Freeport Journal-Standard from Freeport, Illinois • Page 14

Micro Switch That Survived Bomber Crash To Unveil Monument A basic Micro Switch, still operable after being buried in an English peat 'bog for 26 years, will help climax an across the ocean saga today that dates back to World War II. The switch, one of many in the equipment of World War II bombers, will activiate an unveiling of a monument high in the hills of England which was built by a youth group that found the wreckage of the plane buried at the spot in a peat mountain. Part of the saga of the plane and its crew pieced together by public relations representatives for Micro Switch, follows: Aircraft 44-6504 was assigned to the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group Molesworth, England. The crew assigned to B-17 446504 on Dec. 16, 1944, was commanded by 2nd Lt.

Geo. A. Kyle of Staunton, Va. Co-pilot was Flying Officer James H. Hardy of Snow Hill, N.C.

Navigator was Flying Officer Fred Hoi- combe of Swannanoa, N.C. Flight engineer and top turret gunner was Staff Sgt. Ernest G. Schieferstein of Forest Hills, Long Island, N.Y. The togglier and nose gunner was Frank R.

Turner, Jr. of Columbia, S.C. Radio operator was Sgt. Joel A. Berly of Clemson, S.C.

Waist gunner was William R. Kaufmann of Chicago, 111. Ball turret gunner was Geo. P. Smith of Louisville, Ky.

The tail gunner was Howard F. Delaney of Watertown, N.Y. The crew which had arrived in Molesworth in November, was on its third mission. Target was Ulm, Germany. Heavy fog covered the runways.

The weather report indicated snow flurries throughout England, storms over the Channel, bad weather over northern Europe. But the clouds were expected to clear by the time the mission arrived over Ulm. The Battle of the Bulge had just begun. Take Off The B-17, with a full load of a new explosive called RDX, took off in the lead element of the 360th Bomb Squadron. It was so foggy, remembers Geo.

Smith, ball turret gunner, that the wing tips were obscured for much of the flight. The aircraft climbed to about 10,000 feet where it assembled with other elements squadron of the joined 360th. The with other squadrons to make up the 303rd Bomb Group which then led the 8th Air Force to Ulm. At approximately 9:30 a.m. it became weather was open by the time the raid reached Ulm.

The aircraft were recalled. Following instructions, Lt. evident that the not going to be Kyle did a 180-degree turn and headed back for England, at the same time beginning his descent. When next he came through the clouds into a temporary open area, he discovered he was alone. Later it became obvious that the altimeter was approximately 100 feet off, and that the Gee Box, a device for short range navigation, was inoperative.

At approximately 12:30 p.m., radio operator Sgt. Joel Berly was finally able to get a vague fix which suggested that they were over Northern England. He then managed to contact Molesworth and receive a direction signal home. Shortly after the tension eased as the once lost aircraft headed south toward Molesworth at 3,000 feet. At 1:15 p.m., the B-17 flew into the West Hill of the Cheviot, at 2,600 feet the highest point in England.

At the last moment, the aircraft attempted to rise and it was this final instinctive gesture on the part of Lt. Kyle that saved most of the crew. The side of West Hill is peat bog; the aircraft skidded a considerable distance which absorbed the shock and filled up the bomb bay and much of the cabin sub floor with peat. The peat served as a gigantic cushion. The nose section crumpled on impact, instantly killing Sgt.

Turner, the togglier and Flying Officer Holcombe, the navigator. Escape Escape took part in two segments: Kyle, Hardy and Schieferstein in one party; Berly, Kaufmann, Smith and Delaney in the second. They could see that the nose had been crumpled killing Holcombe and Turner. There were no other sounds of life. They A HIDDEN CAIRN holds a single blade from the propellor of a B-17 which crashed on the West Hill of the Cheviot near Alnwick, England on Dec.

16, 1944. The monument, honoring all American airmen who died during WWII, stands near the highest point in England. An inscription plaque reads- "From St. Michael's Church Choir Club, the Reivers, to the men of the U.S.A.F. who fought for our freedom 1941-1945." The cement was carried up in six-pound bags by the boys during several weekend outings.

The propellor was located under six feet of peat where it had been buried for 23 years. James S. Locke Officiates At International Ceremony NEW S. Locke, vice president and general manager of Micro Switch, a division of Honeywell in Freeport today officiated at an international ceremony linking two continents and two generations. The ceremony was the unveiling of a memorial monument in Northumberland, England.

