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SMSgt James E. Franklin
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Gable, William Clark, Maj.
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Contact Info
Home Town Cadiz
Last Address Los Angeles, CA
Date of Passing Nov 16, 1960
Location of Interment Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Glendale, California
Wall/Plot Coordinates Sanctuary of Trust, Mausoleum Crypt 5868
In 1942, following Lombard's death, Gable joined the U.S. Army Air Forces. Before her death, Lombard had suggested Gable enlist as part of the war effort, but MGM was obviously reluctant to let him go, and until her death he resisted the suggestion. Gable made a public statement after Lombard's death that prompted Commanding General of the AAF Henry H. Arnold to offer Gable a "special assignment" in aerial gunnery. Gable, despite earlier expressing an interest in officer candidate school (OCS), enlisted on August 12, 1942, with the intention of becoming an enlisted gunner on an air crew. MGM arranged for his studio friend, cinematographer Andrew McIntyre, to enlist with and accompany him through training.[31]
However shortly after his enlistment he and McIntyre were sent to Miami Beach, Florida, where they entered USAAF OCS Class 42-E on August 17, 1942. Both completed training on October 28, 1942, commissioned as second lieutenants. His class of 2,600 fellow students (of which he ranked 700th in class standing) selected Gable as their graduation speaker, at which General Arnold presented them their commissions. Arnold then informed Gable of his special assignment, to make a recruiting film in combat with the Eighth Air Force to recruit gunners. Gable and McIntyre were immediately sent to Flexible Gunnery School at Tyndall Field, Florida, followed by a photography course at Fort George Wright, Washington, and promoted to first lieutenants upon completion.[31]
Gable reported to Biggs Air Force Base on January 27, 1943, to train with and accompany the 351st Bomb Group to England as head of a six-man motion picture unit. In addition to McIntyre, he recruited screenwriter John Lee Mahin; camera operators Sgts. Mario Toti, Robert Boles, and sound man Lt.Howard Voss to complete his crew. Gable was promoted to captain while with the 351st at Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, for rank commensurate with his position as a unit commander (as first lieutenants he and McIntyre had equal seniority).[31]
Gable spent most of the war in the United Kingdom at RAF Polebrook with the 351st. Gable flew five combat missions, including one to Germany, as an observer-gunner in B-17 Flying Fortresses between May 4 and September 23, 1943, earning the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his efforts.During one of the missions, Gable's aircraft was damaged by flak and attacked by interceptors which knocked out one of the engines and shot up the stabilizer. In the raid on Germany, in which one crewman was killed and two others wounded, flak went through Gable's boot and narrowly missed his head. When word of this reached MGM, studio executives began to badger the Army Air Forces to reassign their valuable screen property to non-combat duty. In November 1943, he returned to the United States to edit the film, only to find that the personnel shortage of aerial gunners had already been rectified. He was allowed to complete the film anyway, joining the 1st Motion Picture Unit in Hollywood.
In May 1944, Gable was promoted to major. He hoped for another combat assignment but when D-Day came and passed in June without further orders, he requested and was granted a discharge. He completed editing of the film, Combat America, in September 1944, providing the narration himself and making use of numerous interviews with enlisted gunners as focus of the film.[31]
Adolf Hitler esteemed Gable above all other actors; during the Second World War he offered a sizable reward to anyone who could capture and bring Gable unscathed to him
Other Comments:
During much of 1943, Captain Clark Gable was stationed at Polebrook to produce a recruiting film for aircraft gunners. He had trained with the 351st Bomb Group at Biggs Army Air Base, Texas, and Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, then accompanied it overseas in early April 1943. While with the 351st, he flew five combat missions as an observer. Much of the film was shot by former MGM cinematographer 1st Lt. Andrew McIntyre, who MGM had arranged to enlist with and accompany Gable in training, and scripting was by John Lee Mahin, a Hollywood screenwriter also in the unit.
Gable’s first combat mission occurred on May 4, 1943, when Gable accompanied 351st group commander Lt. Col. William A. Hatcher on a late afternoon familiarization mission before the 351st became operational. Flying squadron lead with Capt William R. Calhoun of the 303rd Bomb Group, RAF Molesworth, against the Ford and General Motors plants at Antwerp, Belgium, Hatcher and Gable's B-17 was nicknamed The 8 Ball MK II (s/n 41-24635). Gable fired a few rounds from a machine gun mounted in the radio room and suffered a minor case of frostbite from wearing leather gloves in the extreme cold.
