Emeigh - 91st Bomb Group (H)

Emeigh

323rd Squadron

1st Lt. K. Sutherland's Crew

Pennsylvania 6500

Serial #239815 OR N

Back Row - Left to Right

S/Sgt. Raymond Butler, Ball Turret Gunner; 2nd Lt. Leslie A. Price, Bombardier; 2nd Lt. Frederick H. McBride, Navigator; S/Sgt. Andrew E. Tarasuk, Waist Gunner; 2nd Lt. Stanley L. Jordan, Co-pilot

Front Row - Left to Right

S/Sgt. Fred A. Tabor, Waist Gunner; T/Sgt. Malcolm M. McCurry, Radio Operator; T/Sgt. Robert C. Kyle, Top Turret Gunner; S/Sgt. Rathel C. Bennett, Tail Gunner; 1st Lt. Kenneth Sutherland, Pilot

Photo contributed by Bill Jordan

Emeigh Factoid - According to Bill Jordan, Emeigh went down on 22 FEB 1944 on a mission to Oschersleben, Germany. Due to weather, Bunde, Germany became the target. It was their 9th mission. The bombardier (Price), navigator (McBride), and one of the waist gunners (Tabor) were the only ones able to bail out. They survived the war as POWs.

The neice of S/Sgt. Raymond Butler, Ball Turret Gunner, Joann T. Broadhead provided the following information. In early 2000, I requested and received the official report of my uncle's last flight, from the U.S. Government.

"Sir:

On or about 12:00 Feb. 22, 1944, we were hit by Flak (AA) and had to feather no. 1 engine. Almost immediately after this we were attacked by enemy fighters (109's) and the group gained in speed and tightened formation. We were left behind and the last word we received from the pilot was whether we should try to hit the deck and head for home or try to keep up. We all agreed to try to make it home and so we salvoed our bombs, one 500 pounder staying in the racks. During this time we were repeately attacked by the enemy fighters. After we were left out of the formation, two fighters cam in and made individual passes at us. The first pass killed the engineer, co-pilot, and tail gunner, wounding the navigator and myself. The order to bail out had already been given by the pilot and so we were preparing to bail out of the waist door. Another ME-109 coming up behind opened up on us and knocked the other three men, in front of me, off their feet. They were hit, how badley - I am not able to say, as I felt the plane going into a spin. I bailed out and I was able to watch the plane for a few seconds and I say no other men come out of the plan. I BELIEVE, REPEAT, I FIRMLY BELIEVE, THE PILOT STAYED WITH THE PLANE SO THAT WE MIGHT BAIL OUT. Thank you sir; and I would appreciate any information about any of these men to be forwarded to me, and if I can be of any further help please let me know.

(Signed)

S/Sgt. Fred A. Tabor

1427 Lafayette St.

Denver, Colo.

________________________________

LUDGE, 7 March 1946

Report

"On the 22 February 1944 and the American plane was shot down in Ludge, Germany (04.0-74.5 P 3 Detmold, 1/100,000). Four members of the crew parachuted. Two of them were captured in the community Schieder. The other two were taken to Dr. med. Berendes, because they were wounded. Later they were taken to the hospital and from there to the air-port ot Detmold (78.5-72.0 - P 3 Detmold 1/100,000). The (5th) fifth man's parachute failed to open. The police identified the dead parachutist as Kyle. The pilot told Dr. Berendes that the plane had a crew of 10 members. The other five members of the crew crashed with the plane. The bodies were crushed and disfigured from the crash and explosion and it was impossible to identify them. These five members of the crew and the dead parachutist were buried the next afternoon in the cemetary of Ludge, Germany. The remains of the 6 were placed in parachutes and buried in one grave.

Karl Schroeder, Police-Master, Ludge

Dr. Kuno Berendes, physician, Ludge

Herman Tintelott, sexton, Ludge

Josef Blum, farmer, Ludge

CERTIFIED A TRUE COPY: GLENN D. SCHIPPER, 2nd Lt., Inf., Operations-Officer, 607 QM.GR.Co.

_________________________________

BRIEF NARRATIVE

15 March 1946

"I went to the town of Ludge, Germany to disinter the bodies of 6 American flyers. One of the flyers was supposed to be Robert C. Kyle and the other 5 were supposed to be unknown. Upon completion of the disinterring of the 6 bodies we found nothing to help identify Robert C. Kyle, but we did indentify the other 5 flyers by their identification tags which were found on their bodies. By the process of elimination we found that the only body that we could not identify was Robert C. Kyle, whose name was on the cross, and who was supposedly identified by the police of Ludge, Germany, by the personal effects taken from his body at the time of death.

(SIGNED) Pfc. George Jancheson, Jr, No. 42122465, 607 Q.M.G.R.Co.

________________________

REPORT OF INVESTIGATION AREA SEARCH, 15 March 1946

Ludge Town cemetary, grave found at N.W. Corner

Other deceased buring in immediate vicinity of Raymond Butler: Stanley L. Jordan, Kenneth Sutherland, Malcom M. McCurry, Andrew Tarasuk and 1 unk.

Grave marked with wooden cross. Markings on cross - A.A.F. Robert C. Kyle and 5 unknowns - 22-2-44

By whom: Police of Ludge, Germany, Detmold 1:100,000, cemetary records - Burgermeisters office

Cause of death: Plane crash, bombs exploded, bodies dismembered

Where were the remains found? 200 Yds. from plane

By whom? Civilians

Who made the burial: Tintelott, Cemetary caretaker

Remains were found near and among the wreckage.

How did crash occur? Shot down Enemy Planes? Yes

Plane exploded on the ground

What was the direction of the flight? West

Number of planes in the formation prior to crash - Great numbers of them - time 1345 hours 22 Feb. 44

Precise time and date of plane crash: 22 Feb. 44 1345 hours