This B-17, 42-29486, and crew were assigned to the 348^th Squadron of the 99^th Bomb Group. Three members of the crew were buried on January 12, 1950 in Section E 267 at the Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery.

  

1/Lt Martin J. Devane, Pilot    Zachary Taylor National Cemetery

2/Lt Howard L. Freeburg, Copilot   Burial location unknown

1/Lt Edward B. Drueding, Navigator         POW

2/Lt Sanford V. “Sammy” Lavine, Bombardier     Burial location unknown

T/Sgt Harold E. Penoyer, Radio Operator   POW

T/Sgt William I. Craton, Engineer    POW

S/Sgt Frank A. Curley, Ball Turret Gunner   POW

S/Sgt Harold A. Yorton, Tail Gunner     POW

S/Sgt James A. Harold, Gunner          Zachary Taylor National Cemetery

Sgt Louis A. Smitkin, Gunner           Zachary Taylor National Cemetery

On July 5, 1943, twenty-seven B-17s of the 99th flew a raid against the airdrome at Gerbini, Sicily. Gerbini was the headquarters of the Luftwaffe Air Division III. The raid that day was in preparation for the invasion of Sicily that would begin just five days later.

During the raid, the 27 B-17s encountered more than 100 enemy fighters! The sky was so filled with enemy fighters that one B-17 gunner reported shooting down a fighter he wasn't even aiming at; it simply flew through his line of fire.

Three of the B-17s were shot down! It was their 21^st Mission! During the fighting the plane exploded. Of the 10 men on that plane, five were killed. Four were wounded, including two who received life-threatening injuries. All of the survivors were captured and became prisoners of war.

         1st Lt. Edward B. Drueding, Navigator

Survived the Gerbini raid. Suffered a rib injury while parachuting from the aircraft. William Craton reported he was held in Stalag 3A at Moosburg, Germany, for 2 years. William Craton also said he last saw him at Stalag 7A near Munich, Germany. He was killed at Godman Air Base, Kentucky, in 1947 when his T-6 trainer was hit from behind by another aircraft.

            1st Lt. Martin J. Devane, Pilot

Killed at Gerbini when the aircraft exploded. Stayed aboard as long as there was a chance of anyone in the crew getting out.

            2nd Lt. Howard L. Freeburg, Copilot

Killed at Gerbini. Was without a scratch while waiting to exit the aircraft when it exploded.

            2nd Lt. George J. Doyle, Bombardier

Member of crew when aircraft was ferried to Africa. Possibly replaced later by Bostoni, who was replaced by Lavine on the Gerbini mission.

            TSgt. William I. Craton, Engineer & Top Turret Gunner

Shot down 4 enemy fighters during Gerbini raid. Sustained a severe head wound and other wounds to the body when the aircraft exploded. Wounded in right leg by a fighter firing at him while he parachuted from the plane. After discharge from the Army Air Forces in 1945, he re-enlisted in the USAF in 1947 as a SSgt. He eventually received a field promotion to Lieutenant and retired as a Major

            SSgt. Harold A. Yorton, Tail Gunner

Shot down 5 enemy fighters during Gerbini raid. He was seen in Austria (probably at Stalag 17B) in 1945.

            TSgt. Harold E. Penoyer, Radio Operator & Left Gunner

Shot down 2 enemy fighters during Gerbini raid. He was wounded in both legs by shrapnel. He may have been in the same Sicilian hospital as Lt. Drueding. He last saw Lt. Drueding on a prison train in Italy. Held in Italian and German POW camps for 2 years. Met William Craton at Stalag 17 in late 1944. Last saw William Craton and Harold Yorton on prisoner march in Austria in April, 1945. He died November 1978 from lung cancer.

            SSgt. James A. "Jay" Harold, Right Gunner

Killed at Gerbini when his parachute got caught on the horizontal stabilizer and he could not work his way free.

            SSgt. Frank A. Curley, Ball Turret Gunner

Seriously wounded at Gerbini. Unable to evacuate aircraft. My father and possibly others threw him out the door. He was repatriated to the U.S. due to his wounds. His wounds caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down. He died of a massive heart attack in March, 1977

             2nd Lt. Sanford V. "Sammy" Lavine, Bombardier

Killed at Gerbini when aircraft exploded.

