2nd Lt USAAF WWII
2nd BG, 20th B Sq
CoPilot
B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time'
He was the son of William Arthur Goodman and Maggie J Suther Goodman of Concord, Cabarrus County, NC. He graduated from Mount Pleasant High School at age 16, and was Salutatorian of his class. He has a cenotaph marker in his family cemetery here
2nd Lt Carl S Goodman, Concord NC
--Brothers--
Opal Hoyt Goodman
Frank Buford Goodman
Hobart Lee Goodman
William Monroe Goodman
Johnny Nelson Goodman
--Sisters-
Darise
Hazeline (Goodman) Faggart
------------------------------------
B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time' of the 2nd BG, 20th B Sq, based at Amandola, Italy, crashed over Sanov, in the former Czechoslovakia on 29 Aug 1944. The crew members were~
2nd Lt Thayne L. Thomas, ASN O-760685, Pilot, from Spanish Fork UT, EUS/RTD
2nd Lt Carl S Goodman, ASN O-768069, CoPilot, from Concord, Cabarrus Co NC, KIA
2nd Lt William M McDonough, ASN O-719978, Navigator, from East Weymouth MA, KIA
2nd Lt Richard P. Hartman, ASN O-772173, Bombardier, from Jacksonville IL, KIA
SSgt Robert L. Brown, ASN 17153889, Upper (Top) Turret Gunner, from Waseca MN, KIA
Sgt Robert J. Flahive, ASN 39212329, Lower (Ball) Turret Gunner, from Seattle WA, KIA
Sgt Jerome (NMI) Bauman, ASN 19151738, Right Waist Gunner, from San Diego CA, KIA
Sgt James J. Johnson, ASN 35807258, Left Waist Gunner, from Louisville KY, KIA
Sgt Dudley E. Standridge, ASN 06283357, Tail Gunner, from CA, KIA
Sgt William R. Mays, ASN 39294274, Radio Operator, from East Weymouth MA, KIA
The crew is listed here in the virtual cemetery for B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time'
-------------------------------------------------------
The following information was provided by findagrave Contributor Roman Susil. Below is a caption from the book 'Defenders of Liberty':
2nd Lt. Thayne L Thomas, pilot of aircraft number 42-38096, "Big Time," was the only survivor of his crew. The airplane was hit over Sanov at an altitude of about 19,500. It burst into flame, exploded, and parts of the disintegrated airplane fell over a wide area. Some of it was still burning the next day. Copilot 2nd Lt. Carl S. Goodman's body was found in part of the wreckage. Tail gunner Sgt. Dudley E. Standridge perished in a portion of the tail found a mile away. Three crewmen either parchuted or were blown from the plane. The parachute of one was on fire and he was killed on impact. Another was dead before impact, the apparent victim of machine gun fire. The Germans collected the remains of the nine victims and they were buried at Slavicin.60
"Big Time" was the victim of a rocket volley. One struck near the number two engine, damaged number one, and set the nose compartment and the flight deck ablaze. Despite being in their safety belts, Thomas was slammed against the side cockpit window, and Goodman was thrown half way into the aisle. The blast exposed the nose compartment to Thomas's view. 2nd Lts. William M. McDonough, N, and Richard P. Hartman, B, had been blown to the floor and to the rear of the nose compartment, and equipment was in disarray. The two lieutenants were soon fighting the blaze with fire extinguishes. Flight engineer, T/Sgt. Robert L. Brown had been knocked to the rear and under the platform of his upper turret. Thomas tried to call the rest of the crew. The intercom was dead. McDonough and Hartman were having some success fighting the fire, and had paused to put on their parachutes, as did Brown. Thomas tried the intercom again without success, so he rang the alarm bell signalling preparation for bailout. He doesn't recall hearing it ring. Brown started to the rear to check the crew. Thomas then rang the alarm bell for bailout. Suddenly he felt intense heat and the red flash of fire. His next conscious sensation was the rush of wind against his face and body. He was tumbling through space. He had difficulty opening his chute and was grappling it with both hands when it popped loose. A shroud line knocked his left arm into his face, dazing him and leaving his arm numb. He saw one parachute falling to earth, deployed, but streaming empty of air. A burning gas tank came hurtling by with a roar. His chute had opened rather close to the ground and he was oscillating widely underneath it. He landed hard during a backs wing and banged his head against the ground. Dazed momentarily, he lay there and watched a Luftwaffe fighter make two passes overhead. Fearing that the pilot may be radioing his position, he dragged himself to the underbrush of nearby trees. His body hurt, his head throbbed and was bleeding from injury at the back, and the calves of both legs were burned. A pair of high-top shoes protected his ankles and feet from burns. He had looked skyward and around him for other crew members, but saw none. When he did emerge from cover, he saw a farmer and his young daughter watching him. He walked to them and tried to communicate. As he started to leave, the farmer gave him a package of food. 61
