Albert Momme
The Momme family had traveled east in 1895 by Conestoga wagon, where they settled on a farm near Norristown, Pennsylvania. Al's grand mother, Sara J. Irons, brought the three children to Philadephia, Pennsylvania, where her husband, Al's grandfather, had homesteaded in Norristown. Al's father, John, had been born on January 21, 1886, in Yankton, South Dakota. His mother, Mary, was born in Bilston England (known as the Black Country) in 1886.
John Momme and Mary A. Irons were married on Christmas Day, December 25, 1911 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. To their union was born 3 children, Alma born May 22, 1914, Theodore born September 11,1915 and Al, the youngest, born November 17, 1923.
John had a Farmers Market called Momme’s Market in Norristown. Al was raised in the produce business and on the farm of his sister and and her husband, Stanley. The Stanley's also had a butcher business.
As a youngster, Al spent a good deal of his time hunting and fishing.
Al enlisted for the Army Air Corps on November 27, 1942 in Philadepphia, Pennsylvania. He was given the serial number 13154797. Al was sent to armourer school and was later assigned to the 394th Bomb Group.
He left for Britain on board Liberty Ship X-Checker and Dodge, a U-Boat. On February 15, 1944, we left Kellogg field for Camp Miles Standish near Boston, Mass, and on February 19, 1944, we boarded a small Liberty ship called the US X-Checker and went to sea. The waves were rough and we had ropes to hold onto when going to a different location on the ship, our mess hall had a long bar and you stood up to eat. Our location in the convoy was Tail-end Charley, our ship was a small one carrying only 305 men plus supplies and we were part of a 24-ship convoy. Most of my unit were travelling on the larger Queen Mary and most of my fellow passengers were from the 587th Bomb Group. Seven days into our voyage we detected a German submarine and left the convoy to lure it away from the ships. I later realised that a small ship was the logical decoy to save the larger ones, in any event we were picked up by a destroyer the next day and two days later we were back with the convoy. March 9, 1944, we landed at Glasgow, Scotland, with a welcome from a Scottish band wearing kilts and playing bagpipes. From there we were transported to Chelmsford, England, by train, and then loaded on canvas covered trucks, at night - transported with no lights to Boreham Air Field Station 161. Two days after arriving at Boreham we were greeted on the radio by Lord Haw Haw, a German propaganda station, welcoming the 394th Bomb Group. He also stated that they would be out to greet us often. At Boreham Field we lived in tents and dug trenches for bomb shelters and latrines. It was a different type of lifestyle, washing your shorts out in your helmet that you could also heat the water in and use as a basin.
It was not long after we arrived at Boreham that the V-1 Buzz Bombs started passing over us on the way to London. The first one we heard fell outside the front gate of the field. The next morning I took picture of the crater with a camera I had purchased from a lady in a bicycle shop in Little Waltham. We had also bought six bicycles for our armament group.
On February 24, 1944, the first of approximately 65 Martin B26 Marauders twin engined bombers arrived at the newly built Essex airfield. The aircraft, belonging to the 394th Bombardment Group of the 9th United States Army Air Force, had been flown in from America. A journey of 11,000 miles, taking 26 days had brought them to Boreham. The journey started for these aircraft and their crews at Battle Creek in Michigan, with the route taking them on to Floride, Peurto Rico, South America; Ascension Island, West Africa and then to England. This was known as the South Atlantic ferry route and was the route along which many hundreds of American aircraft were flown from the United States to the UK during the war. An anti-aircraft defence system was organised to defend the airfield, this was under the command of Captain Harry K Heiges,(ADD TO THE DATABASE) from, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,. The system consisted of six 40 mm Bofor anti-aircraft funs, together with a quadruple mounted 0.5 calibre machine gun for each gun site, each position being strategically placed around the airfield.
We were assigned to different planes, my first charge was called "Booby Trap" piloted by Captain Lew Martin. Lew's wife had named the plane, Lew thought the name was corney. Al's job as armouer was to load the bombs on the b26.
