T/Sgt R.G. Scharch

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T/Sgt Richard G. Scharch

Ball Turret Gunner and Radioman B-17 Flying Fortress

Period of tour: 22 Jun 1943 - 25 Feb 1944

Dave L. ROGAN and Donald GAMBLE Crews - 358th Bomb Squadron (VK)

303rd Bomb Group - USAAF Station 107 Molesworth, ENG

41st Combat Wing, 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force.

By Stacy Scharch

Quick Facts

R.G. Scharch volunteered for service and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, with aspirations of becoming a pilot he initially began training with the Air Corps aviation cadet program. When things didn't pan out as an aviator, he moved onto the Air Corps gunners school and became a very successful crew member on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress as a Ball Turret Gunner and Radioman.

Enlisted at age 21 in U.S. Army Air Corps as a private at Milwaukee, WI on 31 Mar 1942.
Served on active duty from June 1942 to October 1944
Ball Turret Gunner on most, if not all, missions and occasionally as 'first radio operator' on test flights after their planes were serviced.
The 303rd BG "Hell's Angels" were the first B-17 group to complete 25 combat missions in June 1943, going on to fly more than 300 combat missions, more than any other group.
Scharch was one of a few crew members who flew most of his missions with the Rogan Crew until 12 August 1943, then served with the Gamble Crew.
Credited with destroying (1) Messerschmitt Bf 109 German enemy fighter.
Flew on four missions as part of lead and high crew near the end of his combat tour.
Received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal and (3) Oak Leaf Clusters awards.

Rich said, "Some of the waist gunners got frost-bitten because the earlier "Forts" didn't yet have glass over their gun ports." His combat rotation started two missions before the rest of his crew, and ended earlier. "I requested two more missions - but my commander said, 'one more'. I didn't want to go home alone," he said. So he served one additional combat mission for a total of 26 sorties. He could have stopped at 25, but wanted to finish with his crew. That's the kind of guy he was.

Enlistment Record

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

ARMY SERIAL NUMBER:	xxxxxx84
NAME:	Scharch, Richard G.
RESIDENCE:	State Wisconsin
RESIDENCE:	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT:	Milwaukee County Wisconsin
DATE OF ENLISTMENT:	31 March 1942
GRADE:	Private
BRANCH:	Air Corps
TERM OF ENLISTMENT:	Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law.
SOURCE OF PERSONNEL:	Civil Life
NATIVITY:	Wisconsin
YEAR OF BIRTH:	1921
RACE AND CITIZENSHIP:	White, citizen
EDUCATION:	4 years of high school
CIVILIAN OCCUPATION:	Semiprofessional occupations, n.e.c.
MARITAL STATUS:	Single, without dependents
COMPONENT OF THE ARMY:	Army of the United States - includes the following: Voluntary enlistments effective December 8, 1941 and thereafter; One year enlistments of National Guardsman whose State enlistment expires while in the Federal Service; Officers appointed in the Army of the United States under Army Regulations 605-10.

REFERENCE:

Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records) World War II Army Enlistment Records, created 6/1/2002 - 9/30/2002, documenting the period ca. 1938 - 1946. - Record Group 64 The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2002. http://aad.archives.gov/aad/

U.S. Army Air Force

8th Air Force - 1st Air Division - 41st Combat Wing

303rd Bomb Group - 358th Bomb Squadron

USAAF Station 107 - Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, England

About the 303rd Bomb Group

358th Bomb Squadron Patch

303rd Bomb Group Patch

Eighth Air Force Patch

With the departure of the 15th Bomb Squadron, Molesworth was occupied by the B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 358th Bombardment Squadron, the first of four squadrons that would comprise the 303rd Bombardment Group. The 303rd would remain at Molesworth until shortly after V-E Day in late May 1945.