The monument, which honors all American airmen who died in World War II, was unveiled from New York through the pressing of a switch from a B-17 bomber that had crashed in Northumberland in 1944. Linked by transatlantic telephone, Locke introduced the seven survivors of the 1944 crash to an English boys club which had found the original switch in August, 1967, and had built the memorial this spring. The switch was pressed by Roderick Turner Merritt, 23, of Charleston, S.C., the son of one ing that the switch be sent to Freeport. "The boys actually sent a pair of switches and both were found able to conduct an electrical current," said Locke, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Micro Switch. The Reivers who make up the choir of St.

Michael's Church at Alnwick conceived the idea of erecting a monument to the B-17's crew and other U.S. airmen who perished in World War II. They chose a blade from one of the Flying Fortress' three-bladed props jthat they dug out of the peat on another visit to the crash site. They lugged cement up the almost-sheer hill, collected stones, set up a cairn, imbedded the prop blade and affixed a memorial plaque. Trace Crewmen Honeywell, meanwhile, was tracing the crewmen to learn decided to leave the aircraft as soon as possible since they assumed that the bombs would explode momentarily.

The three of them wandered down the side of the Cheviot for about an hour until they found a farm house. Here they were nearly shot by the farmer who assumed that green flying suits meant Germans. Kyle and Schieferstein were soon made comfortable in the barn while As the Hardy was given a ride on a home at motorbike into town to find help. Within an hour or so an ambu- hours, Smith looked up to find a border collie licking his face. The dog's barking soon brought two shepherds John Dagg and Frank Moscrop, to the hole.

Dagg and Moscrop had heard the crasn and had been searching for three hours. The shepherds then led the four airmen down the hill to Dagg's cottage. approached Dagg's the foot of the hill, the airplane exploded, breaking in the windows of the cottage. lance arrived at the farm house! In the meantime, Mrs. Dagg and Kyle, Hardy and Schieferstein were taken to the Royal Air Force first aid station, a sent her daughter several miles through the storm to the nearest telephone.

At about 10 that night was born three months after his father's death during his third combat mission on Dec. 16, 1944. Reason For Reunion The reunion attended by U.S. Gen. Carl A.

Spaatz, World War II air war commander in Europe and other U.S. and British officials was helJ at the Wings Club of the Biltmore Hotel here. It came about because the Reivers, a group of English choir boys, dug up the switch and other parts of the B-17 during hikes to the Cheviot bog last summer. The link to the past in the story is the switch pressed by Merritt. The boys became curious when it still worked after 23 years in the bog and wrote to the manufacturer named on it: Micro Switch, a division of Honeywell Freeport, 111.

Honeywell became curious, too, and wrote.the Reivers ask- small hospital in effect, near.an RAF ambulance drove up Berwick. took the four men to the In the meantime, back at the same hospital where Schiefer- airplane, Kaufmann and Smith stein, Kyle and Hardy had al- were both knocked unconscious i ready been collected. in the waist. Berly, at his radio post, noticed the bomb bay on Eire and attempted to put it out with a nearby fire extinguisher. He then discovered that he had put his left foot through the plywood flooring of the compartment into the camera well.

He couldn't move because the well lad filled with peat. Kaufmann, after regaining consciousness, helped Smith out of the aircraft, went back and helped Berly climb out of his boot, and out of the aircraft. Delaney, in the meantime, had escaped a near decapitation in the tailgun position, and was found wandering outside the waist door bleeding heavily from a head wound which Smith quickly bound up using snow and Delaney's parka. Abandon Plane They, too, decided to abandon the aircraft as quickly as possible. At this time they noticed that Delaney was also without boots.

The four wandered about 100 yards from the aircraft, found a peat ditch and crawled down into it. Smith discovered that he was wearing his parachute. They opened the chute and slit the nylon into wraps for Delaney's and Berly's, feet. The four were on the left side of the aircraft. In the blizzard Some Complete Tour Following their rest leave, Schieferstein, Berly, Kaufmann and Delaney returned to flying status and each of them flew about 10 or 11 more missions.

