458th Bombardment Group (H)

Archived Guest Book

2017 – 2018

Archived Guestbook 2017 & 2018

Jaime Coews
11:24 AM on January 18, 2017 by vasilisaa99909@mail.ru
Good post! I read your blog often and you always post excellent content. I posted this article on Facebook and my followers like it. Thanks for writing this!

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Art Genesta
6:16 PM on February 14, 2017 by artvid1@cox.net
Love this site. Looking for more info on my father.

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Melissa
10:22 AM on March 4, 2017 by wheatldee@aol.com
I just wanted to say thank you for this wonderful website and for the work you have put in to it. I so enjoy seeing the declassified mission information. Last year I created 3 scrapbooks (for his grandchildren) to honor my father’s service in the 458th. He was a tail gunner, and like many others did not speak about his time in the war. He did save pictures of crew members, his flight diary and even a small British flag from V day. With the information from your website, I was able to map all of his missions, what plane he flew in and was able to create a real keepsake for our family. Thank you again for making this available- it is truly appreciated.

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James Oberg
9:17 AM on March 9, 2017 by jamesEoberg@comcast.net
My wife and I had the awesome honor of attending Fred Popper’s 100th birthday recently in Lakeview, Arkansas, where he lives with his son David, now retired and fishing. More than forty five friends and relatives attended from all over the US. Fred’s daughter Linda was my wife’s best childhood friend growing up in Winnetka, Illinois, in the late 1950s, and he was a ‘second father’ to her, as they lived directly across the street. Fred is in a wheelchair but is fully alert, full of memories, and a healthy appetite. Not long ago he was able to participate in an ‘Honor Flight’ visit to Washington DC, which was a great pleasure for him.

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Kimberly Swanson
1:37 AM on April 15, 2017 by swansonkimberlyk@gmail.com
Hello,
So interesting to find some information about my late great-uncle Sgt. Robert A Palmer , who was KIA as a member of the 753rd Squadron on July 11, 1944. I am so grateful to be able to learn about the circumstances of his last mission. Thank you for taking the time create this website! I will check back often.

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Andrea Holthaus
9:11 PM on May 29, 2017 by alynholthaus@yahoo.com
Trying to reply to old post, below. I’m a granddaughter of Charles Bryson, who passed away Sept 29, 1989. The email address below for Wayne Gamble is no longer working, if anyone knows of better contact info please let me know. Thanks, Andrea

Name: Wayne Gamble Email: wgamble@carolina.rr.com Date: Tue Feb 07 22:05:48 EST 2006
Looking for Pilot James Judge and gunner Charles Bryson who flew with me in summer 1944 in 754th Squadron. If anyone knows about them let me know. Thanks.

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Mike Diederich
11:13 PM on June 7, 2017 by mike@diederichlaw.com
My dad, SSG Michael Diederich Sr., is nearing his 100th birthday (in November 2017). Still mentally alert. I am trying to research some of his WWII experiences. He was in the 458 Bombardment Group (Heavy), 754th Squadron, CPT E. Murry Williams? Crew.
/s/ Mike Diederich, Jr. Lt. Col. (ret), US Army JAG Corps , Stony Pt., NY tel 845-942-0795.

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RICHARD LEVIN
2:05 PM on June 20, 2017 by reddoggie10@gmail.com
MY DAD T/SGT 8TH AIR FORCE HOWARD B( CHICK) LEVIN RADIO OPERATOR T/GUNNER WAS A MEMBER THE 458TH 753RD BOMB GROUP SHOT DOWN OVER BRUNSWICK GERM APRIL 8TH 1944 ON THE B24 WABBIT TWACKS CAPTURED AND SENT STALAG 17B, POW 105069. MY DAD WAS THE LAST CREW MEMBER TO BAIL OUT, LANDED ON A RED WOOD TREE INJURING HIP AND SPINE, HE WAS UNABLE TO WALK FOR 9 MONTHS THANK TO FATHER CAIN, WHO HELPED MY DAD RECOVER FROM HIS INJURIES! THANKS TO THE REST OF THE CREW THAT ASSISTED MY DAD AFTER THEY WERE CAPTURED AND THEN THE WERE PUT IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT FOR 4 DAYS, THE CREW INCLUDED P. ED SIEVERS, CP BILLY DRIVER, NAV. JOHN SLAUGHTER, WG ERWIN REYNOLDS, WG DAN DONAHUE, AND HAROLD STALNAKER T/GUNNER IF THE SONS ANS DAUGHTERS OF THE WABBIT TWACKS CREW WISH TO CONTACT ME, THAT WOULD BE TRUE GIFT! M RICH LEVIN I CAN BE REACHED AT 213 250-4141

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Jennifer Lyons
7:51 PM on September 13, 2017 by jenniferlyons1971@gmail.com
My grandfather was Walter Scheiber. His airplane was the Larrupin’ Linda! He lived to be 92 years old and just died three years ago. He didn’t talk a lot about his service, but was quietly proud. He wore his bomber jacket to the end of his life. I miss him.

