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BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 7, No. 1 Ur: front row, Mark Kernan, Farnsworth, Victor Houser, Earl Cochran, Don Nielson; Back row, Frederick Gilbert, Thomas Mitchell, Paul Joseph, Francis McGuire Tail gunner receives medal 54 years later by Steven R. Ford Hilltop Times staff On Dec. 21, after a 54-year wait, retired Army Col. Grant L. Farnsworth was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in a ceremony at the Officer's Club for his service during WW II. Maj. Gen. Richard Roellig, Ogden ALC Commander, pinned the prestigious medal on the 75 year-old veteran before a small gathering of family and local dignitaries. Farnsworth, then a Staff Sergeant, was the tail gunner on two different consolidated B-24 bombers that the crew called "Little Joe" after the pilot's infant son. The crew flew 30 missions over war tom Europe, 16 as lead plane, and never lost a crewman. Only the waist gunners were injured. After mission 15, the crew changed planes. The original "Little Joe," tail number 969, was Spring, 1999 destroyed in an aerial accident over Belgium. Farnsworth says he got a patriotic surge in December of 1941 after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. He knew that he had to do something to help his country, so he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. "The extent of the damage I couldn't believe until I saw photos," he said. I had a really hard time handling that. "Then I was a young kid, about I 7, and felt I had to do something." Farnsworth was shipped off to North Dakota for training, and then it was on to England for the real thing. "We flew 14 missions in the first month, two over Munich. The first time ( over Munich), I joked and laughed about it. The second time, I took off my rings and wrote a note to my family. I didn't think I was coming back." Perhaps it was experience. Perhaps it was a sixth sense, but Famsworth's gut feeling would prove to be almost too accurate. He and the crew of his B-24 Liberator, very nearly did not return to base that day. In the skies over enemy territory, the odds finally caught up with them. Enemy flak had badly damaged "Little-Joe," knocking out three engines and sending the plane into a nose-dive from three miles up. "I was praying to God," Farnsworth said. "Everyone had given up. Just at the last possible moment, the pilot threw the throttle forward and it kicked in. We pulled out just in time, but we found ourselves right over an enemy airfield. "We had all discussed it. If they got one plane in the air, we were going to fight. If they got two planes up, we were going to think about it. If they got three, we were going to surrender." Instead, for whatever reason, the Germans let the plane go. Continued on Page 2

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2 Pres. 2ADA ...... Al Asch 6205 Meadow Court Rockville. MD 20852 Tel. 30/ 881 1376 Pres. 93rd BG ... Fred Strombom P.O. Box646 Membership .... L.L. Brown 220 Clardy Street Malvern, AR 72104 Ogema, WI 54459 Tel. 7 l 5 767 5461 Tel. 501 332 3125 Membership .. Robert McKeever 329 Rosewood Ave Winnetka, IL 60093 93rd Historian ... Carrol/ Stewart 7150 Holmes Park Rd. Suite 323 Lincoln, NE 6805-4603 Newsletter Editor .. Calvin Davidson 48973 Plate Rd. Oberlin, OH 44074-9619 Tel. 440 775 1787 Tel. 847 446 0205 Tel. 402 484 6046 Not one enemy plane got off the ground and the bomber was able to limp back to Hardwick Air Base in England. Farnsworth says that while he was never a superstitious man, never carried a good luck charm, whenever a mission was over he was scared to death and very thankful he was down. According to Farnsworth, the first thing a crew did when they were down was count the holes in their plane. Sometimes there were a lot. "After we got shot down that first time," Farnsworth said, "I had a lot of respect for that plane. ll wasn't quite as ugly as 1 first thought." Farnsworth describes his seat in the tail turret as being a $100 seat on the fifty-yard line at a football game. The only difference, he said, is that his seat was some 20,000 feet in the air. "As the tail gunner," he said, "you're completely exposed. And if anything goes wrong, your chances of getting out are nil The tail guMer has a parachute, but he can't wear it. He has to leave it outside the turret. There used to be an old joke, 'When you get back, change the gas and change the tail gunner.' Not on our plane." [n 30 missions, stuffed into a small gunnery turret at the rear of the plane, Farnsworth was never ir,jured. He could feel flak bursting into black clouds all around him, he said, but he never got hit. During their very last mission, their pilot got hit with flak. But in the tradition of this charmed crew, the shrapnel tore into bis uniform along his chest, leaving the pilot shaken but unharmed. The medal ceremony honoring Farnsworth would never even have happened had it not been for the research efforts of the WWll veteran's I 6 year old granddaughter, Jenny. Jenny, now a student at Alpine Life of Learning alternative school in Provo, had been surfing the Internet at the request of her grandfather to find information regarding his old unit, the 3 30th Bomber Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. She spent days finding new search routes, running into dead ends and sometimes getting very frustrated, all the while compiling an impressive amount-of information. "He knew l was pretty good with the lnternet," she said, "and he just asked me if I would look up some stuff for him. He gave me a lot of names and keywords to use." Once she gathered the general information for her grandfather, she concentrated on finding the crew from bis old plane. Searching online phone directories, she was able to come up with possible candidates. "My granddaughter helped me with the information and the phone numbers," Farnsworth said .. I took it from there. A lot of research and $154 later, J had a few of them (surviving crew members) nailed down." One of the former crewmen asked F ams worth if he ever received his Distinguished Flying Cross, a medal the rest of the crew had received 54 years ago, just six months after their tour of duty. When F amsworth said that be hadn't, a few calls were made to S.enator Orin Hatch's office. After cutting through some red tape, Farnsworth was able to stand proudly before those assembled to receive one of the highest commendations awarded by the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force. Famsworth's a.:24 was involved in several important missions during his tour of duty, but nothing was as important as lending air support to ground efforts from December 1944 through January 1945. Even 54 years later the Battle of the Bulge cannot be forgotten. German forces in Europe pushed back American and British troops, creating a bulge in the Allied lines. When the smoke finally cleared. the Americans bad sustained 81,000 casualties including 19,000 dead, but the great battle did signal the end of the war in Europe. Just four months later, on May 7, 1945, German General Alfred Jodi signed the instrument of unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters'in Reims, France. After leaving the Army in 1945, Farnsworth returned to his home in Utah to complete bis ·studies at the University of Utah, earning a bachelor's degree in social science, and a master's in psychiatric social work. In 1950, with degrees in tow, he enlisted in the Army Reserve and was assigned to the InteUigence branch. At about that

