Mission 106

The Crew’s Story

by
Lori Sorenson

This story is about ten men out of many thousands that served in WWII. They were all young and full of hope for their futures. There was a war going on. A big war known to us as WWII. Every person in the world had a loved one serving with the military or was supporting the war effort in their daily activities.

After all the basic training, ten young men were grouped together to become Crew 45 of the 570th Bomb Squadron. They were assigned to the European Theater of Operations (ETO). Their first mission was the rail station in Berlin. It would be known to them as “Mission 106” (also known as 8th AF 358).

The mission filled the crew with anxiety, as they knew that with every mission there was the danger of being hurt, killed or captured. Each man replayed his role in his mind over and over.

Their plane was a B-17G also known as the “Flying Fortress”. These were built by Boeing, Douglas and few by Lockheed-Vega. Theirs was a new plane and without a pet name given by the crew. It was simply known as Aircraft Number 42-102532. Each man had been studying every inch of this aircraft so that they could fulfill the requirements of each other’s position in the event it became a necessity.

On the day of the mission they were to report to the war room for a briefing at 5AM. They were all wondering where the raid would be. After listening to their instructions a curtain was drawn showing a chalkboard with a large letter “B” for Berlin at the top. The crew looked at each other and headed off for the truck that would take them to the aircraft.

Prior to boarding the truck they were inspected for dog tags. The Radio Operator forgot his and was sent back to the barracks for them.

They gathered their equipment and waited for the signal from the ground crew to start warming up the engine. The pilot shook hands with each of the crew and then they went to their positions to check that everything was in order. While waiting for the okay to taxi out, another bomber broke their nose with their wing. The ground crew helped replaced the clear nose piece of the aircraft and they were again ready for takeoff. This they hoped would be a minor setback and not an omen. They were given the okay to start the engine and by 9AM they were to taxi onto the runway for takeoff.

Everyone was in their positions. Tannehill as Pilot, Vermie as Co-Pilot, Horst as Navigator, Mihalik as Radio Operator, Leggett as Bombardier, Joseph as Left Waist Gunner, Garner as Tail Gunner, and Hajduk as Ball Turret Gunner. It was previously decided that O’Connor and Sorenson change positions for this mission. O’Connor became the Right Waist Gunner and Sorenson the Aerial Gunner.

Ground crew to Pilot “Rev 'em up...one...two...three...four...Looks good, Pilot, the panel is in the green...you're clear for take off.” Tannehill “uh-roger, thank you. Engineer, release brakes.” The aircraft sped faster and faster down the runway. Sorenson “Rolling, rolling...airborne...gear up...gear up, sir.” Pilot “How's it looking, Vermie? “In the green, sir.” “Nav, this is Pilot, I'm leveling off at angel one (1000 feet) and will cruise at 165 knots. At level off plot a fix, get a wind from radar, then give me a corrected heading and an ETA for our target area.” Horst “uh-roger, sir.” Pilot “Mihalik Radio okay?”, Mihalik, yes sir.”

Once in the air, the pilot assumed his formation position. Everyone checked their equipment. Again, and again and again.

The mission’s formation flew in heavy cloud cover throughout much of the flight forcing the bombers to use H2X PFF methods. Escort was provide by 155 P-38s, 182 P-47s and 363 P-51s of the Eighth Air Force and 264 aircraft of the Ninth Air Force.

Occasionally the pilot initiated a line of chatter to check everyone out while on the way to the target. This was a welcome break that helped keep their minds on their responsibilities and stay alert. They kidded each other over the inter-phone and tested their guns while in flight. Advice from more experienced members of other crews suggested that the tail and ball turret gunner lay a flak suit under their seats to protect the family jewels. This suggestion was followed without question however it made a tight fit even tighter.

Tannehill announced they were at 10,000 feet and to put their oxygen on. The crew followed instruction and rechecked their equipment. Tannehill “Call out those fighters when you see ’em.” The aircraft while in formation continued on toward their target. After many long hours they were approaching their target over Berlin. The crew remained on the lookout for enemy fighters. So far there were none in sight. Each crew member was a bundle of nerves as they approached the rail station below.

