Lockridge Crew – Assigned 754th Squadron – May 1944

Standing: John Gorman – B, Charles Lockridge – P, William Swartz – CP

Sitting: William Cook – E, Carlos Flores – G, Leon Ottney – AG, Raymond Stamm – G, Ted Zubik – RO, Anthony Lombardozzi – TG

(Photo: Chuck Lockridge III)

Completed Tour

RankNameSerial #Crew PositionDateStatusComments
CaptCharles L Lockridge0803401PilotMar-45CTAwards - Distinguished Flying Cross
1LtWilliam W Swartz0701972Co-pilotOct-44CTAwards - Distinguished Flying Cross
1LtAdolph B Clachko0712137NavigatorOct-44CTAwards - Distinguished Flying Cross
1LtJohn H Gorman0698006BombardierOct-44CTAwards - Distinguished Flying Cross
T/SgtThaddeus A Zubik13130891Radio Operator01-Mar-45CTTD to 32nd Ferry Sqdn (aircraft)
T/SgtWilliam F Cook34645258Flight EngineerMar-45CTTrsf to 70RD for return to ZI
S/SgtLeonard C Ottney32732762Armorer-GunnerMar-45CTTrsf to 70RD for return to ZI
S/SgtCarlos R Flores38417096Aerial Gunner, 2/EMar-45CTTrsf to 70RD for return to ZI
S/SgtAnthony J Lombardozzi31301121Aerial Gunner, 2/EMar-45CTTrsf to 70RD for return to ZI
S/SgtRaymond A Stamm17160287Aerial Gunner, 2/EMar-45CTTrsf to 70RD for return to ZI

The Lockridge crew was assigned to the 754th Squadron in May 1944.  The crew flew their first mission on June 5, 1944 and the next two on D-Day.  By mid-July 1944, the crew was regularly flying in the group and squadron lead positions.  In late July, Swartz was given his own crew of which navigator Adolph Clatchko, and bombardier John Gorman were a part.  Several other crewmen in the 754th whose crews had either completed a tour or had been lost made up the rest of this crew.  Swartz, Clatchko and Gorman completed their respective tours of missions in October 1944.

Also in October the 755th Squadron became the designated lead squadron in the 458th and on the 23rd of that month all lead crews from the 752nd, 753rd, and 754th squadrons were transferred to the 755th.  All of the wing crews in the 755th were transferred to the other three squadrons.  What remained of the Lockridge crew went to the 755th on this date.  2Lt Gaston R. Feller is on the October 23rd set of orders transferring Lockridge and crew to the 755th.  Feller was assigned as part of the crew of 2Lt George T. Dwyre (754th Squadron) on July 20, 1944 as that crew’s bombardier.  Two additional navigators were added to the crew and the co-pilot’s seat would be occupied by a command pilot on each mission.

Being a lead crew had its advantages and disadvantages.  It meant that one did not fly combat as often (as is evidenced by the mission list below), but there were many more training flights.  Since their missions were spread out, it meant an extended stay in England in order to complete a 30 mission tour.  Wing crews were, by this date, having to complete 35 missions in order to go home.  The hard training paid off and the Lockridge crew was awarded two “Lead Crew Commendation” certificates for meritorious achievement on a combat mission.

The crew completed their tour of mission on February 24, 1945.  This last mission was a tough one for the crew.  They were leading the entire 2nd Air Division in a strike on Bielefeld, Germany.  Leon Ottney relates in his flight log, “PFF, visual assist, lost #4 engine at bombs away, #2 & #3 losing oil.  Really sweated it out.”  Even with these difficulties the crew received their second “Lead Crew Commendation” certificate for this mission.

Combat Crew Training – Casper, Wyoming

Standing: William Cook – E, Ray Stamm – G, Leon Ottney – AG, Ted Zubik – RO, Carlos Flores – G, Anthony Lombardozzi – TG

Kneeling: William Swartz – CP, Charles Lockridge – P, John Gorman – B

(Photo: Dave Ottney)

Missions – Charles Lockridge as Pilot

January 17, 1945  Harburg, Germany

Lead Crew 1945

Standing: William Cook, Ted Zubik, Charles Lockridge, Leon Ottney, Unknown
Kneeling: Anothony Lombardozzi, Carlos Flores, Ray Stamm

(Photo: Mike Bailey)

