HISTORY

The four evaders return

to Bassingbourn 12 days

after being shot down in “My

Baby.” L-R: LT Andrew “Andy”

Anderson, Co-Pilot; Lt George

Lancaster Jr., Bombardier;

Lt Alton Karoli, Navigator; and

Lt Ernest Robert “Bob” Kelley,

Pilot. Anderson, who was

the pilot of “Madame Shoo

Shoo,” was loaned to the

inexperienced Kelley crew for

the mission on September 5,

1944. [Kelley]

fire in his direction putting several holes in his

chute. Clouds and low altitude ended this attack

and Kelley soon found himself on the ground

in a dense wooded area. In the meantime, “My

Baby” had made a 180 degree, descending turn

and, missing the taller buildings of a small town,

crashed onto a farmer’s field. The crash ignited

fuel, oil, and the incendiary bomb load creating

a huge fire that would continue to burn throughout

the night and into the next morning. Kelley could

hear a dog barking nearby and the voices of an

elderly man and woman. Understanding French,

Kelley realized they were looking for survivors

of the bailout. Making himself known to them he

was quickly taken to the local chief of the French

Underground and hidden in a deep hole obviously prepared as a fortress/hide out along with his

co-pilot, 2Lt Andy Anderson, Navigator, 2Lt Alton

Karoli and Bombardier, 2Lt George Lancaster.

This hide out was 20 feet deep and contained

two rooms partitioned by a large curtain. One

20

INFO Eduard

room was the sleeping

area and the second

room contained rifles,

uniforms, and other

supplies used to get

allied personnel back

to their lines. Kelley

and Lancaster suffered

minor injuries from their bail-outs. Engineer, 1Lt David McCarty: Killed in Action

T/Sgt. Ira Krammes suffered ligament damon a Mission to Ludwigshafen,

age and, unable to walk or run, was captured.

Waist Gunner Sgt. Zalma Michell and Ball Turret Germany, Sept. 8, 1944

Gunner, S/Sgt. Edward Duemmer landed and

Thanks to Bob Kelley, I now knew who “Mac”

were assisted by local residents, eventually was. I wrote again to Bowden who responded with

evading back to the Allied lines. Radio Operator, a great deal of information about David McCarty

T/Sgt. Grover Nordman was found by locals, given and his loss over Germany. Bowden also provided

a bicycle with which he rode over 50 miles a partial list of McCarty’s mission history in the

through German-held territory and across Allied 322nd BS. This provided further evidence that the

lines. The body of Tail gunner S/Sgt. Doyle was crew photo and flight to Stoney Cross both took

found near the wreckage of the aircraft and bur- place on August 10, 1944. McCarty and crew first

ied in the local cemetery by the town mayor and flew “My Baby” on August 8 and then again on the

two young brothers.

9th and then flew “Texas Chubby, The J-Ville JoltKelley, Anderson, Lancaster, and Karoli, after er,” an olive drab over gray camouflaged B-17G,

nine days hiding with the French Underground, on August 11,13, 14, and 15. “Texas Chubby” was

were picked up by two GI’s who had wandered shot down the following day with another crew

near their area in a Jeep. They still had to me- on board. Further evidence was provided by 2Lt

ander through the French countryside to avoid Frank Bolen, bombardier assigned to the crew of

pockets of German soldiers in retreat. Arriving in “Chow Hound,” another well known, Starcer decParis 12 days after its liberation, Kelley and crew, orated B-17, in the 322nd BS. On August 7, 1944,

aware that surviving crews were to report to the Bolen was relieved of his duties as bombardier

USAAF headquarters as soon as they arrived, en- by the squadron’s

joyed the city’s sights and entertainment for two

lead bombardier because “Chow Hound was to

days before reporting in. Upon the crew’s return lead the entire squadron on a mission in support

to Bassingbourn on September 17, a large, base- of the Normandy breakout. „Chow Hound“ and all

wide party was thrown in the 324th BS hangar.

of her crew were lost on that mission. With no

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower issued orders early time to reflect on the loss of his crew, Bolen was

in the war that evaders were not to be returned immediately assigned to the McCarty crew and

to flying status in the ETO. This was to protect the is shown in the official 91st BG photo that now

French Underground from being compromised in appears to have been taken on the morning of

the event a previous evader was captured and August 10, the same day McCarty flew “My Baby”

tortured. While there were exceptions to this to Stoney Cross.

mandate, Lt Kelly and his crew were flown back

McCarty and crew’s next mission was on Septo the United States to be trained for action in tember 8 in an NMF B-17G, serial no. 43-38348

the Pacific Theatre of Operations. While Bob Kel- named “Roxy’s Special.” On that day, this aircraft

ley did train in Douglas A-26 Medium Bombers to was listed “Missing in Action” (MIA) on only its

be flown against Japan, the war ended before he fifth mission and McCarty listed as “Killed in Acwas ordered back into combat.

tion” (KIA) over the same target that saw the loss

November 2023