36th/856th BS Combat
Crew Pictures
36th/856th BS - Complete Mission Reports are available on CD for this Squadron for the period Jan-Sep 1944. Special Orders defining Officer Leaves and other incidentals such as training and travel are mostly complete for the same period, lacking only the period 15Feb-31Mar 1944 period when most of the ground crews were at Watton. Daily Bulletins have the same gap but are otherwise complete for the same period.
36th/856th Crew Chiefs - Summer of 1944
Unsung heroes of the Air War, the men on the ground crews, often working outside year round and in the worst conditions, kept cranky engines and stubborn planes in top condition for their dangerous missions. In one respect, the ground crews of the Carpetbaggers were lucky - most often they worked in the daylight hours. In this photo eight young men from the 856th BS, most scarcely out of their teens but ranked far above their calendar years, gather for an afternoon group picture at Harrington. Names have been preserved for this picture, a rarity for many photos of this type. All in this picture were awarded a Bronze Star for crewing planes which flew 30 combat missions or more without an abort.
L-R: Stanley L. Warren, Kenneth D. Fitzsimmons, Willis L. DeLano, Edward A. Reagor, William E. Poole,Richard T. Milsap, William K. Knierim, Jack W. Pettit.
Photo & info credit: History of the Carpetbagger Project, John Madden's copy
Rodman St. Clair was C.O. of the 36th/856th BS for most of their experience in the U.K..
Photo credit: Squadron History, on microfilm at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
Following the war he pursued a successful career, retired early and became a philanthropic volunteer in many charitable causes.
Crews in RED had combat casualties
Follow the links below for details of listed crews
Last Modification: Monday, October 19, 2009 06:12:47 AM