Jan 19 - 24, 1945

Apologies again about the long lag between posts. No real excuse, just finding other things to do, like taxes. Ugh. Done and done. 

We rejoin Jack in the middle of January, 1945.

 

Jan 19 1945

Dear Ma

It looks like I recived some mail from you to day so will try to answer them. All the mail I recived to day was postmarked around the last part of Dec. It seems like it is comming in just a little better. I just hope mine are getting there just as fast if not faster.

It seems like you are sill blowing your top about the air metal and the clusters. Well I suppose by the time you get this you will really be flying high. I have put in enough missions to get my 3rd cluster now. I'll get 2 more between now and when I finish. It makes the total to 5 or 1 silver one. Me I'll just wear 3 or 4, it looks better than the 1 little silver one up there.

Oh yes I  got a Vmail dated Jan 7 so that really came through nice. I recived a letter from Bo, one from Neva & one from Nene. All in all I have done all right the past week in the mail situation.

To day it looked like it might have been a nice day. When I got up (around 8) it was 1/2 way decent just cold. Well around noon the wind started blowing and to top that off it started to snow. It ended up very miserable all in all.

Say I want you to keep that little Nene from running around too much. She is liable to get some other ideas about little Jim. We'll have to figure out some way to get Jim stationed back there in Vegas.

They got us up bright and early this A.M. for a show down inspection, It seems like they were looking for flying cloths. I didn't have any thing I wasn't suppose to so it didn't bother me. Of course I wasn't here so  they wouldn't know about that. I had to go out and shoot skeet and I couldn't make it back until the inspection was over. 

20

I'll try to finish this now befor I put it off another day. 

I recived a Vmail from you today and couldn't quite make out what it was all about. It was dated Jan 8. You mentioned some thing about Dad Kruse. I take he was hurt or something. I suppose you have written in other letters about the score is so I'll just wait. I hope it's nothing too bad. 

It took to snowing this afternoon so they have guys cleaning off runways tonight. I didn't have to be one of the chosen ones – thank God.

I'll close now

Jack

Jan 22 1945

Dear Ma

I'll try to drop you a little line to night. 

I haven't done a whole lot, if any thing, of late except bitch.

I got up rather late this morning but didn't doing any thing all day. I did have a couple of clases, this after noon but they didn't amount to much.

We have been having some more snow and I get to hate it more. They have some fellows out again tonight shoveling the darn stuff off. 

I recived a letter from Bo today – it was just a little late. It was dated Nov. 28. I guess it must have gotten lost during Xmas. I noticed all of the letters today were postmarked out the same time. I guess the Postmaster doesn't have any thing against me alone. 

I never did hear any thing about the deal where I rode the bike on the run way. I guess maybe the officer was just trying to scare me or something. I just hope he has forgotten the incident all together. 

I haven't heard any more about the 7 day furlogh but suppose I 'll get it the 26 or 29 of this month. I have to get some money some place, maybe they will give me a partial pay (I hope.) If they don't I'll have to borrow like mad. 

I'll close for now and try to shave

Jack. 

Jan 24 1945.

Dear Ma

I'll see if I can write you a short note. 

As per usual nothing new has happend so it will be some thing if I get this written and mail.

I didn't get any mail to day so that makes me very unhappy. I hardly belive I am the only unhappy person in the world though. 

It has been rather cold today so I didn't do any thing. Infact I have hardly been out of the barracks. I do wish it would clear up some and also warm up. Maybe it will some day.

Say while I am thinking about it I had better mention it. If & when I get my 7 day I probably won't be able to write you. Don't get worried if you don't get any mail for a few days. You see we have to mail all our letters in a GI post office and we probably won't be around any. 

We have heard the rumor that when we get back to the states we will be put in as instructors. I some times wonder if it will be worth it or not though. I imagine if I do I'll probably get busted right off the bat. Oh well I'll wait and see what happens. 

Well I'll close now

Jack. 

And a catch-up Vmail. This one was written on January 14 but postmarked January 30, 1945

Jan 14 1945

Dear Ma

I recived a couple of Vmail letters from you to day so will answer it the same way. They were dated Dec 11 – Jan 3, the one came through in pretty good time but the other was rather slow. I recived a big bunch of letters yesterday and answered them so you will begetting a letter besides this one. I wish all the letters would come like the one did but I don't suppose they ever will. 

I would have written a regular letter but I am so tired so I don't feel like it. I'll try tomorrow if I feel any better

I'll close now

Love 

Jack. 

After he had a few days off, Jack flew two missions during the days he wrote these letters, on January 21 and 22. The Battle of the Bulge is winding down. 

Mission 261 targeted railroad marshalling yards near Aschaffenburg, Germany. It was a fairly uneventful mission; notes indicate "No aircraft were lost. No enemy aircraft were encountered. No flak was encountered."  All good!

 

The following day, they flew Mission 262, which targeted a synthetic oil plant at Sterkrade, Germany.  This was a tragic mission. All aircraft in Jack's group, the 508th bomb squadron, arrived at base safely. But one aircraft from the 509th suffered the worst fate, and one airman lost his life. Here is the description as written on the 351st.org description of the mission:

Description of the Mission printed in the book "The 351st Bomb Group in WWII" written by Ken Harbour & Peter Harris.

Used with permission.

