When we were kids, Dad would occasionally volunteer a story,
but Mom would fume and fuss over disputed details.

Dad's jump

Like many, Pearl Harbor inspired my Dad to enlist,
but he was rejected because of heart damage from a car crash.
Instead, he worked as a civilian at Rome Army Air Force Base,
mostly repairing and inspecting damaged B-17 and B-24 bombers.

Sabotage was a real thing

Dad told of complaints from federal investigators
of his suspected sabotage reports
that they already had many copies of his fingerprints,
but much suspected sabotage was discovered by touch,
reaching into areas out of sight.

I speculate that nearly cut thru control cables would be likely sabotage.

Consequently, maintenance crews were required to be onboard
for check-out flights after repairs were signed off.
My understanding is that the B-17 from which he bailed
was crippled by failure of a voltage regulator that had not been written up.

As crew chief, Dad was among the last to bail out.
"The guy who was supposed to go before Dad was scared and told Dad he would be out right behind him.
  Dad lived, the guy who didn't go when he was supposed to died as a result.
  Dad felt wrong about that ever after." - Carol. 
               _
              / /
    |\_______/_/__
   ---______   ___>
            / /
           /_/

             /\
            /  \
           /    \
          /      \
  • By the time they gave up and bailed, the plane was flying too low for chutes to fully deploy
    before earlier jumpers struck the leading side of an Allegheny mountain.
  • Those jumping later survived because their trajectory went down the trailing side.

At least, that is what I recall deducing from the little that I heard about it.
I am similarly unsure whether he sketched something like that diagram on the back of an envelope
or that is what I merely visualized.

Carl still has Dad's diary from those years.
Being Dad, he reused the same 1 year book,
so that some adjacent entries were from different years.
with most entries about carpool expenses and repairs.

Jump survivors were allowed to keep their parachutes.
Dad's ended up as filters in the New Hope flour mill sifters;
"much of the parachute silk gave its all to soft as silk pastry flour." 


Bill drove - We had only the daily
on B-17, and I conversed awhile
with E. Winchell on shapes & personal
We / Al Wright, Wesley Opew, Capt. Friesz
Capt. Oammack, A Fiduccia & I took
off at 1:25 in B-17-168 - Ithaca -
Elmira - Lake Erie - Warren Pa. - Troupsburg
crashed about 4:10 saw Wright & Friesz



DATEPILOTRANKSNSQ/GP
TYPE ACACSNSTATIONLOCATIONREMARKS

441107FRIESZ, ARTHUR RCAPTO-374786RASCB-17F42-3168
ROME AAF, NYTROUPSBURG 1 MI W, NYFIRE IN FLIGHT (6)(W)(F)(P)



met Tony and Capt. on mt. where -17 crashed
Left Troupsburg about 9 in convoy - put
up at Mark Twain Hotel - drinks with
Col. Hartman - Maj Harrman - and about
4 or 5 capt.'s turn in at 2:00
  • Elmira's Mark Twain Hotel had "been the city's showcase for nearly 35 years."
    pictured in the 1930s

  • "Tony" is presumably also "A(thony) Fiduccia"
  • A friend, Frankie Prino, was killed in another plane crash, probably war-related.

Mom did not hear anything that night, so spent it worrying that she might be a widow.
An alarm of some sort going off at the base notified locals that something was amiss...

Dad badly sprained an ankle and was given time off.
A later diary entry about hunting with his brother, our Uncle Lee, instead of resting
and giving his ankle time to heal;  he had ankle trouble thereafter.


Dad's brass tie clip from around that time



Meta-analyses

crew
3 of 6 survived; Aviation Safety Network report probably double-counted killed, supposing they had not bailed.
crash location
Troupsburg is indeed about 25mi S of Hornell (but also somewhat West);
others reports had crash 1 mi North or West of Troupsburg.
Crew presumably bailed W. of crash, but not far if Dad got to crash hill with a badly sprained ankle.


Troupsburg terrain

probably here;   (Google Earth link)   <- press Ctrl key and mouse left button to change 3D perspective


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