The 303rd Bombardment Group consisted of the following squadrons:

358th Bombardment Squadron (Code VK)
359th Bombardment Squadron (Code BN)
360th Bombardment Squadron (Code PU)
427th Bombardment Squadron (Code GN)

The 358th BS flew the first mission for the group on 17 November 1942. The group would become one of the legendary units of the Eighth Air Force. Initially missions were conducted against targets such as aerodromes, railways, and submarine pens in France until 1943, then flying missions into Germany itself.

The 303rd took part in the first penetration into Germany by heavy bombers of Eighth Air Force by striking the U-boat yard at Wilhelmshaven on 27 January 1943 then attacked other targets such as the ball-bearing plants at Schweinfurt, shipbuilding yards at Bremen, a synthetic rubber plant at Huls, an aircraft engine factory at Hamburg, industrial areas of Frankfurt, an aerodrome at Villacoublay, and a marshalling yard at Le Mans.

The 303rd received a Distinguished Unit Citation for an operation on 11 January 1944 when, in spite of continuous attacks by enemy fighters in weather that prevented effective fighter cover from reaching the group, it successfully struck an aircraft assembly plant at Oschersleben.

The group attacked gun emplacements and bridges in the Pas de Calais area during the invasion of Normandy in June 1944; bombed enemy troops to support the breakthrough at Saint-Lô in July 1944. It struck airfields, oil depots, and other targets during the Battle of the Bulge, and bombed military installations in the Wesel area to aid the Allied assault across the Rhine in March 1945.

The last mission for the 303rd was flown on 25 April 1945 when it attacked an armament works in Pilsen. During its combat tour the group flew 364 missions comprising 10,271 sorties, dropped 26,346 tons of bombs and shot down 378 enemy aircraft with another 104 probables. The group also saw 817 of its men killed in action with another 754 becoming prisoners of war.

Other facts:

Bob Hope entertained base personnel on 6 July 1943.
American journalist and news correspondent Walter Cronkite flew on a 303rd Bombardment Group mission while reporting the war.

Maps USAAF Station 107 Molesworth

303rd Bomb Group

Map of AAF Station 107 (1945)

A depiction of the air field's layout at the time.

Satellite map of former Station 107 (2013)

No longer an air field, this aerial view shows an

overlay of the runways that once existed in 1945.

AAF Station 107

Molesworth Airdrome

303rd Bomb Group

Rich Scharch's Missions

358th BS, 303rd BG - Station 107 Molesworth, England

22 Jun 1943 - 25 Feb 1944

B-17F Jersey Bounce, Jr. #42-29664 (358BS VK-C)

Various Aircraft Flown

by Rich's crew

Model
Type

Tail no.

Squadron

Code

Name and
Nose art

Times
Flown

B-17F

#42-3192

GN-R

(no name)

4

B-17F

#42-29664

VK-C

Jersey Bounce, Jr.

7

B-17F

#42-5081

GN-V

Luscious Lady

1

B-17F

#42-29524

VK-K

Meat Hound

1

B-17F

#42-3064

VK-I

Star Dust

3

B-17F

#42-3002

BN-Z

The Old Squaw

1

B-17F

#41-24562

VK-A

Sky Wolf

4

B-17F

#41-24577

VK-D

Hell's Angels

1

B-17F

#42-5341

GN-Q

Vicious Virgin

2

B-17G

#42-31574

VK-G

Ole George

3

B-17G

#42-31583

VK-C

Clover Leaf

1

List of Missions

(Shown by R.G. Scharch and 303rd Bomb Group)

