ROWE MISSION #8 - 3 October, 1944, Tuesday

36
448th Bomb Group Replacement Crew #46’s Eighth Air Force Mission Records - World War II
REPLACEMENT CREW #46
FLIGHT RECORD - 25 AUGUST, 1944 TO 11 MARCH, 1945
A synopsis of each mission is described below by Joseph H. Zonyk as taken
from his original diary. Additional comments by John Rowe in parentheses and in Italics follows
Joe’s synopsis (from personal recollections and from micro-film records of the 448th
BG at the Air Force Historical Research Center, Maxwell Field, Alabama). Pictures in this
flight record of missions do not necessarily represent pictures taken on those particular
missions.
714th Squadron (Missions #1 through #13)
713th Squadron (Missions #14 through #35)
Second Air Division
448th Bombardment Group
20th Combat Wing
8th Air Force
REPLACEMENT CREW #46
John C. Rowe Pilot Los Angeles, California
Bruce J. Anderson Co-Pilot Terrill, Iowa
Richard (Dick) H. Best Navigator Flint, Michigan
Oscar O. Rudnick Bombardier Worcester, Massachusetts
John Roche Flight Engineer Peabody,Massachusetts
Joseph (Joe) H. Zonyk Radio Operator Vicksburg, Michigan
Charles (Charlie) W. Robertson Waist Gunner Columbus, Ohio
Martin (Marty) L. Miller Nose Turret Gunner Indianapolis, Indiana
Robert (Bob or Red) L. Sammons Tail Turret Gunner Mallory, West Virginia
Clifton (Cow-Cow) H. Evans Waist Gunner Amarillo, Texas
Francis (Scotty) E. Scott Bottom Turret Gunner St. Louis, Missouri
Cliff Evans replaced Scotty in August, 1944 after the second mission. Bottom turrets
were removed and Cliff became a waist gunner. Cliff was an armorer and reserve gunner and
an original member of the 448th Bomb Group when the Group first arrived in Seething in
1943. He completed his 35th mission with us in January, 1945 and was reassigned to the
States for pilot training.
Bruce Anderson did not fly all his missions with our crew. He flew with other crews to
observe procedures and recommend suggestions (such as changes in fuel-air mixture settings
to conserve fuel etc.) and also flew several missions with his own crew.
Oscar Rudnick also left our crew for a position as lead bombardier. I am not certain on
what date he departed our crew, but I believe it was in January, 1945.
There were two (2) formation sheets for each mission, one over the “assembly area”
and another one over the “target”. These varied because of aborts for various reasons, so the
formation sheets in this “flight record” are the formations over the target. The formation
sheets identify the pilot, position & number of the plane and when known for our crew, the
name of the aircraft.