Torres - #65
Standing L-R: McKinney, Seth (E); Hudson, Hoyette S. (TG); Moreau, Norbert I. (BG) [KIA]; Brown, Teddy (RO); Graden, Leonard A. (NG); McPeck, George I. (G)
Kneeling L-R: Torres, Mattias M. (P); Cash, Leonard P. (CP); Blackie (Mascot); Thorne, Robert F. (N); Lima, John B. (B)
Courtesy of Pat Piggee
Standing L-R: Lima, John B. (B); Bombardier, Gearld A. (E/G); Thorne, Robert F. (N); Cash, Leonard P. (CP); Torres, Matias M. (P)
Kneeling L-R: Runyan, W.W. (G); Graden, Leonard A. (NG); Hudson, Hoyett S. (TG); Blazejewski (RO/G)
This from Bob Thorne:
We were shot down on our l3th mission to Bad Voslau airdrome in April 1944 and bailed out over the Dalmatian Island of Vis held by the partisans. We were the 1st crew to bail out there and the 1st crew to be returned to combat (29 more missions) after returning from MIA in Yugoslavia. Later the Fifteenth built an airstrip on the island for crippled bombers or those running out of gas. See Vol. XV No. 3 For September 2000 of Sortie, our Fifteenth Air Force Association journal for the story of our Bad Voslau experience.
Lt. Torres was our pilot until then but had a fractured skull and was returned to the states. In our further missions Paul Cash, our co-pilot, became our 1st pilot. He is not mentioned on the pilots list; he was a good one and saved our neck several times. Lt. Harris, KIA, was temporarily our 1st pilot before we entered into action. Our crew picture under his pilotage lacks names. See the photo under Matias Torres. Harris is in the front row and Torres is not in the photo. In the photo under Torres only the name of our mascot is missing, Blackie.
Robert Thorne wrote an article for the Liberaider that appeared in the June 2006 issue.