USAAF WORLD WAR II
Pilot 1st/Lt. Richard E. Harleman MIA/KIA
Hometown: Lehighton, Pennsylvania
Squadron: 66th 44th Bomb Group
Service# 0-799767
Awards: Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
MACR #3590
Target: Airdrome, Mont-de-Marsan, France
Mission Date: 27-Mar-44
Serial Number: #42-109836
Aircraft Model B-24
Aircraft Letter:
Aircraft Name:
Location:
Cause: FLAK
Crew of 10 5MIA/KIA 4POW 1liberated
This target, almost on the Spanish border, was one of the longest flights for the 44th BG out of England. Stationed at this air base were long-range reconnaissance German aircraft. The airdrome was hit visually with good results. Two aircraft were lost, one each by the 66th and the 67th Squadrons.
1st Lt. Richard E. Harleman was the pilot on this 66th Sq. aircraft, which was damaged by flak over the target. The MACR for this aircraft states in part, “Moderate accurate gunfire was encountered at Mont De Marsan and several aircraft were damaged. #836 left the formation at 1438, just after bombing, one engine hit by flak and losing altitude, but under control. Was last seen headed for Spain.” It did not reach that neutral country, but came very close to it. Left Waist gunner Joseph G. Benoit filled in the missing pieces, “Seconds after we dropped the bombs, the plane was hit by flak. The right wing had a big hole just aft of the #4 engine that caused this engine to backfire and the prop began windmilling. It hit the fuel cells, too, and we were losing gas. “We could not keep up with the formation, therefore, we decided to go to Spain. The pilot decided that we should hit the deck and take our chances with ground artillery rather than be shot down by enemy aircraft at higher altitude. “As we approached the French coast, we were fired on by machine guns and small arms along the beach. The plane caught fire in the bomb bay area and that halted all hopes of making it to Spain. We ditched about one mile from shore. The plane broke at the waist windows when we hit the water, and the four of us standing in the waist section were thrown into the water. These were John Petricevich, James Crane, Lee Fields and myself. “When I could see again, bombardier Paul Baum was out of the nose section and swimming near me, but he soon sank and I never saw him again. The Germans picked up his body the next day, and I was told that he had bullet holes in him – seven of them, as I remember it. “The four of us were picked up by a Frenchman and his young son who had been fishing nearby. John Petricevich had a cut over his eye; Lee Fields was badly burned; James Crane had a crushed forehead, and I had a broken left leg at the knee, light burns on my hands and face, and a cut on the back of my head. “We four were taken to a hospital in town, can’t remember the name, but was in the area of Bayonne and very near to the French border [with Spain]. I remember that Crane was in the operating room for at least three hours while the doctors were removing pieces of shattered bone from his brain. “The next day John Petricevick was sent to a POW camp in Germany. Three or four days later I went by train with German guards to a hospital in the heart of Paris – it was a Catholic hospital. A young German doctor put my leg in a cast; then later I was sent to a hospital in Obermassfeld, then to another in Meinigen, Germany. “Five months later I was sent to Stalag Luft IV until the Russians got close; then to Stalag Luft 1. John and I were in the same camp together, but in different compounds. It seems to me that I saw Lee at a hospital waiting to be repatriated to the States, and that is the last I saw or heard from him. (He was never listed as a POW but was repatriated). “Lts. Harleman, Johnson, Cobane and Sgts. Lawyer and Wood never got out of the plane after ditching and went down with it. Harleman, Cobane, Baum and Fields were not members of my regular crew, but were replacements for Roy Jorgenson, James Lidell and Fred Gatens who had been shot down earlier when flying as replacements. Sidney Hawkins also had been lost. “The plane had no name and was a new one, this being its first and only mission.” Joe Benoit provided additional information on Lee Fields’ injuries: “He had both legs broken; one was a multiple break with some bones crushed. He also had facial burns. He was transferred to a hospital in Paris where doctors worked for months to save his leg. He was not repatriated, but was left in Paris and liberated by our troops during the Paris takeover. The German doctor left written instructions with Lee on the condition of his leg and what he was attempting to accomplish. After all the work and surgery was done on his leg, he still had his leg, but it was one and a half inches shorter than the other.”
