Paul C. Stewart Crew

PAUL C. STEWART CREW - 358th BS
B-17G #42-31669 Shoo Shoo Baby (358BS) VK-J
(crew assigned 358BS: 15 March 1944)

(Back L-R) 2Lt Robert C. Moller (N)(KIA), 2Lt Charles M. Hall (CP),
2Lt Paul C. Stewart (P)(KIA), F/O Dario J. Manze (B)(KIA)

(Front L-R) Sgt Raymond E. Cadlolo (LWG)(POW), S/Sgt Thomas E. Coe, Jr. (E)(KIA),
Sgt Drackart L. Jones (R)(KIA), Sgt James L. Cast (RWG)(POW),
Sgt Joseph T. Jasinski (BTG)(KIA), Sgt Roy A. Sable (TG)(POW)

Seven credited combat missions flown by the 1Lt Paul S. Stewart Crew:

132 - 09 Apr 1944 - to Marienburg, Ger in B-17G 42-107002 Mairzy Doats (358BS) VK-A
135 - 13 Apr 1944 - to Schweinfurt, Ger in B-17G 42-107028 (No name) (358BS) VK-I
136 - 18 Apr 1044 - to Oranienburg, Ger in B-17G 42-107028 (No name) (358BS) VK-I
137 - 19 Apr 1944 - to Kassel, Ger in B-17G 42-107002 Mairzy Doats (358BS) VK-A
138 - 20 Apr 1944 - to Sottevast, Ger in B-17G 42-31669 Shoo Shoo Baby (358BS) VK-J
139 - 22 Apr 1944 - to Hamm, Ger in B-17G 42-107028 (No name) (358BS) VK-I
140 - 24 Apr 1944 - to Oberpfaffenhofen, Ger in B-17G 42-107200 (No name) (358BS) VK-B

Crew Notes:

1Lt Paul S. Stewart (P)(KIA) - First five missions were flown as CoPilot with 2Lt Charles M. Hall as Pilot. Missions 139 and 140 flown as First Pilot with 2Lt Rudolph H. Heape as CoPilot.
2Lt Charles M. Hall (CP) - Did not fly on mission 139 & 140 with the 1Lt Stewart crew. Flew on 31 dispatched (30 credited) missions. As CoPilot with the 1Lt James B. Taylor crew (15 credited missions 104, 106, 108, 109, 110, 112, 113, 114, 115 (Aborted), 116, 117, 119, 120, 126, 129, 130). Upgraded from CoPilot to Pilot on orders dated 04 April 1944. Flew 15 missions as First Pilot: With 2Lt Paul S. Stewart as CoPilot (5 missions - 132, 135, 136, 137, 138); With other CoPilots (10 missions - 145, 146, 148, 150, 151, 153, 154, 158, 159, 160). Combat tour (30 missions) completed on 25 May 1944 (mission 160).
2Lt Rudolph H. Heape (CP)(KIA) - 1Lt Stewart Crew CoPilot on his only two missions (139 &140). Had no other known crew assignment.
Sgt Roy A. Sable (TG) - stood down on mission 132 with substitute Left Waist Gunner, S/Sgt Edward L. Barteau. All six Sgt Sable missions flown as Left Waist Gunner.
Sgt Raymond E. Cadlolo (LWG)(POW) - All seven missions flown as Tail Gunner
2Lt Robert C. Moller (N)(KIA), F/O Dario J. Manze (B)(KIA), S/Sgt Thomas E. Coe, Jr (E)(KIA), Sgt Drackart L. Jones (R)(KIA), Sgt Joseph T. Jasinski (BTG)(KIA), Sgt James L. Cast (RWG)(POW) - Flew on all seven of the 1Lt Stewart crew missions.

Last Mission:
(KIA-POW) on April 24, 1944, Mission #140 to Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany Airdrome, in B-17G #42-107200 (no name) (358th BS) VK-B. Copilot was 2Lt Rudolph H. Heape (CP-KIA), flying his second mission. The B-17 was hit by anti-aircraft fire in the target area and was badly damaged. It was last seen heading towards Switzerland. 2Lt Paul C. Stewart (P) could not hold the plane in formation and was soon hit by a nose attack by enemy fighters. Sgt Drackart L. Jones (RAD) was observed to have been killed by 20mm gunfire in the radio room and the bomb bay area was on fire.

The surviving crew members attempted to contact the crewmen in the nose and when receiving no reply assumed that these men had been killed. At this time the three surviving crewmen, Sgts James L. Cast (LWG), Raymond H. Cadlolo (RWG) bailed out from the waist hatch and Roy A Sable (TG) jumped from the tail hatch. All three landed safely and were almost immediately captured. All were imprisoned at Stalag 17-B

Before bailing out they had asked Sgt Joseph T. Jasinski (BTG) if he was OK. He replied "Hurry up and jump." He had spilled his parachute in the waist area and was in the process of buckling on the spare parachute. At this time the B-17 banked sharp left and went into a tight spiral dive. It was assumed that Sgt Jasinski was thrown against the inside wall of the B-17, was pinned there by centrifugal force and was unable to reach the escape hatch. The B-17 crashed near Gross-Seeham 35.5 km SE of Munich, close to the little town of Irschenberg. The 7 KIA crewmen were initially buried in a mass grave in nearby village of Holzolling.

The remains of the seven KIA crewmen were buried in a mass common grave in on 23 June 1950 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, KY.

[crew photo courtesy of J. C. Payne - headstone photo courtesy of David Chapman]
[Researched by 303rdBGA Historian Harry D. Gobrecht and David L. Chapman]