DeCow Crew – Assigned 753rd Squadron – April 20, 1945
Crew Photo Needed
Flying at the End of Hostilites
| Rank | Name | Serial # | Crew Pos / Job Title | Date | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lt | Wayne E DeCow | 070967 | Pilot | 20-Apr-45 | FEH | Assigned from 453rd BG |
| 1Lt | Austin W Frost | 0714056 | Co-pilot | 20-Apr-45 | FEH | Assigned from 453rd BG |
| 2Lt | Russell G Hibbard | 02056592 | Navigator | 20-Apr-45 | FEH | Assigned from 453rd BG |
| T/Sgt | Russell E Miller | 31378411 | Flight Engineer | 20-Apr-45 | FEH | Assigned from 453rd BG |
| T/Sgt | Frank E Chessman | 39298528 | Radio Operator | 20-Apr-45 | FEH | Assigned from 453rd BG |
| S/Sgt | Rufus H Haerle | 17037610 | Flight Engineer | 20-Apr-45 | FEH | Assigned from 453rd BG |
| S/Sgt | James A Mahan | 39120139 | Armorer-Gunner | 20-Apr-45 | FEH | Assigned from 453rd BG |
| S/Sgt | Sigvald P Hustad | 37565903 | Armorer-Gunner | 20-Apr-45 | FEH | Assigned from 453rd BG |
| Sgt | John G Hansen, Jr | 37665537 | Armorer-Gunner | 20-Apr-45 | FEH | Assigned from 453rd BG |
Assigned to the 753rd Squadron at the end of the air war in Europe, there is very little information on the DeCow crew in the 458th records. Having arrived in the ETO only five days prior to the Eighth Air Force’s cessation of bombing operations, they were able to fly the last mission of the war on April 25th. Given their pay grades, and the fact that they flew combat so shortly after their arrival, they may have been an experienced crew having flown missions with the 453BG.
It is very possible that this crew was assigned to ferry a Liberator back to the United States. See Ferry Crews.
Mission
| Date | Target | 458th Msn | Pilot Msn | Serial | RCL | Sqdn | A/C Msn | A/C Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25-Apr-45 | BAD REICHENHALL | 230 | 1 | 44-10602 | E | J4 | 49 | TEN GUN DOTTIE | LAST 8AF MISSION |
B-24J-65-CF 44-10602 J3 A Ten Gun Dottie
DeCow flew this aircraft on the crew’s sole mission with the group