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Orchestration of a Bomb Run
384th Bomb Group dropping bombs
Photo from the Ken Decker collection, November 2019
Courtesy of the 384th Bomb Group photo gallery
The bombardment missions of the 8th Army Air Forces in World War II were well planned with targets selected and the route determined in advance, and weather conditions checked at the air bases in England, along the route, and the area of the target. Probable flak zones were identified, too.
The bombs were loaded, the planes were readied – repaired and fueled – by the ground crews. The air crews were awakened, fed, briefed, and dressed in flight gear, armed with maps, ammunition, oxygen, and a prayer from the Group’s clergymen.
Pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and gunners manned their positions and prepared for their day’s work. Regardless of their position or job on the crew, the goal of each man was the same, to drop their B-17’s bombs on the day’s chosen target.
The navigator’s job was to plot the course both to the target and back to base. The gunners’ jobs were to protect the plane from enemy aircraft so that it would make it to the target. The bombardier’s job was to release the bombs at exactly the right moment for them to strike the target as accurately as possible.
The bombardier worked closely with the pilot to insure an accurate bomb drop, making their positions much more involved in the accuracy of the bomb release than the remainder of the crew, but all of the crew members had roles to play in getting those bombs to their destination.
The bombing mission could take many hours, depending how deep into Germany the formation would travel to arrive at the target, and as many hours for the return trip home. But the most critical period of the mission was that of the bomb run, which began at the Initial Point and concluded with Bombs Away, and was generally measured in minutes, a fraction of the length of the mission.
The steps taken between the B-17 pilot and bombardier depended upon several factors, including whether they were manning a lead aircraft. The lead aircraft carried the lead bombardiers and these officers determined the exact time and location of the bomb release. Other bombardiers of the formation who were following the lead dropped their bombs with the lead rather than calculating their own time and place to drop their bombs.
The 303rd Bomb Group’s website explains in great detail the factors that had to be controlled for the bomb run to be successful and the bomb release to be accurate. I will only summarize here and the 303rd’s information can be reviewed for the detail.
To assist the Bombardier in doing his job successfully, the Pilot had to,
- Place the aircraft in the proper position to arrive at a point on a circle about the target from which the bombs could be released to hit the target.
- Control the altitude of the aircraft, which partially determined the time of the bomb fall from time of release to the moment of impact.
- Control the true airspeed, the measure of the speed of the aircraft through the air.
- Control the groundspeed, the speed of the airplane in relation to the earth’s surface, while maintaining the correct altitude and constant airspeed.
The Bombardier, in determining the time and place of the bomb drop, controlled,
- Bomb ballistics, by consulting bomb ballistics tables to account for type of bomb.
- Trail, the horizontal distance the bomb was behind the airplane at the instant of impact, obtained from bombing tables and set in the bomb sight. However, trail was affected by the altitude and airspeed, which were controlled by the pilot, and by bomb ballistics and air density.
- Drift, which was determined by the direction and velocity of the wind, and was set on the bombsight by the bombardier.
Prior to the bomb run, and even before takeoff, the pilot worked to set up the correct conditions to determine the proper point of bomb release.
- Prior to takeoff, the pilot checked the aircraft’s flight instruments – the altimeter, airspeed indicator, free air temperature gauge, and all gyro instruments – for accuracy.
- The pilot checked the C-1 automatic pilot for proper function.
- The pilot checked the PDI (Pilot Direction or Directional Indicator), which was an instrument the bombardier used to indicate heading changes to the pilot in order to direct him to the proper location for the bomb drop.
- If the bomb run was to be made on auto pilot, the pilot adjusted the auto pilot before reaching the target area under the same conditions that would exist over the target, and would continue to adjust due to changes in load due to gas consumption, before reaching the target.
- The pilot adjusted the turn compensation knobs of the auto pilot to coordinate with the bombardier making turns to it.
- The pilot adjusted the PDI using coordinated smooth turns and trimmed the aircraft so that the aircraft flew practically hands off with the bomb bay doors open.
- The pilot and bombardier considered the effect of evasive action before reaching the initial point of the bomb run.
- The (lead) bombardier selected the initial point onto the as-briefed heading for the beginning point of the bomb run.
- Depending on whether the bombardier is the lead bombardier, either he or the pilot directed the aircraft to the exact position of the initial point and was on the as-briefed heading.
Even though the longest possible bomb run seldom exceeded three minutes, during the crucial portion of the bomb run, from initial point until bombs away, evasive action was discontinued, and flak and fighter opposition were ignored if bombs were to hit the target.
Either before or during the bomb run,
- At the initial point of the bomb run, the (lead) bombardier took over the direction of flight by engaging a clutch on his bomb sight. He made adjustments on the sight to hold the sight’s hairline on target, automatically guiding the aircraft to the required course and target. He gave directions to the pilot for the operation of the bomb run.
- The bombardier asked the pilot for a level, which means the pilot accurately leveled the aircraft using his instruments, and held that level until the bombs were dropped. Just one degree of tilt before or at the time of the bomb drop could cause an error of around 440 feet at an altitude of 20,000 feet.
- In the case of a manually flown mission using the PDI (rather than using the auto pilot), the bombardier zeroed the PDI while the aircraft was lined up on a direct course with the target. The pilot then adjusted the stick and rudder to hold the PDI on zero.
- The pilot maintained the selected altitude and airspeed as closely as possible while the bombardier set his course. Again, minor changes could greatly increase the error in the bombs reaching their target.
At the carefully calculated moment, the bombardier released the bombs on the target – Bombs Away!
After bomb release,
- Evasive action could be continued if it had to be discontinued during the bomb run.
