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WWII VETERAN'S STORIES (CONTINUED)
Sgt Dawson Kershaw
Dawson Kershaw
WANAQUE Dawson U. Ker-shaw, 78, of Haskell died Wednes-day.
Born in Marshalton, Pa., he lived in East Orange before mov-ing here 47 years
ago. Mr. Kershaw was a storekeeper at Public Ser vice Electric and Gas Co.,
Pomp-ton Lakes, for 30 years before retiring in 1982. He was a World War II Army
Air Forces veteran and flew 50 missions over Ger-many. He was a member of James
McCartney Post, Veterans of For-eign Wars, Wanaque.
Surviving are his wife, Sophie; three sons, Charles of Pompton Plains,
Pequannock, Theodore of Hewitt, West Milford, and Jamie of Wansque; a daughter,
Betay Arnoldi of Wanaque; two broth ers, David of Florida and Samuel of New
Jersey, three sisters, Ana of Arizona, Elizabeth and Mar garet; eight
grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Richards Funeral Home, 4 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Riverdale, is in charge of
arrange-ments.
Nov. 26, 1998
7 - Flew an orientation flight, a 125-mile flight over England. (2:45)
9 -
10 - Won about 25 pounds in a poker game with Erb and Lucas.
11 -
12 - Sent 250 home.
13 - Major Braaidon-Lapp and Loesch.
14 - Flew a diversion mission over the English Channel.
15 - Transferred from the 574th to the Pathfinder Squadron
(Provisional), stationed at Great Saling (D.S.).
New Crew: Lt. Aldous, Lt. Quick, Lt. Flake, 2nd Lt. Braverman, S/Sgt. Joe
Little, S/Sgt. Max Hawkes.
25 - Flew a local dry run. (1:30)
27 - Shot skeet, then left on a day pass. Spent the night in the ARC in Braintree with Joe Mar.
28 - Went to London, met Gray. Saw the show Strike a New Note starring Sid Field at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Piccadilly Circus. Stopped at the ARC at Rainbow Corner and spent the night in Romford. Remember F.
29 - Spent the day in Romford and the night at Matching Green. Saw Arrant and others.
Bedgood got hit with flak-Bad. Saw Higbee in Romford while on last pass. Told me Lt. Elrod was killed in crash landing. Heard later that Lt. Callison was sent home in a straight jacket because of it (False Rumor!)
22 - Monday May 22, 1944.** Number 4! Led 322nd over airport at Beaumont Le-Roger, France. No flak, no fighters no casualties-no nothing milk run beyond a doubt but that's for me. 4 x 600 lbs bombs
22 - Went over to Matching this evening to lead 391st in formation-flew for a hour. Saw Arrant, looking good. Saw Erb, Kazmirchuk, Geay, Holdridge, Miller, Turner, Mayes, Lightenham, about all. Bedgood is paralyzed they say.
23 - Lt. Aldous fifth mission yesterday. Lt. Flake got his fifth in today-flew with Capt Crain & crew. Alerted for 3 A.M
24 - Wednesday May 24, 1944. Number five-the air medal! 4 X 600 lbs bombs
Led 397th over St. Marie, France same as Monday milk rum. Lts. Quick, Brauerman - Joe Little, Max Hawkes and myself earned air medal today. Albous got his Monday. Flake yesterday.
25 - 2:10 on a local flight this morning checked out on bombing.
26 - Whole damn outfit was alerted for mission. Our crew was practically in the plane and ready to go but was scrubbed so we'll take off on 2 day pass to Romford.
19 - Up at 4 a.m. for mission (11 a.m.) scrubbed, alerted again this afternoon - scrubbed again. Can't see end of runway - can hardly see next tent. Orders to move came in today. Loading list for home goes in tomorrow. Hope to get on it but don't care if I don't.
20 - Up early again and scrubbed again. It's getting monotonous and besides we have to stop Jerry's push. If only the weather would clear!
21 - Another mission scrubbed. The others are getting ready to leave for home any day. If I don't get this one in, well -
22 - Brown off ops today.
