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 358th Cook Crew
John H. Cook, Pilot
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JOHN H. COOK CREW - 358th BS
B-17G #42-97298 The Floose VK-H
(Upgraded from CoPilot, with six different Pilots, to Pilot: 30 April 1944)

(Back L-R) 1Lt John H. Cook (P), 2Lt Ernest A. Whittall (CP),
1Lt James F. Brown (N), 1Lt Albert W. Larson (B), Humm (?)

(Front L-R) S/Sgt Robert L. Stone, Jr. (RWG), S/Sgt Archie R. Jennings (R),
Sgt Grant W. Vanderhoff (BTG), Sgt Edward J. Gamon (TG),
S/Sgt Sheldon A. Stafford (RWG)

Pilot Note:
1Lt John H. Cook (P) - Flew as a CoPilot on 16 credited missions with seven different Pilots: 2Lt Arnold S. Litman (88 - 13 Dec 1943); 1Lt Lester A. Lake, Jr. (94, 97, 101); 2Lt Robert W. Snyder (102, 103, 105, 106, 109, 112, 113); 2Lt Jack W. Watson (108); 1Lt Joe R. Worthley (110, 111); 1Lt Thomas R. McClure (136, 137 on 22 April 1944); 1Lt Joseph R. Moreau (153). Updated from CoPilot to Pilot on orders dated 01 May 1944 and flew his first mission as 1st Pilot on 30 April 1944. Flew 17 missions as a 1st Pilot (145 - 30 April 1944, 146, 151, 152, 157, 161, 164, 167, 170, 171, 172, 176, 180, 181, 183, 184, 186 - 20 June 1944). Last fourteen 1st Pilot missions as a Squadron Lead Crew Pilot. Eleven of the seventeen 1st Pilot missions were flown in B-17G #42-97198 The Floose (358th BS) VK-H).

Crewmen in photo Notes (Number of missions flown with Lt Cook):

  • 2Lt Ernest A. Whittall (CP) - (5 missions) - 6 additional Copilots used
  • 1Lt James E. Brown (N) - (4 missions) - 6 additional Navigators used
  • 1Lt Albert W. Larson (B) - (6 missions) - 8 additional Bombardiers used
  • Humm - (Engineer) (?) - (No missions with Lt Cook) - 6 different Engineers used. S/Sgt Stanley E. Moody used on 9 missions
  • S/Sgt Archie R. Jennings (R) -(1 mission) - 5 additional Radio Operators used. S/Sgt Edward R. Lesser used on 10 missions
  • Sgt Grant W. Vanderhoff (BTG) - (10 missions) - 4 additional Ball Turret Gunners used.
  • S/Sgt Robert L. Stone, Jr. (LWG) - (7 missions) - 4 additional LWG's used Crew size changed from 10 to 9 men following mission #183, 18 June 1944, when one of the Waist Gunner positions was eliminated.
  • S/Sgt Sheldon A. Stafford (RWG) - (10 missions) - 4 additional RWG's used
  • Sgt Edward J. Gamon (TG) - (11 missions) - 3 additional Tail Gunners used

[photo from the 303rdBGA Archives]
[Researched by 303rdBGA Historian Harry D. Gobrecht]