The young daughter recalls that she and her father were harvesting hay. They hid the flyer's parachute in the hay and the family took care of his wounds. Thomas gave them some chocolate and inquired about the direction to Ostrava, when told, he started walking in the opposite direction, toward Slovakia. Crews had been briefed that the Slovakians were generally friendly and there was the possibility for an anti-Nazi uprising in Slovakia. One did in fact occur a day and a half later. The farmer and his daughter, and other inhabitants in the area, were interrogated by the Germans about any airmen they had seen. They acknowledged only the nine dead found scattered about by the exploding aircraft. No mention was made of Lt. Thomas.62
Feeling he had to get out of the area, Thomas started walking. He kept to the forest and the ridges, but still ran into people, yet none raised an alarm. On the evening of the second day he came to the Yah river. He had just removed his shoes and part of his clothes and was bundling them for the swim across the river when a young male Czech caught his attention. The young man made Thomas to understand that the bridge just down stream was guarded by the "Deutsche," and he shouldn't chance the swim. Also that the city in the distance was Trenchin, Slovakia. Thomas put his clothes back on, and the young man eventually arranged for sanctuary after Thomas had convinced his benefactors he was an Americhanski. Thomas was given refuge in a brick factory where several families lived. After three days the host families became uneasy over his presence. Through an Englishspeaking contact he asked to be put in touch with those who might help him evade and escape, otherwise he would leave on his own. Early on the fourth morning two gendarmes with the underground, took him across the bridge past the German sentries to some Slovakian barracks where he was hidden for the night. The next morning two gendarmes drove him south and east through several German check points, using the ruse that he was a retarded mute being returned to an institution. About noon they arrived in a small city where Thomas was joined by three or four other evaders, one of whom was S/Sgt. Robert D. Donahue. That night Thomas and Donahue slept at the beautiful country home of an elderly couple who were working with the underground. Sadly, this couple was executed by the Germans shortly thereafter. The next day their partisan befrienders joined the rear of a small four-or-five car entourage of a Czechoslovakian General. The pompous general stopped in the villages to make speeches to those who had been rounded up to hear him. The partisans didn't like him and the two Americans didn't learn why until later. As the entourage went from village to village, somehow word spread that their were two American flyers in the party. At the next village, Thomas and Donahue were swarmed by people while the general was left to talk to the mayor. Late in the afternoon they reached the army garrison in Banska Bystrica. They were taken to the partisan headquarters and waited in the foyer while the Czech general paid his respects to the general commanding the partisans. The Czech general emerged, visibly shaken. With the aid of others he was taken away and shortly gun fire was heard from the rear of the garrison. The two Americans were later told that the Czech general had been executed, apparently for collaborating with the Germans. Thomas and Donahue were greeted warmly, and enthusiastically by the partisan general who arranged for them to draw Czech korunas from the finance center. Later the two were given quarters at the garrison, and had general run of the town. One day at a cafe they met a Mr. Thomez (or Tomes) an American citizen, now in his forties, who had returned to Czechoslovakia with his parents when he was twelve. Together they went to the partisan headquarters and working through partisan intelligence and British Broadcasting Company communications, they transmitted the names and serial numbers of American and other allied airmen coming into Banska Bystrica. This information was in turn sent to Fifteenth Air Force Headquarters at Bari, Italy. On Sunday September 17, Thomas and Donahue were walking to an ice cream shop on main street when some fighter planes buzzed the city. At first they thought the planes must be German or Russian. No. They were P-5ls! A truck came screeching down the street with men shouting for Americans. Thomas and Donahue jumped in and were hauled to Tri Duby Airport where two B-17s were waiting with engines running. They climbed aboard and the planes took off for Bari. The rescue was an OSS operation. The incoming flight brought a contingent of OSS personnel including a colonel who replaced a colonel who came out with the return fight. That returning colonel had been the liaison officer with the Russians in the area. Among the twelve American evaders brought out besides Thomas and Donahue was 2nd Lt. Clarence B. Jackson, CP, from Bullock's crew, and Cpl. Paul c.P. Reinhart, shot down September 13 on mission 274 to Bleckhammer. The others included two Australians and Mr. Thomez (Tomes).63
The returnees were sworn to secrecy about the OSS operation at the time. Which explains why returnee statements were so cryptic or non-existent.
