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Post Scriptum:
The Bloody Hundredth
Family
In 1968, a meeting of several former members of
the One Hundredth took place in the living room
of Robert and Phillis Rosenthal. Among them
were Harry Crosby and his wife, Horace Varian,
Jack Kid and others. The meeting gave rise to the
idea of starting a veterans’ organization with the
two goals of starting a magazine and organizing
a reunion. It was supposed to take place at the
Rosenthal’s in the garden. It was assumed that
around 30 people would participate. After the
first rounds of searching for former comrades
and invitations, it turned out that there would be
more than 200 participants, who would not all fit
into Rosie’s garden. So the meeting took place in
1969 at Andrews Air Force Base. And so, the 100th
Bomb Group Association was founded. Since then,
veterans and their families have been meeting
every few years. A few years ago, the Associa-
tion turned into a Foundation. Its mission remains,
even though most of the original members of the
Blood Hundredth have left us. The task was tak-
en over by their children and grandchildren, and
now even the great-grandchildren of the veter-
ans, together with unit historians, photo archi-
vists and other friends of the Hundredth, working
on a volunteer basis. The foundation maintains its
core mission in terms of the Bloody Hundredth
legacy, holding reunions and publishing a jour-
nal, as planned long ago in the Rosenthals’ living
room. The foundation also supports a number
of educational and museum projects.
B-17G 42-97696 ‘Terrible Termite’ during POW repatriation flights in which the 100th Bomb Group participated from 15 May to 3 June 1945. (Percyk collection)
From the 100th Bomb Group reunion in 2003 in Houston, TX - from left, Col. Edward A. Gallagher, U.S. Defense
and Air Attaché in the Czech Republic, center, the author of this article, and on the right, Gen. Thomas J.
Jeffrey, one of the commanders of the 100th Bomb Group. (Museum of Air battle over the Ore Mountains)
100th Bomb Group Reunion 2023 at the National Mighty
Eighth Museum, Savannah, GA. (Museum of Air battle
over the Ore Mountains)
HISTORY
INFO Eduard
Speciál B-17F / The Bloody Hundredth 1943
26
June 2024