February 24, 1945 – Bielefeld, Germany

S/Sgt Leonard C. Ottney – Mission List

Mission#datedurationtargetplane #positionloadcomments
106/05/444:00Le Touriquet116RW12x500missed target, pin broke in salvo bar, salvoed from pilot's compart, bombs in channel
206/06/446:30Troary-D-Day116RW12x500solid undercast, unable to see target or landing
306/06/446:20Villersbocage116NT12x500tired as hell, 2 mission in one day, ears bother me
406/08/446:30Dontaubault-rr bridge116NT6x1000overcast to 24K, farily clear over target,guns froze up
506/10/445:00Chateaudun airfield116NT24x250saw 1st flak, didin't bother me as I expected, bursts of 4-5, reostat for suit out, not too cold
606/11/444:20airfield n of Paris116NT24x250saw target for 1st time, all bombs hit airstrip, no flak
706/12/446:30Airfield W of Paris116NT40x100 frag good visibility, hit target dead center, lots of flak
NC06/20/444:00pilotless plane launch362NT (consolidated4x2000NT no damned good, could not see target, salvoed bombs into N Sea-hydraulic leak, NO Credit
807/02/444:00pp strip s of Stonier70RW (chaff)40x250heavy overcast, bombed by GHG, saw flak & rockets not accurate
907/13/447:00Saarbruken rr yard578RW3x2000took shots at balloon, nearly hit another ship
1002/18/444:30Caen / Troarn578RW48x100most accurate flak yet, hole in RW plexiglass, bombed at 14K
NC07/19/444:00Munich768RW8x500 incendAborted-vacuum instruments out couldn't fly lead
1108/02/445:30768NT24x250little flak, not accurate, scared as hell
1208/05/447:00Brunswick 163 ass plant762NT12x500plenty of flak over target, nerves ok, saw B24 go down no chutes
1308/12/446:45Mourelon airfield768NT12x500clear, no flak until we left coast
1408/15/445:00Vechta airfield768NT4x1000,4x500saw 6 B24 & 1 fighter go down in Zider Sea, 12-15 ME109's encountered
1508/27/445:15airfield NE of Berlin516NT16x300got as far as Denamark, recalled, nav did poor job missed ETA by 40 min
1609/11/447:00Magdeburg syn oil plant768NT50x100plenty of flak at Osnabruck & target, saw 1 crew bail out, missed target, 1 ME109
NC09/23/444:30gas run St Dizierno souveniers Germans took everything
NC09/28/447:00gas run Lillehell of a time, stayed 2 nights went to town once
1710/07/447:00Magdeburg syn oil plant608RW (chaff)6x1000hydraulics shot out, 8 flak holes, ears bothering me
1810/15/445:30Monheim syn oil plant608NT24x250didn't drop on target, dropped on & missed samll town on Rhine
1910/17/446:15Cologne chem plant608NT6x500,6x500 incindnot much flak, not accurate, -39*
2010/19/446:00Mainz rr yard608NT12x250,6 inc clustersPFF, good pattern, -43* at 25K
2110/30/446:00Harburg syn oil578NT24x250lost contact with PFF, flew through clouds bombed by guess, -43*@25K
2211/25/446:20Bengen rr yard939NT6x500, 2xSBcold turret, frosted up, saw fire in flak bursts on way out
2312/10/445:45Bengen rr yard684TT10x100,2xSBswell mission, only 8 bursts of flak, -41*@21K
2412/27/445:50Neunkirchen684NT6x250,2xSBhit target from 22K visual, 5 flak holes-one came through nose by bomb site and broke my oxygen line, -30*
2512/30/446:00Neuwied684NT4x500,2xSBGH 21K,little flak, swell misson, -31*
2601/07/457:00Rastatt rr yard936TT4x1000,2xSBGH 21K,little flak, light frost on dome, -30*
2701/17/456:30Harburg syn oil plant557NT5x500,2xSBVisual at 22.5K good results, plenty of flak at target, tracking flak at coast going home, fire in bursts, could not keep warm -37*
2802/03/457:00Magdeburg syn oil plant669TT6x500,2xSBPFF couldn't find target, bombed Wesermund, -37*@22K
NC02/11/451:50Wesel628RW4x1000,2xSBaborted-#3 lost oil pressure feathered prop, dropped bombs in sea
2902/21/457:55Nuremburg936TT6x500,2xSBPFF,no flak at target, good mission, coould not keep warm, -34*@22K
3002/24/455:55Bielefeld rr yard936TT6x500,2xSBPFF, visual assist, lost #4 engine at bombs away, #2 & #3 losing oil really sweated it out

Missions – William Swartz as Pilot

Crash landing at Watton

DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT
At 1836 hours 30 September 1944 B-24H 41-29452, piloted by Lieutenant SWARTZ of AAF Station 123 crash landed at AAF Station 376. The right landing gear was broken at support elbow, possibly caused from the extremely rough perimeter tracks and R/W at Lille, France, from whence it had just returned from a trucking mission. Upon impact on R/W 29, AAF Station 376 the right main gear collapsed causing damage to under fuselage and No.4 prop.

The Pilot and Co-pilot were unhurt. The other four (4) crew members had successfully bailed out prior to landing.

It is the opinion of the pilot that the damage to the strut must have been caused during take-off at Lille, France as gear sounded as if it were binding and the gear was inspected and found normal before takeoff.

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Accident Report 45-09-30-512

On September 30, 1944 we took off from this station in B-24 aircraft H series #452-S and flew to Station 146, Vendeville airport just outside Lille, France.  We landed there and made an inspection of the landing gear as requested by the ground crew chief and found everything in good working order.  At takeoff we discovered that the safety solenoid on the gear handle was inoperative, making it necessary to trip the solenoid manually.

While taxiing to takeoff from Vendeville it was noted that the gear sounded as though it were binding and that the oleo action was slow.  On arrival at this station the gear was put down in a normal manner and the engineer went back to the waist to check the gear down and locked.  He discovered that the drag strut on the right main gear had broken off at the elbow.  Probable cause of this breakage was taxiing over rough terrain at Vendeville airport and takeoff from a rough runway.

The commanding officer of this station ordered the crew to bail out at Watton, Station 376.  Pilot and Co-pilot then effected a successful landing, the right landing gear collapsing as expected.