              Sgt. Louis A. Smitkin, Gunner

Killed at Gerbini. He was added to crew as 10th man after bomb missions started. He was supposed to be Left Waist Gunner, but was assigned to the Radio Operator's gun position.

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This B-26, 42-96021, crashed on July 20, 1944. They were assigned to the 34^th Squadron of the 17^th Bomb Group. Two crewmembers were buried on December 9, 1949 in Section E Plot 225 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

1/Lt  J M Baker, pilot      Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery

Capt H L Carlson, copilot     Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery

Capt T B Elliott, bombardier     Buried Florence American Cemetery, Italy

1/Lt  J G Lynd, navigator       Buried Florence American Cemetery, Italy

S/Sgt W B O'Donovan                       Survived - POW

S/Sgt W Russell  Survived - POW

S/Sgt R D Wilcox    Buried Florence American Cemetery, Italy

Col Donald E Gilbert, Group Commander flying as formation commander

                                          Unknown burial location.

1st Lt. James M. Baker, 34th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, was KIA 20 July 1944  aboard B-26 Ser #42-96021. While on their bombing run against the Ostiglia Road Bridge near Corniglio, Italy, Baker's aircraft was hit by accurate anti-aircraft fire, knocking out one of the plane's two engines and jamming the bomb bay doors open. Numerous eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane lose altitude, even as the crew began to jettison all loose equipment. The aircraft eventually struck a mountain overlooking the town of Bosco di Corniglia, exploding on impact.

On July 20th 1944 the 17th Bomb Group attacked Ostiglia bridge, Italy. The trip was 915 miles long and, due to lack of fuel, the ships were expected to land on Corsica to refuel and return to their base the next day. All ships returned except the lead B26 which was reported crashed near the Adriatic coast. The lead crew, flying in B26 42-96021 #22 had gone onto single engine after leaving the target and had crashed into a ridge line while losing altitude. S/Sgt W B O'Donovan and S/Sgt W Russell survived the crash and were taken prisoner, while the rest of the crew were killed.

The B-29, 42-6238, and crew were assigned to the 792nd Squadron of the 468^th Bomb Group. On October 1, 1944 aircraft 42-6238, piloted by Captain Winkler, crashed on a routine cargo mission to the Advance Base at Chengdu, China.  Two airmen were buried July 21, 1949 in Section E 74 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

 Capt. Eddie Winkler – Aircraft Commander
1st Lt. Robert Purvis – Copilot                        Zachary Taylor National Cemetery
2nd Lt. John Geene – Flight Engineer
2nd Lt. Earl Thompson - Navigator
Maj. John Matthews – Passenger                   Zachary Taylor National Cemetery
Capt. Thomas Maxwell – Passenger             Honolulu Memorial Cemetery
T/Sgt. Jack Raymond – Radio Operator
T/Sgt. Ward Clark – Crew

S/Sgt. Henry Eyerman – Crew                        Honolulu Memorial

T/Sgt. Samuel Spillers, Jr. – Crew Chief         Honolulu Memorial

While at Khangapur, India Major Matthews was given a command at an Advance Base (A-7) in Chengdu, China. He hitched a ride with a B-29 from the 792^nd Squadron, that was converted to a tanker while in India, to check out the site.

The craft departed Kharagpur either September 30 or October 1. The last radio contact was while over Myitkyina. On October 1^st the craft crashed into Omei Mountain (Emei Shan) southwest of their destination due to weather. It is assumed that all crew and passengers were killed instantaneously. What remains that were found were buried in a cemetery in Chengdu.

42-6238 – 792^nd Bomb Squadron – Delivered to USAAF on 11/8/43 – Model B-29-1-MO – Departed Smoky Hill on 4/15/44 for India and gained by the 468^th Bomb Group on 5/24/44.

India Combat Missions – 1

Hump Missions – 18

42-6238 was converted to a tanker in the CBI.