Created: 08/21/2003

Photos and details courtesy of Mr. Allen McBroom
N/A RTU: Drew Field, FL
N/A Transit Station, Kearney AAB
N/A In Transit (by air)
11/44 - 05/45 710th Squadron, Rattlesden, UK
Special Order No. 259
Missions flown: 35
Assigned Aircraft: 43-39054 Jersey Bounce II and 
44-6958 Jersey Bounce III
 
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



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

More photos below

Combat Missions

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

 

 

 

   

Images on this page are the property of the contributor,
and may be distributed or republished only by his explicit consent