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Back row, left to right...
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Winston Strehorn, co-pilot
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Buel Robinson, navigator
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William Caplinger, bombardier
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Herschel Smith, pilot
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Edwin Rogers, gunner
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Front row, left to right...
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Oscar Cox, left waist gunner
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John Brown, radio operator
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Leonard Warren, gunner
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Alfred Darbyshire, right waist gunner
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Joseph Jackson, engineer
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Smith Crew 906 Summary
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1st Lt Herschel Smith began his service with the 492nd when it was still the 12th AS (Anti-Submarine Squadron) at Langley Field, Virginia. Under Col Pierce he sent to Orlando for tactical training. Since he was one of the more experienced pilots in the Group, a new crew was built around him. His new co-pilot, Lt Strehorn had been demoted from pilot as his crew was disassembled. Smith picked up three men from the Loose Crew, another dismantled crew. See the Training Links. Smith's navigator and bombardier were also experienced men inherited from the 12th AS. The new Smith Crew was assigned to the 859th BS, designated as Crew 906.
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Bill Caplinger, the bombardier, was one of the many baseball players that had given up their careers to serve the war effort. He had just been called up to pitch for the St Louis Cardinals, when America entered the war.
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Lt Smith signed out for B-24J, 44-40211. Since the wives of four of the crewmen were expecting a baby in September, they named their ship, SEPTEMBER POPS. In April of '44 they flew their assigned ship to England via the southern route. Capt Spivack, the Squadron's Flight Surgeon accompanied them, thus bumping Pfc Darbyshire onto the Queen Elizabeth.
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By our count the promoted Capt Smith served as aircraft commander for Crew 906 on 18 missions. We haven't confirmed who was on each of the missions as substitutions are possible as well as the bombardier missing some of the Pathfinder-led missions. We do know that on the day they were captured they were flying with two navigators.
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The Smith Crew 906 had survived two deadly air battles with the Luftwaffe. But their luck ran out on 12 Jul 44, on the mission to Munich. Their ship was shot up by flak. One flak shell entered through the ship's ball turret. It instantly killed Sgt Rogers and started an oxygen fire on board. Luckily the flak shell never exploded. Except for the tail turret all of the gun turrets became useless.
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Capt Smith tried to make a run for Switzerland. Without any maps that showed where Switzerland was they tried to find it by memory. They flew above the clouds until they saw the Alps poking through it. After crossing the mountains they continued on until they found a break in the clouds that allowed them to safely drop down without hitting a mountain. What they were hoping to be the Swiss Alps ended up being the Italian Alps. The Luftwaffe scrambled to the crippled ship and forced it to land at Ghedi Airfield, Italy. 1 KIA, 10 POW, MACR 7563.
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The Germans now had a repairable B-24. Aside from studying the technolgy found on captured ships, the Germans also used them for reconnaissance missions. They used them to tag along with Allied formations in order to accurately report their altitude to the anti-aircraft batteries below.
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Two days later on 14 Jul 44, the 15th Air Force dispatched P-38s from their 82nd Fighter Group and destroyed Smith's ship on the ground at Ghedi.
