Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives to preserve all the things that we hold dear about life in America. There are far too many of them to even attempt to know or name them all, but we will concentrate here today on ten young men. They are the 416th Bomb Group crew members who are lost in time. Ten of the members of this Group who died in combat still do not yet have a final resting place. Six of them were lost on one tragic mission. That might seem like a small number when one contemplates the enormity of World War II, but to each of those ten families it was and remains a cross to bear. Technically, the search for these men is ongoing, but as a practical matter all have since been declared "non-recoverable" by the U.S. Government. Fortunately, there are many here and abroad who choose not to accept that finality and the search for them goes on.
Raines, Arthur A. Jr. 2Lt 669 10Apr44 ABMC Cambridge Wall
Bender, Glenn J. SSgt 669 10Apr44 ABMC Cambridge Wall
Nielsen, Jack O. SSgt 669 10Apr44 ABMC Cambridge Wall
Cramsie, William E. 1Lt 671 10Apr44 ABMC Cambridge Wall
Henshaw, Charles R. SSgt 671 10Apr44 ABMC Cambridge Wall
Steward, Jack SSgt 671 10Apr44 ABMC Cambridge Wall
Cruze, Raymond K. 1Lt 668 18Jul44 ABMC Cambridge Wall
Murphy, Thomas A. 1Lt 670 1 Jan 45 ABMC Ardennes Wall
Kiker, Charles M. Sgt 669 14Jan45 ABMC Lorraine Wall
Griffith, John J. Jr. Sgt 668 18Mar45 ABMC Lorraine Wall
1Lt Arthur A. Raines, Jr.: 416th Bomb Group Mission 10, on 10 April 1944, was designed to destroy a V-1 Buzz Bomb site at Bois des Huit Rues, France. It was the day after Easter. Cloud cover at the target area caused a change of plan and disastrous consequences as the formation struggled through one flak field after another in search of an alternate. Three planes never made it back to Wethersfield and a fourth was totally destroyed on landing at the base. Every plane sustained battle damage. The A-20 flown by Lt. Raines was seriously damaged by flak before reaching the target area and either crashed in France or went down in the English Channel in an attempt to get back home. Neither the plane nor crew were ever located. Lt. Raines was from Bakersfield, California.
SSgt Jack O. Nielsen was flying with Lt. Raines on Mission 10 as armorer/gunner. The entire crew was lost without a trace. Staff Sergeant Nielsen, 19 years old, was raised in Oakland, California—living alone with his father Otto Nielsen. Otto was Born in Nebraska and worked as manager of the Clay-Ten Hotel in Oakland at the corner of Clay street and 10th Avenue. Jack enlisted in the Army at San Francisco in the fall of 1942 at the age of 17.
SSgt Glenn J. Bender was flying with Lt. Raines and SSgt Nielsen on Mission 10. Staff Sergeant Bender was 20 years old. He was born in Missouri and resided in San Gabriel, California at the time of his enlistment.
1Lt William E. Cramsie was flying his fourth mission on April 10, 1944. Bill Cramsie was a rising star in the Group and on a fast track to promotion and a leadership position. His plane was hit by flak on the first bomb run and lost an engine. He stayed with the Group for a second pass at the target and was hit again. After releasing bombs, he dropped out of formation and fell behind as his remaining engine withered. Losing altitude as he followed the formation back toward England, the ship was only minutes from land and the safety of an airfield when it could go no further. They went down in Bradwell Bay and are yet to be found—though in this case at least the search goes on. Lt. Cramsie was from Auburn, California and a graduate of West Point.
SSgt Charles R. Henshaw was flying with Lt. Cramsie on Mission 10. He was 31 years old, single, from Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Though his remains were never recovered, a memorial stone was placed at Fairview Cemetery in Phillipsburg by his mother Rose. His father, Clayton Henry Henshaw died in 1930 when Charles was just 17. Rose died in 1986 at the age of 98.
SSgt Jack Steward was flying with Lt. Cramsie on Mission 10 and was not recovered. He was 22 years old, born in Missouri, and resided in Phoenix, Arizona at the time of his enlistment. Jack was the youngest of six children identified as living at home with their father at Phoenix in the 1940 U.S. Census.
1Lt Raymond K. Cruze: On 18 July 1944 (Mission 101), Lt. Raymond Cruze, with gunners SSgt Samuel H. Geisy and SSgt F.E. Cherry was assigned to a mission against Glos-sur-Risle railroad junction—a secondary target in the Pont-Authou region of Normandy, France. It was the 43rd mission for Lt. Cruze. Their aircraft was badly damaged by flak over the target and Cruze was forced to ditch in the English Channel on the return. Air-Sea Rescue was available and all three crew members escaped from the plane. SSgt Geisy was badly injured but survived. SSgt Cherry was found but drowned in the recovery attempt. The body of Lt. Cruze was never recovered. Raymond Cruze was from Wellington, Kansas.
Sgt Charles M. Kiker was assigned to Mission 185, a road junction at Schleiden, Germany, on 14 January 1945. On takeoff, the A-26 piloted by 1Lt George C. Van Meter could not gain altitude due to icing or engine failure and crashed north of the runway at Melun. The plane exploded and both crew members were killed. The body of Sergeant Kiker was not found in the wreckage. Sergeant Kiker was 24 years old and single. He was not a U.S. citizen, he enlisted as a Puerto Rican living in Steuben County, New York, but his home of record is Philadelphia, PA.
1Lt Thomas A. Murphy: On New Years Day, 1945, Lt. Murphy was tasked with an unusual mission consisting of six aircraft. The target was a Command Post and German Corps Headquarters at Mont Le Ban, Belgium. Flying with him was SSgt Lawrence W. O'Connell. The flight made three runs under intense antiaircraft fire. Murphy's plane was hit by a burst of flak and was seen going down under control. One parachute was seen leaving the plane. What happened to Murphy? His best friend Harry Popeny tells us in Unsung Eagles by jay Stout: "During the attack, he took a hit in the cockpit. He opened the bomb-bay and screamed for his gunner, Larry O'Connell to get out. O'Connell wanted to climb up into the cockpit to help him but Murphy was cursing at him to get out—he was blind and couldn't see to fly. He managed to pull up and O'Connell bailed out at a pretty low altitude, then Murph just flipped over and split-S'd into the ground." O'Connell was taken prisoner and related the facts to Popeny after the war. Lt. Murphy was from Maryland.
Sgt John J. Griffith, Jr. was flying with 2Lt Clifford J. Vars, on 18 March 1945 (Mission 239) to attack a Communications Center at Worms, Germany. Flak hit the bomb bay gas tank over the target severing the left wing and causing the plane to go down in flames. Lt. Vars was unable to contact Griffith and assumed that he was hit. Lt. Vars bailed out, was captured, and hospitalized in serious condition. He was released at the end of the war. The remains of Sgt. Griffith were not been recovered. John J. Griffith, Jr. entered the service from New Jersey.
The sacrifice of these young men is a source of pride and honor to the 416th family. We can never repay them, but we can certainly harbor in our hearts an appreciation for what they and their fellow patriots did. We will forever remember them and continue to seek some sense of closure for each of them.
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