The Claude L. Hickey crew: 710th Squadron
9 of the 10-man Hickey crew, photographed on October 6, 1943 in Harvard, Nebraska before deployment to England.
| L-R | |
| 2Lt Claude L. Hickey | Pilot |
| 2Lt Justin W. Kegley | Co-pilot |
| 2Lt Jerome G. Moskowitz | Navigator |
| 2Lt Vernon D. Devitt | Bombardier |
| T/Sgt Joseph Rokow | Engineer |
| Sgt Wade E. Hampton | ROG |
| Sgt Irving Gitlitz | Waist Gunner |
| S/Sgt John J. Roth | BTG |
| Sgt Robert E. Schooling | Waist Gunner |
| Sgt Johnnie Deerr Jr | Tail Gunner |
| 8/43 | Moses Lake, WA |
| 08/43 – 11/43 | Harvard, NE |
| 11/43 | In Transit (by air) |
| 11/43 – 04/44 | 710th Squadron, Rattlesden, UK |
| Missions flown: 3 | |
Flights with Claude L. Hickey 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 |
| #1 (24-Dec-43) | Droinville, France | 42-37840 | |
| #4 (04-Jan-44) | Kiel, Germany | 42-31160 | |
| #7 (11-Jan-44) | Brunswick, Germany | 42-31082 | MISSING |
Last Mission of Hick’s Hack
by Stevin Oudshoorn
Editor’s note: Stevin Oudshoorn is a Dutch researcher who has followed the events of the January 11, 1944 mission. The following account of the Hickey crew’s last mission is based on his research and conversations with those who survived, and is reprinted here with his permission.
Very early in the morning of the January 11th, Lt. Claude Hickey’s crew of B-17 #082 is woken for the briefing of today’s mission to Braunschweig (Brunswick). His crew is one of the originals who flew with the 447th Bombardment Group from the United States to England in November 1943. The crew of the Hick’s Hack, as they have informally christened their aircraft, had not been scheduled to fly this day.
At the briefing they are told that this is the deepest penetration into Germany to date. Moans and excited exclamations rise from the crews. They are also told that the 94th BG is to lead the 4th Bombardment Wing to Braunschweig. 4th Wing, of which they were part together with the 94th and 379th BGs, is to lead the whole 3rd Air Division to Braunschweig.
The first box is made up of the 94th BG. The second box a composite group, made up with planes from the 94th and the 447th. Hick’s Hack is slotted in the 447th’s A group in the second box. Their target is, just like the 94th, the Messerschmitt aircraft plant.
The crew is driven to the hardstand, board their plane and prepare themselves for the mission. Around 0800 planes start to take off and at 30 seconds intervals the heavy bombers roll over the concrete strips. Shortly after, many Bomb Groups all over the skies of eastern England try to get into formation. This proves a difficult task for many. Because of heavy cloud cover at the formation heights, many assemble at lower altitudes than normal. The groups that are airborne later experience trouble and many fail to assemble properly.
Hick’s Hack forms up with two other 447th BG planes. One of them has the Group leader, and 447th’s Executive Officer, Lt. Col. Charles Bowman, on board. The three of them fail to find their own 447th group and decided to tag along with the high squadron of the leading 94th BG.
As Hick’s Hack engineer, Sgt. Joseph Rokow, tries to take off his parachute, the D-ring of his parachute gets stuck behind a bolt and he spilled his silk. Embarrassed, he tells Lt. Kegley, the co-pilot. Aborting the mission due to a spilled parachute will not go down well back at base, so there is no question of turning back.
The outbound leg is uneventful for the three 447th planes and their ‘adopted’ Bomb Group. They cross the enemy coast at Egmond and experience light and inaccurate flak over Amsterdam. However, the promised fighter cover fails to materialize. Formation into combat boxes has taken more time and many boxes fail to arrive on the time at the rendezvous points.
The flight path takes the bomber stream straight in over Holland, the Zuiderzee and into Germany near Lingen. From there they continue more or less in a straight flight path on towards Braunschweig.
