Max A. Christian Crew

MAX A. CHRISTIAN CREW - 360th BS
(Christian assigned 360BS: 25 April 1944)

1Lt Max A. Christian (P), 1Lt John R. Francis (CP),
1Lt Nyle E. Cotner (N), 1Lt Rufe H. Parrilla (B)(DOW),

T/Sgt Carl L. Asplund (Eng)(*), T/Sgt Arthur P. Tibbetts (Rad),
S/Sgt James W. Hughes (BTG)(*), Sgt Ernest P/ Lobenherz (LWG)(*),
Sgt Hans Howald (RWG)(*), S/Sgt Kenneth L. Elmore (TG)

crewmen are not in order
It is not certain that all the above crewmen are in the photo.

Crew Organization:
2nd Lt Max A. Christian (P) was assigned to the 360th BS on 25 April 1944 without a crew. Other crewmen listed above were assigned to the 360th BS on 11 April 1944 without a Pilot. They flew their first three missions (#141, 142, 143) with Lt James W. Bowen, from the Lt Fred F. Wilson Crew, who had been upgraded from CoPilot to Pilot on 01 April 1944. Their next four missions were flown with Lt Edgar C. Miller (#145, 146, 147, 151), from the Lt Earl N. Thomas Crew, who had been upgraded from CoPilot to Pilot and flew his first mission as Pilot on mission #145, 30 April 1945. Lts Francis, Cotner and Parrilla and Sgts Tibbetts and Elmore then flew eleven missions (#158, 159, 160, 161, 164, 165, 167, 170, 171, 172, 174) with Lt Max A. Christian and then flew the remainder of their missions with other Pilots. It is not known why Lt Max A. Christian stopped his combat missions after mission #174 on 6 June 1944.

Crew Notes:
(DOW) 1Lt Rufe H. Parrilla (B), flying on the final mission of his combat tour, with Lt. Arnold P. Moselle in B-17G #42-31340 Miss Liberty (360BS) PU-D, lost two engines northeast of Berlin from fighter attacks on 12 September 1944. Another engine was lost when hit by flak over France. It made a crash landing with one operating engine at Ruxqueiler, France. Lt Parrilla, was seriously injured during the crash landing. and was left in a Canadian Hospital in the Pas de Calis Area. He died of his wounds on 15 September 1944.

(*) Sgt Carl L. Asplund (Eng), Sgt James W. Hughes (BTG) and Sgt Hans Howard (WG) never flew with the Christian Crew. They were replaced by Sgt William J. Kuzewski (E), S/Sgt Thomas E. Weaver (BTG) and S/Sgt Jack E. Britt (WG). Sgt Ernest P. Lobenherz flew three missions with the Christian Crew (#158,159,160) when the crew size was changed from 10 to 9 men and his Waist Gunner position was deleted.

[photo courtesy of Col. Walter K. Shayler]
[Researched by 303rdBGA Historian Harry D. Gobrecht]