Gable's second mission came July 10, 1943, flying with 2nd Lt. Theodore Argiropulos of the 351st's 508th Bomb Squadron in Argonaut III (42-29851) to bomb the airfield at Villacoublay, France. The mission was frustrating in that clouds forced the bombers to return without dropping their ordnance, but did not prevent German fighter attacks. His third combat mission occurred on 24 July1943, again in Argonaut III as the lead aircraft of the 351st, with group executive officer Lt.Col. Robert W. Burns. The mission to bomb the Norsk Hydro chemical plants in Herøya, Norway, was unopposed, but was also the longest by the Eighth Air Force to that date and began a week-long series of intensive operations against German targets known as the "Blitz Week".
On the morning of August 12, 1943, his fourth mission was to bomb a synthetic oil plant at Gelsenkirchen in the Ruhr, joining 351st operations officer Maj. Theodore "Ross" Milton and Capt. John B. Carraway's crew in Ain't It Gruesome (42-29863). Bombing Bochum, Germany, as a target of opportunity in bad weather, Gable experienced the Eighth's most dangerous mission to date, with 25 of its 330 B-17s shot down. Although none of the 351st's Fortresses went down, 11 suffered battle damage, one crash-landed on return, and the group's crews suffered one killed and seven wounded. During the mission, Gable wedged himself behind the top turret gunner for a better view as German fighters made five passes at the 351st's formation. A 20mm shell came up through Aint It Gruesome's flight deck, cut off the heel from Gable's boot, and exited one foot from his head, all without exploding. Afterward, the crew noticed the fifteen holes in the aircraft, and Gable noticed his boot. Brushing off concern with reporters, Gable claimed, "I didn't know it had happened. I didn't know anything about it until we had dropped eleven thousand feet, and could get off oxygen and look around. Only then did I see the hole in the turret."
Gable's final combat mission was an early morning strike to the port area of Nantes, France, on September 23, 1943. He flew with Lt. Col. Burns and 510th Bomb Squadron commander Maj. John Blaylock, leading the 351st in The Dutchess (42-29925). Half of the six groups assigned failed to assemble in bad weather, and intercepting fighters inflicted extensive battle damage to the other half, but no bombers were lost. Gable left his film crew in the waist of the bomber and manned a gun in the nose.
Captain Clark Gable was awarded the Air Medal on October 4 for completing five combat missions, and later the Distinguished Flying Cross. His final three missions were flown in the dangerous position of group lead, a hazard emphasized when the B-17 flown by Col. Hatcher and Major Blaylock was shot down near Cognac, France, on December 31, 1943, killing Blaylock and resulting in Hatcher's capture. Gable left the 351st on November 5, 1943, returning to the US with over 50,000 feet of 16mm color film. In 1944, the film Combat America, narrated by Gable, was shown in theaters.
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[As posted on USMF by: "Forum Support" (user name) on 14 Apr 11]:
351 BG(H), US 8th Air Force, W.W.II
based at Polebrook, Northamptonshire, England, during World War II.
During the three years at Polebrook, the 351st B.G. had a total of 279 B17 Flying Fortresses on charge. These flew 9,075 sorties with 7,945 of them dropping 20,778 tons of bombs.
The gunners in the Group fired off 2,776,028 rounds of ammunition and were credited with destroying 303 enemy aircraft.
The Group flew 311 credited missions and lost 124 B 17's in combat.
The 351st BG(H) was formed on Nov. 24, 1942 at Spokane, Washington. It was inactivated on Aug. 28, 1945 at Sioux Falls Army Air Field.
Based at Polebrook, England (Station 110) between Apr. 15, 1943 and Jun. 10, 1945.
Assigned to 94th Bombardment Wing within 1st Air Division 8th AAF.
Group Commanders:
Col. William A. Hatcher Jnr. Nov. 24, 1942 - Dec. 31, 1943
Col. Eugene A. Romig Jan. 3, 1944 - Oct. 12, 1944
Col. Robert W. Burns Oct. 12, 1944 - Mar. 30, 1945
Col. Merlin I. Carter Mar. 31, 1945 - Aug. 28, 1945
The Group had four Bombardment Squadrons 508th, 509th, 510th and 511th.
