36th BS

Merrill Crew

Picture Details: Susan Moore

Back Row, left to right:
Robert S. Merrill        - Pilot
Vernon D. Howe           - Copilot
Blair T. Dyess           - Navigator
Edward F. Shevlin        - Bombardier

Front Row, left to right:
James W. Draper          - Engineer
Hiram A. Gill            - Asst Engineer
Carl A. Hager            - Radio Operator
Dale Stufflebeam         - Gunner
Lovell T. West           - Gunner
James T.P. Kennedy       - Gunner

Crew Details: Ensminger, June 2001, from various primary sources.

Note that the unfortunate Shevlin (POW) is part of the stateside crew shown in this picture.  He went down with the McDonald crew in early March of 1944. Neither Draper, Gill, Hager, Stufflebeam, West or Kennedy ever flew a Carpetbagger combat mission, apparently being drawn off to other groups prior to Harrington.  Consequently, Merrill's Enlisted were most often orphans and substitutes from the 36th BS, and his Bombardier varied as well.  Despite this, Merrill and his men completed 31 missions by early August.  Krasevac and Bollinger, who had flown often with him, would soon thereafter be sent on Detached Service with Balchen at Leuchars, where they would both be transferred permanently by the end of the year. 

Status: Augmentation crew.

First Mission as a Crew: 9/10 April 1944

Combat Period: Apr-Aug 1944 

Above: In this Station 179 picture with names incomplete comparisons with other crew pictures and comments from donors have helped to identify:

Don Gemmel, far left standing (ID by Norm Stoll)
Blair Dyess, second from left standing (comparison with stateside pic)
Robert Merrill, third from left standing (comparison with stateside pic)
Albert Krasevac, second from left kneeling (comparison with Schreiner pic)

Aircraft Details: Tom Brittan

Picture Credits: Susan Moore (daughter of Blair Dyess)

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