# New guy here with a request.



## Radman95611 (Feb 16, 2015)

Hello everyone. While I am not exactly new to this site (I've visited for many months now), this is my first post. I've enjoyed all of the model building and discussions about everything military aircraft. I am an Air Force vet (20 years) and have been around the world a few times. I have a story and then a request to ask of you.

In March of 2012 the B-17 Memphis Belle (the one from the movie) flew into the Tallahasse airport. I took my youngest son (27years old) and girlfriend to go see it. As I was looking at the gift rack that was set up I noticed this frail man sitting in his walker in full WWII uniform. His daughter was talking to the gentlemanselling some book and tee-shirts about her father. How he was a waist gunner in a B-17 that was shot down over Germany. When she was done I introduced myself and asked if I could talk with her father and that I was interested in his story. She said I could and told me everything she knew (which I found out was quite a bit. I talked with the old SSgt.and found out that he was wounded on his last mission before being shot down. I asked if I could take some pictures of him and they said that was ok. So I took a few. I found out that SSgt. Fink was in a retirement home here in town and that his daughter lived up north somewhere. After I got home and say the picture, I made contact with the daughter and shared all of the pictures that I had from that day. I also made a DVD of the pictures with music from the 40's. They loved it and was really appreciative of what I had done.






Jump to present day. SSgt Fink past away on Febuary 11, 2015. My girlfriend came across his obit. She agreed to go to the visitation with me. I had a very strong feeling that I should go, but could not understand why I should go for someone I only knew for a total of four hours. When I walked in to the viewing room I now understand. The DVD I had made was playing. I paid my respects and snapped the best parade ground salute I could. When I turned around I ran into one of his friends and she asked how I knew SSgt. Fink. I told her I took the pictures that was used in the DVD playing. I then talked to all of the family members and then left.




His first time back into a B-17 since being shot down in 1943.

Here is all of the info I have of his last mission.

He was a B-17 waist gunner in WWII and was shot down in the second raid on the ball bearing plant in Schweinfurt on Oct 14, 1943. Loren spent 19 months as a German POW, and survived the Death March at the end of war - 86 days and over 600 miles. 

My question to all of you is this. Where can I find out more information about the aircraft he was in? Maybe a tail number or a photo of the aircraft? His family could not help me much because SSgt. Fink's memory was already failing him when they started asking him about his wartime missions. The photos that had did not show a tail number either (at least the ones that I saw at the funeral home).





Any and all help would be extremely appreciated.

Radman.

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## Njaco (Feb 16, 2015)

Definitely need the tail number. I'm sure some will be along here in a few to help. You almost had me a SSgt Fink. A few years ago I went to an airshow where an airman Fink was talking to the crowd. He was in the MTO and not the ETO. And good job on the DVD!!


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## Radman95611 (Feb 16, 2015)

Thanks NJACO. I'll get with his family and see if they have found something in a box in a closet somewhere.


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## fubar57 (Feb 16, 2015)

You did a great thing for the family Radman. Do you know if the aircraft had noseart? I have a book at home that links serial numbers to noseart. I don't know how complete or totally accurate the book is hut it could be a start.

Geo


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## vikingBerserker (Feb 16, 2015)

That was first class thing you did sir!


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## GrauGeist (Feb 16, 2015)

If Sgt. Fink's B-17 was downed on that raid, there owuld be a MACR of the incident. We have the target, the date and a crewman's name...that should help quite a bit, actually.

And welcome to the forum, Radman...great job on the DVD.


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## Thorlifter (Feb 17, 2015)

I think you win the award for the best "first post". Good job sir and welcome aboard.

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## Crimea_River (Feb 17, 2015)

According to a question asked at another forum I'm on, TSgt Loren M. Fink was a left waist gunner in the 305th Bomb Group and flew on B17F s/n 42-3195 and the pilot was Verl Fisher. The poster was asking for more info but there was no response.

From Joe Baugher's website: 

3195 (305th BG, 366th BS) shot down by Obfw Heckmann in Fw 190A of JG 1/1 at Waldenrath, Germany Oct 14, 1943. 4 KIA, 6 POW. MACR 916

EDIT: This picture is purported to be Fisher's aircraft. SOURCE: B-17 42-3195 305th Bomb Group | ArmyAirForces

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## Crimea_River (Feb 17, 2015)

From the IWM Website re 42-3195:

Delivered Cheyenne 17/3/43; Presque Is 27/4/43; Assigned 366BS/305BG [KY-O] Chelveston 22/6/43; Missing in Action 14/10/43 with Neal Fisher, Co-pilot: Clinton Bush, Radio Operator: Harvey Bennett, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Clinton Bitton, Waist gunner: Loren Fink,Tail gunner: George LeFebre (6 Prisoner of War), Navigator: Carl Booth{body never recovered}, Bombardier: Don Hissom, Ball turret gunner: Harry Insdorf, Waist gunner: Tom Therrien (4 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft, crashed Waldenrath, near Geilenkirchen, 17 miles N of Aachen, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 916.


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## GrauGeist (Feb 17, 2015)

Good job digging up the info! 

And I meant to include this in my earlier post:


Radman95611 said:


> ...SSgt Fink past away on Febuary 11, 2015...


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## Radman95611 (Feb 17, 2015)

To all of you who replied, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will pass on all of the information to the family. And from me to each of you.... a very sharp salute!! You guys are the greatest!!!! 

One last but of information I found out from the family members, Tsgt Lorren M. Fink was the last surviving member of the crew. They are all together again, on patrol, as a crew.

Again, thank you all.

Radman

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## Radman95611 (Feb 17, 2015)

One more thing to add. I talked with the family and they had made a video interview and posted it to youtube. It's only 3 minutes long but it says a lot. Here is the link to the video.


