English for a non- Dutch reader-ship. As you might well expect at the last moment the publication costs increased and loans from the Tate’s, Gannon and Furth-myer rescued our project. Loans were repaid and the book became a source of funds until sold out in 1994. These funds helped with our later pledge of $100,000.00 top the Pima Air Museum per-mitting the B-24J donated by the Indian Air Force to become the “Bungay Buckaroo”. Ex-

hibit space tells the story of the 446th Bomb Group and lists our Honor Roll of those 459 killed in action.

So Buckaroos and Friends, “Lil Max” is truly a part of the association as well as 446th BG history.

During the final copy review in The Hague, Harold took me to the green-house that had been de-stroyed by the crash. There I met a gentleman who was present and assisted in the rescue. He showed me a Zippo lighter given to him by a crew member at that time. I gave him a 446th lapel pin that he proudly placed on his jacket.

It is wonderful to have the opportunity to have known those who really appreciated our ef-forts during the war. The eight monuments in Europe to our crews attest to these good people who remember.

God Bless

Comments on this monument and a bit of background from Bill Davenport:

446 BOMB GROUPUNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCEVLUCHT 648

WHILE RETURNING FROM A BOMBARDMENTMISSION ON 26 SEPTEMBER 1944 CRASHED AT THIS LOCATION AT 17:20 HOURS.

LIBERATOR B-24 J 42

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CREWMEMBERS WHO DID NOT SURVIVED

THOMAS H. GILL2/LT PILOT 24 YEARS OLD

WILLIAM G. RAYNER1/LT CO-PILOT 24 YEARS OLD


My wife and I spent about five years in the Nether-

lands, 1976-1981. My work took us there. We traveled Europe a lot. We visited Margraten, in Southern Holland where 8th Air Force casualties that occurred over Europe are interred. It is a very large cemetery and thou-sands of American boys are bur-ied there. A moving experience. We visited Cologne several times and the Cologne cathedral which remained standing, more or less intact, surrounded by miles of rubble. A famous aerial photo showing the cathedral apparently intact credited this amazing sight to the accuracy of allied bombers who allegedly spared the cathe-dral. Nothing could be further from the truth! The cathedral has solid rock walls 12 feet thick. Such construction doesn’t come tumbling down like brick and mortar does when a bomb hits. The Cologne cathedral showed evidence of many hits. It just refused to come down.

Berlin remains in my memory for the huge mountain of rubble resulting from the clean-up of Berlin where Berliners now ski in winter.

One Christmas in Holland we booked a trip to Portugal’s El Garve region, a beautiful area on the Mediterranean. The first night at dinner at the hotel we were seated with a German couple and a British couple. The German guy had been an American POW and was sent to the States as a POW so he spoke good English.

The Brit was an RAF survivor. We enjoyed each other’s com-pany and ate together every night without incidence until the Ger-man lady said, “And which of our beauti-ful German cities did you bomb?” I replied, “You started it.”

Which brings me around to Coventry, the first English city to experience the firebombing capabil-ity of the Luftwaffe. The burned out hulk of the Coventry Ca-thedral remains as a memorial and the rebuilt cathedral rises right next to it. Nails welded together in the form of a cross are a big tourist item there. One of the small chapels in the burned cathedral is inscribed “Forgive Them For They Know Not What They Do”. But in another place there is a metal stand where a photo of Dresden is displayed showing the corpses of Dresden-ers piled up like firewood 8 feet high. There was no caption but I thought the message was clear. The fire-bombing of Dresden late in the War received a lot of discussion and criticism as unwarranted horror. I learned in recent times that actually Dres-den was an important military target. Its bombing was reviewed and approved by the highest Al-

lied authorities and was bombed several times by both U.S. and British Air. For one thing, the Russians, who were advancing

toward Dresden were putting a lot of pressure on the Allies to give them some help. Dresden was a major transportation hub for German military and refu-gees. It also was home to a lot of German war industry. The bombing was not for revenge.

In about 1980, we attended the 2nd Air Division reunion in Norwich. A friend, Frank Wol-cott, contacted me and we met in Norwich and visited a lot of old places together. Frank was from my hometown, a college

Postwar RecollectionsBy George Wallis, Pilot 707th Squadron

Continued on page 6


fraternity brother, and a survivor of 30 missions around D-day when the Luftwaffe was still healthy. Frank faced oncoming German fighters spewing 20mm cannon fire head-on. Jeez! Frank remained with his group after completing his missions, work-ing in Operations where he had access to rosters of other groups. It was there he found my name and we got together in Cam-bridge once during my tour. But, I digress. Back to Norwich. The Gals attended High Tea at Lady Mayhew’s of Norwich who was known as “The Angel “ among airmen for her work with service men during the war. We talked to the young British kid who kept careful track of every mission flown off the Bungay airfield, counting the ships at take-off and at return. Was that John Ar-cher? I drove my Renault with my wife and friend aboard down the runway where I had taken off in a B-24 35 years earlier in the dark of early morning. I could not identify many of the old buildings. The Red Cross Quon-set stood out though. The Red Cross was still visible. I used to eat most of my meals there. They always had fresh English bread and lots of peanut butter and or-ange marmalade which I found much to my taste compared to mess hall food!

