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Horsham
St Faith
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The
Floyd crew: Left to right: Bill Moran, Loveless Joseph Simon (dad),
John Ellis, John Floyd (pilot), Gerry Covey & George Dicks.
1944 (© 755th BS, 458th BG, USAAF, via Bobby D. Simon) |
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Sergeant
Loveless Joseph Simon, 755th BS, 458th BG (H), 8th USAAF
and 780th BS, 465th BG (H), 15th USAAF
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Hello, I am Bobby
D. Simon, son of Loveless Joseph Simon. Loveless
was with the 458th Bomb Group (Heavy), 755th Bombardment Squadron and was stationed at Horsham St Faith from June to November 1944, he was then transferred to the 15th Air Force in Italy and finished the war there. |
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There was a coin
flip when the crew got to England and again in the fall of '44 when dad
drew the short straw and was transferred to Italy. Shortly after arriving
at Horsham St. Faith, John Floyd (pilot of my dad's crew) participated
in a coin flip with the pilot of another crew. The winner would fly mail
missions to Norway, the loser would fly on combat missions. Floyd lost
the coin flip but his crew all survived the war, the other crew was lost
when they flew into a mountain.
Dad died April 23, 2003 at the age of 81 and seldom spoke of the war. After his death I located a small black book that had some info in it about the missions he flew: Ship-"P for Peter" Mission #1- Ludwigshafen, Germany, July 31st 1944. 24 bomb 250 lbs, 6hr. 50 min, no fighters, intense flak, P-38 and P-51 escorts. Ship-"B.T.O" Mission #2 - Northern France - a 'No Ball' Mission, Aug 3rd, 1944. 24 bombs 250 lbs, 5 hrs, 1 Me210, light flak, escort P-51 Mustangs. Ship-"Paddle Foot" Mission #3 - Rastock, Germany Aug. 4, 1944. 10 bombs 500 lbs, 7 hrs. No fighters, intense flak, P-47 and P-51 escorts. Lost 2 engines (#2 and 4) and very low on fuel. Ship-"Breezy Lady" Mission #4 - Brunswick, Germany Aug. 4, 1944. 12 bombs 500 lbs, 7hrs 15 min, light flak at our Group. No fighters, bombed at 23,000 ft., flew at 24,000 most of the way, escort P-51, intense flak. Ship-"W for Williams" Mission #5 - Caster, France Aug 8, 1944, 52 bombs 100lbs., 4 hrs. 45 min, intense flak, thickest ever seen by all crews, no fighters, escorted by P-51s. Ship-"Paddle Foot" Mission #6 - Northern France, Aug 13, 1944, Bombed front line, 42 bombs 100 lbs., 5 hrs. near mouth of Seine River, France. Very intense and accurate flak. Light fighter escort by P-51 Mustangs. Ship-"Paddle Foot" Mission #7 - Vechta, Germany, Aug 15, 1944, 5 hrs. 20 mins., 4 bombs @ 1000 and 4 bombs @500 lbs., moderate flak. Fighters Me 109s, escort P-38 Lightnings & P-51 Mustangs. Ship-"A" new ship Mission #8 - Hanover, Germany Aug 23, 1944. 6 hrs., 24 bombs @250 lbs., intense flak at target, not too accurate but very thick. Good escort P-51, P-47, P-38. Ship-"Briney Marlin" (same ship his cousin Wilber Abshire was KIA in when it was hit by another ship over the channel in June, 1944) Mission #9 - Karlshrue, Germany Sept. 5, 1944. 9hrs.30 min., 10 bombs @ 500 lbs, some flak and heavy overcast. Flew over Germany at 25,600' and dropped at 22,500'. P-51 escort. Ship-"Last Card Louie" Mission - Lille, France. Sept 22-23 slept there overnight, brought gasoline-10,000 lbs load in bomb bay and waist, no credit for mission. Landed on fighter strip at night. Sept 25-26 Same, repeat of 22-23 Sept, no credit. |
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Dad
often mentioned the gasoline resupply missions to France. Nothing specific
as to where, only the story about meeting the British soldier. I later
got a photo (I had no idea it existed) from Richard Covey, whose father
was in the same crew as dad.
Photo shows the guys with war souveniers, Nazi helmets, 2cm ammo, French flags, etc. |
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I found this photo and remember dad talking about a British soldier he met while on the fuel supply missions in 1944. During a conversation he asked if dad went to a specific pub in Horsham. Dad told him he went often and the soldier then asked if he would say hello to his parents who frequented that pub often. He explained who they were and where they sat. Dad mentioned this story to me often. I never got the name of the solder or the family but dad did find this guys family and talked to them. |
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I
do not know what happened to the British soldier or his family, I just
thought the photo may be of the soldiers father. If you are around Horsham
St. Faith would you see if the story rings a bell with anyone in the town.
The photo may be of the guys father or maybe of someone else in Italy.
I would be interested if the young British soldier survived the war and
went home to Horsham St. Faith and may remember the encounter.
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Ship- None listed - Mission #10 - Brux, Germany. Dec 16, 1944 (Note-not sure if this is out of England or Italy where he finished the war with the 55th BW, 465th BG, 780th BS). #11 Blchhammer, Germany Dec 18, 1944 and #12 Brux, Germany Dec 28, 1944 where they bombed Amstetten, a first alternate. #13 On Feb. 14, 1944 he had a mission on South Vienna, Germany (not sure if this was supposed to be Austria) which I'm sure was out of Italy. The book continues with missions out of Italy where he flew on "V-Grand" Feb. 17, 1945 to Pola, Italy, where they lost one engine, over 150 holes, large hole in nose and ball turret, lost all hydraulic fluid, no flaps, lost rudders and two strands left on ailerons, hole in nose wheel tire, oxygen system shot out. "But we were lucky, yes, very lucky and made it back OK to our base". Landing gear lowered down by hand and repaired ailerons cables and one rudder. He finished his missions in Northern Italy with the raid on April 24, 1945. |
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Yours truly,
Bobby D. Simon, Texas
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RAF
Horsham St Faith airfield 1940-67 - 56th FG - 319th BG - 458th BG -
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RAF
Horsham St Faith 8th USAAF airfield - 56 FG - 319 BG - 458 BG control
tower
www.controltowers.co.uk © robert truman 2003 |