458th Bombardment Group (H)
  Honoring those who served with the 458th BG during World War II.  
   
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- Fuson Crew (AZON 01) - Assigned 753rd Squadron - May 26, 1944


- 2Lt Frank C. Fuson Crew (L-R)
Back Row: Fielding Washington - B, William Kotowicz - CP, Frank Fuson - P, William Jameson - N
Middle Row: Unidentified (three gunners), (far right)Emilio DaBramo - RO
Front Row: Ulgere Simoneaux - E, Forest Large - G
(Photo: Larry & William Fuson)

- Fuson Crew - Completed Tour
 Name

 Pos

 Status

 Date

Notes 
 1Lt Frank C. Fuson

 CT 

Jan 1945

 Completed Tour
 1Lt William J. Kotowicz

CP 

 CT 

Jan 1945 

 Completed Tour
 1Lt William S. Jameson

 CT 

Jan 1945 

 Completed Tour
 1Lt Fielding L. Washington

 CT 

Jan 1945 

 Completed Tour
 T/Sgt Emilio DaBramo

RO 

 CT 

---

 Unknown
 T/Sgt Ulgere B. Simoneaux

CT

Jan 1945 

 Completed Tour
 S/Sgt Forest B. Large

 CT 

Jan 1945 

 Completed Tour
 Sgt Robert H. Bauch

 CT 

Jan 1945 

 Completed Tour
 Sgt William A. Harris

CT

Jan 1945 

 Completed Tour 
 Sgt Charles H. King

 CT 

Jan 1945

 Completed Tour

The Fuson crew was one of ten crews specially trained in the AZON Project.  They came to the 753rd Squadron as a group in May 1944 and participated in several AZON missions in June 1944.

Records are not complete and it appears that Fuson's crew flew only two AZON missions and then commenced flying with the group on operations.  The crew had flown half of their missions by the end of August and were sent on leave.  Upon their return the 458th was in the middle of the "Truckin'" missions, hauling gasoline to Patton's Third Army in France.  It is unknown if Fuson's crew participated in any of these missions, but their combat flying resumed on the October 3rd mission to Gaggenau, Germany.  The second half of their missins were completed by the end of December 1944 and they were sent to the Casual Pool at the 70th Replacement Depot in January to be rotated back to the States.

Fuson's crew flew the aircraft they came over in, B-24J 44-40288 "Bad Girl" on thirteen missions, the last on August 24, 1944.  They might have continued flying "their ship" had not the crew of Lt Arthur C. Akin had some engine trouble and pancaked the aircraft onto the field on October 2nd.

It is believed that T/Sgt Emilo DaBramo, radio operator, completed his tour with the crew in December.  He is last mentioned in group and squadron records in September 1944.


 


- Fuson Crew Missions

DATE

 TARGET

PILOT

458th Msn #

Pilot Msn #

Cmd Pilot

LD

Serial

RCL

Sqdn

A/C Msn #

 A/C Name

MIA

Notes

14-Jun-1944

 5 TARGETS

FUSON

AZ 6

1

 

 

40-40288

S

J4

3

 BAD GIRL

 

 

15-Jun-1944

 3 RAILWAY BRIDGES

FUSON

AZ 7

2

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

4

 BAD GIRL

 

 

20-Jun-1944

 NOBALL FRANCE

FUSON

--

NTO

 

 

41-29300

Y

J3

--

 LORELEI

 

MISSION #3 RECALL

24-Jun-1944

 CONCHES

FUSON

77

3

 

 

42-100425

D

J3

14

 THE BIRD

 

MISSION #3

6-Jul-1944

 KIEL

FUSON

85

4

 

 

42-7516

K

J3

17

 GATOR

 

 

16-Jul-1944

 SAARBRUCKEN

FUSON

91

5

 

 

42-100366

B

Z5

29

 MIZPAH

 

 

17-Jul-1944

 3 NO BALLS

FUSON

92

6

 

 

44-40285

H

J4

8

 TABLE STUFF

 

 

20-Jul-1944

 EISENACH

FUSON

95

7

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

5

 BAD GIRL

 

 

24-Jul-1944

 ST. LO AREA

FUSON

97

8

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

7

 BAD GIRL

 

 

25-Jul-1944

 ST. LO AREA "B"

FUSON

98

9

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

8

 BAD GIRL

 

 

1-Aug-1944

 T.O.s FRANCE

FUSON

100

10

 

 

44-40273

T

J4

7

 HOWLING BANSHEE

 

 

2-Aug-1944

 3 NO BALLS

FUSON

101

11

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

10

 BAD GIRL

 

 

4-Aug-1944

 ROSTOCK

FUSON

103

ABT

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

--

 BAD GIRL

 

 

5-Aug-1944

 BRUNSWICK/WAGGUM

FUSON

105

ABT

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

--

 BAD GIRL

 

 