We spent a memorable af-ternoon at the Black Swan Pub which was about a mile from Base. There were two British couples drinking beer and they asked us to join them. One

was a paratrooper and survived the Arnhem drop. The other guy was an old Lancaster pilot. What a day of reminiscing! We took pictures of each other and exchanged addresses and have never seen or heard from each other again! We used to walk or ride bicycles to the Black Swan during the War. We’d drink a little beer and throw darts and try to have a little fun. But the aged English patrons sat around the walls, stony faced, and looking down their English noses at the rowdies from America.

Our travels in Europe took us to the Normandy beaches, of course. The Memorial statue there, depicting a young man erupting from the sea is a real tear jerker, in my wife’s view. We also visited Ypres, where the British anchored the Western front during WWI. The Menin Gate where half a million Tom-mies passed thru to their end in 4 years of trench warfare where the lines moved only a few hundred yards. Many of the casualties occurred when a soldier on his way to the front stepped off the boardwalk and drowned in the mud. War is not nice! There is the American Cemetery in Luxemburg where Gen. Patton is buried. His grave is set apart at the head of his troop’s graves.

The group was stood down one time to celebrate its 100 Mis-sion Party. A liquor detail went out and rounded up all the Scotch ale and other beers they could find. A 6x6 brought a bunch of English girls from near-by. The

Brass all left. And the airmen had a fine time. Scotch ale was the beer of choice but it soon ran out and we had to make do with English beer. I recall Vichy water fights in the CO’s office, and much singing of hymns! as we crawled back to the barracks. I’m talking from the viewpoint of an officer. I’m not sure what the enlisted men did but they celebrated separately.

Frank Wolcott and I were in Sioux Falls S.D. awaiting rede-ployment to the Pacific when VJ Day was announced. You talk about pandemonium! Killer Cain, the illustrious Marine Commander of Pacific fame, was commandant at Sioux Falls and had no advance warning of the announcement. Many from the base were downtown and that’s where heck broke loose. There was open season on officers. 6x6’s were hauling in the drunks like cord-wood. Frank and I made a good decision to stay on base! I’m reading in today’s paper where a lot of people now think the Hiroshima bomb was unnecessary and uncalled for. There weren’t many people at the time, who faced redeployment or whose husband or father or son was in the military (and that included about everyone), who didn’t want to kiss Harry Truman for taking the very drastic step (atom bomb) and bringing the Japanese war to an abrupt end.

My co-pilot, Duncan Nesbitt, was a very good pilot. He got a lot of practice flying on missions.

Postwar Recollections — Continued from page 5

Continued on page 19


This quotation and title of this piece has been with me for over 65 years.

July 11, 1944 the target was Munich and my entire crew on their fourth mission, fifth for Picket and me. The 446th dispatched a total of 27 aircraft on this maximum effort. As ex-pected the weather was undercast all the way to and at the target. Jansen’s history describes the flak as intense and accurate.

At this point in my combat tour this would be rated as the roughest flown. But as one could

expect as we flew south of the RP (rally point) the undercast cleared and at 12 o’clock was the beau-tiful snow covered mountains, green valleys and brilliant blue lakes of Switzerland. Meanwhile on the flight deck Ernie Fregon had got down from the top turret to check fuel levels for our return to base. He relayed his findings to the pilot and it was apparent we did not have enough fuel to return to Bungay. Jim Pickett told the crew this and asked what they thought we should do? No one responded, and then Flight

“I Want To Go Back and Finish My Missions”By Bill Davenport N 705 Picket Crew on “Naughty Nan”

Kneeling L – R: Ernest Fregon FE, Charlie Lee WG, Thomas Greaves TG, Joseph Heinemann RO, James Clemens BG, Henry Kurkowski WG. Standing L – R: William Davenport N, Mark Jacoby B, Haywood Nichols CP, James Pickett P.Quivering Box seen in background was shot down 21 July 1944 returning from Munich mission.

Engineer S/Sgt. Ernie Fregon from Topeka Kansas spoke up and said, ‘I want to go back and finish my missions’.

After waving goodbye to the Swiss Messerschmidt with the Red Cross on their tails await-ing our entry into their country we flew as nearly a direct course as possible for the emergency landing strip at Woodbridge just north of Ipswich on the English Channel. Fortunately the under-cuts had minimized to partial and pilotage was possible for confir-



At 2200 hours GMT on the night of 28 April 1944, Lt.

Eugene T. Winn’s crew of the 8th Air Force’s 446th Bomb Group based near Bungay-Flixton, Eng-land, sacked in. To our surprise, one hour later, we were awak-ened by the CO and told we were scheduled for a long mission.

First the latrine, next the mess hall for a middle of the night breakfast, and then the truck ride to the Quonset hut for the initial briefing concerning the day’s venture.

Conversation subsided as the briefing officer came into the large hut, stepped up on the stage and pulled up the curtain over the map of the Third Reich, while saying, “Men, your mission for today is Berlin!” He then stood passively for five minutes, wait-ing for the roar to cease. He explained the route in to the tar-get and told us to expect at least 400 guns when we reached the city, which later proved to be an understatement.

Murphy’s LawSpecial briefings for radio

operators, navigators and pilots along with pre-flight procedures completed, the Liberators took off on schedule, first light ap-pearing as we crossed the North Sea and all went according to Hoyle, until we reached the IP, when Murphy’s Law decided to begin its day.

