More on John C. Morgan

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From the many stories of ordeal under fire that emerged that day, one ranks high in the annals of the Eighth, indeed it has become legend.  One of 17 B-17Fs in the 92nd Group formation (there were also two YB-40s)  was Ruthie II, Piloted by 1st Lt. Robert L. Campbell.  Close to landfall, the 92nd was subjected to frontal attack by FW190s.  A bullet struck Campbell, splitting his skull.  He collapsed forward over the control column, clasping his arms tightly around it so that the co-pilot, Flying Officer John C. Morgan, had to use brute force to work the controls on his side and keep the bomber on course.  Morgan, a Texan, had volunteered and flown for the RCAF for seven months before transferring to the Eighth.  Like many other transferees from the RAF he had helped to make up the shortage in combat crews.  A striking red haired, six footer Morgan needed all of his 200 lbs to overcome the crazed strength of the dying pilot.  Finding no response over the interphone, Morgan concentrated as best he could to keep the pilot from disrupting control.  He reasoned that keeping within the protection of the formation gave the best prospects for a return to base, besides there was good reason to believe the bombs could yet be delivered at Hanover.  The same burst of fire that mortally wounded Campbell, also struck the top turret severing S.Sgt Tyre C. Weaver's left arm just below the shoulder.  Weaver slid down into the rear of the nose compartment and slumped on the floor behind the navigator, 2nd Lt Keith J. Koske, who immediately went to his aid.  Unsuccessful in giving a morphine injection because the needle was damaged, and also unable to apply a tourniquet because the arm was off too close to the shoulder, Koske realized that unless medical aid was forthcoming, Weaver would bleed to death.  He made a quick decision; adjusting Weaver's parachute he placed the ripcord ring in his right hand, opened the nose door and proceeded to push him out into space.  Unfortunately Weaver, suffering from shock, immediately pulled the cord causing the pilot chute to release.  This Koske managed to bundle up under Weaver's right arm and then pushed him clear.  The ball gunner reported seeing the parachute open and weeks later word reached England that Weaver was alive and well in a German Hospital. 

Ruthie II was then about 25 miles west of the target at over 24,000 feet and Morgan's ordeal in the cockpit was unknown to other crew members.  Hearing no defensive fire from the rear, Morgan assumed the gunners had bailed out.  In fact those in the waist, radio room and tail were unconscious due to the oxygen lines having been shattered.  As the aircraft kept level, except for what was taken to be evasive action, the two men in the nose assumed all to be well and it was not until the Fort was fifteen minutes out from the enemy coast on the way home that Koske left his navigator's table and gun to see how things were with the rest.  He found Morgan flying the bomber with one hand while keeping the still struggling Campbell off the controls- as he had been for the past two hours!  The co-pilot's windscreen was shattered so badly that Morgan had to move to the pilot's seat to have a clear view for landing.  Koske, with Morgan's aid, got Campbell into the nose where the bombardier held him to prevent his slipping through the open hatch.  The plight of the gunners was discovered and when revived they were found to be badly frost bitten.  Soon after, the coast of Norfolk came into view.  Morgan brought the aircraft in to land at RAF Foulsham.  Keeping formation was never easy, a fact that made Morgan's feat the more remarkable, and no doubt influenced the decision to award him the Medal of Honor, the third to go to the Eighth Air Force.

Morgan's story does not end here...    Bombing Berlin

Nearly 800 crews had been taken to their bombers as light snow blew across the darkened airfields.  From this wintry scene 730 were finally dispatched towards the enemy coast to be watched over by 796 fighter pilots from nineteen Eighth and Ninth Air Force groups and two RAF Mustang Squadrons.  Despite excellent cover by the escort, Focke-Wulfs and Messerschmitts were so numerous that they were able to give the two leading combat wings a rough time, shooting down several B-17's from the 91st, 92nd and 381st bomb groups.  As a result, no less than 23 B-17's from these groups were shot out of the sky or so damaged that they did not return.

The 3rd Division Commander, Brigadier General Russell Wilson, flew in an H2X- equipped B-17 with the leading 385th group.  Also in this bomber was 1st Lt. John C. Morgan.  The leading wing had not encountered any serious fighter opposition, but over the precincts of Berlin heavy flak was put up directly in the path of the command aircraft.  After taking more than one direct hit, the aircraft continued on its bomb run although one engine was on fire.  Then it began to lose altitude and the pilot, Major Fred A, Rabo, gave the order to abandon.  Seconds later the bomber exploded, killing eight of the twelve men aboard.  One of the survivors was Morgan.  Subsequently recalling his miraculous escape, he said," I was just conscious of something terrific happening and I had a faint idea of a lot of metal tearing at me and then I was falling.  I don't think I ever lost consciousness.  I had my chute under my arm when we blew.  I kept trying to get it on. When I was falling feet first the pressure kept pushing it up too high, and when I was falling head first it kept pushing it past my chest.  I guess I was on my back when I finally got it fastened on ...I think you think clearer when you're so damned near dead.  Three or four seconds after the chute popped open, I landed in the top of a tree.  I fell out of it, about 30 feet, and landed on my feet.  I felt like I'd busted every bone in me.  What a jolt."  Morgan was taken prisoner by soldiers of a flak battery and was interned in Stalag Luft I for 14 months.
From: "The Mighty Eighth") Author: Roger A. Freeman

Morgan in Stalag Luft IV distributing water from the "Hot Water Cart"

Official accounts from USAAF records.