The first of 96 combat missions carried out from Boreham took place on March 23, 1944, just 13 days after the group had arrived at Boreham. It took place amidst great excitement and no small amount of tension amongst the bomber crews and supporting ground engineers. This was to be their first taste of real action against the enemy. The mission was led by the commanding officer of the Boreham based group, the 394th Bombardment Group (M) Lt Col Thomas B Hall. All four aircraft squadrons in the group took part and 36 aircraft were dispatched, each carrying 14 250 lb bombs. Just over 50 tons of bombs were dropped on the target, an airfield at Beaumont le Roger, in France, approximately 190 miles from Boreham. No aircraft were lost on the mission and the group received a message of congratulations from the Chief of the US 9th Bomber Command on their first of many successful missions to follow. “The Marauders never seemed to be out of the sky” recalled Mrs Sheila Bennett, a schoolgirl at the time in Boreham. “There was an almost constant drone of aircraft engines” Some of the bombing missions began with a mid-morning take-off and as they returned, just missing the trees at the end of the road in which she lived, Elm Way, she could see the bits and pieces missing from the planes, as a result of flak damage during missions. Sheila’s father who worked near the airfield often came home at the end of his day’s work to tell members of his family that he had seen wounded crewmen being carried from their damaged planes into waiting ambulances.
"Booby Trap" went out on her first mission on March 23, 1944. Two days later Booby Trap flew again together with 35 other planes on a huge mission - this time each plane was armed with four 1,000 lb hombs. On April 8 we loaded each of our planes with 14 250 lb bombs - the total mission consisted of 36 planes. At the commencement of the third mission from Boreham, on April 8, 1944, the group suffered its first loss of aircraft and crew members. The aircraft from 585 squadron reported a fire in one of its engines shortly after take-off. The Marauder was seen to fall out of formation and a short time lateR to crash, by the farmer from Roffey Farm, Bishops Green, Great Dunmow. He was working in a field at the time near the farm. The tragic accident was also recalled some 38 years later by Mr Roy K Plank, a former tail gunner in the same squadron, during his first visit to Boreham since the war. The navigator on board the aircraft that day was 2/Lt Charles C Jones, who was taking part in his first mission and had volunteered to take the place of the crew’s regular navigator who was unable to fly for some reason. A small group of local people near the crash site ran to give what assistance they could to rescue any crewmen. The group consisted of Henry Rootkin, his daughter Audrey, who was a schoolgirl, Albert Smith and schoolboy John Windley. The rescuers were successful in pulled clear of the aircraft wreckage two crewmen who were still alive, a third crewman, the rear gunner, was seen to be alive when they first saw him but died soon afterwards from his injuries. One of these who survived was 2/Lt Charles Jones, who was suffering from severe back injuries and the other Sgt Ken Daley, the radio operator, who had severe leg injuries. Both men are still alive, although both still suffer pain as a result of the injuries they sustained 40 years ago. On September 25, 1944, The London Gazette announced award for ‘Brave Conduct’ to people who “helped rescue crewmen when aircraft crashed and caught fire”. Amongst those names were the following: Miss Audrey Rootkin, schoolgirl, now Mrs Shead. Roy Crow, farm worker, Dunmow, Albert Smith, farm worker, Dunmow, John Pitts Windley, schoolboy, Dunmow. On April 10 we had double duty as we loaded planes for two missions. The first consisted of 36 planes armed with four 1,000 lb bombs and the second cojnisted of 36 planes armed with 14 250lb bombs. From April 11-13 we loaded 36 planes each day each armed with four 1,000 lb bombs. On April 18 "Booby Trap" returned from a mission heavily damaged and was removed from service. I was soon tasked with servicing a brand new plane was named "Booby Trap II". On April 19 we had double duty again and we serviced two missions. The first consisted of 36 planes armed with four 1,000 lb bombs and the second was 36 planes armed with 14 250 lb bombs - some plane were loaded with 30 100 lb bombs. Our double duty was repeated on April 20-21 except that we had mixed bomb load configuration. On April 20 first mission 36 planes were loaed with four 1,000 lb bombs, but some were loaed with 14 250 lb bombs, while the seocnd mission had 36 plane loaded with eight 500 lb bombs. The following day the first mission consisted fo 35 planes and the other of 33 planes - both missions were loaDed with eight 500lb bombs.
