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Remember...Herman Frederick Winter Jr.
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Herman Frederick Winter Jr. was born March 5, 1922, at Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia, to Herman Frederick Winter and May Amanda Harless Winter. Two years later, he was joined by his only sibling, Julia Caroline Winter ("Judy"; married name: Crichton). The senior Herman Winter was a German immigrant from Lubeck who established a successful Charleston business, Winter Floral, which continues to operate in the 2020s. (Family information from Find A Grave entries for Herman Jr. and Judy, as well as Federal Census listings for 1930, 1940, and 1950.)
Herman Jr. graduated from Charleston High School. The 1939 yearbook shows him to be a junior and a member of the Hi-Y. When he registered for the draft at the age of 20 on June 30, 1942, he stated that he was employed at Kanawha Manufacturing Company on Dixie Street in Charleston. At the time, the family was living on Grant Street, and Herman Jr. indicated that his father was the person who would always know his address.
It's possible this was summer employment, as he attended West Virginia University (and later Morris Harvey College). As with many of his comrades-in-arms, his schooling would be interrupted by World War II. First Lieutenant Winter served three years in the U.S. Army Air Force, six months of which was flying combat missions over Italy as a medium bomber pilot. ("167 Airlift Squadron," USAF Unit Histories, 12 March 2021, accessed 23 July 2024, https://usafunithistory.com/PDF/0100/150-174/167%20AIRLIFT%20SQ.pdf.)
Judy also attended WVU, and her exploits during World War II indicate there may have been some sibling rivalry. According to the Find A Grave posting for Judy, she was a wartime patriot who first joined the Women's Airforce Service Pilots and later the Women's Army Corps, seeing service as an air traffic controller.
After the war, First Lieutenant Winter continued his service by becoming a member of the West Virginia Air National Guard. The 1950 Federal Census shows him to be living on Forest Circle in South Charleston and working 50 hours a week as assistant manager of the floral shop.
| Unfortunately, his unit would be called up to train for the escalating conflict in Korea. Thus, he found himself to be a member of the 123rd Fighter Bomber Wing, 167th Fighter Squadron. As such, he became a victim in the tragic crash of the C-47 near the Charleston [Kanawha] Airport on April 8, 1951. The squadron, which was training at Godman Air Force Base in Kentucky, was headed for Charleston to attend the funeral of Major Woodford Sutherland, who had been killed in an airplane accident in Florida three days previous. |  |
Much has been written locally about the crash and its aftermath—the Charleston Gazette and Daily Mail offered timely coverage of the event and its aftermath, and other newspapers around the state followed suit. In a practice no longer familiar, newspapers often published an "extra," which allowed for frequent updates on breaking news. The following account, however, is excerpted from the actual accident report:
After reporting over the Charleston Radio Range at 5000 feet on an IFR flight from Godman Air Force Base, Kentucky to Charleston, West Virginia, the pilot was cleared by Charleston Approach Control to descent to 3500 feet, pending approach clearance. . . . [The pilot then indicated a turn procedure.] The procedure turn report was the last radio contact with the aircraft.The C-47 crashed into a hill approximately 1150 feet high located 4.6 miles from the approach end of runway 23 at Kanawha County Airport and 1.07 miles West Northwest of the Outer Marker beacon. Both wings of the aircraft were sheared off on impact by trees. The fuselage came to rest approximately 125 yards from the point of impact and was almost completely consumed by the fire which apparently was instantaneous with collision. . . .
One of the two survivors of the crash was a rated pilot riding as passenger who succumbed to burn injuries within less than 24 hours. The other survivor lived for approximately one week after the crash. The statements of the survivors indicate that they were positioned further aft in the plane than any of the other passengers and it is worthy of note that one of the survivors stated that to the best of his knowledge all the rest of the passengers who suffered fatal injuries had their safety belts fastened. . . .
[Here the report provides numerous technical details regarding the approach pattern and describes the condition of the aircraft on impact, concluding that the damage made the cause of the crash difficulty to determine.]
The report continues:
The fact that both survivors reported seeing the airport a short time before the crash lends credence to the belief that the pilot misread the altimeter and was actually flying at 1300 feet indicated when he reported being at 2300 outbound over the inner locator at 1132C. This altitude would put the aircraft below the 1000 foot overcast and above the 500 foot broken ceiling which would enable the passengers to get a glimpse of the airport through the broken cloud layer.The time lapse of only 2 minutes from the position over the inner located outbound until the procedure report further suggests the actions of this pilot in setting up his approach were distinctly hurried. One wrist watch found in the wreckage was stopped at 1136C, so the time of the accident is assumed as between 1135C and 1136.
While the failure of the ILS equipment might be considered as conducive to the accident, the pilot was aware of the malfunction and planned to make his approach independently of this system. It does not appear therefore that this failure should be considered as a direct cause factor. (Report of AF Aircraft Accident, West Virginia State Archives.)
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While most families held individual private services for their lost loved ones, the entire community rallied to their support when a joint service for all was held at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium on April 10. Local newspapers reported that more than 4,000 attended the joint memorial service, with standing room only for more than 500. A recipient of the National Defense Service Medal, Lt. Herman Frederick Winter Jr. was buried in Sunset Memorial Park in South Charleston. |
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure, who gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Syd Edwards, historian who has extensively written about the C-47 crash
July 2024
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
