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Lt. Charles H. Jepsen
original pilot, Washington

Lt. James M. McBroom
Co-Pilot/Pilot, Mississippi

Lt. Van Dyke Jones
Bombadier, New Jersey

Lt. Dan D. Smith
Navigator, Illinois

Cpl. Stephen W. Ottman
Top Turret Gunner & Engineer, New York

Cpl. John J. Schaeffer
Ball Turret Gunner, California

Cpl. Norman E. Jones
Radio Operator & Right Waist Gunner, Georgia

Cpl. Kirk M. Richards
Left Waist Gunner, California

Cpl. Leland M. Kirby
Tail Gunner, California

  

Jepsen / McBroom Crew

Photos and details courtesy of Mr. Allen McBroom

The Jepson crew at Drew Field in 1944

Back Row, L-R: Lt. Van Dyke Jones, B; Lt. James McBroom, CP; 
Lt. Charles Jepson, P; Lt. Dan D. Smith, NAV
Front Row, L-R: Cpl. John Schaeffer, BTG; Cpl. Stephen Ottman, ENG; Cpl. Kirk Richards, WG; Cpl. Leland Kirby, TG; Cpl. Norman Jones, ROG

No. DATE TARGET AIRCRAFT COMMENTS (from James McBroom's diary)
178 11/26/44 HAMM 42-97803 R.R. Yards- Moderate, accurate flak. No fighters, no damage, no losses  Temp 46°
179 11/27/44 BINGEN 43-38524 Blonde Bomber II R.R. Yards. Slight, inaccurate flak. No fighters, no damage, no losses. 
180 11/30/44 LUTZKENDORF 44-6595 R.R. Yards - moderate, inaccurate flak, fighters - Buthe lost over target, no damage. 
181 12/04/44 MAINZ 42-97819 R.R. Yards -  Moderate, inaccurate flak, no fighters, very bad weather in target area, No damage or losses. 
182 12/06/44 MERSEBURG 42-97819 (Jepson flew w/o McBroom) 
186 12/15/44 HANOVER 42-97819 R.R. Yards -  Moderate, inaccurate flak, no fighters, very bad weather in target area, No damage or losses. 
187 12/18/44 MAINZ 42-97819 R.R. Yards - Slight, accurate flak. Bombed in overcast at 28,000. No losses, weather bad at home field, though. 
188 12/24/44 BABENHAUSEN 42-97819 Airfield - Heavy, accurate flak at enemy lines. Krug went down, we got hit at 5015 N. - 0612 E. No. 1 out and on fire and wouldn't feather, No.3 supercharger & throttle gone, No.4 very bad vibration, hydraulic system out, two command receivers out, left waist oxygen system out, #2 generator out, #1 oil temp. out, #1 cylinder head temp out, both radio turning units out. I had one hole and one dent in flying-flak helmet, cut on neck, hit on back of neck, and three holes in leg of flying suit.  Landed at Woodbridge, over 150 holes. 
189 12/28/44 ZELLHAUSEN 44-6595 R.R. Yards - Slight, inaccurate flak, no fighters. Bombed through solid undercast. No losses and no damage.
191 12/31/44 WENZENDORF-STADE 43-38995 R.R. Yards - Slight, inaccurate flak, no fighters. Bombed through solid undercast. No losses and no damage. 
192 01/01/45 DOLLBERGEN 43-38995 Oil, instr t.o. Sills lost on t.o., Beighley crashed but safely - two runs on target - Hanover flak on 2nd run - Unescorted south thru Ger. - out at same as Dec. 24 - got flak there - several holes. 
195 01/05/45 WAXWEILER 42-97803 R.R. Yards - Bad weather - Assembly in So. Eng. at 25,000 - Bombed from 29,000. Slight accurate flak. No losses. 
196 01/06/45 WORMS 43-38995 R.R. Yards, inst t.o. - Weather ship crashed and burned - Heavy, inaccurate flak thru undercast - Bad weather entire mission - 
198 01/08/45 FRANKFURT 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II Assembly in So. England before daylight - heavy, accurate flak - Weeks went down - visual flak - instr. bombing - very bad weather entire mission - 
199 01/10/45 KARLSRUHE 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II (Jepson flew w/o McBroom) 
202 01/15/45 AUGSBURG 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II (Jepson flew w/o McBroom) 
208 02/03/45 BERLIN 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II Gov't Hdqrs. - Moderate, accurate flak, no fighters - good weather all way - no losses - 900 fighters 
209 02/06/45 CHEMNITZ 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II Our group got no flak - Bad weather and group all split up on way back - 600' ceiling and rain at base - no losses 
217 02/23/45 CRAILSHEIM 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II R.R. Yards, Bombed at 12,000 - No flak or fighters - Weather good to enemy lines out - then very bad - 400' at base 
219 02/25/45 NEUBERG 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II Oil underground - bad weather t.o. Sweated fighters whole time - light flak at enemy lines - none at target - No losses 
