850th/857th BSs
Melinat
Crew

The crew are shown above at Mountain Home AAB,ID in the spring of 1944.

 

Standing, L-R:
Ervin M.   Jasczak          - R.O.            ASN 36289518
William J. Simonson         - Bombardier      ASN 0695549
Henry A.   Majefski         - Navigator       ASN 0700029
Norman W.  Harris           - Copilot         ASN 0758563
Rudolph B. Melinat          - Pilot           ASN 0803844
Joseph     Dul              - Engineer        ASN 16021521

Kneeling, L-R:
John W.    Marshall         - Dispatcher      ASN 17088443
Ray A.     Thorington       - Gunner          ASN 36595822  (Orphaned)
John P.    Mitchel          - Gunner          ASN 16126618  (Orphaned)
John W.    Munsell          - Gunner          ASN 16128911

Hyperlinked ASNs for EMs displays their enlistment records at the National Archives (NARA).


The Melinat crew are shown above as a 10-man crew at Mountain Home with their flyover plane "Pappy's Pill", B24-H 42-94792. The picture below was taken at Harrington,summer of 1944.

Despite a late start which kept them at Harrington past most of the squadrons stay, the crew did well in the field, missing only one completion in August 1944. (all targets in France) shown below. In the gas haul period, Melinat and a short crew flew 10 missions, one of which was a C-47 flight.

Henry Majefski (picture from cadet class below) trained at San Marcos, Texas during the summer of 1943.

Agents delivered/attempted:
MR 1438    (4) DZ Frederick 8  Inter-Allied Mission ALOES
MR 1620    (3)
DZ Donald 22    Unidentified
MR 1679    (5)
DZ Peter 89     OSS OG Lindsey (part of)
MR 1706    (5)
DZ Peter 89     OSS OG Lindsey (part of)
MR 1829    (2)
DZ Tybault 11   Unidentified (Belgian)
MR 1858    (2) DZ Heckler 6    No Drop
MR 1941   
(3) DZ Dick 39B     Unidentified
MR 2073    (5) Messenger 40    No Drop

Leaflets dispersed:
USF-77
USF-78
USF-127
USF-128
USF-130
USF-131
USF-133
ZF-9


Additional Crew Data sources:
Melinat Crew Personnel files
Melinat Crew Mission Reports

Group-Related Downloads:
AAFRH-21 "AAF Aid to European Resistance"
Allied Leaflets Index
"Carpetbaggers" by Parnell
"They Flew by Night" editor Robert Fish
Serial Number Index of B24s
Station 179 Operations Log
(handwritten Apr44-Jul45)
Station 179 Operations Log (transcribed Sep44-Jul45)

Available on Request:
Group Mission Reports Jan-Sep44 (On disk $12ea - $10ea via Paypal)
"Chronology of SOE Operations with the Resistance In France During WWII" by Foot & Boxhall
"Spies,Supplies & Moonlit Skies Vols 1&2" by Ensminger
(On disk $12ea - $10ea via Paypal)

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