Mission No.		Mission Date	Target	Aircraft type / Tail no. / Name	Pilot-CoPilot	Notes
RGS	Grp.
1	43	22-Jun-1943	Synthetic Rubber Plant - Huls, Germany	B-17F #42-3192 (unknown)	Rogan-Gamble	2
2	43A	23-Jun-1943	Airdrome - Villocoublay, France (mssion recalled)	B-17F #42-3192 (unknown)	Rogan-Gamble	2
3	44	25-Jun-1943	Shipyards/Submarine Buildings - Hamburg, Germany	B-17F #42-3192 (unknown)	Rogan-Gamble	2
4	47	29-Jun-1943	Aircraft Factory - Villacoublay, France	B-17F #42-29664 Jersey Bounce, Jr.	Rogan-Shumake
5	48	04-Jul-1943	Gnome Rhone Aircraft Works - Le Mans, France	B-17F #42-29664 Jersey Bounce, Jr.	Rogan-Gamble	2
6	49	10-Jul-1943	Rebeyville & Poix Airfields - France	B-17F #42-29664 Jersey Bounce, Jr.	Mitchell-Rogan
-	51	17-Jul-1943	Synthetic Rubber Processing Plant - Hannover, Germany	B-17F #41-24562 Sky Wolf	Rogan-Gamble	2
7	52	24-Jul-1943	Nordisk Magnesium/Aluminum Factory - Heroya, Norway	B-17F #42-29664 Jersey Bounce, Jr.	Rogan-Gamble	2
8	54	26-Jul-1943	Nuehof Power Station - Hamburg, Germany	B-17F #42-3192 (unknown)	Rogan-Gamble	2
9	56	30-Jul-1943	Fiesler Aircraft Works - Uschlag, Germany	B-17F #42-5081 Luscious Lady	Rogan-Gamble	2
10	57	12-Aug-1943	Geisenberg Benzine & Hydrogenation Synthetic Oil Refinery - Gelsenkirchen, Germany	B-17F #42-29664 Jersey Bounce, Jr.	Rogan-Gamble	2
-	58	15-Aug-1943	Poix & Amiens / Gilsy Airdromes - France	B-17F #42-29524 Meat Hound	Gamble-Kyse	2
11	59	16-Aug-1943	LeBourget Airdrome - Paris, France	B-17F #42-3064 Star Dust	Gamble-Kyse	2
12	60	17-Aug-1943	V.K.F. Ball Bearing Works #1 - Schweinfurt, Germany	B-17F #42-3002 The Old Squaw	Gamble-Kyse	1,2
13	61	19-Aug-1943	Airdrome & Storehouses - Gilze-Rijen, Holland	B-17F #41-24562 Sky Wolf	Gamble-Kyse	2
14	65	31-Aug-1943	Amiens-Gilsy Airdrome - Amiens, France	B-17F #41-24577 Hell's Angels	Gamble-Kyse	2, 9
-	66	03-Sep-1943	German A/F Aircraft Repair Depot - Romilly-Sur-Seine, France	B-17F #42-3064 Star Dust	Gamble-Campbell
15	67	06-Sep-1943	Robert Bosch A.G. Factory - Stuttgart, Germany	B-17F #42-29664 Jersey Bounce, Jr.	Gamble-Hungerford
16	70	16-Sep-1943	Supply Ship in Loire River - Nantes, France	B-17F #42-3064 Star Dust	Gamble-Kyse	2
17	71	23-Sep-1943	Submarine Supply Ship in Loire River - Nantes, France	B-17F #42-29664 Jersey Bounce, Jr.	Gamble-Kyse	2
18	72	27-Sep-1943	Port Area - Emden, Germany	B-17F #42-5341 Vicious Virgin	Gamble-Kyse	2
19	79	20-Oct-1943	Center of City - Duren, Germany	B-17F #41-24562 Sky Wolf	Gamble-Kyse	2
-	80	03-Nov-1943	Joiner Shop & Dock Yards - Wilhelmshaven, Germany	B-17F #41-24562 Sky Wolf	Gamble-Kyse	2
20	83	26-Nov-1943	City area - Bremen, Germany	B-17F #41-24562 Sky Wolf	Gamble-Kyse	2
21	90	20-Dec-1943	City area - Bremen, Germany	B-17F #41-24562 Sky Wolf	Gamble-Shumake	3
22	93	30-Dec-1943	I.G. Farben Chemical Works - Ludwigshafen, Germany	B-17F #42-5341 Vicious Virgin	Gamble-Kyse	2
23	101B	29-Jan-1944	City area - Frankfurt, Germany (PFF Bombing)	B-17G #42-31574 Ole George	Mitchell-Lemmon	4
24	103A	03-Feb-1944	Group B - U-Boat Facilities - Wilhelmshaven, Germany (PFF)	B-17G #42-31574 Ole George	Gamble-Stevens	5
25	106	06-Feb-1944	Dijon/Lonvic Airdrome - Dijon, France	B-17G #42-31583 Clover Leaf	Gamble-Shumake	6
26*	113	25-Feb-1944	Group A - Messerschmitt A/C Factory - Augsburg, Germany	B-17G #42-31574 Ole George	Gamble-Shumake	7, 8

