B-17 Miss Liberty Belle in WWII

[rtoneil]

Thanks for posting here Mr O'Neil.

Do you have any recollection of the nose art on the aircraft? Just curious what your thoughts are on the nose art we are planning for the B-17 at Grissom. I based the art on the logbook sketch that was found (with the slight change of adding a bathing suit rather than being nude per the museum's request)...

Django:

Sorry, I don't recall the nose art on the Miss Liberty Bell. Maybe it didn't have any. I like what you are planning.

Roy O'Neil

[mustangdriver]

Roy, where are you from? We would love to have you out to the B-17 and give you the grand tour.

[DebiBonas52]

My Uncle, 2nd Lt. Eugene James Bonas was the bombardier on the final mission (65th) of the Miss Liberty Belle. I would love info or to make contact with the descendents of the other crew members. Thank you.

Deborah Bonas Kearney

[Fouga23]

This thread is turning into pure gold!
Chris, I think you better start organising a reunion

[mustangdriver]

It sure looks that way! We would be honored

[DebiBonas52]

As a footnote. my dad was the radio operator who decoded the message that the Miss Liberty Belle was down. He knew his baby brother was part of the crew.

[Jigs Bumper]

You say your Father was a radio operator, and decoded a message saying the crew had crashed? Can you explain where your Dad served at that time?

At the time of MLB's crash she crossed the same sky with another crew belonging to the 92nd BG at neighbouring Podington. The 92nd had flown this same mission as 'C' Force on the Low Position of the 40th CW. Their base shared the landing patter with Chelveston, overlapping the village of Wymington between both bases. The other crew from the 92nd, Lt JJ 'Jack' Crafton aboard 'MOUNTAINEER' came in with a sudden wing fire, half the crew bailed out over Podington, while Crafton fought to put the burning ship down on Podington's runway. (Fire broke out in the main spare beside fuel tanks following massive damage sustained on the return home. The 92nd were hit just after the target Merkwiller by JG3 'Storm' Group, flying armoured Fw190's and carrying 30mm cannon.) Locally, many have confused both planes crossing the sky at almost the same time as in fact one event. Both low and both trailing smoke. I know from researching this, the Podington crews knew of MLB going down, some were eyewitnesses to her in the shared landing pattern. Because it was almost the same distance, approx 3 miles from Podington as it was 3 miles from Chelveston. The coincidence on Radio transmissions are that it is alleged Lt Don Morrill (1st Pilot on MLB as the experienced man that day with Barnett in the right seat as CoPilot) radioed Chelveston tower in those final seconds, warning that they were on fire and may not make the end of the runway on that second go-around..... The medics from Chelveston were alerted and were already on route out of the base as MLB hit the ground beside the High Street at Wymington village.

Like I say it would be interesting to understand what your Father has said and where he was??

Ian

[DebiBonas52]

My father was Staff Sgt. Harry Anton Bonas. He served for four years without leave at a top secret radio station in Greenland. Their main purpose was to intercept and decode Japanese communications, but they pretty much got everything as it happened. I guess my dad was the first to know after the eye wittnesses. What are the odds of him being the radio officer on duty when the news of the crash of his brother's plane came in?

[Jigs Bumper]

Deborah,
Some time ago I tracked down Alyce Bonas, wife of Gene's Cousin. We briefly corresponded, but sadly at time of my making contact she has just lost her husband and his funeral was just taking place. I share what I pieced together from those conversations, part of the 'Last Mission of Miss Liberty Belle and Mission 512 to Merkwiller', Within Chapter 52, quote:


