INTRODUCTION
1st Lt. John C. "Matchy" Staffo was born in Little Falls, New York on December 6th, 1920 the second youngest son of Vincent and Marie Estelle (DeBlasio) Staffo in a family with 4 brothers and 2 sisters. Except for the oldest son Rock, each of the brothers, Michael (U.S. Navy), Nicholas (U.S. Army 24th Infantry Division, 21st Infantry Regiment HQ Cannon Company) and Angelo (U.S. Army Air Force 9th Air Force) also served with honor during WWII. He attended public schools and graduated from Little Falls Central High School in 1938 where he was an outstanding athlete in football and wrestling.

MILITARY SERVICE TRAINING
In October 1941 he enlisted in the U.S., Army and completed basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey where he applied for and was accepted in the U.S. Army Air Force. The next stop was Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri for School Squadron in November 1941 for two weeks of testing and the beginning of his intensive Army Air Force training. After passing these exams he was sent to Scott Field, Belleville, Illinois for radio operator training that lasted 3 months until the end of January 1942. The next stop was the Army Air Base in Charlotte, North Carolina for 7 months of Gunnery School and Infantry Drills. During this time he took and successfully passed the examinations for the Aviation Cadet Program. In September 1942 he was sent to the Army Air Field at Nashville, Tennessee for two weeks of physical and psychological testing to determine what aviation specialty he would receive further training in. He was selected for Bombardier and in mid-September he took a 52-hour train ride to his next station at Ellington Field, Texas. By mid-December 1942 he successfully completed his basic training and took his Bombardiers Oath. The next step was travel to the AAF Advanced Flying School at the Big Spring, Texas Army Air Force Base. On March 11, 1943 after 4 months of testing and training he graduated from Army Air Force Bombardier School Class 43-4 and received his Bombardier wings as an Army Air Corps Officer. He was assigned to the 18th Replacement Wing, 29th Bomb Group, 411th Bomb Squadron at Salt Lake City, Utah for two weeks before proceeding to Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho in late March 1943.

CREW ASSIGNMENT
During the month of April 1943 he would be assigned to a crew that would form the nucleus for a B-17 bomber aircraft that would take them overseas to war. On April 28, 1943 they were attached to 331st Bomb Group, 461st Bomb Squadron and ordered to proceed to the Army Air Base at Casper, Wyoming. At this time Crew #5 included the following: 2nd Lt. Samuel R. Gilmore, Pilot; 2nd Lt. Robert H. Morrison Co-Pilot; 2nd Lt. Tower M. Mines, Navigator; 2nd Lt. John C. Staffo Bombardier; S/Sgt. Richard A. Cleaver, Flight Engineer; S/Sgt. Jack G. Stankus, Assistant Flight Engineer; Sgt. William B. Hill, Radio Operator; Sgt. Harold E. Wehby, Ball Turret Gunner; S/Sgt. Francis C. Adams, Gunner; Sgt. Richard L. Myers, Tail Gunner. On June 15th, 1943 they are now Crew # 20 and the crew have a new Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Lawrence M. Selanders and Navigator 2nd Lt. Morton M. Hantman. During the period of June 16th through June 21st, 1943 the crew was granted a furlough for leave and travel to the Army Air Base at Kearney, Nebraska. This would be the last leave for the crew and the last opportunity to see their family and friends before proceeding overseas and into combat.
AIRCRAFT ASSIGNMENT BOEING B-17F FLYING FORTRESS 4230446
On May 31, 1943 the Boeing B-17F "Flying Fortress" number 4230446 was delivered to the Cheyenne, Wyoming Modification Center. About two weeks later on June 12, 1943, 4230446 was flown to Gore Field, Great Falls, Montana. On June 22, 1943 the aircraft went to Tinker Army Air Field, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the crew was with the aircraft by June 26th, 1943 at the Kearney, Nebraska Army Air Base. The next stops in early July were Gulfport, Mississippi and Elgin Army Air Base in northern Florida for overwater training and additional combat equipment. On July 9th, 1943 they proceeded to Dow Field, Bangor, Maine and on July 10th they received their coded orders to proceed to "Glen" (Oran, Algeria) as part of the 12th Air Force in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. During this period leading up to this the crew practiced over water navigation, bombing, and submarine patrol and then received their briefing for the flight across the Atlantic as part of the Sergeants Provisional Group. The eleven-hour flight they would be taking was the northern route via Gander Field, Newfoundland and across the Atlantic to Prestwick, Scotland. After some rest the aircraft flew to the Saint Mawgans, England to prepare for the flight to North Africa. The first leg of the trip was an eight-hour flight to Marrakech, Morocco. The next flight was about three hours to LaSenia Air Field, just outside or Oran, Algeria. The aircraft and crew were assigned to the 99th Bombardment Group, 348th Bomb Squadron and on July 29th, 1943 they arrived at Navarin, Algeria. The stay here was short and on August 4th, 1943 the 99th Bombardment Group moved to Oudna Field, Tunisia to bring them closer to Italy and the rest of the southern Europe targets.