It was not long after we arrived at Boreham that the Buzz Bombs started passing over us on the way to London. The first one we heard fell outside the front gate of the field. the next morning I took picture of the crater with a camera I had purchased from a lady in a bicycle shop in Little Waltham. The point to entry must have been at least 13 feet deep. We had also bought six bicycles for our armament group.
France.
An amusing incident occurred on June 12 following an excellent attack on a rail bridge at Conflans in France. A Marauder aircraft from 584 Squadron flown by Lt Dan Bussey, had its hydraulic system so severely damaged during the mission, as a result of enemy gunfire that the normal method of lowering the landing gear by means of the hydraulic system could not be operated. During the approach to Boreham, whilst flying over Chelmsford, it was decided to attempt to lower the landing gear manually. During the process, a bomb bay door, on one side of the bay accidentally openeed and a number of articles, including a flak suit, a Mae West life jacket and a few other odds and ends, which had been stored there plunged from the aircraft and crashed through the roof of the Hoffmans ball bearing factory in Chelmsford. The incident caused a general alarm in the work and thinking the place was under enemy attack the management quickly dispatched the whole of the workforce into the basement for safekeeping until the 'attack' was completed. The problems on board the Marauder were however a little more real. The main landing gear was successfully lowered, but no locked in position. Touch down at Boreham caused the unlocked main landing gear to collapse, but the nose wheel remained in position. The landing could be described as a little unusual but all the crewmen left the aircraft uninjuried and non the worse for their problem. Articles which had caused the problems at Horrmans in Chelmsford were returned safely to the group during the following day.
Many near misses occured at airfield. One that Al remembers is when a B-26, serial number 42-96243 crashed landed, Al had to help recover the ammunition... a very dangerous job. Al tells us, "Our job was not only hazardous because of the bombs we had to handle and had no shelter in case of accident. The job of aircraft armourer was a demanding one. We averaged loading two or three aircraft per night but when the bomb loads were changed we had extra help. We also had the responsibility to service the 11 .50 calibre machine guns and to remove the .50 calibre machinegun from the bombardier nose poisition of the lead aircraft in order to install the Norden bomb sight which was done just prior to take off. In order to expedite the weapons maintenance work we set up tents near the plane station and used them as workshops.. When we were so engaged we set did not have time to go to the mess hall to seaqt so we ate our meals in the tensts and even slept in them while waiting for new assignments. We had to do all the maintenance work on the aircrft weapons as well as performing bomb loaing and unloading activities. We had no regular scheduled work hours. We had to do the work at any time day or night whenever the orders were issued. Very often the bomb loads were changed due to a charged in target, in such cases we had to dop the bombs on a dolly and crank the new ones into place with the use of two small hand cranks. From 500 lbs up to 2,000 lbs bo,mbs had to be cranked both ways. It took two men to load a plane and some nights we had up to three plane to load. We also had to worry about the danger of falling from heights. To clean the barrel of teh .50 calibre machineguns on the dorsal turret of the B-26 we had to stand on top of the aircraft. The shape of the fuselage is cylindrical and when it rained it was very slippery. I often laughed at the thought of being killed by falling from the roof of an aircraft. - we worked around the clock with little sleep."
