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| Lt. Mark Mathis and his Medal of Honor hero Jack were both bombardiers on The Duchess. Mark's final mission was on FDR's Potato Peeler Kids. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56301469/ma https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7869612/jack-warren-mathis http://www.303rdbg.com/ground-nose.html http://www.303rdbg.com/gc-potatopeelerkids.html |
UPDATE May 14, 2018
Seventy-five years ago today newspapers across the country ran headlines like Yanks Battle Japs for Attu and Toll Nears 175,000 in Tunisian Triumph. At home the favorite song was I've Heard That Song Before by Harry James and his Orchestra with Helen Forrest. Folks were going to the movies to watch Humphrey Bogart in Action in the North Atlantic or Anne Baxter in Five Graves to Cairo. That Friday night, families could tune into their radios and listen to Your All Time Hit Parade on NBC and Adventures of the Thin Man on CBS.
May 14, 1943 was also a day that would see the demise of scores of Americans who died serving their country that day. One of them was Mark Rhude Mathis who's 100th birthday was earlier this year.
He was born on February 4, 1918 in Texas. His mother Avis was also born in Texas while his father Rhude was born in Arkansas. His father worked as a garage proprietor. Mark, as he was known to his family, had two younger brothers.
Mark completed four years of high school and left a job as a car repairman to enlist in the Army Air Forces on April 30, 1941. He became a bombardier and was trained in two engine bombers. His younger brother Jack was also trained as a bombardier, but in B-17s. Jack became a first lieutenant in the 359th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force.
Jack flew on the first raid on Germany with the 303rd BG on January 27, 1943. Mark was still in training back in the states, but by March he was also based in England. He was able to visit Jack on March 17, 1943 and asked to go on the next day's mission to Vegesack, Germany with his brother on the B-17 The Duchess. Mark's request was denied. He waited around for the mission to end so he could continue his visit with his brother. The return of The Duchess was accompanied by a flare, signaling that there were wounded onboard. Mark rushed to the plane, but found out his brother had already been taken to the infirmary by ambulance. When he caught up with his brother, he learned he had died during the flight.
The navigator from The Duchess, Jessie Elliot, told Mark what happened. The plane was on final approach to the target with Jack flying the plane with the Norden bombsight. He was the leading bombardier for the entire squadron. It had just been installed with the very first Automatic Flight Control Equipment (AFCE). This guidance system was designed to improve the accuracy of the bombing. The other planes would drop their bombs on his signal.
A flak shell exploded to the right of the plane and a piece shattered the glass and sent Jack flying back nine feet into Lt. Elliot. He crawled back to his station and expertly dropped the bombs as later photographic evidence proved - seven U-boats were severely damaged and two-thirds of the shipyard was destroyed. It was months before it was functioning again.
The signal to return control of the plane to the pilot was "Bombs away." Lt. Mathis only said "Bomb ..." Thinking his mic was not working, Lt. Elliot said "away" and the pilot took back control of the plane for the flight back.
Lt. Mathis was slumped over his instruments. Lt. Elliot, also injured, was in shock. Other crewmen were busy dealing with attacking German fighters. Once they were clear, flight engineer Sgt. Eldon Audiss checked on Lt. Mathis. Sgt. Audiss discovered that Jack was dead, his right arm was nearly served above the elbow and his right side was full of shrapnel.
Jack's actions during his final flight resulted in a posthumous Medal of Honor.
Mark was grieved at the loss of his kid brother and wanted to get even with the enemy. He arranged to be transferred to the 359th Bombardment Squadron and take Jack's place as bombardier in The Duchess. He even slept in his brother's old bed. On his first mission he noticed the bombsight had been scarred by the shell fragments that had killed his brother.
On May 14, 1943 Lt. Mathis was part of a mission to bomb Kiel, this time in a plane with the quirky name FDR's Potato Peeler Kids. The Germans sent as many as 150 fighter planes to attack the bombers until they were returning over the North Sea. The 303rd BG's losses that day where light, only one plane, FDR's Potato Peeler Kids. As Lt. Mathis's B-17 fell to the sea, other bomber crews saw six parachutes. However there were no survivors.
The story of the Mathis brothers is included in Donald L. Miller's
Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. This is one of my favorite books about the American bombers in the European Theater. It is also available for Kindle and Audiobooks.
Jack's grave is at Fairmount Cemetery in San Angelo, Texas. Mark was lost at sea, but his name is listed on the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Netherlands.
Last year on this date I profiled James McIver, 3rd Armored Division. You can read about James here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
Great post. They should all be remembered.
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