Gayle Cruthirds World War II Collection
Gayle Cruthirds graduated from Diboll High School and served as an aerial gunner in the 376th Heavy Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, during World War II.
Bombing Missions of the 514th Bombardment Squadron, 376th Bombardment Group A. A. F., 1944
Bombing Missions of the 514th Bombardment Squadron, 376th Bombardment Group A. A. F., 1944
A list of bombing missions flown by Gayle Cruthirds of the 514 Bombardment Squadron, 376th Bombardment Group A. A. F. This document shows date, mission, mission number, combat hours, combat sorties, and total number of missions. Dated 1944.
Gayle Cruthirds Wartime Correspondence, 1944
Gayle Cruthirds Wartime Correspondence, 1944
This selection of correspondence is primarily written by Gayle Cruthirds to his parents prior to deployment in Europe during World War II. Cruthirds updates his parents on the different bases he was stationed at, including Topeka, Kansas, and his morale. Included is a telegram informing Cruthirds's parents of his combat wound, a list of missions flown, and an Air Medal certificate. Dated 1944.
Gayle Cruthirds World War II Flight Log, 1944
Gayle Cruthirds World War II Flight Log, 1944
This flight log, written by Gayle Cruthirds, documents his combat missions as an aerial gunner in the 376th Heavy Bomb Group, 15th Air Force. Cruthirds describes fifty missions flown over Italy, France, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia. The entries contain information specific to each mission such as date, bombing targets, flak, weather conditions, notes on damage to airplanes or lost planes, enemy fighters, flight times, and general notes on crew members. The entries date from May 17 to September 20, 1944. The digitized flight log can also be found on the Portal to Texas History.
Gayle Cruthirds' B-24 Crew, 376th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, April 22, 1944
Gayle Cruthirds' B-24 Crew, 376th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, April 22, 1944
Diboll native S/Sgt. Gayle Cruthirds of Diboll (third from left back row) posed with his B-24 crew on April 22, 1944 in Topeka, Kansas. This crew served as part of 15th Air Force (Italy) 376 Bomb Group.
Bottom Row, left to right: Lt. Jim Carrender, navigator, Kansas City; Lt. John Griffin, pilot, Rochester, New York; Lt. Peter Arth, co-pilot, Los Angeles, California; Lt. Hubert Schlatter, bombadier, Jennings Lodge, Oregon.
Top Row, left to right: S/Sgt. Slim Limbocker, waistgun, Ranger, Texas; S/Sgt. Jo Janosko, engineer, Auburn, New York; S/Sgt. Gayle Cruthirds, nose gun, Diboll, Texas; S/Sgt. Edward Blunt, ball gun, Fresno, California; S/Sgt. Russell Martin, radio and top gun, Mounds, Illinois; S/Sgt. Ray "Mundo" Lane, tail gun, St. Louis, Missouri.