The 330th Bomb Group

K-1 SN: 42-93969 Lost 24 May 1945 with Crew 11.

This aircraft, Commanded by CAP Douglas Neil, was shot down by enemy aircraft on her ninth mission over Tokyo.. All perished. MACR# 14492

K-1(2) and K-2 SN: 42-93976

Here is K-1 'The Happy Savage' CAP Robert Willman photographed during a PW Supply mission in late August 1945

K-2 SN: 42-93976 until K-1 was shot down. Then renamed to K-1 'The Happy Savage' CAP Robert Willman and 44-69696 became K-2. I also have 42-94048 as K-2 for the Sunset Project home on Nov 1, 1945

K-3 SN: 42-93982 "City of Fort Worth"

MAJ Jackson Wallace (A/C) as K-3 swoops low over the Empire on what is most likely a P.O.W. supply drop.

Here she is taxiing prior to takeoff for another successful mission.

There is record of another K-3 with SN: 44-69872 being flown back to the states in Nov. 1945 as part of the "Sunset Project" which was set up to get the aircraft back stateside.

K-4 SN: 44-69817 "City of Roanoke" aka "Ready Bettie"

MAJ Herman Smith (A/C)

That is SSGT Hubert Homan, Jr. (Radar Mech Bmbr) in the Pilot's seat in this one. Thanks to Hubert's daughter, Kristine, for this shot.., and the one below. That is one of Hubert's buddies in the tail hatch SGT Eli F.(Francois) Bascom, Jr. They were both Radar Mechanics, and this was one of their proud birds. They aircrews were proud of the Ground Crews as well.

If you look closely you can see a faint outline of a "4" between the star insignia and the Lead Aircraft Stripes. You will also notice that the Lead Aircraft stripe has been extended around the fuselage of this aircraft and the yellow one was added. That is probably why the "4" has been removed. They just finished painting the yellow band and will repaint the "4" later.

K-5 SN: 42-93957 "City of Duluth" aka "She Wolf" (Willman Crew for 5 Missions) and "City of Lynchburg" aka "Don't Worry Bouta Thing" (Woolwine Crew for 15 Missions) Willman crew was sent to Muroc, AAFB for Lead Crew Training and Woolwine crew took over K-5 and renamed her!

A great shot of the "She Wolf" artwork provided by Mr. Willman. That is Robert Willman (A/C) there in the cockpit proudly pointing out their 6 successful missions. Soon after this photo was taken Robert and the rest of Crew 705 were sent to Muroc, AAFB (Now Edwards AFB), in California, for Lead Crew Training. Upon their return, they would go on to complete an additional 9 missions in K-1 (SN 42-93976).

Here is a closeup of the tail of "She Wolf" (supplied by Robert Willman) showing some work being done on the aft lower turret.

Here she is sporting the Woolwine Crew's paint job after Willman and his crew departed for Muroc for Lead Crew Training.

K-6 SN: 42-93971 "City of Council Bluffs, IA" aka "The Germ" A/C CAP Ralph Erwin

Here is a great shot of K-6 provided to me by the man in the photo, Harold Ossman (RO). This photo was taken just before a night mission to Tsu on 24 July 1945.

Here is a another great shot of K-6 provided to me by Harold Ossman (RO). She is snug as a bug in her hardstand.

K-7 SN: 42-93978 "City of Jacksonville" CAP, James Brandford (A/C)

K-7 sitting peacefully in her parking space between missions. (Thanks to PFC Andrew Pecquet's son for this and many more photos to come!)

Here she is again, from a different angle and later in the War. Notice the "K" has been infilled Yellow! (Thanks to the FE. William J. Keck for this and other photos)

Flying beautifully above the Pacific in August 1945 and clearly painted for a PW Supply Mission.(photo compliments of our friends at the 39th BG)

K-8 SN: 42-93980 "City of Williamsport" aka "Miss Annabelle"

1LT Burt Zimmerman (A/C) (Photo courtesy of Tex Knowles, the Crew Chief's brother)

K-9 SN: 42-94062 "City of Chattanooga" aka "PLUTO"

FO Donald Freeman (A/C)

PLUTO sitting happily in her hardstand in July 1945. That is K-13 to the far left, in case you were wondering. (thanks to SSGT Philip Pecquet for the photo)

K-10 SN: 42-93935 " City of louisville" aka "Shillelagh Highman" 1LT Richard O'Neill (A/C)

Here is the Bombardier, FO Bernard Vinoski, hanging out on the tail.