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same time, Farnsworth went to work for the Utah State Department of Corrections. "Every ti.me I had a little time off," Farnsworth said, "the Pentagon would have something for me to do." He retired from the Army in May 1981, having attained the rank of colonel, and he followed that with a retirement from the Department of Corrections in 1983. "Then I bad to find something to do I to take my mind off things," he said, "which is when I took up art. I started painting and golf, but l never really learned to golf very well." Having studied with some prominent figures in the local art community, Farnsworth has developed both good technique and a nice collection of work. He says that his painting has developed in phases from stiU life, to ocean scenery, to landscapes and buildings. He is also an accomplished pianist. He helped put himself through college teaching piano. When asked what was left for him to do, Farnsworth replied, "Rest. I hope to get back to painting though. I've kind of slowed down a little." "He's a great guy," his granddaughter said. "He's done a lot. He's done so many neat things." Ed: This Story reprinted with permission of Stephen R. Ford and the Hilltop Times, Hill AFB, Utah Food for Thought After the 1998 reunion, Don Morrison of Clinton, Ohio, discussed with your BaU of Fire editor prospects for establishing a successor to the 93rd Bomb Group Association. Such an organization would enable descendants, kin and friends of wartime 93rd-ers to preserve interest in and history of one of World War ll's most colorful, famous and efficient military units. lt is the opinion of your editor and ot!Jers that "When our generation bas passed on we would like to have an organization in place to carry on." It is our view such an organization would insure that the 93rd's wartime deeds would not be consigned to the dust bin of history, and the 93rd association would not fade as a "last man's club." Goals of this organmtion: 1) Support for the 93rd alumni and its endeavors; 2) Continue to memorialize the 697 men of the 3 93 rd who died for the cause of freedom; 3) Enhance and strengthen ties among member families; 4) Exchange helpful information with other descendants, kin and friends; 5) Press for additional information through research, correspondence, questions, answers. It is our hope Ted's Travelling Circus veterans still living will relate wartime experiences to their families. We understand even after 50-plus years many memories are still painful.. Succeeding generations will want to know how you lived, loved and dreamed of returning borne. For some, those dreams never came true. Don says his grandfather was 93rd-er Melvin Morrison, who lost three friends when their plane crashed. "When I was a small child, Grandpa Morrison showed me their pictures. J now show them to my family." Donald enjoys his grandfather's recounting visits to Hardwick and nearby vicinities, London pubs and developing close bonds of friendship with comrades and British civilians. Don suggests the reserve outfit might be designated-as the Legacy of the 93rd. He writes: "The Legacy would not glamorize war but help preserve memories of the selfless deeds of men of the Circus. Editor's note: Similar suggestions have been forthcoming from others. Carroll (Cal) Stewart, who authored the 1996 release, Ted's Travelling Circus, has stated severaJ times he and his wife, Peggy, a 1944 Hardwick American Red Cross girl, have a son, Scott, and a daughter, Suzanne Bolten, who have pledged to help commemorate the Circus. Her sons, Alec and Charles Bolten, grandfather was the late Walter Bolten of St. Louis, a heavy bomber navigator who saw WW TI combat with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Scott's address: P.O. Box 83289, Lincoln, NE 68501-0289; Suzanne, 809 East Monroe, Oakland, MO 63 l22-6327. We would like to hear from other members, like Cal and Peg, and other associate members, like Morrison and anyone with ties to the 93rd who wouJd be willing to help form and be active in such an auxiliary or successor organization. The oext article will show the degree of interest Don has shown io the 93rd'• history and his extensive on going research. Researching the 93n1 From the time I was a small child, r have been interested in the 93rd BG activities during the

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4 Second World War. Since my grandfather kept very few photos and records from his service years, 1 had to learn how to find and use the official government sources to obtain this information. Over the years, I have learned how to find friends, records and photos. I have attended several reunions, and I am frequently asked how r am able to find all of this information. I do not claim to be an expert researcher, but 1 do know some ways to find mjssing information. Feel free to caU, mail or email me if there are any questions. Here are some highlights of my collections. Main Research Projects HanlwickAirbase Photos l have put together a collection of about 50 photos of Hardwick Airbase. These photos range from high altitude to low level. All areas of the base are shown, including the housing area. 93nl BG Aircraft Photos l have borrowed and copied severaJ hundred photos of93rd BG aircraft. I have put together a list of the planes that flew with the 93rd. I have photos of over 125 airplanes. Some planes I have multiple images, and others I have only a partial view of the plane. I am always looking for new photos to borrow and copy. If you have any photos of airplanes and/or nose art, I would like to hear from you. Diaries also help identify names with serial numbers. Any list or recollections of aircraft names help me greatly. If you are looking for photos of the airbase or 93rd BG aircraft, please contact me as I may be able to help. I have negatives for all of my photos and can have 4 x 6 prints made for between $.50 aod $1.00 depending on the quantity. I supply photos as a courtesy to the members of the 93rd. If you can reimburse my cost T greatly appreciate it, since I am doing this as a bobby. How To Find The Following Information: Flight Reconls Officer's flight records are available from the National Personnel Records Center at oo charge to the veteran or to the next of kin if the veteran is deceased. The following information should be supplied with your request: name, service number, and dates of service. These records are a monthly summary that was prepared for each officer. The flight record card shows location, dates of flights, duration, capacity during flight, aod type of aircraft. The flight records also show link trainer time. I have seen pilot and co-pilot flight records, but they claim to have flight record for all flight officers. Morning Reports Every morning, each squadron prepared a morning report that listed all members oftbe squadron that had a change of status. The morning reports are ooe of the best kept secrets that I have found. The morning reports can provide information on two levels. The primary level is to supply dates when the soldier's status changed. The following information is supplied in these records; date when assigned to squadron, transferred, from duty to sick, from sick to duty, to rest homes and from rest homes. It also shows when a member was MWKIA, crashed, or landed at another base. The secondary level of information that can be learned from the records are the names and service numbers of friends. They will not look for friends' names but they will look for events that show the requestor and the friend. For example, you and Joe ( don't remember last name) went on leave together in Summer of 1944. You would then ask for the morning report that shows your name going to and from leave during the Summer of J 944. His name, rank and serial number should be shown in the same group as yours. There is a slight charge for these records. If the requested time period is for less than 3 months, they will usually not charge anythfog. If they do, ihe cost is usually between $8.00 and $20.00. To obtain a copy of flight records and morning reports, send a letter to: National Personnel Records Center, NARA Attention: O.R. 9700 Page Ave St. Louis, MO 63 I 32 Phone (314) 538-4028 Mission Report9 The actual mission reports for each mission are archived at the National Archives located in College Park, Maryland. I have found that some mission reports are missing for May through July 1944. The contents of the mission reports do vary. Some reports have just a brief summary of the mission, debriefing reports and the loading lists for each squadron. The highest detailed reports have all the information that the short ones have, but also include target photos before and after the mission, detailed notes of the mjssion, fuel

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consumption for each plane, details of the bomb load and a formation diagram. For the missing mission reports, you can request wing and division records for that mission. However, wing and division records will not have the debriefing reports and loading lists. The cost for the mission report varies based on the number of pages. They will copy the entire mission report only. This can be expensive. A complete mission report can cost between$50.00 and $100.00 dollars. ff you do the copying yourself, the cost is 10 cents per page. If you are interested in going to the National Archives, please contact me for the procedures associated with using and copying these records. I have copieq all of the 328th BS loading lists and I am working on copying the other squadrons. If you are looking for information on your missions, please send me a list of them or the range of dates. Since 1 want to have a complete collection of loading lists, I might as we11 copy missions that somebody else is also looking for. The address for the National Archives is: National Archives 870 I Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740 Attention 2400 Telephone (301) 713-7250 Jn upcoming issues, T will discuss how to locate friends from the 93rd BG, copies of crash reports, photos, copies of missing aircrew Reports (MARC) and Bomb Group and Bomb Squadron Histories. Don Morrison 1375 W Comet Rd Clinton, Oh 44216 Tele. 330 882 2536 email dmorrison@eercorp.com FUNDS NEEDED FOR OUR MEMORIAL LIBRARY Additional funds are needed to help construct the new library at Norwich, England of which our Memorial Library will become a part. Our new library will be twice-as large as the original 2ADA Memorial Library before it burned to the ground. Please go back to the Winter issue of the 2ADA Journal and read Jordan Uttal's article on the subject Further, another article by Jordan appears on page 7, of the Spring Journal citing the need for funds. A form appears with the article for our easy use to make our donation. At least $50,000 additional money is needed so please send Jordan whatever you can. We have only a few years left to 5 ensure that our Memorial Library is funded into perpetuity. Seeing our beloved library come into reality should give all of us great satisfaction. Tt will indeed become a living memorial for those who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives flying from our bases in East Anglia during WWII. Dear Cal, Thank you for the information from Charlie Weiss. I have sent to him, and am now sending to you, the information I have compiled about my father, from letters and my own memory. You are free to use it as you wish. Will Paine My father, Maj. Wilmer H. Paine, was a Flight Surgeon with the 93rd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, at Hardwick, England, 1942-45. He was a physician in Charlottesville, Ya., when he was called to active service in June 1941. He was in the first class of the School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Field, Texas, Jan.- March '42. He was then sent to Shreveport, La., April-May, where the 93rd was being assembled, and on to Fort Myers, fl., May-August. The unit was the first group of B-24s to be sent to England, late September or early October. The family traveled with him to Texas, Louisiana and Florida. 1 was seven years old at the time, but 1 can remember some of the men we knew in Florida. Next door to our cottage at Ft. Myers Beach lived a young pilot, Ramsey Potts, and his wife. A few years ago I saw a documentary on TV entitled "Utah Man", -about a pilot on the Ploesti raid; film produced by Brigham Young University. Ramsey Potts is mentioned in the film. "Okie" Ratcliff, from West Virginia, was one of tbe medical orderlies; he played the accordion and led the men in singing. There were a couple of parties at our house. One of their favorite songs went to the tune "The Old Gray Mare": We don't want to march with the infantry, Shoot with artillery, Ride with the cavalry, We don't want to fly over Germany, We're in tile Medical Corps. We're in the Medical Corps, etc. "Okie" Ratcliff and hjs family visited our home in Charlottesville after th~ war. My father's best friend was Ken Cool, later Col. Cool, his commanding officer, later a brigadier general. Ken Cool and bis wife visited us after the war. He will be mentioned later in this story. The unit was at Ft. Myers waiting for their