COMBAT MISSIONS WITH THE 99th BOMBARDMENT GROUP, 348TH BOMB SQUARDRON
Lt. John C. Staffo (or "Matchy" as he was known by his family and friends) flew his first combat mission on August 6th, 1943 to bomb the crossroads at Messina, Sicily. On August 9th, 1943 the second mission was also to the crossroads at Messina, Sicily and light flak was encountered but no enemy fighters. Mission number three on August 13th, 1943 was to bomb the San Lorenzo marshalling yards in Rome, Italy. As a bombardier he was given detailed instructions on the locations of the Vatican and other sensitive locations that were required to be avoided during this precision bombing mission. Mission number four on August 17th, 1943 was the first for the 99th BG to bomb in France the LeTube Aerodrome near Marseilles. The fifth mission on August 19th, 1943 was to Foggia, Italy where there was once again light flak and no enemy fighter attacks. This was not the case on August 25th, 1943 for the sixth mission to bomb the Foggia Aerodrome when over 100 enemy fighters attacked and the flak was heavy, accurate and moderate to intense over the target. The target on the seventh mission on August 31, 1943 was the marshalling yards at Pisa, Italy where heavy flak and enemy aircraft were encountered. Once again on September 7th, 1943 the target for the eighth mission was the airfields at Foggia, Italy with very heavy, intense accurate flak and 60 - 100 enemy fighters attacking the formation. The ninth mission on September 8th, 1943 was to bomb Frascati, Italy near Rome where the German High Command was located. The tenth mission on September 10th was to support the troop landings in Italy by bombing bridges and crossroads in Insernia, Italy. The eleventh mission on September 11th, 1943 was another tactical mission to bomb highway bridges and marshalling yards near Benevento, Italy. On September 12th, 1943 the twelfth mission target was the Aerodrome at Frosinone, Italy where very heavy, accurate flak was encountered. September 14th, 1943 was the thirteenth mission and the target was Torre Annunziata, Italy to bomb troop concentrations to help stop the German attack. The fourteenth mission was flown that same day for tactical support to bomb the Battaglia/Eboloi, Italy area crossroads and required a night landing. On September 16th, 1943 for mission number fifteen the target was once again the highway and railroad bridges near Benevento, Italy and heavy, accurate flak was encountered. The sixteenth mission was to Bologna, Italy on September 25th, 1943 to bomb the marshalling yards and once again heavy flak and numerous enemy fighters were encountered. They returned to the Bologna, Italy on September 28, 1943 for the seventeenth mission to attack the marshalling yards and encountered flak near the coast but due to solid overcast over the target no bombs were dropped. On October 1st, 1943 the 99th Bombardment Group flew its first mission to Germany to bomb the Messerschmitt factory near Augsburg and once again the target was covered by overcast and no bombs were dropped. For this eighteenth mission they encountered heavy, accurate flak and over 40 minutes of very aggressive frontal attacks by 25-30 FW-190's and ME-109's. The nineteenth mission on October 4th, 1943 was a maximum effort mission and the 99th BG teamed up with the 2nd BG, 301st BG, and the 9th BG to attack the marshalling yards at Pisa, Italy.