508th (YB- ) Commanders:
Maj. Kieth G. Birlem Nov. 24, 1942 - May 7, 1943
Lt. Col. James T. Stewart May 14, 1943 - Aug. 28, 1945
42-3136 No Balls at all. With Cpl G. Beigner
42-3141 Hitlers Headache
Constituted as 351st Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 25 Sep 1942. Activated on 1 Oct 1942. Trained for duty overseas with B-17's. Moved to England, Apr-May 1943. Served in combat with Eighth AF from May 1943 to Apr 1945. Operated primarily against strategic objectives in Germany, striking such targets as ball-bearing plants at Schweinfurt, communications at Mayen, marshalling yards at Koblenz, a locomotive and tank factory at Hannover, industries at Berlin, bridges at Cologne, an armaments factory at Mannheim, and oil refineries at Hamburg. Also struck harbor facilities, submarine installations, airfields, V-weapon sites, and power plants in France, Belgium, Holland, and Norway. Received a DUC for performance of 9 Oct 1943 when an aircraft factory in Germany was accurately bombed in spite of heavy flak and pressing enemy interceptors. Received another DUC for its part in the successful attack of 11 Jan 1944 on aircraft factories in central Germany. Participated in the intensive air campaign against the German aircraft industry during Big Week, 20-25 Feb 1944. 2d Lt Walter E Truemper, navigator, and Sgt Archibald Mathies, engineer, were each awarded the Medal of Honor for action on 20 Feb 1944: when their aircraft received a direct hit that killed the co-pilot and wounded the pilot, Truemper and Mathies managed to fly the plane until other crew members could bail out; on the third attempt to land the plane in an effort to save the pilot, the B-17 crashed and the men were killed. In addition to its strategic missions, the group often operated in support of ground forces and attacked interdictory targets. Bombed in support of the Normandy invasion in Jun 1944 and the St Lo breakthrough in Jul. Hit enemy positions to cover the airborne attack on Holland in Sep 1944. Struck front-line positions, communications, and airfields to help stop the German counteroffensive in the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945. Flew missions in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine in Mar 1945. Returned to the US soon after V-E Day. Inactivated on 28 Aug 1945.
Devil's Ball" was named in the tradition of many other 511th Bomb Squadron aircraft by incorporating the word 'Ball' in the title, after the squadron's first commander Clinton F Ball.
This aircraft reportedly completed 64 combat missions but only been able to identify 60.
New Year’s Eve 1943: “Nobody’s Darlin” TU-K was out of gas. According to the 351st Combat Diary; "After a raid on the Cognac Aerodrome in France, this aircraft crash landed on the beach at Burnham on Sea with battle damage." 19 year-old 1st Lt. Frank Needham swam and waded to shore in freezing water to get help and assisted crew members to escape their B-17 before high tide could drown them. With characteristic understatement he said; "nobody got hurt". It was for this personal heroism and completing 30 combat missions he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with three Oak Leaves (added later). Although he walked away from the crash Frank sustained two crushed vertabrae which didn’t show up until nearly twenty years after the war. The aircraft was later salvaged in Jan. 1944. Tragically, Major John R. Blaylock was killed in the same raid. Lt. Frank Needham completed 30 missions in Aug. 1944 having commenced his tour of duty May 8th 1943. In Sept. 1944 he finally went home on a well-deserved leave. Later he served with the Strategic Air Command in Greenland, at Dow AFB, and Fairchild AFB. He retired after 20 years of active duty.
“Nobody’s Darlin” Crew List:
Pilot 1st Lt. Robert P. Chalmers
CP- 2nd Lt. Francis M. Needham A.S.N. 0-684763
N- 1st Lt. Donald L. Shattuck
NG- S/Sgt. Hubert M. Butler
TT- T/Sgt. Walter G. Skinner
RO- T/Sgt. Leonard J. Kriesky,
LWG- S/Sgt. Arthur Novaco,
RWG- Sgt. James L. Graham
BT- S/Sgt. Charles M. Newbury
Tail G- S/Sgt. Guy O. Meredith, S/Sgt. Ivey B. Hullender
A crew member; a gunner named Neff, lived in Delaware (deceased).
Frank later flew "Black Magic" as 1st Pilot
Major Clark Gable
“Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the U.S. entered WW II, Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942 at Los Angeles. He attended the Officers' Candidate School at Miami Beach, Fla. and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942. He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943, on personal orders from Gen. Arnold, went to England to make a motion picture of aerial gunners in action.
He was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook and although neither ordered nor expected to do so, flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s to obtain the combat film footage he believed was required for producing the movie entitled "Combat America." Gable was admired by the men of the 351st because “he had guts.”
Capt. Cable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and was relieved from active duty as a major on Jun. 12, 1944 at his own request, since he was over-age for combat. Because his motion picture production schedule made it impossible for him to fulfill his AAF Reserve officer duties, he resigned his commission on Sep. 26, 1947.”
351st War Record:
Missions: 311 (some sources say 313)
Sorties Flown: 9,075
Aircraft Lost: 125
Bombs Dropped: 20,770
Casualties: 974 (estimated)
Distinguished Unit Citations: 9 Oct 1943 and 11 Jan. 1944
Individual Citations: 2 CMoH for Lt. W. Truemper & Sgt. A. Mathies
Numerous Distinguished Flying Cross & Silver Stars.
