USAAF WORLD WAR II
Gunner S/Sgt. Kenneth L. Erhard POW
Hometown: Curwenville, Pennsylvania
Squadron: 67th 44th Bomb Group
Service# 13031247
Awards: Air Medal, Purple Heart
Pilot Captain Clyde E. Price

MACR #15570
Target: Targets of Opportunity near Rouen, France
Mission Date: 8-Mar43
Serial Number: #41-23784
Aircraft Model B-24
Aircraft Letter:
Aircraft Name:MISS DIANNE
Location: France
Cause: German Fighters Crew of 11 8KIA 3POW

Captain James O'Brien, with Major Posey as Command Pilot, took off to lead the formation but were forced to abort as a crewmate, John Husselton, passed out in the rear of their plane. They left the formation, radioed the base for an ambulance and landed. Husselton was unloaded and they took off again immediately with only nine men, and caught up to the formation as it was crossing the Channel. He joined the second element position. 67th Squadron ships took over the lead when Captain O'Brien was forced to abort and was
looking for the P-47s to take over when Spitfires left their coverage. It was at this moment that the German's FW 190s chose to make their mass frontal attack, catching the American pilots by surprise as they thought the enemy were our P-47s arriving to protect them. Captain Clyde Price, in the lead, and lst Lt. Robert Blaine on his right wing, were blasted by a swath of cannon fire as the enemy cut through our formation – and both ships went down almost immediately.
Captain O'Brien states that the sight of all those enemy aircraft attacking so fiercely was enough to "empty the bladders" of every man in the formation. And with the two lead ships gone, it was "Cowboys and Indians" from then on to the target of opportunity, and back to the coast again.
S/Sgt. Kenneth L. Erhart, gunner on Capt. Price's ship, told his experiences: "We were hit by FW 190s as well as by flak, amidships. Needless to say, with oxygen and hydraulic lines damaged, fire was inevitable. The bail out bell was sounded, which by this time, the ship was well aflame. Due to the nose attack, the flight deck personnel did not make it out. I assisted Sgts. Iris Wyer and Duane Devars out the right waist window, and also checked on Sgt. Fleshman, but
he was already dead. I bailed out of the right waist window, and, upon hitting the ground, saw Lt. Gross coming down. His whole abdomen was ripped open and he died in my arms, with the German soldiers looking on. Lt. Gross told me to take his watch and give it to his mother, but the
Germans took the watch away from me. "While descending from the burning ship, I was shot at by both FWs and Me 109s! All three of us survivors suffered flak or bullet wounds and burns. Devars and Wyer were captured a day or two later, being unsuccessful in finding help. I was a volunteer from the Armament Section and Roy Gosline was from the Engineering section. Upon being captured, and after Lt. Gross died, the German soldiers turned me over to the Luftwaffe and SS troops. I was taken to a lazarette for
treatment of those flak-wounds and burns. Whatever the medication for burns was, I did not suffer scars. I was treated by French doctors and watched by German doctors. From there I was taken by train to Dulag Luft for interrogation, beat around a little, spent approximately ten days in solitary confinement. After tha
t I was taken to Stalag VII-A, Moosberg, Bavaria.

DIANNE Crew
Captain Clyde E. Price Pilot
Robert E. Forrest Co Pilot
Navigator
T/Sgt. Dalton R. Snell Engineer
T/Sgt. Donald E. Jester Radio Op.
S/Sgt. Kenneth L. Erhard Gunner 
 
Burial:
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington
Arlington County
Virginia, USA
Plot: Sec: 70, Site: 771
 
Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]
 
Maintained by: John Dowdy
Originally Created by: John C. Anderson
Record added: Mar 05, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 49178981