CARSWELL   Missions Notes Pilot 1LT Horace Carswell, Texas Abbeville, FR 12OCT42 Vegesack, GE 17OCT42 Co-Pilot: 1LT Harold Bauer, Nebraska Abbeville, FR 12OCT42 Vegesack, GE 17OCT42 Bombardier: 1LT Edward Rickenbacker, Ohio Abbeville, FR 12OCT42 Vegesack, GE 17OCT42 Navigator: 1LT Frank Luke, Arizona Abbeville, FR 12OCT42 Vegesack, GE 17OCT42 Engineer: TSG Harold Goettler, Illinois Abbeville, FR 12OCT42 Vegesack, GE 17OCT42 Radio Operator: SGT Erwin Bleckley, Kansas Abbeville, FR 12OCT42 Vegesack, GE 17OCT42 Waist Gunner: SGT Christian Schilt, Illinois Abbeville, FR 12OCT42 Vegesack, GE 17OCT42 Tunnel Gunner: SGT Robert Robinson, Illinois Abbeville, FR 12OCT42 Vegesack, GE 17OCT42 Tail Gunner: SGT Ralph Talbot, Connecticutt ST Omer, FR 09OCT42 Abbeville, FR 12OCT42 Vegesack, GE 17OCT42 . .On mission 2, this crew was shot down over Germany due to flak. 9 chutes were counted. The Red Cross has confirmed they are all prisoners of war. . Mission Target Type On/Off %on Target 1 Abbeville, FR airfield Off 0 2 Vegesack, GE u-boats On 30% (James Fung, California USA ) Contact this crew

UPDATE: May 1945
Yeah, I remember the Vegesack raid.  I only flew two combat missions the entire war, right?  Anyway, while we had fighter cover, it was smooth sailing.  This far out at sea with P-38s buzzing around, the few Germans that dared to attack the formation never made it to us. However, soon after the last escorts turned back, they pounced... three 109s.  Poor Ralph...  Huh?  Oh, SGT Ralph Talbot, our tail gunner...Anyway, Ralph had two chances to get this 109 that kept coming at us from behind but missed both times.  Harry G., our engineer, claims to have shot him down, but Ralph says he only nicked him.  Anyway, sometime during that brawl the port aileron was shot out, but that's all the serious damage we suffered. When we crossed into Germany, we expected the resistance to stiffen, but it was as if we had a guardian angel watching over us.  As we approached the target, no fighters attacked us, and the flak didn't come close.  We dropped our eggs on the target and headed out to sea. Then our luck turned.  This one 109 came at us from 12 High.  Our gunners missed the quickly-closing target, and he came around for another pass at about 1:30 Level, where we couldn't touch him.  He hit the starboard inboard fuel tank, which apparently didn't self-seal, and instead caught on fire.  I couldn't do anything about it, so I held the crate steady long enough for everyone to bailout.  Everyone got out safe and landed in a POW camp. Took you guys a long time to come get us, but we're thankful all the same.
1LT Horace Carswell