K-11 SN: 44-69928 and SN: 42-93976 "City of Berkeley" aka "Je Reviens"

Here is Kimball, revving up K-11 in her hardstand just prior to another successful mission. You can see someone in the front wheel-well and there is a ladder being pulled into the back hatch. A/C 1LT Robert Kimball took over for A/C 1LT Frederick West who transferred to the 459th. Someone on board was a Francophile. "Je Reviens" means "I will return"

Here is a PERFECT shot of the "Je Reviens" nose art! Thanks to our friends at the 73rd BW who discovered this photo and sent us a copy.

Below the A/C's window and next to the missions is written "finis" (The End) en Francais. This picture must have been taken after 14 August 1945. The man in the photo is SGT Eli Francois Bascom Jr. (Rdr Mech) for the 457th BG. This photo and many others provided by Kristine Homan,(and yes Eli was French and probably excitedly made the notation on the side)

K-12 SN: 42-94024 "City of CLAYTON, MO" aka "Our Baby" There were two crews for this aircraft. I am not sure which crew is flying her in these photos. If anyone knows, please advise.

Here is K-12 having her engines run up in the Maintenance Area of North Field..

and in flight over the Empire in late June 1945. The A/C was CAP Bobbie Johnston and 1LT Livingston Crowell was the Pilot.

K-13 SN: 42-94016 "City of Jersey City" aka "McNamara's Band"

1LT Charles McNamara (A/C) from Richfield Springs, NY

K-13 flying near Mt. Fuji with a newly applied rudder. A buddy B-29 from the 29th BG (O-21) on her way to the Empire as well. The A/C's son remembered his father mentioning how K-13 had received some flak damage to the tail. The Tail Gunner however, Charles Staats, was apparently unharmed.

Inspecting for flak damage on engine No. 2 after a mission. Probably Crew Chief SGT Theodore Petrilack and on wing in jumpsuit is the A/C Charles McNamara. This A/C and his crew succussfully completed an astounding 28 Missions. Tied for the highest in the Squadron with CAP Ralph Erwin on K-6. (photo courtesy of McNamara's sons)

K-13's "City of Jersey City" logo.., (photo courtesy of McNamara's sons)

..and the other side with "McNAMARA'S BAND "

Here she is late in the war with a lot more missions and a new paint job. I have found several aircraft photos from different squadrons as well that have a shiny black underside. This worked well when hit with searchlights over the empire. It would be harder to spot in the sky vs. a shiny aluminum B-29. Most of the 315th BW aircraft were painted this way as well. I have also seen copies of photos of more 330th BG aircraft (K-29) that had this scheme towards the very end of the war.

Here is the entire crew in front, receiving one of several Air Medals. K-13 has the new shiny black scheme to boot.

K-14 SN: 44-69795 Lost 12 April 1945

This aircraft, Commanded by 1LT Robert Ziegele, crash landed in bad weather while returning to Guam after her first mission. All but the RO perished. Men are buried in Army Navy Marine Cemetary #2 on Guam. This was the first aircrew lost in combat for the 330th. Unfortunately, it would not be their last.

K-14 crash site shown the morning after.

K-14 (#2) SN: 42-94032 "City of St. petersburg" aka "MY GAL II"

You can almost see CAP Thompson Hiles, Jr. the A/C on this aircraft straining to get her off under such a heavy load. You can also SEE the propellers arching back under the strain of getting over 70 Tons of aircraft, fuel, bombload and personnel into the air. How did they do this? How did these men (kids) do this day after day? I am constantly in awe when I compare my youth to theirs.

K-15 SN: 44-69996 "City of Gary, IN" aka "?" A/C Thomas Abbring and Crew 714

A good shot of Abbring bringing K-15 out for a mission. Her bombay doors wide open to assist her crew in keeping cool in the afternoon Guam sun. This would be in mid August 1945.

Here is K-15 after a 'belly flop' into Iwo on 8 August 1945 by her A/C Abbring. This was after completing her 20th Mission. Not a bad landing for having #3 and #4 engines out in a squal. The best part.., no crew members were hurt.(I see K-32 in the background)

She apparently stopped at a crucial intersection. So here, no fewer than five cranes were utilized to move her. She never flew again.

K-16 SN: 42-94029 "City of Kankakee" aka "Lucky Strike" A/C CAP Vivian Lock, Crew Chief MSGT Charles Welch. This aircraft was lost in a crash on Johnson Island in Nov. 1945. At the time she was being Piloted home by Thomas Abbring. Luckily no injuries.

LUCKY STRIKE sits nesteled in her bed while her Crew Chief, MSGT Charles Welch, Jr., pours over any possible problems.