B-26 Normal bomb load - 3,000 pounds, with another 1,000 pounds could be added when fitted with special wing hardpoints
Normal Armament- Elven 12.7 mm .50 caliber Browning M-2 Machine guns in fixed, forward firing, nose and waist mounts and in powered dorsal and tail turrets
ID of the types of air dropped bombs according to the mission orders:
1,000lb AN-M65 General purpose bombs
1,000lb AN-MK33 Armour Piercing Bombs
1,000lbs AN-MK59 Semi-Armour piercing bombs
500lb AN-M59 General purpose bombs
500lbs AN-M58AI Semir armor piercing bombs
5000lb A|N-M7, AN-M9, ORAN-M-!3 Incendiary cluster
100lb AN-M30 General purpose bombss
125lb MIAI and M2A! Fragmenatation cluster
100lb AN-M6 , AN-M8 or AN-M-12 Incendiary cluster
100lb AN-M4 Fragmentation cluster
"We were careful but sometimes people do foolish things. We had an armourer named Geoge Roth who was a good friend of mine. He was loaned out to a nearby airfield to work on a A-26 bomber that had a 20mm cannot mounted on the nose. There were test firing the weapon into a bank of fire and one projectile did not explode. Geroge dug it out to take it to the Ordnance Department, but it was 5pm and the place was close so he took it to the mechanics tent where he was temporarily staying. He put the projective on a shelf - but it rolled over and exploded inside the tent. George has his leg blown off below the right knee and was rushed to hospital."
In a different innodent, Mr John W Miller of Boreham, who worked as a tractor driver during the war, was also involved in a rescue one day. He was working near the airfield when a Marauder came in from a mission and crash landed on the runway. He quickly jumped down from his tractor, he said, climbed through the hedge alongside the airfield and began running towards the aircraft, hopefully to assist the crewmen from the wrecked aircraft. The American airfield rescue service were soon on the scene and requested Mr Miller return to his tractor so that they could carry out the rescue. They were concerned that the aircraft would catch fire and possibly explode. The Americans howerver traced the identity of this unknown Englishman who had shown such bravery towards their men, they thought that some award should be made. In the London Gazett, dated September 26, 1944, was the name of John Walter Miller, tractor driver, Boreham, Essex. He had been awarded the Kings Award for brave conduct for assisting in the rescue of allied airmen from a crashed bomber.
Bombing missions were now becoming a regular occurrence from the airfield and local inhabitants became accustomed to seeing Marauder bombers taking off and returning. It was inevitable that with so much aircraft activity, and American servicemen around the village, that local people would get involved with the Americans one way or other. Dances took place in the Aero Club and local girls were given lifts to the airfield on an organised basis in military vehicles. Music was provided by the Castleairs, a band made up of Americans from the Engineering Battalion who built the airfield. At Christmastime 1944, the Americans gave a party for any local children who wished to attend, providing a Santa Claus who distributed gifts to all those who were there. The former schoolgirl again recalls that she was one of the children at the party and that her sister’s present from Santa Claus was a rag doll. An amusing story is remembered by a former village schoolboy which occurred during an evening when one of the Americans were being entertained to a game of cards at a relatives home near the Cock Inn. The game was in progress with the usual small piles of cash winnings alongside each player. Suddenly the airfield anti-aircraft defences began opening fire on a lone German aircraft which was flying over the area. The ferocity and the noise from the guns was so great that without a word being spoken the whole party disappeared beneath the kitchen table for safety, but not before the American had scooped all the money from the table and pocketed the lot. He was not going to die without something to show for his stay in Boreham.
We had air raids by the German Luftwaffe very often at night. The searchlights from Chelmsford and the flak falling from the ack-ack guns made the trenches most welcomed.
Al favorite plane was "Red light Rosie". Rosie' nose art was of a beautiful girl only wearing panties and no top. Her breast were fully exposed. Al loved gazing up at her until the cencors put a bar on Rosie to cover her bossoms. Ironisclly after the war, he returned home to marry a girl named Rose.
On weekends the trucks would take us to our recreational town Rumford also known as BUZZ BOMB ALLEY. We had to carry our steel helmets when going to town. There was a large produce marketplace, restaurants, movies etc there. We would stay over night in a beautiful three story brick house which had been damaged by the bombing. The bomb shelter in Romford had a street uninery unit outside the buiding. GI's could relieve themselves behind the metel wall there. It stood well below shoulder height and passerbys could speak to the GI's using the faciity. On one visit after dark, the truck motor shut off and a missile came down near us and exploded. The five of us dove behind a wall - after the explosion we discovered we were hiding behind a hedge instead of a wall! Als was were there one night when a factory was levelled in an air raid. It seemed like Rumford was too dangerous a place for relaxation so we went back to Boreham field for a rest.
