Profile: Charles E. Crawford

S/SGT Charles Earl Crawford was born November 18, 1919 in Morgan County, Alabama to William Thomas and Thyme Mary “Gay” Crawford, where he grew up on the family farm.  After high school he worked for AT&T as a lineman/serviceman.  Three days after his 22^nd birthday in 1941, “Charlie” Crawford enlisted with the Air Corps in Atlanta, GA at Fort McPherson.  His enlistment record indicates he stood about 5’10” and weighed 140lbs.

He received gunnery training and was eventually trained as a radio operator for the 379^th Bomb Group.  As radio operator then he was assigned to the Brinkman crew.  Soon Charlie and his new friends were allotted the Fortress 42-29892 and made many training flights in the new aircraft.  He also made friends with the crew of the Tondelayo.

From Sioux City, the crews would head to Maine, and then eventually on to Kimbolton Airfield in England.  Weather interrupted and forced 42-29892 down at Selfridge in Detroit.  Here Billy Brinkman, noticing that Charlie had come down with something, ordered him to the hospital.  There Charlie was discovered to have the mumps, and was put into isolation.  Two weeks would be required for recovery, and the Brinkman ship could not wait.  Charlie would have to stay behind while his friends in the 379th and especially his crew, now like family, traveled on to new adventures without him.

Once recovered, Charlie would be assigned to a new crew in an entirely different bomb group.  Sent back to Kearney field he would be quickly appropriated by the 384^th Bomb Group, which would be traveling to Grafton Underwood airfield.   Charlie joined the John Way crew, who had lost their ball turret gunner, to fulfill that position and assist their radio operator, Gadomski.

On June 25, 1943, the Miss Deal, damaged by flak from a mission to bomb sub pens in Hamburg, was attacked by German fighters as she limped homeward.  Six survivors managed to escape from the plane.  Charlie was wounded in the ball turret and pulled out by his fellow crewmembers, who assisted him into his chute.  But Miss Deal crashed into the Dollart bay before the mortally wounded Charlie could escape.

No remains of Charles Crawford or his pilot John Way were ever recovered.  We believe that he and John Way are still with Miss Deal, resting beneath the water and tidal muds of the Dollart.