23 - Off ops again today - maybe it's a good thing we were. The weather did finally clear - too much! 16 crews went out and it was rough - too rough! Lt. Garbisch (S/Sgt's Francis J Boyd E/G; Joseph H Shearon R/G; Roger J Roy A/G (ALL KIA)), Capt. Cox and Capt. Longworth are now listed as "missing in action." No word from them. Lt. Bartels cracked up at 323rd - Welborn, Ulery and Checkermain reported wounded. Capt. Jones cracked up landing here. Has seen the roughest bay the Pathfinders have ever known - first time we have lost a ship or crew member to enemy action - hope it's the last. All groups got hit bad - fighters and flak. Things are getting serious. Jerry is making a big push and throwing just about everything he has into it. Reports say he is using sulfuric acid gas (came in tonight). Had an air raid alert tonight, they say he is dropping paratroops all over France. The gang is supposed to leave in two days - Xmas Day! Glad to see them go, wish I were going with them. Might get my last one in tomorrow. Got my fingers crossed. Praying for a milk run. They went out again this afternoon, got plenty of flak but no fighters - must have been CAVU! Bad. Bartels was flying 583 - "Sleepy-Time Gal" - she has had it. Here's hoping all got out and landed safely. Hope Welborn, Ulery, and Checkermain are not hurt bad - goes for anyone else. May God give us the strength to finish this for good, soon.
24 - Alerted today but groups went out (visual) and we were all scrubbed. Don't know yet just how rough it was. Welborn got back today - he's okay. Ullery and Checkermain are doing okay too - stayed at hospital. "Sleepy-Time Gal" is a total washout - won't fly again. Estimated 300 holes in her - one 5 ft. by 3 ft. in wing.
Christmas Eve, 1944. (Lovely)
Alerted again this morning but groups went visual again. Saw two beautiful belly landings when 322nd came back. Saw two men bail out of second ship. Must have gotten lots of flak. Brown is O.D. tonight so we will undoubtedly be off ops tomorrow. Lovely, warm, sunny day today. Quite unlike Christmas. Capt. Aldous, Lt. Flake, Max, Joe, Bottle, Dutton and a few others including Lt. Hasey, Capt. Ostlind, Lt. Ross, McNally, Catalano & Dabkowski - leaving Lt. Quick and I. We hope to be going about Jan. 5.
26 - Off ops - took one roll of pics - Kennedy, Fleischman, Hass, Molly, Allen, Delarosa, Arnott, Robertson, Adkins and Boden and 3 of myself.
27 - Alerted but scrubbed.
28 - Ditto yesterday.
29 - Scrubbed again.
30 - Off ops.
31 - New Year's Eve! Celebrated with 4 drinks and spent evening at Red Cross Club listening to the Skyliners playing some good American music. Off ops again as Brown is at new base. No missions anyhow.
2 - Nothing cooking again today.
3 - Ditto. Our mail has arrived!! Got Jeanne's and Mom's package, two of Joe's and six letters.
4 - First snow I've seen (from the ground) this winter. Snowing when I got up and kept up at intervals. Didn't look pretty at all - melted and got mucky, muddy, and dirty.
5 - Nothing again. Welborn got No. 54 today - 52 for Ulery. I haven't even been off the ground for 18 days, supposed to go to new field tomorrow.
6 - Came to new field at St. Quentin (397) this afternoon. Flew over with Lt. Stone in AT-23. Rest of outfit is coming in tomorrow. Capt. Shirey cracked up 859 ("Yeah, It Is") on takeoff this morning - got out before it blew up. All got banged up a little, La Bahn pretty bad they say.
Pilots, crews and planes mentioned in diary
44-67881 1.PFF 23 Dec 44 shot down by fighters leading 397BG
1.Lt. Walter P. Garbisch P; 2.Lt Herman L Wolfe C/P; 1.Lt John R Berens N; 2.Lt
David B Lantz B; S/Sgt's Francis J Boyd E/G; Joseph H Shearon R/G; Roger J Roy
A/G. (all killed)
42-96223 1st.PFF "CHERE AMIE" (painted all over black)
21 Jun 44 to 23 Dec 44 shot down by fighters while leading 391st.BG,front of a/c
badly shot up.
Capt. Enoch G. Longsworth, 2.Lt Arthur E DeSaulniers, 1.Lt Phillip A Vogel; Capt
William G Wilson, T/Sgt George R Winston; S/Sgt Robert H Aley
(Longworth, Vogel, Wilson, DeSaulniers and Aley, kia; Winston badly wounded but
survived as POW)
42-95859 1st.PFF "YEAH, IT IS"
22 May 44 to 6 Jan 45 engine failure on take off crash-landed at A-61, salvaged
7 Jan 45. Gerald W Shirey, pilot.
42-107583 344BG 495BS "SLEEPY TIME GAL"
transferred to 1.PFF without flying a combat mission with 344th.BG
1.PFF "SLEEPY TIME GAL"
Codes IH-E issued but never applied to plane
20 Apr 44 to 23 Dec 44 severely damaged by fighters, all gunners wounded,300
holes in aircraft, right throttle shot wide open, airspeed out, electric trim
out hydraulics shot out 5ft long x 2.5" wide hole in left wing. No brakes on
landing at A-69 ran off end of runway into field, nose wheel collapsed. Salvaged
1.Lts.Dale R. Bartels P; Ray B Field C/P; Bill Carls; Leonard Levin; S/Sgt's
Curtis G Welborn; Gene Checkemain; Carl Ulery
42-95878 344BG WEARY LERA
to 22 May 44 transferred to
1st.PFF WEARY LERA
22 May 44 to 23 Dec 44 while leading the 322nd BG damaged by fighters on return
shot down by flak right engine on fire crashed in flames on the Ringhuscheid,
Germany, three bailed out, two did not reach the ground alive.
