Chester Koch

This article is by Wolfgang Wittmann

It was February 25, 1944: The final day of Operation "Argument", more widely known as BIG WEEK began. In course of that week, US bombers had launched a number of attacks against the Reich. In particular, German industrial plants were targets, above all aircraft factories. While British bombers attacked at night, it was the US bombers that inflicted considerable damage.

On February 25 the targets of the US bombers from southern Italy were the Messerschmitt plants at Regensburg. For sure, the week must have been terribly exhausting for the crews, as the raids had brought about considerable losses as well. At Lucera, close to Foggia the 301 Bomber Group / 419 Squadron was stationed. 2nd Lt. Chester H. Koch, born on February 19, 1918 in Farnham, New York, went on board of his Boeing B - 17 F 95 BO, Serial 42 - 30310. His crew consisted of Copilot Loy F. Allen, Navigator Paul R. Parent, Bombardier Ralph J. Nyren, Eng. Gunner. Mathew W. Sheils, Rad.Gunner. Rudoph S. Wild, Lower Turret Gunner Charles A. Watson, Waist Gunner. Dwight L. Kimberlin, Waist Gunner. James V. Montecallo and Tail Gunner Warren C. Johnson. The ship itself had been built by Boeing, the front part of the B - 17 F 95 series had been improved so that the guns could be aimed better at enemy fighters and the new astrodome had been introduced. 1)

The Messerschmitt Plants had already been target of the attack on February 22, but the damage was considered to be minor. Therefore, for February 25 a massive attack was planned on the aircraft factories at Augsburg, Fürth and Regensburg. 2) A cooperation between the 8 USSAF in Great Britain and the 15th USAAF in Italy was planned which should mean a difficult stand for the defending German fighters. While smaller groups of the 15th USAAF had the order to attack Fiume, Graz, Zell am See and the harbours of Pola and Zara, the main force consisting out of 176 B - 17 and B - 24 headed for Regensburg. 3)

As the sky was cloudless and the fighter escort could cover just as far as the Alps it was a costly attack. 35 bombers had to return before the attack, 33 were brought down by German fighters, the 301th BG suffered most. Of their 31 bombers 9 had to abort the attack, 13 were shot down and just 9 reached Regensburg. When they finally returned, there were 3 casualties and 7 wounded airmen on board the ships. 4).

Among the victims was the Boeing 42-30310. They were first attacked by fighters of JG 53 (JG stands for Jagdgeschwader = Fighter Squadron) and by the first group of JG 77. Ofw. Herman Stahl claims the destruction of a B - 17 at 12:20 5). He himself has to bail out and lands safely in the area around the Lanschitz Seen, small lakes high up in the mountains of the Schladminger Tauern. He will later play an interesting role in this story. His abandoned plane, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 G crosses the Schöneck, a 2345 m high mountain and finally crashed at the Kleinsölk Valley. Then the JG 27, stationed at Fels am Wagram / Lower Austria hits the US bombers. After readiness for several hours, they started at about 11:00 and north of Klagenfurt their attack started, in particular on the 2nd and 301th BGs. The bombers were left without fighter coverage; a single P 38 is shot down by Hptm. Remmer above the Radstädter Tauern. 6)

Gustav Sturm at the JFS Furth ( Fighter Pilot Training )

The fighters were able to down one bomber after the other, among them the B - 17 42-30310. According to eyewitnesses, the ship flew from the south right up to Tamsweg, a town in the province of Lungau. The former mayor of Lessach Josef Fanninger, the community where the plane would crash, was among the eyewitnesses. 7) No one knows who exactly brought down the B - 17 as so many planes were shot down in a limited area. Among the pilots, there were experienced ones like Gustav Sturm, who could claim two kills that day. According to his kill list, a copy was given to me by the late Oberst Hermann Buchner, he shot down two B - 17 that day and with one of them he added, "explosions all over left hand side, burning, some chutes". 8) Sturm had to bail out of his damaged Bf 109 himself and landed safely near Bad Ischl in Upper Austria. 9) (Cf: Günter Wiesinger, ÖFH Nachrichten 4/1992, page 8)

The B - 17 42-30310 was obviously seriously hit, a fact that was confirmed by the US investigation on February 27, 1944. This is what the members of B - 17 42-30465 said: Wilbur F. Brown, Sgt., Engineer of 42-30465: "When I saw # 42-30310, it was on fire from the engine to the rear of the plane. One parachute came out of the navigator's hatch, then the plane lost altitude. That was the last I saw of plane # 42-30310. " 10) Vincent J. Russo, Sgt., Waist Gunner of 42-30465: "Plane # 42-30310 caught fire and the flames were all the way to the stabilizer. It started to lag behind, then I saw it start to go on its back. I saw one chute come out of the front hatch. That's all I saw because we were then attacked by fighters." 11)

Peter R. Ravinsky, Sgt., Radio Operator of 42-30465: "I saw # 3 engine on plane # 42-30310 burst into big flames. That was all I saw of it as fighters were coming in. " 12) The statements were confirmed by Captain Columbus M. Boyd Jr, Captain, Air Corps, Operation Officer. 13) The statements very well show how close life and death were in those days.