Tannehill “Navigator give me a position”, Horst “Yes sir”, Horst “Okay Leggett about 10 minutes to target”, Leggett “Bombay doors are open”. The crew flew in silence the next few minutes while staying on alert for fighters. Tannehill “Navigator give me a position” Horst “Yes sir”, Tannehill “Bombardier, how does target look?” Leggett “30 seconds to target with cloud cover sir”, Pilot “You ready, Bomb?” Horst “Roger, sir.”, Leggett “My sites say we’re over target!”, Leggett “Navigator give me the okay for target”, Horst “Yes sir”, Horst “Okay Leggett”, Leggett “Bombs away”. Leggett released the bombs and they dropped out of the aircraft as planned. Still flying in their formation, they had pulled off their target. So far so good. Time to head back.

Suddenly, the crew could hear chatter over the radio from other
bombers in formation that German fighter aircraft were coming after them. “Bandits at 3:00 high!” came in over the radio. As quickly as they heard the warning the sky was full of fighters. The German Messerschmitt fighters buzzed by firing at them but luckily not doing much damage. Trouble was not over however. It was just beginning the fighters were about to return.

Flying at 30-35,000 feet, was a flock of German ME109’s and a few FW190’s. At first they were parallel to them, then they got way out in front with lightening speed making a sweeping turn. They were now pointed straight at them.

Vermie “Headin straight for ya”, Sorenson “I see em” and fired at the attackers. In a single file line they flew right threw the middle of their formation while spraying them with their 20mm cannons. The fighters were so close they could see the pilots in the cockpit. Immediately following this group of fighters were the 210’s and 410’s. These fighters were coming up from behind. Hadjuk fired and missed. The crew speculated that they were trying to bring the aircraft down by shooting off the tail. The aircraft was hit by cannon fire but no one was hurt. Garner could not reach them with his guns from his tail gunner position. There were so many of them and they were quick. The Luftwaffe fighters made several passes shooting at the bombers until finally they cut across to the North Sea toward Denmark. Unfortunately for crew 45, they shot up engine #3 and the fuel line near engine #2. That was enough to start a fire that ignited the whole wing they just did not know it yet.

Pilot “Anyone hit, who's hit?” No response. Pilot “Nav check the crew.” Horst gets a thumbs up from Mihalik, Leggett, and Sorenson. “Radio, Bomb and Aerial okay sir. Left and Right Waist are okay and checking with Ball and Tail.” Horst gets an okay signal for both. Horst “Crew is fine sir.”

They were on their way home. The aircraft carrying crew 45 was losing air speed and falling behind the formation. Tannehill, Vermie and Leggett were discussing this situation while Hajduk and Mihalik were kidding around about the close call on the inter-phone.

Joseph had noticed that the engine was on fire along with the wing. Leggett interrupted “Mihalik stick your head up in the dome adjacent to the wing to watch the wings for stress on the rivets”. He did. He also noticed that the other wing was engulfed in fire. Soon he was yelling “There they go Leggett!”. Leggett yelled to Tannehill, “Pilot the wing is going. What is the plan?” After a brief silence, Tannehill yelled back “Put on your chutes and get back home the best way you can”. Mihalik saw Garner hurriedly putting on his gear. Mihalik asked him what he was doing. Garner said, “Man, if the pilot tells me to get out, I’m long gone.” Mihalik looked over at the co-pilot. He was gone but his chute was sitting neatly in his seat. Mihalik was trying to get the waist door open but it was jammed and would not open all the way. Garner could not get his escape hatch open so he squeezed out of the small opening at the waist exit. O’Connor and Joseph were helping Hajduk out of the ball turret and putting on his gear. Joseph pointed Mihalik to the tail exit. Together they helped get the rear door open and bailed out one by one.

The Combat Chronology Report of the US Army Air Force reported the following: On Friday 19 May 1944, 588 B-17s were dispatched to Berlin; 495 were to hit the primary target; 49 to hit the port area at Kiel; and 1 to hit the target of opportunity. 16 B-17s are lost; 2 damaged beyond repair and 289 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 16 WIA and 137 MIA. In addition 19 fighters are lost; 2 pilots are KIA and 17 are MIA. The report claims that the plane of crew 45 crashed at Ostermoor.

