35 Original 390th Crews Study
by
Andy Anzanos

Richard Drain, 570th squadron, researcher and developer of the “Drain Data,” has recently completed a study of the original 35 crews assigned to the 390th BG. Every one of the 369 men that composed the group was listed with his fate. The following table summarizes Richard’s findings:

From the details of Richard’s study only 129 men completed 25 or more missions and of those, three men became casualties while flying more than the required 25.

The 129 also includes 10 staff officers not assigned to a particular crew. Of the original 35 crews or 350 crew members, only 119 successfully completed their required 25 missions. The overall percentage is 34% (119/350).

Only one crew successfully completed their required 25 missions intact with their original crew members: the Roger Cartwright crew No. 15.

In the table, 11 men were listed as KLD. Ten of the men were killed crashing into a mountain in Wales on an attempted return from a mission to Bordeaux, France. This crew could very well have been listed as KIA since they were disabled from the mission. The 11th man, however, died from walking into a prop, a very legitimate reason for being considered “Killed” rather than “Killed in Action.”

I made a similar analysis of the 35 crews that were added later in November 1943 and which was published in the fall of 1998 Bulletin issue. In that analysis three crews finished intact and 124 men out of the 350, or 35%, completed their mission requirement.

The original 35 crews made their first mission in early August 1943 and the additional 35 crews, double strengthening the 390th capability, became operational in early December. In four months of operations, the successful completion rate improved one percentage point, from 34% to 35%.