The B - 17 was burning heavily but was kept on course by its autopilot. The ship then exploded close to the summit on the mountain Kasereck (2740 m). The front part of the Boeing crashed in the area called Schneegrube, the tail at the Burgerkar. Obviously, Navigator Paul R. Parent and Tail Gunner Warren C. Johnson had been killed in the fighter attack. The other crew members told the investigators after the war that Johnson's cry was heard via inter - com, afterwards he was heard moaning. As the plane was in critical condition and under constant attack, no one was able to look after him. If he had not been wounded, he could have easily managed to bail out, according to the crew. Paul R. Parent gave the crew the position of 42-30310 from target just prior to attack. 14) That was the last sign of him.

All the other crewmembers were able bail out. With the exception of 2nd Lt. Chester H. Koch and Bombardier Ralph J. Nyren they all were taken POW around Seebach and Krakaudorf, two villages south-east of the crash. Koch probably was the last one to leave the ship as he landed in the area Schneegrube / Burgerkar. It took great efforts to work his way through the deep snow but he finally reached the Laßhoferhütte (a wooden mountain hut) north of Lessach, where he spent the night. 15)

When Koch tried to continue his march towards Lessach, he met Ofw. Hermann Stahl of I./JG 77 by chance. He, too, must have spent the night somewhere, probably at the Obere or Untere Bacheralm (two wooden huts). Stahl had lost one of his boots when leaving his Bf 109 by chute, which certainly was quite a nuisance in the cold winter of the Austrian Alps of 1944. Koch gave him his boot to wear as he had a shoe also. Together they kept on walking and the armed Volkssturmmänner (German Territorial Army) who were searching for parachuters were quite surprised to see a US crew member and the German pilot approaching. 16)

Chester H. Koch lived in western NY state after the war. He visited Lessach at least twice and together with Oberförster Otto Waibel, who was a kind of mountain ranger, was at the site of the crash. According to Otto Waibl, rubber parts of the tanks were used to reinforce the roof of a small hut used by hunters. When the snow got very heavy, they slightly moved and thus blocked the chimney. Consequently, the roof caught fire when the oven was lit and the hut burned down. 17) Koch died on August 31,1992 in Richmond, Virginia.

The fate of Bombardier Ralph J. Nyren reflects what happened to some US crewmembers. After bailing out his chute was blown into the steep rocks of Mount Kasereck where he was caught. There he froze to death while still hanging on the chute. When a herdsman was found wearing US buttons to his cardigan in summer, locals interrogated the boy and finally discovered the remains of Nyren in a place that could not be reached in winter 18). In the 1950s the remains of the crewmembers were reburied, Paul R. Parent and Warren C. Johnson at Lorraine, Ralph J. Nyren in the Ardennes.

It was a tragic coincidence that Dwight L. Kimberlin, who was not member of Koch's crew, had to replace a sick gunner on that mission 19). According to Erwin H. Eckert, Secretary of the 301st BG Association, Kimberlin died in a POW camp 20). This turned out to be incorrect. His widow, Phyllis, told me in a letter that Dwight died in 1995. After bailing out, he was on his own when he was captured. What happened to him as a POW was typical for a huge number of US crewmembers. The following details were added by Phyllis Kimberlin:

Dwight L. Kimberlin at the right of his crew

Dwight Kimberlin was stationed in Foggia / Italy in November 1943. After becoming a POW on February 25, 1944, he was transferred to Frankfurt via Munich. The following 5 months he spent at Stalag Luft 6 / Heydekrug in East Prussia. By steamer, he was taken to Swinemünde across the Baltic Sea where he spent 4 days. The following month saw him at Kiefheide, Stalag Luft 4, called "Terrorfliegercamp" in Pomerania. In 86 days, he had to march 600 miles through Europe, spent three days in Stalag XI B Fallenbostel between Hamburg and Hannover, which apparently had already been abandoned, and then had to march on until his liberation by the 2nd British Army on May 2, 1945. The map was sent to me by Phyllis Kimberlin, I'd like to thank her and his younger and only brother John Kimberlin for valuable information. Therefore, it is not surprising that Dwight Kimberlin was thought to have perished in the march after all the hardships he had to endure.

As to bad weather conditions Operation "Argument", the Big Week, ended on February 25, 1944, although it had been planned to last for 10 days. It is difficult to consider whether the attacks were successful or not. The production of German aircrafts reached its climax in 1944, but as to those bombardments of February 25, the planes were then produced either in mines or secretly in factories in the woods and all over the country. This week showed strength and weakness on both sides. The 301th BG had serious losses when being attacked by German fighters, the protection by heavy machine guns was considered inadequate. Later that year the success of the US bombers was finally achieved when the allied fighters could cover the bombers at any stage of their attacks.

