Crew 62 – Assigned 755th Squadron – October 7, 1943

Crew 62 trained in Tonopah, Nevada during fall/winter 1943.  They flew the Southern Route to England in January 1944.  Around this time, S/Sgt Edward T. Badsky, the crew’s engineer, was transferred to the 90th Bomb Group “Jolly Rogers” 5th Air Force in the Pacific Theater.  The reason for this transfer is unknown.  Records indicate that he was replaced as engineer by Sgt Scott Fogg.

The crew flew the February 25th diversion mission in support of the Eighth Air Force’s “Big Week”.  They aborted this mission with mechanical difficulties. Their first combat mission was also the group’s first combat mission on March 2, 1944.  On this day the group’s target was the marshalling yards in Frankfurt, Germany.

On March 16th, the 458th’s assigned target was the Dornier aircraft factory in Friedrichshafen.  Burtis, flying their B-24, Big-Time Operator caught a load of flak which knocked out two engines on one side of the aircraft.  The engineer managed to shift gasoline to the two good engines in time and they made it back to England, landing at West Malling.  Big-Time Operator would not fly again for more than a month.

At some point towards the end of April, co-pilot Frank Curtis took over Crew 61 from pilot Maurice Bittler who was removed from flying status after flying nine missions.  Curtis is on the records as flying 24 missions between April 27th and June 15th, as first pilot, most likely all with Crew 61.  He is pictured with Burtis’ crew on what is assumed to be their last mission on July 2nd, so it is possible that he came back over to this crew as a co-pilot, or he filled in on this mission.  The man who took his place as co-pilot on Burtis’ crew is not known.

All of the crewmen are shown as being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in July 1944, and going on rest home leave the same month.  The officers went to Roke Manor and the enlisted men to Pangborne House.

Escape Photos

Frank Curtis, George Clark, Wilford Kirton

(Photos: Jim Olney)

B-24H-10-CF 41-29288 L J3  Big-Time Operator

755th Squadron Commander Major Donald Jamison with Big-Time Operator

(Photo: Rick Rokciki)