 NAME
|
TP | - | M# | SER | - | BLK | - | MF | SERIAL # |
AF |
BG |
BS |
SC | RCL/# | V#-P | PHOTO CREDITS |
VITAMIN-P |
B |
- |
24 |
J |
- |
10 |
- |
CO |
42-73083 |
15 |
376 |
513 |
~ |
E/46 |
00-1 |
WILEY L. GOLDEN |
Lost 17 Feb 44, ITA - MACR 2630 Pg1 / Pg2 - Pilot Donald E. Welsh - Note MACR has Erroneous S/N 42-730836
Contributor -
Jack Gross
My Father, Herbert Gross (Asst Eng/Tail Gunner), and crew were "given" the B-24
at the completion of training, in Topeka, KS, 20 Sep 43. The pilot let the
enlisted crew come up with a name, and an anagram of the first letters of the
crews' home states was selected: VITAMIN-P. The nose art was applied by the
radio operator S/Sgt. Carl Boyd. After checking out the new aircraft's systems
and putting some hours on the engines (orienting), they were loaded up with
supplies for their destination theater (unknown at the time), and on 4 Oct 43
took off for Morrison Field, FL. Flying over Alabama, they lost an engine. Just
before being ordered to bail out, the navigator located a fighter strip outside
of Tuskegee (332nd FG) and the pilot made a safe landing. As there were no
accommodations for white soldiers on the base, the crew was put up in Auburn,
AL, where they stayed for more than 2 weeks waiting for replacement engines.
Finally, on 16 Oct, the Air Force brought the crew back to Topeka and gave them
another B-24 which they named VITAMIN-P II (42-73243), and wound up with the
14th AF 308th BG 375th BS in China.
VITAMIN-P was eventually repaired and put into
service with the 15th AF 376th BG 513th BS.
| Vermont | 2Lt Paul B. "Babbitt" Ranslow | Bombardier |
| Indiana | 2Lt Richard E. "Dick" Burk | Pilot |
| Texas | 2Lt Vernon E. "Skinny" Childers | Co-Pilot |
| Arkansas | Sgt Max "Pappy" Cline | Arm/Ball Turret |
| Maine | SSgt Earnest J. "Put-Put" Churchill | Eng/Top Turret |
| Indiana | Sgt Abraham L. "Bud" Wollam, Jr. | Asst Arm/Waist |
| SSgt Carl W. "Stinky" Boyd | Radio Op/Nose | |
| New York | Sgt Herbert Gross | Asst Eng/Tail |
| Sgt Marion W. Catania | Radio Op/Waist | |
| Pennsylvania | 2Lt Robert N. "Bob" McCall | Navigator |
Info Contributor -
Ed Clendenin
According to Bob Moyer (Waist Gunner), the group was trying to avoid weather on the way to the target.
The mission was in support of the Anzio landings. The planes were trying to increase their distance from each another to avoid contact, and he believes the Pilot somehow stalled the plane and crashed.
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Copyright © 1997 B-24
Best Web. Published on Veterans Day 11/11/97. Last
modified:
27-Mar-2021