392ND MINI-STAND ALONE REUNION WITH 2AD AT AUSTIN WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

The 392nd’s mini-stand-alone was held on the opening day of the 2AD reunion held at Austin Texas May 29-June 1. Speaker at the evening meeting, after a Texas barbecue, was Dr. Walt Rostow, who recounted the organization of the OSS team that recommended targets for the 8AF during WWII. Some 75 attended the stand-alone, and among the attendees were the family of the late Freddie Small Jones, the first director of the Red Cross Aero club at Wendling. Daughter Melissa Stevens, who was a carbon copy of her tall, smiling, pure Texas mother, was there with husband H. Adam and children Austin and Sarah. Son Clinton Jones was accompanied by his wife Mary and daughter Ali. 2AD Association Reunion The 2AD meeting, which kicked off the day of the 392nd’s stand-alone and ended June 1, was also a great success, with some 600 attendees. 392nd Membership Meeting At the 392nd membership meeting held on May 29, the following was reported: The Treasurer’s report by Cecil Rothrock, 579th, indicated that we are solvent with some $22,000 in the bank.

The anthology continues to sell, albeit slowly. Price is now $47.50, and Col Gilbert will autograph and authenticate each volume. Order from the PX order blank, to be found elsewhere in this issue. Gifts of $500 to the B-24 restoration project at the American Museum at Duxford; and to the Mighty Eighth Heritage Museum for the chapel, were reported. Attempts are being made to place the 392nd Prayer in the chapel at the Mighty Eighth Heritage Museum, and the sum of $1,000 was authorized for this purpose. $500 was allotted toward the expense of the 392nd’s web site. To date, all the expense has been borne by its organizers, second generation Crusaders Bob Books, Jim Marsteller, Ben Jones, and Greg Hatton. J. Fred Thomas was re-elected to the post of the 2AD’s 392nd Bomb Group vice-president. Group Dinner At the Group dinner on May 30, recognition was given to Mary Rothrock for her help in her husband’s Treasurer’s office; to Henriette Thomason for her work with the PX; and to Teddy Egan and Ernie Barber for their management of the hospitality room.

A plaque was awarded to Jim Goar, "for his many years of dedicated service and continuing support for the 392nd Bomb Group Memorial Association". Much to the surprise and unabashed emotion of the editor. Attendees Crusader attendees at the 392nd standalone and/or the 2 AD meeting were: Ernie Barber, Bill Barry, Vern Baumgart, Mary Beth Barnard; Luther Beddingfield, Joe Bonanno and Anne; Bill Cetin, John Conrad and Wanda; Luc Dewez, Charles Dye and Helen; Brad Eaton and Dorothy; Howard Ebersole and Jeanne; Teddy Egan, Carroll Flewelling and Bea; Larry Gilbert and Marjorie, with daughter Anne and granddaughter Sara, with fiancee; Jim Goar and Virginia; George Judd and Ruth; Sally Kauffman; Blanche and Gary Keilman; Ray Kopecky and Norma Jean; Birdie Schmidt Larrick, Ralph Linzmeier and Patricia; John Malloy and Peg; James Maris and Lucille; Jim McLaughry and Nancy, with guests Mr. and Mrs. Fred McCarthy from the 467th; Willard Pennington; Cliff Peterson and Mary; Milton Planche and Bunnie; Rocky Rothrock and Mary; Joe Sauter, George Schutze; Robert Smith and Hilda; Wilbur Stanford and Ruth; James Taylor and Lois; Bob Tays, J. Fred Thomas and Elva; Henriette Thomason, Joe Whittaker and Marie; and Stanley Zybort. * * * *

VETERANS, 2ND AND 3RD GENERATIONS
FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THE 392ND

The website has been in operation only a few months, but already some 2000 people have visited it. It is reported that it now receives about 50 "hits" per day.

It was developed by four second generation Crusaders: Bob Books, Jim Marsteller, Ben Jones, and Greg Hatton.

Books is the son of 1/Lt Dallas Books, a 579th pilot KIA on the Fredrichshafen mission. He is a professional computer programmer.

Jim Marsteller is the nephew of S/Sgt Everette Morris, the engineer on the Books crew, also KIA.

Ben Jones is a Wendling area product who has been active in Crusader affairs since he was a teen-ager.

Greg Hatton’s father was Sgt Hyman Hatton, waist gunner on the Ofenstein crew in the 576th. His ship went down on the Berlin mission of April 29, 1944, and Hatton was one of five crewmen who survived, to become POW’s.

Hatton was struck in the back with a rifle butt by a German guard, and carried his injuries to an early death in his fifties. (Greg Hatton has written two books covering the experiences of his father while in training, in combat, and while a POW. The works are an exhaustive story of how a young soldier trained for and fought the war and endured great hardships as a POW. )

The website developers are looking for Crusaders who kept some sort of diary during their stay at Wendling. Although this was forbidden, many people did keep a diary, and Books and friends would like use them to supplement the data already on the website.

They emphasize that they are not looking for someone to write a story as they remember it now; they want only material that was written during that time period. The diaries will be returned to the sender after the research team reviews it for possible inclusion to the site.

The website now includes 392nd information on the Memorial Association, overseas burials, mission summaries, casualty lists, a great deal of POW information, and the Wendling base. Many photos and drawings are included.

More information is being posted to the site almost daily.

The site has a simple name which is easy to call up: B24.NET. If you have access to a computer, give it a look.

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