Two squadrons flying with the 94th “B” Group made another trip to the synthetic oil plant at Sterkrade. The lead squadron bombed the primary target visually, hitting the southeast corner of the target area. The leader of the low squadron was unable to get his bombs away at the primary target. He led the squadron towards the secondary, the Rheine marshalling yards, but as the planes approached the target, the deputy lead ship was hit by flak, lost two engines and salvoed bombs to reduce weight. The rest of the squadron, with the exception of the leader, dropped at the same time, well short of the target.

Flak at both targets damaged 11 planes. Lt. Johnson and Lt. Whittaker were forced to land their damaged planes in Belgium. Lt. Goldsborough, in 44-6078, was seen straggling soon after bombing. With two engines out of commission, Lt. Goldsborough, struggling to maintain height and speed, made for the Allied lines in Holland. When he thought that he had reached the Allied lines, and at only 2,000 feet he gave the order to bail out. Unfortunately, Sgt. Shirts hesitated too long and was taken to his death with the aircraft.  The rest of the crew landed between the lines. A patrol of Canadian soldiers came to their rescue, but before they could return to their own lines, all were captured by the Germans.

Missing Air Crew Report (MACR):

A/C# 44-6078   RQ-G  "Hard Hearted Mama"  Pilot: Lt. Goldsborough  A/C's 55th Mission   MACR # 12011

Aircraft Loss Circumstances:

Eyewitness Account in Missing Air Crew Report:

I, Reinhold W. Vergen, 0-826035, was flying as pilot of Aircraft No. 42-107124 on a mission to Sterkrade, Germany on 22 January 1945. Just after the target, Lt Goldsborough, who was flying on my left, suddenly veered to the left, flew level for a few minutes, and then went into a steep climb. He leveled out and went off on a west heading which should have brought him to Belgium. His plane was under control after he leveled off from the climb. I saw no parachutes and heard nothing over VHF. It is impossible to say what the reason for his leaving the formation was, since there were no visible signs of damage to his ship.  Flak was heavy in the area, however, and damage may have been done internally somewhere.

[Signed] Reinhold W. Vergen, 2nd Lt, Air Corps.

One crew member stated on an Individual Casualty Questionnaire filed in the MACR to the question - 

Did Sgt Shirts bail out? "To my knowledge, yes."

Where? "He was the last one to leave; actually in friendly territory near Arnhem, Netherlands."

Was he injured? "According to crewmen in nose, no."

Where was he when last seen? "Near the nose hatch, ready to leave."

Any hearsay information? "The next to the last man from the nose to leave stated that Sgt. Shirts was conscious and apparently uninjured. Received letters from Canadians [soldiers] who witnessed our trouble found our plane and said that no bodies were found. Also said that nine chutes were seen in the air."

Any explanation of his fate based in part or wholly on supposition: "Since the Germans were shooting at us with small arms while we were descending in our chutes (probably thinking we were going to land in friendly territory) and also since one man was hit by that firing, I believe that it was highly possible that could have been the fate of Shirts."

Another crewmember, Sgt. Ramsey P. Fendall, stated, "I was flying waist gunner on this day. When the pilot gave the order to bail out we were directly above the Canadian - German front and I immediately went to the waist door and pulled the emergency release and kicked the door out. I looked back and saw the radio operator behind me and the ball-turret gunner was leaving his turret and securing his parachute. Everyone in the rear of the aircraft were uninjured and bailed out.  After we all assembled as German prisoners that night we knew nothing of Sgt. Shirts excepting that he was the last one to leave the aircraft (if he did leave) and that the next to last one to leave said that Shirts was conscious and also nodded approval to bail out after he saw the others leave. According to a letter received by [from] the Canadians, they stated that nine parachutes were seen in the air, and that no bodies were found in the wreckage of the aircraft. Therefore, it is quite probable that Shirts did bail out. Canadian letter was written by L-54901 Cpl. Alex R. Schmitz, G.H. Q 8 Canad. Recce. Reg't (14CK) Canadian Army."

The Top Turret Gunner, Carl F. Miller, reported that himself and the Co-pilot, Charles Balik, both suffered broken legs.

The Co-pilot, Charles F. Balik, reported that the plane was at 20,000 feet and was on fire when they parachuted.

Individual Accounts of Crewmen Fates:

Pilot - 1st Lt Goldsborough, Richard M., POW at Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser) 49-11. Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated. 

Co-pilot - 2nd Lt Balik, Charles F., Injured and sent to a German Hospital. POW in Germany. Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated. 

Navigator - F/O Romanishin, John, POW in Germany. Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated. 

Nose Gunner - Sgt Shirts, George F., Killed in Action. 

Top Turret Gunner - S/Sgt Miller, Carl F., POW at Stalag 12A to 9B Limburg An Der Lahn Hessen-Nassau, Prussia 50-08. Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated.

Radio Operator - T/Sgt Kennedy, Thomas F. Jr., POW in Germany. Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated. 

Waist Gunner - Sgt Fendall, Ramsey P., POW at Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser) 49-11. Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated.

Ball Turret Gunner - Sgt Kalapp, John M., POW in Germany. Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated. 

Tail Gunner - Sgt Rushing, Jack T., POW in Germany. Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated.

Burial Records:

Shirts, George F., Buried in McDaniel Cemetery, Cameron, Clinton County, Missouri.