Docite Nadeau (Ball turret on Lt. Maser's crew)

I mentioned in the message thread about Wallace Rufeisen (Wallace "Jack" Rufeisen; 351st; 511th has passed on) the following: "While visting Cambridge American Cemetery, I photographed a name on the wall of the missing from the 511th.  It was Docite Nadeau. When I come across his name on a load list, it kinda jumps off the page now.  But then, so do the names of some of the living members of the 351st that I have met at the group's reunions." A copy of that photo is attached.  The photo is of the Airman statue at the cemetery, which is why a similar photo is at the museum in Savannah.

Docite Nadeau (511th) was the ball turret gunner on Maser's crew, typically:

2nd Lt. Howard G. Maser - Pilot
2nd Lt. Donald L. L'Abbee - Co-pilot
2nd Lt. Morris S. Eagle - Navigator
2nd Lt. Charles F. Henry - Bombardier
T/Sgt. Harold R. Crum - Engineer, Right Waist
T/Sgt. Paul M. Walsh - Radio Operator
S/Sgt. William R. McGee - Left Waist
S/Sgt. Everrett L. Sanford - Top Turret
S/Sgt. Docite Nadeau - Ball Turret
S/Sgt. Malvern H. Morgan Jr. - Tail Gunner

His missions include (I might have missed one) the following:

14 Jul 43 - Amiens A/F, France
42-29812 RQ-U Lucifer Jr
Pilot: 2nd Lt. James J. Maginnis 509th 

24 Jul 43 - Heroya, Norway
42-29812 RQ-U Lucifer Jr
Pilot: 2nd Lt. James J. Maginnis 509th 

25 Jul 43 - Hamburg
42-29603 DS-R Spit Ball
(Aborted - problems with #3 & #4 engines)

26 Jul 43 - Hamburg
42-3140 RQ-P Patty Ann II
(Abortive Sortie - Problems with #2 & #4)

28 Jul 43 - Kassel
42-5807 DS-T Minor Ball
(Aborted - Problem with #4 engine)

30 Jul 43 - Kassel
42-3046 TU-X Old Jackson
(Landed at Woodbridge) 

12 Aug 43 - Bochum (Secondary)
42-29603 DS-R Spit Ball
(Spare)

15 Aug 43 - Flushing, Holland
42-5807 DS-T Minor Ball

16 Aug 43 - La Bourget
42-3090 YB-N T'aint a Bird 

17 Aug 43 - Schweinfurt
42-29684 RQ-T Eager Eagle                                                                            

24 Aug 43 - Villacoublay
42-29603 DS-R Spit Ball
(Three or 4 planes of the 511th were part of composite squadron - about 1 hour flight time - that left about 10 hours before the group, so I don't know if this was a "credited" mission.)

31 Aug 43 - Rommilly Sur Sein
42-29877 DS-X Speed Ball 
Pilot: 2nd Lt. Milton Sherman
(Abortive - Part of a composite element)

2 Sep 43 - Recalled
42-29603 DS-R Spit Ball

3 Sep 43 - Romilly Sur Sein
42-29603 DS-R Spit Ball

6 Sep 43 - Offenburg
42-29603 DS-R Spit Ball

7 Sep 43 - Brussels
42-29603 DS-R Spit Ball

9 Sep 43 - Lille-Nord
42-29603 DS-R Spit Ball
(Landed Asbbourne)

15 Sep 43 - Romilly
42-29603 DS-R Spit Ball
(Landed West Walling)

15 Sep 43 - Nantes
42-29849 DS-U
(Landed Romsbury - battle damage included one .30 cal. hole through ball turret door, and glass cracked in ball turret - I did not see anything in the records that I have that mentioned any injury to Nadeau.)

(Maser's crew went down six group missions later on 9 Oct 43 - Anklam.)

7 Nov 43 - Wesel, Germany
42-37731 TU-A 
Pilot: 2nd Lt. Daniel E. McCafferty 508th

26 Nov 43 - Bremen
42-29849 DS-U
Pilot: Capt. Donald M. Norris
(Abortive - waist gunner incapacited by cold)

29 Nov 43 - Bremen
42-29835 DS-Y Pistol Ball 
Pilot: Capt. Donald M. Norris

1 Dec 43 - Solingen
42-29835 DS-Y Pistol Ball 
Pilot: Capt. Donald M. Norris

5 Dec 43 - Paris
42-29849 DS-U Linda Ball 
Pilot: Capt. Donald M. Norris

16 Dec 43 - Bremen
42-39761 DS-D Fire Ball II 
Pilot: 2nd Lt. Clarence P. Lemley

22 Dec 43 - Osnabruck
42-39778 DS-A Lucky Ball
Pilot: 2nd Lt. Lewis J. Maginn
(Abortive sortie)

Narrative of Mission (22 Dec 43) mentions:
One of our a/c, pilot Lt. Maginn, ditched; five crew members are save: Lt. Maginn, Lt. Brooks, Lt. Rufeisen, S/Sgt. Shron, and S/Sgt. Baker.  Three members are dead and two are missing, unidentified as to which category at this moment.  The rescued men are now at Great Yarmouth hospital.