- The pilot could continue to fly the aircraft on auto pilot or choose to fly manually.
- The aircraft and the formation headed for home.
Sources and Further Reading
Carlsbad Army Airfield public Facebook page
Facebook post from Carlsbad Army Airfield, Bombardier Training
303rd Bomb Group: Duties and Responsibilities of the Bombardier
B-17 Flying Fortress Queen of the Skies, Crew Positions, Bombardier
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2023
The B-17 Bombardier
My dad, George Edwin Farrar, was a waist/flexible gunner with the John Oliver Buslee crew of the 384th Bomb Group of the 8th Army Air Forces in World War II. On 28 September 1944, the Buslee crew and the James Joseph Brodie crew of the same group became forever connected when the B-17’s they were aboard on a combat mission over Germany suffered a mid-air collision.
I am currently updating the biographical information of the men of these two crews, and I thought it would be a good time to explain the duties involved in each position of the airmen aboard the aircraft, the B-17. I have recently updated the information of the four 384th Bomb Group Bombardiers and one Togglier who flew with the John Oliver Buslee crew of the 544th Bomb Squadron and the James Joseph Brodie crew of the 545th Bomb Squadron.
Marvin Fryden, assigned Buslee crew bombardier
- Born 8 January 1921
- Died 5 August 1944, age 23
- Buried Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England, Plot E, Row 2, Grave 4
- 384th BG Personnel Record
- The Family of Marvin Fryden
- Marvin Fryden, Update
James Buford Davis, Jung crew bombardier & Buslee crew replacement bombardier after Fryden’s death
- Born 5 October 1921
- Died 20 December 2009, age 88
- Cremated, Greater South Side Crematory, Greenwood, Johnson County, Indiana, USA
- 384th BG Personnel Record
- James B. Davis
- More Information About James B. Davis
- James Buford Davis, Update – Part 1
- James Buford Davis, Update – Part 2
Robert Sumner Stearns, Durdin crew bombardier, but bombardier of the Buslee crew on 28 September 1944
- Born 25 August 1923
- Died 28 September 1944, age 21
- Buried Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, San Mateo County, California, USA, Section B, Site 302
- Memorial marker at Family/Home Cemetery at Juniper Haven Cemetery, Prineville, Crook County, Oregon, USA
- 384th BG Personnel Record
- Robert Sumner Stearns
- Robert Sumner Stearns, Update
William Douglas Barnes, Jr., assigned Brodie crew bombardier
- Born 20 May 1919
- Died 6 December 1990, age 71
- Buried Riverside Cemetery, Hastings, Barry County, Michigan, USA
- 384th BG Personnel Record
- William D. Barnes, Jr.
- More Information About William D. Barnes, Jr.
- William Douglas Barnes, Jr., Update
Byron Leverne Atkins, Chadwick crew flexible (waist) gunner, but togglier of the Brodie crew on 28 September 1944
- Born 10 November 1924
- Died 28 September 1944, age 19
- Buried Oak Hill Cemetery, Lebanon, Boone County, Indiana, USA
- 384th BG Personnel Record
- Byron L. Atkins
- Byron Leverne “Bud” Atkins, Update
For a list of all of the airmen of the Buslee and Brodie crews, see permanent page The Buslee and Brodie Crews, which is maintained with new information/posts.
Duties and Responsibilities of the B-17 Bombardier
According to the 303rd Bomb Group’s website, the bombardier’s job was the most important of the entire B-17 crew as “accurate and effective bombing is the ultimate purpose of your entire airplane and crew.” This makes “every other function … preparatory to hitting and destroying the target.”
But the bombardier could not act alone. The B-17’s pilot and bombardier worked together to set up the conditions for the bomb run. Many factors were involved in positioning the aircraft and setting the course from the initial point of the run to the target.
The success of the mission rested on the accomplishment of the bombardier during the bomb run, which made up just a matter of minutes, between the initial point of the run and the target, of the multi-hours long mission to the target.
Some of the many things a bombardier must understand were his aircraft’s,
- Bombsight
- Bombing instruments and equipment
- Racks, switches, controls, releases, doors, linkage, etc.
- Automatic pilot as it pertains to bombing and how to set it up and make any adjustments and minor repairs while in flight
- Bombs and how to load and fuse them
The bombardier must be an expert in target identification and in aircraft identification and he should be able to assist the navigator in case the navigator becomes incapacitated.
Please refer to the 303rd Bomb Group’s website for the full list of bombardier responsibilities and much more detailed information.
My next post will cover the process and actions necessary for a successful bomb run.
The B-17 Togglier
According to an article posted on the Carlsbad Army Airfield’s public Facebook page,
When there was a shortage of bombardier graduates coming into the operational units, the continental air forces completed their crews with enlisted men who had received individual bombardier training in their own units.
While a good portion of the aircraft in the formation, especially the lead aircraft, carried bombardier school graduates as their bombardiers, many carried toggliers.
Bombardiers were commissioned officers who graduated from bombardier school as part of their stateside training. Toggliers were enlisted men who did not did not attend bombardier school in the States before going overseas into combat.
The togglier was usually a gunner who was retrained and reassigned to sit in the bombardier’s seat in the nose of the aircraft. The togglier was trained to “toggle” a switch to release his aircraft’s bomb load as soon as the lead bombardier released his bombs.
When the standard bombing procedure changed for the non-lead crew/aircraft bombardiers and toggliers to drop their bombs with the lead bombardier, many bombardier graduates pursued lead bombardier training or navigator training within their combat groups.
Location of the Bombardier in a B-17
The bombardier of a B-17 sits over the bombsight in the Plexiglas nose of the aircraft. Should the bombardier have to bail out of the aircraft, he would likely bail out through the door below the nose.
