Friedel crew
MISSION LIST
CREW 102, 391st Squadron (as of July 28, 1944)
Mission #62 August 18, 1944 42-52752 L/E 391BS Friedel unknown name
CREW #
Mission #65 September 19, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #66 September 22, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #67 September 25, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #69 September 27, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel (Major damage – T/Sgt Melvin A. Backens 37462530 (Gunner) Lightly Wounded in Action.
Mission #70 September 28, 1944 44-6465 E/O 391BS Friedel Fancy Nancy
Mission #71 October 2, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #72 October 3, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #76 October 9, 1944 43-38343 L/I Friedel (incorrectly shown as L/T)
Mission #77 October 14, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #79 October 17, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #80 October 19, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #82 October 25, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #83 October 26, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #84 October 28, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #85 October 30, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #86 November 4, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #89 November 9, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #90 November 16, 1944 43-38327 L/R 391BS Friedel
Mission #91 November 21, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #92 November 25, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel Major damage
Mission #94 November 29, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel Aborted – oil in #1 engine
Mission #95 November 30, 1944 43-38378 L/K 391BS Friedel Major damage
Mission #96 December 4, 1944 43-38365 L/S 391BS Friedel
Mission #97 December 5, 1944 43-38423 L/N 391BS Friedel
Mission #98 December 6, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #99 December 11, 1944 43-38380 L/B 391BS Friedel
Mission #100 December 12, 1944 43-38343 L/I 18BS Friedel Leaflets only.
Mission #101 December 15, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #102 December 24, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #103 December 27, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #104 December 28, 1944 43-38382 L/Q 391BS Friedel Queenie
MISSION AND CREW DETAILS
CREW 102, 391st Squadron
With the 487th BG before transferring to the 34th BG.
Special Order 170, Para. 13, Hq USAAF Sta. 156, 24, July 1944
The following officers and enlisted men having reported to this station per Par. 1, Special Order 115, Hq, AAF Sta. 137, 23 July 1944, are hereby assigned as indicated... including to 391st Squadron:
2 Lt Friedel, John N. (1092) (P) O-761919
2 Lt Brown, Jack N. (1092) (CP) O-767480
2 Lt Billman, Charles A. (1034) (N) O-709265
F/O Tevis, Cecil S. (B) T-2535
S/Sgt Backens, Melvin A. (748) (E) 37462530
Sgt Meade, David G. (757) (R) 34770162
Sgt Childers, Louis C. (611) (G) 38564640
Sgt Curtis, Harley E. (611) (G) 37538306
Sgt Brady, Homer L. (748) (G) 18187476
Sgt Cohen, Norman (612) (G) 12193252
CREW #102; 391st Squadron
The Friedel crew arrived in England on June 6, 1944. They were sent to the 487th BG at Lavenham, England and flew four B-24 missions with the 487th BG. They then had a transition flight in a B-17 before being transferred to the 34th BG. Flew just one B-24 mission with the 34th BG before again flying a transition flight in a B-17. They were assigned a new B-17G, 43-38343, which they later named "The Big Gear." (This information and the mission comments below are from an article by John Friedel in MM, June 1998, page 17.)
CREW #102; 391st Squadron (as of July 28, 1944)
Friedel (P)
Brown, J. N. (CP)
Billman (N)
Tevis (B)
Meade (R)
Backens (E)
Childers (NG)
Cohen, N. (TG)
Curtis (BG)
Brady (G)
Mission #62 August 18, 1944 42-52752 L/E 391BS Friedel unknown name
Took off at 0627 hours.
Was to fly position 4-2 in Lead Squadron, but shifted to position 4-1 when Meyer aborted.
Carried 52 100 lb GP bombs. Dropped on the Primary at 0956 hours from 22,000 feet.
Slight damage reported.
Landed 1151 hours.
Friedel (P)
Brown, J. N. (CP)
Billman (N)
Tevis (B)
Meade (R)
Backens (E)
Childers (NG)
Curtis (BG)
Brady (G)
CREW #
Mission #65 September 19, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #66 September 22, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
"We experienced our most sobering feelings when we saw two planes in the squadron just ahead of us go down together. Durette and Whited were the pilots of the planes. It appeared that one of them, in the high element, stalled and fell onto the other in the lower element." John Friedel
Mission #67 September 25, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #69 September 27, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel (Major damage – T/Sgt Melvin A. Backens 37462530 (Gunner) Lightly Wounded in Action.
"During our ninth mission, we suffered the only injury to a crewmember. A chunk of flak came up thru our wing front spar and lodged in the foot of our engineer, Melvin Backens." John Friedel
Mission #70 September 28, 1944 44-6465 E/O 391BS Friedel Fancy Nancy
Mission #71 October 2, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #72 October 3, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #76 October 9, 1944 43-38343 L/I Friedel (incorrectly shown as L/T)
Mission #77 October 14, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #79 October 17, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #80 October 19, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #82 October 25, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #83 October 26, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #84 October 28, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #85 October 30, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #86 November 4, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Took off at 0824 hours.
Landed 1550 hours.
Mission #89 November 9, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #90 November 16, 1944 43-38327 L/R 391BS Friedel
Mission #91 November 21, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #92 November 25, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel Major damage
Mission #94 November 29, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel Aborted – oil in #1 engine
"We aborted one mission, our 26th, when one engine lost all oil pressure while we were still assembling." John Friedel
Mission #95 November 30, 1944 43-38378 L/K 391BS Friedel Major damage
"On our next mission, our brakes were shot out. We landed at Woodbridge, on the coast, and coasted to a stop at the end of a very long runway." John Friedel
Mission #96 December 4, 1944 43-38365 L/S 391BS Friedel
Mission #97 December 5, 1944 43-38423 L/N 391BS Friedel
Mission #98 December 6, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #99 December 11, 1944 43-38380 L/B 391BS Friedel
Mission #100 December 12, 1944 43-38343 L/I 18BS Friedel Leaflets only.
"On our 31st mission, (the 34th's 100th), we carried leaflets instead of bombs. On the bomb run we discovered that our bomb bay doors wouldn't open electrically. We cranked the doors open. It took a long time because the leaflet containers interfered with the turning of the crank. When we finally had the doors open, we were miles beyond the target, over Darmstadt, Germany, but we dropped the leaflets anyway, wondering where they would land." John Friedel
Mission #101 December 15, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #102 December 24, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #103 December 27, 1944 43-38343 L/I 391BS Friedel
Mission #104 December 28, 1944 43-38382 L/Q 391BS Friedel Queenie
"Our most anxious moments were during our 35th and last mission. We were flying the left wing of the low element lead. The plane flying right wing of the low section lead element wandered out of position several times, each time moving over us. We found ourselves looking up into a bomb bay that was about to drop bombs and wondering if we were going to be able to avoid them." John Friedel