Delivered Dallas 10/7/43; Kearney 29/7/43; Gulfport 8/8/43; Topeka 12/8/43; Assigned 326BS/92BG [JW-K] Alconbury 30/8/43; Missing in Action Bremen 16/12/43 with Ed Walsh, Co-pilot: Herb Haycock, Navigator: Jerome Hanson, Bombardier: Dave Pinnelas, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Joe Cole, Tail gunner: Ralph Conley (6 Killed in Action), Radio Operator: Lee Folsom, Waist gunner: Bill Higbe (2 Prisoner of War), Ball turret gunner: Herman Morgan, Waist gunner: Loral Martin (2 evaded capture); enemy aircraft, crashed probably in Ijsselmer, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 1586. (?1556)

Further research done by Mark Terry, a cousin of Jerome Hanson led to the following tome.

The Last Flight of B-17F #42-30677

By Mark R. Terry



Preface

Please keep in mind that this story is a work in progress. Many have contributed to it, and I’m sure there are mistakes here and there. I am always looking for the truth, so if you find errors, please let me know…thanks.



After two days of terrible weather, 8th Air Force mission planners hoped that Thursday, the 16th of December 1943 would be a good day for bombing. This would be the 54th mission of the 92nd Bomb Group (Heavy), the target being the dockyards of Bremen, Germany. The first call came through to the HQ of the 92nd at Podington Air Base twenty minutes after midnight that a mission was on. In the early morning darkness, ground crews set about preparing their bombers, while orderlies made their rounds through the barracks, waking the crews who would be flying that day. One of the crews was commanded by First Lieutenant Edward C. Walsh. They were a replacement crew that had been training in the States. They arrived in the U.K. on October 15th and were consequently assigned to the 326th Bomb Squadron on 24 November 1943. Prior to the 16th, Walsh had seen some action, having been a co-pilot on two previous missions, to Emden on 11 December and Kiel, December 13th. A couple other crewmen had also been on a mission or two, but today would be the first test of the entire crew together: Walsh, Co-Pilot 2Lt. Herbert S. Haycock, Navigator 2Lt. Jerome K. Hanson, Bombardier 2Lt. David Pinnelas, Engineer/Top turret gunner Sgt. Joseph L. Cole, Radio Operator Sgt. Lee Folsom, Ball turret gunner Sgt. Herman D. Morgan, R/waist gunner Sgt. William W. Higbe, Jr., L/waist gunner Sgt. Loral Martin and Tail gunner Sgt. Ralph F. Conley.



Walsh’s crew was assigned to B-17F, serial number #42-30677. In shorthand it was identified by the last three digits of its serial number- “677”. #42-30677 began life in Seattle where it was built, then delivered to Dallas, TX on 10 July 1943. It was ferried to England and assigned to the 326th Bomb Squadron of the 92nd Bomb Group on 30 August 1943 and given the squadron code “JW-K”. According to the Squadron Journal, the first mission for 677 was to Brussels, Belgium on 7 September 1943, commanded by Lt. Fleming. It is recorded that it was flown on least eight more missions prior to that fateful Thursday.



The target and the route to and from was disclosed at the 0530 briefing. The force would fly across the North Sea, then turn southeast near the Heligoland Islands, finally turning to approach Bremen from the northeast. Walsh was briefed to fly in the No. 7 position of the 20 B-17s of the Group. As their ship warmed up on the hardstand, one crew member stated “things didn’t go very well from the very start. A mechanic walked into a propeller about a hundred yards from us and the reaction on our nerves wasn’t good for any of us”. Nevertheless, at 0820, the bomb-laden B-17s began taking off at one minute intervals. Once in the air, the 92nd assembled and together with other bomb groups, formed up into a massive formation of over 600 B-17s and B-24s heading east-northeast over the North Sea. Just after leaving the English coast, the entire formation of bombers had to fly two circles that delayed the mission by 30 minutes. This delay likely caused them to miss their rendezvous with their fighter escort. At 1239, about 11 minutes after the formation had turned southeast to head toward the German coast, B-17 42-3496 of the 327th Squadron had to abort. Walsh was ordered to change position in the formation from the No. 7 spot up to their No. 2 position.

