Elmer J Romigh Jr
Military
media-7170.jpeg
UPL 7170
Crew #705
Elmer J. Romigh Crew
B-24H-15-FO #42-52598 "Guess Who's Here" Code: 6L-O
466th BG - 787th BS
Standing Left to Right: Elmer J. Romigh (P), Herbert C. Lashlee (CP), Woodrow Bullerman (N), Burt Berstein (B)
Kneeling Left to Right: E.L. Wilson (FE), James K. Gray (G), John E. Barr (R/O), William A. Line (G), William Sabalaske (WG), Edgar H. Miller (TG)
This crew completed 31 missions, except for Sabalaske who was interned in Switzerland when flying as a replacement gunner with the the Flynn Crew.
466th Bomb Group collection
Elmer J. Romigh Crew
B-24H-15-FO #42-52598 "Guess Who's Here" Code: 6L-O
466th BG - 787th BS
Standing Left to Right: Elmer J. Romigh (P), Herbert C. Lashlee (CP), Woodrow Bullerman (N), Burt Berstein (B)
Kneeling Left to Right: E.L. Wilson (FE), James K. Gray (G), John E. Barr (R/O), William A. Line (G), William Sabalaske (WG), Edgar H. Miller (TG)
This crew completed 31 missions, except for Sabalaske who was interned in Switzerland when flying as a replacement gunner with the the Flynn Crew.
466th Bomb Group collection
466th BG Historian
Pilot - one of the original cadre of pilots for the 466th BG
Also served in Korea and Vietnam
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-692293
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
- Role/Job: Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-742433
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Ready & Willing, Silver Streak
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Gruesome Goose
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Blockbuster
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 491st Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron 853rd Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Piccadilly Commando
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
Missions
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
27 September 1920 | ||
Other 1st 466th BG Combat mission |
22 March 1944 | Flight time was 09:00 hours. We were awakened at 0300, dressed in our flying gear, went to the mess hall and had breakfast for fried Spam and eggs, then to the briefing room at 0515. When the briefing officer pulled the curtains back, there was a long red ribbon directly from Attlebridge to Berlin! This raid put us in the big time without a warmup. Our target was the aero engine factory of the Brandenburgisch Motor Works at Abasdorf, 15 miles north of the center of Berlin. The Freidrichstrasse RR station was our secondary target. Take off was at 0745 for the lead plane and we all followed at 30 second intervals. As we approached the target, squadrons of aircraft of aircraft were entering and leaving. A group of 12 just coming out of the flak area when one of the aircraft pulled up, started a turn to the right and exploded into a ball of fire. Four objects dropped out of the smoke cloud, possibly the four engines. I had just seen 10 men die and now knew this war was for real. | |
Other Aborted 466th BG Combat mission |
8 April 1944 | We took off for Brunswick and after we got over Germany several of the crew came down with cramps caused by the gas from what we had eaten for breakfast. As they could not function and were in severe pain, we broke formation and returned to England at a low altitude. We were able to return without incident. Our flying time was 5 hours. We lost six crews on the mission. | |
Other 4th 466th BG Combat mission |
9 April 1944 | Flying time was 8 hours. This was a rough one, but not as bad as the day before. Flak and fighters resulted in 11 aircraft being damaged. The group lost one crew, #517 (Clinton Caverne Crew). Caverne was on his first mission as first pilot. | |
Other 9th 466th Combat Mission |
27 April 1944 | Flight time was 4:15 hours. Same as mission #7. These two missions were for a "No-Ball" target since it was a facility for launching buzz bombs. These were reinforced concrete facilities and we carried 1000 pound bombs to penetrate the concrete. On this particular mission we were in a single 12 ship formation and I was leading the 3 ship element behind the lead element. This target had a single anti-aircraft battery of 5 guns that fired in unison. I guess they had one radar unit for targeting. We heard every salvo they fired at us and each salvo was closer than the last. The target was on a peninsula of land and we were in their range for only about 5 minutes. By the time they had fired their last salvo, I was flying almost under the lead ship and if they had fired one more I think it would have been right in the middle of the formation. No one was shot down, but we all suffered flak damage. My bombardier recorded 12 holes but I think there were many more. I heard them all hit us every time they fired! | |
Other 14th 466th BG Combat Mission |
24 May 1944 | Flying time was six hours. A milk run. Bombed the airdrome and returned by 1100. | |
Other 30th 466th BG Combat Mission |
7 July 1944 | Flying time was 6:15 hours. Oil installation. Lots of flak and fighters but our position was not attacked. I remember this because of the large number of twin engine German fighters that were present and seeing a large number of them shot down by our escort fighters. Some JU-88's and ME-109's made a pass at the lead section of our formation and hit the #1 engine of one plane, but it returned safely to base. I understand one P-47 shot down six German twin engine aircraft. Take off was at 0500 and lading at 1115. | |
Died |
26 May 2004 | ||
Buried |
30 May 2004 | Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery San Antonio Bexar County Texas, USA Plot: Section 40 Site 272 |
Revisions
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit roster in the book ATTLEBRIDGE ARSENAL by Wassom and Brassfield, page 350 & Page 390 in the book 2ND AIR DIVISIONby Turner Publishing Company, 1998 edition (D790.A2S45)