At sundown every evening a bugle was sounded and all flags were lowered. Any airman within saluting distance of the flag was required to stop and salute. Much movement was seen at the sight of the bugler as no one wanted to be caught for yet another salute.
The Ordnance Department selected the bombs but the Operations Departments selected the targets. As a result, whenever the target was changed as it often happened, the Ordnanace Department had to change the bomb load configuration also. We as armourers had to contend with changing bombs already loaded for a new set, so we developed a quick wasy to do it. For bombs up to 250 lbs we removed the nose fuses first and placed seat cushions under the bomb bay. We then dropped the bombs on the cushions. Of course the heavier ordnance had to be lowered by using the hoist. In any case it was a back breaking job and quite dangerous particularly when we had to do it at night and in total darkness because of the black out.
On July 24th we left Boreham. It was a sad day when we remembered the 96 missions flowN from thEre and the 61 crewmen who did not return. We moved to Holmsley South Airfield Station 455, near Bournemouth, Southern England. There we had a change to swim on the small beach between the invasion barricades - we had our work tenTs at these locations.
"On August 9th we had our first mission where the target was a railroad bridge.
This was our mission number 110 and we loaded the planes with two 2,000 lb bombs - for the second mission that day we loaded 33 plans with two 2,000 lb bombs.
the lead plane was piloted by Darrell Lindsey with Jerry Hyson as Group Bombardier and an extra bombardier to verify the target. The plane took a direct hit on the right engine over the target and was knocked out of formation. The plane returned to lead the formation with the right engine on fire, dropped bombs and hit the target. After performing their duty , the pilot ordered the crew to bail out. Darrell Lindsey and Jerry Hyson were the last to leave the plane. Darrell kept the plane leve until Hyson bailed out. The tail gunner was gaught on the fuselage and was killed. Jerry Hyson landed and broke an ankle, he was rescued by French underground resistance fighter kept for a month and escaped back to the Allies though the Alps. Since Hyson is Jewish he took off his dog tags in case he was captured by the Germans. Lindsey went down with his plane and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour."
"August 23 we left on advance to tour En Bassin, France, together with Ray Kellams, Slats and the maintenance crews, and to set up the field etc. It was at this location where I first realised how horrible war is. Approximately 20 miles from the field we came across a German Army unit that had been caught off guard by a British unit. There were bodies of men and horses laying everywhere. One German soldier had been washing his mess kit in a creek, this is where he died."
"August 25 the 394th moved to France, the field was in a very bad shape. Runways too short with steel matting causing flat tires. We had one crash at the end of the runway - the plane was carrying eight 500lb bombs. One Man, the flight engineer gunner, has been killed. The place was on fire so I took picture form a distance behind a big long until the bombs blew up."
I had a close call at Holmsley South. At about 5am before daylight were were returning to our tents in a Jeep and a trailer after loading bombs. There were three men on the Jeep and four in the trailer. We were traveling down the ramp with no light on due to the required blackout when all of a sudden we found ourselves nose to nose with a P-38 that was taxiing out into the runway. We had not heard its engines. We swerved to the right and missed a collision by inches. We were so accustomed to near misses that we went to sleep in our tents like nothing happened.
After the war Al returned hone and married a most wonderful girl, who worked as a telephone operator on September 8, 1951, named Rose A Zummo. They were blessed with four children Thomas born 1953, Robert born 1955, daughter Susan, born in 1960 and John born in 1968. Thomas is a police officer, Robert was a truck driver until his death this year, and John is shipping/receiving clerk, part-time DJ and student studying communication and marketing. All the boys are volunteer fireman. Susan is a registered nurse.
On February 16, 1987, Al's dear wife Rose, passed away after 35 years of a very happy marriage.
I manage to keep busy by being involved in community activities and as historian in my American Legion Post. Mr Moome has also served as Post Commander for the 394th Bomb Group. In recent years he has authored the book called "The Chronicles of a Maruader Bomber Armourer". Donating much of the proceeds of the book to the 394th Bomb Group and for maintaning the 394th BG, WWII war memorial at the Boreham, England Airfield which was used by th 394th BG during WWII.