In the following diagram, Robert Stearns is noted in the bombardier position in the nose of the aircraft along with the other Buslee crew members in their positions on September 28, 1944.
Buslee Crew in Position on September 28, 1944
Diagram courtesy of 91st Bomb Group and modified by Cindy Farrar Bryan in 2014
B-17 Bombardier Position Photos
I took the following photo of the Collings Foundation’s B-17 Nine-O-Nine a few years before its tragic crash. It shows the nose of the B-17 with the navigator’s table in the left foreground and the bombardier’s seat in the front of the nose in the middle.
Nose position of the navigator and bombardier of the Collings Foundation’s B-17G Nine-o-Nine In Leesburg, Florida, November 4, 2017
This photo, shared by photographer John Slemp, shows a much better view of the bombardier’s position.
© (2009) John Slemp
To see more of John Slemp’s photographs, or to purchase his book of photos of WWII Bomber Boys’ flight jacket art, please visit his website.
Stories of 384th Bomb Group Bombardiers and Toggliers
I thought it might also be interesting to read stories, diaries, and journals written by or view video interviews of some of the 384th’s own bombardiers. You’ll find a chart of several bombardiers of the 384th Bomb Group below with links to their personnel records and their written and oral histories as are provided on the Stories page of 384thBombGroup.com.
Sources and Further Reading
303rd Bomb Group: Duties and Responsibilities of the Bombardier
303rd Bomb Group: Military Occupational Specialty
B-17 Flying Fortress Queen of the Skies, Crew Positions, Bombardier
TM 12-427 Military Occupational Classification of Enlisted Personnel
The Military Yearbook Project – Army Air Force WWII Codes
The Army Air Forces in World War II: VI, Men and Planes, Edited by W.F. Craven and J.L. Cate, Chapter 19: Training of Ground Technicians and Service Personnel
Training to Fly: Military Flight Training 1907 – 1945 by Rebecca Hancock Cameron
Facebook post from Carlsbad Army Airfield, Bombardier Training
Carlsbad Army Airfield public Facebook page
Thank you to the 91st Bomb Group for granting me permission in 2014 to use and modify their B-17 diagram for use on The Arrowhead Club.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2023
Robert Sumner Stearns, Update
Robert Sumner Stearns
Photo courtesy of family members Kathy Stearns Anderson and Maradee Stearns
New information from a new search on Ancestry.com, and new information from military records have provided me with some new and updated information regarding Robert Sumner Stearns, the bombardier flying with the John Oliver Buslee crew of the 544th Bomb Squadron of the 384th Bomb Group of the 8th Army Air Forces in WWII on 28 September 1944.
To view my original post and other information about Robert Stearns, please see the links at the end of this post.
Stearns Family
Robert “Bobby” Sumner Stearns was the son of Carey Sumner Stearns (1894 – 1966) and Betty Hunt Stearns (1896 – 1970) of LaPine, Deschutes County, Oregon. Robert was born 25 August 1923 in LaPine. LaPine is about thirty miles southwest of Bend, Oregon.
Robert had an older brother, James Gerry (Jim) Stearns (1922 – 2003). The Stearns were a farming/ranching family.
Robert’s and James’ great-grandfather on their father’s side led a family wagon train to Oregon from Illinois in 1853 over the Applegate Trail through northern California. Their mother’s family also were Oregon pioneers, arriving in the 1850’s.
In 1930, the Stearns family lived on Freemond Highway in LaPine, Deschutes County, Oregon. Father Carey S. Stearns was 35 years old, mother Betty M. Stearns was 34, brother James G. Stearns was 8, and Robert S. Stearns was 6. Carey Stearns was a farmer. All of the Stearns were born in Oregon.
In 1940, the family still lived in LaPine, Deschutes County, Oregon. Father Carey S. Stearns was 45 years old, mother Betty M. Stearns was 45, brother James G. Stearns was 18, and Robert S. Stearns was 16. Carey Stearns was a farmer.
Education and Civilian Employment prior to Military Service
Robert Stearns graduated from LaPine High School. He worked at Douglas Aircraft Corporation in Los Angeles, California at the time he registered for the WWII draft. He completed one year of college at Oregon State and was attending the college when he entered the service.
James Stearns also attended Oregon State University and worked for the U.S. Forestry Service before entering WWII as a flight instructor.
Entry into WWII Military Service
Draft Registration
On 30 June 1942, Robert Stearns registered for the WWII draft at Local Board No. 273 in Los Angeles County, California at 411 Jergins Trust Building. He listed his place of residence as 1859 Walnut, Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California. Robert’s Employer’s Name was Douglas Aircraft Corporation and place of employment was Lakewood & Carson St., Long Beach, Los Angeles, California. He was 18 years old and born on 25 August 1923 in LaPine, Oregon.
Mr. Carey S. Stearns (Robert’s father) of LaPine, Oregon was the person who would always know his address.
Robert described himself as 5′ 6 1/4″ tall, 160 pounds, with blue eyes, brown hair, and a light complexion. He noted as an “other obvious physical characteristic that will aid in identification” both a scar on the index finger of his left hand and a scar over his right eye.
Enlistment
On 19 August 1942, Robert Stearns enlisted in the Reserve Air Corps at Portland, Oregon. Robert’s enlistment record notes his residence as Deschutes County, Oregon and that he was born in Oregon in 1923. His Army Serial Number at the time of enlistment was 19122996. Note: Officers were reassigned with a new serial number when they were commissioned and Robert’s later become O-761314.