As to the Germans, the success of downing a great number of US bombers could not hide the fact that there were simply not enough planes to protect the Reich. To replace both planes and crews was certainly no problem for the Allies, especially for the US Forces as the Americans could produce their aircraft without any threat of air raids.

If we consider the losses of JG 27 the Messerschmitt Bf 109, though an excellent plane in the hands of experienced pilots, was vulnerable. The JG 27 lost 1 pilot and two were wounded, considering the fierceness of the fight the JG 27 was quite lucky that day. In addition to that, 6 Bf 109 were lost and 5 were damaged by enemy fire 22). Even though the Germans could replace planes at that stage of war very quickly, the loss of experienced pilots was going to turn out to become a serious problem for all units from then on. It was the beginning if the end of German fighters.

Another incident of the story on the 42-30310 shows that pilots and politicians were very different those days. When Hermann Stahl and Chester H. Koch met on their way from the mountains, they behaved like friends, not like enemies. They had been enemies in the air, once they had been defeated or had to bail out, they were pilots among pilots.

If you walk up the mountain today, you will hardly find any traces of B - 17 42-30310. In the 1980s, one could still find smaller parts of the wreck and parts of the engines. The plane itself, or better what had been left, had been dismantled and carried in backpacks down the mountain by locals in the 1950s. They then sold the remains to earn some extra money. Those parts that had been left have all disappeared over the years, would-be historians have swept the mountain, so if you get to the Schneegrube nowadays, you are sure to find unspoiled nature there.

At the end of this article I'd like to thank Richard Pieber, Karl Affenzeller and Josef Eimannsberger, who all helped a lot when working on the fate of B - 17 F 42-30310. I also would like to thank the relations of Dwight L. Kimberlin and Chester H. Koch for photographs and details they have provided. We kindly received the cover picture of the B - 17 42-30310 by the 301st Association.

All the other pictures were kindly sent to the author by relations of Dwight Kimberlin and by those of Chester H. Kock. The picture of pilots of 3./JG 77was taken out of the book by Prien on the history of JG 77, that of Gustav Sturm appeared at ÖFH Nachrichten 4/1992.

Bibliography:

1) Werknummer 42-30232 bis 42-30331. Vergleiche: Hans Heiri Stapfer: Die Boeing B 17 im Detail, Teil 2. In: Flugzeug Nr. 5, Oktober/November 1988, S 59.

2) Vgl.: Peter Schmoll: Luftangriff. Regensburg und die Messerschmittwerke im Fadenkreuz 1939 1945. S 96. Buchverlag der Mittelbayrischen Zeitung. 1995.

3) Peter Schmoll: Luftangriff, S 96

4) Anton Handelsberger: Der Einsatzflughafen Fels/Wgr. Im Tullnerfeld und Die Abwehreinsätze der I u. II. JG 27 in den Luftschlachten über Österreich vom August 1943 August 1944. S 54.

5) Prien: Geschichte des JG 77, Teil 4 S 1891

6) Peter Schmoll: Luftangriff, S 102

7) Richard Pieber, Predlitz Gespräche mit Bauern der Gemeinde Ramingstein sowie persönlich Gespräche des Autors mit Altbürgermeister Josef Fanninger.

8) Gustav Sturm: handschriftlichen Anmerkungen auf der Abschussliste.

9) Anton Handelsberger: Der Einsatzflughafen Fels/Wgr. Im Tullnerfeld und Die Abwehreinsätze der I u. II. JG 27 in den Luftschlachten über Österreich vom August 1943 August 1944. S 54.

10) bis einschließlich 13): MACR 2597

14) MACR 2597

15) Briefwechsel des Autors mit Oberförster Otto Waibl / Tamsweg.

16) Briefwechsel des Autors mit Oberförster Otto Waibl / Tamsweg.

17) Gespräche des Autors mit Oberförster Otto Waibl / Tamsweg.

18) Gespräche des Autors mit Oberförster Otto Waibl / Tamsweg.

19) Briefwechsel des Autors mit Phyllis Kimberlin, der Witwe von Dwight

20) Briefwechsel mit Erwin H. Eckert, Secretary of the 301st BG Association

21) Briefwechsel des Autors mit John Kimberlin, dem Bruder von Dwight

22) Prien, Rodeike, Stemmer: Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei Stab und I./Jagdgeschwader 27. S 383

Pilots of erd JG77, second from right Ofw. Herman Stahl

MACR: 2597

2nd Lt. Chester H Koch was assigned to the 301st BG 419th Squadron.

The following information on Chester Koch is gathered and extracted from military records. We have many documents and copies of documents, including military award documents. It is from these documents that we have found this information on 2nd Lt. Koch. These serviceman's records are nowhere near complete and we are always looking for more material. If you can help add to Chester Koch's military record please contact us.

	Rank	General Order	Date	Notes	Award	Ribbon & Device
Chester Koch	2nd Lt	224	04/16/1944		AM/MIA