Operation: Weimar (Mission #568), Germany

Date: 24th August 1944 (Thursday)

Unit No: 750th Bombardment Squadron (H), 457th Bombardment Group (H), 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force

Type: B-17G

Serial No: 42-97571

Code: :H

Location: Hartmannsdorf near Bad Köstritz in Thuringia, Germany

Base: Glatton (Station #130), Huntingdonshire, England

Pilot: 1st Lt. Winfred Larkin Pugh O-806134 AAF Age 22. PoW *

Co Pilot: FO. Arthur Harold Richards T-122885 AAF Age 22. KiA

Navigator: 1st Lt. Julius Homer Drummond O-749762 AAF Age 22. KiA

Togglier: S/Sgt. Clifford Ellsworth Page 16076360 AAF Age 21. PoW **

Radio/Op: T/Sgt. Edward Matthew Szumierz 31265004 AAF Age 21. Murdered (1)

Engineer: T/Sgt. James Edward Woodgate 36102445 AAF Age 26. MiA

Left Waist Gunner: S/Sgt. Joseph Ralph Wheatley 32752019 AAF Age 20. PoW **

Right Waist Gunner: S/Sgt. John Thomas Poshefko 33112429 AAF Age 25. KiA

Tail Gunner: S/Sgt. Howard Wayne Martin 17057626 AAF Age 21. PoW **

* Stalag Luft 7a, Moosburg, Southern Bavaria, Germany.

** Stalag Luft 4 Gross-Tychow, Pomerania, Prussia now Tychowo, Poland (Moved from Stalag Luft 6 Heydekrug. Moved to Wöbbelin near Ludwigslust and then to Usedom near Swinemünde).

Togglier. When it was required for all aircraft in a Squadron formation to drop their bombs simultaneously, the designated Bombardier was on the lead aircraft. The task of the Bombardiers in the rest of the formation was to drop their bombs when the lead aircraft dropped theirs. The role of Togglier was usually carried out by an enlisted crew member.

Above 1st Lt. Pugh’s initial crew complement: Standing left to right: T/Sgt. Edward M. Szumierz, S/Sgt. James E. Wheatley, Sgt. Kramer, 1st Lt. Winfred L. Pugh, FO. Arthur H. Richards.

Front left to right: 1st Lt. Julius H. Drummond, S/Sgt. John T. Poshefko, T/Sgt. James E. Woodgate, S/Sgt. Clifford E. Page

Sgt. Kramer. Believed to be S/Sgt. Karl Edward Kramer 12092969 DFC, from Passaic, New Jersey who survived the war.

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 24th August 1944 the 457th Bombardment Group joined a force of bombers tasked with bombing a land armament factory located 8 Km (5 mls) NW of Weimar. Political Prisoners from the adjoining Buchenwald concentration camp were forced to labour in the factory. A Gestapo HQ and barracks were also in the target area.

Above: B-17G 42-97571 landing on No.2 runway at Glatton (Station #130), Huntingdonshire, England

The following intelligence report summarised the loss of #42-97571:

Aircraft #42-97571, Pilot 1st Lt. Winfred L. Pugh from 750th Squadron, 457th Group, flying #3 in the Lead Squadron in the Lead box was seen at 12:12 hrs to make an apparent normal peel-off from the formation at Lat/Long 50 59 N/12 03 E from an at altitude of 25,000 ft and spiralled down losing 2,000 ft of altitude.

Soon after leaving the formation one body was seen leaving the a/c through the escape hatch. The plane spiralled twice, whipped up into a stall and then fell down toward the ground. Four or five more parachutes were seen in the air before the aircraft exploded between 5,000 and 10,000 ft. One observer noted a large fire in the left wing and another that #2 and #3 engines were on fire. The wings appeared to have been blown off first in the explosion. No unusual activity was noted prior to #42-97571 peeling-off. A total of five or six parachutes from this aircraft were seen in the air.

Several crew members from a/c #075 stated that they were attacked by a jet-propelled plane but the actual description and details were vague.

a/c #075 was believed to be #42-380075 “Luck of Judith Ann” from the 750th Bombardment Squadron (H).