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6 planes to be delivered. The men kept wondering if the planes would be white, meaning they were going to Russia, or pink, meaning North Africa. In the meantime they flew their few planes for training. The American public was not being told at that time just how very many cargo ships were being sunk by German U- Boats. I never realized this until the last few years. The bomber crews wanted to use their training flights to patrol the coast, but they bad no ammunition. One day in July my father flew to Dayton, the Air Corps supply center, for a load of depth charges. Although he was a medical officer, 1 think he may have been the officer in charge of the trip. The crew arrived in Dayton to discover that there had been a misunderstanding; Dayton hadn't expected them, there were no depth charges available. At last they were given two depth charges. Flying home over the Gulf, the crew spotted a submerged submarine, and dropped both depth charges. I remember them saying, "Our orders were "Shoot first, ask questions later." I now have only two of my father's letters from overseas, both from late 1942. In October, soon after arriving in England, he told of flying a combat mission over St. Nazaire in France as a waist gunner. He made a total of five combat missions, to be awarded the Air Medal, before the ruling was made forbidding non-combat personnel on combat flights. In the letter he explains, "I felt it was my duty go on a couple to prove to myself and the men who depend on me that l had the guts to go." In December the group was sent to Libya, near Tobruk, for two weeks temporary duty. FinaUy, in February, someone decided to forward their Christmas packages to them, but by then the group was on the way back to England. The mail was stopped at Gibraltar and re-routed. ln Libya each man received a German canteen each day containing one liter of water for all purposes, washing and drinking. Naturally, no one shaved. My father's beard began to grow, coming out in all colors, black, blond, white and red. We used to have a snapshot of him on his first leave, sitting on the steps of Shepherd's Hotel in Cairo in his dress uniform, with full beard. In his letter to me, written two days before Christmas l 942 for a boy not quite eight years old, he tells of flying from Oran to Tobruk during the night of Dec. 17. He saw a dark shadow far below, a ship running without lights; only one or two lights lit on Malta. "Have you ever seen a rainbow in moonlight?" Then he described the spectacular sunrise over the Mediterranean. There is a part of this story he didn't put in a letter to a small boy, one of the few tragedies he told about after the war. He had flown from England to Gibraltar in one plane, but then changed planes in order to fly with his friend Ken Cool. Over the mountains, only a short distance from their landing site in Libya, the other plane hit the top of the mountain. Apparently the crew interpreted the elevations on the map as feet instead of meters. All aboard were killed. The next day he made the trip to the top of the mountain to recover the bodies. T don't know very much about his day-to-day life in Hardwick during 1943 and 1944. He used to write about watching the air raids over London. Rather than staying in the air raid shelter, he walked through one of the parks, impressed with the sheer beauty of searchlights and tracer bullets. One night something landed close to him. When he picked it up it was still warm. We used to have this jagged piece of steel. After this, be decided to go to the shelter. He took seriously the needs of the men for recreation. We still have the silver loving cup woo by his team, the "Medics," as runners-up in the 8th Air Force volleybaJI championship. The cup shows the names of all the men on the team. Toward the end of the war, one of the local families in Hardwick asked him to deliver their baby. He was so happy for the chance to practice family medicine again. In the last few weeks of the European war he was no longer needed in England, and volunteered to work at the St. John's Hospital in Paris. He returned to the U.S. in June, I believe on the Queen Mary. He was mustered out in Sioux FaHs, S.D. in August. He practiced medicine in Charlottesville, Va., until he retired. Twice he visited East Anglia. He died in Charlottesville, July 1990, at age 86. Dear Cal, WilmerR Paine Jr. 2221 W. Sunset Stillwater, OK 74074 After 53 years our crew had their first reunion last October. We had planned to get together at The Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah, but because of our pilot's illness it was held in Birmingham, Al., his home. We were able to locate and contact nine of the

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ten crew members and six attended the affair. Those in attendance were George Scorey, pilot; Bob Hanslik, navigator; Bob Scheigg, engineer; Orville Myers, waist gunner; Marvin Faith, top turret gunner and Marvin Jonas, nose turret gunner. Four of the wives attended along with George's two sons and his sister in law. We visited the Southern Museum of FJight in Birmingham, where we were interviewed and photographed by the local TV station. A great time was had by all and the three days we spent together were all too short. It is with great sorrow that I report the passing of George Scorey in Jan. 1999. Bob Hanslik 875 EastJawn Dr. Highland Hts, Ohio 44143 1/r Top: Ray Pricer, R; Robert Scbeigg, Eng; Martin Faith, Top Turret; OrviJJe Myers, W.G; Marvin Jonas, Nose Gun; Robert Parmer, Tail Gun; Bottom: Virgil Briggs, Co-P; Ivan Camp, Bomb; Robert Hanslik, Nav; George Soorey, Pilot. 1/r: Marvin Faith, Robert Hanslik. George Soorey, Marvin Jonas, Robert Scheigg, Orville Myers Dear Cal, Have just read the winter issue of BALL OF FIRE, and the letter from Charles Weiss sure brought back memories of the old base. 7 This Jetter is from Dale Olmsted, better known then as Bill. I was the engineer on Capt. Elliot's crew. Only a few ofus left now. We were originally in the 489th BG al Halesworth. transferring at end of 15 Missions to 329th Sq. as lead crew, using GH flying mostly in Latrine Rumor. Now, at this late date, I hope court martial is not in the cards. We were picked to fly General Leon Johnson to Orleans, France. for what I don't know, but John Foster (Radio) and I picked up some German incendiary bombs, very small things with little tail fins. Looking back now, how risky to bring them on board. As all your readers know we were in strict blackout at night, so we proceeded to throw them up in the air so that they come down on the concrete catching fire. Man did they light up the area outside of the Quonset huts. The O.D. came tearing up, but couldn't find the culprits. One of the tricks crews wou]d do those days, was to bring flares from the ships and when crews were gone on missions those who were stood down would put a flare in their stove. This would turn stove almost white hot. As crews got wise and would check stove before firing up. some guys would climb on top and let flare down pipe so it was just above sight when checking stove. Another stunt happened as l'm lying on the cot when suddenly the front door opened and a fellow came running in carting a can which turned out to have a ho]e in it and was filled with gasoline. He ran right thru and out the back doo_r. In just a few seconds here comes a little line of fire in front door and out the back. Always wondered what would happen if that fire caught up with leader. John and I finish tour around Dec., but John had missed one mission, due to ear or tooth problem. So upon landing I ran like hell and missed being thrown in that water tank but poor John like to froze to death after his last mission be couldn't run fast enough. Next stunt , which neither John nor I had anything to do with happened New Year's Eve. There were fifty calibers, set in concrete barrels around the field for security. They could be unpinned and swung in a 360 arc. Now one evening.-some bird pulled the pin and tied trigger down, then charged the gun which started spitting tracers, incendiary and armor piercing bullets in the air. Fortunately the fellow had pinned the gun at a 45° elevation so we had a nice fireworks show. I can image what happened to those barrels. That's all for now. Just thought a bit oflevity