-------------------------------------------------------
2nd BG, 20th B Sq
CoPilot
B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time'
He was the son of William Arthur Goodman and Maggie J Suther Goodman of Concord, Cabarrus County, NC. He graduated from Mount Pleasant High School at age 16, and was Salutatorian of his class. He has a cenotaph marker in his family cemetery here
2nd Lt Carl S Goodman, Concord NC
--Brothers--
Opal Hoyt Goodman
Frank Buford Goodman
Hobart Lee Goodman
William Monroe Goodman
Johnny Nelson Goodman
--Sisters-
Darise
Hazeline (Goodman) Faggart
------------------------------------
B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time' of the 2nd BG, 20th B Sq, based at Amandola, Italy, crashed over Sanov, in the former Czechoslovakia on 29 Aug 1944. The crew members were~
2nd Lt Thayne L. Thomas, ASN O-760685, Pilot, from Spanish Fork UT, EUS/RTD
2nd Lt Carl S Goodman, ASN O-768069, CoPilot, from Concord, Cabarrus Co NC, KIA
2nd Lt William M McDonough, ASN O-719978, Navigator, from East Weymouth MA, KIA
2nd Lt Richard P. Hartman, ASN O-772173, Bombardier, from Jacksonville IL, KIA
SSgt Robert L. Brown, ASN 17153889, Upper (Top) Turret Gunner, from Waseca MN, KIA
Sgt Robert J. Flahive, ASN 39212329, Lower (Ball) Turret Gunner, from Seattle WA, KIA
Sgt Jerome (NMI) Bauman, ASN 19151738, Right Waist Gunner, from San Diego CA, KIA
Sgt James J. Johnson, ASN 35807258, Left Waist Gunner, from Louisville KY, KIA
Sgt Dudley E. Standridge, ASN 06283357, Tail Gunner, from CA, KIA
Sgt William R. Mays, ASN 39294274, Radio Operator, from East Weymouth MA, KIA
The crew is listed here in the virtual cemetery for B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time'
-------------------------------------------------------
The following information was provided by findagrave Contributor Roman Susil. Below is a caption from the book 'Defenders of Liberty':
2nd Lt. Thayne L Thomas, pilot of aircraft number 42-38096, "Big Time," was the only survivor of his crew. The airplane was hit over Sanov at an altitude of about 19,500. It burst into flame, exploded, and parts of the disintegrated airplane fell over a wide area. Some of it was still burning the next day. Copilot 2nd Lt. Carl S. Goodman's body was found in part of the wreckage. Tail gunner Sgt. Dudley E. Standridge perished in a portion of the tail found a mile away. Three crewmen either parchuted or were blown from the plane. The parachute of one was on fire and he was killed on impact. Another was dead before impact, the apparent victim of machine gun fire. The Germans collected the remains of the nine victims and they were buried at Slavicin.60
"Big Time" was the victim of a rocket volley. One struck near the number two engine, damaged number one, and set the nose compartment and the flight deck ablaze. Despite being in their safety belts, Thomas was slammed against the side cockpit window, and Goodman was thrown half way into the aisle. The blast exposed the nose compartment to Thomas's view. 2nd Lts. William M. McDonough, N, and Richard P. Hartman, B, had been blown to the floor and to the rear of the nose compartment, and equipment was in disarray. The two lieutenants were soon fighting the blaze with fire extinguishes. Flight engineer, T/Sgt. Robert L. Brown had been knocked to the rear and under the platform of his upper turret. Thomas tried to call the rest of the crew. The intercom was dead. McDonough and Hartman were having some success fighting the fire, and had paused to put on their parachutes, as did Brown. Thomas tried the intercom again without success, so he rang the alarm bell signalling preparation for bailout. He doesn't recall hearing it ring. Brown started to the rear to check the crew. Thomas then rang the alarm bell for bailout. Suddenly he felt intense heat and the red flash of fire. His next conscious sensation was the rush of wind against his face and body. He was tumbling through space. He had difficulty opening his chute and was grappling it with both hands when it popped loose. A shroud line knocked his left arm into his face, dazing him and leaving his arm numb. He saw one parachute falling to earth, deployed, but streaming empty of air. A burning gas tank came hurtling by with a roar. His chute had opened rather close to the ground and he was oscillating widely underneath it. He landed hard during a backs wing and banged his head against the ground. Dazed momentarily, he lay there and watched a Luftwaffe fighter make two passes overhead. Fearing that the pilot may be radioing his position, he dragged himself to the underbrush of nearby trees. His body hurt, his head throbbed and was bleeding from injury at the back, and the calves of both legs were burned. A pair of high-top shoes protected his ankles and feet from burns. He had looked skyward and around him for other crew members, but saw none. When he did emerge from cover, he saw a farmer and his young daughter watching him. He walked to them and tried to communicate. As he started to leave, the farmer gave him a package of food. 61
