Mission No 61

MISSION NO. 61
FALAISE, FRANCE

7 JUNE, 1944

On the morning of the second day of the invasion, the 457th was dispatched to attack and destroy the highway intersection in the town ofFalaise, southeast of Caen, thus hoping to disrupt transportation facilities in the area of the invasion. The Group provided the low 18-ship box for the 94th Combat Wing. Major William F. Smith was Air Commander and Captain J. L. Smith was pilot.

"The Eighth Air force is currently charged with a most solemn obligation in support of the most vital operation ever undertaken by our Armed Forces. It will be necessary during certain stages to attack with tremendous intensity the area immediately in front of our advancing troops. No other agency except the Eighth Air Force can undertake this task.... It must be recognized that bombardment accuracy has never faced a more severe test.... Every aid to accuracy must be exploited so that the pattern of our attack is exactly as ordered...."

CREW LOADING LIST

June 7th, 1944
Mission No 61 Target: Falaise, France

If you desire to see the original scanned loading lists, click on the respective blue squadron header below.
(If a very small image appears, click on the small image to enlarge.)

748th Squadron

749th Squadron

750th Squadron

751th Squadron

	A/C # 190		A/C # 948		A/C # 074		A/C # 131
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Robert E. Brofft John M. Bristow Reynold J. Koehmetscher Robert I. Braun Lyle E. Thrall Abraham H. Feller James B. Toney William L. Black Rex W. Burke Earl S. West	Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Marsden W. Mattatall John L. Fowler Ralph C. Jordan Joseph Waszkierscz Axel R. Olson Milton P. Rudd Douglas C. Ellison Ben H. Collinsworth Gordon D. Hobson	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	William F. Rogers Stanley J. Wolczanski Wilbert J. Collard Con F. Poynor Joshua D. Lane Orion H. Shumway John Chumas David H. Quick Ray Jones	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Norman A. Erbe Robert J. Shaffer Robert A. Carson Russell H. Auten Richard H. Cochran James M. Kirkland Wayne A. Taylor William L. Egri Paul Frank

	A/C # 618		A/C # 545		A/C # 073		A/C # 827
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Harris S. Mathis Norris H. Gerber Charles S. Tripp John A. Richardson Rex W. Crawford Donald E. Cook Mark A. Osborne Nicholas Pesko Donald E. Cook Ralph H. Garrison	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Morris H. Shuff George J. Bennett Lee C. Mohn Joseph Garbett Glen W. Barnes Thomas B. Scott Wallace C. Nicholson Leonard A. Smith Wallace D. Cagle	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Charles R. Blackwell Theodore R. Baskette Irving R. Meyers Verne M. Boon Thomas W. Howard Edward Nabozny Francis W. McCall Morris L. Dickinson Thomas G. Leahy	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Richard T. Bennett John G. Hossack Charles R. Hunnicutt Houston L. Levers Deward D. Dunn George Ribiero Glenn C. Finke Charles L. Campbell Donald J. Lighthizer Joseph Reilly

	A/C # 087		A/C # 060		A/C # 551		A/C # 026
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Edward A. Taylor Walter F. Creigh Harold W. Walbright Edward J. Colleran Elie R. Carrier Frank W. Winchester Herbert L. Webster Lewis H. Shane George S. Kamas	Lt F/O Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Harry R. Stafford Bernard J. Yavorosky Arthur A. Flach Anthony G. Wodek Virgil D. Naylor Virgil G. Maier Virgil R. Hook Jean P. Dubois Walter H. Osika Robert H. Ridge	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Americo Procopio Robert Driscoll Bernard B. Weinberg Edward P. Palika John T. Clements Russell R. Babel James R. Norman Walter W. Megin E. L. Angell	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	John W. Fay James E. Carels Bert Graham Thomas M. Lyles Edward T. Sawyer Glenn A. Jackson Hugh C. Arant Frederick G. Wagner Richard M. Bassett

	A/C # 955		A/C #		A/C # 084		A/C # 383
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Adrian W. Seabock Lloyd. E. Icenogle William G. Smith, Jr Louis M. Castelucci Lloyd E. Larson Herbert W. Shaurette Leonard C. Comstock Earl W. Holton Francis E. Cornue	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Edwin S. Jones Clyde S. Jolley Fred W. Roberts Howard A. Handran Harry C. Lake James A. Martin Patsy Varrassi Alfred Beacom Kenneth E. Davidson	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	James F. Oldenhage Richard E. Long Eldon J. Foster Anthony Kulczcyki Carrol O. Johnson Lester L. Tyndall Edward J. McHale George H. Davis George K. Raymond

	A/C # 088		A/C #		A/C # 923		A/C # 587
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Paul V. Chapman James E. Oschier William J. McKelvey George R. Walker Arthur M. Lustig Richard T. Trundy Robert S. Wood Anthony Marrone Waldron E. McGibbon	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Norman W. Breit Arthur H. Richards Bert H. Lindstrom Charles J. Hrubos Terence T. Camp Melvin R. Smalley William F. Radford William H. Sokolowski Rubin L. Hernandez	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Jack B. Owens Charles E. Berta Armen Topakian Francis A. Minturn Phillip M. Murillo Theodore C. Roland Earl A. Markwalder R. C. Zeagler Hallie L. Bennett

	A/C # 558		A/C #		A/C # 063		A/C # PFF Crew
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Edward J. Reppa Aaron J. Ayres Curtis J. Overdahl George R. Stateman Stephen F. Billisits Ivan W. Browning Irving Feldman John Harmke Charles W. Mehring	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	James P. LaPaze Louis N. McGranahan Keith W. Morgan Chester V. Hudec Henry L. Baker Charles H. Rogers, Jr Oscar C. Hightower James M. Cole Elmer E. Valicer	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Lt	Smith Redman Tibbs Kemmett McLean Knutson Houghton Weston

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt