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Back row, left to right...
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Carl Roads, pilot
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Bernerd Harding, pilot, Crew 902
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Lester Knight, navigator
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Robert Taylor, bombardier
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Not in the photo...
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John Higgins, co-pilot
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George Devine, waist gunner
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Front row, left to right...
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Jack Brown, tail gunner
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Sidney Leith, engineer
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Cpl Morton David, top turret gunner
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Howard Kuhn, radio operator
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Gerald Polzin, togglier, nose gunner
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Roads Crew 915 Summary
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2nd Lt Carl "Dusty" Roads began his service with the 492nd during the Col Pierce command in 1943. We assume that he already had a crew when he came into the Group and had a couple of personnel changes during training at Alamogordo. Two of his men came from the Loose Crew and another from the Earleywine crew. See the Training links. His crew was assigned to the 859th BS, designated as Crew 915.
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Lt Roads signed out for a B-24, 44-40153. To our knowledge, they didn't give thier plane a nickname. In April of '44 they flew their assigned ship to England via the southern route. Lt Green, the Squadron Assistant Operations Officer, went with them as acting co-pilot. The Crew's co-pilot, F/O Higgins, went on the Queen Elizabeth to supervise the personnel of the 859th. Lt Alexander, the Squadron Bombardier Officer, also tagged along. Neither roster for the flyover or the Queen Elizabeth list Sgt Devine. We don't know how he got to England. The assumption would be that he took the boat.
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By our count Lt Roads served as aircraft commander for Crew 915 on 13 missions. Other records say 11, but we aren't finished researching yet. 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. At some point Lieth was replaced by Becker.
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The Roads Crew was shot down three times. The first time was on 13 May 44. They weren't actually shot down, but damaged such that they couldn't land. They had to crashland their plane when they returned. The second time (date being researched) they took a hit in their left wing fuel tank and had to make an emergency landing at a British fighter base near Dover. They had to leave their craft there as the runway was too short to take off.
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The third time was fatal. On 18 Jun 44, they were hit by Me-109s while attacking an airfield near Luneburg. The Germans added insult to injury by hitting them again by flak as they were limping back to England. They got within 12 miles of the English coast when they were forced to bail out. Their ship exploded when it hit the water. The British Air-Sea Rescue responded quickly, but could only save two men and recover the body of a third. 8 KIA, 2 RTD, MACR 8235.
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More Info |
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Original Roster for
Roads Crew 915
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| Position |
Name |
Rank |
Serial # |
Notes |
Pilot
MOS 1024 |
Roads, Carl B Jr
"Dusty" |
2nd Lt |
O-675120 |
29 May, promoted 1st Lt
KIA, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235
Cambridge, Wall of the Missing |
Co-Pilot
MOS 1024 |
Higgins, John M |
F/O |
T-061853 |
Arrived to the UK via the Queen Elizabeth
KIA, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235
Cambridge, Wall of the Missing |
Navigator
MOS 1034 |
Knight, Lester W |
2nd Lt |
O-711424 |
KIA, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235
Cambridge, Wall of the Missing |
Bombardier
MOS 1035 |
Taylor, Robert E |
2nd Lt |
O-606528 |
Obtained from Loose CCTS crew 1099
KIA, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235
Cambridge, Wall of the Missing |
Engineer
MOS 748 |
Leith, Sidney
"Scotty" |
S/Sgt |
20113708 |
Obtained from Earleywine CCTS crew 1100
Replaced by Becker |
Radio
Operator
MOS 757 |
Kuhn, Howard C |
Sgt |
35412101 |
15 May, promoted S/Sgt
1 Jun, promoted T/Sgt
KIA, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235
Cambridge, Wall of the Missing |
Waist
Gunner
MOS 612 |
David, Morton E
"Morty" |
Pfc |
15391989 |
1 Jun, promoted Cpl
15 Jun, promoted Sgt
RTD, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235
1 Jul, promoted S/Sgt |
Waist
Gunner
MOS |
Devine George H |
Sgt |
32752185 |
1 Jun, promoted S/Sgt
KIA, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235
Cambridge, Wall of the Missing |
Nose
Gunner
MOS 612 |
Polzin, Gerald A |
Sgt |
39204835 |
1 Jun, promoted S/Sgt
RTD, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235 |
Tail
Gunner
MOS 611 |
Brown, Jack R
"Clyde" |
S/Sgt |
14054449 |
Obtained from Loose CCTS crew 1099
Promoted T/Sgt
KIA, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235
Cambridge, Wall of the Missing |
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Others Who Flew with Roads Crew 915
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Staff Officer
MOS 2161 |
Green, Frank R |
1st Lt |
O-6959373 |
Squadron Assistant Operations Officer
Flew to England as co-pilot with the crew
Transferred to the 467th BG |
Staff Officer
MOS 2161 |
Alexander, Edwin J |
2nd Lt |
O-6686692 |
Squadron Bombardier Officer
Flew to England with the crew
Promoted 1st Lt
Promoted Capt |
Engineer
MOS |
Becker, George
"Red" |
S/Sgt |
12190346 |
1 Jun, promoted T/Sgt
Replaced Leith
KIA, 18 Jun 44, MACR 8235 |
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Roads Crew 915
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 |
44-40068 |
Mulhouse, France |
Target: Marshalling yard |
| 02 |
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13 May 44 |
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Tutow, Germany |
Target: Airfield |
| 03 |
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19 May 44 |
44-40153 |
Brunswick, Germany |
Target: Marshalling yard |
| 04 |
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23 May 44 |
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Avord, France |
Target: Airfield |
| 05 |
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28 May 44 |
44-40153 |
Zeitz, Germany |
Target: Oil refinery
Bombed Saalfeld |
| 06 |
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30 May 44 |
44-40156 |
Rotenburg, Germany |
Target: Air depot |
| 07 |
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2 Jun 44 |
44-40153 |
Berck-sur-Mer, France |
Target: Airfield |
| 08 |
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6 Jun 44 |
44-40153 |
Normandy, France |
Target: D-Day invasion coast |
| 09 |
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8 Jun 44 |
44-40153 |
Angers, France |
Target: Railroad junction |
| 10 |
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10 Jun 44 |
41-29489 |
Boulogne, France |
Target: Airfield |
| 11 |
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11 Jun 44 |
44-40153 |
La Possonniere, France |
Target: Marshalling yard |
| 12 |
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14 Jun 44 |
44-40153 |
Emmerich, Germany |
Target: Oil refinery |
| 13 |
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18 Jun 44 |
44-40053 |
Luneburg, Germany |
Target: Airfield
Lost: 8 KIA, 2 POW, MACR 8235 |
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