Capt. Wilbur G. Cox P; 2.Lt Daniel P Winegar, Jr C/P; 1.Lt Ernest E Todd, Snr N;
T/Sgt's Ira L Mooney E/G; Salvatore A Viz R/G; S/Sgt Charles J Bohm A/G. (Bohm
POW, rest of crew KIA)
42-95933 1st.PFF "HILLMAN HELLCAT "
22 May 44 to 2 Mar 45 attacked by two Fw190D's, first attack destroyed right
engine which burst into flames. Lurched out of formation, radio/gunner bailed
out after attack. Plane dropped 333ft, turned westward to reach bomb line. fire
increased in intensity, bail out bell rung, crew bailed out, plane crashed,
burned.
Capt. Paul H. Jones; 2.Lt Robert L Richmond; 1.Lt John M LeBoeuf; 2.Lt Wendel L
Hoenshel; S/Sgt William D DeCew; T/Sgt Henry M Isenberg; S/Sgt Robert H Folsom.
(All MIA)
December 1944. The cold was relentless, but it was nothing
compared to the waiting. Each morning brought the same drill - up early,
briefings, preparations - only for the missions to be scrubbed. The weather
refused to cooperate, a thick fog smothering the airfield, making it impossible
to see the end of the runway, let alone fly. Orders had come down. The list for
home would be finalized soon. Maybe he'd make it. Maybe he wouldn't. At this
point, he wasn't sure if he cared.
On the 23rd, the skies finally cleared - too much. The squadrons went up, but
Jerry was waiting. Fighters and flak tore into the formations. They lost sixteen
crews that day. Lt. Garbisch, Capt. Cox, Capt. Longworth - gone. Lt. Bartels
barely made it back, his plane riddled with 300 holes, barely holding together
as it skidded off the runway. The Pathfinders had never seen a day like this
before. It was the first time they'd lost men directly to enemy fire. It
wouldn't be the last. That night, news spread - reports of German paratroopers
dropping all over France, sulfuric acid gas being used. The war was changing.
The enemy was desperate, and desperate men were dangerous.
Christmas Eve arrived, hollow and quiet. No missions. The lucky ones who had
survived the previous day were in the hospital, nursing wounds. "Sleepy-Time
Gal" was done for - never to fly again. Christmas Day was no different. Another
alert, another visual run. He watched from the ground as two planes from the
322nd attempted belly landings, their crews scrambling to get out. Two men
bailed from a second aircraft. Plenty of flak, but no fighters. It was a warm
day, sunny. It didn't feel like Christmas.
The new year approached, bringing no relief. Scrubbed missions, down time,
waiting. News came - Lucas had finished his last mission. He was going home. Ulery
was out of the hospital. Mail finally arrived. Jeanne's package. Mom's. Letters
from Joe. Small comforts in a war where each day felt like an eternity. The
first snow of the season fell on January 4th. It should have been beautiful, but
all it did was turn the airfield into a muddy, slushy mess.
By January 6th, it was time to move. He flew to a new field in St. Quentin,
taking a ride with Lt. Stone. The rest of the outfit would follow soon. That
morning, Capt. Shirey's plane, "Yeah, It Is," never made it. Engine failure on
takeoff, a crash landing. Everyone got out, but they were banged up bad. La Bahn
took the worst of it.
And so it went. Each day, the same waiting game. Each mission, the same
hope - that it would be an easy one, that they'd all come back. But the war wasn't
over yet. The sky was still a battleground, and tomorrow was always uncertain.
Mission Date: December 24, 1943
Source Order: SO-345
Order Date: 12/24/1943
Headquarters: Godman Field, KY
An anonymous contributor at the 1996 reunion, whose handwriting was uncertain, supplied the navigator, bombardier, and tail gunner's names, as well as the aircraft name, Sleepy Time Gal (42-95838). He also indicated that Max Hawkes became the radio gunner. Hawkes was previously on the crew of Lloyd Stanfield.
Only the pilot (P), copilot (CP), flight engineer (FE), and radio gunner (RG) flew over.
A list of airplane incidents records the aircraft name as Calamity Lou.
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