461st plaque

461st Bombardment Group (H)

764th Crews 765th Crews 766th Crews 767th Crews

Ahlberg - #42 Barcus - #123 Barnes - #53 Barnhart - #59 Bauman - #44 Baumann - #46 Bigelow - #54 Bontempo - #1/26 Boyd - #44R Bridges - #5/5 Brothers - #41 Chester - #9/1 Coates - #96- Coleman - #58- Conner - #4/7 Courtney - #50R Curtis - #152 DeSpain - #57-0 Donovan - #45 Dunn - #54-1 Edwards - #40 Ehrlich - #45R Falkner - #8/29 Farnham - #42R Fawcett - #50 Fernsten - #49R Fink - #9/22 Friedersdorf - #8/28 Garner - #50-1 Guyton - #10/8 Hall - #6232 Hatem - #4/16-9 Hesser - #56 Holmes - #47 Hooper - #12/12 Hoskins - #124 Hutchison - #102 Jehli - #42-1 Kassian - #57R1 Kuhlman - 52R LaRock - #1/30 Ledendecker - #4/6 MacDougall - #41 Mahlum - #1/6 Malvin McKee - #154 Merkouris - #49-7 Miller - #10/23 Misius - #56R Moses - #7/25-1 Mowery - #49 Nixon - #42 O'Neal - #10/31 Pearce - #55R Philips - #8/22 Ray - #58-0 Ridenour - #3/3 Roberts - #52R Robertson - #48 Seeman - #43 Settle - #55 Shaw - #43-1 Sidovar - #10/16-1 Simon - #53 Sobieski - #8/22 Sterret - #7/12 Tebbens - #3/12 Thomas - #46R Townsley - #58-2 Trier - #55-1 Vahldieck - #1/30 Vanderhoeven - #50-1 Ward - #53-2 Webb - #6781 Webb - #8/28 Wiemann - #6413 Wilson - #44-1 Wilson - #52 Wood - #51 Wren - #7/23 Wright - #52-1 Yetter - #56R Zive - #59-0

Ehrlich - #45R

Ehrlich crew #45R 

Courtesy of Frank De Voe

Front Row L-R: Kissell, William G. (N); Ehrlich, Harold F. (P); Weimer, Lawrence D. (CP); Teller, Donald S. (B)

Back Row L-R: Pickens, William D.(RO/TTG); Schiffbauer, Edward D. (NTG); Clark, Earl B. Jr. (RO/WG); Morris, Terrance B. (BTG); Robinson, James J. (TG); Strano, Francis F. (E/WG)

Local Aerial Gunner Awarded Silver Wings

Harlingen Army Air Field, Texas, April 14 - Another class of aerial triggermen to guard Army Air Forces' bombers was graduated this week from the Harlingen Army Air Field, aerial gunnery school of the AAF training command, and among the qualified "sharpshooters of the sky" was Pfc. William Dean Pickens, son of H. S. Pickens of Lewisville, and husband of Mrs. Doris Detlor Pickens, of Marietta.

Along with his diploma he received a pair of Aerial Gunner's wings and a promotion in grade at brief graduation exercises held here.  After a delay en route to visit relatives, he will join an aerial combat team, unless retained at Harlingen to serve as a gunnery instructor.

He was prepared for his place in America's stepped-up air offensive by a comprehensive six weeks course in every phase of aerial gunnery warfare.  Besides learning to fire every type weapon from camera guns to the deadly .50 caliber Brownings, he studied turret manipulation, aircraft identification and learned to tear down and assemble machine guns while blindfolded.  He climaxed the course by firing on towed targets from Texas training planes, medium bombers and Liberators.

Pfc. Pickens as been transferred to Nebraska, his address being 35,606,808, C. R. P. Second Air Force, Prov. Squadron C, L. A. A. F., Lincoln 1, Nebraska.  His wife and little son Jeffrey reside at 137 Warner Street, Marietta, Ohio.

Cpl. William D. Pickens Dies Aug. 5 of Gun Wounds

Cpl. William D. Pickens, son of Mr. Harve S. Pickens formerly of Lewisville, O., and husband of Mr. Doris Pickens, of Marietta, formerly of Woodsfield died of gun wounds August 5, 1944 somewhere in Italy, according to a telegram from the War Department received by his wife August 13th.

Cpl. Pickens was born January 29, 1923, being at the time of his death 21 years, 6 months and 7 days old.  He was born and reared in Lewisville, Monroe County, and attended the Lewisville High School.

He was united in marriage with Miss Doris Detlor, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Detlor of Woodsfield, on November 16, 1941 and they have a son, born October 23, 1943.  They resided in Canton, Ohio, where Mr. Pickens was employed at Timken Roller Bearing Co.

He was inducted into the service on March 23, 1943 and received his basic training at Cleawater, Florida.  Later he was transferred to Scott Field, Illinois, Harlingen, Texas, Casper, Wyoming, Lincoln, Nebraska and Topeka, Kansas.  He graduated from radio school at Scott Field, Ill., and received his silver wings on April 1, 1944 in Harlingen, Texas.  He was assigned to a B-24 Liberator as an upper turret gunner and was sent overseas July 17 of this year.  Bill had many friends in Monroe County and was liked by everyone who knew him.  He will be sadly missed by his wife, Mrs. Wm. Pickens and a 10 months old son Jeffrey Lane Pickens, now residing in Marietta; his father H. S. Pickens of Everett, and one sister Mrs. Louella Andears of Akron, and one brother James of Ravenna, Ohio.  His mother and a brother preceded him in death.  His mother died when he was two years old.  His grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. James Prince live at Stafford, Ohio.