Here she is again, being nursed along by CAP Vivian Lock, as she has lost No. 4 over the Empire. CAP Lock has her nice and feathered. (photo courtesy of Vivian Lock)

This is August 15, 1945. This is Vivian Lock bringing K-16 back to Guam @ 0830. This was the 2nd to last aircraft to touchdown after the 330th's last mission of the war.(photo courtesy of Vivian Lock)

		B-29's of the 457th Bombardment Squadron K-1 through K-16 Aircrews
		K-1 SN: 42-93969 Lost 24 May 1945 with Crew 11. This aircraft, Commanded by CAP Douglas Neil, was shot down by enemy aircraft on her ninth mission over Tokyo.. All perished. MACR# 14492 K-1(2) and K-2 SN: 42-93976 Here is K-1 'The Happy Savage' CAP Robert Willman photographed during a PW Supply mission in late August 1945 K-2 SN: 42-93976 until K-1 was shot down. Then renamed to K-1 'The Happy Savage' CAP Robert Willman and 44-69696 became K-2. I also have 42-94048 as K-2 for the Sunset Project home on Nov 1, 1945 K-3 SN: 42-93982 "City of Fort Worth" MAJ Jackson Wallace (A/C) as K-3 swoops low over the Empire on what is most likely a P.O.W. supply drop. Here she is taxiing prior to takeoff for another successful mission. There is record of another K-3 with SN: 44-69872 being flown back to the states in Nov. 1945 as part of the "Sunset Project" which was set up to get the aircraft back stateside. K-4 SN: 44-69817 "City of Roanoke" aka "Ready Bettie" MAJ Herman Smith (A/C) That is SSGT Hubert Homan, Jr. (Radar Mech Bmbr) in the Pilot's seat in this one. Thanks to Hubert's daughter, Kristine, for this shot.., and the one below. That is one of Hubert's buddies in the tail hatch SGT Eli F.(Francois) Bascom, Jr. They were both Radar Mechanics, and this was one of their proud birds. They aircrews were proud of the Ground Crews as well. If you look closely you can see a faint outline of a "4" between the star insignia and the Lead Aircraft Stripes. You will also notice that the Lead Aircraft stripe has been extended around the fuselage of this aircraft and the yellow one was added. That is probably why the "4" has been removed. They just finished painting the yellow band and will repaint the "4" later. K-5 SN: 42-93957 "City of Duluth" aka "She Wolf" *(Willman Crew for 5 Missions)* and "City of Lynchburg" aka "Don't Worry Bouta Thing" *(Woolwine Crew for 15 Missions)* Willman crew was sent to Muroc, AAFB for Lead Crew Training and Woolwine crew took over K-5 and renamed her! A great shot of the "She Wolf" artwork provided by Mr. Willman. That is Robert Willman (A/C) there in the cockpit proudly pointing out their 6 successful missions. Soon after this photo was taken Robert and the rest of Crew 705 were sent to Muroc, AAFB (Now Edwards AFB), in California, for Lead Crew Training. Upon their return, they would go on to complete an additional 9 missions in K-1 (SN 42-93976). Here is a closeup of the tail of "She Wolf" (supplied by Robert Willman) showing some work being done on the aft lower turret. Here she is sporting the *Woolwine Crew's* paint job after Willman and his crew departed for Muroc for Lead Crew Training. K-6 SN: 42-93971 "City of Council Bluffs, IA" aka "The Germ" A/C CAP Ralph Erwin Here is a great shot of K-6 provided to me by the man in the photo, Harold Ossman (RO). This photo was taken just before a night mission to Tsu on 24 July 1945. Here is a another great shot of K-6 provided to me by Harold Ossman (RO). She is snug as a bug in her hardstand. K-7 SN: 42-93978 "City of Jacksonville" CAP, James Brandford (A/C) K-7 sitting peacefully in her parking space between missions. (Thanks to PFC Andrew Pecquet's son for this and many more photos to come!) Here she is again, from a different angle and later in the War. Notice the "K" has been infilled Yellow! (Thanks to the FE. William J. Keck for this and other photos) Flying beautifully above the Pacific in August 1945 and clearly painted for a PW Supply Mission.(photo compliments of our friends at the 39th BG) K-8 SN: 42-93980 "City of Williamsport" aka "Miss Annabelle" 1LT Burt Zimmerman (A/C) (Photo courtesy of Tex Knowles, the Crew Chief's brother) K-9 SN: 42-94062 "City of Chattanooga" aka "PLUTO" FO Donald Freeman (A/C) PLUTO sitting happily in her hardstand in July 1945. That is K-13 to the far left, in case you were wondering. (thanks to SSGT Philip Pecquet for the photo) K-10 SN: 42-93935 " City of louisville" aka "Shillelagh Highman" 1LT Richard O'Neill (A/C) Here is the Bombardier, FO Bernard Vinoski, hanging out on the tail. K-11 SN: 44-69928 and SN: 42-93976 "City of Berkeley" aka "Je Reviens" Here is Kimball, revving up K-11 in her hardstand just prior to another successful mission. You can see someone in the front wheel-well and there is a ladder being pulled into the back hatch. A/C 