On 6th April 1945 - just over 80 years ago - the 384th were in action again, with 42 aircraft assigned to bomb Railway marshalling yards at Leipzig in Germany. With 4 unused ground spares and 1 that scrubbed the mission, 37 B17s took off shortly after 04:16 and made their way towards the target. Group lead was an unnamed PFF equipped B-17 being flown by William Monroe McKay with Commander Charles Bishop and 3 navigators on board (crew pictured)

Solid cloud meant visual identification of the primary target was not possible so the 384th used PFF aiming to bomb a secondary target - also railway marshalling yards in Leipzig.

Soon after take-off an unnamed B17 being flown by Donald Allen Mackellar got into difficulty with a fire onboard. The aircraft was seen from the control tower to be losing height in a turn. The bail out order was given too late for anyone to escape and it crashed at Walgrave killing the entire crew (picture of wreckage attached) - the bombs also detonated one by one. Tail gunner Warren John Bronzetti was on his 35th mission and had turned 20 the day before. He was a replacement tail gunner for the usual tail gunner Charles Stout Brown who had accidentally been wounded by crewmate Edmond Calvin celebrating completing his tour a couple of days earlier - his head wound and concussion that put him in the 303rd field hospital at Lilford and took him out of action for 2 weeks had actually saved his life.

Those killed were pilot Donald Mackellar also on his 35th mission, 20 year old co-pilot Orland Frank McLaughlin flying his very first mission, navigator Leo Cebulski on his 33rd mission, togglier Robert Howard Samuels on his 38th mission, 19 year old radio operator David Leo Fruit also on his first mission, engineer / top turret gunner Harvey Clarence Connell also on his 35th mission and 19 year old ball turret gunner Raymond Courtney also on his 35th mission.

The day started badly for the 384th and continued that way. Shortly after target a B17 being piloted by Fred Price Gray on his 35th mission and “Ruth” being piloted by David Shove Hastings collided. Onboard Ruth only tail gunner Marlyn R Bonacker - on his very first mission - survived. He couldn’t get his flak suit to fasten so wore his parachute and sat on his flak suit instead - which saved his life as when plane exploded the blast blew him out of the aircraft but killed the rest of the crew. He fell, unconscious, for 3 miles before pulling the rip cord. He was taken prisoner of war but escaped, even making it back to Grafton Underwood! He is pictured here signing the wing and his testimony of today’s mission is attached. There is also an oral history interview on the brilliant 384th website.

His crewmates who died were

David Shove Hastings - pilot on his 31st mission.

Dominick Martino - co-pilot on his 2nd mission.

20 year old Navigator Thorston Julius Johnston, Bombardier Raymond Harold Crawford, Thomas Clayburn Weeks, radio operator, Engineer/top turret gunner Stephen Lawrence Gatto and ball turret gunner Frank Dean May - all on their 2nd mission.

Onboard Fred Price Gray’s ship navigator David Eugene Merriam, co-pilot Walter David Strang and tail gunner Joe Walter Bull were taken prisoner. A German woman risked her life to save Strang’s life by arguing with an angry armed mob. The rest of the crew died, either in the wreckage or after free falling without parachutes. Pilot Fred Price Gray on his 35th mission who had just been congratulated by several crew members for completing his tour. Togglier Leonard Irving Poulsen on his 34th mission and who would soon have turned 21, radio operator Michael Kustra, engineer/top turret gunner John Randolph McCullough and ball turret gunner Joseph Donini.

Flying their final missions today were pilot William Smiseck flying the unnamed but pictured B17, commander Henry Warner, pilot of “Little Cinder” John Whitesides and his togglier Leonard Brief, pilot of “Stardust” Joseph Zakas and Ball turret gunner Raymond Cardell.

With kind thanks to the 384th Bomb Group website (384thbombgroup.com) for permission in using material from their records in the making of this story. It holds a wealth of information, documents and photographs of the Group’s activities during World War 2.

Research courtesy of Helen Childs on behalf of 384^th Bombardment Group Museum.