media-22540.jpeg UPL 22540 San Antonio Rose crew photographed during training in United States before unidentified aircraft. Standing L to R: Morris R. Marks (pilot), Frank W. Derenberg (CP), Delmar A. Decker (navigator), George L. Amberg (bombardier). Crouching L to R: Charles W. Barnthson (top turret gunner), Barclay W. Glover (L waist gunner), Harold E. Cook (radio operator), -- unidentified-- , --unidentified-- , Arden L. Miner (tail gunner).
The Dutch foundation Fields of Honor - database forwarded this photo after obtaining permission from the owner, Frank de Heer. The photo arrived with no caption. On the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation website this photo can be seen with a caption naming the crewmembers and stating where the picture was taken. The information in that caption concerning the identity of the crewmembers is not completely consistent with the list of crewmembers on the 2/21/44 final flight of San Antonio Rose (42-3462) found on the AAM website: Larry Cuyler and Rodney Hines are not named in that picture caption; instead two other airmen identified only as "Sgt. Hewitt" and "William M. Gray" are named (front row, 4th and 5th from left, respectively). All documentation I found consistently shows that Larry Cuyler and Rodney Hines were both KIA 2/21/44 on San Antonio Rose. A search of 95th BG Archives flight records and personnel records showed there was a Sgt. William T. Hewitt in the 335th Bomb Squadron who flew a total of 16 missions (all in 1945), and a "Warren M. Gray" in the 336th who did fly two missions on San Antonio Rose (on 2/5/44 and 2/13/44). Without more evidence to help identify the two figures in question I refer to them as unidentified.
Jeroen van der Kamp: The fourth man from the left (kneeling) is J. Hewitt jr. He never flew for the 95th Bomb Group and probably never came to Europe, reason unknown. He was replaced by Rodney Hines. The fifth man from the left is Warren M. Gray. He was ill on the day of crash (February 21, 1944) and was replaced by Larry Cuyler. Gray flew with another crew after the crash of the San Antonio Rose, but was wounded by FLAK on his left hand on March 4, the first daylight raid over Berlin. He spent nine months in hospital and never flew again. He returned to the States and died in 1974. This picture was taken on September 10, 1943 on Rapid City Army Air Base. I'm writing a book about the crash of the San Antonio Rose and the Marks-crew to which Amberg belonged.

Jeroen van der Kamp