VMD-154 Plane Crews

Espiritu Santo Island, New Hebrides

Special thanks to Norman Woodard for photo identifications of plane crews 1-8. Special thanks also to Dallas Willis for lists of overseas flight crews. Discrepancies between the Aug/Sep 1943 photos and the undated (1943) crew lists are noted.

Plane Crew 1 - 31 Aug 1943 - Photo #1411
Front: Anderson (Top Gunner), Klein (Photographer), Stevens (Radar),
Brown (Photographer), Walters (Navigator), Hansen (Tail Gunner), Harris (Radio)
Back: Modzelewski (Asst. Flt. Engr.), Lisicky (Flt. Engr.), Capt. Myking (Co-Pilot),
Lt.Col. Bard (Pilot), Clark (Nose Gunner), Green (Belly Gunner)

Plane Crew 2 - 1 Sep 1943 - Photo #1440
Front: Tylenda (Tail Gunner), Bowman (Radio), Heath (Navigator), Craig
(Photographer), Williams (Radar), Willis (Photographer), Bouffard (Belly Gunner)
Back: McLaurin (Asst. Flt. Engr.), McIntosh (Flt. Engr.), Rosen (Navigator),
Maj. Thrash (Pilot), Lt. Bibee (Co-Pilot), Hirst (Top Gunner), Gabbard (Nose Gunner)

Plane Crew 3 - 1 Sep 1943 - Photo #1441
Front: Moss (Top Gunner), Salaman (photographer), Johnson (Nose
Gunner), Robins (Belly Gunner), Eyestone (Tail Gunner), Lawson, Nelson
Back: Ellis (Radio), Goodwin (Navigator), Goldschmidt (Radar), Maj. Frank (Pilot), Capt.
Stewart (Co-Pilot), Shaffer (Asst. Flt. Engr.), Shelton (Flt. Engr.), Wedholm (Navigator)

Note: Instead of 15 men including Lawson and Nelson identified in the photo above,
the undated crew list shows 14 men including Shewmaker (Photographer)

Plane Crew 4 - 24 Aug 1943 - Photo #1392
Front: Joyce (Flt. Engr.), Southern (Nose Gunner), Coomer (Photographer),
Foy (Radio), Hermann (Asst. Flt. Engr.), R. B. Smith (Tail Gunner)
Back: Capt. Groff (Co-Pilot), Capt. Stimson (Radar), Lt. Ebel (Navigator), Maj. Ullman
(Pilot), Fry (Photographer), Roberts (Belly Gunner), Romelfanger (Top Gunner)

Note: The photo lists pilot Ullman as Major while the list shows him as Captain.

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