This page contains correspondence to or from members of the B-17 Susan Ruth crew and their relatives.
The majority are from during the war, but a few are from after it ended.
Of particular interest are the ones written by relatives to each other after the Susan Ruth was shot down on February 8, 1944, and the War Department reported the crew as missing in action (MIA).
Each letter has been scanned and saved as a PDF document which will open in a new window when the link is clicked on. They are listed below according to the date written.
1943
George Eike (Co-pilot) Letters
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1. February 23 | War Department telegram to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
2. February 25 | Virginia Daniels (bombardier’s wife) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
3. February 25 | Virginia Daniels (bombardier’s wife) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
4. February 28 | Helen Eike (co-pilot’s wife) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
5. March 2 | Mrs. Roy Holbert (flight engineer/top turret gunner’s mother) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
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1. May 14 | Mrs. Roy Holbert (flight engineer/top turret gunner’s mother) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
2. May 18 | Joe Musial (waist gunner) to Odyle Colwart (ball turett gunner’s mother)
3. August 1 | Odyle Colwart (ball turett gunner’s mother) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
4. August 9 | 1944 August 9 War Department to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
5. June | Odyle Colwart (ball turett gunner’s mother) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
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1. September 9 | Jane Benninger (navigator’s mother) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
2. September 11 | Odyle Colwart (ball turett gunner’s mother) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
3. September 16 | Postcards to Virginia Daniels (bombardier’s wife)
4. September 17 | Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife) to Virginia Daniels (bombardier’s wife) partial
5. September 19 | Vivian Slenker (tail gunner’s mother) to Virginia Daniels (bombardier’s wife)
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1. September 23 | Charlotte (Pindroch’s girlfriend) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
2. September 25 | Mrs. Roy Holbert (flight engineer/top turret gunner’s mother) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
3. September | Grace Caldwell to Virginia Daniels (bombardier’s wife)
4. September | Helen Eike (co-pilot’s wife) to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
5. September | Howard Snyder (pilot) to Virginia Daniels (bombardier’s wife) partial
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1. October 1 | War Department telegram to Ruth Snyder (pilot’s wife)
2. October 8 | Oliver Benninger (navigator’s brother) to Howard Snyder (pilot)