The young daughter recalls that she and her father were harvesting hay. They hid the flyer's parachute in the hay and the family took care of his wounds. Thomas gave them some chocolate and inquired about the direction to Ostrava, when told, he started walking in the opposite direction, toward Slovakia. Crews had been briefed that the Slovakians were generally friendly and there was the possibility for an anti-Nazi uprising in Slovakia. One did in fact occur a day and a half later. The farmer and his daughter, and other inhabitants in the area, were interrogated by the Germans about any airmen they had seen. They acknowledged only the nine dead found scattered about by the exploding aircraft. No mention was made of Lt. Thomas.62
Feeling he had to get out of the area, Thomas started walking. He kept to the forest and the ridges, but still ran into people, yet none raised an alarm. On the evening of the second day he came to the Yah river. He had just removed his shoes and part of his clothes and was bundling them for the swim across the river when a young male Czech caught his attention. The young man made Thomas to understand that the bridge just down stream was guarded by the "Deutsche," and he shouldn't chance the swim. Also that the city in the distance was Trenchin, Slovakia. Thomas put his clothes back on, and the young man eventually arranged for sanctuary after Thomas had convinced his benefactors he was an Americhanski. Thomas was given refuge in a brick factory where several families lived. After three days the host families became uneasy over his presence. Through an Englishspeaking contact he asked to be put in touch with those who might help him evade and escape, otherwise he would leave on his own. Early on the fourth morning two gendarmes with the underground, took him across the bridge past the German sentries to some Slovakian barracks where he was hidden for the night. The next morning two gendarmes drove him south and east through several German check points, using the ruse that he was a retarded mute being returned to an institution. About noon they arrived in a small city where Thomas was joined by three or four other evaders, one of whom was S/Sgt. Robert D. Donahue. That night Thomas and Donahue slept at the beautiful country home of an elderly couple who were working with the underground. Sadly, this couple was executed by the Germans shortly thereafter. The next day their partisan befrienders joined the rear of a small four-or-five car entourage of a Czechoslovakian General. The pompous general stopped in the villages to make speeches to those who had been rounded up to hear him. The partisans didn't like him and the two Americans didn't learn why until later. As the entourage went from village to village, somehow word spread that their were two American flyers in the party. At the next village, Thomas and Donahue were swarmed by people while the general was left to talk to the mayor. Late in the afternoon they reached the army garrison in Banska Bystrica. They were taken to the partisan headquarters and waited in the foyer while the Czech general paid his respects to the general commanding the partisans. The Czech general emerged, visibly shaken. With the aid of others he was taken away and shortly gun fire was heard from the rear of the garrison. The two Americans were later told that the Czech general had been executed, apparently for collaborating with the Germans. Thomas and Donahue were greeted warmly, and enthusiastically by the partisan general who arranged for them to draw Czech korunas from the finance center. Later the two were given quarters at the garrison, and had general run of the town. One day at a cafe they met a Mr. Thomez (or Tomes) an American citizen, now in his forties, who had returned to Czechoslovakia with his parents when he was twelve. Together they went to the partisan headquarters and working through partisan intelligence and British Broadcasting Company communications, they transmitted the names and serial numbers of American and other allied airmen coming into Banska Bystrica. This information was in turn sent to Fifteenth Air Force Headquarters at Bari, Italy. On Sunday September 17, Thomas and Donahue were walking to an ice cream shop on main street when some fighter planes buzzed the city. At first they thought the planes must be German or Russian. No. They were P-5ls! A truck came screeching down the street with men shouting for Americans. Thomas and Donahue jumped in and were hauled to Tri Duby Airport where two B-17s were waiting with engines running. They climbed aboard and the planes took off for Bari. The rescue was an OSS operation. The incoming flight brought a contingent of OSS personnel including a colonel who replaced a colonel who came out with the return fight. That returning colonel had been the liaison officer with the Russians in the area. Among the twelve American evaders brought out besides Thomas and Donahue was 2nd Lt. Clarence B. Jackson, CP, from Bullock's crew, and Cpl. Paul c.P. Reinhart, shot down September 13 on mission 274 to Bleckhammer. The others included two Australians and Mr. Thomez (Tomes).63
The returnees were sworn to secrecy about the OSS operation at the time. Which explains why returnee statements were so cryptic or non-existent.