Note: Robert’s enlistment record is found in the Reserve Corps Records, rather than in the Enlistment Records file, link below.
At the time of his enlistment, Robert Stearns had completed 1 year of college and was single, having no one dependent on him for support.
Military Training
Robert Sumner Stearns graduated from Bombardier School at Deming AAF, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Class #43-17, 12 April 1943.
While I do not have an official military record of Robert’s other military training schools, dates, and stations, I do find some information as appeared in the newspaper.
As reported in The Bend [Oregon] Bulletin on Friday, 25 June 1943,
Lapine, June 25 (Special) … Robert Stearns, son of Mr. and Mrs. [Carey] Stearns, is stationed at Kingman, Ariz., where he will study aerial gunnery for six weeks or two months.
As reported in The Bend Bulletin on Saturday, 18 December 1943,
Lapine, Dec. 18 (Special) … Mr. and Mrs. Carey Stearns and son, Lt. Robert Stearns, spent the weekend in Prineville with Carey’s mother Mrs. Frances Stearns. …
… Lt. Robert Stearns left for Avon Park, Fla., Tuesday.
Military Service
Brothers Robert and James Stearns both served in WWII. James first became a flight instructor and later trained to be a turret mechanic and gunner on a B-29.
Robert trained to become a bombardier and was assigned to the 544th Bomb Squadron of the 384th Bomb Group at Grafton Underwood, England.
As reported in The Bend [Oregon] Bulletin on Saturday, 3 June 1944,
Lapine, June 1 (Special) … Mr. and Mrs. Carey Stearns received a letter from their son, Lt. Robert Stearns, bombardier, stating that he was overseas and in good health.
Combat Duty in World War II with the 384th Bomb Group
Robert Stearns’ 384th Bomb Group Individual Sortie record indicates that his duty was Bombardier, one month’s pay was $247.50, and his home address was Mr. Carey S. Stearns, P.O. Box 113, LaPine, Oregon.
Morning Reports of the 384th Bombardment Group and other military documents indicate the following for Robert Sumner Stearns
- On 15 JUNE 1944, 2nd Lt. Robert Sumner Stearns was assigned to the 544th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #113 dated 15 June 1944 as Bombardier with the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) of 1035, of the Larkin Durdin crew.
- On 14 SEPTEMBER 1944, Robert Stearns was appointed 1st Lieutenant.
- On 28 SEPTEMBER 1944, Robert Stearns went from duty to MIA (Missing in Action). He was subsequently declared KIA (Killed in Action) on that date.
Robert was credited with seventeen missions with the 384th Bomb Group. His first mission was on 21 June 1944 and his last was on 28 September 1944.
Medals and Decorations
Robert Sumner Stearns earned the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, and although I find no record, should have also received the Purple Heart.
Casualty of War
Robert Sumner Stearns, Durdin crew bombardier, but participating on the 28 September 1944 mission to Magdeburg, Germany as bombardier of the Buslee crew, died on that date, at the age of 21. Robert is buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, San Mateo County, California, USA, Section B, Site 302, and has a memorial marker at Family/Home Cemetery at Juniper Haven Cemetery, Prineville, Crook County, Oregon.
As reported in The Bend [Oregon] Bulletin on Saturday, 23 December 1944,
Robert Stearns Dies in Action
Article courtesy of The Bend Bulletin, 23 December 1944
Transcription:
Robert Stearns Dies in Action
Reported missing since September 28 in action over Germany, Lt. Robert S. Stearns, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carey Stearns, Lapine, was killed in action, his parents were notified today by the war department.
Meager information received by relatives indicates that Lt. Stearns, a bombardier, was in a plane shot down only ten miles from Berlin. The young officer, a graduate from Lapine high school, went overseas last May. He was attending Oregon State college when he entered the service.
Aside from his parents, Lt. Stearns is survived by one brother, Pvt. James Stearns, now at Fort Lewis. Marshall T. Hunt, Bend, is an uncle.
After the War
Robert Stearns’ brother James, described as a third generation central Oregon cattle rancher, homesteaded in the Tulelake, California area [Tulelake is about three miles south of the California-Oregon state line] from 1947 through 1967, farming grain and hay and also working as a crop duster pilot.
James Stearns was very involved in civic affairs in Modoc County, California and was Modoc County supervisor from 1951 until 1967. He was also the Vice-Chairman of the California Klamath River Compact Commission.
He was director of the California Department of Conservation for then Governor Ronald Reagan from 1967 through 1971. On Sept. 15, 1972 Governor Ronald Reagan appointed him Secretary of the Agriculture and Services Agency and a member of the Governors Cabinet.
He served in that position until 1975. He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as the Chairman of the Board, Securities Investor Protection Corporation in Washington, D.C.
~per James Stearns’ FindAGrave.com memorial
Notes/Links
Previous post, Robert Sumner Stearns
Robert Stearns’ Personnel Record courtesy of the 384th Bomb Group
Robert Stearns’ Enlistment Record in the online National Archives (in the Reserve Corps records)
MOS means Military Occupational Specialty
Previous post, Assigned Military Occupational Specialties of the Buslee and Brodie Crews
Previous post, Timeline for Buslee Crewmembers and Substitutes, 544th Bomb Squadron
Missing Air Crew Report 9753 for the Buslee crew on the 28 September 1944 mid-air collision in which Sebastiano was killed, courtesy of the 384th Bomb Group
Missing Air Crew Report 9366 for the Brodie crew on 28 September 1944 courtesy of the 384th Bomb Group
Robert Sumner Stearns’ Find a Grave memorials
Brother, James Gerry Stearns’ Find A Grave memorial
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2023
Robert Sumner Stearns
Robert Sumner (Bobby) Stearns was born August 25, 1923 to Carey Sumner Stearns (1894 – 1966) and Betty Hunt Stearns (1896 – 1970) of LaPine, Deschutes County, Oregon. Older brother James Gerry (Jim) had been born a year earlier, in 1922. The Stearns were a farming/ranching family.
