1-Lt. Luebke’s Crew, B-17G, #44-6189, 26 Jul 44

1-Lt. Richard Harold Luebke, Pilot, O-806281, from Louisiana

2-Lt. Larry Bruce Thomas, Co-Pilot, O-1683553, from Washington

2-Lt. George Allyn Krumholz, Navigator, O-712601, from Wisconsin

Capt. Willis Thomas Jones Jr, Bombardier, O-854049, from Texas

T-Sgt. Stanley Bryan Darling, Engineer/Gunner, 19128878, from California

Sgt. Robert Leman Ault, Radio Op, 15316801, from West Virginia

S-Sgt. Henry Clarence Hudson Jr, Ball Turret Gunner, 18118057, from Texas

S-Sgt. Anthony John Petrowski, Waist Gunner, 32802272, from New York

S-Sgt. Michael Vito Scalabrino, Waist Gunner, 36188040, from Michigan

S-Sgt. Fred Thomas Cope Jr, Tail Gunner, 14159156, from Tennessee

The remaining crew all became POWs. Some of the crew were together at Stalag Luft 4, which was located in Poland. Luft means air, so the ‘Luft’ camps were mostly Air Corps crews. Luft 4 was evacuated in January 1945 as the Allies advanced. The sick and wounded were moved by train to various locations and several thousand POWs were forced to march to other camps in the cold winter, some up to 50+ miles. They were all liberated by the Russians in May 1945 from the respective camps that they were moved to.

The following information about the surviving crew has been discovered:

Krumholz was married in August 1946, had several children and died in Wisconsin, January 1986. Jones returned in June 1945 to Baytown, Texas and reconnected with a high school classmate. They were married six weeks later. In 1946 he entered medical school at University of Texas, Austin. He retired from Family Practice in Goose Creek, Texas and he died, March 2017, at the age of 96. Ault was married in July 1945, reportedly ran a submarine shop in Massachusetts, and he died, November 2009 in Maryland. Hudson died, October 2011 in Louisiana. Petrowski had married in 1940 and he died in May 1969. Scalabrino married in July 1946 and he died in April 2012 in Michigan. Cope also married in July 1946 and he died in June 1998.

Luebke, Richard H., 1st Lt