The Teletype Report gave this under S-3:
A/c 778-A looped out of control and fell into the Channel at 52 deg 38 min N, 03 deg 25 min E, at 1505 hours.  Flying Control  reports 5 men rescued, three men dead, and two missing.  The survivors have not returned to this Base.

Acording to the J-Form, most planes returned between 1630 and 1655.  The "abortive sortie" on the load list suggests that the crew may not have bombed the target, but did have enemy contact.


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Attached Image(s)

Randy Burton
Associate Member
351st Bomb Group Assoc.

Regarding Docite being wounded on the Sept. 15 '43 mission to Nantes.  You'll notice he did not have another mission for 7 weeks.  The book that lists every 351st mission states he was wounded.  Finally, I have two Purple Hearts and I assume one is for the Sept 15 mission and the second is for his last mission.  Though I understand it is more typical to get an "oak cluster" added to the Purple Heart for subsequent woundings.
 
In this 351st privately published chronicle there is a detailed discription of the last flight, written by the pilot, Lt. Maginn, who survived.  You are right, they aborted the mission over the target due to poor visibility.  On the return they were plagued with engine problems and kept loosing altitude, loosing even more when they dove into clouds to avoid fighters, which Maginn later believed to be our own.  Eventually with only one engine they were forced to ditch the plane in the Channel.  All crew members got out but by the time help arrived 5 were alive, 3 were dead in the water, and two (including Docite) were missing. 
 
Docite was one of fourteen childern on a farm in Fort Kent Mills in the extreme Northern tip of Maine,.  This part of Maine was settled by the French Acadian refugees that fled the explosion of the French by the British from Nova Scotia during the French and Indian War (1760).  French is the dominant language in the area, and the area is very rural and mostly forest.  I believe two of his brother's were also in uniform during the war.  
 
I found a photo of Docite's plane, Spit Ball, which I framed and sent to my mother.  She was very disturbed by the photo, saying "To think my beautiful brother died in that ugly thing".  Docite was a Freshman in College when he enlisted.  Since he was an engineering student, I like to think instead, he was facinated by the B17 and thought it was a technical marvel.
 

Randy-

How did you get the crew list? I can find info on my Great Uncle (1st. Lt. Dan D. Nauman, Pilot) and the other pilots on the same missions, but never the crew lists except for the one he went MIA on.

Thanks

Sarah Nauman

Sarah,

Since all the crew were KIA on your relative's plane and you are asking about crew lists, would it be beneficial to you to have the crew lists of other planes that went down in that time frame? You might find some of the survivors of those losses that would have been familiar with him. Crew lists are not readily available for many groups but some have many of the lists. I have access to the crew lists of the majority of planes lost by the 8th AF and would be glad to research them for you.
 
I would think that some of the pilots that served with him were members of the association and you should be able to get addresses from the membership secretary. At least it is worth a try. I would encourage you to join the association and try to make a reunion if they have one.

Vic

Vic Walzel, brother of 1st Lt Leland H. Walzel, bombardier with the 93rd Bomb Group, 330th Squadron. KIA 6 March 1944 on his 25th mission.
www.lelandwalzel.150m.com

Yes, anything you have or could find would be so great!

I am joining the association, and it will either be in Milwakee, WI or the Twin Cities/Minnesota in June.

Peter-
I understand your mother's reaction, loss, and grief..... however I much agree that Docite must have been facinated.

I find the B-17 absolutely intriquing and I have no mechanical or plane knowledge.
I am 25 years old and lived at/by a Naval Air Station for a few years, and the planes there were absolutely wonderful. I miss the noises they made on pratice runs, as I have since moved.

I am glad others like me can look at the B-17's our relatives flew on or died in and still find the beauty that our relatives might have felt for them.

Long live the memory of your Uncle.

Sarah Nauman

MIA 04 Oct 1943 My Grandfather's brother- Pilot 1st Lt. Dan D. Nauman- Frankfurt, 14th mission. Plane "Minor Ball". 511 BS 351 BG.

Mission records of the 351st are at Archives II in College Park. 
 
Starting in May 1944 there are microfilm copies of load lists through the Historical Research Agency at Maxwell Air Force Base.  The microfilms also contain the unit and group histories.  http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil
 
 

Randy Burton
Associate Member
351st Bomb Group Assoc.

Well, since he died in 0ct '43 I don't know if that would help?

MIA 04 Oct 1943 My Grandfather's brother- Pilot 1st Lt. Dan D. Nauman- Frankfurt, 14th mission. Plane "Minor Ball". 511 BS 351 BG.