F/O John Carey "Red" Morgan" - 326th Sq - copilot
S/Sgt. Tyre C. Weaver - flight engineer
a/c B-17 F    229802    F    Ruthie II
26 July 1943

As told by 2 Lt. Keith J. Koske, navigator:

We were on our way into the enemy coast when we were attacked by a group of FW l9O's. On their first pass, I felt sure they had got us for there was a terrific explosion overhead and the ship rocked badly. A second later the top turret gunner, S/Sgt. Tyre C. Weaver, fell through the hatch and slumped to the floor at the rear of my nose compartment. When I got to him, I saw his left arm had been blown off at the shoulder and he was a mass of blood. I first tried to inject some morphine, but the needle was bent, and I could not get it in.

As things turned out it was best I didn't give him any morphine. My first thought was to try and stop his loss of blood. I tried to apply a tourniquet, but it was impossible as the arm was off too close to the shoulder. I knew he had to have the right kind of medical treatment as soon as possible and we had almost four hours flying time ahead of us, so there was no alternative. I opened the escape hatch, adjusted his chute for him.

After I adjusted his chute and placed the ripcord ring firmly in his right hand, he must have become excited* and pulled the cord, opening the pilot chute in the up draft. I managed to gather it together and tuck it under his right arm, got him into a crouched position with legs through the hatch, made certain again that his good arm was holding the chute folds together, and toppled him out into space... I learned somewhat later from our ball turret gunner, Sgt. James L. Ford, that the chute opened O.K. We were at 24,5OO feet about 25 miles due west of Hanover, and our only hope was that he was found and given medical attention immediately.

The bombardier, 2nd Lt. Asa J. Irwin, had been busy with the nose guns and when I got back up in the nose he was getting ready to toggle his bombs. The target area was one mass of smoke and we added our contribution. After we dropped our bombs we were kept busy with the nose guns. However, all our attacks were from the tail and we could do very little good. I had tried to use my interphone several times, but could get no answer. The last I remember hearing over it was shortly after the first attack when someone was complaining about not getting any oxygen. Except for what I thought to be some violent evasive action we seemed to be flying okay.

It was about two hours later when we were l5 minutes out from the enemy coast that I decided to go up to check with the pilot and have a look around. I found the pilot, Lt. Campbell, slumped down in his seat, a mass of blood, the back of his head blown off. This had happened two hours before, on the first attack.

A shell had entered from the right side, crossed in front of F/O John C. Morgan, the co-pilot, and had hit Campbell in the head. Morgan was flying the plane with one hand, holding the half-dead pilot off with the other hand, and he had been doing it for over two hours!

Morgan told me we had to get Campbell out of his seat as the plane couldn't be landed from the co-pilot's seat as the glass on that side was shattered so badly you could barely see out.

Morgan and I struggled for 3O minutes getting the fatally injured pilot out of his seat and down into the rear of the navigator's compartment where the bombardier held him from slipping out the open hatch. Morgan was operating the controls with one hand and helping me handle the pilot with the other.

As reported in The Route as Briefed, by John S. Sloan, Argus Press, Cleveland, Ohio, 1946.

*According to notes from waist gunner Sgt. Gene Ponte, Koske put Weaver's hand on the rip cord.
Blood had frozen their hands together.
When Koske pulled his hand away, he pulled Weaver's hand also and thus the rip cord.
The chute caught on the fuse panel.
If it had opened all the way, he wouldn't have been able to send Weaver out.
At a reunion 37 years later, both Ponte and Weaver concluded this was probably the best thing that could have happened.
Both doubted Weaver had the strength to pull the cord himself.

**At a reunion 37 years after the mission, Weaver said he would always remember Koske's smile of encouragement as he left the a/c.
He was picked up immediately.
In December the squadron learned that he was well and a P/W in Stalag Luft IV.

Details from Col. James S. Sutton, 92nd Bomb Group CO

Morgan piloted during t/o, up to combat area
Campbell had just taken over controls when first group of fighters attacked
first pass. Knocked out oxygen system to radio, waist, tail
a moment later an attack came at 2:OO out of sun
2O mm shell through windshield on co-pilot's side, totally shattering
passed in front of Morgan
hit Campbell in head
skull split open
pilot fell over wheel, wrapping arms around
a/c into dive
Morgan grabbed controls on his side, tried to pull a/c back into position
had to fight pilot
Campbell 6', l85 lbs, heavily muscled
semi-conscious
held onto control column instinctively

Attack was from seven o'clock, spraying through the left side of a/c

a/c moved erratically through formation as Morgan tried to counteract pilot's struggling
visibility limited by shattered glass
could see above, to side
Morgan decided to stick with formation
had to pilot a/c with one hand, hold off pilot with other
did this for two hours
after Campbell was brought to the nose, the plight of the gunners was discovered
when revived, found to be badly frostbitten
Morgan had assumed they had bailed out

a/c had been undefended except for nose, ball turret guns

when Morgan brought a/c over England all the fuel gauges were in the red
gas tanks had been hit
lot of fuel lost
heavy traffic at first field saw
RAF Foulsham
Morgan moved into pattern, landed
John Foley - TG - cranked wheels, flaps down by hand

Campbell died l½ hours after reached England rest of crew survived

Morgan was presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor on l8 December l943 by General Ira Eaker at a special ceremony at 8th AF HQ. The presentation was broadcast on the BBC evening news.

Crew
lst Lt. Robert L. Campbell - P
F/O John C. Morgan - C
2 Lt. Keith J. Koske - N
2 Lt. Asa J. Irwin - B
S/Sgt. Tyre C. Weaver - E
T/Sgt. John A. McClure - R
Sgt. James L. Ford - BT
Sgt. Eugene F. Ponte - WG
Sgt. Reece B. Walton - W
S/Sgt. John E. Foley - TG

More on John C. Morgan

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John Morgan is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC