Son of Two Institutions   

In the spring of 1944, as Europe was holding its breath in anticipation of the long-awaited Allied Invasion, an invasion of smaller scale was taking shape in the southwest Pacific.  General Douglas MacArthur, seeking to make good on his pledge to return to the Philippines, had his eyes on Biak Island.  Biak dominated the entrance to Geelvink Bay at the western end of New Guinea and was some 850 miles north-northeast of Darwin, Australia.  The island was garrisoned by 11,000 Japanese troops under the command of Colonel Kuzume Naoyuki.

New Guinea had been in the news since shortly after Pearl Harbor.  In January 1942, the Japanese had attacked and captured Australian-administered territory in eastern New Guinea.  In March, the Japanese overran the western portion of the island which had been part of the Netherlands East Indies.  By the time Frank Barnes, Jr. graduated with the Class of 1942, he likely would have been familiar with this jungle island on the other side of the world.  Before he completed his Army training, US forces would be locked in a death struggle with Japanese defenders in eastern New Guinea.

Francis Stafford Barnes, Jr. of Greenville enrolled at Clemson College in 1938 to study architecture.  He attended Clemson only for his freshman year, then transferred to the University of South Carolina.  At USC, he excelled academically, graduating as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

With the country at war, Frank Barnes headed to Fort Benning, Georgia for infantry officer training.  He was next assigned to Camp Blanding, Florida and then Camp Roberts, California. In late 1943, he shipped overseas.  By the spring of 1944, Barnes was assigned to K Company of the 162^nd Infantry Regiment, 41^st Infantry Division.

D-Day for the Biak invasion was May 27, 1944.  At 0900, American forces began landing on the island.  A tank battle developed between Japanese Ha Go Type 95 machines with their 37 mm canons and US Sherman tanks mounting a larger 75 mm gun.  Following the tanks, infantrymen of K Company targeted their Japanese counterparts.  During the battle, K Company was forced at one point to yield ground it had already fought over.  K Company soldier Charles Brockman recalled that a daring six-man patrol led by Tech Sergeant Rex Smith made its way some 200 yards back into ground the company had given up during the attack.  Smith and his men recovered weapons, equipment and the body of Second Lieutenant Barnes.

Brockman remembered that K Company “probably had our longest casualty list of World War II” that day. Seven members of the company were killed and twenty-one were wounded.

Second Lieutenant Francis Stafford Barnes, Jr. was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.  He was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Francis S. Barnes of Greenville.

Frank Barnes was an alumnus of both Clemson and Carolina and an American hero.  He is poignant example of the ties that bind us together.

For more information about Francis Stafford Barnes, Jr. see:

For additional information about Clemson’s Scroll of Honor, visit:

A Victory of Sorts

Robert Vines Bruce attended Clemson College during the 1941-42 academic year, having already graduated from Boys’ High School and Anderson College in his hometown of Anderson.  He was pursuing a pre-medicine course of study, intending to follow in the footsteps of his father, older brother and sister, each of whom was a doctor.

Bruce was called to active duty in March 1942 and was commissioned after Air Corps training.  Bruce completed bombardier training and, in August 1943, shipped overseas.  He was assigned to the 427^th Bomb Squadron of the 303^rd Bomb Group stationed at Molesworth, England.

The 303^rd had arrived at Molesworth in Cambridgeshire north of London in November of the previous year, while Bruce was still in training.  Beginning that month, the Group would go on to fly 364 missions, more than any other Eighth Air Force B-17 Group during World War II.

Bruce arrived in England during a period in which historian Donald Miller writes “casualties began to rise alarmingly.”  The Eighth Air Force’s losses meant that newly arriving airmen and aircraft were being used “as replacements for decimated groups” rather than forming the basis of new combat formations.¹

On October 9, 1943, Bruce’s crew, led by pilot Second Lieutenant Bernard Clifford, was alerted for a mission deep into Germany.  On what was a busy day for the Eighth Air Force at that point in the war, 378 heavy bombers were dispatched to bomb four targets, two in Germany and two in Poland.  Bruce’s aircraft was part of a one hundred fifteen

A B-17 of the 303rd Bomb Group in formation

plane force targeting the Arado Flugzeugwerke at Anklam on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast.  The factory produced wings and tail sections for Germany’s FW-190 fighters, the very aircraft that would soon figure so prominently in the fate of Bruce and his crew.

The bomber crews were awakened in time to breakfast at 0320 hours.  The early start was necessary to be able to make the 1,190 nautical mile trip during the daylight hours of the shortening autumn day.  The 303^rd was the lead group flying at a relatively low formation of 13,000 feet.  It was the fourth combat mission for Bruce and the rest of the crew.

