The Intrepid 1st Lt. Evans A. Ittner of the 437th TCG

Tracing a Glider Pilots Step Through the War

Note located by author at Federal Records Center Suitland, Md. 1990

It’s always interesting when I come across records that complete or expand the story of the glider pilots whose records I referenced in my book Suicide Jockeys: The Making of the WWII Combat Glider Pilot . I did this in a previous article on Lt Appleman. In this article I take a deeper look into 1st Lt. Evans A. Ittner - who from all accounts was highly respected by the men he led and was quite a character.

Lt. Ittner was assigned to the 437th Troop Carrier Group 85th Troop Carrier Squadron. The majority of original records I have of his are from his glider landings in Normandy and a single report from Operation MARKET. There are also references to him in The Action of the Tiger: 437th Troop Carrier Group by Frank Guild Jr., which is sadly now out of print.

Lt. Ittner is listed Mission Order Number 1: 437th Troop Carrier Group dated June 6, 1944, as one of the combat personnel to participate in Serial No. 28, (Detroit). The objective of the Detroit Mission was to bring in reinforcements in terms of men, equipment and weapons to the 82nd Airborne. It was the second of three missions with that objective. The mission was to begin at 4am to give the gliders some cover of darkness but avoid a complete night landing. The 437th Group will tow 52 CG-4A’s into LZ “O” but the C-47’s and tow planes are met by strong German resistance.

On the Mission Order 1st Lt. Ittner is the pilot of glider no 42-62740, his co-pilot is F/O Richard G. Levering both with the 85th TCS. This was not always the case. Often glider pilots such as those with the 314th TCG were on detached service. This meant they were assigned to fly with another squadron or Group with pilots of both tug and glider often unfamiliar to them. In Ittner’s case he was the lead glider in the third formation. The crew of tug 43-15360 that was towing them were Pilot Lt. Col. Lucion N. Powell also the Deputy Flight Commander; Co-pilot 1st Lt. Robert D. Funderburke; Navigator 2nd Lt. Lee M. Shurgot; Crew Chief S/Sgt David D. Murr Jr. and Radio Operator Sgt John R. Penning Jr.

Being transported in Ittner’s and Levering’s glider were Capt. Nick W. Russell and Cpl. Floyd E. Mapes. What is interesting is their weights were all listed at 210 pounds. Additional cargo was a jeep at 2,550 lbs., a net at 13 pounds, 2 sets of SPTP - 34 lbs., 1 can water - 45 lbs, 2 radios at 106 lbs. each and 20 Rds. of A.T. Gy [antitank grenades] at 62 lbs for a total weight of 3,756 lbs. loaded in the glider.

Following is Lt. Ittner’s full report:

Flight enroute OK. Came in about 1 mile south of Landfall. Just before we hit the coast the navigator said “we’re about 1 mile south of course.” Colonel Powell said we could make it up on the way to the LZ. The line was then apparently cut as we had no further communications with the tug. No shots were fired directly at us until after making landfall, and then all hell broke loose. Looked like five guns were pyramiding a cross fire and we had to fly through it. We were hit often. We descended through the overcast and emerged about two miles from LZ. A couple of FW 109s or ME 109s strafed us and the second one was set upon by a P-38. The 2nd’s fire got the controls on our right aileron. It also hit the tow rope and the rope was spinning and unwinding. By this time we were pretty close to the LZ and was receiving ground fire which blew off our rudder control. I saw a field, tried to turn, but had no control. I got the left wing down and made a shallow bank at 180°, turned to a field that looked suitable, being shot at all the way down. Meanwhile we had received the blinking green light when the rudder control was shot out. I landed over a double row of trees into a short field (400’) and used the arrester chute. We hit the bank on the opposite side of the field and busted the nose of the glider. The jeep broke loose, rolling forward pinning Dick (co-pilot) and myself against the nose and bank. (Landed about 0400).