Unfortunately for Walsh’s crew, they were having their own mechanical problems. The supercharger was running rough on the #3 engine. They were also having trouble transferring gasoline using the “Tokyo valve” to that same engine. Sgt. Cole, the engineer, turned the proper valves with no effect. Consequently, about 30 miles from the coast 677 slowly dropped out of the formation. It was assumed that Walsh was aborting the mission, even though it was thought all four engines were running properly. This appears to have been the moment of decision for 1Lt. Edward Walsh. It was his first time in the left-hand seat. Should he risk his crew and the plane to complete the mission even though he could not stay in formation, or should he abort and head home early? Walsh determined to complete the mission.



Bombs Away

Walsh probably asked his navigator, 2nd Lt. Jerome “Jerry” Hanson, to set a course to intercept the formation before reaching the target, since “by boosting engines and cutting corners [the] A/C caught the formation”. By this time, the entire force had turned to course 220 to begin the run to the Initial Point (IP) and the target. Of the three bombardment groups of the Eighth Air Force, theirs was bringing up the rear. The 3rd Bombardment Division would drop their bombs first at 1310, the 2nd at 1315 and the 1st (with the 92nd B.G. in the lead) at 1320, essentially five minutes apart. Just before reaching the target, the gas-starved #3 engine went dead and the prop began “windmilling”. Walsh and co-pilot Haycock worked frantically to feather the prop, to no avail. Meanwhile, the target was approaching and covered with clouds. Because of this, each bomb group was bombing by “Pathfinder”. The Pathfinder was a radar equipped B-17 that could “see” the target. When the Pathfinder released its bombs, the rest of the formation would follow suit. Perhaps due to the struggle and confusion of keeping up it appears that Bombardier 2nd Lt. Pinnelas dropped their bomb load at the IP instead of coordinating with the rest of the formation. To avoid a concentration of flak to the west of Bremen, the formation made a planned turn to the left and headed directly south before again changing course due west toward England.



Attacked by Fighters

Now lagging dangerously behind and below the main formation, Walsh and his crew struggled on. At 1340, twenty minutes after bombs away, the Luftwaffe arrived. 677 was the only B-17 out of formation, and like bees swarming to honey, most made for them. 677 was flying somewhere between 23,000 and 26,000 feet. Down below them, the overcast reached up to about 7,000 feet. [see photo, taken over the target ] Walsh knew that if he could reach that overcast, they might just make it. So down they went, with Haycock reading off the altitude as they dove. The mission report states “B-17 seen smoking badly and losing altitude from 15,000 feet over 5300-0730E at 1340 hours. This A/C had several E/A [enemy aircraft] trailing it as it dove through cloud layer”.

The surviving crew stated the attacking aircraft were ME-109s and Ju-88s. The Ju-88s were likely night fighters of I/NJG2 that were also tasked with attacking B-17s in daylight. Somewhere during that time, the control cables in the left waist area were cut and an exploding 20mm shell wounded Radio Operator Sgt. Lee Folsom in one of his feet. As they were entering the cloud bank, Walsh was talking with Hanson regarding a course for home, and Haycock had the presence of mind to order Sgt. Morgan, the ball turret gunner to leave his post as they were flying too low. It was about this time that they were hit again and the interphone was shot out. One of the last things they heard was Haycock stating they were at 1,000 feet altitude. It might be best to let Higbe tell the story. “I tried to contact the pilot and the other members of the crew, but the interphone system was shot out. The ship was very close to the ground and we knew that in a couple minutes, it would be too late to bail out before she crashed. Martin [Sgt. Loral Martin, Left Waist Gunner] looked at me and pointed to his chute, and I nodded my head. Morgan went to help Folsom, Martin put his chute on backwards and stopped to change it. I tried to open the emergency door, but it was jammed and finally had to kick it open with my both feet. Martin had his chute fixed, Folsom and Morgan were coming.” Higbe jumped first followed by Martin, Morgan and Folsom.