The heavy bombers delivered their payloads, dropping high explosive and incendiary bombs on the aircraft factory and then turned back toward England.

Around midday, Bruce’s aircraft was attacked by three FW-190 fighters flying three abreast.  Rounds from the fighters’ 20 mm cannons hit the B-17, nicknamed “Son.”  With its number three engine on fire and its propeller feathered, “Son” lost contact with the bomber formation at an altitude of 8,000 feet.  It had lowered its landing gear, a signal to its attackers that it was no longer able to fight.  At this sign, the German fighters withdrew.

But, the damage was done.  The big bomber sank lower and lower, the frigid waters of the Baltic Sea coming closer and closer.  The B-17 crashed into the sea at approximately 1220 hours near Lolland, Denmark.  All ten members of the crew were killed.

Over a month later, on November 13, Bruce’s body was found on the beach at Dazendorfer Strand in Holstein, Germany.  He was laid to rest in Heiligenhafen Cemetery two days later.  After the war, Bruce’s remains were reinterred in the Ardennes American Cemetery in Neupre, Belgium.  Bruce was awarded the Purple Heart.  He was survived by his mother, his brother and six sisters.

Strike photos hint at the devastation afflicted at Anklam

The Arado plant and approximately 80% of the surrounding town were destroyed.  As a result, fabrication of parts for Focke-Wulf, Junkers and Messerschmitt aircraft were dispersed to other areas.  The mission for which Robert Vines Bruce and the other nine members of his crew had given their lives was considered a victory.

For more information about Second Lieutenant Robert Vines Bruce see:

https://cualumni.clemson.edu/page.aspx?pid=1818

For additional information on Clemson University’s Scroll of Honor visit: https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/scroll-of-honor/

1. Donald L. Miller, Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against Nazi Germany, (New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2006), 167.

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The Officers of the Clemson Alumni Association are the President, President-Elect, and Immediate Past President. Each of these capacities carries with it a two-year term that commences on July 1, following the election of a President-Elect. As such, the cumulative commitment of service for an Officer is six years, from the commencement of duties as President-Elect to the completion of a term as Immediate Past President.

The duties of the officers of the Alumni Association are generally as follows:

1. President–The President is the presiding officer and chief ambassador of the AlumniAssociation, and serves as Chair for all meetings of the Association, Council, Board ofDirectors, and Executive Committee; appoints the standing committees and any special committees deemed appropriate; serves as a member of the Clemson FoundationBoard; serves as a member of the IPTAY Board of Directors; appoints the AlumniAssociation’s representative to the Athletic Council; appoints at-large representatives tothe Alumni Council; serves as an ex-officio member of all committees and eachClemson Club and Alumni Constituency group; performs all duties and responsibilities generally assigned to the office of President.
2. President-Elect–The President-Elect shall, in the absence or at the request of thePresident, carry out the duties of the President; serves as Chair of the Honors andAwards Committee; serves as a member of the Clemson Foundation Board.
3. Immediate Past President–The Immediate Past President shall serve in whatever capacity is deemed appropriate by the President, and serves as the Chair of theNominating Committee.

While each of these leadership positions consists of responsibilities critical to the success of the Association, it should come as no surprise that the role of President is chief in terms of importance and time commitment. It is estimated that this individual will – on average – spend 10 hours/week engaged in official Alumni Association business and initiatives. Some weeks could require up to 20 or more hours of a time commitment, especially during the scheduled meetings of the various University leadership boards (Alumni Association, Foundation, and IPTAY). The ability to travel regularly to campus, as well as to attend other Association events off-campus, is required of the President.

It is equally important to note that the role of Officer is a volunteer position. Travel expenditures, as well as lodging and related accommodations, for Association-related activities are the responsibility of the Officer.

An interest/nomination form is can be found by clicking here. This form should be used to submit the name and supporting information for any candidate. All nominations must be received by close of business on March 31, 2018. For best consideration, candidates should submit up to three accompanying letters of support. Letters can be attached to the form via the supporting documents field.

Each nomination will be forwarded to the Nominating Committee, to be reviewed and screened by its membership. The Nominating Committee will present its recommendations of qualified candidates to the Alumni Board of Directors, and the election of new Directors will take place during the Alumni Council meeting in the Spring in Clemson.

For more information on the duties and responsibilities of a Director of the Alumni Association Board, or for general inquiries on the nominations and selection process, please contact Wil Brasington, wil@clemson.edu.