THE FINAL MISSION OCTOBER 10TH, 1943 TATOI AERODROME, ATHENS, GREECE
The morning of October 10th started off like each other combat mission with someone driving around in a jeep honking the horn and sometimes beating on a dishpan or something. At 4 a.m. all the crew hit the deck and commenced cleaning up and getting into their flight gear. By 4:30 a.m. they were in the chow line, where they ate breakfast if they were up to it, and they picked up a flight lunch prepared by the mess hall troops. Then it was back to the tent to pick up the gear they would be using at high altitude. From there they moved on to the large operations tent where all the crews' officers and radio men scheduled would assemble to be briefed on that day's mission. The rest of the enlisted crew of non-commissioned officers went down to the armorer's tent to clean and assemble all of the guns and pick up a few extra barrels. They also did this for the Navigator, Bombardier and Radio operator while they were at a briefing. They had been trained to be able to assemble or disassemble them blindfolded and they wiped off all traces of oil to ensure they would not freeze up at altitude.

THE BRIEFING
The briefing was quite formal and all business, as the group operations officer discussed the target, the route they would be flying, the sortie line, the initial point for the bomb run and the breakaway from the target. The briefing was from large charts so that all could get a picture of what was being described.

The target for Sunday October 10th, 1943 was the Tatoi Aerodrome about 20 miles from Athens Greece. This was the largest aerodrome in the area and there had been a huge buildup of enemy forces in the area over the past three months. Tatoi had a large network of runways, hangars, machine shops and barracks. The distance to the target would be about 792 nautical miles and the roundtrip would probably take about 9 hours. This would be one of the longest missions they had flown since arriving, and once again beyond fighter escort. Their flight would have them gather up over Cape Bon, fly northeast over the Mediterranean Sea, across the southern tip of Sicily to the toe of the Italian boot and then due east to the ragged coast of Greece. They would be bombing at an altitude of 20,600 feet. The initial point (IP) would be 82. The access to attack would be 185 degrees and they would rally right after the attack. The return route would be 269 degrees north.

Next was the weather officer with information on the winds, visibility and weather conditions enroute and over the target. The weather had been miserable lately with rain, winds and overcast. The mood was somber and almost grim as they were all aware of the recent tragic accident when an aircraft flying in the soup on instruments turned back into the formation and crashed into the oncoming planes and caused a myriad of collisions that sent as many as ten aircraft and one hundred personnel to a fiery and watery grave. Although the story, as was all bad news, was officially kept under wraps to keep up morale, everyone knew about it and the rumor mill stated that the pilot of group number three lead aircraft must have gotten vertigo.
The intelligence officer provided the details on the target they were after, how well it was defended, and by what kind of weapons. He also addressed enemy fighter strength in the area and what they could expect from enemy action both from the ground and the air. The first missions to Greece had been flown only a few days before and now there was no doubt that the enemy was expecting them and there would be a good amount of enemy action both in the air and from the ground. Tatoi was well protected by concentrations of both mobile and stationary anti-aircraft batteries. The German 88mm cannons were the most feared because they had already established themselves as a deadly force to be reckoned with and much more dreaded than the enemy fighters.