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8 would be the thing to bring to a good paper like the BOFQE. William D. Olmstead 953 Church St. Cortland, NY l3045 Cal, Than.ks for the info, however when I checked on Current Issue, lo and behold there is February 99. Not the B-24 but a "Lysander", ye ole kite in which I took a big bite out of a potato patch. Needless to say it brought back memories. I did see the B-24 in the February issue and you are right. The tail markings are from the most famous group in the UK. Earl Hurd (good friend of mine from start-up at Barksdale field) sorry to say be passed away either last year or 1997. At Alconbury, September 1942, the British gave the 93rd a plane so we could tow aerial targets over the North Sea. Earl was given the task as pilot of the Lysander. By the way that is on the cover of the Feb issue of Fly Past, also an article on it inside. Anyway I always flew with him, even at Barksdale in an A-26 and also in a PT-15. Well just to get acquainted with the beast we took the thing up one afternoon. Just after leaving the end of the runway, about 900ft alt. there was a hell of a lot of fire and smoke coming out oftbe engine. Earl tried to blow out the fire by revving the engine but it onJy raced like mad high RPMs - No drag on the engine - No Propeller! Needless to say with such short wings we came down like a rock. Both of us threw the canopy open in order to bail out but we were just too close to the ground to do so. Just when we were about to crash Earl pulled back to at least pancake in. Well in that field we left a couple of landing gear and the plane went straight up in the air about I 00 yards and then straight down in the next field! How be managed not to have both legs cut off at the knees I'll never know. Both of us took great bites out of the instrument panel, a messy sight. The gas tank is located between the front and rear cockpit, needless to say we abandoned the craft with utmost speed. The scene is still most vivid in my mind when the ambulance tried to get to us, not being able to do so, very muddy, the medical corps men came on foot carrying the stretchers. I can still see them to this day, their shoes were about one foot in diameter with English Mud. After hospital checked us for internal injuries and patched up the instrument panel bashes we were released feeling quite fortunate. They never did find the propeller. There is a side story to this episode. Tfle crew chief assigned to the aircraft looked exactly like the guy in "Laugh-In" program. The guy had tiny eye glasses, saying "Velly interesting", and looked as if he was of the Aryan race. For the next two years I always had my suspicions that he bad loosened the hub nut of the propeller as an act of sabotage! It wasn't until much later after he became a B-24 crew chief and received a Group citation for the most missions without an aborted aircraft, that my suspicions were without merit. I guess be wasn't a spy after all! Charles J. Weiss 2772 Moran Dr. Waldorf: MD 20601 Ed: I sent Charlie the following Web Site address http://www.keymags.co.ukl,. It was given to me over our 2ADA amateur radio net. It seems Duxford Air Museum has obtained a B-24 from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas in trade for a Spitfire V and the above Web Site shows it wilh the 93rd's tail markings. cai I met a fellow recently at a Coast Guard Auxiliary conference who was a B-24 engineer at Old Buck. He had never beard of the Second Air Division Association, which we, of course, find incomprehensible. I gave his name to Evelyn Cohen to recruit. Last April, three of our four remaining crew met in SavaMah. We had hoped that our engineer could make it, but he has been ill for several years and was unable to make the trip from Alabama. Our nose gunner came in from Arizona. He arrived feeling ill, and ended up in the hospital having a gall bladder operation. So that left me and our waist gunner to visit the Mighty Eighth Museum. For those of you who have not gone, go. It is something for all of us to be proud of. Having just read Charlie Weiss, report on his visit to our old base at Hardwick (Winter 98 BaU of Fire), I am again reminded of how incredibly fortunate we are to have Jean and David Woodrow "looking after things" at Hardwick. Dear Sir, Harold Burks # I Loxley Court Philadelphia, PA 19 l 06 l recently received an e-mail from one of your members Re: panda patch for 409th. He very graciously tried to locate a source for me to

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purchase one for my soon-to-be 80 year old husband. While unable to do that, he did let us know about the newsletter and sent me a document which I downloaded and then due to my lack of computer ability, was unable to print out. lt contained the subscription form. Could I prevail upon you to send one to me? [ would be very grateful. My husband was in the 409th and participated on Operation Tidal Wave in 1943. While I am a second wife and come to his experiences late in his life, I am weU acquainted with the bravery and courage of the men who fought in WWil. My grandfather was a retired Rear Admiral who commanded submarines, the USS Sturgeon among them. during the war and was eventually Admiral Lockwood's chief of staff after leaving the Pacific Theatre. I grew up believing in the concepts of duty, honor, and country that men such as my husband and grandfather practiced every day of their lives. The newsletter will be the next best birthday present that I can give to my husband as I seem unable to locate a panda patch. His was stolen at Fort Sam in 1945, 1 believe, while he was being processed for discharge. The newsletter is a welcome find. We only recently became acquainted with and joined the 2nd Air Division's Association. Thanking you in advance for your time and patience, Cindy Goodgion 8806 Pineridge Rd. San Antonio, Texas 78217-5832 Dear Cal, Received the BOFQE the other day and noticed my membership was due. Enclosing check and story of our 32nd mission OD March 23, 1945 over Munster. We ran into very heavy flak on the bomb run and l noticed the plane on our right wing had been hit hard. Gas was coming out of the left wing and the plane was swaying around a lot. They did get their bombs off and dropped out of formation heading back to England. When we returned we found they had made it back. The waist gunner Pete Trainer, had been ~iUed instantly when an 88M shell went through the waist and hit him between his back and parachute but did not explode. Two other 88 shells went through the plane without exploding and I had never heard of this happening before. l knew Pete in the states when we were in training at Westover Field. He was a real nice guy. When we arrived at Hardwick I saw him again as 9 his crew and ours were both assigned to the 328tll BS. This story appeared in the Fall Journal 1995 and was written by the navigator, Arthur Corbin, and the pilot was Ellis Calfee. [f any of his crew are stiU alive I would like to hear from them. Dear Cal, Richard Trousdale 601 N. Hayden Rd.# 93 Scottsdale, AZ 85257 I just received the winter issue of the BOFQE. The back page brought back memories of Miss America. l was a member of the ground crew on that airplane. One day, I believe in 1944, it failed to return and we were told it had crash landed OD the English coast. We never saw it again. I sure hope you are able to keep the BOFQE coming as l enjoy reading about the old times. Dear Cal, Howard Thompson 11524 Love N.E. Albuquerque, NM 87112 While visiting our son in France we stayed at an Ibis Hotel in Landernau, in Britanny near Brest. Adjacent to the hotel was the hotel-restaurant de Miscoat where we ate our evening meals. Attached to the restaurant was an exhibition hall where there was a display to honor Allied Airmen ofWWTI. In the first part of the display were pictures of the 93rd BG and pictures of some of the crews and their planes. Among the planes noted were Ball of Fire Jr., Liberty Lass and Missouri Sue. Planes from the 44th BG mentioned were Blackbird and Yardbird. Relics from various planes were on djsplay with a few uniforms and parachutes. We received a formal invitation to attend the ceremonies the following evening but had to decline as our son bad made hotel reservations for that evening in Caen. Some of the names mentioned were Frank Lown, Thad Hawkins, Art Crandall, Clairbom Brooks, Robert Hudspeth, Orval Mickelson, Frank Hodges, Arch Camp and Ronald Nelson. I am also enclosing three photographs l took in 1943 at Hardwick. I hope you can pass them on to the appropriate person or organiz.ation. These are the only copies so far as l know. I'm getting up in age and not in the best of health. I was in the 461 st sub depot attached to the 93n1 BG. Roy Schulbach 3254 Center St. NE Salem, OR 97301-4668

