Archived entries in
450th BGH Guest Book
Displaying entries 201 - 225 of 1008





Date November 15, 2005
Name John Belgio
Email jcbelgio@msn.com
City Parlin
State NJ
Country USA
Comments Son of Samuel Belgio -721st




Date November 14, 2005
Name Andy J. Benedict
Email ajbdad1@wmconnect.com
City McKees Rocks
State PA
Country U. S. of A.
Comments Missing Records . . . I flew as the co-pilot on the Captain John Paul Jones, Jr. crew. After he was wounded, the crew was taken over by First Lieutenant Roger A. Kent. We were with the 723rd SQ. During our time there, we suffered two crashes. One happened at Capodichino, Italy (8-44) and the other on the Island of Vis, off the Dalmatian Coast (10-44). There is NO official record of the disposition of the two incidents. I am hoping that some member of the maintenance or a ground crew chief of the 723rd kept a log of the B-24s in his charge,and noticed the absence of two planes upon mission return. I don't know the S/Ns of either plane, but the name of the Vis B-24 was “No,No Nanette". Any information of the planes and/or crew would be genuinely welcomed. Respectfully, Andy J. Benedict. ajbdad1@wmconnect.com




Date November 12, 2005
Name Sean Hancock
Email seanvail1@aol.com
City Louisville
State KY
Country USA
Comments I'm the grandson of SGT. Ralph Poffenberger.




Date November 11, 2005
Name ABA IMO MAGA
Email ezeaba@yahoo.com
City ASABA
State LOME
Country ANGOLA
Comments I LOVE THIS PAGE PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD AND WONDERFUL WORK.




Date November 8, 2005
Name Allen Williams
Email nzchair@aol.com
City Morrison
State Colorado
Country USA
Comments My Dad is Raymond L.Williams, He is 86 and lives in Paris Texas he flew with the 723rd. And I can't wait to show him this web site, he'll be thrilled.




Date November 2, 2005
Name Kim Aarts
Email kimaarts87@hotmail.com
City Margraten
State The Netherlands
Country Limburg
Comments One year ago I adopted the grave of; Second Lieutenant,Edward Wallerstein U.S. Army Air Forces Service # O-746774 450th Bomber Squadron, 322nd Bomber Group, Medium Died: 23-Feb-45 He is buried at The American Cemetery Margraten,The Netherlands. Maybe there are people that have some more information for me about this person. My target is to come in touch with his family if it is possible. Thank you in advance.




Date November 2, 2005
Name Robert Mann
Email b29mann@frontiernet.net
City Cookeville
State TN
Country US
Comments Wonderful site - both for the amount of data available for serious research and the organization of the data




Date October 28, 2005
Name James A. Zocco
Email jazocco@earthlink.net
City Windsor Locks
State CT. 06096
Country USA
Comments I am one of the original members of the 450th Bomb Group (H) at Alamogordo, New Mexico.I was assigned as assistant crew chief on the "Gallopin Ghost". "77". Crew Chief was Glen Hovey. Pilot was Warrant Officer Walter Van De Kamp. The aircraft was shot down at Regansberg, Germany on Feb. 22 1944. All were killed except the co-pilot, Phillip Kraus, Paul Drury and Adams Wood, all prisoners of war. James A. Zocco(Cottontails)




Date October 27, 2005
Name Ryan Campbell
Email rtcampbell54@yahoo.com
City St. Louis
State MO
Country
Comments I was unable to locate the webmasters email. Please contact me in regards to a photograph that I have showing several 450th aircraft in combat. Thanks! Ryan




Date October 26, 2005
Name Nancy Jean Rellihan
Email nanzjean@aol.com
City Independence
State Mo
Country USA
Comments Just returned from attending the 450th BG reunion, and I wanted to thank everyone for the great time!! It's always so wonderful to visit with all you great individuals. Thanks for sharing your memories, your smiles, and your tears. May God bless each and everyone of you! Keep em flying! Nancy Jean




Date October 25, 2005
Name Mark Vander Kooi
Email mvanderkooi2000@yahoo.com
City Beloit
State WI
Country USA
Comments Can I get more information on SSG Jim Vander Kooi? I am trying to trace my family history and this could be a relative of mine. Thank you for your help.