Both of the Stearns’ sons served in WWII. Jim first became a flight instructor and later trained to be a turret mechanic and gunner on a B-29. Robert enlisted in the Army Air Corps on August 19, 1942. He trained to become a bombardier and was assigned to the 544th Bomb Squad of the 384th Bomb Group at Grafton Underwood, England on AAF Station 106 Special Orders #113 dated June 15, 1944 as part of the Larkin C. Durdin crew.
Robert’s first mission as a bombardier was Mission #142 on June 21, 1944 to Berlin. By June 28, he had flown his last mission with the Durdin crew. After that, he served as bombardier on several different crews. In a letter to the Stearns family in January 1945, Durdin explained the reason that their son was flying with other crews was that Durdin had started flying lead, but Bob had not been checked out as lead.
The Stearns’ local paper reported on August 26, 1944 that Robert had earned an air medal.
LaPine Aviator Wins Air Medal Over Europe
An Eighth AAF Bomber Station, England, Aug. 26 (Special)
Award of the air medal for “exceptionally meritorious achievement while participating in sustained bomber combat operations over enemy occupied continental Europe” to 2nd Lt. Robert S. Stearns, 20, Box 113, Lapine, was announced today.
Lt. Stearns, a bombardier on a B-17 Flying Fortress, has taken part in more than 10 bombing attacks against targets in Germany and occupied countries. The son of Carey S. Stearns of the same address, he attended Oregon State college and worked as a ranch foreman…
On September 27, 1944 on Mission #200, Robert replaced James B. Davis as the John Oliver (Jay) Buslee crew’s bombardier. Mission #200 was Robert’s sixteenth credited mission.
On his seventeenth credited mission on September 28, Mission #201, Robert replaced Davis on the Buslee crew as bombardier for the second time. After coming off the target at Magdeburg, Germany, Lazy Daisy carrying the Brodie crew collided with Lead Banana carrying the Buslee crew. Of the Buslee crew, only waist gunner George Edwin Farrar survived. Robert and the other members of the Buslee crew were killed in the mid-air collision.
The local paper announced that Robert was missing in action, article date unknown.
Lt. Robert Stearns is Missing, Parents Told
Lapine, (Special) – First Lieut. Robert Stearns has been missing in action over Germany since September 28, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Carey Stearns, Lapine, have been notified by the war department.
Lt. Stearns, a bombardier, was a graduate from the Lapine high school.
Classified as missing in action since the collision, the Stearns learned on December 23, 1944 that their son, Bobby, had been killed on the September 28 mission. The local newspaper ran an article regarding Robert’s death.
Lt. Robert S. Stearns is Killed in Action
Bend, Dec. 23 – Reported missing since September 28, in action over Germany, Lt. Robert S. Stearns, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carey Stearns, Lapine, was killed in action, his parents were notified today by the war department.
Meager information received by relatives indicates that Lt. Stearns, a bombardier, was in a plane shot down only ten miles from Berlin. The young officer, a graduate from Lapine high school, went overseas last May. He was attending Oregon State college when he entered the service.
Aside from his parents, Lt. Stearns is survived by one brother, Pvt. James Stearns, now at Fort Lewis. Marshall T. Hunt, Bend, is an uncle.
Lt. Robert Stearns was a grandson of Mrs. Frances E. Stearns, and a nephew of Harry and the Misses Lora and Nora Stearns, of Prineville.
Robert Sumner Stearns lost his life barely a month past his twenty-first birthday. He was first buried in the cemetery at Ost Ingersleben, near the Lead Banana crash site. He was later buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery at Margraten, Holland in Plot “L” Row 12, Grave 299.
After the end of the war, Robert’s body was returned to the states and he was buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, San Mateo County, California, Section B, Site 302.
He also has a memorial marker in the Stearns family section at the Juniper Haven Cemetery, Prineville, Crook Co, Oregon.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2015
Our Bomber Crew
The parents of Buslee crew bombardier, Robert Sumner Stearns, wrote to George Edwin Farrar’s mother, Raleigh Mae Farrar, on January 1, 1945. The Stearns sent the same information to all of the families of the Buslee crew included on the Next-of-Kin list they had just received. The Stearns had learned on December 23, 1944 that their son had been killed on September 28.
Had other families also learned on December 23, 1944 that their sons had been killed that day? The September 30, 1944 Telegram Form that became a part of MACR (Missing Air Crew Report) 9753 identified four men that had been killed in the mid-air collision of Lead Banana and Lazy Daisy on September 28, 1944. It would make sense that all four families were notified on the same date. Eight men had been reported dead, but only these four were identified:
- William A. Henson II, navigator on Lead Banana
- Robert S. Stearns, bombardier on Lead Banana
- Gordon Hetu, ball turret gunner on Lazy Daisy
- Robert D. Crumpton, engineer/top turret gunner on Lazy Daisy
I believe William Henson’s next-of-kin had been notified at the same time as the Stearns, which indicates that Hetu and Crumpton’s relatives also received the bad news around December 23. All had been buried on September 30 at the Ostingersleben Cemetery near the crash site.