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10 Dear Cal: It was nice talking with you on the telephone in January about joining the 93rd BG after alJ these years. Our crew flew over to Hardwick, England in the middle of October 1943 as a replacement crew. We flew over in our own 8-24 named the Judith Lynn, named after our Pilot's daughter. Names of the crew were Charles W. Walters, pilot; JM Bickley, co-pilot; Harmon Smith, Jr. Navigator; Jack George, bombardier; Louis E. DeJGuidice, radio operator; Carl Hite, engineer; Elmer Kudej, waist gunner; Vincent Sweet; waist gunner; John Stainker, tail gunner. On the ninth mission to Kiel, Germany, January 4, 1944 after dropping bombs over target we got a direct hit of flak in our bomb-bay area. Our aircraft was twisted and lost one engine. We left formation and came back to the base alone. Our pilot got a promotion for bringing back our aircraft damaged beyond repair. They assigned us to a B-24 named "ON THE BALL. "Our tenth mission was on January 7, 1944 to Ludwigshaven, Germany. ME I 09s shot us down. No. 2 engine got a direct hit and caught on fire. We bad to bail out on the way back over Brou, France. Enclosed is my story of evasion and my membership in the 93n1 BG. r would like a 328111 squadron patch. Hope you can locate one for me. Louis E. DelGuidice 41 Thorpe St. North Haven. Ct. 06473 Ed: Although this story of evasion was printed in the winter issue of the Journal, I reprint it here for those of our members who do not get the Journal. Does anyone have an extra 328th patch for Louis.? On January 7, 1944, coming back from our l 0th mission to Ludwigshaven/Mannheim, we were attacked by ME-109s. Our #2 engine was hit and caught fire. It was about l :30 PM when r checked the waist section and found that gunners Vincent Sweet, Elmer Kudej, and John Stainker had been killed. The navigator, Harmon Smith, Jr., and bombardier, Jack George, had parachuted from the nose section. Engineer Carl Hite, pilot Charles W. Walters, copilot T.J. Bickley, and I (the radio operator) bailed out too. We all landed in Brou, France. I parachuted onto a farm where children were working. As they approached me they seemed friendly. They hid me in their farmhouse until the French underground arrived. I was told that two of my crew members,. Smith and George, were captured and that they were looking for the rest of us. At about 4:30 PM members of the French underground arrived with civilian clothes and took me by bicycle to the home of Lucienne and Maurice Vouglment. I was taken to a potato warehouse and hidden in a room with sacks of potatoes stacked around me, At around 10:30 PM the sacks were removed and I was taken to a safe house where I met my pilot and copilot. We traveled from house to house with the underground for two days. At that point engineer Hite and I separated. I stayed with the Milleroux family in Juvisy et Siene. Mr. Milleroux was a chemist. Hite proceeded to Paris to stay with a French doctor. My pilot and copilot stayed about two blocks away from me with a family named Levees. We were told we would be escaping over the Pyrenees mountains. The underground gathered the four of us together, and we traveled for fourteen hours on a Gennan troop train to our destination, which was Toulose, France. There we were turned over to the French Resistance and a group known as the French. Maquis. This group was known for sabotaging railway passages that carried German troops. The Resistance told us we had to wait until they bad fourteen escapees, because the German ski patrols were in groups of six, so it would be safer if we had a 2 to 1 advantage. We then were armed with hand grenades, pistols, and machine guns. Besides the four of us, there was a Belgian officer, an actress, an elderly English spy, and seven Jews from various countries. It took us four days and three nights to go over the Pyrenees. We were told that when we reached Pau, Spain, we would be picked up by the Spanish patrol. In Pau, Hite and I were picked up and.taken to an isolated prison for the criminally insane. Walters and Bickley were kept with the Spanish military police for two weeks. After two days in Pau, Hite and I were handcuffed and walked seven miles to the railroad station. During the walk, we had stones thrown at us and were cursed by the adults. By train we were taken to Zaragossa, Spain, where we were put in solitary confinement. We slept on the floor since there were no beds and no windows, and we were given one meal a day which consisted of soup and bread. Because of the ill feelings between Spain and the United States over relief supplies, Spain would not voluntarily let the U.S. or the English know that they were holding English -0r U.S. airmen as prisoners. American and English military attaches

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made rounds of all the prisons asking for Allied airmen and requesting their release. We were turned over to the British military attache, who brought us to Madrid, where we were turned over to the American military attache, Colonel Yousland. We were brought back to England by way of the Rock of Gibraltar and taken to London to be debriefed and identified. General Eisenhower, General Patton, and General Montgomery (who were in London for a joint staff meeting) persona Uy congratulated aU of us for escaping. This entire episode took about a month and a half. Oh yes, the code name of our French underground was "Genevieve." Dear Cal, I am enclosing a check to keep the BOFQE going. The articles keep my mind refreshed with all the news regarding the 93n1 BG and I really enjoy reading all the letters you receive. It was through you and Dave Thompson that we were able to locate our co-pilot, Larry Markes. Incidently it was Larry who designed our 330th BS insignia. While my wife and I were visiting the 8th Air Force Museum at Savannah we noticed the insignia on a flight jacket that was on display as you came in the front door. Talk about great memories, you sure can get them at the museum. A few years ago, Dave Thompson and my wife and I flew out to Studio City, CA to celebrate Larry's 75 birthday. We had a great time at his party mixing with his family and friends that were writers and producers for TV shows. Hi Cal, Sam Parisi 495 Exmoor Ter. Dunedin, FL 34698-7301 Here is a something that I have never seen anything written about in either the 2ADA Journal orBOFQE. Sometime during the winter of 1943 or early spring of 1944, a group of us from various crews, both officers and enlisted men, were called to a meeting by S-2. The only other person in this group that I knew was another radio-op named Nelson. Someone from London, as I remember, taught us a code to incorporate into our letters home if we ever became POW's listing anything about German activity. We were not allowed to talk to each other on the base about the code. However we were to write practice letters to a Sgt. at an address in London. I never received a reply and sometime later one of our S-2 officers told me the system was 11 dropped because the Germans had broke the code. The officer who made the presentation said we could not tell our families of this set up. Some interesting reactions took place when S-2 people came to the homes of some of the POW' s families asking to see their son's letters. One family called the FBI! rt was very tricky making the letters look natural and still fit in words and letters at correct intervals. One Gennan censor was supposed to have written a note on the bottom of a letter, "This guy either doesn't know the English language or he's crazy. I wonder if any of your readers had this experience in other squadrons or groups. l was in the 328th Sq. while flying. Carmen Fox 5751 W. Smiley Road Shelby, OH 44875 Uitors Comments For some reason, probably my inaptitude, thjs issue bas given me fits trying to make everything look right. J had hoped to include some pictures taken at the 811, Air Force Museum but lack the space. lo answer to Carmen Fox's letter above, I have in my possession a story from Harold Secor about the British code he used to send messages while a POW. I also wrote and received a reply from Gen. A.P. Clark who said "Although sworn to secrecy for years the story has been printed by some English authors." I wiU try and include H~old's story in the next issue. The rest of the Bomerang story will also be in the next issue. I hope to get Walt Stewart to write an epilogue about Bomerang's lour in the states. Topics to be discussed at our annul meeting in Austin, TX over Memorial week-end will include: putting a 93rd BG Memorial in the Memorial Garden at the 8th Air Force Museum near Savannah, GA and funding for th is project, I have pictures of other groups Memorials that I wilJ bring to the meeting; the proposal to form a group of our younger associate members to fonn an organization to carry on interest in and history of the 93rd BG. Folded Wings Howard Bmse Kurt Harris JobnE. Pace Edward S. PoweU George W. SadJer George W. Scorey Glen E. Tedfonl Raymond C. Wier