Bailout!

As 677 disappeared West into the fog, the four crewmen floated silently down through the mist. Higbe states “I took a last look at the ship and bailed out, pulled the rip cord, chute opened and I hit the ground, broke left ankle and sprained the right.” Morgan said “I counted 4 to be clear of the ship and pulled the rip cord. My leg straps weren’t fastened- no time.” They all landed close together in a farmer’s field. Fifteen to twenty farmers were standing around nearby and started walking towards them. For some reason never stated, Higbe left the other three and “ran off”. Martin and Morgan went to the wounded Folsom, helped him up and then headed for some nearby woods. The farmers did not follow but gathered up the discarded parachutes. The best they could figure, they were very close to the Dutch-German border, but didn’t know what side. Higbe took cover in a Dutch farmhouse and was captured the next day. As he put it “the Germans claimed that the ship crashed about two miles from where I was picked [up], they said it exploded. I didn’t see it crash so I can’t say.” Although this might have been true, it could also have been a case of mistaken identity. At 1415, three P-47s of the 4th Fighter Group came upon a Ju-88C-6, piloted by Lt. Herbert Degenhardt with two crewmen. They shot down the night fighter which crashed near Hooghalen, Netherlands, probably within 5-6 miles of where the four crewmen of 677 bailed out. Whether Degenhardt was involved in the attack on 677 is not known.



Escape & Evasion

Martin, Morgan and Folsom stayed in the woods until dark. They needed to move from their location, so they took out their compass and escape maps and started walking west. They did so knowing they were moving further away from Germany, but also because they were curious about 677 and wondered whether they would find it along the way. Having traveled just over seven miles that night, by 0130 the next day it was clear Folsom could go no further. They had bandaged his wounded foot, but he needed medical attention. On the evening of the 17th, Folsom hobbled over to a nearby farmhouse and awaited capture. Meanwhile without Folsom, Martin and Morgan put in 20 miles that night walking westwards.

Two days later on the 19th, shivering from snow and icy rain, they hid in some hay in a barn. They were discovered by a farmer who sympathetically gave them sandwiches and coffee. He brought a man who could speak English, who pointed out to them their location- 15 miles north of Steenwijk. This man thought they should go north, but they decided to head south instead. On the 21st they met more friendly civilians and with their help, on December 23rd they contacted the local Resistance in the town of Meppel, riding into town on bicycles wearing civilian clothes! Eventually, with the assistance of “Helpers”, they were able to escape to neutral Spain and on to Gibraltar, from where they were flown back to England in May, 1944. Meanwhile, Sgts. Folsom and Higbe would meet in a German hospital near Amsterdam, then spend the rest of the war as POWs in the same prisoner of war camp.



Missing in Action

Back at Podington, the assumption was that Lt. Walsh had aborted the mission. The Squadron Journal commented further, “no fix was received from the ground station of any indication of where he might have flown to”. The following day, the whereabouts of Walsh’s crew was the main topic of conversation among the staff officers. Since just over half of the returning aircraft had landed at other airfields in England, it was assumed Walsh had done the same and would eventually check in. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and Walsh’s crew were soon designated as “Missing in Action”.



On the 29th of December 1943, a telegram was delivered to O’Cal & Marion Hanson at their home in Chicago. It informed them that their son, 2Lt. Jerome K. Hanson was officially “Missing in Action since Sixteen December over Germany”. Coming so close to Christmas, it is said that Christmas was never the same afterwards. Telegrams were also delivered to the families of the nine other crewmen on or about that date. Thus began the horrible ordeal of not knowing what became of their loved one that thousands of other American families were already enduring or would soon endure before the end of the war.



