In one of its most ambitious and arguably the highest profile project to date, Stories Behind the Stars researchers have recently completed the stories of all the fallen of the Eighth Air Force’s famed 100th Bombardment Group, popularly known as the “Bloody Hundredth.” This project has drawn on the efforts of several SBTS researchers, seen the creation of its own Facebook page, and comes on the heels of an AppleTV+ miniseries that has captured the attention of millions of viewers. As of October 2024, all men of the Group who gave their lives flying missions pivotal in the allied efforts in the war, are now remembered for their service, and for their ultimate sacrifice.
The 100th Bombardment Group flew B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers from southern England into the heart of Nazi Germany during costly daytime missions. On one particularly deadly mission on 10 October 1943, crews from the 100th took off to bomb the German city of Münster. Twelve of the group’s thirteen bombers failed to return, with 36 airmen killed in action and another 85 captured. This deadly mission cemented the reputation of the 100th as having particularly high casualties.
Completing the project was a joint effort with several writers contributing stories. The SBTS volunteers who helped complete the project were: Bob Fuerst, Joanne King, Eric Malinowski, Red Mulvanny, and Rona Simmons. Bob Fuerst, SBTS Alabama State Director, started the project out of an interest in the U.S. Eighth Air Force.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity to generate some publicity for the Stories Behind the Stars project, and potentially attract some new volunteers, by focusing on the 100th Bomb Group to capitalize on the interest generated by the Masters of the Air miniseries.” He said that most gratifying aspect of working on this project was knowing he had made a difference in properly memorializing the fallen.
“It was heartening to be able to ensure that the fallen crewmembers are remembered as more than just a statistic in a book or an overgrown marker in a cemetery. And it was especially gratifying to receive a thank you from family members of some of the fallen.”
Rona Simmons, the author of four books on WWII and SBTS North Carolina State Director, said about the project: “Because both my father and father-in-law were pilots during the war, I am drawn to the stories of the Army Air Force fallen. My father served as a P-38 fighter pilot patrolling the North African coast while my father-in-law was a B-17 bomber pilot and member of the 100th Bomb Group.” Both, thankfully, survived. Rona’s particular area of interest within the Bloody Hundredth is the lesser-known members of the crew: the gunners, engineers, and even the mechanics.
Eric Malinowski has been a SBTS researcher since July 2023. He has focused mainly on the Army’s 82nd Airborne and the Eighth Air Force’s 398th Bombardment Group. When he read about the need for more researchers on the 100th Bomb Group in an SBTS newsletter, he was eager to contribute. Eric’s interest in writing the stories of the fallen of WWII stems from a connection with a family friend who had served in the 398th Bombardment Group. His friend flew 35 combat missions but spoke very little of his service when he was alive. Eric knew he could best honor his friend’s service by telling the stories of the men who didn’t return.
“I really enjoy researching the individuals and have been amazed at the wide diversity of life experiences that existed among the men. I am really impressed with not only their courage, but the dedication to duty and for getting back into their aircraft time after time.”
A sobering detail that Eric points out is the young age of the soldiers at the time of their service. “I knew that many of the fallen were young, that was not a surprise, but when you research a story on a 20-year-old pilot in command of a B-17 with ten crewmembers on a combat mission and think that two years earlier he had graduated from high school, you have to be humbled by their capabilities and courage.”
One story that Rona Simmons recalls with particular poignancy is the story she contributed about Robert L. Estes and his crew on the bomber nicknamed “Malfunction Junction.” Robert was one of three brothers from his family to serve in WWII: Robert in the 100 Bombardment Group, Lionel in the Army, and Gerald in the Navy. Robert received his wings in the summer of 1944. He deployed with the 100th’s 418th Bomb Squadron to England and arrived at Thorpe Abbott station on 25 March 1945. Ten days later, a few short weeks before the end of the war, when returning from his sixth mission, he was killed in action, along with his entire crew. Eyewitnesses could only say that the aircraft disappeared into the clouds.
Fortunately, the other Estes brothers survived. All three earned Purple Hearts and Lionel was awarded three Bronze Stars. The medals were welcomed, but fell far short of the parents’ prayers for the safe return of all three sons.
In addition to the stories on the SBTS website, on the Fold3 website, and within the Find a Grave app, Bob Fuerst has created a Facebook page on the projects, which has garnered 1,400 followers. You can access the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088784303537. It features the stories and photos (when available) of the fallen of the Hundredth.
800 Bloody Hundredth flyers were lost during World War II, we wrote the stories of all of them. Read their stories here
Note: Our research reported close to 800 killed, sources differ as to the exact number based on categorization
-written for SBTS by Elizabeth Smith
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