In our right front bomb bay rack, we were carrying a large oil bomb about the size of a

steno’s desk for starting fires. As our nose gunner activated the toggle switch in his turret, at the target when the lead B-24H un-loaded, the incendiary hung up. I quickly informed the navigator to pull the salvo handle, releasing the oil tank.

At that moment our tail gun-ner became aware that his elec-trically heated flight suit was malfunctioning and, to avoid frostbite, was obliged to come forward to the flight deck for the return to our base. This put our first engineer in the tail turret, and I went up into the top turret for the remainder of the flight.

I was immediately aware of a problem with the turret’s hinged seat: each time I pulled it up it failed to latch. In addition, the last time it dropped, the short aluminum connec-tion in the oxygen hose snapped in two. I was able to use the hose from my radio table, but I could not rotate the turret 360 degrees, I could only make a half circle to my left. I also had to stand on the turret’s footrest to stay in it.

At this point of the mission, our Mus-tang escorts, running low on fuel, had to skedaddle home and the relief squadron of RAF spitfires was two minutes late. In

this interval, I saw another B-24 group several miles away, that was also returning to the UK. I was suddenly startled to notice a formation of BF-109E’s appear to the Liberator’s right and flying in the same direction.

My pulse quickened as I watch the Jagdeschwader increase their speed to get well ahead of the Liberators, then turn to their left to come in head-on into the B-24 group. Messerschmitts in a “schwarme” (side-by-side). Goerings’s boys flew directly through the heavies once, three Liberators going down immedi-ately, four parachutes blossom-ing out of one, then turned back toward our group.

One Luftwaffe ace singled out our plane, coming in from

A Hectic Day In the ETOBy Ernest L. Smith RO 705 Reprinted from “Military” magazine with permisison

Ernest L. Smith


Ernest Smith’s story in Military magazine prompted us to enquire about a picture of himself and one of his crew. He responded with the following information, “One

day our crew was photographed near the nose of a B-24 named “Tar Heel Baby” but we never flew in this plane. I have never seen a copy of this photo. I have no crew picture.”

The members of this 705th crew are listed below with as much information as we know. Ernest tells us he has no knowledge of Andrews, Streetman and Fraser at the present time. We did find Sidney Streetman. He is at 5233 Fidler Ave., Lakewood, CA 90712-2707, 565-866-2445.

25 May ’44, the Winn crew were shot down.

2/Lt Eugene T. Winn — P from Atlanta, GA deceased Evader2/Lt Clayton O. Addy — CP Evader lists him as the CP when they went down. Not sure how Hill fits in. 2/Lt Willard Hill — CP from Toledo, Ohio KIA on 12 June 1944 with the Wilbur H. Turner crew 705. Smith lists him as part of the crew.2/Lt Robert B. Andrews — N from Elmira, NY Evader2/Lt H. Lawton Corley — from Birmingham, AL deceased POWT/Sgt John W. Pidcoch — E/TTG from Yampa, CO deceased EvaderT/Sgt Ernest L. Smith — 1st RO Wichita, KS POWS/Sgt Sidney J. Streetman — 2nd RO BTG from Houston, TX (war-time Branoria) EvaderS/Sgt Walter F. Niespodziewany — WG from Depew, NY deceased POWS/Sgt John R. Hawpe — TG from Forth Worth, TX deceased POWS/Sgt Joseph A. Fraser — NG/AG from Wellville, VA (war time address) POW

6 o’clock high and releasing his 20 mm cannon shells a little too soon, as they all exploded behind our tail turret. I managed to get in two quick bursts, aiming a bit underneath him as he slid down on us.

I was instantly aware that the electrical firing solenoid on my left gun was out; the 50 caliber gun was the only one firing.

The schwarme peeled off and left as suddenly as it had attached with no damage to our group.

About an hour later, after I had

accidentally squeezed off two more bursts – the gun switch was on and my finger was on the trig-ger on the turret-control handle – some type of projectile came through the turret’s Plexiglas canopy to the left of my head, throwing fragments all over the left side of my face and break-ing the mirror on the left gun. A glance into the other mirror showed that my head was still intact. To my surprise, back at the base later, we could not find what had pierced the canopy.

By now, Murphy was satis-fied and the rest of the flight was routine.

What I noticed during my combat career was that no two missions were alike. When one was completed, it was over and the next one would feature its own peculiar characteristics.

Ernest Smith can be reached at 1211 Curtis, Wichita, KS 67212-2711.

Crew of Eugene T. Winn 705th


On 19 Dec. 1944 – First mis-sion of 8th to Battle of the

Bulge – our 20th mission.The weather was terrible –

socked in from ground to 20,000 ft. We were told – probably have to return to Scotland.

Target – Kyllburg – our plane was “What’s Cookin’ Doc” (Bugs Bunny) E-Easy 622. The Kyllburg mission (at the time we did not know it) was in support of what was to be called the “Battle of the Bulge”.

Two engines on right disabled by flak – plane falling to right – Alter and Stickle fought to keep the plane level – but it kept falling to right. I kept changing headings using Gee navigation to hopefully head over lines into Belgium. We were in clouds – no visibility. A crew member called to me, “Please make sure we are

not over water--don’t want to bail out over water”. I responded ,” We will not bail out over water-- be ready!” Other crew members kept asking for the same reassur-ance. No one wanted to ditch in the North Sea.

