Captain Winston Somers Rogers, Army serial number O-803873, was born at Saint Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida on June 3, 1919. His parents were Mitchell Calvin Rogers (19 May 1885 – 5 Oct 1966) and Abbie M. (Somers) Rogers (15 Apr 1891 – 8 Dec 1981), who were born in Florida. His parents married at Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida on August 25, 1911. His father owned and operated a dry cleaning business on Central Avenue in Saint Petersburg, Florida. He had a brother, Mitchell Calvin Rogers Jr (called Calvin) (21 Apr 1912 – 18 Nov 1978); and a sister, Doris E. (Rogers) Walker (20 Mar 1915 – 11 Sep 1990). In 1918 the family lived at 1704 Central Avenue, St Petersburg. By 1930 the family home was on Lealman Avenue in Saint Petersburg.
He graduated from Saint Petersburg High School in 1937 and from Louisiana State University in 1941, where he majored in aviation and business. He was employed by Eastern Air Lines in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was manager of their Montgomery, Alabama office for one year before enlisting in the Army Air Corps at Tampa, Florida on July 2, 1942. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed 160 pounds, and had hazel eyes and brown hair. He trained to be an Army Air Forces pilot at Maxwell Field, Alabama; Union City, Tennessee; and Blytheville, Arkansas. He completed the course at Blytheville, Arkansas, and received his wings and commission as a Second Lieutenant on May 28, 1943. In June 1943 he went on to four-engine heavy bomber transition training in the B-24 Liberator bomber at Smyrna Army Air Field, Tennessee, in order to qualify as pilot in command of that aircraft type.
He was assigned a crew and began B-24 crew training at Gowen Army Air Base, Idaho. He continued this training with the 538th Bomb Squadron of the 382nd Bomb Group at Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho. On November 20, 1943, his crew was reassigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska. In December 1943 the 487th Bomb Group moved to Alamogordo Army Air Base New Mexico. He was promoted to First Lieutenant effective December 10, 1943, just before the move to Alamogordo.
The Rogers crew completed B-24 crew training with the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24 42-52625 overseas via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
At Lavenham the Rogers crew became a lead crew. Then Lt Rogers was taken off the crew and became the Operations Officer of the 836th Bomb Squadron, and an Air Leader. In July 1944 the 487th Bomb Group transitioned to flying the B-17 Flying Fortress. On August 25, 1944, Lt Rogers flew as Air Leader with the crew of Lt Joseph A. Duncan in the 839th Bomb Squadron, on a mission to bomb the German airfield at Rechlin, Germany. Here is Lt Duncan's crew roster on that day:
B-17G 43-37980 – 839th Bomb Squadron
• Duncan, Joseph A – 1/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Rogers, Winston S – Capt – Air Leader – KIA
• Jones, Richard L – Capt – Pilotage Navigator – KIA
• Friedman, Ely N – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Dolan, James J – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Henahan, Joseph W – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Brown, Gerard F – T/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Everett, Lloyd E – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Brown, Rhodes L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Wolyn, Monroe S – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Hood Jr, James – 2/Lt – Tail Gunner – MIA
On August 25, 1944 Lt Duncan's crew took off from Lavenham Airfield in B-17G 43-37980, flying as the deputy lead aircraft of the Lead Squadron. Lt Rogers flew in the copilot position as Air Leader, and copilot Lt Hood moved to the tail gunner position as Officer Tail Gunner and formation observer. Lt Rogers and eight of his crewmates were killed in action when the aircraft was hit by flak just after bombs away over Rechlin, Germany. The right outer wing was lost, and the burning aircraft went into a spin, exploded, and crashed in Muritz Lake (Müritzsee) near Boek, Germany, north of the target. Two crew members, 1/Lt Joseph Anderson Duncan and S/Sgt Monroe Stanley Wolyn, were blown clear and survived. Lt Hood apparently never left his position in the tail, and went down with the aircraft wreckage in Muritz Lake.
The body of Lt Rogers was recovered on the shore of Muritz Lake near Boek, Germany on September 20, 1944. His remains and those of seven of his crew mates were buried initially at the Retzow Cemetery in Retzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, a short distance north of Rechlin Airfield. Lt Hood's body was never found, and his remains were deemed nonrecoverable in August 1949.
Lt Rogers' remains were disinterred from Retzow Cemetery on July 17, 1947, and moved to the U.S. Military Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium (now called Ardennes American Cemetery), where they were reinterred in Plot BB, Row 3, Grave 52. His remains were returned to the United States in 1949, and were accompanied from the New York Port of Entry to Clearwater, Florida by military escort Captain Lumir J. Vitek, U.S. Air Force. The remains departed Jersey City, New Jersey by train on Tuesday, May 31, 1949, and arrived at Clearwater, Florida on the morning of Thursday, June 2, 1949. Following an afternoon funeral service, his remains were interred at Clearwater Municipal Cemetery. He was promoted to Captain posthumously.