The Official Investigation

The first “investigation” was a status report by the Adjutant General’s office on December 17, 1944. Using information in Walsh’s 201 File, it simply determined that six of the ten crewmen in Walsh’s plane should be continued as missing in action. On September 11, 1945, just nine days after the war was over, the U.S. War Department wasted no time in declaring the status of all servicemen and women who had been “Missing in Action” changed to “Killed in Action”. Despite that, many families still refused to give up hope that their loved ones might return and set about to make that happen, or at least find out their fate. Such was the case with Mrs. Marion Hanson. She wrote to the War Department the following month, asking for more information.



Apparently unsatisfied with the response, on June 4, 1946, Marion wrote to Senator Scott W. Lucas asking her senator to look into the matter. Immediately, telegrams began to fly. Although there was some delay, by the fall of 1946 a full Congressional inquiry had begun. It became the responsibility of the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) in France to investigate what happened and to determine if Hanson’s remains could be found.

The following January, German records were found indicating that a “Boeing type aircraft” had crashed at Augustfehn, Germany on December 16, 1943. This news raised hopes that this was Walsh’s ship. By March of 1947 the investigators found it was not 677, but one from the 390th Bomb Group that was shot down by flak earlier in the bomber stream that day. All ten crewmen bailed out safely and were taken prisoner.

In a letter to Marion Hanson dated 10 April 1947, a man named “Meyer” from Oldenburg, Germany mentioned that “another American plane crashed in Ost Freisland, District of Remels in a deep swamp.” This set off another wave of field investigations. About that time a rumor surfaced that the remains of Lt. Walsh were found buried in a cemetery in Hamburg, Germany. That raised hopes that perhaps other crewmen’s bodies might be found as well. Unfortunately, this also proved false. Meanwhile, the work went on in Ost Friesland. There was an aircraft under six meters of water there, including some remains of its crew. By August, they came to a conclusion- it was a British bomber that had been shot down and crashed on the night of 31 March 1943.

It was now the fall of 1947. Telegrams revealed that the government was becoming frustrated with the ongoing investigation. A board of officers of the AGRC was convened at the Astoria Hotel in Paris on November 7, 1947. The findings were that “the remains of said casualty/casualties may be considered as non-recoverable and recommends that no further action be taken to recover those remains.” A Battle Casualty Report for Jerome K. Hanson, dated May 11, 1948 shows the location of the casualty as “In North Sea”. Thus ended the official investigation. Sadly the final casualty was Jerome’s mother, Marion. She never recovered emotionally from the loss of her only son and not knowing his fate, remained depressed in thought and mind. Marion passed away after a botched medical procedure in 1954.



The Investigation Renewed

How did interest in Jerome Hanson and the fate of 677 get reignited? An elementary school project! In 1991, the son of Mrs. Lynn Markwell (Jerome’s niece) was tasked with a 5th grade history project where he had to dress up like someone from American History. He chose to portray Jerome. His aunt even let him wear Jerome’s Purple Heart! Spurred by his interest, Lynn collected all the passed-down family information and then requested more from the government via the FOIA. I joined the hunt in late 1993 but then got distracted by other things. I picked it all up again in the last couple of years and started doing what I could to find out more.



Analysis of the Facts

While the low clouds helped the four survivors escape immediate capture, they also hid 677 from anyone who might have been able to see where they went. All that is known is that they were flying due west at about 1,000 ft. altitude and “descending rapidly”. Where did they go?



We should start with where 677 was last seen according to the 92nd BG mission report- Latitude 53.00, Longitude 7.30E. This would be just a scant distance north of the modern town of Heede, Germany. Heede is about 4 miles east of the Netherlands border. The B-17 would be flying at about 150 miles per hour, perhaps less because of the windmilling prop. It would have crossed the border into Holland in about 2 minutes.



Where did the four survivors bail out?

