The Thomas F. Eastman crew: 708th Squadron
Rattlesden, Feb 44. Captioned as the crew of “Virginia Helen”
| Standing L-R | |
| Sgt. Norman P. Joseph | Tail Gunner |
| Lt. Edwin D. Wright | Co-Pilot |
| Sgt. Jackson L. Todd | Ball Turret Gunner |
| Lt. David W. Irvin | Bombardier (Irving?) |
| Sgt. Robert Barker | Waist Gunner |
| Lt. L.A. Ericsson | Navigator |
| Kneeling L-R | |
| Lt. Thomas F. Eastman | Pilot |
| Sgt. Richard H. Conant | Waist Gunner |
| Sgt. Frank M. Sparkman | Engineer |
| Sgt. Albert Green | Radio Operator |
| 11/43 | Harvard AAB, Nebraska |
| 11/43 | in transit by air (42-31154) |
| 11/43 | 708th Sqdn, Rattlesden (Original crew) |
| Missions flown: 30 | |
Flights with Thomas F. Eastman listed as Pilot
These lists are NOT limited to officially credited Combat missions, and may include Aborts, returns and non-takeoff occurrences as well.”
| 447th Mission (Date) | Target | Plane Number | Notes |
| #3 (31-Dec-43) | Cognac, France | 42-31154 | |
| #7 (11-Jan-44) | Brunswick, Germany | 42-31191 | 154 on list, scratched on chart |
| #11 (29-Jan-44) | Frankfurt, Germany | 42-38039 | |
| #13 (03-Feb-44) | Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 42-38097 | (was 039) |
| #14 (04-Feb-44) | Frankfurt, Germany | 42-31431 | slated #104 |
| #16 (06-Feb-44) | Evreux-Fauville, France | 42-31530 | |
| #22 (24-Feb-44) | Rostock, Germany | 42-31918 | |
| #24 (28-Feb-44) | Bois de la Justice, France | 42-31724 | |
| #25 (29-Feb-44) | Brunswick, Germany | 42-31918 | |
| #26 (03-Mar-44) | Berlin, Germany | 42-31104 | |
| #27 (04-Mar-44) | Berlin, Germany | 42-31918 | |
| #29 (08-Mar-44) | Berlin, Germany | 42-31918 | |
| #33 (15-Mar-44) | Brunswick, Germany | 42-31918 | |
| #37 (22-Mar-44) | Berlin, Germany | 42-37854 | |
| #39 (26-Mar-44) | Cherbourg, France area | 42-97092 | |
| #43 (08-Apr-44) | Rheine, Germany | 42-31918 | |
| #46 (11-Apr-44) | Arnimswalde, Poland | 42-31724 | |
| #57 (30-Apr-44) | Clermont Ferrand, France | 42-97400 | |
| #59 (07-May-44) | Berlin, Germany | 42-32081 | replaced LaGasse |
| #73 (29-May-44) | Leipzig, Germany | 42-32080 | |
| #75 (31-May-44) | Hamm, Germany | 42-32080 | |
| #81 (05-Jun-44) | Le Touquet, France | 42-32081 | |
| #82 (06-Jun-44) | Caen, France | 42-32080 | |
| #85 (07-Jun-44) | Nantes, France | 42-32081 | |
| #94 (21-Jun-44) | Berlin, Germany | 42-32080 | |
| #103 (06-Jul-44) | Pas de Calais / Sourtrecourt, France | 42-102632 | |
| #105 (08-Jul-44) | St.Andre De L’eure / Nogent, France | 43-37531 |
Eastman crew taken at Harvard
| Standing L-R: | |
| Lt. Thomas F. Eastman | P |
| Lt. Edwin D. Wright | CP |
| Lt. John C. Cook | N |
| Lt. David W. Irvin | B |
| Front row L-R: | |
| S/Sgt Frank M. Sparkman | ENG |
| S/Sgt Albert Green | ROG |
| S/Sgt Robert Barker | WG |
| Sgt Richard Conant | WG |
| Sgt Jackson Todd | BTG |
| Cpl. Norman P. Joseph | TG |
Thomas F. Eastman; Pilot |
Edwin D. Wright; Co-Pilot |
Frank M. Sparkman; Engineer |
Jackson L. Todd; Ball Turret Gunner |
Norman P. Joseph; Tail Gunner |
Richard H. Conant; Waist Gunner |
David W. Irvin; Bombardier |
See the growing collection of Lucky Bastard’s Club certificates from the 447th BG.
Combat Missions (previously compiled)
| 1 | 12/31/43 | LUDWIGSHAFEN | 42-31154 Shack Happy |
| 2 | 01/11/44 | BRUNSWICK | 42-31191 |
| 3 | 02/03/44 | WILHELMSHAVEN | 42-38097 |
| 4 | 02/04/44 | FRANKFURT | 43-31431 |
| 5 | 02/05/44 | ROMILLY | N/A |
| 6 | 02/06/44 | EVREUX-FAUVILLE | 42-31530 |
| 7 | 02/24/44 | ROSTOCK | 42-31918 Little Rock Blonde |
| 8 | 02/28/44 | NOBALL NO. 74 BOIS DE LA JUSTICE | 42-31724 Dear M.O.M. |
| 9 | 02/29/44 | BRUNSWICK | 42-31918 Little Rock Blonde |
| 10 | 03/03/44 | BERLIN – RECALL | 42-31104 |
| 11 | 03/04/44 | BERLIN – RECALL | 42-31918 Little Rock Blonde |
| 12 | 03/08/44 | BERLIN | 42-31918 Little Rock Blonde |
| 13 | 03/15/44 | BRUNSWICK | 42-31918 Little Rock Blonde |
| 14 | 03/22/44 | BERLIN | 42-37854 |
| 15 | 03/26/44 | NOBALL NO. 93 LA SORELLERIE | 42-31092 Butch II |
| Co-pilot Edwin D Wright was made first pilot with a composite crew. On May 12, 1944 he was killed in action when 42-107020 was shot down over Ailingen, Germany | |||
| 16 | 04/08/44 | RHEINE | 42-31918 Little Rock Blonde |
| 17 | 04/11/44 | ARNIMSWALDE | 42-31724 Dear M.O.M. |
| 18 | 04/30/44 | CLERMONT A/D | 42-97400 Fuddy Duddy |
| 19 | 05/07/44 | BERLIN | 42-32081 Yellow Cab |
| 20 | 05/08/44 | BERLIN | 42-97646 |
| 21 | 05/12/44 | ZWICKAU | 42-32080 Virginia Helen |
| 22 | 05/13/44 | OSNABRUCK | 42-31092 Butch II |
| 23 | 05/20/44 | LIEGE | 42-32080 Virginia Helen |
| 24 | 05/29/44 | LEIPZIG | 42-32080 Virginia Helen |
| 25 | 05/31/44 | HAMM M/Y | 42-32080 Virginia Helen |
| 26 | 06/05/44 | LE TOUQUET | 42-32081 Yellow Cab |
| 27 | 06/06/44 | D-DAY TARGETS NORTH FRANCE | 42-32080 Virginia Helen |
| 28 | 06/07/44 | NANTES | 42-32080 Virginia Helen |
| 29 | 06/21/44 | BERLIN | 42-32080 Virginia Helen |
| 30 | 07/06/44 | SOUTRECOURT | 42-102632 |
Some photos/information provided by:
- Steven Todd
Some information and/or images sourced from the American Air Museum database