Some relatives:
His father's parents were Joel W. Rogers (14 Feb 1848 – 19 Dec 1903), who was born in Georgia; and Margaret Ann (Turner) Rogers (13 Feb 1852 – 5 May 1937), who was born in Florida. By 1880 his father's parents lived at Hillsborough County, Florida. Joel W. Rogers was a farmer and a real estate agent; he and his wife Margaret had at least nine children.
His mother's parents were Samuel Barrett Somers (15 Sep 1858 – 15 Aug 1907) and Mary Antonia (Houston) Somers (abt 1864 – unk), who were born in Florida; they married about 1884 and lived in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. Samuel B. Somers was a steamboat captain; he and his wife Antonia had at least seven children.
Sources
1. 49 Squadron Association. Retzow Cemetery in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
2. 487th Bomb Group Association
3. 1880 US Census; Florida; Hillsborough County. Rodgers, Joel W [sic]. 8 Jun 1880 (Joel W. Rogers, his father's father)
4. 1885 Florida State Census; Hillsborough County. Rogers, J W. 30 Jun 1885 (Joel W. Rogers, his father's father)
5. 1900 US Census; Hillsborough County; Saint Petersburg Town; Sixth Avenue. Rogers, Joel. 7 Jun 1900 (Joel W. Rogers, his father's father)
6. 1900 US Census; Florida; Duval County; Jacksonville City; 1736 Duval Street. Somers, Samuel. 7 Jun 1900 (Samuel Barrett Somers, his mother's father)
7. 1910 US Census; Florida; Duval County; Jacksonville City; Ward 4; 228 E Duval Street. Rogers, W J Mrs [sic]. 27 Apr 1910 (Margaret A. Rogers, his father's mother, who was widowed)
8. 1920 US Census; Florida; Pinellas; Saint Petersburg City. 1704 West Central Avenue. Rogers, M C. 7 Jan 1920 (Mitchell C. Rogers, his father)
9. 1930 US Census; Florida; Pinellas County; 3865 Lealman Avenue. Rogers, Mitchell C. 16 Apr 1930 (his father)
10. 1940 US Census; Florida; Pinellas County; 3691 Lealman Avenue. Rogers, Mitchell C. 1 May 1940 (his father)
11. 1945 Florida State Census; Pinellas County; Saint Petersburg. 3695 Lealman Avenue. Rogers, Mitchell C (his father)
12. Cemetery Records of Clearwater Municipal Cemetery, Florida
13. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
14. Enlistment Record of Winston S. Rogers
15. Florida Marriages, 1837–1974: Mitchell C. Rogers, age 26, married Abbie M. Somers, age 20, at Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida on 25 Aug 1911 (his parents)
16. HQ, 487th Bomb Group, Army Air Field, Bruning, Nebraska. Special Orders Number 26. 23 Nov 1943 (crew of Winston S. Rogers released from 538th Bomb Squadron, 382nd Bomb Group (H), Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho; assigned to 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group (H), Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska effective 20 Nov 1943)
17. HQ, Bruning Army Air Field, Nebraska. Special Orders Number 256. 12 Dec 1943 (transfer of the 487th Bomb Group from Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska to Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico; he is listed on page 3, with the 836th Bomb Squadron.)
18. HQ, Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. Special Orders Number 71. 11 Mar 1944 (487th Bomb Group flight echelon order to proceed from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Herington, Kansas during the deployment to England)
19. Rogers, Linda L. Personal Conversation. 25 Apr 2016 (his niece)
20. Saint Petersburg (Florida) Evening Independent. Lt. W. S. Rogers Killed in Action. Mon, 11 Dec 1944, p 13
21. Saint Petersburg (Florida) Times. Memorial Rites Tomorrow For Capt. Winston Rogers. Wed, 1 Jun 1949, p 14
22. Tampa (Florida) Tribune. Obituary of Doris Elizabeth Rogers Walker. 13 Sep 1990 (his sister, wife of Cecil Walker; born at Jacksonville FL; died at St Petersburg FL on 11 Sep 1990 at age 75)
23. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 8470.
