Addell A. Cote Crew

ADDELL A. COTE CREW - 427th BS
(crew assigned 427BS: 13 Apr 1943 - photo: 18 July 1943)

Capt Addell A. Cote (P)(KIA)(back, far right), 1Lt Alan Eckhart (CP),
1Lt Wilbur R. Barnhill (N)(KIA), 1Lt John W. Hull (B-KIA)

T/Sgt John R. Arter (E)(KIA), T/Sgt Vaughn Reaves (R)(KIA)(front, far right),
S/Sgt Cecil M. May (BT)(KIA), S/Sgt John M. Micek (RWG)(KIA),
S/Sgt Delvyn Smith (LWG)(front, far left), S/Sgt Paul Gunsauls (TG)(KIA)

crewmen are not in order

Twenty-five dispatched (24 credited) Combat missions flown by Capt Addell H. Cote:
43 (22 June 1943), 44, 45, 47(AS), 48, 49, 50, 51(AS), 54(A), 55, 57, 58, 59(LC), 60, 63, 65(AS), 67, 68, 69, 73, 74, 75, 77, 83 (26 Nov 1943)
(A) Non-Credited aborted mission -- (AS) Credited Abortive Sortie - No bombs dropped.
(LC) Lead Crew mission. For Mission dates, targets and Mission Reports, see Combat Missions.

Crew Notes:

Regular Assigned Crewmen - (KIA on mission #83, 26 Nov 1943)

Capt Addell A. Cote (P)(KIA) - Flew on 24 credited combat missions. First Mission (43) flown as a Tail Gunner/Observer with Capt Billy B. Southworth (P). Mission 59 flown as CoPilot with Lead Crew and Air Commander LtCol Kermit Stevens. Other missions flown as First Pilot.
1Lt Wilbur R. Barnhill (N)(KIA) - Flew on 18 credited combat missions. With Capt Cote (15 credited missions - 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 55, 57, 73, 74, 75, 77, 83); With two other Pilots (3 missions - 43, 43A, 76)
1Lt John W. Hull (B)(KIA) - Flew on 22 credited combat missions - With Capt Cote (22 credited missions - All of Capt Cote's 24 missions except for #43 & 59): With another Pilot (1 mission #79). Is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, Plot D-6-31
T/Sgt John R. Arter (E)(KIA) - Flew on 23 credited combat missions - With Capt Cote (23 credited missions - All of Capt Cote's 24 mission except for #43)
T/Sgt Vaughn Reaves (R)(KIA) - Flew on 24 credited combat missions - With Capt Cote (23 credited missions - All of Capt Cote's 24 missions except for #43; With another Pilot (1 mission #71)
S/Sgt Cecil M. May (BTG) - Flew on 19 credited combat missions - With Capt Cote (17 credited missions - 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 55, 57, 58, 59, 60, 63, 73, 74, 83); With another Pilot (2 missions #43, 56).
S/Sgt John M. Micek (RWG)(KIA) - Flew on 24 credited combat missions - With Capt Cote (23 credited missions - All of Capt Cote's 24 missions except for #43; With another Pilot (1 mission #43A).
S/Sgt Paul Gunsauls (TG) - Flew on 12 credited combat missions - all with Capt Cote (44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 73, 74, 77, 83)

Regular Assigned Crewmen - (Did not fly with Capt Cote Crew on mission #83)

1Lt Alan Eckhart (CP) - Flew on 24 credited combat missions: With Capt Cote - All Capt Cote missions except for missions #43, 60, 75 & 83. Was Upgraded from CoPilot to Pilot and flew 4 missions as First Pilot (80, 81, 83, 85). On mission 85, 1 Dec 1943, ditched a new B-17G 42-31243 (No name) (427BS) GN-Z, on its first mission, in the English Channel at Pegwell Bay, England when the B-17 ran out of gas. The entire 10 man crew was picked by the British Air Sea Rescue and taken to Manston, England. A British recovery team discovered the ditched B-17 in the 1990s in the marshland at Sandwich Flats near Pegwell Bay and were able to collect wreckage that was turned over to the British Brenzett Aeronautical Museum. The 25 mission combat tour of 1Lt Eckhart was completed on 1 Dec 1943 (Mission #85).
S/Sgt Delvyn Smith (LWG) - Flew on 26 credited combat missions: With Capt Cote - (2 missions - 44, 47); With other 11 other Pilots - 24 credited missions (20, 21, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 39, 40, 42, 48, 49, 50, 53, 54(A), 55, 56, 57, 63, 64). 25 mission combat tour completed on 27 August 1943.

Substitute Crewman KIA on last mission #83

2Lt Clarence C. Bixler (CP(KIA) - Mission #83 was the only mission that he flew with the 303rd BG(H)
S/Sgt Theadore Gomes (LWG)(KIA - Flew on four credited missions with the Capt Cote Crew (73, 74, 77, 83)

Mission Notes:

Mission #54, 26 July 1944. Aborted mission after 1 Hour 30 minutes when S/Sgt Gunsauls (Tail Gunner) became sick with an appendicitis.
Mission #59, 16 August 1943 to Paris, France. Six members of the Lt Cote Crew (Cote, Arter, Reaves, May, Micek & Smith) flew as the Lead Crew Crewmen with LtCol Kermit D. Stevens, Commanding Officer 303rd BG(H), leading the 1st Bomb Wing.
Mission #83, 26 Nov 1943, to Bremen, Germany in B-17G #42-29955 Mr Five by Five (427BS) GN-I. The B-17 was last seen 10 km west of Texel Island over the North Sea when it dropped out of formation with its wheels down. It appeared to be under control when last seen. The B-17 crashed at Den Helder, Netherlands. All ten crewmen were killed in Action. The body of 1Lt John W. Hull (B) washed up on Terschelling Island, Holland on 13 Feb 1944.

[photo from the 303rd BGA Archives]
[Researched by Harry D. Gobrecht, 303rdBGA Historian Emeritus]