Shot down 26 November 1943 in B-17 42-31042. Killed in Action (KIA).

Charles East is standing, third from left, in the 1943 photo at Walla Walla.

Thomas Gerald Witt account of his death: They left with a group of 50 planes.He was shot down,his first mission, on November 26, 1943. Their B-17 plane,named “Shady Lady”, was disabled by anti-aircraft fire which then attracted fighter attacks. Gerald,the Bombardier in the nose of the plane, had a 50 cal Baton that jammed during the fire exchange. Gerald recalled,” My gun would not fire and our navigator, Charlie East, was killed standing back of me firing his waist gun. A 20 mm had exploded and left a large hole in Charlie’s back. It had entered the plane so close to me that I still have a piece of the plane in my left arm.” Knowing they were going to crash, Gerald released their bombs and most of the crew bailed out except for Gerald, the pilot JB Holland ,who stayed with the plane to land it with the copilot,Lt. Procopio, who had spilt his parachute in the plane. Seconds before they landed Gerald went back to the Bombay to brace his self. He vividly remembers, “I saw one of the bombs was still attached to its shackle hanging below the fuelidge. Shaking it frantically, I was able to release the bomb when we were 50 feet from the ground.” After the rather smooth landing near a primary school, the pilot set the plane on fire. Gerald remembers,” I will never be able to describe my emotions as the flames enveloped the plane with Charlie‘s body inside. We didn’t have time to get his body out. I shake every time I recall the event. Soon German anti-aircraft crew arrived. I thought we would be shot there. I tried to determine what kind of expression I would have on my face when I was killed.” Instead they were ordered to return to the burning plane to use their helmets and a nearby stream to put out the fire. When the bullets inside the plane began to explode, they were taken to a near by elementary school where they didn’t pay the any mind and teacher continued to teach. They were then sent to a military post before being sent to Frankfurt, Germany to be interrogated. Next, he was sent by box cars to the flying officers Salag Luft I prisoner of war camp in the Baltic seaport town of Barth, Germany(Pomerania district). Gerald spent 18 months there before being liberated May 13, 1945.