Harleman Crew
1st/Lt. Richard E. Harleman Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. Melvin J. Johnson Co Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. Melvin J. Johnson Co Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. William E. Cobane Navigator MIA/KIA
2nd/Lt. Paul F. Baum Bombardier KIA
2nd/Lt. Paul F. Baum Bombardier KIA
S/Sgt. Fred D. Wood Jr. Engineer MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Fred D. Wood Jr. Engineer MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Donald A. Lawyer Radio Op. MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Donald A. Lawyer Radio Op. MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Lee H. Fields Gunner Captured, injured, liberated in Paris
S/Sgt. James J. Crane Gunner POW, injured
Sgt. Joseph G. Benoit Gunner POW, injured
Sgt. John J. Petricevich Gunner POW, injured
Pilot 1st/Lt. Richard E. Harleman MIA/KIA
Hometown: Lehighton, Pennsylvania
Squadron: 66th 44th Bomb Group
Service# 0-799767
Awards: Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
MACR #3590
Target: Airdrome, Mont-de-Marsan, France
Mission Date: 27-Mar-44
Serial Number: #42-109836
Aircraft Model B-24
Aircraft Letter:
Aircraft Name:
Location:
Cause: FLAK
Crew of 10 5MIA/KIA 4POW 1liberated
This target, almost on the Spanish border, was one of the longest flights for the 44th BG out of England. Stationed at this air base were long-range reconnaissance German aircraft. The airdrome was hit visually with good results. Two aircraft were lost, one each by the 66th and the 67th Squadrons.
1st Lt. Richard E. Harleman was the pilot on this 66th Sq. aircraft, which was damaged by flak over the target. The MACR for this aircraft states in part, “Moderate accurate gunfire was encountered at Mont De Marsan and several aircraft were damaged. #836 left the formation at 1438, just after bombing, one engine hit by flak and losing altitude, but under control. Was last seen headed for Spain.” It did not reach that neutral country, but came very close to it. Left Waist gunner Joseph G. Benoit filled in the missing pieces, “Seconds after we dropped the bombs, the plane was hit by flak. The right wing had a big hole just aft of the #4 engine that caused this engine to backfire and the prop began windmilling. It hit the fuel cells, too, and we were losing gas. “We could not keep up with the formation, therefore, we decided to go to Spain. The pilot decided that we should hit the deck and take our chances with ground artillery rather than be shot down by enemy aircraft at higher altitude. “As we approached the French coast, we were fired on by machine guns and small arms along the beach. The plane caught fire in the bomb bay area and that halted all hopes of making it to Spain. We ditched about one mile from shore. The plane broke at the waist windows when we hit the water, and the four of us standing in the waist section were thrown into the water. These were John Petricevich, James Crane, Lee Fields and myself. “When I could see again, bombardier Paul Baum was out of the nose section and swimming near me, but he soon sank and I never saw him again. The Germans picked up his body the next day, and I was told that he had bullet holes in him – seven of them, as I remember it. “The four of us were picked up by a Frenchman and his young son who had been fishing nearby. John Petricevich had a cut over his eye; Lee Fields was badly burned; James Crane had a crushed forehead, and I had a broken left leg at the knee, light burns on my hands and face, and a cut on the back of my head. “We four were taken to a hospital in town, can’t remember the name, but was in the area of Bayonne and very near to the French border [with Spain]. I remember that Crane was in the operating room for at least three hours while the doctors were removing pieces of shattered bone from his brain. “The next day John Petricevick was sent to a POW camp in Germany. Three or four days later I went by train with German guards to a hospital in the heart of Paris – it was a Catholic hospital. A young German doctor put my leg in a cast; then later I was sent to a hospital in Obermassfeld, then to another in Meinigen, Germany. “Five months later I was sent to Stalag Luft IV until the Russians got close; then to Stalag Luft 1. John and I were in the same camp together, but in different compounds. It seems to me that I saw Lee at a hospital waiting to be repatriated to the States, and that is the last I saw or heard from him. (He was never listed as a POW but was repatriated). “Lts. Harleman, Johnson, Cobane and Sgts. Lawyer and Wood never got out of the plane after ditching and went down with it. Harleman, Cobane, Baum and Fields were not members of my regular crew, but were replacements for Roy Jorgenson, James Lidell and Fred Gatens who had been shot down earlier when flying as replacements. Sidney Hawkins also had been lost. “The plane had no name and was a new one, this being its first and only mission.” Joe Benoit provided additional information on Lee Fields’ injuries: “He had both legs broken; one was a multiple break with some bones crushed. He also had facial burns. He was transferred to a hospital in Paris where doctors worked for months to save his leg. He was not repatriated, but was left in Paris and liberated by our troops during the Paris takeover. The German doctor left written instructions with Lee on the condition of his leg and what he was attempting to accomplish. After all the work and surgery was done on his leg, he still had his leg, but it was one and a half inches shorter than the other.”