220 02/26/45 BERLIN 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II R.R. Yards - Good weather - Good escort, moderate, inaccurate flak at target only - Instr. bombing & flak - no losses
223 03/02/45 DRESDEN 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II Light, inaccurate flak, good weather, undercast except in Dresden area - Dresden was secondary - 30 gallons gas on landing
227 03/09/45 FRANKFURT 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II Led 8th A.F. and got a little flak - undercast except at target - Good weather, no losses 
229 03/11/45 HAMBURG No. 502 ? Oil - undercast at target, heavy flak, but mostly inaccurate - no losses 
235 03/19/45 ZWICKAU 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II City - made 2/3 of bomb run on Rhuland (?) Oil & flak - no flak at Zwickau, but bombed in clouds - very bad weather - assembled over France - 400' ceiling for t.o. and landing - Fighters but diamond (?), no losses 
236 03/20/45 HAMBURG 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II (Jepson flew w/o McBroom) 
238 03/22/45 HELBERT AREA 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II (Jepson flew w/o McBroom) 
240 03/24/45 VARRELBUSCH A/F 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II Airfield - Pilot - no flak or fighters, good weather entire route - CAVU - Dyke led - good results 
Lt. McBroom takes over as 1st pilot  
241 03/28/45 HANOVER 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III R.R. Yards - Primary visual and flak free - assembled over France - very bad weather - 30 min. delay at enemy lines - weather bad at base - 3 runs on Hanover with Neal & Sapore - no losses 
242 03/30/45 HAMBURG 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III Submarine Pens - Flak heavy and accurate, Bull, Reese, and Dyke leading - lots of damage - Smith came close - Jets hit us and group in front - We had no losses
243 03/31/45 BRANDENBURG 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III City - no flak - we hit last resort. Primary north of Magenburg, secondary Brandenburg - 109's hit all around us - no losses 
245 04/04/45 KEIL 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III Submarine pens and docks - heavy, inaccurate flak, but instr. flak and bombing. I flew low element lead - no losses
246 04/05/45 NURNBERG 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III City - Assembly over France - never found 447 - bombed with 34th - airfield in edge of city - Hvy, accurate flak 
247 04/07/45 SCHWERIN 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III City - Primary was airfield - Hit Schwerain visual - No flak and fighters missed us - Instr t.o. to 3,000 - bomb at 15,000 
248 04/08/45 PLAUEN 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III R.R. Yards - Flak light but accurate - Two ships in groups behind us - no losses - Jep finished 
249 04/09/45 NEWBURG A/F 43-38712 Buddy Buddy Airfield - Visual all way - Dyke leading and finished - Kirby finished with me - No flak and fighters - Straight line
250 04/10/45 BRANDENBURG 43-38712 Buddy Buddy Airfield - CAVU all the way - Flak heavy all over Germany - Saw 8 blow up before target - Flak at IP & target, lots of damage, but no losses 
251 04/11/45 INGLOSTADT 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III Airfield - CAVU all way. No flak and no fighters - Bombing at 18,000 - Good results - N E Jones finished. 
254 04/16/45 ROYAN AREA 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III German troop concentrations - good results, no flak, no escort, saw ships shelling coast - CAVU Schaeffer finished 
255 04/17/45 DRESDEN 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III R.R. Yards - Bad weather at target, went thru Brux flak at IP - moderate - inaccurate flak at target 
257 04/20/45 NEURUPPIN 44-6958 Jersey Bounce III CAVU except at target and IP - no flak and no fighters - sweated uncharted flak - low section lead 

Richards and McBroom with 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II
sometime between January 8 and March 24, 1945.

Jersey Bounce II after a wheels-up landing on March 24, 1945
Briefly described in the Engineering Report for March, 1945

     
   

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