The B-17s haven’t gone unnoticed by the Germans. Ever since the first B-17 crossed the English coast the Germans started to send out warnings to their air units. A lot of radio chatter is being picked up by the Germans. The bomber stream is followed with more than usual interest. The Luftwaffe is convinced that the USAAF’s target is Berlin, as the flight path aims straight for Berlin. The Luftwaffe also knew from experience that the Allied fighter escort will turn back near the Dutch-German border, due to their limited range. Dedicated to stop the “angriff” at Berlin at all costs, the Germans order all available fighters of ‘Luftflotte Reich’ to the vicinity of Osnabruck in order to intercept the bombers. Not only are single and twin engined day fighters ordered to intercept; night fighters from Denmark to Belgium also take to the air.
The 94th Bomb group and the three 447th B17s, however, do not encounter a single German fighter until they reach the target area.
While the Luftwaffe fighters and US bombers and fighters are slugging it out over western Germany, the weather situation in England deteriorates. Fog is starting to envelope the airfields. For fear that the airbases are completely fogged in by the time the bombers return, a recall is issued: All bombers over the German Reich are to return immediately and bomb targets of opportunity.
The 94th BG, leading the way to Braunschweig, is a mere 25 miles from their target. Col. Louis Thorup, 94th Group Leader (and who will in 1945 become the commanding officer of the 447th), decides to take the risk and continue towards the target. Other Bomb Groups will later claim that they sent for a confirmation, which was never received. Two bomb groups never received the initial recall. The bomber stream breaks up: the majority of the bomb groups turn around and bomb targets of opportunity. Also responding to the recall is the fighter escort. Virtually all retreat.
Those already in combat stay as long as they can to protect the bombers. Major James Howard of the 354th Fighter Group is among those who remain: while his squadron attacks a group of enemy fighters attacking the B-17s, he follows a Bf110 down and shoots it down. He looses his squadron in the process, but sees that 30+ enemy planes are attacking the bombers. For the next 20 minutes he single handedly attacks the Germans, intercepting attack after attack. In all he downs two Bf110’s and one Fw190 with another 190 as a probable. For this action, Major Howard receives the first and only Medal of Honor given to a fighter pilot in ETO during the war. (Major Howard’s account appeared in the June 1944 issue of True magazine, and is reprinted on the 354th’s Web site.)
The leading 4th Combat Wing (the 94th, 447th and 379th BGs to Braunschweig) near their targets. Some crews observe enemy fighters taking off from a nearby airfield.
In the Hick’s Hack tension mounts. Shortly before they reach the target they lose communication with the ball gunner, Sgt. Robert Schooling. To Lt. Kegley, the co-pilot, he reports that the turret is probably hit by flak, and that there is a small fire in the ball turret. He is unable to operate the turret.
Just as the 94th leaves the IP, flak opens up, moderate but accurate. Lt. Jerome Moskowitz, Hick’s hack’s navigator, clearly sees the huge assembly plant below. Even from 27,000 feet the structure looks huge. Bombardier Lt. Devitt keeps his eye trained on the lead bomber, ready to release his bombs the moment he sees those from the lead ship fall. But they don’t. To their astonishment they hear over the radio that the lead bombardier hasn’t been able to positively identify the target and Col. Thorup has decided to ‘go around’ and try again. To their dismay they observe that the following BG’s in their Wing do bomb the Messerschmitt plant and turn away and head for home. This leaves the 94th and the three 447 planes very alone and vulnerable.
The turn takes 18 minutes to complete. Crews are sweating and swearing. The flak gunners have found their bearing are letting loose with all they have. To add to the crew’s apprehension, they see a large number of twin engined fighters form up just east of the target.
This time the bombardier does not let himself be fooled by a single cloud and the assembly plant is bombed with success. While the bombers leave the target area, thick stacks of smoke rise from the plant.
All of a sudden the flak stops. The crews know what is coming next. Sgt Johnny Deerr, tail gunner of the Hick’s Hack, comes on the radio: “I think I see some P-38’s!” he exclaims. Lt. Justin Kegley is not so sure. He remembers that at a distance the P-38 can be mistaken for a Bf110. “Better keep you eye on ’em. It might be 110’s!” Before he is finished, Johnny Deerr gets back on the intercom: “They sure as hell are! They are shooting at us!”
Pandemonium sets in. The Hick’s Hack is being singled out by three Bf110 Zerstorers. In tandem they close in on the bomber. The leading Zerstorer fires a rocket at them, which explodes just behind the right wing, damaging one engine. Lt. Claude Hickey cuts the engine and feathers the propeller.
The three linger behind the bomber, just outside the range of the .50 guns of Sgt. Johnny Deerr. He keeps his sight trained on the Zerstorer and lets off a burst once in a while.
