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Flight
crew for the mission
|
|
Personnel
|
Rank
|
Duties
|
|
Miller, Elmonte R
|
Lieutenant
|
Pilot
|
|
Nowacki, Jack W
|
Lieutenant
|
Co-Pilot
|
|
Hodgkiss, Bernard V
|
Lieutenant
|
Navigator
|
|
Katsiginis, Spiris T
|
Lieutenant
|
Bombardier
|
|
Lohr, John F
|
Cpl
|
Radio Op/Gunner
|
|
Weese, Jackson D
|
Cpl
|
Engr./Top Turret
|
|
Cunningham, Charles L
|
Cpl
|
Ball Turret gunner
|
|
Whiting, Edward H
|
Sergeant
|
Waist Gunner
|
|
Johnson, Marvin J
|
Cpl
|
Tail Gunner
|
|
|
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The
Mission
#
210
|
|
A/C
name Screwball Express
|
Country
Germany
|
Target
Railroad Yards
|
|
A/C
number 42-97128
|
|
Squadron
Pos. High Squadron
|
|
A/C
Pos Low Element Right Wing
|
|
City
Cologne
|
We did not know it at the time but the aircraft we flew this day was to
become famous. It is immortalized in in Kenneth Cassens book,
"Screwball Express" The book was published by Turner
Publishing Co. in 1992 . I am the proud owner of an autographed
copy. Our mission was flown just 6 months after Ken and his crew
took her on her first mission. Excerpts from this fine book can be found
on Ken's website (click
here) This was the first mission that qualified for what we called a
"Milk Run". We were only in the air for 7 hours and received
only one hole from enemy fire. I was however, introduced to a new form
of hi-tech warfare. They had installed a small port in the fuselage just
to the left of my radio position an several cardboard boxes
full of bundles of "chaff" were stacked in my already tight
radio room. Chaff consists of strips of tinfoil cut to be resonant at
the frequency of the enemy radar. Each aircraft was supposed to start
feeding packets of chaff into the slipstream just as we turned on to the
bomb run. As the resulting cloud slowly floated toward the ground it
disrupted the accuracy of their radar's range measuring capability, thus
making it difficult for them to pre-set the detonators to explode at our
altitude. It seemed like a fine idea to me but I was never sure how
effective it was. In any event it sure kept me occupied during the bomb
run , a very welcome distraction.
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