The group armament officer discussed the weapons load they would be carrying and the reason why they had been selected for this type target. The load was fragmentation bombs as they hoped to damage as many aircraft and facilities on the ground, and to shut down the airstrip operations for as long as possible.
The final briefer was the communications officer who stated the normal and emergency radio frequencies for the day, the colors of the day, call signs, challenges, and the usual admonishment to observe radio silence except for an emergency. The colors of the day would be Green and Yellow from 0700-1300 hours, Red and Yellow after that. The challenge letters would be M and X, and the call sign was Tempest. Start engines would commence at 0710 hours and takeoff would be at 0725 hours.
After the briefing the Group Commander Col. Faye Upthegrove took over to add his comments and direction as well as to answer any questions and clarify anything stated by the briefing officers. For example if the group lead or squadron lead is shot down, who is to take over that position? He also pointed out that they would be flying without fighter escort and survival meant close, tucked-in formation flying, to concentrate our firepower against the enemy fighters. Col. Upthegrove was loved and respected by everyone. He was the ultimate leader who really looked out for his troops. He never took the "milk runs" but always flew the toughest missions.

PRE-FLIGHT
From the briefing room, they were transported to the flight line and their assigned aircraft. The ground crew stood ready by 446, which they had just been allowed to name "Her Majesty" around October 8th by Lt. Gilmore when the flight crew after almost 6 months could not agree on a name. The B-17F Flying Fortress was ready for the mission over enemy territory. The ground crew may have been up all night getting the plane perfect for the flight crew, but you would never have known from their appearance and attitude. They were strictly "gung ho" with so much spirit and pride it was infectious. Without these dedicated ground crew personnel our successes would never, could never, have happened.

The inspection of the aircraft exterior by the flight crew was minimal because they knew the ground crews had checked and double-checked everything with a fine tooth comb. The flight crew did go over the aircraft forms with the crew chief as he explained the exact condition of every aspect of the plane, from the engines to the armament. Once on board each of the flight crew checked over his flight position to make sure he had everything required and that everything was operable. Two items of extreme importance were the oxygen system and the heating system for the heated suits that were worn under the flying suits. At altitude the heat and the oxygen were both essential to survival. Take off position for the ball gunner, tail gunner and waist gunners was sitting in the midsection, unless while flying with an element, squadron or group leader; where the tail gunner would be at his position during takeoff to keep the leader informed as to how well all elements were getting off the ground behind them.

The CoPilot would then run through the checklist and each crew member would report back for their position. If all were positive the CoPilot would run through the flight deck crew checklist with the flight engineer and the pilot in command of the aircraft. Once this was all completed, the pilot would brief the crew on all aspects of the mission they were going on, and particular things to be aware of and to watch out for.

As the 348th Squadron Leader Captain Elliot, with Lt. Brandt as his CoPilot left the runway in 946 and started a wide climbing turn, Lt. Gilmore who had been standing on the breaks as the engines went to full power gave the order to Lt. Rohrer for takeoff and "Her Majesty" rolled down the runway with all four engines tearing at the air to get enough airspeed to get the bomber fully loaded with fuel and bombs off the ground. After breaking ground, retracting the gear and wing flaps and setting the cowl flaps, they cut the pattern a little shorter to form up on the wing of 946. Right behind 446 was 393, "Lucky Lady" where Lt. Jules Horowitz was sitting in the CoPilots seat checking out Lt. Jim Connally flying his first mission in the left seat. Each plane taking off followed this pattern and got into position relative to each other so that they were formed into a tight formation of the three elements of three aircraft each, and tail-end Charlie 459, slightly lower and in trail for a total of ten aircraft from the 348th BS. Nineteen aircraft from the 99th Bombardment Group would take off that day, two returned early and thus 17 would attempt to make it over the target to drop their bombs. It is believed that 21 other aircraft from the 5th Wing joined up for a total of 38 aircraft on this mission. Together they would deliver 4,320 twenty-pound fragmentation bombs and 96 five hundred pound high explosive bombs from 20-23,000 feet.
Everything was done in a very precise manner and every turn, every bank and every power change was based on the effect it would have on other aircraft coming into the formation. They were circling and climbing in a wide circle so that all four squadrons involved could form their formations and fit into their slot with the group. Every pilot in the 99th took immense pride in flying this defensive position flawlessly in very tight quarters to enhance the safety of all aircraft as they concentrated firepower and frustrated the enemy.

