RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
             AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS


IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  01-00023

            COUNSEL:  NONE

            HEARING DESIRED:  NO

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

He be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

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APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

He should be awarded the DFC since he completed 30 missions.

The applicant states that as a member of the  34th  Bombardment  Group,  8th
Air Force, in Mendelshan, England, he flew 29 aerial missions.  On his  30th
mission, the flight ended with their crash landing  in  Paris,  France.   At
the time, the standard for award of the DFC was completion of 30 missions.

In support of the appeal, applicant submits statements from crewmembers   of
the 30th mission, copies of his Individual Flight Record,  a  photograph  of
the plane after the crash landing, a Certificate of Honor (29 missions)  and
an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The applicant’s complete submission is at Exhibit A.

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant’s Master Personnel Records were destroyed by fire in  1973  at
the National  Personnel  Records  Center  (NPRC)  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri.
Therefore, the following facts have  been  extracted  from  the  documention
provided by applicant.

The applicant is a former Army Air Corps  first  lieutenant  who  served  on
active duty during the period 24 December 1943 through 13 November 1945.

During the period 30 April 1944 through 8 October 1944,  the  applicant  was
assigned to the 4th Bombardment Squadron as a  B-24  “Liberator”  navigator.
He also completed three missions as a B-17F navigator.  During  this  period
he completed 29 missions over France and Germany, to  include  two  missions
on D-Day over Normandy.  He was awarded the Air Medal with  third  Oak  Leaf
Clusters (AM, 3 OLC).

The AM is awarded for heroic or meritorious achievement while  participating
in aerial flight.

The Distinguished Flying Cross DFC) was established by  Congress  on  2 July
1926  and  is  awarded  for  heroism  or  extraordinary  achievement   while
participating in aerial flight.  The performance of the act of heroism  must
be evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty.

During World War II, the 8th Air Force had an established policy  whereby  a
DFC was awarded upon the completion of 30 combat flight missions and  an  AM
was awarded upon the completion of five missions.

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AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The  Chief,  Recognition   Programs   Branch,   AFPC/DPPPR,   reviewed   the
application and states that unfortunately, the applicant’s records  can  not
be located by the National  Personnel  Records  Center  (NPRC).   Therefore,
they can not verify that the applicant was  recommended  for  award  of  the
DFC, that the recommendation was submitted into  official  channels,  or  if
such a recommendation was approved or disapproved.  In  1944,  the  8th  Air
Force required  completion  of  30  combat  flight  missions;  however,  the
applicant did not complete 30 missions.  The cited flight to Paris,  is  not
considered a completed mission  since  the  aircraft  did  not  return.   In
addition, the flight was not a combat flight  mission  -  it  was  a  supply
mission.  Furthermore, a written recommendation for  the  DFC  was  required
then, as it is today.  Although the other crewmembers state that the  entire
crew received the DFC for having completed  30  missions,  no  documentation
was provided to substantiate  this  statement.   Therefore,  they  recommend
denial of applicant’s request.

A complete copy of the evaluation is at Exhibit B.

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APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The applicant reviewed the Air Force evaluation and states that  a  28  June
1944 entry on his AAF Form 5 indicates the  flight  of  four  hours  and  45
minutes was aborted and was not credited as a combat  mission;  however,  he
should have received credit for the flight as a combat  mission.   According
to the offical  records  of  the  34th  Bombarbment  Group,  the  12  planes
involved in the 28 June 1944 mission failed  to  bomb.   There  is  a  clear
distinction in the official records between a plane  that  aborted  and  one
that failed to bomb.  Documentation regarding the  missions  on  2  July,  6
July, and 8 July indicate that the credit sorties  included  the  number  of
planes that failed to bomb.  While they took off and  went  to  the  target,
they, as a formation, were unable to release  their  bombs  due  to  adverse
weather over the target.  However, the  mission  was  counted  as  a  combat
mission by the group.

Applicant’s complete response is attached at Exhibit F.

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

1.  The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided  by  existing  law  or
regulations.

2.  The application was not timely filed; however, it is in the interest  of
justice to excuse the failure to timely file.

3.  Sufficient relevant evidence  has  been  presented  to  demonstrate  the
existence of probable error or injustice warranting award of  the  DFC.   In
this respect, we note that in 1944, the 8th Air  Force  required  completion
of 30 combat flight missions for  award  of  the  DFC.  In  support  of  the
appeal, the applicant provides statements from the  pilot  and  co-pilot  of
his former aircrew indicating that he flew on  all  of  their  31  missions,
except one.  Furthermore, these statements also  indicate  that  the  entire
crew received the  DFC  for  having  completed  30  missions.   Although  no
official documentation has been provided to substantiate  these  statements,
the NPRC has been unable  to  locate  the  applicant’s  records  and  it  is
presumed they were destroyed by fire in 1972.  In view of  this,  and  since
we have no reason to question the integrity of these World War II  aviators,
we believe this doubtful issue should be decided in the applicant’s  behalf.
 In view of this, and given the  total  number  of  missions  the  applicant
completed,  we  believe  he  should  be  awarded  the  DFC.   Therefore,  we
recommend his records be corrected to the extent indicated below.

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air  Force  relating
to APPLICANT be corrected to show that on 7 October  1944,  he  was  awarded
the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement, while  serving
as a Navigator on B-24 airplanes on many  bombardment  missions  over  enemy
occupied Continental Europe.

_________________________________________________________________






The following members of the Board considered this application in  Executive
Session on 7 June 2001, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603:

                       Mr. Thomas S. Markiewicz, Vice Chair
                       Mr. Lawrence R. Leehy, Member
                       Ms. Diana Arnold, Member

All members voted to correct the records,  as  recommended.   The  following
documentary evidence was considered:

     Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 18 Dec 00, w/atchs.
     Exhibit B.  Letter, AFPC/DPPPR, undated, w/atchs.
     Exhibit C.  SAF/MIBR, dated 30 Mar 01.
     Exhibit D.  Letter, Applicant, dated 24 Apr 01.
     Exhibit E.  Letter, AFBCMR, dated 7 May 01.
     Exhibit F.  Letter, Applicant, dated 22 May 01, w/atchs.




                                  THOMAS S. MARKIEWICZ
                                  Vice Chair

AFBCMR 01-00023




MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF

      Having received and considered the recommendation of the Air Force
Board for Correction of Military Records and under the authority of Section
1552, Title 10, United States Code (70A Stat 116), it is directed that:

      The pertinent military records of the  Department  of  the  Air  Force
relating to APPLICANT, be corrected to show that on 7 October 1944,  he  was
awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement,  while
serving as a Navigator on B-24 airplanes on many bombardment  missions  over
enemy occupied Continental Europe.









JOE G. LINEBERGER

Director

Air Force Review Boards Agency