Then the three Zerstorers appear to make an attack on the B-17. The first on comes in closer and closer. The second Bf110 is very closely behind the first. Sgt. Deerr waits until the fighters are within range. Navigator Moskowitz and Engineer Rokow watch as the Bf110’s come in closer and closer, and then open up with their guns and cannons. The plane is riddled with the shrapnel of the cannon shells and bullets. Then Sgt. Deerr opens up with his two .50 machineguns and hits the first Bf110 square. Fire and dark clouds erupt from the Bf110 and it starts a downward spiral from which it doesn’t recover. In almost the same burst, Sgt. Deerr hits the second Bf110. It is so close to the first enemy plane that it is no problem sending this Bf110 down too. The crew watch this Zerstorer go down and see it crash, just like his no.1. No parachutes are seen.
The third Zerstorer, probably flown by a more experienced pilot, veers away and is quickly out of range of Sgt. Deerr’s .50’s. The Bf110 lingers behind the Hick’s Hack. Determined to bring the B-17 down, he fires his remaining rocket at the Hick’s Hack. It explodes close to the fuselage, disabling the third engine.
Lieutenants Hickey and Kegley know they can’t keep the B-17 in the air. As the Bf110 is still attacking with his guns and cannons, the crew is notified that they will try and crash land the plane. Besides the fact that Sgt. Rokow spilled his parachute and is unable to jump, waist gunner Sgt. John Roth is seriously wounded. He was probably hit by shrapnel of the rockets fired earlier on. At this time the fate of Sgt. Schooling is unknown too. The remaining crew members take up their crash positions and take Sgt. Roth to the radio room. All of the crew seem to be wounded.
Taking their chances, Lt. Devitt and Lt. Moskowitz decide to parachute out of the stricken airplane. They both jump out near the town of Rahden. Shortly after the parachute deploys, Lt. Moskowitz sees a German Fw190 coming at him. He doesn’t know the intention of the German and realizes he is completely defenseless in his parachute. The German circles the navigator a few times, grins at him and moves on. The sight will haunt Moskowitz for years in his dreams.
Moskowitz lands near a small town and tries to evade. He doesn’t get far. An angry mob of hostile German civilians has seen him come down and set out to capture him. In an attempt to evade them, Moskowitz runs into a small street and right into the arms of a German soldier, who takes him prisoner.
Meanwhile Hickey and Kegley crash land the Hick’s Hack just outside the town of Wagenfeld. The plane breaks in two as it comes to a halt over a small ditch. Sgt. Roth and Sgt. Schooling have been killed. Shortly after the crew leaves the plane and assembles near it, German soldiers appear. After a while the local doctor also shows up and he takes Sgt. Rokow and Sgt. Hampton, the radio operator, in his car to Diepholz General Hospital. Both are seriously wounded and stay in the hospital for a month, before being taken to a POW camp. Sgt. Schooling and Sgt. Roth are buried in the ‘Cemetery for POWs and Russians’ in Diepholz. After the war, Sgt. Roth’s body is moved to Margraten American Cemetery in Holland. Sgt. Schooling’s body is presumably brought back to the United States for burial, at the request of his family.
For the rest of Hick’s Hack’s crew, 18 months of life as POW starts.
After the war, Jerome Moskowitz becomes part of a team that build the first portable nuclear reactor. Mr. Moskowitz (who changed his name to Morse) died early December 2002.
Pilot Lt. Claude Hickey passed away in the late 1990’s
Sgt. Wade Hampton joined the Army after the war and fought in the Korean War. He then joined the Marine Corps and saw action in Vietnam as a Gunnery Sergeant. He died in 1994.
The remaining members of the Hick’s Hack are still alive today as far as I know. Johnny Deerr and Justin Kegley live in Indiana. Joseph Rokow and Irving Gitlitz both live in the same city in Florida. The wherabouts of Lt. Vernon Devitt are not known to me, but apparently he is in touch with the other remaining crew members.
Combat Missions (previously compiled)
| No. | DATE | TARGET | AIRCRAFT |
| 1 | 12/24/43 | NOBALL NO. 50 DROINVILLE | 42-37840 |
| 4 | 01/04/44 | KIEL | 42-31160 Mickey |
| 7 | 01/11/44 | BRUNSWICK | 42-31082 Hick’s Hack |
Some photos/information provided by:
- Stevin Oudshoorn