461st plaque

461st Bombardment Group (H)

764th Crews 765th Crews 766th Crews 767th Crews

 Anderson - #12/2  Arbuthnot - #39-1  Avery - #25  Baker - #22-1  Baran - #118  Barnes - #9/16  Beatty - #26-1  Bennett - #31  Blake - #7/26  Bloxom - #7/3-1  Brady - #24R  Brewster - #1/22  Bruning - #29R  Butler - #4/16-3  Caran - #3/3  Carr - #25  Chalmers - #23-1  Childrey - #36  Cooper - #4614  Crossman - #5993  Cunningham - #26R  Demmond - #4/16-2  Ford - #29  Frattone - #??  Fulks - #31  Garrison - #28  Githens - #21-1  Gray - #27-1  Green - #20-1  Grimm - #35  Hayes - #119  Heinze - #23-2  Holly - #4/16-1  Huber - #37  Hughes - #90R  Jenkins - #30-1  Johnson - #7/23  Kelleher - #28-1  Kelliher - #89R  King - #39-?  Kostka - #33  Louches - #9/2  Marshall - #7/24  McDonnell - #4/7  McMillen - #90R  Michaelis - #1/6  Miller - #37R  Mixson - #24  Mohan - #7/24 Moore #31-2  Moss - #27  Myllmaki - #34R  Nixon - #30  Norris - #20  Peterson - #26  Phillips - #38-0  Porch - #150  Presho - #25R  Reiland - #4/16-10  Robinson - #21-1  Sage - #32  Schweisberger - #7/271  Schwisow - #7/27  Simons - #6230  Skinner - #38-2  Smith - #6409  Specht - #22  St. John - #30-1  Stanko - #448  Staples - #??  Stegeman - #22-2  Summers - #7/25  Tallant - #21  Taylor - #23  Traetta - #12/2-1 Turvey - #(25)  Vladyka - #36R  Waggoner  Warren - #5007  Weems - #34  Welton - #27R  West - #38-1 Wester - #26  Whalen - #39R  Wnukoski - #5/7-3  Wojkowiak - #25-2  Woodruff - #33R  Yancey - #24-

Blake - #7/26

Blake crew #7/26 

Standing L-R: Dabrowski, Leon S. (E); Aversa, Vincent (RO); Kershaw, William (G); Glaser, Alvin (G); Everly, Charles (G); Allen, Euel (Shorty) (G)

Kneeling L-R: Soch, Richard (N); Blake, Robert T (P); Devlin, John (CP); Santoro, Angelo (B)

While flying the Plastard Bastard, Alvin Glaser shared this story:

The crew was returning to Torretta from a mission with 2nd Lt. Robert Blake in command. The hydraulics (part or all, I do not know) shot out by flak. The landing gear had to be cranked down and apparently the right strut did not lock in place. As they landed the plane bounced a little and the strut folded up causing the right wing to drag and the aircraft to ground loop coming to rest in a ditch. Lt. Blake reportedly exited through the top hatch, walked down the right wing and said, "Well, I guess we really plastered that bastard".

Robert Blake

Robert Blake, Pilot

#39

Robert Blake in #39

Robert Blake

Robert Blake at the controls

John Devlin

John Devlin, Co-Pilot

Richard Soch

Richard Soch, Navigator

Leon Dabrowski

Leon (Red) Dabrowski, Engineer/Right Waist Gunner

Leon Dabrowski

Leon (Red) Dabrowski

Vincent Aversa

Sgt. Vincent Aversa, Radio Operator/Left Waist Gunner