With the form up as a group completed and a level off at a specified altitude, everyone headed for the rendezvous point over Cape Bon to get in position for the mission. From there they started the climb to altitude and continued across the Mediterranean Sea, the southern tip of Sicily, to the toe of the Italian boot and due east to Greece and on to the initial point (IP) of the target about 20 miles north of Athens where the bombardiers would take over until they had released their bomb load. As they climbed the contrails from the aircraft ahead showed up with the colder, rarified air at altitude. At the same time they increased the settings on the heated flying suits and put on the fleece lined boots and heavy jackets as the cold became numbing. They had been on oxygen for some time now and were checking every couple minutes to make sure that they were receiving an unrestricted flow and were not icing up. In many cases they donned the awkward metals helmets, which were never really designed for this purpose over their headsets. As for flak jackets, although they were common in Europe, they still had not made their way through the supply system to North Africa, so there was no protection for the rest of the body except for the seat backs for the Pilot and CoPilot.

During the climb and form-up, all crew members operating machine guns had been checking and rechecking their ammunition. When the pilot gave them clearance they began firing the weapons to be sure there would be no malfunction when they were needed as they closed in on the target.

While enroute to the target radio silence was strictly enforced, and everything was quite serious on the intercom. Weather conditions were not ideal as low cumulous clouds with rain and icing were encountered enroute and expected over the target. However, to break the silent monotony Sgt. Hill the Radio Operator would tune in the music from Axis Sally or from one of the Italian radio stations that Lt. Staffo mentioned din his letter home. The Axis Sally program was actually quite good as she spoke to the aircrews specifically and played the latest music from the American big bands. The strange and spooky part was that she spoke without any accent and seemed to know so much about the different squadrons and the people in them.

COMBAT
Approaching the target the flak started around Athens Harbor and over the target was very heavy, intense and accurate. Over 20 enemy aircraft were encountered and they attacked mostly from 3 to 9 o'clock and slightly low in two and three's and singly. They were very aggressive and running with the formation for almost 30 minutes. There was a wide variety of enemy aircraft including some silver ME-110's, yellow nosed 109's, and FW 190's. HE-111's were seen at 11:45 at the IP and they followed to the coast. Four (4) enemy aircraft were reported shot down during this engagement.

By this time the group was well past the sortie line and coming up on the IP to start the bombing run, when radio silence was broken by a call of bandits one o'clock high. This was followed by many announcements as there were enemy fighters now coming in from all over and the sound of the machine guns and sight of tracer bullets filled the sky as the enemy made its passes on the formation. Another five minutes into the IP and here came the ack ack, both black and white, and so thick it looked like you could almost walk on it, and the formation was headed right for it. As the bombers penetrated this curtain of flak that was blackening the sky for miles in front and on either side, the enemy fighters peeled off and regrouped. It was all business as the pilot, navigator and bombardier worked closely together to set up the autopilot and the Norden bombsight for the bomb release on the target. Lt. Staffo the bombardier called out to the pilot that the target had been acquired and that he was opening the bomb bay doors. His next message was "15 seconds to release; 10 seconds; 5 seconds; 4; 3; 2; 1; Bombs Away!" Sgt. Hill the Radio man called out to the pilot "Bomb bays clear" which the Pilot followed with "Bombardier close the bay".

Suddenly there was a shattering explosion and the concussion rocked the plane and the pilot and copilot were fighting to control the aircraft as the Navigator Lt. Hantman notified the pilot that they were hit and that the Bombardier was dead and he was badly hurt. Lt. Gilmore and Lt. Rohrer saw that the number three engine was on fire and out of control. As they feathered number three, another concussive explosion rocked the ship and the number two engine was now on fire. They were trying to feather two when they saw that the right wing was on fire. They were losing airspeed and altitude and falling below and behind the formation. As they broke out of the ack ack, they were attacked by pairs of 109's coming at them from 3 to 9 o'clock and slightly low, and from 12 o'clock directly out of the sun, which had suddenly, burst through. They were yellow nosed 109's of the German Luftwaffe JG 27 and unfortunately for the crew of 446, these were experienced pilots who knew the weaknesses of a lone plane out of formation and attacked it relentlessly. Like wolves in a pack they were soon joined by a number of other enemy aircraft making attacks.

