NAPLES

NAPLES, ITALY. Wednesday, August 4, 1943.
Mission # 38.
A “ mercy” raid today, after a rest during which time Italy failed to throw in the towel. This is our first raid from our new base here at St. Cyprien, near Tunis. I flew with Capt. Kutschera in “Baby”, and led the Squadron.
This is the first time that I have set up course in seven weeks.
The weather was hazy and quite poor en- route - over the target - and returning. The flak was intense and accurate as expected. We flew at 24,000 feet and 150 knots- indicated air speed in two waves. The Colonel (our C.O.) led our wave, and our squadron. We were No.2 Squadron.
We lost Capt. Bill Mayer, Mac, Aldo, Paul and the rest of the crew of “Little Butch”. They received a direct hit in the middle of the wing, and went into a steep dive - on-fire! I watched them go down to about 10,000 feet, when the ship broke in half, and spun in smoking. I didn’t see any chutes “open”, but I am hoping that they made a delayed jump and got out O.K.
A 96th Squadron plane had an engine fire that spread to the wing, and I saw nine chutes open. The plane crashed into the Bay of Naples. A few miles off the coast of Italy, fighters hopped a plane that was “limping’ along behind the formation. Then, the fighters came up on us, and dropped aerial bombs above us.
We had an observer, (Col. Henderson), along with us, and he rode up in the nose with me. In talking to him I learned that he was the president and Director of the National Air Races that were held in Cleveland. He is with the 9th Air Force, and has been over here a year, and is slated to go home. This is his fourth mission, and he’s sweating out his fifth for his Air Medal. He said that he went to school with Gen. Jimmy Doolittle in Los Angeles. He said that he knows Ray Watts (the football coach at Baldwin Wallace in Berea, Art Baesel and Pop Cleveland.
Bomb load 12 - 500’s (6,000#) Total bomb weight, to date= 179,240 pounds. Mission time - 05:15.