Harleman Crew
1st/Lt. Richard E. Harleman Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. Melvin J. Johnson Co Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. Melvin J. Johnson Co Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. William E. Cobane Navigator MIA/KIA
2nd/Lt. Paul F. Baum Bombardier KIA
2nd/Lt. Paul F. Baum Bombardier KIA
S/Sgt. Fred D. Wood Jr. Engineer MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Fred D. Wood Jr. Engineer MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Donald A. Lawyer Radio Op. MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Donald A. Lawyer Radio Op. MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Lee H. Fields Gunner Captured, injured, liberated in Paris
S/Sgt. James J. Crane Gunner POW, injured
Sgt. Joseph G. Benoit Gunner POW, injured
Sgt. John J. Petricevich Gunner POW, injured
USAAF WORLD WAR II
Pilot 1st/Lt. Richard E. Harleman MIA/KIA
Hometown: Lehighton, Pennsylvania
Squadron: 66th 44th Bomb Group
Service# 0-799767
Awards: Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
MACR #3590
Target: Airdrome, Mont-de-Marsan, France
Mission Date: 27-Mar-44
Serial Number: #42-109836
Aircraft Model B-24
Aircraft Letter:
Aircraft Name:
Location:
Cause: FLAK
Crew of 10 5MIA/KIA 4POW 1liberated
This target, almost on the Spanish border, was one of the longest flights for the 44th BG out of England. Stationed at this air base were long-range reconnaissance German aircraft. The airdrome was hit visually with good results. Two aircraft were lost, one each by the 66th and the 67th Squadrons.
1st Lt. Richard E. Harleman was the pilot on this 66th Sq. aircraft, which was damaged by flak over the target. The MACR for this aircraft states in part, “Moderate accurate gunfire was encountered at Mont De Marsan and several aircraft were damaged. #836 left the formation at 1438, just after bombing, one engine hit by flak and losing altitude, but under control. Was last seen headed for Spain.” It did not reach that neutral country, but came very close to it. Left Waist gunner Joseph G. Benoit filled in the missing pieces, “Seconds after we dropped the bombs, the plane was hit by flak. The right wing had a big hole just aft of the #4 engine that caused this engine to backfire and the prop began windmilling. It hit the fuel cells, too, and we were losing gas. “We could not keep up with the formation, therefore, we decided to go to Spain. The pilot decided that we should hit the deck and take our chances with ground artillery rather than be shot down by enemy aircraft at higher altitude. “As we approached the French coast, we were fired on by machine guns and small arms along the beach. The plane caught fire in the bomb bay area and that halted all hopes of making it to Spain. We ditched about one mile from shore. The plane broke at the waist windows when we hit the water, and the four of us standing in the waist section were thrown into the water. These were John Petricevich, James Crane, Lee Fields and myself. “When I could see again, bombardier Paul Baum was out of the nose section and swimming near me, but he soon sank and I never saw him again. The Germans picked up his body the next day, and I was told that he had bullet holes in him – seven of them, as I remember it. “The four of us were picked up by a Frenchman and his young son who had been fishing nearby. John Petricevich had a cut over his eye; Lee Fields was badly burned; James Crane had a crushed forehead, and I had a broken left leg at the knee, light burns on my hands and face, and a cut on the back of my head. “We