All of Jack Wagner’s 25 missions occurred during 1943, when he served originally as a waist gunner, a top turret gunner, and then as a flight engineer. German targets constituted the bulk of the missions, with some in France and one in Belgium. His first mission target was Emden, Germany, and ironically, that was also the target for his 25th and last mission on September 25, 1943. Nine different B-17’s had the Wabbit Twacks identification due to losses from battle damage, crash landings and ditchings in the English Channel or the North Sea.
Three German fighters were shot down by Jack Wagner using the .30 caliber weapons that served as protection for the Flying Fortress. Captain Flagg’s total crew was officially credited with 21 German fighters destroyed while receiving extensive battle damage to their beloved Wabbit Twacks. The fact that this aircrew survived the 25 missions and delivered notable damage to the Lufwaffe did not go unnoticed. This heroic record resulted in the following awards to Captain Flagg’s crew: nine Silver Stars, ten Distinguished Flying Crosses, forty Air Medals, five Purple Hearts, ten Unit Citations, and the Battle Star for Air Offensive against occupied Europe and Germany.
The British Broadcasting Company interviewed Wagner in a broadcast that was sent stateside. Also the United Broadcasting Company in Cleveland had Wagner as the subject of one of their programs. Across the United States, local area newspapers and media were anxious to report on these wartime exploits. As word came back to the Cleveland area, Jack Wagner and John Solinsky received extensive coverage of their exploits as members of this crew. They had all managed to come through the war intact, with numerous wounds but without any fatalities. Staff Sergeant Wagner, through the United Press, authored two articles detailing his hazardous missions, and these were published in the Lorain Journal in Oct 1943.
However, the best reference for enlightenment of Jack Wagner’s experiences is in his 33 page summary, typed when he was recuperating at the Pawling, NY Rehabilitation Center in December 1943. Excerpts from this effort follow:
“Our first raid was on Emden, Germany, and there I saw my first burst of flak. I knew what it was but could not realize that it was dangerous. The smoke hung in the air where the shell had burst leaving only an oily, black cloud or smoke shaped like a toadstool. The batteries on the ground were set in fours and the shells burst in groups of four, looking like four soldiers in a row and at equal arms length, and at attention.
“…The thought ran through my mind when the shell hit my ammunition box. Little trickles of flame licked out of the pile of splinters and gun powder that littered the floor. The gun powder was from the broken cartridge cases that the shell hit. A shell hit my parachute and I knew that I could not bail out. So I fought on and did a lot of praying and hoping. What followed will always seem like a nightmare.
“I hit one of the fighters with a short burst of 50 cal. and he exploded. I hit another one soon after and he caught fire and plunged towards the ground. I didn’t get credit for him as I didn’t see him hit the ground, I was too busy. The shell that hit the ammunition box had also hit me in the face and legs with a lot of splinters and the other waist gunner got some in the legs. I thought that he had been hit in the stomach because he doubled over when the shell hit, and fell down. I made him lay down and took over both guns, one out of each side of the plane and fought like Two Gun Dick. The fight had started at about 23,000 feet and when the fighters finally left us, we were at about 20 feet above the water of the English Channel….When we got back to home base we measured the hole made by the exploding shell and it was two foot wide and over four feet long.
“It made me feel proud of the crew…It seemed as if each would pick the plane he would shoot at and everyone picked a different one. It was the best fire control that I ever hope to see.
“When we got back to the base the red flares were fired and the ambulance was there to meet us. We were rushed to the hospital and sewed up. Then I was sent to another hospital for an operation on my eye as the splinter was still in there. The doctor was very good and I still have the sight of that eye. When the damage on the aircraft was checked, it was found that we had been hit with 39 20mm shells, and had over 500 bullet holes in the fuselage and uncounted ones in the wings….The factory men that saw the ship said that it was impossible for that plane to maintain flight. It was the saddest looking airplane that I have ever seen.
“I froze my feet and hands on one trip in temperatures of about 69 below zero. That was a cold day and I spent the next week in a bed with my hands and feet wrapped in thick warm blankets. I made out alright although the skin came off one finger and a toe.
“The next raid was to Regansberg near Munich…My ship had a gas tank hit and the hole was too big to seal by itself and all the gas… went into the wing. The trail that the gas makes could be seen for miles and the Germans tried to put a bullet into that wing. If they had we would have blown up and I would not be writing this now….Once over the Mediterranean Sea, we started to lighten the ship by throwing most of the ammunition overboard…There were planes all around and they were all throwing things overboard, even parachutes….We made it with a very few minutes to spare and had just enough fuel to taxi off the runway.”
Jack Wagner also recorded an incident where he was assigned to another crew which made him grossly uncomfortable considering the great friendship developed within the Wabbit Twacks aircrew. When this mission was subsequently cancelled he was greatly relieved. On another mission battle damage had caused the tail wheel to be dislodged, causing concern for their return landing. Jack had big feet, wearing a size 13AAA shoe, and using his big foot held a critical pin in place until a safe landing was accomplished. It is not known if he was kiddingly called “Big Foot”, but Captain Flagg and all the crew members were surely appreciative of where Wagner placed his large foot during their safe landing.
The British Broadcasting Company interviewed Wagner in a broadcast that was sent stateside. Also the United Broadcasting Company in Cleveland had Wagner as the subject of one of their programs.
Wings Over Cumberland 