There are overlaps within the Hahn Crew and Mission #22 Sections.
Capt Hahn flew 15 missions on A Square 28, Serial Number 42- 63423.
There are no available records listing the names of the other
crew members who flew on these missions.
Part of Reel B0662 from the Air Force Research Historical Agency
includes the History of the 497th Bomb Group.
There are many lists of Officers and Enlisted Men in
the many orders in this history.
However, none have the names of crew compositions during the
time that the Group was in training at
Clovis AAF, New Mexico, and Pratt AAF, Kansas.
It was not until August 1944 that these crew names appear
in Special Orders 236.
Below is one page with the names of those men
who were with Capt Hahn, Crew #24.
The 497th Bomb Group was activated at Clovis AAF, New Mexico,
with four bomb squadrons :
the 869th, 870th, 871st, and the 872nd
Lt Redinger was transferred to the
497th Bomb Group, 870th Squadron,
from Hendricks Field, Florida, in February 1944.
Capt Hahn was transferred from Morrison Field, Florida,
to the 872nd in early April 1944.
Shortly after his arrival, the 872nd was dissolved and
the men were transferred to one of the other three Squadrons.
Capt Hahn was transferred to the 870th Bomb Squadron.
During April 1944 there was considerable actitivy within
the 497th Bomb Group when it was transferred
from Clovis AAF to Pratt Army Air Field, Kansas.
Flight Echelon
The Flight Echelon consisted of those crews who already had their
own B-29.
These crews were transferred from Pratt AAF to Herington AAF, Kansas.
for processing.
Each B-29 that departed Herington AAF had a Ground Crew Chief ( MOS
750 )
on board to take care of any mechanical issues that would arise
during the flights from Herington to Saipan.
One man of the regular crew ( Chester Cyran ) was assigned to the
Air Echelon.
Air Echelon
Those crews without their own B-29 traveled to Saipan with the Air
Echelon.
The first part of their travels was by rail to Oakland, California,
and then Hamilton AAF, Novato, California.
They then flew on C-54s to Hickam AAF, Honolulu, continuing on to
Saipan.
At the bottom is page from the Long Haul with list of the first
Flight Echelon Crews that flew from Kansas to Saipan.
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