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Tracey Crew 715 Summary
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For reasons unknown, Lt Gaines (the pilot for Crew 715) and Lt Tracey (the co-pilot for Bridges Crew 702) switched jobs. So, the Gaines Crew 715 became the Tracey Crew 715. There were other personnel changes in the roster, but we are still researching as to what exactly what took place.
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One confirmed change was Webb for Eagan. Webb, originally with the Heber Crew 705, was wounded in action on 18 Jun 44. While recovering from his leg wounds, Eagan filled in for him on the 20 June mission to Politz and the Heber Crew ended up interned in Sweden. When Crew 715 was reorganized under Tracey, the healthy Webb took Eagan's old spot.
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Webb was certainly a good man for any crew to have. Before the war he was a skilled aviator flying for a commercial airline. The Army brought him in to fly but was later busted for displaying one acrobatic stunt too many during his cadet training. During his combat tour, Webb often spelled his pilots whenever they needed to take a break.
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An interesting note on Webb is that he was also a certified aircraft mechanic and technician. After the war, he returned to flying commercial airplanes, became a commericial pilot instructor and later accepted an important position with the FAA. When he retired in 1987, he had over 17,000 hours piloting.
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Gaines had already taken this crew on 14 missions, plus 3 aborted ones. Tracey led the crew on 3 more for a total of 16 credited missions flown. Therefore, the mission record below begins with the Crew's 14th mission. The earlier ones can be seen on the Gaines Crew 715 page (see link on the right).
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The Crew's final mission was on 11 Jul 44 when they were flying in the TEQUILA DAISY to a target in Munich. After the ship took some heavy flak damage, Tracey determined that they couldn't make it back to England. However, they were able to limp their way over to Dubendorf, Switzerland where they were interned. MACR 6934.
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While interned in Switzerland, Webb proved invaluable again because he spoke fluent German. He was made Sergeant of Arms at the Regina Hotel where they stayed and bridged the communication gap between the Americans and the Swiss locals.
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It was in Switzerland where Frank Webb met his future bride. Patricia, an American who spoke several languages, worked for the New York Times as a translator at their regional office in Bern. They dated in Switzerland and were married the following year in Iowa.
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More Info |
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Original Roster for
Tracey Crew 715
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| Position |
Name |
Rank |
Serial # |
Notes |
Pilot
MOS 1024 |
Tracey, John C Jr |
2nd Lt |
O-692977 |
Promoted to 1st Lt
Obtained from Bridges Crew 702
Interned in Switzerland, 11 Jul 44, MACR 6934 |
Co-Pilot
MOS 1022 |
Leggett, Thomas A |
2nd Lt |
O-702208 |
Interned in Switzerland, 11 Jul 44, MACR 6934 |
Navigator
MOS 1034 |
Wutkiewicz, Walter E |
2nd Lt |
O-703841 |
Interned in Switzerland, 11 Jul 44, MACR 6934 |
Bombardier
MOS 1035 |
Heist, Charles M |
2nd Lt |
O-698886 |
Promoted to 1st Lt
Orphaned, reassigned to Orthman Crew 701
Transferred to 44th BG, 67th BS, on 10 Aug 44 |
Engineer
MOS 748 |
Hatley, Clyde S |
S/Sgt |
34590966 |
Promoted T/Sgt
Interned in Switzerland, 11 Jul 44, MACR 6934 |
Radio
Operator
MOS 757 |
MacIntyre, Archie A |
S/Sgt |
16151743 |
Promoted T/Sgt
Interned in Switzerland, 11 Jul 44, MACR 6934 |
Gunner
MOS 612 |
Freeman, Joyce K |
Sgt |
13117587 |
Promoted S/Sgt
Interned in Switzerland, 11 Jul 44, MACR 6934 |
Gunner
MOS 748 |
Eagan, Charles G |
Sgt |
19090968 |
Promoted S/Sgt
Reassigned to Heber Crew 705
Interned in Sweden, 20 Jun 44, MACR 7072 |
Gunner
MOS 748 |
Atchison, Robert G |
Sgt |
32713096 |
Promoted S/Sgt
Interned in Switzerland, 11 Jul 44, MACR 6934 |
Gunner
MOS 748 |
Thurston, Hulon |
Sgt |
15335338 |
Promoted S/Sgt
Reassigned to Kuecker Crew R-07 |
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Others Who Flew with Tracey Crew 715
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| Gunner |
McKeever, Jack F |
Sgt |
33432211 |
Obtainment unknown
Assigned to Tracey Crew 715
Promoted S/Sgt
Interned in Switzerland, 11 Jul 44, MACR 6934 |
Gunner
MOS 611 |
Webb, Frank W |
S/Sgt |
17055225 |
Obtained from Heber Crew 705
11 Jul 44, Interned in Switzerland,
MACR 6934
POW file has ASN as 17055224 |
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Tracey Crew 715
492nd BG Mission Record
857th Bomb Squadron
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Crew
Mission
Number |
Group
Mission
Number |
Group
Mission
Date |
Aircraft
Serial
Number |
Primary Target |
Mission Notes |
| 14 |
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6 Jul 44 |
44-40173 |
Kiel, Germany |
Target: Shipyard |
| 15 |
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7 Jul 44 |
44-40168 |
Bernburg, Germany |
Target: Aircraft manufacturing |
| 16 |
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11 Jul 44 |
44-40168 |
Munich, Germany |
Target: Railroad station
Lost: 9 interned in Switzerland, MACR 6934 |
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