446 was vibrating from the impact of the 20 mm rounds tearing through the plane skin and the return fire of the gunners. The plane was filled with the odor of the gunpowder and the smoke from the burning engines and wings. While Gilmore and Rorer were working frantically to keep the plane flying the Engineer St. Richard Cleaver was sent back to notify the crew to abandon ship as the intercom was not working, and to get back to the pilot on the crew status. They had run out of ammunition and during the next attack a 20 mm round came through the windscreen striking and pilot Lt. Gilmore in the face. Wounded he kept flying giving the order to lower the wheels, an international sign of surrender, and to abandon ship as Sgt. Cleaver came back and told them that several of the men were dead and that those alive were ready to bail out. The plane was a battered burning wreck and would not fly on auto pilot, so Gilmore ordered them to bail out as he held the plane steady on a straight descending course over the Gulf of Corinth. Five crew members left the plane; Lt. Rohrer the CoPilot was the last, as Gilmore, bleeding profusely from the face, stayed at the controls. Sgt. Cleaver left just before Lt. Rohrer, and as Rohrer leaped through the open bomb bay doors he recited the Lord's Prayer to clear the plane safely. When he pulled his ripcord and his inflated chute jerked him up, he looked above to see 4 chutes in a line up ahead. As he drifted into a large gray layer of overcast clouds he suddenly heard the chatter of machine guns as a single enemy plane was strafing the four men hung helplessly in their chutes above him.

Meanwhile 446 with two engines out and smoke and flames coming off the wings, continued flying a straight and level descending course over the Gulf of Corinth with Lt. Gilmore at the controls, and four other dead or dying crew members aboard. As the battered and burning 446 descended toward the southern coast of the Gulf of Corinth it passed over the small village of Panariti. The local people watched it pass through a gap between the mountains and hit the ground in a mountainside olive grove with wheels down and flip over bursting into flame. The great air battle raging overhead had caught the attention of the local Greek villagers and Anastasios Teages and his wife Kathleen who were working in their olive grove fields. As they watched this battle rage at a distance, they noticed the aircraft trailing smoke in the sky kept getting larger until they could see the smoke and flames coming from the wings. Watching with wonder and horror they saw this huge smoking bomber somehow come across the Gulf and make it through the mountain gap slicing through the tops of a few trees before it slammed into the ground with wheels down and flipped over bursting into flame. Running down to the crash site, Anastasios was able to pull four bodies from the wreckage of the aircraft surrounding the crash site. The bodies had dog tags identifying them as Sgt. Jack G. Stankus, Sgt. Curtis W. Hinkle, Sgt. Harold E. Wehby and Sgt. Richard L. Myers. The bodies were taken up the hill and buried next to their garden where each of the four simple graves was marked with a stake. The next day two British officers arrived with the Greek freedom fighters and quickly removed the machine guns from the plane and demanded the dog tags taken form the four dead airmen. Anastasios told them that one of them did not have any dog tags and kept the dog tags of Stankus who he believed to be of Greek origin so that he might be able to contact the family at some time. They left very quickly and just as well, as the Germans arrived later and after questioning Anastasios, and a quick survey of the crash site they also left in pursuit of the partisans. In the meantime nothing more was known about the other crew members who had bailed out. However during the next two days a Greek fisherman in the Gulf of Corinth would come upon a body of an airman and bury his remains on the island of Ambelos, Greece. The body was found with a wedding picture of a bride and a Waltham watch and would later be identified as that of Lt. Samuel R. Gilmore.