George (Alter) and “Stick” (Stickle) kept fighting to keep from going into a dive. When I “believed” and I could see we had passed the battle-lines, I told George. He asked was I sure. I said yes. He ordered “Bailout” I opened the Bombay doors – all got out safely! There was no visibility until we hit the ground. We had some “interesting” expe-riences on landing.

I landed in heavy fog, hitting the ground hard only about five feet away from a pen holding a large angry barking German shepherd which I had heard as I was floating down. Re-

lieved, I gathered my chute and almost im-mediately, a farmer ap-peared - running toward me. I shouted I am an “AMERICAN “ several times. I pulled open my flying suit to show him my uniform and insignia. He stood a few feet away, looking at me and started talking, which I did not understand. In a few moments, another man dressed in an old worn sports jacket appeared. He was running toward me, pointing a machine gun at me. I again ex-

claimed, “AMERICAN”. At that point - to my surprise, the farmer, speaking accented English said, “He wants to shoot you. He is Belgian BFI (Belgian Under-ground). He thinks you are a German spy!” I quickly decided to act “friendly”, saying to the farmer, “You know I am not a German spy. My plane was shot down and other crew members are also in the area. Please take me to your authorities.” I hoped he would understand. Then to my surprise the farmer said, “I am Basiel DeVos, I have a cousin in America Nebraska.” What a relief! I asked him to convince the BFI man to put the gun down. After a heated debate in which I could only imagine what was said, the man put his gun down. Coming closer to me, he pointed to a repair on his jacket shoulder back, growling, “Nazi-Nazi”, all the while angrily pointing the gun at me. (Germans were drop-ping in spies dressed in American uniforms.) Mr. DeVos said, “He showed you where a Nazi offi-cer had shot him and he wanted revenge. He won’t shoot you.” Finally, the BFI man backed away and with a menacing look expressing his disappointment, disappeared into the fog.

Mr. DeVos, receiving my thanks, invited me into the farm-house to meet his family. An invitation to spend the night was declined as concern for my crew and their whereabouts was my priority. The authorities were contacted; whereupon, I was told

George Alter Crew 706By Bill Lester Bombardier/Navigator

William Lester B/N 706


my crew were gathered at the po-lice station and a wagon was on its way to pick me up. Mr. DeVos showed me an envelope (which I still have) addressed to him from a college in Nebraska dated 1932. I promised to contact his relatives, which I did upon my return to the States, never receiv-ing a response.

All of the crew were waiting at the town police station when I arrived. It was a fantastic mo-ment to know all of us were OK.

They were all overjoyed that no one landed in the North Sea !!!

We were treated well at the police station which was no larger than a closet. It was there we learned the disposition of our plane. The right wing had broken off, landing two miles from our plane, which was sitting on the steps entering the town church. We were lucky to bail out when we did or I would not be here today to write about it.

A British lorry carried us to

their airbase where we received food, lodging and friendship. The officer said they would take us to Brussels and on the way show us where our plane landed. There was no damage to the church. We were told a very old woman had not left her room for months but that day she was out. The plane hit her rooms destroy-ing the top of her building – A miracle!! Fifty caliber bullets were flying in all directions. No

Standing L-R: James Bayus E/TTG, Robert Brady WG, Neil Oatney TG, James Ingersoll BTG, James Cummings RO, Joseph Bombara NT. Kneeling L-R: William Lester B/N, Warren Stickle CP, George Alter P, William Legrow N (transferred to Lead Crew).



“Submitted by Dr. Lee Toothman Pilot 707th.”


Reprinted by Permission of The Idaho Statesman.

A bronze statue of a World War II pilot will be dedicated

Monday at the Boise airport.It’s hard to overestimate the

impact Gowen Field has had on Boise. The military side of our airport has probably changed more lives than some of our larg-est companies combined.

Six thousand World War II bomber-crew members trained there. Many of those men met and married Boise women and returned to spend their lives here. Thousands more have served in the Idaho Air National Guard at Gowen Field in the years since. Tomorrow, Memorial Day, a sculptue at the airport will be dedicated in their honor.

The statue is of a World War II bomber pilot, but according to Boise Public Arts Manager Karen Bubb, it honors “those who were here at the inception of Gowen Field during WWII, and in a larger sense all those who came afterward.”

The larger-than-life bronze statue will be just outside the air-port entrance. South Dakota art-ist Benjamin Victor spent months researching and sculpting it. He did some of the work at Nampa’s Warhawk Air Museum, where he had access to historical materials and local veterans helped him assure historical accuracy.

Boisean Chet Bowers, A B-17

co-pilot who flew two missions over Normandy on D-Day, let Victor borrow his uniform to use as a model. Bowers didn’t train at Gowen Field, but he’s pleased that its vets will be honored with a sculpture.

“It’s timely,” he said. “Most of the guys are in their 80’s now. I’m 89. Who knows if we’ll be here next year? It’s nice that some of us will get a chance to see this.”

The most famous pilot to train at Gowen Field was actor Jimmy Stewart. When he wasn’t flying, Stewart entertained himself by going to movies, playing the pipe organ at the Egyptian Theater and dancing at the Triangle-K Bar. He went on to fly mis-sions deep into Nazi Germany, earn two Distinguished Flying Crosses and attain the rank of brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve.

Boisean John Collins met Stewart, albeit briefly, while he was serving at Gowen Field.

