These were the members of the 44th Bomb Group, 66th Squadron crew of B-24 #41-23777 (nicknamed 'Maisie' by its pilot).
Capt. Howard Adams
Crew position: Pilot
Home town: Rutland, Vermont
Burial location:
Ardennes Military Cemetery
Neupre, Belgium
Plot B, Row 33, Grave 5
Other: His name is engraved on the World War II memorial in Rutland (in the new armory) |
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2nd Lt. Stanley McLeod
Crew position: Co-pilot
Home town: Oklahoma City, OK
Burial location:
Ardennes Military Cemetery
Neupre, Belgium
Plot B, Row 33, Grave 10
Other: There is also a memorial stone for him in Fairview Cemetery, Smith Center, Kansas |
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2nd Lt. Wayne Gotke
Crew position: Navigator
Home town: San Antonio, Texas
Burial location:
Survived, POW
Died in 1979
Buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Utah |
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44th Bomb Group members at Stalag Luft III: (from left to right) Robert K. Walker, Wayne H. Gotke, Robert H. McPhillamey, Wilber E. Wockenfuss, Leo O. Frazier, and John T. Mooney - Photograph courtesy of Wayne C. Gotke |
Gotke is second from the left |
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2nd Lt. William Hannan
Crew position: Bombardier
Home town: Canton, New York
Burial location:
Ardennes Military Cemetery
Neupre, Belgium
Plot B, Row 33, Grave 8 |
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T/Sgt. Robert Vogt
Crew position: Engineer
Home town: Danville, Pennsylvania
Burial location:
Odd Fellows Cemetery
Danville, Pennsylvania |
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S/Sgt. Linwood Jones
Crew position: Radio operator
Home town: Greenville, North Carolina
Burial location:
Greenwood Cemetery
Greenville, North Carolina |
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The original enlisted men of Capt. Adams' crew: (from left to right) Scott Brewer, Bob Vogt, Perch Rolfe, Linwood Jones, and Jim Mifflin |
Jones is fourth from the left |
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S/Sgt. Donald Bowie
Crew position: Gunner
Home town: North Conway, New Hampshire
Burial location:
Ardennes Military Cemetery
Neupre, Belgium
Plot B, Row 33, Grave 6 |
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Bowie joined the crew as a replacement |
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S/Sgt. James Mifflin
Crew position: Assistant radio operator
Home town: East St. Louis, Illinois
Burial location:
Survived, POW
Died in 1972
Saint Clair Memorial Park, Fairview Heights, Illinois |
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Mifflin is on the far right |
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S/Sgt. Scott Brewer
Crew position: Gunner
Home town: Boise, Idaho
Burial location:
Ardennes Military Cemetery
Neupre, Belgium
Plot B, Row 33, Grave 7 |
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Brewer is on the far left in the crew photo above. His dog tag was discovered in 2008. For more on that story, follow this link. |
Sgt. William Welch
Crew position: Gunner
Home town: Loudon, New Hampshire
Burial location:
Mount Hope Cemetery
Loudon, New Hampshire |
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Welch joined the crew as a replacement |
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Additional details
The original Adams crew was:
1st Lt. Howard F. Adams, Pilot
(Adams was later promoted to Captain)
2nd Lt. Stanley W. McLeod, Co-pilot
2nd Lt. Wayne Gotke, Navigator
2nd Lt. William J. Hannan, Bombardier
Sgt. Robert K. Vogt, Engineer
Sgt. Linwood F. Jones, Assistant Engineer
Sgt. Pershing G. Rolfe, Radio Operator
Sgt. James W. Mifflin, Assistant Radio Operator
Sgt. Scott E. Brewer, Gunner
By February of 1943, 'Perch' Rolfe was no longer flying with Adams' crew. He had gotten frostbite on an earlier mission when his heating element was destroyed by enemy gunfire. Jones took over as radio operator and Rolfe was replaced by Sgt. Donald R. Bowie. A tenth crew member, Sgt. William F. Welch, was added to man the 'tunnel gun,' a .50 caliber machine gun in the belly of the plane near the waist machine gun positions.
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Two men (both now deceased) provided many of the images shown here: Will Lundy (left) and Pershing 'Perch' Rolfe (right) |
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Perch is in the middle of the crew photo shown above |
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