Date October 17, 2005
Name Wendy (Francis) Kielar
Email wendy@letsdowine.com
City Clarence
State NY
Country US
Comments Thank you for a wonderful site and thanks to my son, Neal, (Harold's Grandson) for finding it!




Date October 17, 2005
Name Wendy (Francis) Kielar
Email wendy@letsdowine.com
City Clarence
State NY
Country US
Comments I am very sad to say that my dad, Harold L. Francis, died on October 12, 2005. He is pictured on the home page in the Miss Fortune photograph. Here is part of his obituary: "He entered the Army Air Force in 1942. He was assigned as a ball gunner aboard a B-24H bomber based in Manduria, Italy, with the 450th Bomber Group, 720th Squadron. His crew's 13th mission proved unlucky on April 25, 1944, when his plane, the "Miss Fortune," was shot down by German fighters over northern Italy. One crewman was killed and Mr. Francis was among the wounded survivors captured by Italian troops and turned over to the Germans. He spent nine months in Stalag Luft III, the German POW camp later made famous in the movie "The Great Escape." In April 1945, the Germans evacuated the camp in eastern Germany in the face of a Russian offensive and marched their prisoners 500 miles across Germany to the town of Moosburg, where after 11 days, their new prison was liberated by American troops. Mr. Francis, who was promoted from staff sergean




Date October 15, 2005
Name Mart Cope's family
Email lissacope3@hotmail.com
City
State
Country
Comments Thank you, Jim C., it was so good to read your thoughts about your Dad and our Dad. Oh, what a huge hole their passings have made. We cried again tonight after a moving movie we watched. I miss hearing his strong voice, even at 84 years old. GOD BLESS ALL OUR MILITARY FROM THEN TO NOW, FOR DOING THEIR DUTY TO THEIR COUNTRY AND FAMILIES, EVEN THOUGH NONE OF IT MADE OR MAKES ANY SENSE A LOT OF THE TIME. WE MISS OUR MEL/DADDY SO VERY MUCH. The WWII generation is almost gone from our physical touch/sight, but they are so special to us. luv, louise cope/a heartbroken, but loved wife/mom and lissa cope & marta cope/two very proud daughters of a very special man.




Date October 6, 2005
Name Joseph DiDomenic Jr
Email joseph.didomenic@navy.mil
City Philadephia
State Pa
Country USA
Comments My Dad is pictured in the Paoli Local web page. It is nice that you have remembered these veterans. Thank You




Date October 1, 2005
Name Don Wastler
Email Wastler@Kon-x.com
City Vancouver
State Washington
Country Clark
Comments Thank you so much for the film. I wonder if my Uncle Frank is in there somewhere. He was on a B-24 from the 450th called "Bottoms Up". It disappeared over the Adriatic Sea March 16 1945. My Grandmother spent the rest of her life looking for him with the idea he was a POW. My cousin found a web site called "Restless Wings" The author's uncle as well as the co-auther's uncle were also members of the crew. Google can take you to "Restless Wings", follow the links that say "Bottoms Up" to see the missing crew report. I see so many of these men are uncles, they gave their chance to be a father to their country.




Date September 26, 2005
Name Jim Ciborski
Email cimarronjim@hotmail.com
City
State Ohio
Country
Comments (continued from previous post) This tells you something about his character. I was always full of questions and Mart never ceased to amaze me how often he came up with answers after all those years gone by. Once I was even able to find some information for him about an old friend of his (the 720th's first cmdr Clark Wickes). Mart made me feel so good about finding that for him. I've come to rely on him for so many of those little details of what it was like in the 450th. He was there to answer many of those questions that I could no longer ask my dad about--I'm going to miss having that opportunity.Although feeling sad, I'm very lucky to have known him in this small way. America has lost a hero, but Mart Cope set an example for others to follow--especially in these trying times America finds itself in. Keep it straight and level, Mart! -Jim Ciborski, son of an old comrade