A native of Indiana, Colllins was suffering from an injury and a high fever when he and his brother arrived in Boise as newly minted army privates. Groggily eyeing the city from the train depot, he asked his brother what they could have done that was bad enough to be sent to such a place. But his view of Boise was ber of marriages, children born and careers and businesses

An Overdue honor for Gowen Field veteransTim Woodward

launched as a result of Gowen Field’s being here is beyond knowing.

The base closed when WWII ended but reopened in 1946. One of those who helped reopen it was William Coburn, who flew the first daylight bombing raid over Berlin during the war. He spent 14 years with the air guard at Gowen Field and helped build the Sailor Creek range the Air Force still uses. Later he was chief pilot for the Boise Cascade Corp.

“I think a statue at the airport is probably overdue,” he said. “Thousands of boys from all over the country trained there during the war. And once the Guard started, it was all Idaho boys. It’s appropriate that something is finally being done to honor those who served there.” Reprinted from May 24, 2009 edition of The Idaho Statesman.

Credit for the Airman statue at Gowen Field:

Thanks to Otto Kitsinger for his excellent photo of this statue.

Our thanks, also, to Karen Bubb of the Boise Dept of Arts and History for

her help in obtaining this photo.


STANLEY, N.C.—James Duckworth III is a man in

love with flight.For more than six decades,

Duckworth has been making and flying his own control-line model aeroplanes. The larger models are powered by glo-engines, while the smaller ones need only the winding of a rubber band motor to go soaring into the air above the Stanley countryside. But whatever their propulsion or size, they’re all a lot of fun. And Duckworth, now 67, gets just as much fun out of them today as when he was a young boy traveling with his family and living on Army bases, learning an appreciation of such things from his father.

A Union County native of North Carolina and the son of the late Deree and James C. Duck-worth, Jr., he and his two broth-ers spent 15 years traveling and residing with their dad, a chief warrant officer, in Kentucky, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Germany. James recalls stints as nearby as Fort Bragg and as far away as Germany.

He and wife Betty say they keep one foot in the modern world and another in the 1940’s.

“I guess you could say I like history,” he remarked Saturday, pointing out his Kate Smith records, vintage radios, both German and domestic, and me-

mentos from America’s postwar economic boom.

He and his brothers, Arthur and Myron Duckworth, own ad-joining tracts of land in a breath-taking rural setting. James and Betty’s land is contiguous with that of his late father.

Honor thy Father and thy

Mother—and thy country

And it was to honor his dad that the younger Duckworth began to delve more deeply into American military and aviation history a few years ago. When the 20-year Army veteran died at the age of 76 in 1997, his widow filled in her sons with much important information about her husband until she also passed away in 2002.

So it was a few years ago that James purchased a 20-foot commercial flagpole and an all-weather American flag. “I adhere to the proper protocol,” he said. “It’s lit up at night and flies cor-rectly on the appropriate days.”

And to go with it is a two-level museum just outside his house. Neatly stored and cat-alogued inside are countless models of aeroplanes from the World Wars and the present day; a library of books devoted to the histories of flight, armies and wartime leaders; recordings of martial and religious music; and vintage morale-boosting

posters from the World War II era. Paintings depict dogfights between the pilots of Fokkers and Sopwith “Camels,” the latter make considered one of the best fighter planes of the Great War. In one, the immortal Manfred von Richthofen—the “Red Baron,” deemed probably the greatest flying ace of any war—goes after a British counterpart, zigzag-ging in his trademark Fokker triplane. Another painting, huge and meticulously detailed, shows General Douglas MacArthur in front of a C-47 immediately after landing in South Korea.

All of this, says Duckworth, is merely a way of paying hom-age to his beloved father and all of those who have served our Country.

Award-winning funAs for his flying hobby, it’s

one for which he has won awards. One is the Metrolina Control-Line Society Director’s Choice Award in the Carolina Classic of 2004.

He also serves as the Trea-surer and Membership Secre-tary for the 446th Bombard-ment Group Association, part of the 8th USAAF, an organization dedicated to the men and women who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps group of the same name in World War II.

Control-line model aero-planes are popular all over the

Duckworth Soars To Heights With HobbyBy Thomas Lark editor Belmont Banner News, Belmont, North Carolina


world, Duckworth noted. His international friends include Ian and Carol Carroll of Ipswich, England. The Duckworths and Carrolls visit each other on a regular basis, alternating trips between the United States and the United Kingdom. Inside Duck-worth’s museum, a large Union Jack, maps of East Anglia and the south of England and big volumes about Sir Winston Churchill bear mute witness to this trans-Atlantic friendship.

Duckworth worked in the Charlotte location as an accountant for Cadmus, an international printing and packaging company. He remembers the earlier days when the printing was done on linotypes and flat bed presses. Retirement has allowed him much more time for his hobby. Indeed, so identified with it is he, that a friend caricatured him several times as a duck in an aviator’s suit. The well-rendered cartoons are framed along the museum’s staircase wall.

The Duckworths have four children, daughters

Amy, 44, Laurie, 40, Carrie, 32, and son James Duckworth IV, 41, as well as seven grandchildren. Carrie is an Army veteran who shares her dad’s passion for military history. And for James Duck-worth III, that history is a grand and glorious one and well worth preserving. “Today’s young people especially,” he said, “need to study America’s past, learn from military veterans and, most of all, un-derstand and remember.”

