850th/857th BS
Coleman Crew
Picture credit: (Station 179) Sidney Martinson. The man kneeling, far left, was crew chief James Sauer, and the pilot is standing, far left. Kneeling far right is Martin Talley, identified by his son via email.
The Coleman crew are pictured above as a 8-man crew at Harrington in the spring of 1944. Their flyover plane "Baby Bug" B24-H 42-94865 was taken from the crew at Eye, Suffolk, when the 850th moved to Harrington. It served for a short time with the 493rd BG and when it became unsuitable for high altitude bombing, was refurbished as a Carpetbagger plane and came to Harrington in July of 1944, where it was recognised and renamed "Baby Bug II".
The picture below (Mountain Home)has names matched to faces as:
Standing, L-R:
Runyon P. Coleman - Pilot
Kenneth R. Beno - Bombardier
Robert C. Bray - Navigator
Edwin C. Lloyd - Co-Pilot
Beryl F. Bryant - ROM Gunner
Kneeling, L-R:
Raymond S. Jablecki - Aerial Gunner
Stanley E. Swain - Engineer Gunner
Joseph F. Fregeau - Aerial Gunner
Martin L. Talley - Aerial Gunner
Thomas H. Sutton - Armorer Gunner
Fregeau and Sutton were released at Cheddington.
Picture credit: (Mountain Home): Ewen Sinclair, UK Historian of the 490th BG.
Combat Period: May-September 1944
Status: Original 490th BG crew, arrived at Harrington at the end of May 1944.
Preferred Aircraft: B24H 41-29607 L
Missions from July 1944 (All French targets) Mission Reports.
Pilot MR# Date Target Aircraft Coleman 816 2 Digger 30 B24H 42-95317 B Coleman 872 5 Percy 19C B24H 41-29607 L Coleman 902 6 Percy 20 B24H 42-95131 C Coleman 965 9 Stationer 110D B24J 42-50669 P Coleman 990 11 Spiritualist 6 B24H 41-29607 L Coleman 1024 12 Harry 49A B24H 41-29607 L Coleman 1036 14 Stationer 111D B24H 41-29607 L Coleman 1180 23 Shipwright 6A B24H 41-29607 L Coleman 1218 24 Giles 8 B24H 41-29607 L Coleman 1238 26 Hermit 21 B24H 41-29607 L Coleman 1283 28 Felix 1A B24H 41-29607 L Coleman 1342 31 Licensee 2 B24H 42-95259 K An ex-486th BG plane, it was converted to a night bomber following the Operations period of the summer of 1944, recorded at BAD 2 on 6 Dec 44. It lasted out the war and was flown to the Zone of the Interior on 9 July 1945, piloted by Bergen of the 856th BS.
Aircraft Details Credit: Tom Brittan