-------------------------------------------------------
2nd Lt USAAF WWII
2nd BG, 20th B Sq
CoPilot
B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time'
He was the son of William Arthur Goodman and Maggie J Suther Goodman of Concord, Cabarrus County, NC. He graduated from Mount Pleasant High School at age 16, and was Salutatorian of his class. He has a cenotaph marker in his family cemetery here
2nd Lt Carl S Goodman, Concord NC
--Brothers--
Opal Hoyt Goodman
Frank Buford Goodman
Hobart Lee Goodman
William Monroe Goodman
Johnny Nelson Goodman
--Sisters-
Darise
Hazeline (Goodman) Faggart
------------------------------------
B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time' of the 2nd BG, 20th B Sq, based at Amandola, Italy, crashed over Sanov, in the former Czechoslovakia on 29 Aug 1944. The crew members were~
2nd Lt Thayne L. Thomas, ASN O-760685, Pilot, from Spanish Fork UT, EUS/RTD
2nd Lt Carl S Goodman, ASN O-768069, CoPilot, from Concord, Cabarrus Co NC, KIA
2nd Lt William M McDonough, ASN O-719978, Navigator, from East Weymouth MA, KIA
2nd Lt Richard P. Hartman, ASN O-772173, Bombardier, from Jacksonville IL, KIA
SSgt Robert L. Brown, ASN 17153889, Upper (Top) Turret Gunner, from Waseca MN, KIA
Sgt Robert J. Flahive, ASN 39212329, Lower (Ball) Turret Gunner, from Seattle WA, KIA
Sgt Jerome (NMI) Bauman, ASN 19151738, Right Waist Gunner, from San Diego CA, KIA
Sgt James J. Johnson, ASN 35807258, Left Waist Gunner, from Louisville KY, KIA
Sgt Dudley E. Standridge, ASN 06283357, Tail Gunner, from CA, KIA
Sgt William R. Mays, ASN 39294274, Radio Operator, from East Weymouth MA, KIA
The crew is listed here in the virtual cemetery for B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time'
-------------------------------------------------------
The following information was provided by findagrave Contributor Roman Susil. Below is a caption from the book 'Defenders of Liberty':
2nd Lt. Thayne L Thomas, pilot of aircraft number 42-38096, "Big Time," was the only survivor of his crew. The airplane was hit over Sanov at an altitude of about 19,500. It burst into flame, exploded, and parts of the disintegrated airplane fell over a wide area. Some of it was still burning the next day. Copilot 2nd Lt. Carl S. Goodman's body was found in part of the wreckage. Tail gunner Sgt. Dudley E. Standridge perished in a portion of the tail found a mile away. Three crewmen either parchuted or were blown from the plane. The parachute of one was on fire and he was killed on impact. Another was dead before impact, the apparent victim of machine gun fire. The Germans collected the remains of the nine victims and they were buried at Slavicin.60
"Big Time" was the victim of a rocket volley. One struck near the number two engine, damaged number one, and set the nose compartment and the flight deck ablaze. Despite being in their safety belts, Thomas was slammed against the side cockpit window, and Goodman was thrown half way into the aisle. The blast exposed the nose compartment to Thomas's view. 2nd Lts. William M. McDonough, N, and Richard P. Hartman, B, had been blown to the floor and to the rear of the nose compartment, and equipment was in disarray. The two lieutenants were soon fighting the blaze with fire extinguishes. Flight engineer, T/Sgt. Robert L. Brown had been knocked to the rear and under the platform of his upper turret. Thomas tried to call the rest of the crew. The intercom was dead. McDonough and Hartman were having some success fighting the fire, and had paused to put on their parachutes, as did Brown. Thomas tried the intercom again without success, so he rang the alarm bell signalling preparation for bailout. He doesn't recall hearing it ring. Brown started to the rear to check the crew. Thomas then rang the alarm bell for bailout. Suddenly he felt intense heat and the red flash of fire. His next conscious sensation was the rush of wind against his face and body. He was tumbling through space. He had difficulty opening his chute and was grappling it with both hands when it popped loose. A shroud line knocked his left arm into his face, dazing him and leaving his arm numb. He saw one parachute falling to earth, deployed, but streaming empty of air. A burning gas tank came hurtling by with a roar. His chute had opened rather close to the ground and he was oscillating widely underneath it. He landed hard during a backs wing and banged his head against the ground. Dazed momentarily, he lay there and watched a Luftwaffe fighter make two passes overhead. Fearing that the pilot may be radioing his position, he dragged himself to the underbrush of nearby trees. His body hurt, his head throbbed and was bleeding from injury at the back, and the calves of both legs were burned. A pair of high-top shoes protected his ankles and feet from burns. He had looked skyward and around him for other crew members, but saw none. When he did emerge from cover, he saw a farmer and his young daughter watching him. He walked to them and tried to communicate. As he started to leave, the farmer gave him a package of food. 61