January 1, 1945
LaPine, OregonDear Mrs. Farrar:
In today’s mail we received a letter from the War Department giving the names of the crew members of the bomber in which our son lost his life on September 28. We are writing this letter to each of you who were listed as next of kin to give you all of the information we have received to date about our son. Will you compare this information with what you have received and if there is anything you have which would add to the very meager reports which we have so far received we would greatly appreciated it if you would send it to us. We hope to keep in close touch with all of you until every possible bit of information that would, in any way, help answer the many questions as to the fate of “Our Bomber Crew” which are in our minds today. We all, definitely, have a lot in common; you may rest assured that Mrs. Stearns and I will forward any information we may receive that we think will be of interest to any of you.
Following is the information we have received to date: The first word, of course, was the telegram stating that our son was listed as missing in action over Germany on Sept. 28th.
Following this wire was the letter from Headquarters of the Army Air Forces, Washington, which stated: “Further information has been received indicating that Lieut. Stearns was a crew member of a B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber which departed from England on a combat mission to Magdeburg, Germany, on Sept. 28th. The report indicates that during this mission at 12:10 P.M., in the vicinity of the target your sons bomber sustained damage from enemy anti-aircraft fire. Shortly afterwards the disabled craft was observed to fall to earth, and, inasmuch as the crew members of the accompanying planes were unable to obtain any further details regarding its loss, the above facts constitute all the information presently available.”
Our next word was a short note from a close friend of our son, who was a pilot on another bomber, which stated: although I wasn’t on the same mission I have talked with others who were on the same mission with Bob and we have reasons to believe he is safe.” None of the reasons were stated but naturally this short note boosted our morale to the skies.
We then, on Dec. 23rd., received the telegram which stated: “The German Government reporting through the International Red Cross states that your son, 1st. Lieut. Robert S. Stearns, previously reported as missing in action was killed on Sept. 28th. Letter follows.”
This letter was the one giving the names of the crew members and the next of kin.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
If any of you have not received a wire similar to the one we got on Dec. 23rd, you should be encouraged for it could mean that you could hear shortly that he is still living. We have only the dim hope that the German Government is wrong, as it has been wrong in every thing it ever did do, and that we too may have good news of our son.
Our deepest sympathy is with you. We would be very happy to have a letter from you soon.
Sincerely yours,
Carey & Betty Stearns,
LaPine, Oregon.
The friend of Bob Stearns to which his parents referred in the letter was Lt. Larkin C. Durdin, the pilot of the crew with which Stearns normally flew. More information is provided in a second letter from Durdin to the Stearns, information which the Stearns passed along to the Farrars in a letter dated January 10, 1945. The January 10th letter will be published in a future post.
The Stearns, who had been in a state of not knowing the fate of their son since September 28, 1944, were now in a state of not believing it. On the day they received the telegram with the bad news, December 23, 1944, their son Bob had been missing for eighty-seven days. They couldn’t yet let themselves believe that their son wouldn’t be coming back. At this point they weren’t even aware that the War Department’s news of how Bob’s plane had gone down was not correct. They would soon learn the truth.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2014
Next of Kin List Released
The day after Christmas 1944, at ninety days missing in action, the US Army Air Forces wrote to the Buslee crew’s next of kin and enclosed a list of the names of the crew members on the Lead Banana on September 28 and also included the names and addresses of next of kin in case the families wanted to communicate with each other.
December 26, 1944
Headquarters, Army Air Forces
WashingtonAttention: AFPPA-8
(9753) Farrar, George E.
14119873Mrs. Raleigh Mae Farrar,
79 EastLake Terrace Northeast,
Atlanta, Georgia.Dear Mrs. Farrar:
For reasons of military security it has been necessary to withhold the names of the air crew members who were serving with your son at the time he was reported missing.
Since it is now permissible to release this information, we are inclosing a complete list of names of the crew members.
The names and addresses of the next of kin of the men are also given in the belief that you may desire to correspond with them.
Sincerely,
Clyde V. Finter
Colonel, Air Corps
Chief, Personal Affairs Division
Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Personnel1 Incl
List of crew members & names
& addresses of next of kin
5-2032, AF
1st. Lt. John O. Buslee
Mr. John Buslee, (Father)
411 North Wisner Avenue,
Park Ridge, Illinois.
1st. Lt. William A. Henson, II
Mrs. Harriet W. Henson, (Wife)
Summerville, Georgia.
1st. Lt. Robert S. Stearns
Mr. Carey S. Stearns, (Father)
Post Office Box 113,
Lapine, Oregon.
2nd. Lt. David F. Albrecht
Reverand Louis M. Albrecht, (Father)
Scribner, Nebraska.
S/Sgt. Sebastiano J. Peluso
Mrs. Antonetta Peluso, (Mother)
2963 West 24th Street,
Brooklyn, New York.
S/Sgt. Lenard L. Bryant
Mrs. Ruby M. Bryant, (Wife)
Route Number Two,
Littlefield, Texas.
S/Sgt. Gerald L. Andersen
Mrs. Esther E. Coolen Andersen, (Wife)
Box Number 282,
Stromburg, Nebraska.
S/Sgt. George E. Farrar
Mrs. Raleigh Mae Farrar, (Mother)
79 East Lake Terrace Northeast,
Atlanta, Georgia.
Sgt. George F. McMann
Mr. George F. McMann, (Father)
354 West Avenue,
Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The above list is also a part of MACR (Missing Air Crew Report) 9753. For a diagram and list of each man’s position on the Lead Banana on September 28, 1944, click here.
The Brodie crew’s next of kin must have gotten the same letter and a list of those on the Lazy Daisy. The following list is attached to MACR9366. For a diagram and list of each man’s position on the Lazy Daisy on September 28, 1944, click here.
1st Lt. James J. Brodie
Mrs. Mary E. Brodie, (Wife)
4436 North Kostner Avenue
Chicago, Illinois.
