Hello ,
 
Does someone has the names of the crewmembers of the Wentz John D crew.They made a forced landing on A-92 St-Trond in Belgium on april 7 1945 after been rammed by a German fighter.
 
Alain

The crew was as follows:
William B. Wentz pilot
Donald S. McQueen co-pilot
Robert M. Boyer navigator
John Sawicki bombardier
Jerome H. Carson engineer
Harold C. Johansson radio operator
John A. Robbins ball turret gunner
Zoltan J. Barczy waist gunner
Robert C. Jewell tail gunner
Best regards,
Ivo de Jong
The Netherlands

Mr De Jong
 
Thanks for answering my request
 
Alain

Mr De Jong,
 
Do you know also the serial number of the aircraft ?
 
Alain

It was 43-39126.
Best regards,
Ivo

Thanks once again
 
Alain

This is inaccurate information. See http://home.earthlink.net/~tom.mccrary/TargetParchim-RammedOverGermany.htm for real story.

Thanks very much for this information.
 
Alain

As the author of 'the history of the 487th Bomb Group' and having researched this topic for several years, I was somewhat amazed when somebody bluntly stated 'this is inaccurate information' upon answers that I provided, and then pointed to his own website for 'the real story'.
Of course I followed the link and was appalled by the results. I have seldom read such a flagrant breach with the historical truth.
Summarized:
1. My information on a/c serial and crew is correct. I have all documents from the archives to prove this.
2. Lt Wentz did not land on the airfield at Wernershöhe, but at St Trond (A-92) in Belgium. See attached original report. I have also Wentz original debriefing report, signed by himself to prove my point here. It is too large to post here.
3. Lt Wentz did not fly 'a captured B-17' back to England, but flew a B-17 from A-92 to Merville (France), and then another to Honington in England. See attached report. The story of them returning in 'the captured' B-17 to Lavenham is absolutely not true.
4. That Wentz claims that he was never interrogated is not true. I have copies of the debriefing report at home!
5. The photo on the site that claims to be taken on April 7, 1945 actually shows B-17F 41-24406 of the 97th BG on Feb 1, 1943 over Tunesia!! (The photo is posted mirrored, by the way). Pilot was Lt Kenneth Bragg, who successfully landed it.
6. The photo on the site of the captured B-17 (with Balkenkreuz) is B-17F 41-24485 Wolf Hound of the 303rd Bomb Group. This aircraft has absolutely nothing to do with Wentz' story!!

It is truly sad that apparently after so many years Lt Wentz' memory is somewhat faded, and that without checking against original records his recollections are posted 'as the real truth'.

Best regards,
Ivo de Jong




[image]local://8226/CA9C36E7FC28475CBADC49531475B43F.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

Dear Mr De Jong ,
 
Thanks for the right information.
 
Alain

Thank you for all your research into the Lt. Wentz story, but I am positive the official reports you have are incorrect and have mislead you. I suspect your information comes second hand. My information comes first hand from the pilot William Budd Wentz, MD himself. I have heard this story from him directly since 1982, when I married into his family.  I also believe that Dr. Wentz wrote you with his direct accounts of the event which are consistent.  I can tell you that the memories from Lt. Wentz have not faded. You are correct an all accounts of the photographs. The photographs are not intended to be historical proof of this mission, but examples.
 
Best regards,
Tom McCrary

Tom,
I send an e-mail to your private mail address, with a couple of scans of original documents.
Hope that they will convince you.
Kind regards,
Ivo de Jong

I just watched an episode of Dogfights on the history channel and they profiled the ramming of this B-17. Not only did they have an interview with (i think) the pilot of the B-17 but also the german fighter pilot who rammed him. The german was a part of the Sondernkommando Elba mission where the germans instituted their own version of Kamikazi pilots who's mission was to ram allied bombers.

It was an interesting story, the german 109 pilot had engine problems and became separated from the rest of his flight. He came upon 4 P-51's that shot up his 109 and wounded him in the arm. His 109 spiraled down and happend upon the 487'th just as he was able to regain control of his plane. He picked his target and went inverted so he could have a chance to pop his canopy and possibly bail before contact. He was able to jump just as the prop removed both the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. The B-17 pilot manueverd the ship by throttling the outboard engines and managed to land in Belgium at a small air field that had just be captured by American infantry.

My wife practically dropped her water glass when I jumped at the sight of the formation of silver B-17's with yellow tails and square P's, pointing at the TV and yelling "thats my fathers bomb group!"

ORIGINAL: jimbello
My wife practically dropped her water glass when I jumped at the sight of the formation of silver B-17's with yellow tails and square P's, pointing at the TV and yelling "thats my fathers bomb group!"

once of the last moments my grandfather and I shared was him telling me about this and saying, "my bomb group was on tv!" most excited i think i had ever seen him.