Jack W. Bailey Crew

JACK W. BAILEY CREW - 359th BS
B-17G #42-97944 Daddy's Delight (359BS) BN-I
(crew assigned 359BS: 01 Dec 1944 - photo: 19 Jan 1945)

(Back L-R) 2Lt Jack W. Bailey (P-Rtd), 2Lt Merwin G. Hall (CP-Rtd),
2Lt Glen R. "Swede" Swenson (N *), 2Lt David E. Johnson (B *)

(Front L-R) S/Sgt Elwyn J. Darden (R-POW),
Sgt Carl A. Muller (E-POW), S/Sgt William E. McGuire (WG/Tog-POW *),
Sgt Merle W. Eckert (TG-POW), Sgt Donald F. Geng (BT-POW)

* Substitute Crewmen:

2Lt William H. Fisher (N-POW), from 2Lt Fred E. Call Crew for Lt Glen R. Swenson (N) who became a Lead Crew Navigator.
S/Sgt W.D. McGuire (Tog-POW) (Regular crewman Waist Gunner) for 2Lt David E. Johnson (B) who became a lead crew Bombardier
S/Sgt Edward L. Bartowiski (WG) for S/Sgt W.D. McGuire (WG)

(KIA-POW) - On 09 February 1945 mission #313 to Lutzkendorf, Germany in B-17G #43-38764 (no name) (359BS) BN-C. The aircraft was hit by gunfire on the #2 and #3 engines just as bombs were away. The #2 engine was feathered immediately but it was sometime later before Pilot Lt Jack W. Bailey, could feather #3. The aircraft was unable to maintain formation, lost altitude and began to straggle. En route back in the vicinity of Mulhausen, Germany, it encountered about 14 enemy aircraft. Believing the aircraft to be defenseless, the Pilot ordered his crew to bail out and seven crewmen obeyed his order, supposing that they were near Kassel, Germany. P-51 pilots from the 20th FG reported the bailout to be near Mulhausen, Germany.

While CoPilot 2Lt Merwin G. Hall was checking the Fortress to make certain that all crewmen were out, four P-51s showed up and drove off the enemy aircraft. Lt's Bailey and Hall then decided to attempt to bring their damaged B-17 back to friendly territory. They bailed out near St.Trond, Belgium and returned to Molesworth. The pilotless Fortress made a wheels up belly landing near Bockholt, Belgium. It was reported as 90% damaged.

Lt. Bailey's original Navigator, Lt G.R. "Swede" Swenson, was flying as the lead GH-Navigator with Capt. W.E. Eisenhart's lead crew. A crewman remarked "there go your buddies, Swede."

Sgt Donald F. Geng furnished the following information on the crew loss: S/Sgt Darden sustained a serious back injury as a result of his parachute jump. Lt Fisher also suffered a back injury. The crew landed on the edge of a plowed field and were captured by the Home Guard near Eisenach while trying to reach a wooded area.

Sgt's Geng and Eckert advised that the enlisted crewmen were sent from Erfirt to Eisenach, then Dulag Luft near Wetzlar for interrogation and processing. They were sent to Stalag 13-D at Nurenburg and then participated on the famous march to Stalag 7A at Moosburg. They were liberated by units of the 14th Armored Division on 29 April 1945.

German document reporting the capture of the 2Lt Jack W. Bailey Crew.

[photo courtesy of Glen R. Swenson, text by Merle W. Eckert]
[German document courtesy of Terry Eckert]