2nd Lt. Lloyd O. Vevle
Mr. Oliver E. Vevle, (Father)
240 Sixth Avenue, North
Fort Dodge, Iowa.
2nd Lt. George M. Hawkins, Jr.
Mr. George M. Hawkins, Sr., (Father)
52 Marchard Street
Fords, New Jersey
T/Sgt. Donald W. Dooley
Mr. Guy T. Dooley, (Father)
711 South Rogers Street
Bloomington, Indiana.
S/Sgt. Byron L. Atkins
Mr. Verne Atkins, (Father)
Route Number Two
Lebanon, Indiana.
Sgt. Robert D. Crumpton
Mrs. Stella M. Parks, (Mother)
Route Number One
Ennis, Texas
Sgt. Gordon E. Hetu
Mr. Raymond J. Hetu, (Father)
3821 Webb Street
Detroit, Michigan.
S/Sgt. Wilfred F. Miller
Mrs. Mary Miller, (Mother)
Rural Free Delivery Number One
Newton, Wisconsin.
S/Sgt. Harry A. Liniger
Mrs. Estelle P. Liniger, (Mother)
Box Number 251
Gatesville, North Carolina
If the US Army Air Forces had told the families of the two crews what actually happened to their sons’ aircraft and provided the lists of both crews to the families, the families of the two pilots, Buslee and Brodie, would have discovered that they lived only seven and a half miles apart in Chicago, Illinois. These families would most likely have been very interested in communicating if they had been made aware of each other.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2014
September 30, 1944 Telegram Form
Two days after the mid-air collision between the Lazy Daisy and Lead Banana, a Telegram Form dated September 30, 1944 reported the fate of eight of the crew from the two planes. It reported eight men dead, all buried on September 30, 1944 at the Ostingersleben Cemetery (the report identified it as the Osteringersleben Cemetery). Only four of the eight men were identified:
- William A. Henson II (listed incorrectly on the report as William A. Hedson II)
- Robert S. Stearns
- Gordon Hetu (listed incorrectly on the report as Gorden Heu)
- Robert D. Crumpton
Henson and Stearns were from the Buslee crew aboard Lead Banana. Hetu and Crumpton were from the Brodie crew aboard Lazy Daisy. The other four were unidentified because, as the report states, they were “completely burned” and the “crews were mixed together.”
In determination of the fate of the two crews, eighteen total men, this report starts the count at eight (8) recovered dead, with only four (4) identified.
Buslee Crew List:
- Pilot – John Oliver Buslee
- Co-Pilot – David Franklin Albrecht
- Navigator – William Alvin Henson II Reported dead on September 30, 1944 Telegram Form
- Bombardier – Robert Sumner Stearns Reported dead on September 30, 1944 Telegram Form
- Radio Operator/Gunner – Sebastiano Joseph Peluso
- Engineer/Top Turret Gunner – Lenard Leroy Bryant
- Ball Turret Gunner – George Francis McMann, Jr.
- Tail Gunner – Gerald Lee Andersen
- Waist Gunner – George Edwin Farrar (my dad)
Brodie Crew List:
- Pilot – James Joseph Brodie
- Co-Pilot – Lloyd Oliver Vevle
- Navigator – George Marshall Hawkins, Jr.
- Togglier – Byron Laverne Atkins
- Radio Operator/Gunner – Donald William Dooley
- Engineer/Top Turret Gunner – Robert Doyle Crumpton Reported dead on September 30, 1944 Telegram Form
- Ball Turret Gunner – Gordon Eugene Hetu Reported dead on September 30, 1944 Telegram Form
- Tail Gunner – Wilfred Frank Miller
- Waist Gunner – Harry Allen Liniger
An October 7, 1944 Captured Aircraft Report conveys the same information.
The September 30 Telegram Form notes also:
- Time: 1215
- From: L S E B
- Through: F R P
- Remarks: SSD L B K M 322 29 Sept.44 -2130-
- The aircraft could not be identified as the fire destroyed all markings, but it must have been Lead Banana as Lazy Daisy was identified through the tail number on the October 1, 1944 Telegram Form.
Questions:
- What does the date of September 30, 1944 signify?
- Was this information received by the US Army Air Forces on this date? From who?
- What do the abbreviations in the “From,” “Through,” and “Remarks” sections stand for?
This information can be found on pages 12 and 13 of MACR9753. MACR stands for Missing Air Crew Report.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2014
Buslee Crew in Position on September 28, 1944
Buslee Crew in Position on September 28, 1944
The diagram shows the combat position of each Buslee crewmember on Mission 201 on September 28, 1944. Only one crewmember manned both waist gunner positions on this mission. If they were all still in position after coming off the target at Magdeburg, the diagram shows where each man would have been at the time of the mid-air collision with the Lazy Daisy.
Buslee Crew List:
- Pilot – John Oliver Buslee
- Co-Pilot – David Franklin Albrecht
- Navigator – William Alvin Henson II
- Bombardier – Robert Sumner Stearns
- Radio Operator/Gunner – Sebastiano Joseph Peluso
- Engineer/Top Turret Gunner – Lenard Leroy Bryant
- Ball Turret Gunner – George Francis McMann, Jr.
- Tail Gunner – Gerald Lee Andersen
- Waist Gunner – George Edwin Farrar (my dad)
The only survivor of the mid-air collision this day with the Lazy Daisy was the waist gunner, George Edwin Farrar.
Thank you to the 91st Bomb Group for granting me permission to use and modify their B-17 diagram for use on The Arrowhead Club site.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2013
Map of September 28, 1944 Collision and Crash Sites
Maps of the area show the location of the mid-air collision and subsequent crash sites of the Lead Banana and Lazy Daisy on September 28, 1944. Two maps are included below.
