Gridiron all-star lost over Berlin on Black Monday

This story is part of Mon Valley Sons of World War II, a series about our sons who lost their lives in service to our country during the war.

By JOHN J. TURANIN
For the MVI

Monongahela’s Thomas Kon had already flown his share of World War II missions as a radio operator in the U.S. Army Air Force’s B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. A technical sergeant, he was chosen as an elite crew member of a radar-equipped pathfinder bomber, and he was flying in the lead aircraft ahead of 672 other bombers.

That day was March 6, 1944. The target was Berlin, Germany, and the raid was to be the largest daylight bombing mission of the U.S. Army Air Force to date. The date would become known as Black Monday, with a loss of 69 bombers. Tom Kon would never return home.

The Kon family

Thomas Robert Kon was born on May 24, 1922, to Andrew and Caroline (née Bartynska) Kon in East Monongahela, Pa. Andrew worked as a coal miner in the Mongo mines, while Caroline managed the Kon family household.

Tech. Sgt. Tom Kon

Andrew and Caroline were from Hermanowa, Podkarpackie, Poland, and had married there in 1906. At the time, the region was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Andrew, whose Polish given name was Jedrzej, immigrated to the United States in 1907 to seek work. Caroline, called “Nellie,” followed Andrew to the U.S. in 1909.

Thomas “Tom” was the eighth of 12 children born to Andrew and Caroline. First born was John (1909), followed by Mary (1911), Sophia (1912), Joseph (1914), Andrew Jr. (1916), Anna (1918), and Helen (1921). Andrew Jr. passed away as a toddler in 1919. After Thomas came Josephine (1924), Stanley (1926), Frank (1928), and Francis (1930).

From 1910-1930, the family made their home in villages in Forward Township. They lived in Bunola, East Monongahela, Manown and Gallatin, where many coal mining families resided. By 1930, they moved across the river to a home in Major Hollow, Monongahela, where they lived through the mid-1940s. Andy eventually left his job as a coal miner and began working for Monongahela Valley Iron and Metal Company, a metal salvaging firm.

Tom Kon grows up

Tom excelled at Monongahela High School. In 1937, he became the starting left tackle on the football team and made the honor roll the following year. He was a Big Six football All-Star in 1939 and became starting left guard in 1940. In one game, he blocked a punt and ran it in for a touchdown, and was again named a regional All-Star. He graduated from high school in 1941.

In the summer of 1941, while building a boat on the river’s shore with a friend, Tom heard cries for help. Carl Pierce, a local teen, had been swimming in a stream when he went under, and his friend came running for help. Tom raced a quarter mile to the stream and repeatedly dove into the water seeking the boy. By the time Tom found him and brought him to shore, he was dead.

Tom began working at Donora Zinc Works after high school. Because of his football talent, Tom was offered scholarships to Duquesne University and Louisiana State College. In September 1941, he chose Duquesne and prepared to attend the campus at nearby Pittsburgh.

But just days later, he had a change of heart. College could wait.

Global war is brewing

With international tensions heating up, Tom decided to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps instead of heading to college. No doubt this was a controversial decision in the Kon family: a fully paid scholarship to a well-respected local university versus a three-year commitment to the Army Air Corps with an imminent war threatening.

On Sept. 12, 1941, he set off for Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas. After just six days, Tom was chosen to train as a radio operator and on Sept. 22, he arrived at the U.S. Army Air Corp’s “Radio University” at Scott Field, Ill.

In 1939, Scott Field was chosen as the central training facility for aviation radio operators. Tom attended classes in code, radio repair, mathematics, transmitters, receivers, radio compass, circuit analysis, radio telegraph procedure, flight operation and many other subjects.

The U.S. Enters WWII: Tom Kon becomes a bomber radio operator

Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on the U.S. military bases in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. The U.S. declared war on Japan, and as an ally of the Japanese Empire, Germany declared war on the U.S.

Weeks later, Tom graduated from Scott Field qualified as a radio operator for multi-engine aircraft such as bombers and transport aircraft. A radio operator was critical for the proper functioning of an air crew and for executing their mission. He had to be highly skilled in all of the radio equipment used for communicating within the aircraft as well as between aircraft and with ground stations. The radio operator had to memorize the ever-changing secret frequencies, codes and signals in use by a bomb group on the day of a mission, and he needed to keep the iight crew informed as new information was received from other aircraft and the ground.

