603rd Squadron History
July 1944
As follows is a transcript of the monthly report from the 603rd Squadron to the 1st Bombardment Division. Many names are mentioned in the report. You may wish to use your web browser's Find Command to search for a particular individual. If you are unsure about the spelling, try the first few letters.
Eighth Air Force
1st Bombardment Division
1st Combat Bombardment Wing (H)
398th Bombardment Group (H)
603rd Bombardment Squadron (H)
July 1944
_________
Eighth Air Force
1st Bombardment Division
398th Bombardment Group (H)
Period Covered from July 1, 1944 to July 31, 1944
Prepared by
David M. Hall, 1st Lt., A.C.
Squadron History
603rd Bombardment Squadron (H)
July 1, 1944
1st Lt. Stephen F. Cullinan and 1st Lt. Victor E. Stoll were appointed Squadron Flight Commanders.
July 2, 1944
1st Lt. William F. Scott became Squadron Gunnery Officer and Assistant Operations Officer.
July 4, 1944
Target: Tours, France
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
July 6, 1944
Captain James G. Davidson, Jr., Squadron Operations Officer led one of the Groups to Cuachie D’ Ecques, France.
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
July 7, 1944
Target: Leipzig, Germany
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
2nd Lt. Boyd A. Nisewenger and his crew were hit by flak over the target area and are reported missing in action.
The members of the crew were:
| Name | Rank | Position | Home Address | |
| 1 | Nisewonger, Boyd A. | 2nd Lt. | Pilot | 325 S. Fourth Street, Clearfield, Pennsylvania |
| 2 | Becker, Max N. | 2nd Lt. | Co-Pilot | 829N. Birch Street, Santa Ana, California |
| 3 | MacFerran, William S. | 2nd Lt. | Navigator | 1611 Jewell, Topeka, Kansas |
| 4 | Ebert, Lloyd M. | 2nd Lt. | Bombardier | 715 – 15th Street, Sacramento, California |
| 5 | Green, Sam B. | Sgt. | Radio Operator/ Gunner | Route 7, Paris, Texas |
| 6 | Caster, William I. | S/Sgt. | Engineer/ Top Turret Gunner | Tatum, New Mexico |
| 7 | Robins, Charles W. | Sgt. | Ball Turret Gunner | Box 35, R.F.D. #1, Layton, Utah |
| 8 | Englehardt | William H, Sgt. | Right Waist Gunner | 659 Means Avenue, Bellevue, Pennsylvania |
| 9 | Wilson, William J. | Sgt. | Tail Gunner | 783 Montgomery Street, Knoxville, Iowa |
Editor’s Notes
- Sgt. William H. Englehardt, Sgt. William J. Wilson were killed in action. The other 7 men became Prisoners of War.
- Julius Gurney, Jr., Bombardier,
- Walter F. Marsh, Bombardier,
- Jack R. Moskewitz, Bombardier, and
- Henry Timbrook, Jr., Navigator
were promoted from Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant.
July 8, 1944
Captain Meyer C. Wagner, Jr., Squadron C.O. led one of the Groups to Humieres-Fresnoy, France.
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
July 9, 1944
Captain Meyer C. Wagner, Jr., Squadron C.O. led the entire 398th Group to Humieres, France.
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
July 10, 1944
Harvey H. Latson, Jr. was promoted from First Lieutenant to Captain. He is a West Point graduate and one of the Flight Commanders.
July 11, 1944
Target: Munich, Germany
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
July 12, 1944
Target: Munich, Germany
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
July 13, 1944
Captain James Davidson, Jr. Squadron Operations Officer led one of the Groups to Munich, Germany.
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
The Squadron lost a very fine pilot - 1st Lt. T.K. Foster and his crew over Brussels, Belgium en-route to the target. The men are missing in action as a result of flak.
The members of the crew were:
| Name | Rank | Position | Home Address | |
| 1 | Foster, Thomas K. | 1st Lt. | Pilot | R.R. #10 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 2 | West, Theodore N. | 2nd Lt. | Co-Pilot | 5415 Meridian Avenue, Seattle, Washington |
| 3 | Wallace, Raymond L. | 2nd Lt. | Navigator | 914 W. 68th Street, Chicago, Illinois |
| 4 | Bryan, Clifford Z. | 2nd Lt. | Bombardier | Route 5, Morristown, Tennessee |
| 5 | Bringle, Ray D. | T/Sgt. | Engineer/ Top Turret Gunner | 621 Middlebury Street, Elkhart, Indiana |
| 6 | Gruette, Gerald O. | T/Sgt. | Radio Operator/ Gunner | Mound, Minnesota |
| 7 | Tuttle, Francis M. | S/Sgt. | Right Waist Gunner | Corydon, Iowa |
| 8 | Cropp, Charles E. | S/Sgt. | Ball Turret, Gunner | 347 S. 1st Street, Lincoln, Nebraska |
| 9 | Brown, Loren C. | S/Sgt. | Tail Gunner | 736 Washington Street, Traverse City, Michigan |
Editor’s Notes
- All 9 men were killed in action.
