Crashed near Berlin on 3 Feb 45 in B-17 #44-8379, Prisoner of War (POW).



After bailing out of his plane on Feb 3, 1945, he parachuted to safety and landed in Russia. Below is a summary from my father Bob Stropp Jr. His father, Colonel Robert H. "Bob" Stropp, was a navigator in the 100th Bomb group, 8th Airforce during WWII, and February 3, 1945 was a critical day in his career....



My father is deceased but gave a contemporaneous account of his WWII experience with the 100th Bomb Group, particularly his experience getting shot down on Feb. 3. I have a tape that he did for my daughter for a high school report (her birthday - Feb. 3). This would have been done about 25 years ago. It should repeat some of the story I tell below although he undoubtedly is humble in his own words like many of his war contemporaries.



Rosie was the Commander of the lead plane on Feb. 3 - John Ernst was the regular pilot. This mission on Feb. 3 attacking Berlin was massive with 1003 bombers, and, also, it was controversial within the high ranks of the 8th Air Force. This was the first mission that departed from the American principle of daylight, precision bombing of military targets. This mission was followed just 10 days later with the Dresden bombing. And, of course, some 6 months later with Hiroshima and Nagasaki over Japan.



Back to Feb. 3, 1945, the reason my father was last or next to last bailing out was he remained to release the bombardier's leg that was caught in the bomb bay trap. [NOTE from Emily: I believe this was Capt. John Ernst. However, James Olmsted and his son have also been in contact with my family over the years to discuss his interactions with my grandfather, one of which was the Jan 10 Cologne mission, the mission preceding Feb 3. I have amended the original entry because more information is needed from by father and uncle.]



With his parachute landing, my father suffered a broken hip. He white flagged a Russian vehicle - they roughed him up a bit before he persuaded them he was "Americanski". He said they assumed he was German not having seen any Americans before that day. They took him to a Russian Hospital where he recuperated for a few of weeks. He said every night at the hospital rooftop, he would meet a Russian officer. They would drink vodka for hours while watching the Russian/German artillery attacks. In the early morning, the Russian would grab a couple of hours of sleep, then go kill more Germans the next day. My father then, very casually, said he didn't meet him one night for their vodka, so he assumed the Russian officer was killed.



I think a still have a picture of the Russian officer.



My father was then transferred by plane, boat, train, for a couple of week to Moscow. I am unsure without checking whether Rosie was with him or they met in Moscow. There, they met Averell Harriman for lunch before again taking a long road back to Thorpe Abbots. My father remained in contact with Rosie until my father's death - Rosie wrote me this very nice letter about my father.



At Thorpe Abbots, the commander (?) of the Hundredth told him that the Feb. 3 mission didn't count as one of his required missions to go home because the mission was not complete, but he would allow it to be counted as the 25th and go home, or my father could fly one more mission. My father said, "GOODBYE". He had been MIA for maybe 6 weeks and was able to call his mother - front page picture and article of my grandmother taking the call at their hometown of Rome, NY.



As to a brief personal history of my father, he came from a depression family in Rome NY. He had tremendous sports success and had a scholarship to Western Maryland College for football, baseball, basketball and track. W. Maryland at that time had high level teams - they played Army, Navy and other big league competitors. He was the captain of all teams except track. In 1942 my father was scheduled for a tryout with the St. Louis Browns (baseball) and then with the NY Giants in the fall. Never happened - and so ended his athletic career - he was a graduate and math major and he was told the Army Air Core desperately needed navigators with math.



He met my mother at W. Maryland and they got married after the war. He opened a sporting goods business in Baltimore until Korea brought him back into the Air Force. By that time he had risen to the rank of Capt. and decided to make it a career. The family had a wonderful time of 3 years in Bermuda, 5 years in Charleston S.C., and finally Suitland Md. (US Census Bureau) where Eastaff computer HQ was located. My brothers and I went to school there - I graduated from U. MD. in 1969 on a baseball scholarship.



In 1970 my father was notified there was a mistake - he should have had a tour of duty in Vietnam, and would be so scheduled. My middle brother was going to FL. State (baseball) and youngest entering HS. My father said no thanks, he was retiring and did so in Clearwater Fl. until my parents deaths about a year apart in the late 90s. And, for this record, my mother was a super star. Hard to believe, but I never heard a cross word between them.