The young daughter recalls that she and her father were harvesting hay. They hid the flyer's parachute in the hay and the family took care of his wounds. Thomas gave them some chocolate and inquired about the direction to Ostrava, when told, he started walking in the opposite direction, toward Slovakia. Crews had been briefed that the Slovakians were generally friendly and there was the possibility for an anti-Nazi uprising in Slovakia. One did in fact occur a day and a half later. The farmer and his daughter, and other inhabitants in the area, were interrogated by the Germans about any airmen they had seen. They acknowledged only the nine dead found scattered about by the exploding aircraft. No mention was made of Lt. Thomas.62
Feeling he had to get out of the area, Thomas started walking. He kept to the forest and the ridges, but still ran into people, yet none raised an alarm. On the evening of the second day he came to the Yah river. He had just removed his shoes and part of his clothes and was bundling them for the swim across the river when a young male Czech caught his attention. The young man made Thomas to understand that the bridge just down stream was guarded by the "Deutsche," and he shouldn't chance the swim. Also that the city in the distance was Trenchin, Slovakia. Thomas put his clothes back on, and the young man eventually arranged for sanctuary after Thomas had convinced his benefactors he was an Americhanski. Thomas was given refuge in a brick factory where several families lived. After three days the host families became uneasy over his presence. Through an Englishspeaking contact he asked to be put in touch with those who might help him evade and escape, otherwise he would leave on his own. Early on the fourth morning two gendarmes with the underground, took him across the bridge past the German sentries to some Slovakian barracks where he was hidden for the night. The next morning two gendarmes drove him south and east through several German check points, using the ruse that he was a retarded mute being returned to an institution. About noon they arrived in a small city where Thomas was joined by three or four other evaders, one of whom was S/Sgt. Robert D. Donahue. That night Thomas and Donahue slept at the beautiful country home of an elderly couple who were working with the underground. Sadly, this couple was executed by the Germans shortly thereafter. The next day their partisan befrienders joined the rear of a small four-or-five car entourage of a Czechoslovakian General. The pompous general stopped in the villages to make speeches to those who had been rounded up to hear him. The partisans didn't like him and the two Americans didn't learn why until later. As the entourage went from village to village, somehow word spread that their were two American flyers in the party. At the next village, Thomas and Donahue were swarmed by people while the general was left to talk to the mayor. Late in the afternoon they reached the army garrison in Banska Bystrica. They were taken to the partisan headquarters and waited in the foyer while the Czech general paid his respects to the general commanding the partisans. The Czech general emerged, visibly shaken. With the aid of others he was taken away and shortly gun fire was heard from the rear of the garrison. The two Americans were later told that the Czech general had been executed, apparently for collaborating with the Germans. Thomas and Donahue were greeted warmly, and enthusiastically by the partisan general who arranged for them to draw Czech korunas from the finance center. Later the two were given quarters at the garrison, and had general run of the town. One day at a cafe they met a Mr. Thomez (or Tomes) an American citizen, now in his forties, who had returned to Czechoslovakia with his parents when he was twelve. Together they went to the partisan headquarters and working through partisan intelligence and British Broadcasting Company communications, they transmitted the names and serial numbers of American and other allied airmen coming into Banska Bystrica. This information was in turn sent to Fifteenth Air Force Headquarters at Bari, Italy. On Sunday September 17, Thomas and Donahue were walking to an ice cream shop on main street when some fighter planes buzzed the city. At first they thought the planes must be German or Russian. No. They were P-5ls! A truck came screeching down the street with men shouting for Americans. Thomas and Donahue jumped in and were hauled to Tri Duby Airport where two B-17s were waiting with engines running. They climbed aboard and the planes took off for Bari. The rescue was an OSS operation. The incoming flight brought a contingent of OSS personnel including a colonel who replaced a colonel who came out with the return fight. That returning colonel had been the liaison officer with the Russians in the area. Among the twelve American evaders brought out besides Thomas and Donahue was 2nd Lt. Clarence B. Jackson, CP, from Bullock's crew, and Cpl. Paul c.P. Reinhart, shot down September 13 on mission 274 to Bleckhammer. The others included two Australians and Mr. Thomez (Tomes).63
The returnees were sworn to secrecy about the OSS operation at the time. Which explains why returnee statements were so cryptic or non-existent.
