21- T/Sgt. Arthur Valleau, bombardier, given direct commission and appointed 2nd Lt., U.S. Army. Capt. Leon Lipkis administered oath of office.

29- Lt. Hoy Bonnett and crew seen to go down over target. Crew members with him were Lts. Clifton Freeman and J. L. Smith (combat camera unit), Sgts. James Ley, Kenneth Grothouse, John J. Smith, and George Luke.

March

20- Aircraft 951 lost over target as the result of a direct hit. Crew members included Lts. Carl Larson and Gibson Fahnestock, Sgts. William Hamilton, Julio Sanchez, Clarence Yingling, and Ed Jackson. Yingling was killed. (Lt. Fahnestock and Sgt. Hamilton became prisoners of war, while Lt. Larson and Sgts. Sanchez and Jackson later returned as evadees.)

29- Test of mobility of squadron as group changes station for one day. New station No. 166. Move considered successful.

April

8- Fair's leaves turn to silver.

22- Capt. Austin Jordan brought crippled ship back from France to bail out crew and headed back to sea. Neither Capt. Jordan or T /Sgt. John A. Cr jumped safely. Capt. Kenneth Harniman jumped over France, becoming prisoner of war.

24- Lts. Dick Leonard, Delos Boyer and Charles Spillner, and Sgts. Lee Hilden, Harold Archer, and Ken Carpenter became first crew in squadron to go be to States for 30 day operational leave.

May

20- Plane piloted by Lt. Alton Ottley returning from mission was seen to break in the air and crash. Others of the ill-fated crew were Lt. Robert Grosskopf, Sgts. John Anderson, Joe McDonald, James Bradford and Floyd Sapp.

25- Col. Fair crashed on return from night flight. Sgt. Francis Hart was killed, others in crew miraculously escaped. They were, besides Fair, Lt. Morton Dubelier, Sgts. Jack Wilson, Robert Bowie, and Paul Hillery.

30- Major George Simler took command of Squadron as Lt. Col. Fair moved to 9th Bomb Division.

June

4- "Impatient Virgin" (Robert J. Quinters, crew chief) completed its 100th successful combat mission.

6- D-Day-Squadron participated in four separate attacks giving direct support to invasion troops. Lts. W. L. Adams and Carl Steen, and Sgt. Curry Holland comprised a three man crew to complete one mission.

8- "Lil' Po'k Chop," ''Bluebeard 11" and "Clark's Little Pill" all completed 100th mission.

21-' 'Pickled-Dilly" completed 100th mission.

25- Buzz-bomb hit near end of runway. "Sarah E" completed 100th mission.

July

4- Doc Morton Cundiff killed on trip to Ireland.

8- Fatal night mission. Squadron lost four top crews headed by Major Simler, C.O. The list of crew members included: 1. Major George Simler, Capt. Harold Mecke, Lts. Charles Blight and Edward Moser, Sgts. George Hill, Robert Tipett and James Winstead. 2. Lts. Carson Gallien, Robert Schoonmaker and Roy Robertson, Sgts. Clair Wiseman, Harry Marson, Glendon Jenkins and Charles Snyder, 3. Lts. Claude Jones, Milfred Allen and Robert Silberman, Sgts. George Moon, Raymond Close and Jack Tolbert. 4. Lts. James Lemmond, Richard Colvin and Raymond Noeth, Sgts. Julius Toth, Robert Blackstone and Harold Vance. (The following men were later found to have been killed: Lts. Robertson, Jones, Allen, Silberman, Lemmond, Colvin, and Noeth, Sgts. Hill, Tippett, Winstead, Jenkins, Moon, Close, Tolbert, Toth, Blackstone, and Vance. The following men became prisoners of war: Lt. Gallien, Sgts. Wiseman, Marson, and Snyder. The following men later returned as evadees: Major Simler, Capt. Mecke, Lts. Blight, Moser, and Schoonmaker.)

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