Dailies of the 323rd - the 91st Bomb Group!

(N), 2/Lt. Wilbur W. Nichol (B), T/Sgt. William R. Scheible (E), S/Sgt. James S. Hachey (AE),
S/Sgt. James F. Quinn, Jr. (R), S/Sgt. James R. Searls (AR), Sgt. Francis L. Rumble (G), S/Sgt.
Venceslaus M. Sikich (UG).
Ship #761: 2/Lt. Kenneth T. McFarland, Jr. (P), 2/Lt. William L. Wood (CP), 2/Lt. Manuel
Fisher (N), 2/Lt. Cecil E. Williams (B), T/Sgt. Merle E. Carey (E), S/Sgt. Theodore T. Wyzkoski
(AE), T/Sgt. Mexico J. Barraza (R), S/Sgt. William M. Donmoyer (AR), S/Sgt. Lawrence C.
Morel (G), S/Sgt. Melvin Schissler,
(UG).
Ship #815: 2/Lt. Edwin R. Reid (P), 2/Lt. Robert C. Mersereau (CP), 2/Lt. John B. Haus (N),
2/Lt. George Marghitta (B), Sgt. Earnest O. Kretchmer (E), Sgt. Melvin P. Stoddard (AE),
S/Sgt. Benton E. Lowry, Jr. (R), Sgt. Arnold L. Hovey (AR), Sgt. Anthony W. Czarnecki (G),
S/Sgt. John A. Gustafson, Jr. (UG).
Crew Aborted: Broken Oil Line:
Ship #739: 1/Lt. David A. Bramble (P), 2/Lt. Phillip G. Mack (CP), 2/Lt. Quentin H. Ellis (N),
2/Lt. Robert C. Singer (B), T/Sgt. John M. Williams (E), S/Sgt. Jerry T. Bernesconi (AE), T/Sgt.
Paul L. Zimmerman (R), S/Sgt. Raymond Ridings (AR), S/Sgt. Walter W. Reich (G), S/Sgt.
Rocco Poppa (UG), Major Martin, (401st Gp.) (OB).
Story by Phil Mack, Co-Pilot
In the copy or the 91st "Daily", 16 Nov '43, "Mission to Norway," it is reported that the crew on
which I served as Co-Pilot aborted. That is correct and the reason stated is "broken oil line." My
recollection is that it was a blown oil cooler, but that really doesn't matter. The effect would
have been the same: we lost our oil to that engine and couldn't feather the prop.
I wrote up my view of this mission and it was published in an earlier issue of the RI.
We were about 50 miles from the coast of Norway when the incident occurred. Our Pilot, Capt.
Dave Bramble, made the decision to abort and head back to England.
The return trip seemed simple enough. We had flown on three engines often enough that it was
no big deal. I'll have to admit, this was the first time we couldn't feather the prop. It was spinning
a high speed and without oil. I had heard reports of aircraft in such a condition having the prop
come off and fly up and over the wing--possibly striking the fuselage or the wing. The energy in
such a piece of rotating equipment made it a very lethal weapon.
We cruised a little above an overcast, tuned in the BBC on the ADF and listened to "Music While
you Work." Every once in a while we would dip our nose into the clouds and put the Ball Turret
Gunner, S/Sgt. Ray Ridings, "on instruments," to which he responded in the negative.
About half way to the coast of England, a JU-88 appeared off our left wing. We looked at him
and he looked at us. We both dove into the clouds. (Discretion was the better part of valor?)
After a while, we relaxed a bit as our Navigator reported we were approaching the coast of