“I would recommend that any young person today—who enjoys the freedoms we have in this nation—help us preserve the history of our veter-ans,” he said, “and honor them for their sacrifices. We need to do everything in our power to keep America free, according to the way set out by our Founding Fathers and our Constitution.”

Reprinted with permission of the Belmont Ban-ner News with our thanks to Thomas Lark, [email protected]. James contact informa-tion is on page 2 of the BBE.

James Duckworth showing one of his model aeroplanes.


one in town was hurt. We stayed in Brussels until arrangements could

be made for transport to England. It took some time. Finally a DC-3 was arranged for us to travel at night skimming over the English Channel to a British Base from which we were taken to Lon-don. There we were told that the Red Cross would help us get back to the 446th. George, our pilot, asked me to talk to the Director of the Red Cross. The crew stood in front of his desk, bedraggled in our flying suits, unshaven, wearing flying boots (which by then hurt) as I explained that we needed to get back to our base, having been shot down in Germany. I respectfully asked him to give us funds for train tickets, promising he would be re-imbursed upon our return to base. We needed his help. To our surprise he was unmoved. He refused! We couldn’t believe it so I asked again. He was adamant. As we walked out his Assistant who had heard our story made a few unkind remarks about the Director. He insisted on giving us his own money for the fares. A great guy! We thanked him and upon return kept our promise - returning

George Alter Crew 706 — Continued from page 11

his funds--with many thanks. I have never under-stood why that Director turned us down.

Our return to Bungay was on Christmas Eve where all attended services. We were sent to a rest home for 7 days and resumed flying on Jan. 15. We completed our 35 missions in March 1945. George was awarded the DFC – well deserved!! Our crew was the best in all positions as well as being very special people. Bill LeGrow and I are the only living members of the crew – sad to say for our buddies.

There were other missions when we were shot up and returned with three engines - but the Kyll-burg mission with the loss of two engines on the same side gave us some challenges which we were fortunate to overcome. At the time, we did not know it was in support of what was to be called the “Battle of the Bulge”.

Bill can be reached at 10553 Laurel Estates Lane, Wellington, FL 33449, 561-963-8850, email is [email protected].

The March issue will be the last for me as Beachbell Echo Editor. I will act as ex officio editor or contributor for the June issue.

It has been a joy and certainly an unusual experience for me to serve you in this capac-ity. I will continue to contribute stories as the opportunity arises for them to be shared.

My thanks to Susan Burrowbridge, my Co-editor, for the smoothness with which she and I have worked together. We worked in tandem with each other, she, as graphics and layout, and I, as story gatherer and writer. It has been a pleasure to work alongside her. She has made the Beachbell a professional publication. A professional she is, having worked at National Geographic, doing for

them what she does for us. How blessed and lucky we have been and are to have her.

I know you will be as generous in sharing your stories with Susan as you have been with me. James Duckworth will, also, be an excel-lent conduit to Susan and the Echo. Many of you have come to know him as you have sent your renewals for membership, and at times been blessed with a personal call or note.

I am grateful you have given me the opportu-nity to serve you in some small way. Anything I have done for this Group was nothing com-pared to the sacrifices you made for the freedom of us all. Thank you for your service.

Mary Nell

A Message from Mary Nell...


“446th Revisited”This 350 page hard cover book, written by Ed Castens Information Officer of the Group, is anecdotal in content. The stories were contributed by the men of the 446th as they relate their war-time experiences. There are 3 copies remaining. If you have any interest in purchasing this book, now is the time. The cost is $53 inclulding postage. Please make checks out to 446 BGA and mail to:

DavidStory526WillowbrookTrailBluffton,IN46714

mation. As I recall the sky and area in front of us was filled with airplanes going across France, home to safety in England. When we reached the channel the last daylight was disappearing and a minimum descent rate was achieved to reach the runway at

I always figured if something happened to me I wanted him as skilled as possible. Late in our tour he was offered a crew of his own but he elected to hang with the crew he came over with. When he would on occasion fly with a different crew, the other pilot would tell me how amazed he was at how well Duncan flew formation. We used to call each other after the war, usually late at night and one or the other of us in his cups! Duncan was a quiet Southern boy. He ran a textile business in Georgia after the war. He died early of a brain tumor. He left two sons whom I met in Dothan Alabama at the time of the New Orleans reunion.

“I Want To Go Back — Continued from page 7

Postwar Recollections — Continued from page 6

We remain in touch.Did I ever fly again after the war? Yes, a little. I

was working in Oklahoma and there was a reserve flying set-up at Tinker Field, Okla. City which I participated in a few times. We flew AT-6’s. There was no expense money in it. I had to dedicate a weekend to it and pay my own expenses. At the end of the day it was kind of like going for a bike ride. I missed the old days with a crew and the complexities of high altitude flying. Besides you didn’t know who you were flying with. There was no continuity or camaraderie. I gave it up. George W. Wallis

Woodbridge s t ra igh t - in . At the end of the runway we came to a stop. It was necessary to be towed as that was the end of our fuel and a 7 hour 55 minute mis-sion. A call was p laced reporting our location back in jol ly old England, telling our barrack mates, ”Hands Off our Stuff”:

The Jansen History indicates that others did not fare as well as Jim Pickett’s’ crew: losing the Dale crew aboard, ”The Dissipated Duck”, and the O’Brien crew on “Heine Hunter”.