Notes
1.	German enemy aircraft Messerschmitt Bf 109 destroyed by S/Sgt Richard G. Scharch, Mission #60, B-17F #42-3002 The Old Squaw
2.	Crew Photo: Dave L. ROGAN and Donald GAMBLE crew B-17F
3.	303rd BG Lead Crew #90 - Pilot Capt D. Gamble / CoPilot Maj G.F. Shumake
4.	41st CBW-B Lead Crew #101B - Pilot Maj K. Mitchell / CoPilot Capt J. Lemmon
5.	41st CBW-B Lead Crew #103A - Pilot Capt D. Gamble / CoPilot Col K.D. Stevens
6.	41st CBW High Crew #106 - Pilot Capt D. Gamble / CoPilot Maj G.F. Shumake
7.	41st CBW-A Lead Crew #113 - Pilot Capt D. Gamble / CoPilot Maj G.F Shumake
8.	S/Sgt R.G. Scharch wounded in action, minor injury from flak on final mission.
9.	Gamble crew (#41-24577 Hell's Angels) turned back over Oxford when No. 3 engine failed due to oil leak.
-	Credit for mission not known.
*	Elective mission (volunteered) in addition to required number for tour.

Pilot's in Rich's crew

2Lt, Paul W. Campbell (CP) 358BS

1Lt, Donald Gamble (P/CP) 358BS

Capt, Merle R. Hungerford (CP) 358BS

2Lt, Walter R. Kyse (CP) 358BS

Capt, John V. Lemmon (CP) 358BS

Maj, Kirk R. Mitchell (CMP) 358BS

1Lt, Dave L. Rogan (P/CP) 358BS

Maj, Glynn F. Shumake (CP) 358BS

Col, Kermit D. Stevens (CP/CO) 303BG

KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS

CREW POSITIONS

CMP - Command Pilot

P - Pilot

CP - Co-Pilot

NAV - Navigator

ANV - Ass't. Navigator

MNV - Mickey Navigator

ENG - Engineer

BOM - Bombardier

RO - Radio Operator

TOG - Togglier
BT - Ball Turret Operator
TT - Top Turret Operator
TG - Tail Gunner
NG - Nose Gunner
RG - Radio Gunner
WG - Waist Gunner
LWG - Left Waist Gunner
RWG - Right Waist Gunner
GUN - Gunner

VI - Voice Interpreter
OBS - Observer
PAS - Passenger
PHO - Photographer

RESULTS OF MISSION
KIA - Killed in action
WIA - Wounded in action
MIA - Missing in action
POW - Prisoner of war

DOW - Died of wounds
EVD - Evaded the enemy
INT - Interned in neu cntry
REP - Repatriated
RES - Rescued
ESC - Escaped
BO - Bailed out
DCH - Ditched
CR-L - Crashed on land
CR-S - Crashed at sea

Rich's Awards

Air Medal

"Meritorious achievement while participating in an aerial flight."

Oak Leaf Clusters

"Exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions."

Distinguished Flying Cross

"Heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight." Awarded for completion of a combat tour of 25 missions prior to D-Day and thereafter upon recommendation and approval for those displaying great courage, skill and devotion to duty on specific or series of combat missions.