Hopkins' Crew Portraits
late 1943 - March 1944
Rank and position below are as in the original Crew 65 list. However, in a few cases the positions on the photo reflect what was written on the back of the photo and these are noted. It is possible that positions changed throughout training for some crew. It is believed all these portraits were taken in Rapid City the same day, on the same couch, sometime between late 1943 to March 1944.
2nd Lt. Ed Jordan's portrait is missing from his own photo collection. However, it is possible these photos were taken before Ed arrived in February 1944 to replace the original Hopkins' co-pilot Steve Cullinan who had received his own crew.
These photos were taken from the Edward C. Jordan's 398th Photo CD. If you would like to add information about these photographs, please contact our Crew Photos Coordinator. Please mention the title and photograph date.
1st Lt. Robert L. Hopkins |
2nd Lt. Edward C. Jordan |
1st Lt. Anthony J. Jellen |
1st Lt. David B. Moore |
T/Sgt. Walter G. Armstrong |
T/Sgt. Raymond C. Gibeau |
S/Sgt. William J. Germiller |
S/Sgt. James F. Hochadel |
S/Sgt. Raymond A. Vicha |
S/Sgt. Roy E. Nutter |
1st Lt. Robert L. Hopkins, Pilot On August 8, 1944, 1st Lt. Robert L. Hopkins (P) was shot down flying the lead plane. He survived the bailout out and became a POW. |
2nd Lt. Edward C. Jordan, Co-Pilot Lt. Jordans photo is missing from this Crew 65 collection. It is possible the portraits were taken before he joined the crew in February or he put his photo elsewhere.Ed was promoted to 1st pilot on 1 July and 1st Lieutenant on 12 August 1944. He took over the former Scott/Spitzer crew on 1 August. |
1st Lt. Anthony J. Jellen, Navigator |
1st Lt. David B. Moore, Bombardier: His nickname was Whitey. |
T/Sgt. Walter G. Armstrong, Engineer: T/Sgt. Walter Armstrong was injured on the 6 May 1944 mission to Sottevast, France, the 398th first mission. He was awarded the Purple Heart on June 9. |
T/Sgt. Raymond C. Gibeau, Radio T/Sgt Raymond Gibeau survived a bailout on August 8, 1944 and became a POW. |
S/Sgt. William J. Germiller (Bill), Aft Gunner The official Crew 65 listing indicates Aft Gunner but Engineer is noted on back of Ed Jordan's photo. After T/Sgt. Walter Armstrong was injured on the 6 May mission to Sottevast, France.S/Sgt. William J. Germiller then took over as Engineer. Around May 23, Bill was promoted to T/Sgt. commensurate with the Engineer position. On August 8, 1944, T/Sgt. William J. Germiller (AG) survived a bailout and became a POW. |
S/Sgt. James F. Hochadel (Jimmy), 1st Gunner The official Crew 65 listing indicates 1st Gunner but Ball Turret is noted on back of Ed Jordan's photo. Perhaps they are the same position. S/Sgt. James F. Hochadel (1G) was killed in his chute on August 8, 1944. |
S/Sgt. Raymond A. Vicha, 3rd Gunner The official Crew 65 listing indicates 3rd Gunner but Tail Gunner is noted on back of Ed Jordan's photograph. |
S/Sgt. Roy E. Nutter, Waist Gunner S/Sgt. Sgt. Ray E. Nutter was not in the manifest for Crew 65 when it left for England. However, he trained with the Hopkins' Crew in Rapid City and then was "bumped" by Major Judson F. Gray, Squadron Commander, on the flight over.Sgt. Ray E. Nutter would likely have traveled to England by surface ship, the USS Wakefield in mid-April along with other that were bumped from other 398th crews. He then rejoined the Hopkins crew and flew with them as early as May 4, 1944. |