While in the air Hajduk made note of how many chutes were in the air. He counted them several times but always came up with nine including his. The German soldiers were waiting for them as they came down. Each man was picked up by two or more German soldiers. Joseph was held captive by a farmer with a pitch fork until the German soldiers came for him. He had sprained his ankle in the landing and was not looking forward to walking on it. Garner had been strafed by enemy fighters on the way down.

Hajduk was attempting to hide his parachute but Polish farmers came running to him to help him and hug him while speaking Polish. When they noticed the Germans coming they quickly left him.

Mihalik was worried about not being able to find his ripcord while falling so held it as he jumped. The force was so great he ended up pulling it too soon and the jolt knocked his left boot off. They were told not to pull it too quickly so that you would not announce yourself to the enemy. He grabbed the shroud lines to let some air out of the chute and saw a large rip in the chute. After landing he grabbed up his chute and noticed a pair of boots next to him. When he looked up he was staring at the end of a shotgun held by a farmer. He was marched to the farmer’s porch where his wife showed pity on him and gave him the coldest and sweetest glass of water he ever tasted.

Sorenson had two soldiers waiting for him. Of course yelling, kicking, shoving, and butting them with their rifles was the initial greeting. Next was the looting. Everything they had now belonged to the soldiers they were now prisoners of.

Nine of the ten crew members were captured and taken prisoner. Co-Pilot, Layton P. Vermie, 2nd Lieutenant, was never seen again and reported killed in action. It was speculated by several crew members later that he had a chute failure. Mihalik however saw that he was gone and the chute was in his seat after he vanished.

The remaining nine were carted by truck, to a holding place of some kind. Initially each man was interrogated by angry German soldiers who did not speak English nor did the crew understand German. Later an English speaking German soldier questioned them. This time it was apparent that they knew the name, rank, serial number, bomb group, hometown and high school attended by each of the captives. After the interrogation each prisoner was kept in solitary confinement until leaving for the prison camp.

On May 27, 1944 about 80 prisoners traveled by truck, followed by train to the German POW camp in Poland. Kriegsgefangenenlager der Luftwaffe Nr. 4, the camp’s official designation, was located near the Baltic, about two miles from the small village of Kiefheide. It is 170 miles NE of Berlin.

The crew was separated by the officer camp and the camp for the enlisted men. All the officers were sent to Stalag Luft III. The enlisted men were taken to a newly opened camp called Stalag Luft IV. Within each of the camps, there were barracks housing a certain number of men. It was there that they were again split up. They were able to stay in a group of 2-3 for the most part. For the next 10 months they lived at the camp.

Tannehill, Horst, and Leggett were taken to Stalag Luft III. The remaining men went to Luft IV. Mihalik and Hajduk were assigned to Lager C Barracks 9 room 12, Joseph and Garner room 5, and Sorenson and O’Connor were in Lager D Barracks 1 room 6. The camp was fairly new and they were amongst the first to arrive. Each was assigned a bunk with a straw mattress on wood boards and 2 thin blankets. Soon the camp was filled with prisoners.

Stalag Luft IV was situated about 20 kilometers to the south of Belgrade and was in the center of a clearing. The camp was enclosed by a high barbed wire fence patrolled on the outside by German guards and dogs. There were guard towers on each corner equipped with search lights. Roll call was called every day at least once by the camp Commandant. Joseph remembered two of the guards. One the prisoners nicknamed the “Big Stoop” who was a large man with a nasty personality and the other they called “Hans”. He was just the opposite. He was always joking and in a good mood. “Kriegsgefangener” was the German term for prisoner of war. The POWs shortened it to “Kriegie”. That is how they referred to themselves.

Conditions were horrible for the prisoners and especially at Stalag Luft IV. The Kriegies made the most of a bad situation. They passed the time by telling stories, and building friendships. Some entrepreneurs traded items such as cigarettes for goods. Garner was one of those. They were all getting rather straggly looking and one fellow prisoner knew that Garner had cut the manes of horses so he suggested he be their barber. He was rather nervous about becoming the resident barber but he was encouraged to give it a try. He talked Hans into trading cigarettes for some scissors. He began by cutting the hair of the men in his barracks. Later he had many more customers.