In January 1942, now a technical sergeant, Kon transferred to Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, to train as a bomber crewman in the 305th Bombardment Group (BG), equipped with Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress bombers. The 305th was transferred to Geiger Field, Spokane, Wash., in June, then to Muroc, Calif., in July 1942, where they continued intensive training.

With autumn approaching, they received word of their deployment to the European Theater of operations. The flight crews flew to Syracuse, N.Y., for six weeks of advanced training between late August 1942 through October 1942 when they received new Boeing B-17F bombers.

In October, the crews of the 305th BG flew their new B-17s to England using the Northern Atlantic route from Presque Isle, Maine, to Gander, Newfoundland, and on to Prestwick, Scotland, finally assembling at their new home at Grafton Underwood, England on Oct. 27, 1942.

Combat in Europe

Tech. Sgt. Tom Kon and the 305th BG flew their first mission Nov. 17, a diversion mission for other groups bombing the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. They were to fly many more against targets in France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Norway. On Dec. 11, 1942 the 305th relocated to Chelveston, England, where it remained for the remainder of the war.

Kon was a member of the crew of First Lt. Alfred “Fred” Rabo in the 305th BG’s 422nd Bomb Squadron. Rabo flew 15 missions with the 305th BG and was promoted to captain. In July 1943, he was assigned to a special “pathfinder” group. The group was to provide radar-equipped bombers to lead bombing missions by other bomb groups when weather was expected to obstruct the view of the targets and radar would be needed, a process termed “bombing through overcast.” Rabo was sent back to the states to Massachusetts Institute of Technology to help develop the H2X radar systems.

According to the 482nd Bomb Group website, “When Fred first saw the B-17s equipped with the hand-built retractable H2X units under the nose of the aircraft at Grenier Field, New Hampshire, he said, “that radome looks Mickey Mouse.” The nickname stuck and subsequently, it was shortened to “Mickey.” Throughout the war, H2X radar units were commonly referred to as Mickey units and H2X operators were Mickey operators.

Upon his return to England, Rabo was promoted to major and appointed commander of the newly formed 482nd Bomb Group’s (Pathfinders) 812th Bomb Squadron after its formation in August 1943 at Alconbury, England. It was the only bomb group that was activated in Europe, while all others had been formed in the states during training. The 482nd was a composite group of crews and officers from various bomb groups already in England as well as replacements from the states.

Sometime after he joined the 482nd Bomb Group, Rabo selected T/Sgt. Tom Kon to transfer to the 482nd and into his 812th Bomb Squadron. Presumably, Rabo’s experience with Kon’s performance as a radio operator provided confidence as his choice to join his unit. By January 1943, Kon was placed on active duty with the 812th BS.

By February 1944, Kon had written home that he only needed to fly five more missions before reaching the then-magic number of 25 to earn his trip home. He had earned the Air Medal on Feb. 7, 1943, an accompanying Oak Leaf Cluster on March 20, 1943, and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Given their pathfinding mission, individual bombers of the 482nd BG were assigned missions to lead the way for other bomb groups or task forces. Only the most critically required crew of the 482nd flew the mission, such as the pilot, co-pilot, radar operator, radio operator and gunners. Leaders from the bomb group in the assigned mission often joined the crew of the 482nd’s radar- equipped bomber as observers.

A fateful mission

On March 6, 1944, Kon joined Maj. Rabo’s crew on a mission to attack the Erkiner ball bearing factory at Berlin, Germany. Maj Rabo’s pathfinder aircraft, B-17F No. 42-3491 nicknamed “Chopstick-G George” was to fly to England’s Great Ashfield Airdrome, home of the 385th BG. The 385th was to spearhead an attack by the 4th Combat Bombardment Wing, which was leading the 3rd Bombardment Division on the first major and largest daylight attack on Berlin, involving 672 B-17 and B-24 bombers. Maj. Rabo’s B-17 would be at the tip of a very large spear.