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BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 7, No. 2 Bomerang: final installment By Kent Jaquith After leaving the target we saw three B-24s going into a cloud &nd one of them came spinning down to earth. These three planes were flown by Longnecker in Thundermug, Roper in Exterminator and Olliffe in Let er rip. It was Olliffe on his first mission that collided with Roper, who was flying his 25th. Being 30 minutes late over the target meant we had no reserve fuel. We couldn't fly formation and get back and couldn't climb over the weather and get back. Martin asked Reid the navigator for a direct route to Benghazi with an altitude high enough to miss the mountains. We crossed the coast of Greece, throttled back and began a slight loss of altitude. We crossed the coast of Africa at 1000 ft., landed and taxied to our parking place. During debriefing, the crew chief, George Ewald came in and said he could only drain a cup of gas from Bomerang. On leaving debriefing the flight surgeon prescribed a jigger of whiskey for everyone. I can remember the sensation of the whiskey going down to my toes. We went to our tents and laid dowri on our cots and slept for the next ten hours. Of the 37 planes from the 93rd BG that participated on the August 1st mission, Bomerang was one of 15 that returned to Libya after reaching the target. Bomerang's next mission was August 13th to Wiener Neustadt, Austria. There was inaccurate but heavy flak over the target. This was a two day mission. Bomerang returned, crossing Italy at San Bancetio and Mt. Cicero, entered the Gulf of Tunis and landed at Summer, 1999 Massicault south of Tunis. This was a 13 hour flight. After debriefing the crew bedded down under the wings of Bomerang. The B-17 men continued to admire the cruise and load of the B-24. Jim Reid said they should have charged admission. August 16th found Bomerang making a 1600 mile flight to Foggia, Italy. That evening the crews were entertained by Jack Benny, Larry Adler, Winnie Shaw, Anna Lee and others. Foggia was again visited on the 19th, with the marsh~ll!ng yards as the objective. Flying across S1c~ly, Bomerang was hit by flak over the target, resulting in a hole in the engine cowling. Total distance 1830 miles. Two days later a 1560 mile round trip mission was flown to Cancello, Italy. On August 26th the 93rd headed back to England crossing Tripoli, Briska, Oran and landing in Marrackech ten and a half hours and 1742 miles later. The next day the other 1837 miles were covered, landing at Hardwick, where the group was given a royal welcome. The next three weeks the group flew some diversions and had several missions scrubbed due to weather. September 16th was scheduled for a 2300 hour take off on a return trip back to Africa. Bomerang was stuck in the mud and take off was posponed until the following day at 1430 hrs. A short trip to St. Mawgen, supper, briefing and off to Marrakech at midnight. A beautiful sunrise greeted the group over French Morroco landing at 0830 hrs at Marrakech. On Sunday, Sept 19th , the last leg of the trip was flown, crossing Algiers, Tunisia and landing at Ouda #2, 15 miles southwest of Tunis, covering 1300 miles. On Sept. 21st, Bomerang flew a mission to Leghorn Italy, experiencing light flak. Continued on Page 3

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Bomerang continued The trip took 8 hours, covering 1292 miles. Three days later another mission to Italy, this time it was the marshaling yards at Pisa, with excellent visibility and good bombing results. Sept. 25th Bomerang returned due to a malfunction on #3 prop. The rest of the group turned back due to bad weather. Two missions were scrubbed until October I st, which took the crew to Wiener Neustadt, Austria. There were few fighters and heavy flak. and Bomerang had to feather a prop over the target, and another engine ran rough. The return was sweated out, but the plane returned without further problems, only some flak holes. On Oct 3rd Bomerang and the group headed back to England, landing at Hardwick the next morning. On Oct. 5th all of Bomerang's officers were promoted. Roy Martin to Captain, Luther Bird, Jack Roach and Jim Reid were made 1st Lts. Oct. 8th was the first mission of the 93rd since returning from Africa. The target was Vegasack. Germany, with Bomerang flying deputy lead. Flak was moderate with few fighters. Bomerang landed with a flat tire. The very next day, Oct. 9th, Bomerang was one of 17 planes the 93rd flew to Danzig Poland. The flak was moderate with a few fighters, but the 93rd lost two aircraft. October 18th would be the last mission flown on Bomerang by Martin's Red Caps. Martin relinquished the left seat and Luther Bird was command pilot with George Bailey as co-pilot. The taiJ gunner Robert Sparks passed out due to a lack of oxygen. They aborted about 30 minutes before the rest of the formation turned back. This was a diversion raid but counted as a mission. The Red Caps were assigned a new B-24 and flew that one, El Toro on its first mission, Nov. 3rd to Wihelmshaven. They flew that one on 9 missions, and were shot down over Osnabruck, Germany on December 22, l 943, resulting in the loss of Jim Reid, Jack Roach and Francis Sullivan. A new crew was assigned Bomerang, and flew it on its last missions before it was flown back to the States on a war Bond Tour. Bomerang's last combat crew was Lt. John Stauffacher, Pilot; Lst Lt. Murray Markowitz, Co-Pilot; 2nd Lt. Quentin L. Morris, Navigator; !51 Lt. Carl F. Marcussen, Bombardier; T/Sgt. GleaP. Hartman,Eng/Gunner; T/Sgt. Claire C. Omley, radio; S/Sgt. Harvey L. Heath, W/Guaner; S/Sgt. Frank G. Blazecb, T/ Gunner; S/Sgt. Kenneth E. Neindenthal, 3 W/Gunner; S/Sgt. Donald J. Johnston, gunner. No detailed mission by mission account or diary for any of Bomerang's last crew is available. Some of the last combat missions flown took place in November and December. The first mission by Stauffacher's crew was an important one, the bombing of the heavy water plant at Rjukan, Norway, Nov. 16th. Bomerang was one of 39 Liberators from the 46th, 93rd, 389th and 392nd groups to participate in the mission. dropping 295, 500 lb. GP bombs, on the Vermork power station and factory. Fifteen minutes before that 160 B-I 7s from the 3rd BD dropped 711, l 000 lb GP bombs. The raid completely missed the electrolysis plant, but did seriously damage the hydro-electric power plant, which ultimately forced the Germans to abandon any future heavy water production. Subsequent missions by Bomerangwereto Kjeller, Norway, Bremen, Germany, Kiel, Germany and Ludwigshafen, Germany. After 53 missions Bomerang returned to the States for a war Bond Tour. It logged a total of 911 flying hours in its 18 months of duty, dropping nearly one--third of a million pounds of high explosives. It used 17 Pratt & Whitney twin Wasp engines, four of which were rebuilt in the field. One of the engines built up 425 hours of flying time, a record for Bomerang. The average engine life was 285 hours. The most severe damage Bomerang ~ver sustained didn't happen in combat by German fighters·or flak, but ra!her by a British Lancaster Bomber. Coming back from a mission, a badly shot up Lancaster couldn't make it back to its own base, and had to put down at Hardwick. In doing so, the damaged Lancaster veered off the runway, crossed a taxiway and smashed in the tail section of Bomerang, parked at its hardstand. This happened before Bomerang was scheduled to return to the states on the tour, by order of Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle. Like the Arabian bird Phoenix, Bomerang true to its tenacious indestructible nature, again arose to flying status, just as it had after its very first mission. After, the tail section was repaired by using parts from a hanger q_ueen, Bomerang was flown to the states by Capt. Walter Stewart who flew Utah Man on the Ploesti mission. Walt's crew for the trip home consisted of other 93rd BG men, who had completed their tours and who had flown most of the missions that Bomerang had flown. This crew consisted of the following; Capt. Walter T Stewart, pilot; 1st Lt. John V. Kemp, co-pilot;