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Ted Pyle
1:00 PM on October 8, 2017 by TheoP2@comcast.net
In memory of my uncle, Ernest R Pyle Jr. A member of the 752nd Sq. Craven crew.

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Jan Nieuwenhuis
5:10 PM on October 20, 2017 by jan@airwar4045.nl
A few weeks ago my new “World War II Allied Aircraft Crashes in the Netherlands & North Sea” website was launched!
The address to go to is: https://www.airwar4045.nl
Currently the database lists the detailed information on 1359 crashed aircraft, 6435 crew members (of which 1184 USAAF), and 622 cemeteries/memorials…
Any comments/corrections and/or more information is most welcome…

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Scott Quillen
12:51 AM on October 27, 2017 by squillen59@gmail.com
My dad is James Quillen flight engineer on Tail wind that was shot down in August 1944. He was a member of the Prevost crew.Dad is93 and doing very well.He and my mom just celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary. This is a great Web site. Thank you and may God bless you for what you have done here.

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Jim Hackworth
5:51 PM on November 24, 2017 by jim@jimhackworth.com
Working on information about the 454th BG and in particular a John Edward Maxey who was a Pearl Harbor survivor as an enlisted man and who went to school and was a bombardier on 54 missions over Southern Europe. Was awarded the DFC for his actions on July 28th 1944 for the raid on Ploesti, Romania. Retired as a major in 1959 and died in 1988.Contact me sometime at your convenience. Thanks, Jim

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Roger Nitkin
4:09 PM on December 6, 2017 by rnitkin@aol.com
My father, 1st Lt. Alexander H. Nitkin, was a member of the group.

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Russ Bartos
5:52 PM on December 12, 2017 by russ.bartos@gmail.com
Son of a 459th BG gunner

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Michael Stephen Davidson
5:15 PM on December 22, 2017 by beartig77@gmail.com
My father was 1st LT Stephen Forbes Davidson. Thank you for this great site. Ever thing you see on the air war in WW II acts like the B-24 did not even exist.

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2018

Michael Peterson
7:02 PM on January 21, 2018 by petersonoffice@gmail.com
My Grandfather, Hage Barnard is top left, first person on this pic https://458bg.com/crewaa90bowers. Very thankful for this website. He passed away January 17th of 2018 at the age of 95.

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William Stynetski
3:21 PM on January 24, 2018 by williamstynetski@gmail.com
Thank you for keeping this website alive. So much history and so many stories. My grandfather was F/O Walter Stynetski of the Hookem Cow. He passed away back in 1988. God bless.

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Matt Szlaga
1:14 PM on January 29, 2018 by matt@szlaga.net
In regards to thus webpage and the Kenyon Crew – Assigned 755th Squadron – June 6, 1944

Hello, I’m writing to ask first “Am I speaking to Scott Nelson?”
Whether or not I just wanted to inform you, if you have not heard already, that one of the men in those pictures is my living grandfather Glenn Schuster, he is 94 and lives in Roseville Michigan, in an assisted living center.

Recently, my mothers side of the family, Tge Schusters” procured the official accident report, and in writing officials France and others, Glenn “Poppi” Schuster (a.k.a. Chuck) was awarded the French Legion of honor award, late last December. He was featured on the Channel 7 Detroit news, and published in the Macomb Daily, the Grosse point news, and some others. I have his full recorded interview about 25 minutes long with the channel 7 reporter (and we still have Glenn!) I found it interesting of all the same photos we have, I’ve never seen the painting. Glenn gives the exact same testimonies to the story about the crash and being surrounded by the F.F.I. asking q’s like “What is the capital of Michigan?” and “Who won the world series last year?”… She then took them to sleep in a barn, and they had bread, cheese, water, and wine. Everything matches. I’m actually constructing my layouts to build a replica exoskeleton/ model of the B24 he flew in. I’ve been metalworking for 10 months and thought I’d make a standing weathervane as a step up project… I’m going to make it out of aluminum. Then put hidden rods to operate machine gunner movement tied to the back of the “engines”, hidden under a cover. Little machine gunners moving back and forth in the hatch… (maybe one holding his Manhattan, heh). A bit ambitious… But if we don’t try, we can’t succeed… What better a tribute I thought after all the clout. Anyways please let me know if you got the updates, and thank you for assembling the web page. I never knew it to exist prior and possibly you’ve been contacted, but will print it out for him and blow it up to show him. I’m sure he’s open to visitors. I can give you a contact.
Sincerely, Matt Szlaga (grandson)