In retrospect I guess you must agree that Ernie speaking for the crew made the best decision.

But, it was not our time.Note: Ernie finished his missions on earth on

July 21, 2009.


Historian’s ReportBy Bill Davenport

During the past 3 months: Another possible KIA has been identified and another Monument has been dedicated to a 446th Bomb Group crew by thankful members of the community where they crashed in The Netherlands.

T/Sgt. Leon Synfelt with the Ray crew crashed on the November 4, 1944 mission to Misburg. An inquiry in our last report from Trisha Steele re: her great- uncle James P. McNutt, KIA. A letter from the Army, 18 November 1948 said Synfeld was killed in the same crash. Jansen’s work had him as a POW. His name was not found on the POW listing, however was included on a Britisher list of those 8th AF KIA’s. We have requested the KIA confirmation from US Army Mortuary Unit. If confirmed this brings the 446th total to 460.

“Lil Max Monument” - After 65 years this came out of the blue, no prior information of plans. As with the other 8 monuments designated by local folks to our crews we need to say “Thank You”. Perhaps it may be time for a 446th trip to do this in person as we did in 1990 and 1993 as a group. Let me know if you are interested? Jean and I representing the group subsequently visited all and were humbled by the outstanding welcome we received.

As usual I have listed inquiries that you may want to follow up on.

In the last report, Bernard Klem’s son asked to hear about his father’s service and guess what? Francis T. McMahon, did it with photos, etc. Isn’t this great. Keep helping, Buckaroos.

Navigator J. F. Yuengling, nephew, James J. Eichna , 4300 Wakefield Drive, Annandale, VA 22003 would like information.

Bombalicki, Crossland crew, Son, Leo Bom-balicki, 16 Cow Hill Road. Killingworth, CT 06419 asks for information.

Sgt. Karl J. Pankowski KIA, Daughter Kathy Pankowski Doenfinger, PO Box 48. Mayville, NY 14757 would like to hear from his friends.

Aerial Operations Against Germany, Author Jay A. Stout, 11874 Bridgewood Way, San Diego, CA 92128 is seeking information from all WW 2 crew and others for his book.

American Cemetery Cambridge, S/Sgt. Earl B. Holly, KIA, John A. Hey, A.v.d. Leeuwstraat 12, 7552 HS Hengelo

The Netherlands working on original layout sought death information.

Crawford/Smith Mosquito Incident, Klaus Deschner, Alte Friedhofstrabe17 69190 Walldorf, Germany, has located the crash site and desired our information.

Pilot William Wayne Seroy, Son seeks informa-tion, William Seroy,1124 Silverhill Ct. Lafayette, CA 94549

Tivetshall - Popejoys favorite bike trip from the base. Daughter wants to visit. Marilyn J. Carney, 124Timberwind Drive, New Market, Al 35761

2/Lt Robert A Neumer KIA /Rumbaugh Church Memorial, Niece Mary Bloodgood Van Hyning,136 White Hawk Drive, Vonore, TN 37885. Has found his name omitted from the plaque. I ex-plained that the association had no knowledge of the plaque remembering the Zeller crew and other errors had also been pointed out by us.

Captain Charlie Ryan, “Red Ass”, Pilot, Grand-son Marcus Ryan, 12377 Merit Drive, Ste 900, Dal-las, TX 75251 asked for information and would like to head from friends.

Walter Lockhart, daughter, Carol Cullen, 455 SW Hawthorne Ter., Fort White, Fl 32038 has reg-istered him and awards received with the WW 2 Memorial and would like to hear about his service.

446th MAW, McChord AF Base, our successor organization base has been combined to become Lewis-McChord Joint Base.

Aviation Archaeology.com, Member Ed Shea suggests as a document source. Used for MACR for: Synfelt.

Have a wonderful Christmas and A Happy New Year

Bill, Jean Davenport also Aunyx


This is a Fred Breuninger photo. 16 Dec. ‘43 was the first mission for the 446th.

Can anyone identify this crew?

Warren Stickle CP of the George Alter Crew 706

Out of the West they have come, an armyof flying men in a vast armada of planes,

bent on a mission of liberation.

Comquered peoples have heard the drone of theirengines, and looked up in new hope.

Oppressors have felt the weight of raining bombs,and seen inevitable doom in the endless flow ofAmerican power and wrath.

It is a fitting thing that one of our mightiestweapons in this armada is a bomber namedthe Liberator.

Battle Song of the Liberator


Alan Hague of the Norfolk Suffolk museum at Flixton has, through the years, been given many pictures by our members. He has made a small 60 page book of this photographic col-

lection. In his words, “I have attempted to portray a day to day exis-tence of all serving at Flixton”. The cost is $15 and includes postage. Checks should be made to Adam Smith, the American distributor. The book titled “The 446th Bomb Group in Suffolk” will be available in October. The American distributor is:

Adam Smith 260 S. Beau Dr. Apt. 5 Des Plaines, IL 60016 847-357-8821, [email protected] have received a copy from Alan and am impressed with the job

he has done. The pictures and text flow in story fashion. It would be a good addition to your 446th library. Mary Nell

Al Pishioneri’s book titled, “Me, Mom and WWII” has been published by AuthorHouse.