They were all eventually assigned to various lead crews and participated in some of the first American encounters with German jets. By February of 1946, all members of the original crew had been returned to civilian status. In 1946, in response to a letter from the mother of one of the deceased, Frank Turner, Sheila's first puppy was flown to Columbia, S.C., by the Royal Air Force as a gift for Mrs. Turner. Tibbie lived for 11 years as the town pet of Columbia.

Turner died three months before he had the privilege of see- they never did see the other three and assumed that they were the only survivors. After a wait of some three ing his son who was born in April of 1946. John Dagg, the shepherd, and his associate, Frank Moscrop, were awareded the British Empire Medal in July 1945 at ceremonies on the Cheviot. It was Dagg's second commendation for rescue efforts during the war. Hardy and Kaufmann both received Soldier's Medals for their part in the rescue.

Here is how to tell a used air conditioner in the winter with a Journal-Standard Want Adi Doctor Convicted Of Murder CHICAGO (AP) Dr. John Branion a gynecologist, was convicted of murder Tuesday night in the fatal shooting of his 41-year-old wife, Donna. A Circuit Court jury of 'eight women and four men issued the verdict. Judge Reginald J. Holzer, who presided at the trial, said he accepted it and set Monday for sentencing.

Branion's lawyer, said he would ask for an arrest of the verdict and a new trial at Monday's hearing. Mrs. Branion was found Dec. 22 with 12 bullet wounds in her shoulders, neck and head, lying on the floor of a utility room in their home on Chicago's South Side. Branion, 42, said during the trial he found his wife's body when he returned home.

panying story relates the saga. Also attending the reunion here were Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker original 8th Air Force commander; Lt.

Gen. William B. Kieffer, present commander of the 8th Air Force; IT WORKS! James S. Locke (right), vice president and general manager of Micro Switch, a division of Honeywell, holds part of the test wiring connected'to two basic switches which had been buried under six feet of English peat for 23 years. John N.

Sanders (left), supervisor of Micro Switch's evaluation laboratory is about to complete one of many tests performed in the Honeywell division's laboratory. After surviving a 1944 B-17 crash, subsequent explosion and 23 year interment, one of the snap action switches still clicked when the actuator was depressed. the Honorable A.G.R. Rouse, British Consul General in New York; RAF Vice Air Marshal D. Crowley-Milling, and Col.

Francis Gabreski, ranking ace of the U.S. Air Force. Officiating at the dedication on the Cheviot was William R. Dunn, an adviser of the Reiv- ers. Attending there were a number of prominent British officials.

THE REIVERS, a boys club in Alnwick, Northumberland, England, during one of the club's early digs in the summer of 1967. The digging unearthed a B-17 which had crashed and exploded on the West Hill on Dec. 16, 1944. The boys deduced the location of the bomber from a few clues and 1944 accounts of the crash. The parts of the aircraft shown here were discovered six feet under the peat which had covered them for 23 years.

At the right, W. R. Dunn, the Reivers' leader, catalogs the findings. Two Micro Switches, made in Freeport, were found in the wreckage. 'Communists Involved In Disorders' POMONA, Calif.

(AP) The chancellor of California's state colleges says the recent rash of U.S. campus disturbances can be blamed partly on Communists. "The leaders are exactly like the and nihilists in Russia from 1905 to 1915," Glenn S. Dumke told a Chamber of Commerce breakfast Tuesday. "It's not all Communist by a long but a lot of it is.

It's simply everything and start all over." Dumke said leaders of disturbances "are using time-tested revolutionary tactics of split ting the moderate center." Charges Dropped Against 24 CHICAGO (AP) Trespassing charges were dropped Tuesday against 24 Roosevelt University students arrested May 24 during protests over the school's refusal to hire a controversial professor on a full- time basis. "We don't want to punish the students excessively as long as WEED CASH FOR A TRIP? Freeport (III.) Journal-Standard Pg. 14 May 29. 1968 the university's interests are protected," George H. Watson lean of the College of Arts and Sciences, told Judge J.

Limperis of Jury Court. A total of 69 Roosevelt students were arrested during two weeks of demonstrations protesting against President Rolf A. Weil's refusal to offer a full- time teaching contract to history professor Staughton Lynd. The other students arrested have court dates later this week. Pabst History In 1864 when Captain Frederick Pabst became associated with his father-in- law in the business of brewing beer, sales were less than 5,000 barrels per year.

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