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Stupen-Taket
323rd Squadron
Capt. McCarty's Crew
It Don't Mean a Thing
Serial # 41-24549 OR-Q
Back Row - Left to Right
T/Sgt. John McCormack, Top Turret Gunner; Lt. Byron Mills Bennett, Navigator; 1st Lt. John Bell, Bombardier; 1st Lt. James Hill, Co-pilot; Capt. Martin Winston McCarty, Jr., Pilot; S/Sgt. Robert Trent, Tail Gunner.
Front Row - Left to Right
S/Sgt. George Engle, Waist Gunner; T/Sgt. William Dunnavant, Radio Operator; Sgt. Philip S. Cardin, Ball Turret Gunner; Sgt. Umberto Periera (Herbert Perry), Waist Gunner.
Photo contributed by Bill McCarty
Stupen-Taket Factoid - This was one of the original 9 crews that made up the 323rd.
The above photo is actually the original crew of Vertigo #547. They were shot down on March 4, 1943 while flying Stupen-Taket.
On March 4, 1943, the 8th Air Force made the first inland strike on Germany's prized industrial complex in the heavily defended Ruhr Valley. Bad weather caused three of the four Groups composing the bomber stream to turn back and the 91st found itself alone in its attack on Hamm. With sixteen B-17s, they single handedly took on the German Luftwaffe. Outnumbered by five to one, this little group of sixteen aircraft, fought its way 160 miles into Germany and scored direct hits on the marshaling yards at Hamm. Four 91st Bomb Group B-17s were lost that day including Stupen-Taket of the 323rd flown by Lt. McCarty and his crew. Over the target, a machine gun bullet hit the waist gunner in the neck killing him instantly. Just after the target, Stupen-Taket was hit by a direct flack burst. At debriefing, other crew members reported seeing the ship drip to 20,000 feet and then explode with only two chutes seen to emerge from the explosion. Eight crew members were Killed in Action. In 1947, after the war, the heroic actions of the 91st on this first mission to the Ruhr were recognized and the Group was awarded its second Unit Citation. (written by Mike Banta)
Crew members that were killed
They were buried in the Communal Cemetery of Buldern, grave numbers as indicated. Re-interned in the U.S. Military Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, in the Ardennes; initial plot numbers between brackets.
Pilot
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McCarty, Martin W. Jr., Captain Grave 3 (F-12-292) |
0-436089
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Texas Ardennes C-2-19 |
Co-Pilot *
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Hill, James T., 1st Lt. Grave 10 |
0-789016
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U.S.A. |
Navigator |
Bennett, Byron M. 1/Lt. Grave 3. (F-6-143) |
0-388978 |
U.S.A., Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, Ca. |
Radio Operator |
Dunnavant, William, T/Sgt. |
06845868 |
V. A. Ardennes D-9-15 |
Engineer |
McCormack, John J., T/Sgt. Grave 5 (F-12-276) |
12034826 |
U.S.A., NY |
Waist Gunner |
Pereira, Umberto, Sgt. Grave 8. (I-1-2) |
11018314 |
Mass, Ardennes D-3-10 |
Waist Gunner * |
Cardin, Philip S., Sgt. |
18053425 |
U.S.A |
Tail Gunner |
Trent, Robert T. S/Sgt. |
14035751 |
Tenn. Ardennes B-23-13 |
P.O.W.s
Bombardier |
Bell, John R., 1st Lt. |
0-727078 |
Ball Turret |
Engle, George W., S/Sgt. |
16038741 |
* Re-interned in Ardennes Plots F-10-249 and I-1-1. These Airmen could not be identified individually and received a Group Burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Section 79, Grave 245 (Group Burial Nr. 610) on 27th April 1950.
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