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azw93Gq-mSM_

One last thing. He was wounded in the shoulder and yet never received the purple heart. It also took many years after he came home before he received veterans status with the VA. Sad but true.

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## Airframes (Feb 17, 2015)

Great stuff all round !


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## fubar57 (Feb 17, 2015)

Nice and quick Andy! Very nice. 

Geo


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## pbehn (Feb 17, 2015)

Great story all around...RIP Sgt. Fink.


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## Lucky13 (Feb 18, 2015)

One More Roll

We toast our hearty comrades who have fallen from the skies, and were gently caught by God's own hand to be with him on High.

To dwell among the soaring clouds they've known so well before. From victory roll to tail chase, at heaven's very door.

As we fly among them there, we're sure to head their plea. To take care my friend, watch your six, and do one more roll for me.

— Commander Jerry Coffee, Hanoi, 1968


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## Wayne Little (Feb 19, 2015)

Yep great story,


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## Gnomey (Feb 19, 2015)

Great story and great work on the DVD!


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## A4K (Feb 19, 2015)

With all! Great story, and great info there by Andy.

Any chance of posting your video here too?


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## Radman95611 (Feb 20, 2015)

I would like to, but the file is about a Gigabyte large. I guess I could post it on youtube and the link to it here, but I would have to get permission of the family first.


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## ssg keay (Mar 17, 2015)

Alas, my job in the military has kept me very busy the last few years, but I have visited the crash-site and have and still am in contact with the family of LT Carl Booth and even talked to the daughter of the pilot a few days back. I wish I would have known about SSG Fink prior. I could have possibly facilitated contact between the families. Relatives of LT Booth will be visiting the site later this year and we are working on erecting a memorial at the site.
I know there is a crew photo in existence and I am trying to obtain a copy for the community of Birgden, the village where the B-17 came down at. Danny

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## ssg keay (Mar 25, 2015)

Here is a photo of the crash-site. She came down to the left of the silver car, closer to the row of trees in the background.


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## Radman95611 (Apr 2, 2015)

Ssg Keay,

Drop me a PM with your email info and I will pass on to the family members. I think they would be please about the memorial marker. They may have a picture of the whole crew to send you too.

Radman95611


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## ssg keay (Oct 8, 2015)

On Friday the 4th of September, we had a memorial unveiling ceremony for the crew of B-17F 42-3195. She belonged to the 305th BG and went down at Waldenrath on 14 October 1943, during the second Schweinfurt Raid.
The Fisher crew was shot down by enemy fighters and 4 men perished. Of those, LT Carl Booth Jr. is still listed MIA. His three nieces visited Margraten cemetery on Thursday and wanted to visit the crash-site on Friday.
What they did not know is that I was able with the help of Pat Doyle, my Airforce, buddy and some of the locals from Waldenrath, to arrange for a memorial to be erected overlooking the crash-site.
The stone was donated by a local gravel pit, they even delivered it!
The plaque was paid for by the Airforce's Top 3 Association and the wreath was paid for by the 305th Air Mobility Wing, the unit that spawned out of the 305th Bomb Group.
The Waldenrath St. Josef nursing home provided a corner overlooking the crash-site for the stone, plus provided refreshments.
The Protestant NATO chaplain read the eulogy and did the invocation, while the Airforce's Honor Guard provided the color guard.
Over 80 people attended including senior members of the local government and many eye-witnesses who are actually residing at the nursing home.
I hope you enjoy the photos.

Danny


Region - Lokales - Aachener Zeitung


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## Random Rachel (Oct 10, 2017)

I found this forum thread looking up "Loren Fink POW" trying to find the short interview video for my son to watch since we are learning about WWII. 
I grew up going to church with the Finks, and in 1989 the church put out a self published book of interviews with some of the members. I ended up with a copy from the library discards. There is a 24 page chapter / interview about Mr Fink's experience during WWII. I could scan it if you would be interested in reading more of his story?

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## pbehn (Oct 10, 2017)

Random Rachel said:


> I found this forum thread looking up "Loren Fink POW" trying to find the short interview video for my son to watch since we are learning about WWII.
> I grew up going to church with the Finks, and in 1989 the church put out a self published book of interviews with some of the members. I ended up with a copy from the library discards. There is a 24 page chapter / interview about Mr Fink's experience during WWII. I could scan it if you would be interested in reading more of his story?


Hi, welcome to the forum, why not scan it anyway, someone like you may come along next week with an interest in it.


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## Tangopilot89 (Oct 10, 2017)

Welcome aboard Radman95611, and big respect to you for doing something so special for a war veteran


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Oct 10, 2017)

Tangopilot89 said:


> Welcome aboard Radman95611, and big respect to you for doing something so special for a war veteran



You might want to welcome the other guy. Radman's posts are from 2015...


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## Tangopilot89 (Oct 11, 2017)

Whoops, my bad. Forgot to look at the dates, sorry. Welcome aboard Random Rachel.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Oct 11, 2017)

No need to apologize...


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## Tangopilot89 (Oct 11, 2017)

Ok, no problem.


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## Random Rachel (Oct 11, 2017)

Thanks. 

Here is the interview with Mr Loren Fink - I scanned the title page first, and the first page of text is actually the end of another interview since Mr Fink's story begins on the back of that page. (I don't have the right software to remove the extra page.) 

The rest of the book is about random members of the church, and how the buildings were built, and would likely be of no interest to anyone, (except possibly the individuals' relatives - even the church library was discarding the book.) The back cover has a picture which caught my eye, and is the only reason I picked it up. 

This is the back cover:





And I also found that Google Arts and Culture has a good picture of the items pictured in the book, which are currently in the FSU Museum of Fine Arts collection.

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