6-Aug-1944

 HAMBURG

FUSON

106

12

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

11

 BAD GIRL

 

 

8-Aug-1944

 CLASTRES

FUSON

108

13

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

13

 BAD GIRL

 

 

9-Aug-1944

 SAARBRUCKEN

FUSON

109

14

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

14

 BAD GIRL

 

 

16-Aug-1944

 MAGDEBURG

FUSON

115

15

 

 

44-40134

R

J4

16

 UNKNOWN 039

 

 

18-Aug-1944

 WOIPPY

FUSON

116

16

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

16

 BAD GIRL

 

 

24-Aug-1944

 HANNOVER

FUSON

117

17

 

 

44-40288

S

J4

17

 BAD GIRL

 

 

3-Oct-1944

 GAGGENAU

FUSON

126

18

 

 

44-40277

P

J4

6

 MISS USED

 

 

7-Oct-1944

 MAGDEBURG

FUSON

129

19

 

 

42-95133

K

J4

1

 LADY JANE

 

 

12-Oct-1944

 OSNABRUCK

FUSON

131

20

 

 

41-28980

V

J4

3

 UNKNOWN 009

 

 

19-Oct-1944

 MAINZ

FUSON

135

21

 

 

41-28980

V

J4

6

 UNKNOWN 009

 

 

30-Oct-1944

 HARBURG

FUSON

138

22

 

 

44-40201

N

J4

20

 SILVER CHIEF

 

 

4-Nov-1944

 MISBURG

FUSON

140

23

 

 

44-40283

I

J4

13

 LASSIE COME HOME

 

 

5-Nov-1944

 KARLSRUHE

FUSON

141

ASSY

 

 

41-28697

Z

Z5

--

 SPOTTED APE

 

753RD ASSY CREW

6-Nov-1944

 MINDEN

FUSON

142

24

 

 

44-40283

I

J4

15

 LASSIE COME HOME

 

 

9-Nov-1944

 METZ AREA

FUSON

144

25

 

 

44-40283

I

J4

17

 LASSIE COME HOME

 

 

25-Nov-1944

 BINGEN

FUSON

148

26

 

 

44-40201

N

J4

28

 SILVER CHIEF

 

 

24-Dec-1944

 SCHONECKEN

FUSON

157

27

 

 

44-40285

H

J4

46

 TABLE STUFF

 

 

25-Dec-1944

 PRONSFELD

FUSON

158

28

 

 

44-40285

H

J4

47

 TABLE STUFF

 

 

27-Dec-1944

 NEUNKIRCHEN

FUSON

159

29

 

 

44-40285

H

J4

48

 TABLE STUFF

 

 

2-Jan-1945

 REMAGEN

FUSON

164

MSHL

 

 

--

--

--

--

  

 

 753RD MARSHALL

                                                                                             Missions compiled from 458th group records


 


- B-24J 44-40288 S J4 "Bad Girl"

Photo courtesy: Anne Zimmer



- Accident Report 45-10-2-518

Crew member examining "Bad Girl" after her forced landing from a practice mission

 

2Lt Arthur C. Akin Statement: "The takeoff runway was 23, with a formation taking off on a practice mission.  I pulled to the right side of the runway to avoid filling the runway with prop wash from my engines.  On the green light I advanced the throttles and began rolling down the runway.  Number one engine suddenly revved up and pulled one wheel just of the runway but was straightened out without difficulty.  I was soon off the ground and making my turn to Splasher 5 when I noticed a great pressure on the right rudder.  At about the same time my engineer tells me that number 1 engine is on fire.  The co-pilot and I had checked for number 1 being out and proceeded to cut the engine and try to feather it, but the oil tank exploded, blowing a hole in the top of the cowling, and there was no oil pressure.  We made a turn back to the field and called the tower for landing instructions and were told to use runway 05. 

Our altitude was too low to allow the crew to bail out safely and I didn’t believe there was any danger of the empty auxiliary tank exploding so I advised the crew to jump if they liked, but I thought their chances were better with the ship.

I dropped 10 degrees of flaps to gain altitude and was pulling 42 inches of manifold pressure, 2450 RPM.  When I turned on the approach I had reached 800 feet.  I let down onto the field making a high approach, cut off all power by the throttles and [illegible] out the rudder trim.  The landing was with a slight crosswind from the left, so when I landed, I thought the wind was pulling me to the left and I applied full right rudder, but it continued its merry way to the edge of the runway.  I applied power to number 2 engine, but it went off the runway, hit a pile of sand and washed out the landing gear, nose wheel collapsing at the sand pile and the left main gear immediately afterward.

On looking at the tire, I found a hole burned through the rubber, and my [illegible] gunner heard it blow out when the wheels first touched the ground.  A portion of the rim of the wheel was found just off the runway.  One crew member received a few bruises, the others were unhurt."



 


- S/Sgt Forest B. Large awarded the DFC

Courtesy: Judith Taylor


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