24. U.S. Department of the Army, Adjutant General Office, Technical Records Section. Individual Deceased Personnel File of Winston S. Rogers, O-803873 (aka '293 File')
25. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
26. World War I Draft Registration of Mitchell Calvin Rogers. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
26 Apr 2016
Last edited 2 Mar 2024
Captain Winston Somers Rogers, Army serial number O-803873, was born at Saint Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida on June 3, 1919. His parents were Mitchell Calvin Rogers (19 May 1885 – 5 Oct 1966) and Abbie M. (Somers) Rogers (15 Apr 1891 – 8 Dec 1981), who were born in Florida. His parents married at Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida on August 25, 1911. His father owned and operated a dry cleaning business on Central Avenue in Saint Petersburg, Florida. He had a brother, Mitchell Calvin Rogers Jr (called Calvin) (21 Apr 1912 – 18 Nov 1978); and a sister, Doris E. (Rogers) Walker (20 Mar 1915 – 11 Sep 1990). In 1918 the family lived at 1704 Central Avenue, St Petersburg. By 1930 the family home was on Lealman Avenue in Saint Petersburg.
He graduated from Saint Petersburg High School in 1937 and from Louisiana State University in 1941, where he majored in aviation and business. He was employed by Eastern Air Lines in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was manager of their Montgomery, Alabama office for one year before enlisting in the Army Air Corps at Tampa, Florida on July 2, 1942. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed 160 pounds, and had hazel eyes and brown hair. He trained to be an Army Air Forces pilot at Maxwell Field, Alabama; Union City, Tennessee; and Blytheville, Arkansas. He completed the course at Blytheville, Arkansas, and received his wings and commission as a Second Lieutenant on May 28, 1943. In June 1943 he went on to four-engine heavy bomber transition training in the B-24 Liberator bomber at Smyrna Army Air Field, Tennessee, in order to qualify as pilot in command of that aircraft type.
He was assigned a crew and began B-24 crew training at Gowen Army Air Base, Idaho. He continued this training with the 538th Bomb Squadron of the 382nd Bomb Group at Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho. On November 20, 1943, his crew was reassigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska. In December 1943 the 487th Bomb Group moved to Alamogordo Army Air Base New Mexico. He was promoted to First Lieutenant effective December 10, 1943, just before the move to Alamogordo.
The Rogers crew completed B-24 crew training with the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24 42-52625 overseas via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
At Lavenham the Rogers crew became a lead crew. Then Lt Rogers was taken off the crew and became the Operations Officer of the 836th Bomb Squadron, and an Air Leader. In July 1944 the 487th Bomb Group transitioned to flying the B-17 Flying Fortress. On August 25, 1944, Lt Rogers flew as Air Leader with the crew of Lt Joseph A. Duncan in the 839th Bomb Squadron, on a mission to bomb the German airfield at Rechlin, Germany. Here is Lt Duncan's crew roster on that day:
B-17G 43-37980 – 839th Bomb Squadron
• Duncan, Joseph A – 1/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Rogers, Winston S – Capt – Air Leader – KIA
• Jones, Richard L – Capt – Pilotage Navigator – KIA
• Friedman, Ely N – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Dolan, James J – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Henahan, Joseph W – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Brown, Gerard F – T/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Everett, Lloyd E – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Brown, Rhodes L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Wolyn, Monroe S – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Hood Jr, James – 2/Lt – Tail Gunner – MIA
On August 25, 1944 Lt Duncan's crew took off from Lavenham Airfield in B-17G 43-37980, flying as the deputy lead aircraft of the Lead Squadron. Lt Rogers flew in the copilot position as Air Leader, and copilot Lt Hood moved to the tail gunner position as Officer Tail Gunner and formation observer. Lt Rogers and eight of his crewmates were killed in action when the aircraft was hit by flak just after bombs away over Rechlin, Germany. The right outer wing was lost, and the burning aircraft went into a spin, exploded, and crashed in Muritz Lake (Müritzsee) near Boek, Germany, north of the target. Two crew members, 1/Lt Joseph Anderson Duncan and S/Sgt Monroe Stanley Wolyn, were blown clear and survived. Lt Hood apparently never left his position in the tail, and went down with the aircraft wreckage in Muritz Lake.
The body of Lt Rogers was recovered on the shore of Muritz Lake near Boek, Germany on September 20, 1944. His remains and those of seven of his crew mates were buried initially at the Retzow Cemetery in Retzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, a short distance north of Rechlin Airfield. Lt Hood's body was never found, and his remains were deemed nonrecoverable in August 1949.
Lt Rogers' remains were disinterred from Retzow Cemetery on July 17, 1947, and moved to the U.S. Military Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium (now called Ardennes American Cemetery), where they were reinterred in Plot BB, Row 3, Grave 52. His remains were returned to the United States in 1949, and were accompanied from the New York Port of Entry to Clearwater, Florida by military escort Captain Lumir J. Vitek, U.S. Air Force. The remains departed Jersey City, New Jersey by train on Tuesday, May 31, 1949, and arrived at Clearwater, Florida on the morning of Thursday, June 2, 1949. Following an afternoon funeral service, his remains were interred at Clearwater Municipal Cemetery. He was promoted to Captain posthumously.
