B-17F-30-VE"Piccadilly Lily", 42-5864
B-17F-30-VE"Piccadilly Lily", 42-5864
Lost on October 8, 1943
[photo from 100th BG.]Original 100th BG by James R. Brown
Crew #22
A/C #42-5864 "Piccadilly Lily"
Original Crew
1st Lt Thomas E. Murphy P KIA 8-Oct-43 Bremen
2nd Lt Marshall F. Lee CP/BT KIA 8-Oct-43 Bremen
2nd Lt Charles C. Sarabun N POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
2nd Lt Floyd C. Peterson B POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
T/Sgt John J. Ehlen E POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
S/Sgt Albert C. Davis WG CPT
Sgt Emmett H. Evans R CPT
S/Sgt Cleveland D. Jarvis BT Transferred to Armament July 1943
S/Sgt Michael Rotz WG POW
S/Sgt Gerald O. Robinson TG POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
Replacement
T/Sgt Derrell C. Piel R KIA 8-Oct-43 Bremen
S/Sgt Elder D. Dickerson WG KIA 8-Oct-43 Bremen
Reed Hufford BT POW 8-Oct-43 Bremen
S/Sgt. Aaron A. David WG KIA 8-Oct-43 Bremen
Captain Alvin L. Barker CP KIA 8-Oct-43 Bremen
A few days before this October 8th mission, Al Davis and Emmett Evans had finished their tour of 25 missions and were replaced on this mission by Derrell Piel, the radio operator of Crew #26, and Elder Dickerson, the regular waist gunner of Crew #25, both of whom were killed by flak. For Piel, who had lost his crew on 3 September, this was about the sixteenth mission and for Dickerson, whose crew had finished its 25 missions, it was the 25th.
Cleveland Jarvis had gone AWOL on 15 July and was in the Brig for a time. When released he was transferred to Armament and replaced on the crew by Reed Hufford. Hufford bailed out and was taken prisoner.
Michael Rotz had been injured in a truck/jeep accident in June and was hospitalized for a month or so. His place on the crew was taken by S/Sgt. Aaron A. David. There is some confusion as to whether David jumped without a chute or whether he was blown out of the aircraft and his chute failed to open. After release from POW camp, Robinson stated, "I was in a truck in Bremen that night when the Germans picked up quite a few dead Americans. Can't say for sure, but believe Sgt. David was one of them."
This crew led the 100th on the mission and Captain Alvin L. Barker, at that time 351st Squadron Operations Officer, flew in the left hand seat. Marshall Lee flew as the ball turret man to better observe the formation and report to Murphy and Barker. Lee apparently was killed after leaving the ball turret to go to the aid of the pilot and co pilot.
A minute or two after bomb release, the ship was hit by flak which damaged the navigator's compartment and caused fire in #3 engine and failure of oxygen system. "The ship went into a steep dive and exploded four chutes were seen."
On 15 October at the Post cemetery, Wesermuende, Germany, the remains of Murphy, Barker, Lee, Piel and Dickerson were interred in graves 103 through 107.
Source : 100th Bomb Group Foundation
Capt. Ev Blakely - Gp. Lead -- Bremen
Oct 8, 1943 (Bremen)
Group alerted early evening of the 7th - scrubbed soon afterwards - enemy bombed between Bungay and Nowich around 2200 hours. Lots of Ack Ack visible. There were a dozen or so planes reported shot down in the vicinity of our base, some in flames. Early radio reports stated 175 planes over England during the night.
At 0500 hours the group alerted for Bremen with take-off time set for 1145 hours. Two other big missions on with B-24's also with Bremen as their target.
Radio reported that the 100th bombed the primary at 1520 hours.
Group returned at 1700 hours - missing seven (7) planes and crews.
Major Cleven with DeMarco missing; Nash, Meadow, McDonald, Gormley, Murphy in the famed Piccadily Lily; and Becktoft
were also missing. Colonel Kidd and Blakely crashed landed near Norwich after a historic air battle all the way home from Bremen. Two crewmen were severely wounded - they claimed 12 fighters and were allowed nine.
October 8, 1943 1130 taxi time of the first aircraft
25864
Capt Thomas E. Murphy
8 OCT 43 BREMEN MISSION CHRONOLOGY 1130 100Th leaves the english coast 1453
100th crossed european coast 10 miles nnw of groningen;
aggressive fighter attacks begin1515 100TH reaches the initial point 1521
25864 EP-A PICCADILLY LILY Dropped bombs on the target 1521 Group becomes disorganized 25864
EP-A
PICCADILLY LILY
Left formation with No# 3 engine on fire and exploded, resulting in the death of six (6) of the eleven(11) crew members, while the other five (5) were captured.
serial number
plane type / name
squadron
code
reason
mission
lost onpilot / crew
42-5864
Boeing B-17F-30-VE "Picadilly Lily"
100 BG
351 BSEP-A
flak
N°#3 engine on fire then exploded
15h21Bremen
Crash Location
Breme
415 G101st Lt Thomas E. Murphy P KIA
Captain Alvin L. Barker CP KIA
2nd Lt Marshall F. Lee CP/BT KIA
2nd Lt Charles C. Sarabun N POW
2nd Lt Floyd C. Peterson B POW
T/Sgt John J. Ehlen E POW
S/Sgt Gerald O Robinson TG POW
T/Sgt Derrell C. Piel R KIA
S/Sgt Elder D. Dickerson WG KIA
Reed Hufford BT POW
S/Sgt. Aaron A. David WG KIA
6KIA, 5POW,
MACR 948