Date September 26, 2005
Name Jim Ciborski
Email cimarronjim@hotmail.com
City
State Ohio
Country
Comments I'm deeply saddened to hear about Mart Cope's passing. I feel like I've lost a close friend I never met. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting him face to face, we exchanged emails about the 450th during the last few years. It quickly became clear to me that Mart was a shining example of "The Greatest Generation". My dad flew several missions with Mart and I sent him a copy of a photo (Mart & his dog) he had given my dad in Manduria. It turns out they had exchanged photos. We both got a kick out of the fact that they had both kept those photos all those years. That prompted me to send him another photo I was trying to identify. Sure enough, Mart was able to help me out. He identified Paul Siler, a friend of my dad's. Mart mentioned that Paul and my dad would occasionally drop by his tent to talk. This seemed unusual because of the separation between officer and enlisted personnel. Mart made it clear that they shared a mutual respect--whether officer or enlisted, they were comrades. This tells you something abo




Date September 25, 2005
Name Melissa COPE Browning
Email lissacopeb@yahoo.com
City
State
Country
Comments I HAVE A SAD ANNOUNCEMENT. MY DADDY, CAPT. MART L. COPE, JR. PASSED AWAY IN JESUS' ARMS ON SAT., SEPTEMBER 17, 2005. HE LOVED THIS SITE AND FOUND SOME OF HIS 'BUDDIES' FROM WWII AND WAS DELIGHTED ABOUT IT. 15TH ARMY AIR CORPS, 47TH WING, 720TH SQUADRON, 450TH BOMB GROUP - MANDURIA, ITALY -- B-24 CO-PILOT AND PILOT. HIS FAMILY THANKS THE CARETAKERS OF THIS SITE WITH MUCH APPRECIATION. HIS SECTION OF THIS SITE, WHICH I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SENDING PICTURES TO, HAS BLESSED HIM AND US. THANK YOU ALL FOR DEFENDING OUR COUNTRY AND I'LL HEAR HIS 'WAR STORIES' IN MY HEAD FOREVER. GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. MELISSA COPE BROWNING, A PROUD DAUGHTER.




Date September 18, 2005
Name Mark
Email
City
State
Country
Comments Test




Date September 16, 2005
Name Lisa Mahoney
Email lisamahoney01@sbcglobal.net
City Hillsboro
State MO
Country USA
Comments Hi. I'm very impressed! I have learned a lot I didn't know about my Uncle Jerry Schwartzmann. Amazing what a little (or in this case BIG) hurricane can do to bring people together.




Date September 14, 2005
Name EMORY O. JONES
Email EOJ161@YAHOO.COM
City DANVILLE
State CA.
Country USA
Comments BALL TURRET GUNNER ON "HEAVENS ABOVE" DEC.44 TO END OF WAR.PILOTS NAME RAY WNEUKOWSKI. YOU LIST HARRY KELLMAN AS PILOT OF EARLIER CREW, MY GOOD FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR PASSED AWAY RECENTLY.




Date September 9, 2005
Name CARL WICKLUND
Email CARLWICKLUND@SBCGLOBAL.NET
City McALLEN
State TEXAS
Country USA
Comments A new postage stamp is out with pictures of airplanes, the B24 is featured twice. You have to buy the sheet $7.40. It will be a limited edition. Get yours quickly. Carl Wicklund




Date September 9, 2005
Name Mark A. Fillnow
Email mfillnow3@yahoo.com
City Flower Mound
State Texas
Country USA
Comments Ronald Fillnow was my uncle.




Date September 8, 2005
Name Gordon Stewart Taylor, Jr.
Email grannymimst@texoma.net
City Denison
State Texas
Country USA
Comments I was a 2nd Lt.with the 720th bomb squadron of the 450th bomb group, Manduria, Italy and was shot down over Skolpje, Yugoslovia on January 24, 1944. I am interested in locating my fellow crew members. They are 2nd Lt. Joseph W. Brown, 2nd Lt. Thomas K. Lowen, S/Sgt. G. L. Goodman, Sgt. J. M. Sternberg, Sgt. C. J. Kraska, Sgt. Paul G. Young, Sgt. Jack W. Means and Sgt. Donald R. Amundson.




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