His service was as a 707th ball turret gunner and armourer on the Robert Powell crew. The follow-ing is about the book:

“Hanging beneath a B-24 Liberator in flight, in – 40 to 60 degrees below zero weather, bringing his own oxygen and heat with him in this hostile environ-ment; a moving target for enemy fighters, gives one a unique perspective from which to ponder who and what it’s all about.

The author, a veteran of 35 bombing missions over occupied Europe during World War II, recalls his experiences illuminated by the insight of a Bachelor of Science in American History and 37 ½ years of teaching Social Studies. A veteran storyteller and talented artist, he weaves his story by chronicling

the historical events and personal experiences of his service life between the actual letters he wrote home that were preserved for him by his mother. His original sketches further enrich the tapestry

of this unique historical remem-brance of one soldier’s tour of duty in WWII.”

A review of Al’s book states - “MR. PISHIONERI WEAVES A GREAT STORY THAT BRINGS YOU THROUGH THE TIMES WHEN ‘LOVE OF FAMILY’ AND ‘LOVE OF COUNTRY’ MEANT THE WORLD TO THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA.”

The book can be ordered from the AuthorHouse Book-store. The Book Order Hotline number is 1-888-280-7715. The email address is [email protected]. It can also be special ordered from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders and other book stores. A further note from AuthorHouse is to

state the book is Print-On-Demand. The Beachbell editors do not have a price.

“Me, Mom and WWII”


The occasion of our San Antonio reunion sparked an interest in both our younger and newer members to purchase hats, shirts and patches. Beverly Tucker, secretary for the Association grabbed the ball and ran with it, hitting a home run in doing so. She had t-shirts, polo shirts, hats and 446th and 704th patches for sale at the Nashville reunion. These are also available to order. Ordering information is printed here.

If you have an original 705th or 706th Squadron patch (1943 to 1945), would you please contact Beverly. She would like to replicate the patch colors from the original. She has been able to do this for the 704th and the results were spot on the target.

To order: Pay by check or money order made out to: 446th Bomb Group

Send payment and order details to: Beverly Tucker 2210 Englewood Avenue Durham, NC 27705

If questions: call: 919-280-1249 or email: [email protected]

Caps, Shirts and Patches

Item Size Price CommentsCap Adjustable $15T-Shirt Small $15

Medium “Large “X Large “XXL “XXXL $20 Special Order

Polo Shirt Small $35(plain navy Medium $35

shirt with sm Large $35pocket 446 X Large $35

patch) XXL, XXXL $35Patches 446th $10

704th Sq $10705th Sq706th Sq $10 Coming soon707th Sq $10

Window Decals $5

Caps, Shirts and Patches


State/Zip Area Coordinator Phone

Alabama Tim Taylor 251-267-3879 Alaska Jerry Ganopole 907-277-7887 Arizona Arkansas California ............................................................. 90045-91780 92014-92383 Keith L. Babcock 619-444-4714 92388-93433 Bill Davenport 714-832-2829 93446-95223 95242-96001 David Potter 530-893-2930Colorado John Sampson 303-932-9932 Connecticut Walter Stelkovis 203-397-8881Delaware Florida .................................................................. 32008-32725 32726-33138 Max Minear 386-775-3516 33301-33853 John W. Hill 727-522-2412 Bruno L. Barbi 813-465-5075 33904-34982 Betty McMahon 941-625-0370Georgia Link Veazey 770-972-5883Hawaii John T. Goss 808-732-3653Idaho Paul Kelly 208-432-5265Illinois................................................................... 60004-60558 Cal Chany 847-255-7325 60611-62946IndianaIowa Kansas KentuckyLouisiana MaineMaryland Ted Tate 301-775-2291MassachusettsMichigan .............................................................. 40834-48829 Kurt Kersten 734-676-5988MinnesotaMississippi Wm. G. Barlow 601-582-3972Missouri MontanaNebraskaNevada Stephen Kralj 775-348-7070

New Hampshire Colin C Drown 603-447-2106New Jersey Herbert Gold 201-569-3079 07228-08853 Al Pishioneri 732-462-8032New MexicoNew York ............................................................. 10021-11590 11714-13057 13114-14895 North Carolina James Duckworth 704-263-8879North Dakota Ohio ..................................................................... 43040-44111 44119-45873 Oklahoma David Weldon 918-914-0943OregonPennsylvania ........................................................ 15003-16063 Jim Thomas 717-677-0287 17921-19464 Steve Roat 215-990-3993Rhode Island Russ Lundstrom 401-253-9097 South Carolina James Duckworth 704-263-8879 South Dakota Tennessee Texas .................................................................... 75007-75771 Charles Lee 972-239-9836 76021-77080 77339-78552 Joe Hays 817-293-0439 77001-77489 Alan Senior 281-494-2445 77901-78965 Utah Wayne Jackson 435-586-1019Vermont Virginia Mary Nell Roos 804-966-1445 W.VirginiaWashington Wisconsin James Pederson 715-878-4921 Wyoming Puerto Rico Washington DC EnglandNetherlands

Deceased Notification Program

If you would consider becoming a co-ordinator for your zip code area (or any other) please contact Charlie Lee. 972-239-9836. Place the name and telephone number of your Area co-ordinator in the family Bible and/or the Group’s Roster’ (space provided inside back cover). This will assure timely notification and 446th BG representation at the services.

State/Zip Area Coordinator Phone

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