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		Search For: Messages DATE POSTED 2012-01-21 10:07:42 TITLE 30 November 1944 Merseberg mission POSTED BY Loren Douglas Meigide COMMENTS My uncle (and namesake) was the pilot of the B-17 'Mis behavin' on that mission over Merseberg. Since getting my hands on the MACRS report a few years ago, I read over and over the harrowing story about keeping the plane aloft after getting 2(3) of the 4 engines knocked out by flak, and several of the crew making it out of the plane. (The account I read said that a 3rd engine was out by the time Lt Meigide gave the order to abandon ship near Kessel.) An amazing story indeed; one of thousands these guys went through that people may never know. I have often wondered whether I could run across any survivors from the crew or their descendants, so I am glad to see Mr. Standard's post here to know there are others like me, who with the help of an organization like the 390th museum can ensure these heroes will not be forgotten. I plan on bringing my Dad, Norman Meigide to the reunion in March. He is Douglas' little brother, now just turned 80. He was 13 when his brothers plane went down, but for most of his life had to just wonder about what really happened, until I was able to get the report. I hope we can find out more, and maybe a way to reach out to others who knew these guys. DATE POSTED 2012-01-17 01:47:47 TITLE eywtreer POSTED BY yytioite COMMENTS Very nice site! DATE POSTED 2012-01-07 16:37:18 TITLE 30-Nov-44 Merseburg Mission POSTED BY Joseph Standard COMMENTS My father Joseph Standard was the bombardier on the Msbehavin when it was shot down on the Merseburg mission. He told me they took a flak hit which took out two of the engines and the plane started down. The Pilot Douglas Meigide & Co Pilot Pat Condon pulled the plane out of the dive somehow and they started heading back to the west. While they were falling in the dive the pilot told everyone to put on their chutes and my father said that he was bouncing around in the nose so bad that he could hardly get his chest chute on. AFter the pilot and co-pilot pulled the ship out of the dive my father looked down at his chute and relaized that he had put it on upside down so had they had to jump at that time he would have been in one hell of a mess. As they were flying west they were throughing everything that was not tied down out the windows trying to lightin the load but the plane kept losing altitude. The pilot told my dad and the Navigator John Kaufmann to get everyone out of the plane while they were still high enough to bail out. As they were getting closer to the ground there were clouds and the plane went into the clouds so they could not see the ground. All crew members were out of the plane except for my father, John Kaufmann, Pat Condon & Douglas Meigide. Knowing they were very low my father shook hands with John Kaufmann and they said they would see each other on the ground. My father steped out of the plane and pulled his chute at the same time. The chute opened, he swang up and when he swang back down he hit the ground. The Pilot Douglas Meigide, CoPilot Pat Condon and Navigator John Kaufmann never had a chance to get out of the plane as it crashed. Before my dad got his chute off the local Germans ran up and caught him and a officer came up and kicked my father in the ass. My father tried his best to hit the officer but a couple of other Germans stopped him. He told me he figures had the other soldiers had not stopped him the officer would have very likely shot him on the spot. But as luck would have it they did stop him. He was rejoined with three other memebers of his crew George Hartman (Tail Gunner), Frank Hudson(Eng. & top turret) and Ervin Sabel(waist gunner) and they were sent to a POW camp or camps for the remainder of the war. My father was told by one of the other crew members that Ball Turret gunner Dulanne Gunn's shut never opened and Radio operator Forest Petterson was shot by the Germans after he got on the ground. DATE POSTED 2011-12-29 12:45:06 TITLE Gone To Heaven POSTED BY gwood4848 COMMENTS My father-in-law, Burt Lewis, told me this story years ago: Burt was a bomb/nav with the 569th BS, and manning the B-17 nose gun enroute to their German target. He was firing at an attacking ME-109 when a bullet or shrapnel penetrated the nose and exploded a fire bottle hanging on the bulkhead right behind him. He said that with the shock of the noise, blast of air, and the exploding fire bottle he was quite disoriented to say the least...however, when the fire bottle blew whatever the white contents of the bottle was, it sprayed all over his goggles and filled the area with white mist/powder...all he could see was white--he was sure that he was in heaven, and thought to himself in those brief seconds..."so this is what heaven looks