four were taken to a hospital in town, can’t remember the name, but was in the area of Bayonne and very near to the French border [with Spain]. I remember that Crane was in the operating room for at least three hours while the doctors were removing pieces of shattered bone from his brain. “The next day John Petricevick was sent to a POW camp in Germany. Three or four days later I went by train with German guards to a hospital in the heart of Paris – it was a Catholic hospital. A young German doctor put my leg in a cast; then later I was sent to a hospital in Obermassfeld, then to another in Meinigen, Germany. “Five months later I was sent to Stalag Luft IV until the Russians got close; then to Stalag Luft 1. John and I were in the same camp together, but in different compounds. It seems to me that I saw Lee at a hospital waiting to be repatriated to the States, and that is the last I saw or heard from him. (He was never listed as a POW but was repatriated). “Lts. Harleman, Johnson, Cobane and Sgts. Lawyer and Wood never got out of the plane after ditching and went down with it. Harleman, Cobane, Baum and Fields were not members of my regular crew, but were replacements for Roy Jorgenson, James Lidell and Fred Gatens who had been shot down earlier when flying as replacements. Sidney Hawkins also had been lost. “The plane had no name and was a new one, this being its first and only mission.” Joe Benoit provided additional information on Lee Fields’ injuries: “He had both legs broken; one was a multiple break with some bones crushed. He also had facial burns. He was transferred to a hospital in Paris where doctors worked for months to save his leg. He was not repatriated, but was left in Paris and liberated by our troops during the Paris takeover. The German doctor left written instructions with Lee on the condition of his leg and what he was attempting to accomplish. After all the work and surgery was done on his leg, he still had his leg, but it was one and a half inches shorter than the other.”
Harleman Crew
1st/Lt. Richard E. Harleman Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. Melvin J. Johnson Co Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. Melvin J. Johnson Co Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. William E. Cobane Navigator MIA/KIA
2nd/Lt. Paul F. Baum Bombardier KIA
2nd/Lt. Paul F. Baum Bombardier KIA
S/Sgt. Fred D. Wood Jr. Engineer MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Fred D. Wood Jr. Engineer MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Donald A. Lawyer Radio Op. MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Donald A. Lawyer Radio Op. MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Lee H. Fields Gunner Captured, injured, liberated in Paris
S/Sgt. James J. Crane Gunner POW, injured
Sgt. Joseph G. Benoit Gunner POW, injured
Sgt. John J. Petricevich Gunner POW, injured
Pilot 1st/Lt. Richard E. Harleman MIA/KIA
Hometown: Lehighton, Pennsylvania
Squadron: 66th 44th Bomb Group
Service# 0-799767
Awards: Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
MACR #3590
Target: Airdrome, Mont-de-Marsan, France
Mission Date: 27-Mar-44
Serial Number: #42-109836
Aircraft Model B-24
Aircraft Letter:
Aircraft Name:
Location:
Cause: FLAK
Crew of 10 5MIA/KIA 4POW 1liberated
This target, almost on the Spanish border, was one of the longest flights for the 44th BG out of England. Stationed at this air base were long-range reconnaissance German aircraft. The airdrome was hit visually with good results. Two aircraft were lost, one each by the 66th and the 67th Squadrons.