The detail of one other of the crew that had remained incomplete so far was that of Eugene James Bonas, the Bombardier on LB. Once again the Deceased Personnel File helped to track down a little more background. I knew from the papers, that Bonas had been reburied in Los Angeles, at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Le Tijera Station. I was later to find that this cemetery is now known as the Holy Cross at Culver City; and following a telephone call with a very helpful lady there I finally traced one of Eugene’s relatives.
This contact all came about at a most unfortunate time, due to the fact that the person concerned, a Cousin of Eugene’s, had just died after a long illness. His widow and family were about to bury him in the Bonas family plot close to where Eugene lay at the same cemetery. I was however able to speak briefly to the widow, Alyce Bonas and what she could tell me was a help in painting a picture of Eugene.
The Bonas family had originated in Canada, close to the American frontier. Their profession was building wooden churches and meeting houses, and this work took them back and forth across the border. Eugene was one of six children, whose Mother had died during the great influenza epidemic of 1918. The Father raised all six children on his own, not an easy task. Alyce could only tell me that one of his Sister’s was alive, living back in Canada now; Elizabeth Bonas was in her eighties now and the word was she was very poorly and unable to correspond with me. It was a blow, because I had hoped that I might be able to share the story of Eugene with someone directly related.
Alyce was however able to say that she had known Eugene very well. It had been him that brought together her late husband and her as a couple. She recalled Eugene as a fun loving young man, a most personable character and easy to get along with. It had been a great tragedy when news arrived from England in 1944 or his death that too she recalled from memory.
I did find it a little difficult to ask more of Alyce Bonas, because I knew she had only recently lost her own husband. It really wasn’t for me to intrude into her life at that time, but perhaps in the future we might correspond further. So I left many questions unanswered, hoping that they might be in the fullness of time. Even so, I felt a success in having traced someone related to Eugene, and I did mail over to Alyce a large package of material to explain the Wymington memorial, the crash and the many stories surrounding August 3rd 1944. Alyce promised to share that with as many of the extended Bonas family as possible, including those still living in Canada.

Unquote.

Its wonderful to know you are interested in your Uncle's story.

If you wish to to communicate, please feel free to email IW.305cando@googlemail.com

Having accumulated material over more than 10 years on the MLB story and the whole Merkwiller mission, I think I can help you with any questions.

I know Chris will also wish to have you involved especially with the project over at Grissom and the rebuild and renovations of their B-17 to represent MLB.

Ian

[Jigs Bumper]

My father was Staff Sgt. Harry Anton Bonas. He served for four years without leave at a top secret radio station in Greenland. Their main purpose was to intercept and decode Japanese communications, but they pretty much got everything as it happened. I guess my dad was the first to know after the eye wittnesses. What are the odds of him being the radio officer on duty when the news of the crash of his brother's plane came in?

This is an interesting memory. I'm not a radio expert so not sure how VHF would work and be intercepted at such a long range? From the info I uncovered here, what was transmitted was very brief, because both Pilots were fighting the controls and trying to keep the plane airborne and avoid the village. The had little time to speak much over the radio.

Ian

[mustangdriver]

Chances are it was a teletype maybe?

[DebiBonas52]

Could be, My dad taught me to use a teletype and he was a wiz. I know he used morse code though.

[Jigs Bumper]

Hello all...
I have to admit I am having a hard time reconciling the idea of a radio message, or even teletype (which if it was would not be at the very moment of the crash but some hours or even days afterwards) having been picked up at the time of the crash. Morale as it was and the need to avoid panic and mis information, makes me think the reporting by radio of this one specific crash over a long distance would be very unusual. Its true that the local and national UK media did report it, around 2 weeks after the crash date and because there was a media PR release from 8th AF Bomber Command. That PR release gave commendations to those local villagers for the bravery in attempting to rescue the American crew. That story was picked up and printed in local newspapers in Rushden, Higham, and wider across the UK (Daily Mirror etc). Personal letters of thanks were sent by Colonel Anthony Mustoe the CO of the 305th BG, thanking each of the men involved from the village (I have a copy of one of those here). The members of the local Home Guard involved also received Regimental commendations from their own CO, for their involvement in the rescue attempts that evening. I was lucky to meet the last of those and his interviews are really quite astounding and make the hair stand up on your neck.

Ian

[DebiBonas52]

This was a top secret operation. They had to decode the Japanese the second a message was sent. It's also possilbe that my cousin got the story wrong and this may be how my dad found out his brother crashed, but some time later. I'm just miffed my dad never told me this story. I just heard about living with nothing but ice worms for four years!

[warbirdaid]

I cannot say enough to convey my excitement about this thread, so I will go with this, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to all for posting and sharing your stories, I am honored.
Rob
MLB restoration crew, co-director of Warbird Rescue