like".... Burt will be 92 10 March...he still gets around well, has poor hearing, his eye sight has been surgically improved, he's still a gentleman of gentlemen, but unfortunately the last few years have nearly erased his memory of his Air Force career...I'll miss hearing that story from him, but 5 years ago I brought the movie Memphis Belle to him and with my then 16 year old son, his grandson, he was able at that time to bring to life many memories of those horrible missions over Germany...maybe not such a bad thing for him to forget. DATE POSTED 2011-12-09 13:26:54 TITLE Edwin H. Leonard POSTED BY albert COMMENTS I am 77 years old and wanting to find out more about my older brother who died on November 30, 1943 when his plane went down in Germany on a mission to Solingen. This website has been helpful. DATE POSTED 2011-12-07 10:56:06 TITLE lady velma POSTED BY eric stoel COMMENTS Willard W Kast mit crew . 14 marz 1945 Fotoblad ?? DATE POSTED 2011-08-15 13:46:56 TITLE Edwin Frances Lucey 390th 570 Bomb Squadron POSTED BY Jim Zaveski COMMENTS Looking for stories, info, pictures of my grandfather Edwin F. Lucey was in communications and a waist gunner. Please send to DrJimmyZ@live.com Thank you DATE POSTED 2011-07-24 18:32:22 TITLE May 28, 1944 POSTED BY Beverlyrutledge COMMENTS The Devil's Aces -- with a crew from the 570th stationed at Framlingham UK -- went down on May 28th, 1944. Three members of the crew -- Wicker, Cosgrove and Buntin, became POW's. the rest of the crew was killed. Fast forward several years and a young woman who was born on that fatal day "adopted" one of the grave sites in the American Cemetery at Margarten the Netherlands. For many years she has devotedly put flowers on the site and tended it. Now she would like to put a "face" on the name. She has contacted many people over the years---so far to no avail. Does anyone know anything at all about ARNOLD McKEE and / or JAMES J LEWIS??? If so, please contact me at gammyrutledge@gmail.com Thank you! DATE POSTED 2011-07-08 09:37:02 TITLE Lt. Joseph Urban, Jr. POSTED BY pipkins COMMENTS My dad was Lt. Joe Urban, Jr. He was a bombardier/sometimes navigator with the 390th BG, 568th sq. He flew on 30 missions with the 1st being Christmas Day 12/25/44-Morscheid Bridge, Germany & the last being 5/45 the "Chow Hound" runs - dropping food supplies to the starving Dutch. I have preserved two scrapbooks his family kept of him & just finished typing out nearly 100 letters - enjoyed this so much. So proud of dad & all the brave military of the 390th & the "Mighty Eighth"! DATE POSTED 2011-06-26 19:54:29 TITLE Son of Bill Lee POSTED BY Brewster Lee COMMENTS My father, Bill Lee, was in the 390th, 570th squadron. I would love to hear from anyone who has any recollection of my father. DATE POSTED 2011-03-01 14:24:28 TITLE Relative POSTED BY Diane Young COMMENTS Does anyone have any information about Robert W. Wilson, Waist Gunner, Crew 66 or 72? Thank you. DATE POSTED 2010-10-26 16:10:57 TITLE b-17 g 43-38600 POSTED BY Lidia Okopna COMMENTS am from poland.in my country died leslie c. chavet 18 march 1945.have you information abaute this men and b-17 g 43-38600. my contakt: l.okopna@wp.pl Lidia Okopna DATE POSTED 2009-07-24 10:30:48 TITLE B-17's 42-107070 "North Star" and 2-97983. POSTED BY frank COMMENTS I'm looking for information and photo's of this two aircraft's which are collided here over Hoorn, Holland 07 July 1944. Maybe can help me on some new information and "Hopefull" on some photo's of the two plane's. Thank you for your help. Kind regards, Frank Leek, Holland. DATE POSTED 2008-04-09 17:02:13 TITLE Welcome to 390th Generations POSTED BY neil COMMENTS Hello, and welcome to 390th generations. As the son of a member of the 570th Bomb Squadron, I created this site to help others research information on their friends and family, and fellow 390th members. My Father, George Steiner, passed away in 2004. As a child, he used to tell us stories of their missions, and his crew members. Names like "Fred Denne" and "Spangler" were common to myself and my brothers, and we always had the favorite stories we liked to hear. My dad had two photos that were taken from his B-17 while in flight, and I have posted them on this site. I also posted his service pictures, and one of his crew members in Crew 53. My goal is to make this site a place where you can collect memories. I've tried to make it search and share friendly. My goal is to notify members of this site when information is posted that they are interested in. That way you only have to visit the site when new information is posted, and you don't have to spend hours searching poring through postings, searching for a specific name, or aircraft. If you have any comments or requests, please join, and post a message to this board. Thanks, Neil Steiner

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