The squadron did not have eighteen planes when it became time to depart for Italy. the following people were Crew Nine:

Pilot - Carlson,                    had Canadian Air Force Wings and transferred into U.S. AF
Co-Pilot - Jones,                                A nineteen year old.
Navigator - Peterson -                      From Brooklyn N.Y.
Bombardier - Horn,                          Killed in Action.
Flt. Engineer/Gunner - Pickens    Airplane Mechanical School.  
Radio Operator/Gunner - Jurus    Turned nineteen on way over.
Waist Gunner - Bower                    Airplane Mechanic School.
Ball Gunner - Batory                       Armor School.
Tail Gunner - Samuel                      Armor School.
Nose Gunner - Gillum                     Airplane Mechanic School
(All enlisted men had gone through aerial Gunnery School)
EXTRA PASSENGERS:
Crew Chief - Eskew                          
Elect. Spcl -   Perry
Inst. SPcl - Burliname
Flt. Eng. - Tracy                                 From another Crew.

The bombay had an extra fuel cell in the right side. Left side of the bombay held two ten man rubber life boats, rafts, with emergency supplies. Scattered all over the plane were personal belongings of the group.

An interesting side story on the airplane: While were in North Africa, the Pilot somehow obtained a British motorcycle. We were loading for the flight to Italy when the pilot came riding up on his motor cycle and announced we would hand the cycle in the bombay. The engineer and pilot had a rather heated  discussion over this. Guess who won?

Upon reaching Italy, most of the original crews were assigned a plane as theirs, if the plane was mechanically ready, you flew it. Other crews flew 757 on days crew nine did not.

We arrived in Southern Italy in January 1944 with the ground covered with snow. I do not recall how many missions crew nine made in 757. Another crew was flying 757 when it made a wheels up landing in the grass at the base. Not much damage was done to the plane. I received a book I had left in the nose turret and gave little thought of 757's condition.

Crew nine was assigned another plane and carried on with the job at hand. 757 was sent to third echelon depot for maintenance. After some time, 757 returned  to the squadron and was assigned to another crew.

Later in the spring, the Group was returning from a mission when the tail gunner announced that 757 was falling back of the formation. Not long after that, he announced two ME-109s were attacking 757. Don't know how many passes the ME-109s made, but in a little bit in an exciting voice he said, "What a ball of fire just came from 757." A pause, then one chute- two chutes, three chutes - by then 757 had fallen out of sight.

I had no idea who the people were. as for feelings for the people, I don't remember. 757 falling left a vacant feeling with me.

Some people were interested in flying a plane back to the states. I crawled out to the nose turret at the end  of mission number fifty with no desire to fly again.

The next year I spent working for the Air Inspector as a member of the base maintenance inspection crew. It was many, many years before I wanted to even fly on a commercial aircraft.