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Original Roster for
Smith Crew 906
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| Position |
Name |
Rank |
Serial # |
Notes |
Pilot
MOS 1024 |
Smith, Herschel L |
1st Lt |
O-660298 |
Obtained from 12th AS
Promoted Capt
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563 |
Co-Pilot
MOS 1024 |
Strehorn, Winston J
"Bill" |
2nd Lt |
O-811154 |
Obtained from Strehorn CCTS crew 1109
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563, Stalag Luft I |
Navigator
MOS 1034 |
Robinson, Buel C |
2nd Lt |
O-711478 |
Obtained from 12th AS
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563 |
Bombardier
MOS 1035 |
Caplinger, William Jr
"Bill" |
2nd Lt |
O-668703 |
Obtained from 12th AS
Promoted 1st Lt
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563, Stalag Luft I |
Engineer
MOS 748 |
Jackson, Joseph L |
T/Sgt |
20349483 |
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563 |
Radio
Operator
MOS 757 |
Brown, John D |
T/Sgt |
20349431 |
Obtained from Loose CCTS crew 1099
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563 |
R Waist
Gunner
MOS 611 |
Darbyshire, Alfred R |
Pfc |
37704427 |
Arrived to the UK via the Queen Elizabeth
Promoted Sgt
15 Jun; promoted S/Sgt
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563, Stalag Luft IV |
L Waist
Gunner
MOS 748 |
Cox, Oscar S |
Sgt |
38424797 |
Obtained from Loose CCTS crew 1099
1 Jun; promoted S/Sgt
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563, Stalag Luft IV |
Gunner
MOS 748 |
Rogers, Edwin F |
Sgt |
16074978 |
Obtained from Loose CCTS crew 1099
1 Jun; promoted S/Sgt
KIA, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563 |
Gunner
MOS 612 |
Warren, Leonard P |
S/Sgt |
11027668 |
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563, Stalag Luft IV |
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Others Who Flew with Smith Crew 906
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AME
MOS 3162 |
Spivack, Seymour E |
Capt |
O-381210 |
859th Squadron Flight Surgeon
Flew to England with the crew |
Lead
Navigator
MOS 1034 |
Sturla, Harry L Jr |
2nd Lt |
O-692351 |
From Newman Crew 913
POW, 12 Jul 44, MACR 7563, Stalag Luft IV |
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Smith Crew 906
492nd BG Mission Record
859th Bomb Squadron
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Crew
Mission
Number |
Group
Mission
Number |
Group
Mission
Date |
Aircraft
Serial
Number |
Primary Target |
Mission Notes |
| 01 |
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11 May 44 |
44-40211 |
Mulhouse, France |
Target: Marshalling yard |
| 02 |
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12 May 44 |
42-110091 |
Zeitz, Germany |
Target: Oil refinery |
| 03 |
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19 May 44 |
44-40211 |
Brunswick, Germany |
Target: Marshalling yard |
| 04 |
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25 May 44 |
44-40153 |
Belfort, France |
Target: Marshalling yard |
| 05 |
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27 May 44 |
44-40211 |
Saarbrucken, Germany |
Target: Marshalling yard |
| 06 |
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28 May 44 |
44-40211 |
Zeitz, Germany |
Target: Oil refinery
Bombed with A Section |
| 07 |
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30 May 44 |
44-40211 |
Rotenburg, Germany |
Target: Air depot |
| 08 |
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2 Jun 44 |
44-40211 |
Berck-sur-Mer, France |
Target: Airfield |
| 09 |
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4 Jun 44 |
44-40211 |
Avord, France |
Target: Airfield |
| 10 |
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6 Jun 44 |
44-40211 |
Normandy, France |
Target: D-Day invasion coast |
| 11 |
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8 Jun 44 |
44-40211 |
Angers, France |
Target: Railroad junction |
| 12 |
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14 Jun 44 |
44-40211 |
Emmerich, Germany |
Target: Oil refinery |
| 13 |
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15 Jun 44 |
44-40156 |
La Frilliere, France |
Target: Railroad bridge
Led B Section
Bombed target in Le Mans |
| 14 |
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17 Jun 44 |
44-40068 |
Tours, France |
Target: Airfield |
| 15 |
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20 Jun 44 |
44-40211 |
Politz, Germany |
Target: Oil refinery
Bombed with another group |
| 16 |
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25 Jun 44 |
44-40132 |
La Vaupeliere, France |
Target: Tactical |
| 17 |
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28 Jun 44 |
44-40211 |
Saarbrucken, Germany |
Target: Marshalling yard
Lead Ship
Damaged by flak |
| 18 |
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12 Jul 44 |
44-40130 |
Munich, Germany |
Target: Railroad station
Led B Section
Lost, 1 KIA, 10 POW, MACR 7563 |
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