Rabo picked up the 385th BG’s observers at Great Ashfield. They included Commanding Officer Brig. Gen. Russell A. Wilson, (who had been promoted from colonel just seven days earlier), Navigator Capt. John A. Crotty, Bombardier Capt. Louis A. Dentoni and 2nd Lt. Walter L. Regoli in the tail gunner seat to monitor the bomber formation behind them.

Rabo’s 482nd BG crew included co-pilot 1st Lt. John C. “Red” Morgan. Morgan had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts to save his B-17 crew as the co-pilot on July 28, 1943, after his pilot was severely wounded in flight.

With the observers from the 385th BG aboard, they took off from Ashfield in the dawning hours, formed up over England, and headed for Berlin. It would be Kon’s 24th or 25th mission. Hours later, at 1 p.m., their aircraft was approaching Berlin flying at about 22,000 feet, preparing to drop their bomb load and signaling to the rest of the bomber formation to do the same.

At 1:22 p.m., just prior to issuing the bombs-away order, Chopstick-G George was hit three times by flak from an 88mm antiaircraft artillery gun. The first shell struck the tail section, the second near the bomb bay, and the last between engines No. 3 and No. 4 on the right wing. The ailerons on the right wing, which controlled aircraft turns, were shot away and the entire wing lit afire. The second hit had killed or injured the top turret gunner, as he was not moving. Gen. Wilson was last seen crawling toward the forward escape hatch without a parachute. What was happening in the rear of the aircraft was anyone’s guess.

The aircraft slid out of formation, dropping 2,000-3,000 feet of altitude, and was seen spinning to the left twice 360 degrees as it descended. With disaster imminent, Rabo gave the order to bail out. A photographer in a nearby bomber snapped a photo of their aircraft going down.

Kon was last seen at his station in the radio room between the bomb bay and the waist gunners doing his job, sending the strike message. Three seconds later, the B-17 exploded in mid air.

Five of the 12 men aboard their B-17 either bailed out or were blown out of their aircraft with parachutes on, surviving the ordeal and becoming prisoners of war. The rest did not survive, including Kon.

March 6, 1944, became known as Black Monday as the U.S. Army Air Force lost 69 bombers in the attack that day.

Three weeks later, Kon’s family was informed that he was missing in action. In May they learned that, although his remains had not been recovered, he had been declared killed in action.

Years later, in December 1951, the Kon family was informed by the U.S. War Department that his remains had been formally declared non-recoverable.

The mystery of the remains solved

In February 1956, the family of Thomas Kon was surprised to receive a new letter from the War Department: his remains had in fact been recovered and positively identified as those of their son.

Captured German records stated that his remains had been taken to a hospital at Doeberitz, Germany, as were hundreds of other U.S. aircrew casualties during the course of the war. Although no burial records were found, subsequent information revealed that these casualties were buried in a cemetery adjacent to the hospital and later recovered.

Some of these remains were removed to the Heerstasse British Military Cemetery in Berlin, erroneously burying them as “Unknown British Airmen.” One of the remains labeled as such was recovered from the cemetery, and after systemic evaluation at U.S. government laboratories, was conclusively determined to be those of Kon.

Given the option to have his remains returned to the U.S. or to bury him in an American Military Cemetery in Europe, the family decided it would be best to bury him alongside his brothers in arms in Europe.

Thomas Kon, remembered

Kon was finally buried at the American Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, now known as the Ardennes American Cemetery, in 1956. He had been posthumously awarded his fourth Oak Leaf Cluster to his Air Medal in April 1944. His parents received his Purple Heart award in July 1944.

The author is grateful to Michael Kon, nephew of Thomas R. Kon, for his kind assistance in providing documents and photos.

John J. Turanin is a retired Western Pennsylvanian and grandson of the Mon Valley. His new book is “Tin Men Steel Soldiers: The price paid in WWII by a Pennsylvania mill town: True stories of the lives and losses of 82 men” is about Monessen. John is one of hundreds of volunteers with the nonprofit organization Stories Behind The Stars who are writing memorial stories for every one of the 421,000 U.S. service members and 31,000 Pennsylvanians who lost their lives during WWII. Those interested in joining the effort are encouraged to visit www.StoriesBehindTheStars. org.