Evening star., 1943-10-11
1t. Winont, ENJOYS Son, Missing
After Air Raid Over GERMANY
Fortress Chutes
Muchine-Gunned.
Flyers Report

BY the Associated Press.
A U. S. BOMBER STATION IN
ENGLAND, Oct. lit. John G.
Winant, jr, 22-year-old son of the
American Ambassador to Britain,
was reported missing from raid
over Muenster, Germany, yesterday
and returning flyers said they saw
German fighters machine-gunning
the parachutes blossoming from his
stricken Flying Fortress.
1t. Winant, on his 18th mission,
was plotting the Tech Supply
home Is minutes after the raid when
1t was attacked by three German
planes. Other flyers in his group
said the plane went down under a
rocket-gun attack.
Staff Sergt. Fred P. Livingston,
81, Of Sayre. Okla, said he saw
three parachutes floating below 1t
Winant's Fortress and one man fall
ing free about half mile in the
rear of his own plane.
Then the ship Strengthened out
and flew toward the left" he said
The ship was under attack by three
fighters. They each made a pass at
each of the 'cf1utes and then re-.
sumed their attacks on the For
tress'
Other flyers said as many as five
parachutes opened under the plane
and sixth crewman Of the or 10
men aboard jumped free.
Air Battle Develops.
Both Focke Wulfs and Messer-
schmitts swarmed at 1t. Winants
formation and terrifiic aerial bat
tie developed, the flyers said. One
declared German aircraft were SO
thick that Fortress gunners hardly
had to aim. that they just pulled
triggers and sent enemy planes
crashing down.
The Tech Supply" was reported
to have been hit at $500 0feet.
Young Winant was promoted to
first lieutenant last month after he
had completed his sixth raid.
He was reported missing in Au-
gust on the return trip from Africa
after the first American shuttle raid
on Germany. 1t later developed,
however, that his plane had been
forced to turn back to Africa dur
ing the homeward trip because of
engine trouble, and he was able to
fly back to his home base a few days
later.
Termed Good Joe"
He was termed a Good joe by
his fellow pilots for taking his ship
through 300 miles of the hottest
enemy territory with his rudder
control shot away during that raid
on Germany in which his crew was
credited with shooting down two
German fighters.
1t. Winant. usually as quiet as
his father, said of that flight:
Il was too scared to know whether
it was tough flying without the
rudder control
He admitted a piece of shell had
fiattened itself against the armor
plate of his seat.
Il knew it was his ship because
its name was painted in white and
none of the other ships names is"
Sergt. Livingston, tail gunner on
the Fortress Rose Marie, explained.
His bomb bay was still open.
This was some time after hitting
the target. I could see his tall
gunner firing-red tracers were
coming out.
There were about three ME- 109s
on him. He kept falling away and
back, going downhill backward.
Then I got busy again and lost
track of him."
Plane in Perfect Control.
Tech. Sergt. John w. Graves. 20,
Of Melissa. Tex, top-turret gunner
of the Rose Marie. said:
"Winant crossed in front above
U.S. 1t seemed as though the front
windows of the cockpit and half
the upper turret were shot away
However, the plane was in perfect
control. The next time I looked he
just wasn't there
First 1t. Stephen Nehez, "a. of
MSA0CSHol l, d. dSSiSldllt SQudUIOIl
engineering officer at Lit Winant's
base, recalled 1t. Winants comment
on his 18th mission.
He said don't call this mission
No. 13. call it 12B.' l told him
I was going to church today and he
said, say prayer for me- He
wasn't nervous, though. 1t was just
another mission"
1t. Winant was born at Princeton,
N. j., and would celebrate his 23d
birthday next February g. His
family moved to Concord, N. H.,
when he was 2 years of age and
he had made his home there since.
He attended st. Pauls School,
Concord, and st. Adams School,
Washington, before being graduated
from Deerfield Academy In Deer
field, Mass.
He entered Princeton University
the same year, but left during his
freshman year to join the Army Air
Force. 3
He has a brother, R4vinston