-------------------------------------------------------
2nd BG, 20th B Sq
CoPilot
B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time'
He was the son of William Arthur Goodman and Maggie J Suther Goodman of Concord, Cabarrus County, NC. He graduated from Mount Pleasant High School at age 16, and was Salutatorian of his class. He has a cenotaph marker in his family cemetery here
2nd Lt Carl S Goodman, Concord NC
--Brothers--
Opal Hoyt Goodman
Frank Buford Goodman
Hobart Lee Goodman
William Monroe Goodman
Johnny Nelson Goodman
--Sisters-
Darise
Hazeline (Goodman) Faggart
------------------------------------
B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time' of the 2nd BG, 20th B Sq, based at Amandola, Italy, crashed over Sanov, in the former Czechoslovakia on 29 Aug 1944. The crew members were~
2nd Lt Thayne L. Thomas, ASN O-760685, Pilot, from Spanish Fork UT, EUS/RTD
2nd Lt Carl S Goodman, ASN O-768069, CoPilot, from Concord, Cabarrus Co NC, KIA
2nd Lt William M McDonough, ASN O-719978, Navigator, from East Weymouth MA, KIA
2nd Lt Richard P. Hartman, ASN O-772173, Bombardier, from Jacksonville IL, KIA
SSgt Robert L. Brown, ASN 17153889, Upper (Top) Turret Gunner, from Waseca MN, KIA
Sgt Robert J. Flahive, ASN 39212329, Lower (Ball) Turret Gunner, from Seattle WA, KIA
Sgt Jerome (NMI) Bauman, ASN 19151738, Right Waist Gunner, from San Diego CA, KIA
Sgt James J. Johnson, ASN 35807258, Left Waist Gunner, from Louisville KY, KIA
Sgt Dudley E. Standridge, ASN 06283357, Tail Gunner, from CA, KIA
Sgt William R. Mays, ASN 39294274, Radio Operator, from East Weymouth MA, KIA
The crew is listed here in the virtual cemetery for B-17G #42-38096 'Big Time'
-------------------------------------------------------
The following information was provided by findagrave Contributor Roman Susil. Below is a caption from the book 'Defenders of Liberty':
2nd Lt. Thayne L Thomas, pilot of aircraft number 42-38096, "Big Time," was the only survivor of his crew. The airplane was hit over Sanov at an altitude of about 19,500. It burst into flame, exploded, and parts of the disintegrated airplane fell over a wide area. Some of it was still burning the next day. Copilot 2nd Lt. Carl S. Goodman's body was found in part of the wreckage. Tail gunner Sgt. Dudley E. Standridge perished in a portion of the tail found a mile away. Three crewmen either parchuted or were blown from the plane. The parachute of one was on fire and he was killed on impact. Another was dead before impact, the apparent victim of machine gun fire. The Germans collected the remains of the nine victims and they were buried at Slavicin.60
"Big Time" was the victim of a rocket volley. One struck near the number two engine, damaged number one, and set the nose compartment and the flight deck ablaze. Despite being in their safety belts, Thomas was slammed against the side cockpit window, and Goodman was thrown half way into the aisle. The blast exposed the nose compartment to Thomas's view. 2nd Lts. William M. McDonough, N, and Richard P. Hartman, B, had been blown to the floor and to the rear of the nose compartment, and equipment was in disarray. The two lieutenants were soon fighting the blaze with fire extinguishes. Flight engineer, T/Sgt. Robert L. Brown had been knocked to the rear and under the platform of his upper turret. Thomas tried to call the rest of the crew. The intercom was dead. McDonough and Hartman were having some success fighting the fire, and had paused to put on their parachutes, as did Brown. Thomas tried the intercom again without success, so he rang the alarm bell signalling preparation for bailout. He doesn't recall hearing it ring. Brown started to the rear to check the crew. Thomas then rang the alarm bell for bailout. Suddenly he felt intense heat and the red flash of fire. His next conscious sensation was the rush of wind against his face and body. He was tumbling through space. He had difficulty opening his chute and was grappling it with both hands when it popped loose. A shroud line knocked his left arm into his face, dazing him and leaving his arm numb. He saw one parachute falling to earth, deployed, but streaming empty of air. A burning gas tank came hurtling by with a roar. His chute had opened rather close to the ground and he was oscillating widely underneath it. He landed hard during a backs wing and banged his head against the ground. Dazed momentarily, he lay there and watched a Luftwaffe fighter make two passes overhead. Fearing that the pilot may be radioing his position, he dragged himself to the underbrush of nearby trees. His body hurt, his head throbbed and was bleeding from injury at the back, and the calves of both legs were burned. A pair of high-top shoes protected his ankles and feet from burns. He had looked skyward and around him for other crew members, but saw none. When he did emerge from cover, he saw a farmer and his young daughter watching him. He walked to them and tried to communicate. As he started to leave, the farmer gave him a package of food. 61