More than fifty years later he still remembered that first customer. That poor guy kept feeling his hair on one side and then the other. He continued giving directions to take a little more here and there. Finally he said, “Just shave it”. Luckily there was no mirror. Garner eventually got better at his haircuts and even had a pair of clippers almost paid off when they were forced to leave the camp. He was hoping that the haircuts might have improved!
When it came to food all agreed that the food was quite memorable. The Germans fed them a lot of soups. The red cabbage soup looked like it came out of the outhouse and smelled worse. The vegetable soup had its share of worms and what-nots. A fellow barracks member from Stalag VII-A had some barley soup that had half a rat in it. There were several weeks of nothing but dried sauerkraut. Followed by sauerkraut soup. Of course there was the heavy textured, dark brown German black bread made from a mixture of wheat hulls and wood pulp that had been chemically broken down. It was sometimes called sawdust bread since that is how it smelled. After 50 years most of their wives can say that at no time have they ever really complained about anything they have had on the table before them.

There were requirements per the Geneva Convention for the controlling enemy camps to follow in order to get humanitarian aid. The Red Cross attempted to oversee that these guidelines were followed. Camp leaders were to be selected as a liaison between the Germans, POWs and reporting agency, which was the Red Cross. The camp leaders were Sgt. Richard Chapman (American) and Sgt. Victor Clarke (British) as well as elected but not recognized by the Commandant, Sgt. Francis Paules (American).

A rule of the Geneva Convention agreement was to allow the POWs to exercise. The YMCA and the Red Cross provided sports equipment such as footballs and baseball equipment. Most of the men played in one or the other sports and teams were formed. This was the highlight of the imprisonment for many. Mihalik and Hajduk were particularly fond of baseball. Mihalik was a catcher and Hajduk a pitcher for their teams. This helped pass the time and kept them in physical condition.

Over the period of time during their stay at the camp other camps were being evacuated since the Russian Red Army was moving into Poland from the east. As a result the German High Command decided to evacuate certain camps and migrate them to the west. According to a Red Cross bulletin issued in early 1945 there were as many as 100,000 Allied POWs moved from various German camps.

This evacuation from Lufts VI and VII over crowded Luft IV so severely that it was difficult to find a space on the floor of the barracks to sleep. The number of Allied airmen POWs was estimated to be 10,000. Food and medicine was even more scarce. Prisoners were not able to check distribution of rations. The Red Cross reported that the camp Commandant had not allowed camp leaders to be present when food parcels, clothing assignments or medicine arrived from Geneva.

Rumors of an evacuation of Luft IV were becoming a probability in the near future. Word from the German guards was that the camp was on stand by for a possible evacuation. It was rumored that a march lasting about 2 weeks was soon to be undertaken. The Germans told them they would be going to an abandoned sugar factory to set up a temporary camp.

The POWs were thin and physically out of shape. After hearing this many men could be seen around the camp preparing themselves for the march by training and other forms of exercise. Men with prior experience marching from one camp to the next became the authorities on preparation. Most men had two blankets that they now sewed together for a bed. A shirt was converted into a knapsack Shoelaces tied it all together to carry on their backs.

About two weeks prior to the evacuation, approximately 3,000 sick were transported to other camps by truck. There were now 7,000 remaining. With very little notice, on February 6, 1945 the camp at Stalag Luft IV evacuated. The airmen were forced to march in sub zero weather without adequate footwear or clothing.

Each man received his own Red Cross parcel and a third of a loaf of the German sawdust bread. Until this point, they were sharing with 2 or more men per parcel. Some men on the march ate most of the food in their parcel right away. The members of Crew 45 rationed their food to last the entire two weeks as advised by experienced prisoners.

All of the POWs were forced to march several men abreast in a line that stretched for what looked like miles in the dead of winter. Since one of the things taken from them when captured was their clothing and most importantly their boots this was a difficult and painful march. The Germans took their boots to give to their own soldiers and replaced them with worn, ill fitting boots which created painful blisters as well as sores and frostbite on the bottom of their feet since the soles were worn through.

