Name	Pos	Status	Date	Notes
2Lt Kenneth O. Gilbert	P	FEH	20 Apr 1945	Last mission - Zwiesel, Ger
2Lt Theodore P. Crowley	CP	FEH	20 Apr 1945	Last mission - Zwiesel, Ger
2Lt Paul E. Schmutz	N	FEH	20 Apr 1945	Last mission - Zwiesel, Ger
S/Sgt Robert T. Sullivan	E	FEH	20 Apr 1945	Last mission - Zwiesel, Ger
S/Sgt Theodore K. Parsons	RO	FEH	20 Apr 1945	Last mission - Zwiesel, Ger
Sgt Robert L. Stalder	AG	FEH	20 Apr 1945	Last mission - Zwiesel, Ger
Sgt John W. McNaughton	G	FEH	20 Apr 1945	Last mission - Zwiesel, Ger
Sgt Stephen Wodecki	G	FEH	20 Apr 1945	Last mission - Zwiesel, Ger
Sgt Joseph J. Balint	TG	FEH	20 Apr 1945	Last mission - Zwiesel, Ger

2Lt Gilbert's crew flew a brand new B-24L named "Luck O' The Irish" to the ETO in February 1945.  Like so many crew's before them, their brand new Liberator was taken away from them and sent to a bomb group who needed a replacement.  The crew was then sent to the 458th. 

They came to the group during the final stages of the air offensive in Europe, and after an indoctrination period, they were deemed ready for combat.  Their first task with the group was to fly the assembly ship "Spotted Ape" on March 9, 1945.  The job of assembling a bomb group in the small space allotted over East Anglia was a tough one and for a rookie crew to have performed it successfully really says something about their training.

Gilbert's crew flew eight missions before the Eighth Air Force ceased operational missions in the ETO on April 25, 1945.  They flew six different aircraft on these operations.  The crew's last mission on April 20th was to a railway junction near Zwiesel/Eisenstein, Germany where there was a little confusion as the group records show:

458th Group Records:  The bombardier had difficulty in locating the exact position of the first priority target, several [towns] having a like appearance.  The target which he did synchronize on proved to be north of Eisenstein, and this error was not discovered until he was almost abreast of Zweisel and too late to make a correction.  When the error was discovered the bombardier and navigator realized that the target on which they were actually sighting was the same railway which continued south and formed a part of the first priority target.  Both pilot and command pilot gave permission to attack this target of opportunity.

                                                                                             Mission list compiled from 458th group records

Gilbert Crew performed assembly duties on March 9, 1945

Photo courtesy: Karl Lake

Later that same day, Lt William B. Chenney had a landing mishap.

Photo courtesy: Mike Bailey