Crew 61 – Assigned 755th Squadron – October 7, 1943

Crew 61 trained at Tonopah, Nevada in the fall/winter of 1943.  They flew the Southern Route to England in January 1944.

Their first mission to Frankfurt on March 2, 1944,was also the group’s first mission. This crew flew five missions to Germany and four to France in March 1944.  Towards the end of March, Maurice Bittler was pulled off of flying duties and replaced with Frank Curtis from Crew 62.  Normally, the co-pilot would have been the one to take command of his crew, but in this case, Jim Olney had already taken over for Crew 75 when their pilot, John Mattson had been removed from flying status after his first mission on March 6, 1944.

Frank Curtis led this crew on 24 missions as first pilot between April 27th and June 15th 1944.  Curtis is believed to have flown at least one more mission on July 2nd with his old crew.  Mel Kenyon and all of the enlisted men were transferred to an Eighth Air Force Replacement Depot in August 1944.  Howard Cassady had orders to proceed to Leuchars, Scotland, base of the “Carpet Baggers”, but these orders were rescinded.

Maurice Bittler was eventually transferred to Ketteringham Hall, HQ of 2nd Air Division for an indefinite period.  Charles Deegan went to the 12th Replacement Depot and Frank Curtis to the 2nd Combat Crew Replacement Center in July 1944.  Jim Olney was transferred to the 482nd Bomb Group in June 1944 where he flew B-17’s in the training of radar navigators.

Missions – Frank Curtis, Pilot

Crew 61 – Pilot Frank Curtis

Escape Photos – Crew 61 Officers

Frank Curtis – Co-pilot

Mel Kenyon – Bombardier

Photos courtesy: Jim Olney

B-24H-30-FO 42-95316  J3 N  Princess Pat

A favorite aircraft of Crew 61 and Frank Curtis

(Photo: Harold Armstrong)