THE BOMBARDIER'S OATH
“Mindful of the secret trust about to be placed in me by my Commander in Chief, the President of the United States, by whose direction I have been chosen for bombardier training...and mindful of the fact that I am to become guardian of one of my country's most priceless military assets, the American bombsight...I do here, in the presence of Almighty God, swear by the Bombardier's Code of Honor to keep inviolate the secrecy of any and all confidential information revealed to me, and further to uphold the honor and integrity of the Army Air Forces, if need be, with my life itself.”
Built in the last weeks of 1944 on the assembly line at Lockheed-Vega Burbank, California,
the Boeing B.17G 85-VE, Serial Number 44 - 8846 was integrated into the USAAF January 13, 1945. He joined the 351 ° Bomb Group in England March 26, 1945. Assigned to 511 ° Bomb Squadron (DS code) - the famous " Ball Boys "Major Clinton BALL - it will Polebrook from its base in North London, 6 combat missions over Europe, and the last on 20 April 1945. 846 The continued his career in the Air Force until his removal to November 10, 1954 Olmstead AFB, Pennsylvania. Purchased by the National Geographic Institute (IGN) December 5, 1954, he joined the base at Creil, north of Paris, under the registration F-BGSP. During more than thirty years, this plane will fly over the world, from North to Polynesia, for aerial survey work, adding notable appearances in films such as " The Great Ramble "and" The Strip Caesar . " In 1985, 846 joined the category of vintage aircraft within the Association " Flying Fortress Forever ", in partnership with the Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis. He then received its current registration F-AZDX. Since then, every year he participated in numerous air shows: meetings (Ferte-Alais, Duxford) commemorations (D-DAY), shows planes legend, young pilots Air Tour, etc ... In 1989, he turned into the movie " Memphis Belle "by David Putman and received this occasion Nose-Art " Mother and Country "on the left front and" Pink Lady "on the right and some adjustments (removal of the" chin turret "and change the tail turret), intended to give an outline of B.17-F. In March 1988, thanks to the dedication of the entire team maintenance, generous donors, volunteers and resources courtesy of Air France, " The Pink Lady "found that the marking was his within the 511 ° Squadron. At the time, the planes were leaving factory painted over, however, we wanted to keep the color " Olive Drab " in tribute to the thousands of B.17 who bore during war years. 17.GV B- "Pink Lady" is based at Orly airport but this site is not open to the public. In France, there is another B-17 in the reserves Musée du Bourget but it will never fly.
Assigned 8th AAF: April 1943
"Queen Of The Ball"
"Queen" flew 63 in 6 months before their ill-fated demise the same year.
Wing/Command Assignment
VIII BC, 1 BW, 101 PCBW May 1943
VIII BC, 1 BD, 1 CBW 13 Sep 1943
VIII BC, 1 BD, 92 CBW 1 Nov 1943
VIII BC, 1 BD, 94 CBW 15 Dec 1943
1 BD, 94 CBW 8 Jan 1944
1 AD, 94 CWB 1 Jan 1945
Combat Aircraft:
B-17F
B-17G
Stations
POLEBROOK 15 April 1943 to 23 June 1945
Group COs
Col. William A. Hatcher Nov 1942 to 31 Dec 1943 (MIA)
Col. Eugene A. Romig 1 Jan 1944 to Oct 1944
Col. Robert W. Burns 12 Oct 1944 to 30 Mar 1945
Col. Merlin I. Carter 30 Mar 1945 to Jun 1945
First Mission: 14 May 1943
Last Mission: 20 Apr 1945
Missions: 311
Total Sorties: 8,600
Total Bomb Tonnage: 20,357 Tons
Aircraft MIA: 124
Major Awards:
Distinguished Unit Citations:
11 Jan 1944 (All 1 BD groups)
9 Oct 1943
Claims to Fame
509 BS made 54 consecutive missions on June 1943 to January 1944 without losses.
"Ball Boys" squadron the 511th BS was part of Group.
Clark Gable flew missions with this group
Early History:
Activated 1 October 1942 at Salt Lake City AB, Utah. The group established at Geiger Field in Washington in November of 1942 where the Group was assembled for initial training, and the Second phase of training was conducted at Biggs Field, Texas, between December of 1942 and March of 1943. The unit then moved to Pueblo AAB, Colorado for preparation for overseas movement. the ground unit left Pueblo for New York on the 12th of April 1943. the aircraft began movement on the 1st April 1943.
Subsequent History:
Redeployed to the US in May and June 1945. the first aircraft left on the 21st May 1945. the ground unit sailed for the US on the 25th June 1945 aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Docked the US in July 1945, but the group inactivated on the 28th August 1945. It was then reactivated as a Minuteman missile wing in 1963 and established at Whiteman AFB, Mo.
