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Re: Seeking roster of soldiers participating in Casey Jones Project
Elliot Schneider Jan 19, 2021 11:00 AM (in response to Diane Schwaighofer)1 person found this helpfulDiane,
I did find an Officers roster listing for the 306th and he was listed under the 367th Bomb Squadron this is a roster for the Group and not a roster for the "Casey Jones Project" I can tell you he is on the roster but cannot attach a PDF file here would have to email you directly. It looks like he was in this group from Jan 1945- Nov 1945 conducting 31 tours during that time.
When the war ended the Eighth Air Force was disbanded and moved back to the
United States for redeployment to the Pacific theater. Three or more bomb groups remained in England
and became assigned to The Casey Jones project-- aerial mapping Germany, Iceland, and N. Africa. The planes were modified by removing all armament and outfitted with a K/20 camera mounted in the radio room. One group was
the 305th flying the F model B-17 and bearing the tail insignia Triangle/G. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007055473
The aerial photos are for Casey Jones, after spending decades with the AMS were transferred to the National Archives, currently located in College Park, Maryland. The photos are available for research. They are also currently in the process of being digitized in a very long term project. Any questions, contact the Cartographic unit at the National Archives at: Carto@nara.gov
For access to what has been digitized so far, contact the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), the agency digitizing NARA’s aerial photographic collection. Their website is: https://ncap.org.uk/
Hope this helps,
Elliot Schneider
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Re: Seeking roster of soldiers participating in Casey Jones Project
Diane Schwaighofer Jan 20, 2021 2:21 PM (in response to Elliot Schneider)I am more than happy to give you the necessary information for you to provide me with information. There is so much I don't understand and am not a knowledgeable enough researcher to figure out what needs to be done in many instances. Therefore, your help has been a God-send. I am also very appreciative for the help others have provided. This is a wonderful site. As always, thank you for all you do.
Diane
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Re: Seeking roster of soldiers participating in Casey Jones Project
Diane Schwaighofer Jan 20, 2021 2:38 PM (in response to Diane Schwaighofer)It was late last night when I responded, saying that I would be more than willing to give you the necessary information to contact me. It is my full name, in small letters, at gmail. I guess I got distracted and forgot to include that information. Also, do you know if they took pictures of the soldiers, when they enlisted or before they shipped out?
Am anxious to know what you found.
Diane
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Re: Seeking roster of soldiers participating in Casey Jones Project
Elliot Schneider Jan 20, 2021 9:35 PM (in response to Diane Schwaighofer)1 person found this helpfulDiane,
Look what I found Emma M. Nelson. 1873-1966 follow the link copy and paste into your web browser. Wonder why Roy and William were not buried next to her, especially since it was their only child. Is it possible Roy Divorced Emma?
BIRTH 1873 DEATH 1966 (aged 92–93) BURIAL Westminster, Orange County, California, USA https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58843035/emma-m-nelson
Elliot Schneider
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Re: Seeking roster of soldiers participating in Casey Jones Project
Diane Schwaighofer Jan 21, 2021 2:40 PM (in response to Elliot Schneider)1 person found this helpfulI do believe you're right. Maybe he remarried. I have no information about her. All I know is his father was living in Oakland in 1940 and William R was in Signal Hill, working for Shell. I have never known anything about his parents, just my mother and hers. It's hard to believe there were 2 William R. Neilsons in the service and 1 married my mother. Now that we know he wasn't part of the Mitchell Crew or Casey Jones project, I have no idea what to do next--as far as military records are concerned.
I have written to Shell Oil to find out if he came back to work after the war. I found out that the Engineering Program at UCLA Berkeley began in 1930. I figure he enrolled in 1933 or 34, so I have written to find out if there were annuals back then and how to find him in one. Also wrote their School of Engineering to find out if he was part of their program. Have tried to follow up on all advice as to who/ where to find records. I am beginning to wonder if he was in the military at all, but I just can't imagine that he wasn't. I have also tried to find out if he remarried as my mother did. I can't find any records, because I'm not looking in the right places. Thank you Elliot for all your help. Please don't quit.
Diane
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Re: Seeking roster of soldiers participating in Casey Jones Project
Elliot Schneider Jan 19, 2021 11:03 AM (in response to Diane Schwaighofer)1 person found this helpfulDiane,
This is not the William R. Neilson you are looking for found additional information in my officer records. Shows were he was born and the date.
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Re: Seeking roster of soldiers participating in Casey Jones Project
Sylvia NaylorFeb 1, 2021 8:56 AM (in response to Diane Schwaighofer)
1 person found this helpfulDear Ms. Schwaighofer,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
We searched the National Archives Catalog for any records relating to Project Casey Jones and located 1 file unit titled 1265) Casey Project, Camp Claiborne located in the series titled Washington Headquarters Files, 1942-1946 in the Records of the Office of Strategic Services (Record Group 226). For access to these records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from various NARA reference units including RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.
Also, you may want to review a publication titled Project “Casey Jones” 1945-1946. Post-Hostilities Aerial Mapping; Iceland, Europe, North Africa, June 1945-December 1946 prepared by Robert J. Boyd available digitally on the Hathi Trust Digital Library’s website as it might contain information of relevance to your research.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!
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Re: Seeking roster of soldiers participating in Casey Jones Project
Diane Schwaighofer Feb 2, 2021 12:18 AM (in response to Sylvia Naylor)Thank you for your interest and help. I will definitely look into the publications.
Diane
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