Here's a list of the fellows on my crew in the ETO

 

Pilot: Capt. James H. Doolittle Jr (transferred in early spring of "45". and replaced by: Lt. Hershal Wilson.).

Co-Pilot: (unknown)

Bombardier: Lt. E.E. Basco

Engineer: S /Sgt. Tony Detizio

Radio-Gunner: T/Sgt. Paul P. Jorgensen

Armorer-Gunner: S/Sgt. Vince Bowen

 

We flew together from Sept. 1944 to March 25, 1945, when we received flak damage to "Little Pink Panties" That ruptured our hydraulic lines to our landing gear, causing them to collapse on landing, after we had lowered them by cranking them down, and the instrument lights showed them down and locked, thus putting the plane out of commission. Then Lt. Wilson and I were given the A-26 Invader to fly the rest of the war out, while the others on the crew were transferred to a unit the still flew the B-26 Marauder
 

I flew with the 573rd, Bomb Squadron, 391st Bomb Group, from Sept.1944, thru the rest of the war, May, 1945, and stayed with the outfit on A-26 Invaders thru the summer training to go to the Pacific, but was transferred to a B-26 outfit in Belgium, when they started discharging guys on the Point system, to await my discharge order, and send me home.

 

My pilot after Capt. James Doolittle, Jr. left, in the spring of 1945, was Lt. Hershal Wilson, and we flew the rest of the war out together, after we crash landed Little Pink panties on March 25, 1945, due to flak damage to our hydraulic system, and we went over from Marauder, to the Invader plane.

 

Lt Dunns plane received a direct hit with an 88 mm. but flew back and landed at our field, on Dec 2, 1944, with a large hole just aft of the wing, The planes # was, 43-34165 T6-H.

 

Little Pink Panties, was #42-107841 T6-A. and Lt. Wilson was our pilot, and we got flak damage on March 25, 1945, and crash landed, and that was her last flight.

 

Lt. Dunn's plane was the one that I was photographed with by the man from the planes maker, standing in the hole blown by the shell, with my arms stretched out sideways from front to rear of plane.

 

Also the squadron photographer took a photo of little pink panties. after we crashed, and he gave me one that I have misplaced since.

 

The one with the A-26, was taken a couple of years after the war, where Wilson lives,
and he was active reserve, his wife, him and me.

After the war ended, Wilson and I flew down the Rhine river as far as Remagen,
and took a few pictures, like of a bridge, and I believe the one of the City, was Cologne.