July 15, 1944
1st Lt. Eugene L. Stevens, Bombardier was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in London as a result of buzz bombs. (General Order 173, Paragraph 2).
July 16, 1944
Target: Munich, Germany
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
1st Lt. Gallagher and his crew are reported missing in action over the target.
The members of the crew were:
| Name | Rank | Position | Home Address | |
| 1 | Gallagher, Raymond J. | 1st Lt. | Pilot | 830 Darien Way, San Francisco, California |
| 2 | Castleman, Jr. Harry L. | 1st Lt. | Co-Pilot | 1320 E. Moreland Street, Phoenix, Arizona |
| 3 | Berry, William C. | 2nd Lt | Navigator | 2102 Howell Avenue, Dayton, Ohio |
| 4 | Davis, Wendell P. | 2nd Lt | Bombardier | Latham, Kansas |
| 5 | Skeem, Ario J. | T/Sgt. | Radio Operator/ Gunner | Oasis, Utah |
| 6 | Sudduth, Robert C. | T/Sgt. | Engineer/ Top Turret Gunner | 2040 So. State Street, Springfield, Illinois |
| 7 | Warkentin, R.C. | S/Sgt. | Ball Turret Gunner | 96 August Avenue, Reedley, California |
| 8 | Fels, Robert J. | S/Sgt. | Right Waist Gunner | 404 East 23rd Street, New York City, N.Y. |
| 9 | McLean, Charles B | S/Sgt. | Tail Gunner | Jasper, Alaska |
Editor’s Notes
- S/Sgt. Charles B. McLean, Tail Gunner and S/Sgt. R.C. Warkentin, Ball Turret Gunner were killed in action.
- The remaining 7 men became Prisoners of War.
July 18, 1944
Target: Peenemunde, Germany
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
July 19, 1944
Captain Robert Hopkins, Squadron Flight Commander led one of the Groups to Lechfeld, Germany.
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
1st Lieutenant Jack C. Novak, West Point graduate was made a Squadron Flight Commander.
July 20, 1944
1st Lt. Victor E. Stoll with Colonel Frank P. Hunter Jr., Group C.O led the entire Group to Dessau, Germany
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
July 24, 1944
Target: St. Lo, France
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
July 25, 1944
Captain James G. Davison, Jr., Squadron Operations Officer led one of the groups to St. Lo, France.
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
Effective today according to a Special Order, WOJG, Frank G. Kinozler is the Squadron Assistant Adjutant (in addition to his other duties as a Mess Officer) and 2nd Lt. Irwin Conen is the Squadron Transportation and Supply Officer.
Editor’s Note
- It was very difficult to read the string of letters contained within “….Special Order, WOJG, Frank….” after “Order” and before “Frank.” There was definitely a comma after “Order” and before “Frank.” There is more confidence in the letters “JG” and less in “WO”. It was unusual that there was no rank shown before the name Frank.
July 28, 1944
1st Lt. Wilbur S. Dwyer and crew were hit by flak at Sondershausen, Germany on the way to the target: Luena, Germany. The crew is missing in action.
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
The members of the crew were:
| Name | Rank | Position | Home Address | |
| 1 | Dwyer, Wilbur S. | 1st Lt. | Pilot | 328 E. 31st Street, Kansas City, Missouri |
| 2 | Williams, Claude A. | 2nd Lt. | Co-Pilot | 1149 – 16th Avenue No. So., St. Paul, Minnesota |
| 3 | Mutz, Joseph H. | 2nd Lt. | Navigator | 9027 Addison Street, Metairie, Louisanna |
| 4 | Woolley, R.A. | 2nd Lt. | Bombardier | 2419 Olive Street, Huntington Park, California |
| 5 | Zoldy, Jr., Eugene T. | T/Sgt. | Radio Operator/ Top Gunner | 243 Howard Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| 6 | Boersma, Ted | T/Sgt. | Engineer/ Top Turret Gunner | Blue Island, Illinois |
| 7 | Hovey, Richard N. | S/Sgt. | Ball Turret Gunner | 2509 Olive Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa |
| 8 | Ford, Leon W. | S/Sgt. | Left Waist Gunner | 56 Boylston Street, Cambridge, Mass. |
| 9 | Harrington, Robert E. | S/Sgt. | Tail Gunner | 149 Grand Street, Schoharie, New York |
Editor’s Notes
- Our records show 7 men became Prisoners of War.
- Two men, T/Sgt. Eugene T. Zoldy, Radio Operator and S/Sgt. Leon W. Ford, Left Waist Gunner are on neither our POW list nor KIA lists. It is possible that they escaped.
July 29, 1944
Target: Luena, Germany [official target was Merseburg]
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]
Stephen Cullinan and Victor Stoll were notified today of their promotion from 1st Lieutenant to Captain.
July 31, 1944
The 398th Group today flew its 17th mission of the month to Munich, Germany.
See attached loading list. [Not transcribed at this time.]