Issue 43.13
On our way home from bombing war industry at one of the northern German cities, we had flown over German occupied Denmark and were on our last leg to get home and safety. We were low, low, low position in the group or what we called tail end Charlie. A heavy bomber group flying a mission over Germany flies with three squadrons of twelve planes each with one squadron standing down for a total of four squadrons. If there are enough crews and enough flyable bombers, then each squadron puts up twelve bombers. All bomber units are made up of elements of three, which planes would be numbered one, two and three. Each squadron is made up of four elements which are lead, high, low and low low.
The high element is slightly back and higher and to the right of the lead element. The low element is back and lower to the left of the lead element and the low low element is lower and to the left of the low element. In the same way there is the lead squadron, the high squadron and the low squadron. On that mission we were in the undesirable position of being number two plane in the low, low, low element. When we left the Danish coast, I, the lower ball turret gunner on our crew could leave my position and relax in the radio room. We were now off oxygen but all of the rest of the gunners stayed at their gun position. The waist gunner called out “I can see two dingies in the water below and to the port side”. Dingies are the inflatable life rafts that all bombers carried. All who were able looked and could see men in the rafts.
Bob Parnell, our pilot, left the group and at a lower altitude, circled the men in the raft. The men below waved so we could see that they were alive. They knew that help would be on the way. Our navigator got a location fix with the “G Box” and our radio operator contacted the Air Sea Rescue people. This was not in the narrow part of the English Channel and it was then almost dark in the month of November so we doubted if the rescuers would go out that night.
After landing after dark, our crew caught a ride on a truck to get us to put all gear away and our machine gun mechanisms to the armament shop where we cleaned, oiled and put them away.
Then we went to interrogation. Before we said one word, the interrogator poured each of us two fingers of American whisky in a water glass. Among other things, we told him of the downed crew that we circled and reported. Just to make sure, the interrogator right then called the Air Sea Rescue number again. They said yes, they were on it but they could never find them at night so they would go the first thing after daylight. We knew that there was no more that we could learn about the guys adrift, so we got something to eat and then hit the sack. One of the guys in our squadron had a friend in another place that told him about the downed crew. He said that it was a B-24 that ditched and that two of the crew of nine did not make it. One was killed on impact and one didn’t survive the first night. The proper way for a four engine bomber to ditch is to hit the water with the tail end touching first. If the front end hits first, then the B-24 will usually flip over. ‘If the tail hits too sharply in the water, then the 24 would break in two. B-24’s sink faster than a B-17 ditching because the 17 has a low wing and the 24 has a high wing.
Sam Wyrouck can be contacted at 801-707-2666.