42-97069 MON TETE ROUGE II
MACR 11050
MACR 11050
Mon Tete Rouge II: This plane was named by Master Sgt. Jim Hendricks
who was part of the ground crew, and also friends with the original
“Mon Tete Rouge” pilot Harold G. “Hal” Fulmer”. Unbeknownst to
Fulmer, who was now a squadron commander, Hendricks one day
painted in blue letters the words “Mon Tete Rouge II” on a new silver
colored plane. Fulmer does not remember if he ever personally flew
this plane, but possibly only once or twice at the most.
who was part of the ground crew, and also friends with the original
“Mon Tete Rouge” pilot Harold G. “Hal” Fulmer”. Unbeknownst to
Fulmer, who was now a squadron commander, Hendricks one day
painted in blue letters the words “Mon Tete Rouge II” on a new silver
colored plane. Fulmer does not remember if he ever personally flew
this plane, but possibly only once or twice at the most.
Mission #172 Target:Giessen
December 4, 1944
December 4, 1944
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This was the second time this crew was shot down. The first time they landed safely in Brussels,
Belgium. This time they were not as lucky. Nondkites and Woodwick may have been shot,
because their chutes never opened. 2LT Downey may have stayed with the plane all the way
down. The surviving crew members were picked up by the Germans within minutes of landing.
They were taken to the city jail in Bitburg and remained POWs for the duration of the war.
The plane crashed at 16:00 hours on a railroad track near Messerich and broke into two parts.
The front part caught fire and burned for the entire night with a steady sound of exploding
shells. The rear part of the plane was not damaged and intact. It was laying on the eastern side
of the track. The front part, the wings, and the engines were laying on the western side of the
railroad track and were totally destroyed by the crash and ensuing fire. The pilot's body was
found in a creek in 1951 near the crash site and buried at the cemetery in the Ardennes. The
plane was shot down by the German 3rd Platoon, light flak battalion 977, commanded by LT
Wetzel.
Belgium. This time they were not as lucky. Nondkites and Woodwick may have been shot,
because their chutes never opened. 2LT Downey may have stayed with the plane all the way
down. The surviving crew members were picked up by the Germans within minutes of landing.
They were taken to the city jail in Bitburg and remained POWs for the duration of the war.
The plane crashed at 16:00 hours on a railroad track near Messerich and broke into two parts.
The front part caught fire and burned for the entire night with a steady sound of exploding
shells. The rear part of the plane was not damaged and intact. It was laying on the eastern side
of the track. The front part, the wings, and the engines were laying on the western side of the
railroad track and were totally destroyed by the crash and ensuing fire. The pilot's body was
found in a creek in 1951 near the crash site and buried at the cemetery in the Ardennes. The
plane was shot down by the German 3rd Platoon, light flak battalion 977, commanded by LT
Wetzel.
Artist's sketch of Mon Tete Rouge II