From reading through the Escape & Evasion (E&E) Report of Sgt. Herman Morgan, the first mention of a place name is “15 miles north of Steenwijk”. Using a map and scale of miles, I found that this point would be just south of a town called Gorredijk. Previous to this entry, Morgan wrote down distances (and/or time walked) for the previous three days since they had landed. Adding the miles up and estimating how far they had gone, it appears that they had walked about 40 miles (almost all at night). Tracing that route eastward to their starting point brings the bailout point to an area just west of Stadskanaal in the Netherlands. What is amazing is that on the map, their route roughly follows Latitude 53, which is the latitude where 677 was last reported going down.



Where could 677 have been flown?

Obviously, there really are only two alternatives:

1. 677 crashed in an unknown location in the Netherlands somewhere between the bailout point of the four who survived and the edge of the water.

2. 677 crashed into the waters of the Waddenzee, the IJsselmeer or the North Sea.



First of all, we have no idea of damage forward of the radio compartment or if anyone else up front was incapacitated or wounded because the interphone was out.

Second, given the damage we know about (#3 engine out, prop windmilling, control cables cut at left waist), it would very difficult to control. Greg Alexander, historian for the 92nd Bomb Group Interest Group, points out that “Without the #3 engine running the plane would have lost all electrical and probably hydraulic control.” When you are flying blind at 1,000 feet (or less) and fighting the controls, it would very hard to go far it seems to me. Doing some estimating on Google Maps, Walsh and Haycock would have had to fly an additional 60 miles west to arrive at a body of water, at least another 20-25 minutes of flying time, depending on their speed.



The only way it could be found on land is if they crashed into a swamp or bog and quickly sank, as it appears all known airplane crash sites in Holland have been found- they’ve had a long time to search. That leaves the inland sea of the IJsselmeer, or the Wadenzee, which is just inside of the Frisian Islands. Both bodies of water are relatively shallow and many aircraft from World War II have been discovered there. The North Sea is another issue, but if they landed near shore, there is still a chance.



In any event, I have been in touch with several people in the Netherlands who are researchers and have been very helpful and encouraging- Jan Nieuwenhuis, Teunis Schuurman, Fred Vogels and others. In the States, Mrs. Marion (Healey) Hanson (deceased), Mrs. Colette Scott (Jerome’s sister), Mrs. Lynn Markwell (Jerome’s niece) and Russ Eads. On Facebook, members of the 92nd Bomb Group (H) have been very helpful to me, including Rob Hutchings, Greg Alexander and others. Michael Darter, author and historian, whose brother also died that day in another B-17, has also been very encouraging in this search. As he put it, “Never Give Up”!!!



Sources:



92nd Bomb Group Mission Report for 16 December 1943



Escape & Evasion Report No. 634, Sgt. Loral Martin, 11 May 1944



Escape & Evasion Report No. 640, Sgt. Herman D. Morgan, 13 May 1944



Extract from R.T.D. Statement Folder- Morgan, Herman D.



Sgt. William W. Higbe, Jr. letter to Mrs. Marion (Healey) Hanson, 5 January 1946 (Pub.)



Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), 2Lt. Jerome K. Hanson, 0-809596



Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) #1556 for 42-30677



Miscellaneous documents related to Lt. Jerome K. Hanson obtained by FOIA



326th Bomb Squadron Daily Operations Journal, December 1943 http://www.92ndma.org/92nd/326Journal/d43.htm



http://www.americanairmuseum.com/mission/1555 (Mission Plan for 16 December 1943)



Caldwell, Donald, DAY FIGHTERS IN DEFENCE OF THE REICH, A War Diary 1942-45,

Frontline Books, South Yorkshire, England. 2011.



http://www.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/SGLO-Ve… [Information on the aircraft of Lt. Degenhardt]



Darter, Micheal, “Gone With The Wind, He Said”, Xlibris Publishing, 2014.



https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/research/national-archives-re…