Subject: [303rd BG News] 23 October 2009
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:01:00 -0600
List-Id: 303rd Bomb Group News <303rd-announce.303rdBG.com>

_*303rd Bomb Group <http://www.303rdbg.com>*_
*
N E W S   U P D A T E*
*23 October 2009*
*www.303rdBG.com <http://www.303rdbg.com>*

*NEW KEITH HILL PAINTING INSPIRES 303RD BOMB GROUP (HEAVY) LEGACY AT 
AMERICAN BASE*
*
By Mr. Peter G. Park, Public Affairs Officer, JAC Commanders Action Group
(Royal Air Force Molesworth, United Kingdom, 14 October 2009)*

For U. S. Marine Corps Colonel Peter H. "Pete" Devlin, Commander of the 
U.S. European Command JIOCEUR Analysis Center (JAC), keeping the legacy 
of the World War II 303rd Bomb Group (Heavy) alive in the minds of the 
over 1,000 American soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and civilians 
working at RAF Molesworth today is a solemn commitment. 

The unveiling and dedication on 14 October of the new painting "The Cat 
Comes Home" by noted aviation and military artist Keith Hill on the 66th 
anniversary of the Second Schweinfurt raid in 1943 by the American 8th 
Air Force, was an opportunity to reflect on the achievements and 
sacrifices of the 303rd Bomb Group (Heavy) flying B-17F and later B17G 
"Flying Fortresses" during the war. As Col. Devlin often reminds the 
workforce and visitors to the base, for 841 young men, Molesworth was 
the last place that they trod the earth before taking off from the now 
long gone runways on this Cambridgeshire base. 

In a ceremony hosted by JAC Deputy Commander, U.S. Navy Captain Henry J. 
"Harry" Babin, Mr. Hill donated print #100 of the painting "The Cat 
Comes Home" to the men and women of the JAC.  The painting which depicts 
"The Cat O' Nine Tails" returning from a mission will be displayed in 
the Major General Lewis E. Lyle, United States Air Force Conference 
Room, dedicated to a wartime commander of the 303rd who passed away in 
2008.  The framed print contains original signatures of two of the crew 
of "Cat O'Nine Tails" -- the Bombardier, Second Lieutenant M. D. 
Blackburn, and the Flight Engineer/Gunner Technical Sergeant Tony T. Kujawa.

After an invocation by USAF 501st Combat Support Wing Chaplain 
(Lieutenant Colonel) Walter W. Bean, and remarks by Captain Babin on the 
importance of the legacy of the 303rd to the mission performed at 
Molesworth today, the print was unveiled by the artist and Captain 
Babin.  Joining the ceremony were Jim and Andrew Gell in whose family 
back yard "The Cat O' Nine Tails" crashed after its crew bailed out from 
the badly damaged aircraft which was unable to land on return from the 
14 October 1943 Schweinfurt mission.  The B17F narrowly missed the 
Risley, Bedfordshire house in which then infant Jim Gell was sleeping. 

The plane's rudder controls had been shot away, the radio compass, 
compass, and other flight instruments were inoperative. A hit on the 
port side put one engine out, but the engine was not feathered until out 
of German fighter range. The B-17 was flown on dead reckoning across the 
channel and brought down through the overcast to look for a landing 
field. Finding none, Lt Ambrose Grant gave the order, and the crew 
successfully bailed out.  The "Cat" flew on in a descending northerly 
direction which took her back to the Molesworth area before flying in a 
large circle. At about 6:40 PM the "Cat" had used up all of the 
remaining fuel and went into a final shallow dive and hit trees in the 
back garden of the Gell house.  At the dedication, Mr. Jim Gell noted 
that his family still has a propeller from the ill-fated aircraft.

The 14 October 1943 mission to the ball bearing plants of Schweinfurt 
suffered the loss of 82 bombers and 642 American airmen killed, captured 
or wounded. This raid, afterwards known as 'Black Thursday,' was the 
worst day of the war for the US Eighth Air Force. In a special message 
read out in the early morning hours to the crews at this and other 
American bases in East Anglia, U. S. Eighth Air Force Commander Major 
General Frederick Anderson stated:  "This air operation today is the 
most important air operation yet conducted in this war. The target must 
be destroyed. It is of vital importance to the enemy. Your friends and 
comrades, that have been lost and that will be lost today, are depending 
on you. Their sacrifice must not be in vain. Good luck, good shooting 
and good bombing."