With Rohrer behind enemy lines for almost three and a half months, the families of the crew of 4230446 when notified that their loved ones were missing in action knew little or nothing of what had actually occurred on October 10, 1943. They found a way to contact each other and by early 1944 they were keeping hope alive and sharing the pain and anguish of their fear of the worst, and trying to support each other while pursuing all avenues available for any bit of information. Early reports suggested the possibility of a safe water landing, and then there was hope that they were at least Prisoners of War. As the time painfully passed by their hopes were being tossed up and down, and each episode became more disheartening. Meyers, Wehby and Hinkle were among the first to be notified that their sons were killed in action based upon the recovery of their dog tags and the reports provided to the U.S. by the British Intelligence which was in charge of the air, sea and land rescue efforts for the Mediterranean and Adriatic areas.

AFTERMATH
For almost two years the bodies remained in this fenced in area by their garden where they planted flowers to remember the brave American heroes who helped to liberate their country from the Germans by spilling their blood on Greek soil. In the summer of 1945 the Americans returned and the bodies were disinterred. They started another long journey of almost five years that would take them through burials near Athens, then later Florence or Nettuno, Italy before eventually bring them home to the United States, except for Sgt. Jack Stankus who remained at Nettuno. It would not be until almost six years after they were shot down that arrangements were finally made to bring the crew remains home. By this time the many burials and disinterment overseas, with errors of omission and paperwork, and other fiascos had made a bad situation terribly worse, they could not provide individual identification, so a group burial would be made.

On a cold gray day at 11 a.m. on January 27, 1950 funeral services with full military honors were held at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky for the following six crew members of B17F 4230446:
T/Sgt Richard A. Cleaver, Engineer We continue our efforts to contact his family
2nd Lt. Morton M. Hantman, Navigator We are in contact with his family
T/Sgt William B. Hill, Radio Operator We are in contact with his family
S/Sgt Richard L. Myers, Tail Gunner We continue our efforts to contact his family
1st Lt. John C. Staffo, Bombardier We are in contact with his family
S/Sgt Harold E. Wehby, Ball Turret Gunner We are in contact with his family

T/Sgt Curtis W. Hinkle, Waist Gunner was buried at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, For Leavenworth, Kansas - We are in contact with his family.

Note: S/Sgt Francis C. Adams, Previously wounded and replaced by Hinkle is believed to have survived the war and we continue our efforts to contact him or his family.

Lt. George W. Rohrer, CoPilot survived the war and currently resides in Reno, Nevada with his wife Doris. We are in contact with him.

Lt. Samuel R. Gilmore, Pilot was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California. Note: The information we have uncovered in our research almost 60 years later leads us to believe that the body buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery is that of the Navigator Lt. Hantman as a photo found on the body was the wedding picture of Mrs. Hantman. The facts support that Lt. Gilmore was killed at the crash site and that his body and perhaps other such as Lt. Staffo were destroyed by the impact and fire of the crash. We continue our efforts to contact the Gilmore family.

MISSION RESULTS
Of 65 enemy aircraft on the ground at the Tatoi Aerodrome, 21 were destroyed, 8 damaged and the landing strip, hangars and other installation facilities were heavily damaged. Four enemy aircraft were shot down and one B-17, "Her Majesty" 4230446 would be lost.

GERMAN LUFTWAFFE JG-27 RECORDS OCTOBER 10, 1943
Almost sixty years later a review of the Luftwaffe records of claims would identify only three German pilots from JG 27 for an attack on a B17 on October 10, 1943 at this location, and at about this time from 12:04 until 12:50 p.m. at an altitude of about 15 - 19,000 feet. The three were Oblt. Alfred Burke with 28 victory claims who would be killed in action a few weeks later on October 31, 1943. Oblt. Jost Schlang for which no detailed information has yet been found, and Obst. Ltn. Gustav Rodel who survived the war with 98 victory claims and flew over 980 missions. He would go on to be a General in the post war Luftwaffe.

PERSONAL CONTACT FOR ADDITONAL INFORMATION
This profile was prepared by Gary T. Staffo the nephew of Lt. John C. Staffo based upon various reference materials, personal interviews and other sources. We welcome any and all additional information others may be able to provide and would be glad to answer any questions and share our research.