In July, 1995, navigator Donald H. Lienemann was the first

American vet from the battle, with whom researchers from the

evolving museum made contact and who would revisit the place

where he was shot down. He subsequently came back again from

his native Nebraska on two occasions, including to attend the

opening ceremony for the museum in September, 1997.

MUD IN YER EYE

A similar fate to Baker’s ‘Now an’ Then’ befell the aircraft

flying off its left wing, B-17G 42-97834 ‘Mud in yer Eye’, flown by

Lt. Orville C. Everitt. Over almost fifty missions flown by this

B-17G, eight were manned by Everitt’s crew (who were flying

their 20th combat mission on September 11th, 1944). One of the

three of nine crew to survive the mission was Lt. Warren L. Soden,

and in 1997 he recounted for us: ’ After several passes by the

190’s 20mm fire knocked out our tail controls, both rudder and

elevator. We started down and I could see the pilot’s feet (Everitt) on the rudders trying to get control. The co-pilot was gone.

(I could see the cockpit from the nose due to the fabric panel

being absent in this plane.) I bailed out and on the way down

I saw our plane almost directly below me on a flight path that

was consistently left-right, left-right, with descent significantly slowed. This flight pattern indicated to me that Everitt was

still flying the plane. I can only conclude that he had not bailed

out and was trying to get below cloud cover before bailing out.

However the plane exploded shortly before reaching cloud cover

and I saw only pieces of aluminum floating down. I landed in

a forest and was picked up by German soldiers‘.

Tail Gunner Sgt. Kenney died in 1963 as a result of the injuries

he sufferred in the battle. On his return from captivity in 1945,

he reported in his debrief:

‘We were flying a mission to Ruhland, Germany on September

11´1944. At about 12:10 English time, were hit by F.W.´s 190.

Due to oxygen system which was shot away and also serious lung

wounds I was unconscious and don´t remember how I get out

and have no knowledge on what happened at all except heresay.

I heard in Germany from a fellow flyer that the ship blew up…’

Of the nine man crew, three lived to see the end of the war.

parachutes... then we got it, hit in the tail we went straight up,

stalled, went down in a tight spiral, losing 6000 feet.’

During the falling spin, the injured radio operator, T/Sgt.

William G. Terry bailed out of the stricken aircraft. He was subsequently taken prisoner at Jachymov. Navigator Lt. George H.

Geis added to the pilot’s account in 2000:

’„…when Raymond and Glenn got us out of a flat spin at 15,000

we were all alone. Cannon fire around the tail wheel nacelle dropped the tail section – jamming the rudder and elevator.

We stayed aloft with the control yoke full forward and one aileron for lateral steering.

Ray Carl was severely wounded – one arm with a double compound fracture – both kneecaps and upper leg bones visible and

massive puncture wounds of the face. We packed the wounds,

used sulfa and morphine – wrapping him in flak vests and fashioned a hammock with control cables to cushion him from the

severe vibration.

The radio room door was shattered and Terry’s boots were on

the bloody floor. He somehow managed to bail out during the

spin. We were losing altitude so we jettisoned the ball turret,

radios, guns, etc., and Cooper and I dropped four 500# by opening the toggles with a screwdriver. We couldn’t reach the other

two on the lower outside racks.

OOMBREE AGO

Significantly better luck was experienced by the crew to the

right of Baker. Serialed 43-38161, it was the most recently built

airplane of the three, and had thirteen combat missions under

its belt. Most of these were flown by a crew commanded by

Lt. Raymond L. Hieronimus. Both of the aforementioned crews

also flew a mission each in this aircraft. The bomber carried the

name ‘Oombree Ago’. Raymond Hieronimus was at the controls

of this airplane on this occasion, and his crew accounted for four

destroyed and one damaged enemy aircraft. Tail gunner S/Sgt.

Marvin D. Cooper: ‘Six e/a were attacked up at 6 o´clock low.

They came straight in and at 600 yards I began firing at the lead

E/A. It was a straight shot with no deflection and smoke began

to come from his left wing. He came in to 300 yards without

wavering where the plane suddenly exploded and disintegrated

in mid air.’

Top turret gunner Sgt. Carlyle E. Miller caught a different

Fw 190: ‘A single E/A came in at 7 o’clock as I was trying to get

another E/A on our right wing. I swung around to 7 o’clock and

started firing at a range of 200 yards. I saw smoke come from the

engine and the E/A fell off to 8 o’clock low and exploded…’

Pilot Raymond L. Heironimus recounted several days after the

battle: ‘Diving out of the sun the Germans attacked... our lead

Fortress fell, its wing tips burning... the bomber to the right did

a wing-over, falling up to pieces... another blew up under us...

those boys were old friends of mine... we saw only half dozen

‘Oombree Ago’ after its emergency landing in France.

(Museum of Air Battle Over the Ore Mountains

on September 11th, 1944 Archives, Stephane Muret)

INFO Eduard - July 2021

eduard

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