(submitted by Bob Cross) #137 on its hardstand. |
LT Herrmann and crew were in aircraft number 43-38137 on the mission for October 15, 1944. From their hardstand (#14) they taxied around the perimeter track to take off on runway 250. It was a night take-off with 3000 yds of visibility and a 5-7 knot wind from 200°. Witnesses on the ground saw that #137 was having difficulty getting airborne. Once it did become airborne, it started into a slow, flat turn to the right and started to lose altitude. The aircraft then smashed into a farm house near the airfield, destroying the top floor and roof and starting a fire. The aircraft continued on and came to rest in an adjacent field. Of the nine man crew, only the pilot survived. One of the occupants of the house, Robert Major Smith, was critically injured with severe burns. Mr. Smith would die two days later from complications to his injuries. M/SGT Joe M. Bruce, a line chief with the 834th squadron observed the takeoff. SGT Bruce claims #137 was having difficulty with its #4 engine and heard it sputter. The turbos on the other 3 engines were emitting a steady red glow. The lack of flames from #4 indicated a non-working turbo on that engine. While the #4 engine is believed to be the cause of the crash based on SGT Bruce's testimony, the evidence was not firm enough to confirm the cause. LT Clarence B. Herrmann suffered major injuries and was taken to the 136th Station Hospital. After 6 weeks he was stable enough to be flow home to the US, and underwent a long period of therapy. He eventually got well enough to return home and
live a full life. All crewmembers killed in the crash were initially buried at Cambridge American Military Cemetary in Cambridge, England. 2nd LT Etter and SGT Sartain were disinterred and returned to the US for burial. [MAP of CRASH SITE] |
| CREW INFO | |||||
| Name | Rank | Position | First Mission | Last Mission | Status |
| Clarence B. Herrmann | 2nd LT | Pilot | 09//44 | 10/15/44 | Severely wounded. |
| Robert M. Etter | 2nd LT | Copilot | 09/25/44 | 10/15/44 | KIA |
| Vernon A. Meierhenry | 2nd LT | Bombardier | 09/25/44 | 10/15/44 | KIA (D-3-7)* |
| William M. Annan | 2nd LT | Navigator | 09/25/44 | 10/15/44 | KIA (D-6-7) |
| John H. Sartain | S/SGT | FE/Top | 09/25/44 | 10/15/44 | KIA |
| Robert R. Stone | S/SGT | Radio operator/waist | 09/25/44 | 10/15/44 | KIA (E-3-120) |
| John W. Jackson | S/SGT | Waist | 09/25/44 | 10/15/44 | KIA (D-2-7) |
| Joseph K. Cook | S/SGT | Tail | 09/25/44 | 10/15/44 | KIA (F-6-104) |
| Ralph M. Spaulding | M/SGT | Ball | 09/25/44 | 10/15/44 | KIA (D-4-7) |
| * - plot numbers at the American Military Cemetary at Cambridge England. | |||||
| MISSION INFO | |||||
| Mission | Date | Name | ID | S/N | Type |
| 082 | 09/26/44 | NG | 43-37966 | B17G | |
| 084 | 09/28/44 | Smokey Stover | TD | 43-37916 | B17G |
| 085 | 10/02/44 | Miss B Havin | NN | 43-38137 | B17G |
| 086 | 10/03/44 | Miss B Havin | NN | 43-38137 | B17G |
| 087 | 10/05/44 | Miss B Havin | NN | 43-38137 | B17G |
| 089 | 10/07/44 | Smokey Stover | TD | 43-37916 | B17G |
| 090 | 10/09/44 | The Chariot | DV | 43-38034 | B17G |
| 092 | 10/15/44 | Miss B Havin | NN | 43-38137 | B17G |
| Created 01/09/00 | Modified 12/04/19 |
Copyright � 1998-2024, 486th Bomb Group Association. |
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