Some relatives:
His father's parents were Joel W. Rogers (14 Feb 1848 – 19 Dec 1903), who was born in Georgia; and Margaret Ann (Turner) Rogers (13 Feb 1852 – 5 May 1937), who was born in Florida. By 1880 his father's parents lived at Hillsborough County, Florida. Joel W. Rogers was a farmer and a real estate agent; he and his wife Margaret had at least nine children.
His mother's parents were Samuel Barrett Somers (15 Sep 1858 – 15 Aug 1907) and Mary Antonia (Houston) Somers (abt 1864 – unk), who were born in Florida; they married about 1884 and lived in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. Samuel B. Somers was a steamboat captain; he and his wife Antonia had at least seven children.
Sources
1. 49 Squadron Association. Retzow Cemetery in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
2. 487th Bomb Group Association
3. 1880 US Census; Florida; Hillsborough County. Rodgers, Joel W [sic]. 8 Jun 1880 (Joel W. Rogers, his father's father)
4. 1885 Florida State Census; Hillsborough County. Rogers, J W. 30 Jun 1885 (Joel W. Rogers, his father's father)
5. 1900 US Census; Hillsborough County; Saint Petersburg Town; Sixth Avenue. Rogers, Joel. 7 Jun 1900 (Joel W. Rogers, his father's father)
6. 1900 US Census; Florida; Duval County; Jacksonville City; 1736 Duval Street. Somers, Samuel. 7 Jun 1900 (Samuel Barrett Somers, his mother's father)
7. 1910 US Census; Florida; Duval County; Jacksonville City; Ward 4; 228 E Duval Street. Rogers, W J Mrs [sic]. 27 Apr 1910 (Margaret A. Rogers, his father's mother, who was widowed)
8. 1920 US Census; Florida; Pinellas; Saint Petersburg City. 1704 West Central Avenue. Rogers, M C. 7 Jan 1920 (Mitchell C. Rogers, his father)
9. 1930 US Census; Florida; Pinellas County; 3865 Lealman Avenue. Rogers, Mitchell C. 16 Apr 1930 (his father)
10. 1940 US Census; Florida; Pinellas County; 3691 Lealman Avenue. Rogers, Mitchell C. 1 May 1940 (his father)
11. 1945 Florida State Census; Pinellas County; Saint Petersburg. 3695 Lealman Avenue. Rogers, Mitchell C (his father)
12. Cemetery Records of Clearwater Municipal Cemetery, Florida
13. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
14. Enlistment Record of Winston S. Rogers
15. Florida Marriages, 1837–1974: Mitchell C. Rogers, age 26, married Abbie M. Somers, age 20, at Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida on 25 Aug 1911 (his parents)
16. HQ, 487th Bomb Group, Army Air Field, Bruning, Nebraska. Special Orders Number 26. 23 Nov 1943 (crew of Winston S. Rogers released from 538th Bomb Squadron, 382nd Bomb Group (H), Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho; assigned to 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group (H), Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska effective 20 Nov 1943)
17. HQ, Bruning Army Air Field, Nebraska. Special Orders Number 256. 12 Dec 1943 (transfer of the 487th Bomb Group from Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska to Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico; he is listed on page 3, with the 836th Bomb Squadron.)
18. HQ, Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. Special Orders Number 71. 11 Mar 1944 (487th Bomb Group flight echelon order to proceed from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Herington, Kansas during the deployment to England)
19. Rogers, Linda L. Personal Conversation. 25 Apr 2016 (his niece)
20. Saint Petersburg (Florida) Evening Independent. Lt. W. S. Rogers Killed in Action. Mon, 11 Dec 1944, p 13
21. Saint Petersburg (Florida) Times. Memorial Rites Tomorrow For Capt. Winston Rogers. Wed, 1 Jun 1949, p 14
22. Tampa (Florida) Tribune. Obituary of Doris Elizabeth Rogers Walker. 13 Sep 1990 (his sister, wife of Cecil Walker; born at Jacksonville FL; died at St Petersburg FL on 11 Sep 1990 at age 75)
23. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 8470.
24. U.S. Department of the Army, Adjutant General Office, Technical Records Section. Individual Deceased Personnel File of Winston S. Rogers, O-803873 (aka '293 File')
25. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
26. World War I Draft Registration of Mitchell Calvin Rogers. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
26 Apr 2016
Last edited 2 Mar 2024
Inscription
CAPT. WINSTON S. ROGERS
1919 – 1944
IN MEMORY OF OUR SON WHO DIED
IN ACTION AT RECHLIN, GERMANY
AUG. 25, 1944
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