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4 151 Lt. George G. Everhart, bombardier; 1st Lt. Wm. M. Rocky Ford, navigator; T/-Sgt. Edmund C. Klien, radio op; T/Sgt. Ralph L. Carroll, Eng; S/Sgt. Enos H. Lee, W/Gunner; T/Sgt. Alford B. Bergkamp, gunner; S/Sgt. Michael L. SuJLivan gunner; S/Sgt. Wm. A. Apy, gunner; M/Sgt. GeorgeC. Ewald, Crew Chief; M/Sgt. Charles A. Chambers, Line Chief. On the day Bomerang left for the states, there was a formal going away party for the plane and crew. Several pictures were taken of the plane, with crew, including Brig. General James P. Hodges, and Lt. Col George S. Brown Jr. Walt Stewart is shown in most all of the photographs, including one showing Miss Rachel Homer, an American Red Cross worker, presenting a decorated cake to Walt. These pictures show that Bomerangwas adorned with hundreds of names of 93rd crews, ground personnel and other we11 wishers in England. At 1444 hours, on April 4, 1944, Walt Stewart looked at his wrist watch pushed the throttle controls forward, and headed Bomerang down the North South runway for the last time. Flying over the English country side, the four Pratt and Whitneys were running smoothly, anticipating yet another mission over the hostile skies of France and G~rmany. But this time it _ wasn't to be, as Walt headed Bomerang back to the states taking the Southern route, back to Marrakech, Dakar, Brazil, Dutch Guiana, Puerto Rico, and Miami. When landing at Miami, Bomerang experienced a tire blowout, but was skillfully landed by Walt with no harm to plane or crew. Once again Bomerang lived up to its name sake and returned, bringing its crew safely back home, this time to the friendly soil of the United States of America. Bomerang flew to various cities, visiting colleges, and plants involved in war production. The Pratt & Whitney aircraft engine plant at Hartford, Connecticut gave the plane and crew a warm welcome, taking pictures and writing a history about it in their company paper, called The Power Plant. The Hartford Times also did a nice article with pictures in their Friday April 21st issue. The Marlin-Rockwell, roller/ball bearing corporation at Jamestown NY. also welcomed the plane and crew, as did the Hamilton Propeller factory and other plants producing vitally needed war material. Other cities visited were Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Provo, Utah and Jackson, Michigan. It was in Michigan where Bomerang dropped its last bomb. After visiting prisoners at the state penitentiary, the crew flew Bomerang over it and dropped a dummy parachute bomb into the yard, as requested. Bomerang was finally flown by Walt Stewart to Hill AFB in Ogden, Utah Walt's home state. Comments from Walt Walt writes, "Their arrival in the U.S.A. was sensational and the tour was a dream for all 12 of them. We were feted everywhere we went. We were entertained at the Southern Michigan Prison. One older inmate who heard me say I would fly low over them when we left called me aside and said, "Captain, when you fly over tomorrow, drop a bomb on the south gate." Going over Cleveland, there was a game on at the Stadium and we flew very low over it. John Kemp , the co-pilot shouted, "Do you see those lights on the top of the Stadium." "Wow," 1 hollered as we both pulled back on old Bomerang's stick and just cleared them.. Hamilton Standard Prop people were allowed to come to the field to see their 4 props with great pride. Several Pratt and Whitney people really gloated at our engines. A note that pleased us all was the report from the ball bearing plants a few weeks later, saying the absenteeism at these places had been reduced to almost zero. The State Department, under whom the tour was directed, sent me a glowing report o-cf~--the success they had hoped for actually exceeded their planned results. As to the fate of Bomerang, I heard that it went to Tucson and was later dismantled. How I wish we had it for the_Ogden Museum now." Dear Cal, Thank you for sending me the old and new issues of the Ball of Fire Quarterly Express. I am enclosing a check for $20 for a subscription to the BOFQE and a membership in the 93'd•• Can you also send me information about how to obtain a copy of the 93rd history? As a result of my letter appearing in the BOFQE, I have heard from Gerald Morrow, who sent me newspaper clippings of the arrival of the Queen Mary into New York with 14,500 troops aboard. I remember my father telling about spending five days doing nothing but shooting craps. l didn't understand then why, but now it sounds perfectly logical! I have also heard from Robert S. Calkins, who told me of working with my father as the top sergeant in the medical unit. My venture into the world of the 93rd all began a few weeks ago when my wife and l began planning a trip to England. I found the 93rd via the lnternet,

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and that put me in touch with you and several others. We now plan to spend two days in July in a B&B at Long Stratton, just a few miles from Hardwick. I have been gratified by these people who remember my father, at a time I was not a!Jowed to know him. Wilmer H. Paine Jr. Dear Cal, 2221 W. Sunset Dr. StilJwater, OK 74074 Here is the letter you so graciously invited me to write for publication in your newsletter. l anxiously look forward to hearing from anyone who knew my Dad. lfyou have any questions, or if r need to change something, please e-mail me. l have signed the letter with my address. Would you mind letting me know if this letter is okay? Thanks again, Cal, for offering me this opportunity! Dear 93rd Bomb Group Members, l am looking to find someone who may have known my Dad, Kenneth W. Johnson. He was very proud of his service & he was very proud of all the men & women who served their country. l wilJ give what information I have. He was from Brockton. MA. He received bis training at Tyndall Field, FL. He was stationed at Hardwick Air Base in Norwich, England with the 93rd Bomb Group, 329th Bomb Squadron was a Staff Sergeant. On Feb. 24, 1945 he was nose gunner on a 824 which was flying in the lead on a mission to bomb the Misburg Oil Refineries, Misburg, Germany. The plane developed engine trouble over occupied Holland & went down over the Zuider Zee. The entire crew bailed out safely. All were taken POW by the Germans shortly after touching ground, with the exception of the pilot, Gene Maddocks, who was taken by the Dutch Underground. He was transported to Germany & held there as POW until being liberated at the end of the war. I don't know the stalag in which he was held, but I do know he was kept with some of his crew members. I would so much like to hear from anyone who knew my father during these years. I had planned a trip to take my father back to England to visit bis old air base. Sadly, he passed away before the trip came to be. I took the trip myself, for my father. It was an amazing experience! l knew he was with me that day. As a matter of fact, I could feel the spirits of many of our young men. My father always spoke with great pride and 5 love of the Air Corps. He told me often of the camaraderie that existed between you aU. J know how special my Dad was. I am sure you are all just as special. l realize it is a long shot, but I hope to find at least one person who knew him. With warm regards, deep respect & many thanks for all you gave so that I am able to enjoy the freedom with which J live today. Diane (Johnson) Chaet 97 Colonel Bell Drive Brockton. MA 0230 l This query came from a B-24 Web site. My father, Raymond F. Pulley was a radio operator aboard a B-24 in the 93rd BG and possibly the 328th or the 409th Squadrons. His plane was shot down June l 9, 1944 and he was taken prisoner as was most of the crew h~ was with. He was held at Stalag Luft 4 till around February, 45 when he was transferred by railcar to Stalag Luft I, where he was until it was liberated by the Russians in May. His crew that be trained with and normally flew with were: Pilot - Kenneth L. Gilbert; Co-Pilot - Joseph Kelly; Nav - Ray Koening, Bomb - Nathaniel Glickman ,Eng -Joseph Evanovich, ? - Frank Lucas, Gunner -Charles T. Skinner, Gunner - Malcolm R. Carter, Gunner - Jim Ronsich. When he was shot down dad was subbing for the radio man in another crew. The crew he was sti.ot down with were; Pilot -R.W. Brown, Co-Pilot - Floyd R. Cook. Nav -Michael PietruccioJa, Bomb - James P. Kavanagh. Eng - Oliver J. Wood, R.W. - Lillian F. Wolf, L.W. -John H. Worrell, T.G. - Robert R. Meltzer, N.G. - Kenneth V. Ehrhart. My. father died when I was young and l didn't find out about his service tiU afterwards and of course I probably would not have appreciated it at 8 years old anyway. It would be great to hear from anyone that knew him or was in the POW camps with him. Thank you to all that served. Bobbie <bobbie@frye.to> Dear Cal, Bobbie Pulley 800 W. I Ith Okmulgee, OK 74447 Here is a little POW life that I don't know if you have or not. I was shot down 4/16/43 and after a few weeks ended up in Stalag Luft Ul. There were about 150 Americans in the compound and the Germans said we would be moved to another camp, Stalag Luft I.

