On July 5, 1943, twenty-seven B-17s of the 99th flew a raid against the airdrome at Gerbini, Sicily. Gerbini was the headquarters of the Luftwaffe Air Division III. The raid that day was in preparation for the invasion of Sicily that would begin just five days later.

During the raid, the 27 B-17s encountered more than 100 enemy fighters! The fighters consisted of Me-109s, FW-190s, and Ma-202s. The sky was so filled with enemy fighters that one B-17 gunner reported shooting down a fighter he wasn't even aiming at; it simply flew through his line of fire.

Three of the B-17s were shot down, including my father's. It was his 21st mission. During the fighting the plane exploded. Of the 10 men on that plane, five were killed. Four were wounded, including two who received life-threatening injuries. My father received shrapnel wounds to both legs. All of the survivors were captured and became prisoners of war. After a month of hospitalization on Sicily and the Italian mainland, my father remained a POW for 21 more months. During that time, he escaped twice only to be recaptured each time.

The 99th won the first of its two Distinguished Unit Citations for that raid. This page provides access to all of the information that I have been able to assemble about that fateful day.

The following items are among the keepsakes that reveal the personal side of my dad's experience as a POW. He was held for almost two years by the Italians and the Germans.

The first two of the items described below are, to me, the most significant. They are placed first for that reason. The remaining items are in chronological order.

You can see a larger view of each item by clicking on the image.

POW Mug Shots

These pictures were apparently taken at Stalag 17. There is a handwritten date on the back of each photograph: "Jan '44". My father told me that the injury on the side of his face was a sore due to malnutrition. He refused to tell me how he came into possession of the mug shots. However, I have been told by those who had been POWs that the prisoners would often get access to the files when a camp was abandoned.

Hand Drawn Escape Map

The concentric circles are centered on Krems, Austria, the site of Stalag 17B. My father refused to tell me how he knew where each town was located. However, I now know that maps, guides, and money were often found inside board games that were sent to the prisoners. This was likely the source of the information.

POW Postcard

The front and back of the card are shown together. This appears to be a postcard prepared by the Italians and designed to permit POWs to quickly note their status. My father apparently filled out the card shortly after he was wounded, shot down, and taken captive. Note that he underlined "I have been slightly wounded" and that there is no prepared notation for more severe wounds. This was apparently a deliberate slant to the news allowed by the Italians to be sent by POWs.

MIA Telegram August 3, 1943

This telegram was sent to my grandfather. Note that my father's rank is given as SSgt. He had been a TSgt. but lost a stripe for reporting 24 hours late from a furlough. He was reinstated to TSgt. sometime prior to his honorable discharge from the Army.

Red Cross Telegram September 14, 1943

This telegram was sent to my grandfather. Note that the date is nearly a week after the Italian capitulation of September 8, 1943. Veterans Administration records in my possession show that my father escaped from captivity on September 14, 1943.

Propaganda Telegram I March 29, 1944, 3:09 a.m.

This telegram was apparently sent to my grandmother as a courtesy based upon an unconfirmed Axis broadcast.

Propaganda Telegram II March 29, 1944, 7:27 p.m.

This telegram was also apparently sent to my grandmother as a courtesy based upon an unconfirmed Axis broadcast.

Registration of RAMP

RAMP is Recovered Allied Military Personnel. This appears to be a form filled out by liberated POWs. According to the information provided by my father in this document, he was at "Ranshafen" at the time. This was undoubtedly Ranshofen, Austria, a town very near Braunau on the Austria-Germany border, along the River Inn. Ironically, Braunau was Adolf Hitler's birthplace.

Camp Lucky Strike Letter May 11, 1945

This was sort of a "welcome back from prison" letter that gave the soldiers some idea of what to expect next. Camp Lucky Strike was located near Le Havre, France, a coastal town on the English Channel.

"Be seeing you soon" June 16, 1945

In this telegram, my father announced to his father that he would be home soon. He had been a POW from July 1943 to May 1945, 22 months.

1st Lt. Edward B. Drueding, Navigator

Survived the Gerbini raid. Suffered a rib injury while parachuting from the aircraft. May have been in the same Sicilian hospital as my father. My father reported last seeing him on a prison train in Italy on 31 August 1943. William Craton reported he was held in Stalag 3A at Moosburg, Germany, for 2 years. William Craton also said he last saw him at Stalag 7A near Munich, Germany. His widow reported he was held at Stalag Luft III. He was killed at Godman Air Base, Kentucky, in 1947 when his T-6 trainer was hit from behind by another aircraft.

1st Lt. Martin J. Devane, Pilot

Killed at Gerbini when the aircraft exploded. Stayed aboard as long as there was a chance of anyone in the crew getting out.

2nd Lt. Howard L. Freeburg, Copilot

Killed at Gerbini. Was without a scratch while waiting to exit the aircraft when it exploded.

2nd Lt. George J. Doyle, Bombardier

Member of crew when aircraft was ferried to Africa. Possibly replaced later by Bostoni, who was replaced by Lavine on the Gerbini mission.

TSgt. William I. Craton, Engineer & Top Turret Gunner

Shot down 4 enemy fighters during Gerbini raid. Sustained a severe head wound and other wounds to the body when the aircraft exploded. Wounded in right leg by a fighter firing at him while he parachuted from the plane. He met my father in Stalag 17. After discharge from the Army Air Forces in 1945, he re-enlisted in the USAF in 1947 as a SSgt. He eventually received a field promotion to Lieutenant and retired as a Major. Last living member of the crew. I received an audio tape from him on October 4, 1994. He reported that he was 71 years old and in good health.

SSgt. Harold A. Yorton, Tail Gunner

Shot down 5 enemy fighters during Gerbini raid. My father saw him in Austria (probably at Stalag 17B) in 1945.

TSgt. Harold E. Penoyer, Radio Operator & Left Waist Gunner

Shot down 2 enemy fighters during Gerbini raid. He was wounded in both legs by shrapnel. He may have been in the same Sicilian hospital as Lt. Drueding. He last saw Lt. Drueding on a prison train in Italy. Held in Italian and German POW camps for 2 years. Met William Craton at Stalag 17 in late 1944. Last saw William Craton and Harold Yorton on prisoner march in Austria in April, 1945. He died November 1978 from lung cancer.

SSgt. James A. "Jay" Harold, Right Waist Gunner

Killed at Gerbini when his parachute got caught on the horizontal stabilizer and he could not work his way free.

SSgt. Frank A. Curley, Ball Turret Gunner

Seriously wounded at Gerbini. Unable to evacuate aircraft. My father and possibly others threw him out the door. He was repatriated to the U.S. due to his wounds. His wounds caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down. He died of a massive heart attack in March, 1977, per March, 1984, 99th BGHS Newsletter.

2nd Lt. Sanford V. "Sammy" Lavine, Bombardier

Killed at Gerbini when aircraft exploded.

Because Lt. Lavine was not part of the original crew, he does not appear in the crew picture. However, through the help of a niece and nephew, this image was made available.

Sgt. Louis A. Snitkin, Gunner

Killed at Gerbini. Was added to crew as 10th man after bomb missions started. Was supposed to be Left Waist Gunner, but my father assigned him to the Radio Operator's gun position. He was directly behind my father when my father bailed out.