The kind donation of the print by Mr. Keith Hill continues the artist's 
long association with generations of men and women at the Cambridgeshire 
base, and is his fourteenth painting depicting scenes of the 303rd Bomb 
Group and RAF Molesworth.  [View a larger image of Keith Hill's new 
painting here <http://www.303rdbg.com/art-hill-thecatcomeshome.jpg>.]

_*303rd BOMB GROUP AWARDS - 1944 *_

Below are some more award photographs from the National Archives.  These 
are from June 21, 1944.  Many of you will recognize Colonel Kermit 
Stevens pinning on the Distinguished Flying Cross.   Can you identify 
any of the recipients?
_*
*_

_*
*__*LOOSE ENDS
*_
_*Whoops!  Bob Sheets / Walter Cronkite Photo*_
That handsome face at the far right of this photo actually belongs to 
T/Sgt Francis X. "Frank" Neuner, who flew as Flight Engineer on the 
D-Day Mission with Pilot Bob Sheets and Walter Cronkite.   I had him 
identified incorrectly in the News Update of 30 August 2009.   You can 
see the corrected article here: http://www.303rdbg.com/news/2009-08-30.eml
Many thanks to Frank for pointing out the error.

_*Palm Harbor, Florida Veteran's Day Program*_
Eddie Deerfield, former 303rd BGA President and /Hell's Angels 
Newsletter/ Editor has been invited to be the guest speaker at a 
Veteran's Day event on November 10 at the Palm Harbor Public Library. 
Eddie's subject will be the role of American air power in defeating Nazi 
Germany in World War II.   Eddie reports, "I will, of course, draw on 
the record-setting accomplishments of the 303rd, on my own experiences 
through 30 missions as radio operator/gunner, and on data from 8th Air 
Force Museum files."  It is certain to be a very interesting event. 

_

*TAPS
*_
*Robert H. Lenhard*, 84, of Toms River, NJ passed away on Saturday, Oct. 
10, 2009 at his home. He was born in Ridgefield Park, NJ on June 2, 
1925. Mr. Lenhard was a veteran of World War II where he served with the 
8th Air Force in the 303rd Bomb Group. [427th BS David S. Donalson Crew 
Togglier]   He worked as a research chemist at American Cyanamid for 42 
years during which time he was granted several patents for his work.

*Mathias J. Kremer*, age 93, passed away on September 3, 2009 in New 
Brighton, MN.  He was born near Dent, MN in 1916.  He entered the U. S. 
Army Air Corps in 1942.  After training, he was assigned to the 358th 
Bomb Squadron, of the 303rd Bomb Group, Molesworth, England.  He flew in 
various aircraft after arriving in Molesworth:  Charlie Horse (9-23-43), 
Meat Hound (9-27-43), Stardust (10-8-43), Baltimore Bounce (10-9-43) and 
Joan of Arc (10-10-43 and 10-14-43).  His 6th mission was on Black 
Thursday; the Schweinfurt ball bearing plant mission.  His pilot was Lt. 
Roy Sanders.  The plane was hit prior to the actual bombing and Matt 
bailed out and landed near Sindringen, Germany.  He was taken to the POW 
hospital in Ludwigsburg (north of Stuttgart, Germany).  He was later 
transferred to a POW hospital near Meiningen, Germany.  In December 1944 
he was returned the United States in the repatriation of badly wounded 
POW's.  Matt returned to Minnesota and his wife and son on Valentine's 
Day, 1945.

Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.) *F.E. "Frank" Umphress Jr.*, 91, of Kerrville, 
Texas, passed from this life on Wednesday morning, Oct. 22, 2008, at a 
local care facility. . .  With the onset of World War II, he enlisted as 
an aviation cadet in the Army Air Corps and was commissioned as a 2nd 
Lieutenant before going to Europe, where he was assigned flying duties 
with the 8th Air Force. Just a few honors earned during his career 
included the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished 
Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster.  After the war, Frank held 
various Air Force staff positions stateside, in Europe and the Far East. 
His duties necessitated travels to various destinations, including 
Alaska, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia and 
practically all of Europe. He retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel 
in 1967 and has since taught Junior Air Force ROTC, and has also served 
as a substitute mail carrier with the United States Postal Service.
_*
*_
*Ronald J. Grunseth* passed away December 30, 2002.  He was the 
bombardier on the 360th BS John T. Williams Crew.

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Keeping the Legacy Alive,
Gary

-- 
___________
*Gary L. Moncur
**303rd Bomb Group Historian
[email-masked]
www.303rdBG.com

*

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