1st Lt. Richard E. Harleman was the pilot on this 66th Sq. aircraft, which was damaged by flak over the target. The MACR for this aircraft states in part, “Moderate accurate gunfire was encountered at Mont De Marsan and several aircraft were damaged. #836 left the formation at 1438, just after bombing, one engine hit by flak and losing altitude, but under control. Was last seen headed for Spain.” It did not reach that neutral country, but came very close to it. Left Waist gunner Joseph G. Benoit filled in the missing pieces, “Seconds after we dropped the bombs, the plane was hit by flak. The right wing had a big hole just aft of the #4 engine that caused this engine to backfire and the prop began windmilling. It hit the fuel cells, too, and we were losing gas. “We could not keep up with the formation, therefore, we decided to go to Spain. The pilot decided that we should hit the deck and take our chances with ground artillery rather than be shot down by enemy aircraft at higher altitude. “As we approached the French coast, we were fired on by machine guns and small arms along the beach. The plane caught fire in the bomb bay area and that halted all hopes of making it to Spain. We ditched about one mile from shore. The plane broke at the waist windows when we hit the water, and the four of us standing in the waist section were thrown into the water. These were John Petricevich, James Crane, Lee Fields and myself. “When I could see again, bombardier Paul Baum was out of the nose section and swimming near me, but he soon sank and I never saw him again. The Germans picked up his body the next day, and I was told that he had bullet holes in him – seven of them, as I remember it. “The four of us were picked up by a Frenchman and his young son who had been fishing nearby. John Petricevich had a cut over his eye; Lee Fields was badly burned; James Crane had a crushed forehead, and I had a broken left leg at the knee, light burns on my hands and face, and a cut on the back of my head. “We four were taken to a hospital in town, can’t remember the name, but was in the area of Bayonne and very near to the French border [with Spain]. I remember that Crane was in the operating room for at least three hours while the doctors were removing pieces of shattered bone from his brain. “The next day John Petricevick was sent to a POW camp in Germany. Three or four days later I went by train with German guards to a hospital in the heart of Paris – it was a Catholic hospital. A young German doctor put my leg in a cast; then later I was sent to a hospital in Obermassfeld, then to another in Meinigen, Germany. “Five months later I was sent to Stalag Luft IV until the Russians got close; then to Stalag Luft 1. John and I were in the same camp together, but in different compounds. It seems to me that I saw Lee at a hospital waiting to be repatriated to the States, and that is the last I saw or heard from him. (He was never listed as a POW but was repatriated). “Lts. Harleman, Johnson, Cobane and Sgts. Lawyer and Wood never got out of the plane after ditching and went down with it. Harleman, Cobane, Baum and Fields were not members of my regular crew, but were replacements for Roy Jorgenson, James Lidell and Fred Gatens who had been shot down earlier when flying as replacements. Sidney Hawkins also had been lost. “The plane had no name and was a new one, this being its first and only mission.” Joe Benoit provided additional information on Lee Fields’ injuries: “He had both legs broken; one was a multiple break with some bones crushed. He also had facial burns. He was transferred to a hospital in Paris where doctors worked for months to save his leg. He was not repatriated, but was left in Paris and liberated by our troops during the Paris takeover. The German doctor left written instructions with Lee on the condition of his leg and what he was attempting to accomplish. After all the work and surgery was done on his leg, he still had his leg, but it was one and a half inches shorter than the other.”
Harleman Crew
1st/Lt. Richard E. Harleman Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. Melvin J. Johnson Co Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. Melvin J. Johnson Co Pilot MIA/KIA
1st/Lt. William E. Cobane Navigator MIA/KIA
2nd/Lt. Paul F. Baum Bombardier KIA
2nd/Lt. Paul F. Baum Bombardier KIA
S/Sgt. Fred D. Wood Jr. Engineer MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Fred D. Wood Jr. Engineer MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Donald A. Lawyer Radio Op. MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Donald A. Lawyer Radio Op. MIA/KIA
S/Sgt. Lee H. Fields Gunner Captured, injured, liberated in Paris
S/Sgt. James J. Crane Gunner POW, injured
Sgt. Joseph G. Benoit Gunner POW, injured
Sgt. John J. Petricevich Gunner POW, injured
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Pennsylvania.
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