They were escorted by camp guards carrying rifles and pistols and the German K-9 corps. A daily march was usually for many miles. Stopping along the road to sleep at night. Occasionally they were allowed to sleep in barns though not often. It was feared that the prisoners would make the cattle sick. The daily routine was walking, sleeping, freezing and starving. This was the toughest time during their captivity.

Many of the prisoners became sick. Most grouped themselves together in two or more to look out for one another. A buddy from a group would help drag a sick prisoner along so that they would not be left to die. Conditions of the march were shocking and worsened by the day. Prisoners became sicker and were dying or being killed by the guards. Food was non-existent. They were always on the lookout for something to eat. Occasionally there were some crops planted that they could eat along the march. It seems that this was mostly turnips.

A few prisoners caught and killed a farmer’s chickens along the roadside. They ate it raw and became deathly ill. Some did die from this. At a fifty year WWII reunion event where they were serving chicken a former POW said “to this day, and my family will attest to this, I can not eat a chicken dinner. I became so severely ill that I had prayed for death. I have not touched a chicken since”. One of Joseph’s buddies caught one of these chickens and hid it under his long coat. Just as they were passing a guard the chicken started to cackle and fuss so he turned it loose before being shot by the guard. This turned out to be a good thing in hindsight.

This two week march ultimately stretched into 87 days. It became known as the “death march”. The prisoners marched over 600 miles beginning February 6th and ending on May 2, 1945.

Acts of heroism and compassion for fellow POWs were universal. The stronger helped the weaker. There were a few farm wagons provided by the Germans for the sick and unable to walk. No horses were available to pull the wagons so teams of POWs pulled the wagons through the snow.

In time, they knew that the Germans would have to surrender. The march would head one direction then reverse direction at the order of the guards. The Russian Army was moving in from the east and the British Army was moving in from the west trapping them in the middle.

Many feared that they would die of starvation before the war was over so they escaped. Many attempts failed and those caught were killed.

Phil Sorenson and two buddies escaped after more than 80 days. It is believed that Larry O’Connor and Frank O’Connell were with him. They hid in the forest and then headed for an old farm.
After breaking in they found two women and an old man at the farm. They asked for food but were refused. They held them captive with a stick while they raided their kitchen for food. After each prisoner had eaten and rested they asked for more food. The occupants spoke German but it was enough for Phil and his buddies to understand. They did not have any more. They decided to search the house for more just in case. Soon it was discovered that there was a trap door under a rug that led to a cellar. The cellar had lots of food! There were jams, potatoes, eggs and dried meats. They cooked up a delicious meal. After eating they rested again taking turns watching their prisoners.

The next day they packed up as much food as they could carry and left for the forest. Eventually, they came upon a little German town but stayed in the woods nearby until they could come up with a plan. Resting and nourishment was their first priority. After a few days leaflets were dropped by aircraft telling everyone the war was over. They entered Germany and found the British Army post there and turned themselves in.

Meanwhile, the other prisoners continued to march until one day in the far distance they could see a flag on a stick approaching. Mihalik recalls seeing the flag get closer and closer until he could see a British officer holding it while riding on horseback toward them. The officer stopped, got off the horse and approached the guard at the front of the line. The German guard handed him his gun. The POWs cheered! It was finally over. Further back in the long line of POWs the men could see the American spotter planes flying overhead. Some of the POWs began taking the rifles and revolvers from the guards as they too realized the war for Germany was over.

The British Army trucked the men out to a final stop in France called camp “Lucky Strike”. Here is where they were fed, deloused and given much needed medicine. Mihalik said his first snack from the British Army was a slice of white bread and some fresh water. It was a slice of heaven.

Eventually all were taken by carrier back to the United States and discharged about three weeks later. Their families rejoiced in their return.

The friendship and bonds these British and American airmen shared while held captive are unshakeable. They later married, and most had families of their own. Because of them and the many others, we as Americans can say we live in the land of the Free and the Brave. But freedom is not free. It is quite costly.

In 1992, the American survivors of the march funded and dedicated a memorial at the former site of Stalag Luft IV in Poland.

The following pages are photos and personal journals that either they have written or the crew or family members have written about them.