German records reported that the aircraft exploded at an altitude of about 10,000 ft (3.050 m). The wreckage fell to earth 320 m. (350 yards) south of Hartmannsdorf near Bad Köstritz in Thuringia, about 42 km (26 mls) east of Weimar in Germany, at 12:10 hrs.

German records document that on 24th August 1944 eight Messerschmitt (Me) 163B-1a 'Komet' rocket propelled fighters attacked the B-17s on this mission.

Note: Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG 400) was the only Luftwaffe Fighter Wing that flew the Me163B-1a 'Komet' rocket propelled fighter. The first squadron was 1./JG 400 which flew out of Bandis near Leipzig.

The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) (German Air Force High Command) fighter claims for the Reich, West & Südfront on the 24th August 1944 lists:

Feldwebel (Fw) Siegfried Schübert claiming two B-17s at 12:08 and 12:09 hrs at 7.000 m. NW of Leipzig;

Above: Fw Siegfried Schübert with a Me163 'Komet' (Kracker database)

His first was 1st Lt. Pugh’s B-17. His second has been reported to be a B-17G which was flown by 2nd Lt. George A. Koehler from the 407th Bombardment Squadron (H), 92nd Bombardment Group (H). The aircraft was severely damaged and was lost enroute to base, however, and despite a great deal of research details of this B-17 have not been found. (Ref 1 pp. 59-60);

Above: Still frame from Fw. Siegfried Schübert’s Me163 'Komet' gun camera showing his attack on 1st Lt. Pugh’s B-17G 42-97571.

The only known footage of a successful bomber interception by an Me 163 rocket fighter on the 24th August 1944. The first part of the clip shows Fw. Schubert firing upon Lt. Winfred Pugh's B-17s. The #4 engine is on fire after multiple cannon strikes. The second part of the clip is believed to be B-17 42-102609 that was damaged on 16th August 1944 but returned to base, bearing scars consistent with the gun camera footage. (Imperial War Museums)

Fw. Schübert was killed on the 7th October 1944 when his Me 163BV61 (Wk #16310070) GN+MD exploded on take-off for his 2nd sortie of the day. At the time of his death he had been credited with 4 confirmed Abschüsse and was the highest scoring Me 163 pilot. (Ref 1).

His wingman Lieutnant (Lt) Hans Bott claiming one B-17 at 12:18 hrs in the vicinity of Leipzig. This B-17 was identified as B-17G #42-31771 PY:R of the 407th Bombardment Squadron (H), 92nd Bombardment Group (H). The aircraft was flying in the High Group and it was originally reported that it had been hit from behind by an Me109. The aircraft caught fire and exploded. 2nd Lt. Steve Nagy and 4 of his crew were KiA, 4 became PoWs. (Ref 1 pp. 59-60).

Lt. Bott was wounded in action on the 11th October 1944 on a combat sortie flying Me 163 BV48 (Wk #16310067) PK+QS which was destroyed. (Ref 1).

(1) The circumstances leading to the death of T/Sgt. Szumierz and the lynching of the individual suspected of being involved in his death is summarised below. The narrative has been derived from a number of contemporary local sources and “Willi Wachholz’ list of lynching murders”.

T/Sgt. Szumierz landed in a meadow between Weißenborn and Tautenhain in the Rimmelsgrund, which is a local name for a particular piece of land. There was a Wehrmacht Flak unit close by for the protection of a Munitionsanstalt (MUNA).

A Munitionsanstalt (MUNA) can be considered as an Ordnance Depot-cum-Workshop.

A squad of men from the Flak unit were despatched to capture T/Sgt. Szumierz who had already thrown away his side-arm so was unarmed when they arrived. A number of local people including a police officer by the name of Karl Senf, whose area of responsibility at that time encompassed the villages of Hermsdorf, Klosterlausnitz, Weißenborn and Tautenhain had gathered at the scene.

The Wehrmacht handed T/Sgt. Szumierz over into the custody of Senf who then lead him away. Whilst in the custody of Senf T/Sgt. Szumierz was killed not far from the deserted village of Rimmelsdorf. The circumstances leading to his death have never been established. A farmer from Weißenborn later collected the body for burial in the Weißenborn cemetery on the 25th August 1944.