1LT Robert Kimball took over for A/C 1LT Frederick West who transferred to the 459th. Someone on board was a Francophile. "Je Reviens" means "I will return" Here is a PERFECT shot of the "Je Reviens" nose art! Thanks to our friends at the 73rd BW who discovered this photo and sent us a copy. Below the A/C's window and next to the missions is written "finis" (The End) en Francais. This picture must have been taken after 14 August 1945. The man in the photo is SGT Eli Francois Bascom Jr. (Rdr Mech) for the 457th BG. This photo and many others provided by Kristine Homan,(and yes Eli was French and probably excitedly made the notation on the side) K-12 SN: 42-94024 "City of CLAYTON, MO" aka "Our Baby" There were two crews for this aircraft. I am not sure which crew is flying her in these photos. If anyone knows, please advise. Here is K-12 having her engines run up in the Maintenance Area of North Field.. and in flight over the Empire in late June 1945. The A/C was CAP Bobbie Johnston and 1LT Livingston Crowell was the Pilot. K-13 SN: 42-94016 "City of Jersey City" aka "McNamara's Band" 1LT Charles McNamara (A/C) from Richfield Springs, NY K-13 flying near Mt. Fuji with a newly applied rudder. A buddy B-29 from the 29th BG (O-21) on her way to the Empire as well. The A/C's son remembered his father mentioning how K-13 had received some flak damage to the tail. The Tail Gunner however, Charles Staats, was apparently unharmed. Inspecting for flak damage on engine No. 2 after a mission. Probably Crew Chief SGT Theodore Petrilack and on wing in jumpsuit is the A/C Charles McNamara. This A/C and his crew succussfully completed an astounding 28 Missions. Tied for the highest in the Squadron with CAP Ralph Erwin on K-6. (photo courtesy of McNamara's sons) K-13's "City of Jersey City" logo.., (photo courtesy of McNamara's sons) ..and the other side with "McNAMARA'S BAND " Here she is late in the war with a lot more missions and a new paint job. I have found several aircraft photos from different squadrons as well that have a shiny black underside. This worked well when hit with searchlights over the empire. It would be harder to spot in the sky vs. a shiny aluminum B-29. Most of the 315th BW aircraft were painted this way as well. I have also seen copies of photos of more 330th BG aircraft (K-29) that had this scheme towards the very end of the war. Here is the entire crew in front, receiving one of several Air Medals. K-13 has the new shiny black scheme to boot. K-14 SN: 44-69795 Lost 12 April 1945 This aircraft, Commanded by 1LT Robert Ziegele, crash landed in bad weather while returning to Guam after her first mission. All but the RO perished. Men are buried in Army Navy Marine Cemetary #2 on Guam. This was the first aircrew lost in combat for the 330th. Unfortunately, it would not be their last. K-14 crash site shown the morning after. K-14 (#2) SN: 42-94032 "City of St. petersburg" aka "MY GAL II" You can almost see CAP Thompson Hiles, Jr. the A/C on this aircraft straining to get her off under such a heavy load. You can also SEE the propellers arching back under the strain of getting over 70 Tons of aircraft, fuel, bombload and personnel into the air. How did they do this? How did these men (kids) do this day after day? I am constantly in awe when I compare my youth to theirs. K-15 SN: 44-69996 "City of Gary, IN" aka "?" A/C Thomas Abbring and Crew 714 A good shot of Abbring bringing K-15 out for a mission. Her bombay doors wide open to assist her crew in keeping cool in the afternoon Guam sun. This would be in mid August 1945. Here is K-15 after a 'belly flop' into Iwo on 8 August 1945 by her A/C Abbring. This was after completing her 20th Mission. Not a bad landing for having #3 and #4 engines out in a squal. The best part.., no crew members were hurt.(I see K-32 in the background) She apparently stopped at a crucial intersection. So here, no fewer than five cranes were utilized to move her. She never flew again. K-16 SN: 42-94029 "City of Kankakee" aka "Lucky Strike" A/C CAP Vivian Lock, Crew Chief MSGT Charles Welch. This aircraft was lost in a crash on Johnson Island in Nov. 1945. At the time she was being Piloted home by Thomas Abbring. Luckily no injuries. LUCKY STRIKE sits nesteled in her bed while her Crew Chief, MSGT Charles Welch, Jr., pours over any possible problems. Here she is again, being nursed along by CAP Vivian Lock, as she has lost No. 4 over the Empire. CAP Lock has her nice and feathered. (photo courtesy of Vivian Lock) This is August 15, 1945. This is Vivian Lock bringing K-16 back to Guam @ 0830. This was the 2nd to last aircraft to touchdown after the 330th's last mission of the war.(photo courtesy of Vivian Lock)
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