Crew 11 – Assigned 752nd Squadron – October 1943

Crew 11 was an original 752nd Squadron crew, training at Tonopah, Nevada in the fall of 1943.  2Lt Robert L. Dean was originally assigned as the first pilot for this crew, but for reasons that are unclear, he was replaced by 2Lt Richard W. Nyman prior to the unit moving overseas.

Nyman and crew flew both diversion missions at the end of February in support of “Big Week” They flew their first combat mission on March 3rd to Berlin, however no attack was made since the formations were recalled prior to reaching the target due to weather conditions.

Records showing Nyman’s missions contain a one-month gap between March 18th and April 18th.  It is possible that he was not flying during this period.  Members of his crew, however, continued to fly, but it is not known who their pilot was during this period.  On the April 8, 1944 mission to Brunswick, the 458th led the 96th Combat Wing.  Sgt John W. Kirby, one of the gunners on Crew 11, was wounded by 20mm cannon fire and died after the crew returned to Horsham St Faith.  This evidently made an impact on not only the crew, but others in the group as well as this incident was recorded in the April 8th diary entry of 755th Squadron navigator Sam Scorza, “One boy from another ship was shot up in his legs and died late tonight in the hospital.”  The 752nd historian noted the following entry for April 8th, “The formation met stiff fighter opposition and Sgt. John W. Kirby 34543643 was fatally wounded by 20MM shell fragments and died in the Station Hospital on return.  His cheery disposition under extreme pain at altitude was a great inspiration to his fellow gunners.”

Nyman returned to flying on April 18th when he took his crew to Brandenburg and a few days later on the disastrous raid on the marshaling yards at Hamm, Germany.  It was on this date, April 22nd, that ME 410 night fighters of the Luftwaffe followed the 2nd Bombardment Division home in the dark and shot down 17 B-24’s over England, two of these were 458th ships.

The crew flew ten missions in May leading up to the June 6th invasion, and on D-Day itself they participated in two out of the three missions flown by the group.  It was on another Brunswick raid on May 19th that T/Sgt Durward A. “Duke” Trivette, Crew 11’s radio operator, was wounded in action and required time in hospital to recover.

The crew finished their combat tour at different times during June, July, and August 1944. At the end of July, Richard Nyman was sent to the 2nd Bombardment Division’s Instructor School at North Pickenham (AAF 143).  He returned to the 458th and was assigned to group HQ.  He was promoted to Captain on October 30, 1944.  At some point in late 1944 or early 1945, Nyman went on to fly P-51’s in the 2nd Scouting Force and the 355FG.  T/Sgt Trivette flew additional missions after his release from the hospital, including the “Truckin’ missions” in September and completed his tour in November.

S/Sgt Robert Corum, flight engineer, is believed to have completed his tour around the same time as the rest of the crew.  His name does not appear in 458th records after April 1944 when he was awarded the Air Medal, but he is listed on both crew loading lists for the D-Day missions.

Notice decoy symbols on Lucky Strike’s scoreboard for February diversion missions.

(Photo: George Reynolds)

2nd Scouting Force

From L-R: (Front Row) Lt. Hoyt Frierson; Maj. Frank Elliott; Lt.Col. John Brooks III; Capt. Robert Whitlow; Capt. George Weathers; Lt. Eleo Decima. (Second Row) Lt. Thomas Orrick; Lt. Charles Rodebaugh; Lt. Kirby D.E. Smith; Lt. Leon Marmon; Lt. Marvin Castleberry; Lt. William Hornicle; Capt. Roger Counselman; Lt. George Ceglarski; Lt. Glenn Lindley. (Third Row) Capt. Robert Edmonson; Capt. Charles Getz; Capt. Richard Nyman ; Capt. Robert Moore; Capt. Henry Hayes; Lt. William Whalen; Lt. John Miller; Lt. Robert Williams.

Men whose names appear in bold (links) flew a 30-mission tour with the 458th prior to joining the 2SF.

Mustang Pilot with the 355FG