The first map shows the collision site and crash sites of the Lazy Daisy and Lead Banana. The mid-air collision occurred after coming off the target at Magdeburg, at 12:11 pm on September 28, 1944 at 52°06’N 11°39’E (X on the first map, just past the second “g” in “Magdeburg”). Both planes crashed approximately 20 miles northwest of the mid-air collision. Lazy Daisy crashed near Erxleben (E on the first map) and Lead Banana crashed approximately one and one-quarter miles north of Ostingersleben (O on the first map).
X = Collision Site, 52°06’N 11°39’E
O = Ostingersleben
E = Erxleben
The second map is a map of Germany with the area of detail outlined.
Royalty free map of Germany obtained from http://www.tourvideos.com/maps-Germany.html.
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2013
September 28, 1944 – 384th BG Mission 201
Lazy Daisy, Aircraft 42-31222
Lead Banana, Aircraft 43-37822
September 28, 1944 – 384th BG Mission 201.
The 384th Bomb Group Mission 201 was also known as Eighth Air Force Mission 652.
The Buslee crew flew this mission aboard aircraft 43-37822, Lead Banana. The Brodie crew was aboard 42-31222, Lazy Daisy.
The primary target was the steelworks industry in Magdeburg, Germany.
Buslee Crew List:
- Pilot – John Oliver Buslee
- Co-Pilot – David Franklin Albrecht
- Navigator – William Alvin Henson II
- Bombardier – Robert Sumner Stearns
- Radio Operator/Gunner – Sebastiano Joseph Peluso
- Engineer/Top Turret Gunner – Lenard Leroy Bryant
- Ball Turret Gunner – George Francis McMann, Jr.
- Tail Gunner – Gerald Lee Andersen
- Waist Gunner – George Edwin Farrar (my dad)
Chester A. Rybarczyk flew this mission with the William J. Blankenmeyer crew. William Alvin Henson II replaced Rybarczyk as Navigator on the Buslee crew. This was Henson’s third flight with the Buslee crew.
James B. Davis flew this mission with the Raymond J. Gabel crew. Robert Sumner Stearns replaced Davis as Bombardier on the Buslee crew. This was Stearns second flight with the Buslee crew.
George Francis McMann, Jr. flew this mission as Ball Turret Gunner on the Buslee crew. This was McMann’s first flight with the Buslee crew. Irving L. Miller, who had replaced Erwin V. Foster as Ball Turret Gunner five times on the Buslee crew, also flew with Davis on the Gabel crew this mission.
Gerald Lee Andersen replaced Eugene D. Lucynski for the third time as Tail Gunner on the Buslee crew.
Brodie Crew List:
- Pilot – James Joseph Brodie
- Co-Pilot – Lloyd Oliver Vevle
- Navigator – George Marshall Hawkins, Jr.
- Togglier – Byron Laverne Atkins
- Radio Operator/Gunner – Donald William Dooley
- Engineer/Top Turret Gunner – Robert Doyle Crumpton
- Ball Turret Gunner – Gordon Eugene Hetu
- Tail Gunner – Wilfred Frank Miller
- Waist Gunner – Harry Allen Liniger
James Joseph Brodie (Pilot), Lloyd Oliver Vevle (Co-Pilot), George Marshall Hawkins, Jr. (Navigator), Robert Doyle Crumpton (Engineer/Top Turret Gunner), Gordon Eugene Hetu (Ball Turret Gunner), Wilfred Frank Miller (Tail Gunner), and Harry Allen Liniger (Waist Gunner) were all original Brodie crew members aboard the Lazy Daisy. The only non-original crew members were Byron Laverne Atkins (Bombardier/Togglier) and Donald William Dooley (Radio Operator/Gunner).
Original Brodie crew Bombardier, William D. Barnes, Jr., last flew with the Brodie crew on September 13, 1944. Barnes did not fly again until October 17, 1944. He returned to flight as a Navigator, completed his tour after 35 missions, and returned to the US.
Byron Laverne Atkins flew only six missions, three of them as a Ball Turret Gunner, and one as a Flexible Gunner. He served as Togglier for the Brodie crew on two occasions – once on September 21 and again on September 28, 1944.
William Edson Taylor, the original Radio Operator/Gunner for the Brodie crew did not fly on the September 28 mission. On October 5, he flew as Radio Operator/Gunner with the Robert Bruce Birckhead crew. His aircraft was damaged by flak and crashed near Munchen-Gladbach, Germany (MACR 9754). Of the crew, four were killed, and five were taken prisoner of war, including Taylor.
Donald William Dooley’s first mission would be his last. He flew as Radio Operator/Gunner for the Brodie crew on this mission.
Sortie Report Description:
Two Bomb Runs – Primary Target Attacked: The 384th Bombardment Group (H) flew as the 41st CBW “C” Wing on today’s mission. Near the target, another formation of bombers flew below this wing, forcing them to hold their bombs. The wing made a second bomb run and released their bombs on the primary target.
Lazy Daisy Sortie Report Status and Comments:
Failed to Return
MIA; collided with 43-37822 over target; both ships went down on fire and out of control; no chutes observed; crashed near Erxleben, Germany; MACR 9366.
Lead Banana Sortie Report Status and Comments:
Failed to Return
MIA; collided with 42-31222 over target; both ships went down on fire and out of control; no chutes; crashed near Osteringersleben, Germany; MACR 9753.
Source: Sortie Report – Buslee Crew, Sortie Report – Brodie Crew
© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2013
The Arrowhead Club 