The young daughter recalls that she and her father were harvesting hay. They hid the flyer's parachute in the hay and the family took care of his wounds. Thomas gave them some chocolate and inquired about the direction to Ostrava, when told, he started walking in the opposite direction, toward Slovakia. Crews had been briefed that the Slovakians were generally friendly and there was the possibility for an anti-Nazi uprising in Slovakia. One did in fact occur a day and a half later. The farmer and his daughter, and other inhabitants in the area, were interrogated by the Germans about any airmen they had seen. They acknowledged only the nine dead found scattered about by the exploding aircraft. No mention was made of Lt. Thomas.62
Feeling he had to get out of the area, Thomas started walking. He kept to the forest and the ridges, but still ran into people, yet none raised an alarm. On the evening of the second day he came to the Yah river. He had just removed his shoes and part of his clothes and was bundling them for the swim across the river when a young male Czech caught his attention. The young man made Thomas to understand that the bridge just down stream was guarded by the "Deutsche," and he shouldn't chance the swim. Also that the city in the distance was Trenchin, Slovakia. Thomas put his clothes back on, and the young man eventually arranged for sanctuary after Thomas had convinced his benefactors he was an Americhanski. Thomas was given refuge in a brick factory where several families lived. After three days the host families became uneasy over his presence. Through an Englishspeaking contact he asked to be put in touch with those who might help him evade and escape, otherwise he would leave on his own. Early on the fourth morning two gendarmes with the underground, took him across the bridge past the German sentries to some Slovakian barracks where he was hidden for the night. The next morning two gendarmes drove him south and east through several German check points, using the ruse that he was a retarded mute being returned to an institution. About noon they arrived in a small city where Thomas was joined by three or four other evaders, one of whom was S/Sgt. Robert D. Donahue. That night Thomas and Donahue slept at the beautiful country home of an elderly couple who were working with the underground. Sadly, this couple was executed by the Germans shortly thereafter. The next day their partisan befrienders joined the rear of a small four-or-five car entourage of a Czechoslovakian General. The pompous general stopped in the villages to make speeches to those who had been rounded up to hear him. The partisans didn't like him and the two Americans didn't learn why until later. As the entourage went from village to village, somehow word spread that their were two American flyers in the party. At the next village, Thomas and Donahue were swarmed by people while the general was left to talk to the mayor. Late in the afternoon they reached the army garrison in Banska Bystrica. They were taken to the partisan headquarters and waited in the foyer while the Czech general paid his respects to the general commanding the partisans. The Czech general emerged, visibly shaken. With the aid of others he was taken away and shortly gun fire was heard from the rear of the garrison. The two Americans were later told that the Czech general had been executed, apparently for collaborating with the Germans. Thomas and Donahue were greeted warmly, and enthusiastically by the partisan general who arranged for them to draw Czech korunas from the finance center. Later the two were given quarters at the garrison, and had general run of the town. One day at a cafe they met a Mr. Thomez (or Tomes) an American citizen, now in his forties, who had returned to Czechoslovakia with his parents when he was twelve. Together they went to the partisan headquarters and working through partisan intelligence and British Broadcasting Company communications, they transmitted the names and serial numbers of American and other allied airmen coming into Banska Bystrica. This information was in turn sent to Fifteenth Air Force Headquarters at Bari, Italy. On Sunday September 17, Thomas and Donahue were walking to an ice cream shop on main street when some fighter planes buzzed the city. At first they thought the planes must be German or Russian. No. They were P-5ls! A truck came screeching down the street with men shouting for Americans. Thomas and Donahue jumped in and were hauled to Tri Duby Airport where two B-17s were waiting with engines running. They climbed aboard and the planes took off for Bari. The rescue was an OSS operation. The incoming flight brought a contingent of OSS personnel including a colonel who replaced a colonel who came out with the return fight. That returning colonel had been the liaison officer with the Russians in the area. Among the twelve American evaders brought out besides Thomas and Donahue was 2nd Lt. Clarence B. Jackson, CP, from Bullock's crew, and Cpl. Paul c.P. Reinhart, shot down September 13 on mission 274 to Bleckhammer. The others included two Australians and Mr. Thomez (Tomes).63
The returnees were sworn to secrecy about the OSS operation at the time. Which explains why returnee statements were so cryptic or non-existent.
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