Introduction
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On October 6, 1943 Heinrich Himmler gave the second of his two Posen Speeches where he outlined the carrying out of the Holocaust to the SS officers that were assembled there. The text of the speech would not be published until 1974 but in his address, Himmler said, "The question will be asked: 'What about women and children?' I did not consider myself entitled to exterminate the men, to kill them or have them killed, and then allow their children to grow up to revenge themselves on our own sons and grandsons. The painful decision had to be taken, to remove this people from the face of the earth..."
This is what the Allied forces were fighting against and on that same day a crew of 10 men were flying over northern Italy in a B17-F when they fell under heavy attack from a deluge of enemy fire. They had been heading to drop their bombs on a strategic target in Mestre, Italy but now they were being attacked. The waist gunner from a neighboring B-17 described it like this: |
PLEASE NOTE: This site is just being thrown together to serve as an online resource where friends and family of the crew are able to share the information they have about the crewmen of the Bum's Rush. The details of this event are so awe-inspiring that they seem somehow impossible or extraordinary. In the context of the times and in the minds of the men and women who lived through it, however, it was just another ordinary day in World War II.
This site is nowhere near finished and is just a place to get all of the material organized and new edits and additions are being made as you read this. A really good place to start to get somewhat up to speed in this blog entry HERE. If you have any material or information relating to this story please do send word via the Contact page. And thanks for your time in all of this. It's important. -Jason McHenry [Grandson of Harry L. Cunningham - Waist Gunner] |
"Plane 474 [Aircraft Serial Number 42-30474] appeared to be in trouble shortly after the fighter attack started. They salvoed their bombs* and stayed in position. There was an explosion in or around the bombay as fighters were attacking. I could see parts of the plane fly off. The plane seemed to remain in control but I could see 474 was badly damaged and ripped from the top turret back to the radio room. At this point 474 passed from my view. Tail gunner S/Sgt. Leo Robin reported that he definitely saw four (4) parachutes open on men leaving the plane. The last Robin saw of the plane it was apparently out of control and losing altitude quickly."
The Crew
99th BG 346th Insignia
The crew aboard the Bum's Rush were assigned to the 99th Bomb Group / 346th Squadron and they had just completed their 24th mission. This meant, certainly, that they were really good at what they do but it also meant they were surrounded by hundreds of men and women who were good at what they do too. [And, sure, a little bit of luck should never be discounted.] Prior to 1944, a crewman's tour of duty was set at 25 missions. As a measure of the hazards they would encounter, it is estimated that the average crewman had only a one in four chance of actually completing his tour of duty. The men aboard the Bum's Rush had almost made it back home together in one piece after successfully completing their tour of duty. Instead it was going to take a lot longer than they had expected to get back home.
Like almost all B-17 crews the Bumb's Rush carried 10 men. The photo below shows the complete crew with the exception of one man. James Markowich [sp?] is in this photo but he would be replaced by Thomas Carver for the final mission. The names of the crew are:
Front Row: [Left to Right]
• F/O Otis S. Lee - Pilot • F/O Carlton O. Alderson - Co-Pilot • 2nd Lt. Rudy Menchl - Navigator • [?] James Markowitz - Bombardier • 2nd Lt. Thomas H. Carver - Bombardier * [* Replacement - Not Pictured] Back Row: [Left to Right] • S/Sgt. Harry L. Cunningham - Waist Gunner • T/Sgt. Ralph E. Kramer - Radio Operator • S/Sgt. Willie C. Jones - Asst. Engineer • T/Sgt. Victor Dickerson - Engineer • S/Sgt. George H. Ritter - Asst. Radio Operator • S/Sgt. Leonard A. Farley - Tail Gunner |
The crew of the B17F known as Bumb's Rush
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Crew Positions - Click to Enlarge
For more information on the crew see the Crew Page HERE.
About This Site
This site is an ongoing effort to compile as much information as possible pertaining to the events surrounding the Bum's Rush being shot down and crash landing in Italy. This site was built as a repository for the information found through various online searches as well as from the private collections of photos and ephemera from the family of the crew. The information and material that is not otherwise publicly available is the property of the respective owners and it should be stated that all rights are reserved. We have been in touch with the family members of a bulk of the crew. We are hoping to make contact with the friends and family of all the crew and if you have any information beyond what is listed here please do contact us.
Crew |
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