When American forces occupied Hermsdorf on the 12th April 1945 the inhabitants of the village were required to gather in the town hall square. A man was seen to be talking with the Americans soldiers and pointed out Senf. The soldiers rushed towards him and after a short debate they put him against and facing a wall and shot him. His body was dragged into the tool shed of the local Fire Engine Station.

Later that evening the Fire Chief was taking some items to the tool shed when he heard moaning and found the injured Senf. He called the Deutsches Rotes Kreux (DRK) (German Red Cross) first-aid station located in the basement of the Hermsdorf town hall and informed them that Senf was still alive.

A DRK representative then approached the American commander to ask him what he thought of the Geneva Convention. The result of this talk was that the Americans refrained from a further prosecution of Senf.

Despite extensive research into the protocols of the Geneva Convention extant at that time in history, nothing has been identified that might fit Senf’s situation. However, it is speculated that perhaps the American commander realised the illegal actions of his troops may prejudice any further legal action by the American authorities to prosecute Senf.

Senf was carried to the first-aid station for treatment to the several gunshot wounds, one through the left lung, one in the leg, one through the hand and one in the thigh which was noticed later.

Most contemporary sources speculated that the American shooter(s) may have forgotten, because Senf was facing the wall, that his heart was on the opposite side to where they were aiming. This premise appears be based upon the assumption that it was a firing squad that carried out the ‘execution’. However, a more plausible explanation, given the distribution of the bullet wounds, was that the shooter was a single individual likely firing an automatic weapon.

After a few days of treatment he was taken together with another wounded man to Eisenberg Hospital. Karl Senf recovered and lived for another 20 years or so passing away at the age of 60 in Stadtroda, Thuringia, Germany.

Burial Details:

T/Sgt. Szumierz was recovered from the Weißenborn Cemetery. Flight Officer (FO) Arthur H. Richards, 1st Lt. Julius H. Drummond, and S/Sgt. John T.Poshefko were initially interred in Hartmannsdorf.

FO. Arthur Harold Richards. Air Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters). Reinterred in the US Miliary Cemetery Grand Failly at Longuyon, France. Finally laid to rest at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Plot B, Row 5, Grave 46. Born on the 12th December 1921 in Iowa. Son of Arthur Earl and Maybel Elaine (née Steward) Richards of Julian, California, USA.

1st Lt. Julius Homer Drummond. Air Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Purple Heart. Reinterred at the Lorraine American Cemetery. Finally laid to rest at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Plot B, Row 5, Grave 52. Born on the 17th August 1921 in Floyd County, Georgia. Son of Homer Herbert (deceased in February 1943) and Cora Bell (née Duke) Drummond of Rome, Floyd County, Georgia, USA.

Above: Grave marker for T/Sgt. Edward M. Szumierz (Courtesy of Dominique Potier - FindAGrave)

T/Sgt. Edward Matthew Szumierz. Air Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Purple Heart.Reinterred at the Ardennes American Cemetery. Transferred to Plot A, Row 38, Grave 2. Born on the 8th October 1922 in Auburn, New Hampshire, USA. Son of Joseph and Alice Szumierz of Manchester, New Hampshire, USA.

T/Sgt. James Edward Woodgate. Air Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Purple Heart (Oak Leaf Cluster). Commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. Born on the 17th May 1917 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Son of James Cornish and Cecilia Ann (née Murphy) Woodgate of Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA.

S/Sgt. John Thomas Poshefko. Air Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Purple Heart (Oak Leaf Cluster). Luxembourg American Cemetery, Plot B, Row 10, Grave 53. Born on the 8th September 1918 in Bethlehem, Northampton, Pennsylvania. Son of John Joseph and Mary Poshhefko of Nesquehoning, Carbon, Pennsylvania, USA.

Researched by Ralph Snape and Traugott Vitz for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with additional thanks to Traugott for his work on the ‘VitzArchive’. (Aug 2024).

Other sources listed below:

Reference:

1. Jagdgeschwader 400 by Stephen Ransom and Hans-Hermann Cammann - ISBN 978-1-84603-975-1

Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them. Franklin Delano Roosevelt