MorrisD | 458th Bombardment Group (H)

Crew Photo Needed

Interned in Sweden April 29, 1944 – MACR 4451

Morris-Dcrew

Rank	Name	Serial #	Pos	Date	Status	Comments
2Lt	Dale R Morris	0635167	Pilot	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden
2Lt	George A Griffin	0812249	Co-pilot	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden
2Lt	William C Lane	0811062	Navigator	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden
2Lt	Louis S Beckett	0752833	Bombardier	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden
S/Sgt	Thomas C Bell, Jr	15334764	Radio Operator	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden
Sgt	Stonewall J Johnson	35499061	Top Turret Gunner	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden
Sgt	Lynn T Lemons	39855467	Ball Turret Gunner	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden
S/Sgt	William E Marr	39192421	Waist Gunner	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden
Sgt	Charles A Frazier	37233872	Waist Gunner	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden
Sgt	Earl C Savage	11038039	Tail Turret Gunner	29-Apr-44	INT	Interned Sweden

Many stories have been told about the one crew “that did not have time to unpack” before they were lost on a mission. 2Lt Dale Morris’ crew could be one of those mentioned in the 458th. This crew was assigned on Sunday, April 23, 1944. The next Saturday night, they were “guests” in Sweden, having been forced to divert to that neutral country during the day’s mission. Not quite the 24-hour turn around that most of the stories are made up of, but this crew’s tenure with the group was surely short lived.

Morris and crew flew their first mission on April 27, 1944 to the marshalling yards in the French town of Blainville. This mission (the second of the day) by all accounts, was a milk run – only a few enemy aircraft seen in the distance, but no attacks made on the 458th formation, and none of the group sustained battle damage. Morris dropped on the primary target with the rest of the group and made a landing back at Horsham St. Faith with no trouble.

On Saturday, April 29th, the 458th was headed to Berlin, the target Friedrichshafen Station. The 458th put 29 Liberators into the air. Of these, six aircraft aborted and the remaining 23, including Morris made it to the target. For reasons unknown, Morris’s crew had arrived at the 458th without a navigator, and filling in on this mission was 2Lt William C. Lane. Lane had been the navigator on Lt Beckley’s Crew #12 before Beckley became ill and the crew disbanded, spread out amongst the 752nd. Also new to the crew on this mission was 1Lt Edwin A. Grant, pilot of Crew 16. He was almost half way through his combat tour, having flown 13 missions with his own crew, who were not flying on this date. He was flying from the co-pilot’s seat, acting as an Instructor Pilot for the new crew. 2Lt George A. Griffin, co-pilot, who did not have to fly since his seat was taken, apparently elected to stick with his crew, as squadron records note that he “flew as an observer on this trip.”

Related by Grant, the trouble started for the crew, “over the city of Berlin, seconds before bombs away….”

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MACR 4451
Morris was seen to be attacked by FW-190s at 1104 hours in vicinity of Celle, Germany. One engine was knocked out and A/C fell out of formation in an easy spin. Four (4) ‘chutes were seen before A/C disappeared into clouds below.

[No one had in fact bailed out, as Ed Grant related in the MACR that, “aircraft landed in Sweden with all crew members aboard.” This was the only ship to be lost on this date by the 458th.]