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6 We had not been there very long when I was approached by Sq. Leader MacDonald, one of the senior officers in the camp. He asked me ifl would be interested in learning a system of sending information back to the U.K. He knew we were going to be moved again and would like to have some people in the new camp able to send information ouL l could look over the system and if I felt I was able to use it he would teach me and it would be up to me if l wanted to take the risk. This was an English system belonging to M I and was used successfully all during the war. There was another POW aJoog with myself that also was given the information on the system. I believe his name was Joe Dillard, you forget a lot after 50+ years. MacDonald gave us lessons, usually outdoors, for a few weeks. When we said we wouJd take on the job we were given a code name. This was different with every operator and was the key to the system. My code name was Joint. The British War Secrets act is now past and J think that this can be talked about now. We had to give our word that we would never discuss this with anyone after the war. I haven't seen anything about the program since. I also haven't been able to find out from our government if any nra1erial was received. Or if we were even in any of the wartime records until I had a letter from Gen. A.P. Clark teUing me that he thought it was okay to tell of the experience now. Gen. Clark may be able to tell you more because he was a senior officer at Stalag Luft ll and had an organization of several operators under his command. These messages were supposed to be intercepted and photostated on the way home and then sent on to the person they were addressed to. The example l am sending you with this letter is one of the few that my mother received and fortunately saved. Of course the person on the other end did not even know anything was in the letter. But I imagine some of the letters seemed pretty stupid when I tried to make some sense getting my message included. 1 don't think any of us want any medals or money but we would like to have the U.S. say if we had been of any use or if any information was received by the intelligence service back home. I can't find anything in the records that even says we were aJive. Harold Secor P.O. Box 248 Savannah, NY 13146 A.P. Clark 12105 Ambassador Dr. # 105 Colorado Springs, CO 80921 Dear Mr. Davidson Thank you for your letter concerning Harold Secor and the intelligence code used by German POW's during the war. I know Harold and have corresponded with him in the past in my efforts to recapture the code we used for historical purposes. Tbe Air Force Academy history has aa extensive collection of the American POW story and the use of the code was an important part of it. As Secor points out, for some years we were sworn to secrecy on the relationship we developed with US and RAF intelligence. The Brits broke the story first in their books and Lloyd Schumaker broke it in his book and Admiral Stockdale talked about the Hanoi story, so it is all out. r regret this as it will only make it harder or impossible the next time. I have not written or given away interviews about this business but I can not say l object to one writing about it. The codes are easily changed and the British code was far superior to ours. At Stu lag Luft HI we organized a room full of qualified people. Usually college grads in Humanities under the supervision of the Senior American Officer in each camp to send back lots of military info based on observations of incoming new POW's. We also asked for and received lots of supplies such as cameras, film, radios, batteries, tools, maps, home papers, etc. including money. Hope this helps you. Sincerely Al Clark Lt. Gen. USAF (Ret.) Ed: Secor let/er and code follow. Hello folks, I have moved again, tllis sure makes enough moving. Not that you don't have a fine sight-seeing tour, travel all over-etc. But you can travel better ways, l' ve seen more fellows whom I once new and hope J meet a lot more. It sure is swell to see some old Joes that flew missions with the mob. Old Booker came here a week before the bunch of us got here. Most of us in the old gang are here now and figure we are a pretty lucky bunch. As you can see the address is still about the same. Just the number of the camp changed. It is not so nice here as it was at the last place but that is to be expected-

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most of the men just got shot down and don't know much about living in a camp. Well I'm still waiting for a letter from home and hope it wont be long before I leave myself. Love, Harold The code name was JOTNT and these letters are placed in the four comers and center. After the Jast letter of the code name (T) fill out the rest of the alphabet starting at the omega sign (e) with the letter A and do not repeat code letters. The use of a dash or hyphen cancels use of following word. The letter X means numbers follow with A= I, B=2, C=3, D=4, E=5, F=6, G=7, H=8, 1=9, J=0, and M=l0O0. Use of the (a) Omega sign means end of message. Word starting with any letter in row 1,2 or 3 makes one letter in message: Example We Need 3 3 111 J 21 I K 112 L 212 M 113 Q 213 R 121 U 221 V 122 X 222 T 123 Z 223 e 131 B 231 C 132 E 232 F 133 I 233 H Food. 2 = G 311 312 313 0 p s 321 W 322 Y 323 A 331 D 332 G 333 N Ed: See if you c,m decipher Harold's message encoded in his letter home! It makes it easier if you draw a line after every rhird word in the feller. Dear Cal: I was quite surprised upon seeing the latest copy of the BOFQE and the photo on the last page. l talked to you on the phone briefly and promised to send info on the crew. Before J got to it, received a note from Harry Tower and he said he had already got th~ info off to you so this is somewhat redundant. However, here's a copy of some P.R. my mother saved from local papers, plus a copy of my mission roster. If you can use it, ok, if not, round file it. This entire crew stayed together for 28 missions, with the exception of Fred Hayes ( 4c11 from left). He was replaced later by Frank Lattrell who stayed for last one. Up until this picture, I was beginning to wonder ifwe were really there. Have written several letters and no one seems to have 7 any recollection even though we were a lead crew and did some pioneering on the early "PATHFINDER" technology. I've spent some time trying to find, Bill Mabee, Bombardier and, Joe Sullivan, Engineer for several years and can't find a trace. To my knowledge, there's only 4 of us left, Dick Galim, Gordon Keifert, Harry Tower and I, plus Fred Hayes. Anyhow, if you can use any of this, glad to help. I really enjoy the BOFQE. We flew the old stripes a few times and J have a couple of good pictures of it. Keep up the good work. Howard Jones 532 Belon Rd. Walterboro, SC 29488 FOUR RAIDS IN AS MANY DAYS COMPLETED BY LIB AND ITS CREW A Liberator Base, Jan 31-The B24 Hellcat and its ten-man crew today completed its fourth mission in as many days. Last Friday, I/Lt. Roger Skjei piled his boys into Hellcat for their eighth mission. Today the same crew piled out of the same plane after having completed their 12m operation, and all were ready to knock off winning the war for a day or two while they drew a breath out of something other than an oxygen mask .. Skjei, a six-foot Norwegian from Madison, Minn., took his crew to mystery coast Friday and encountered little opposition. The following day mission No. 9, they hit Frankfurt in southwestern Germany and had plenty of trouble. "We thought we were going to catch hell over Frankfurt," Skjei said, "but our P38s took care of the German fighters. Flak over the target was rough, but otherwise it was uneventful." Hellcat's third day out. Sunday, took lhecrew to Brunswick, 120 miles west of Berlin. Two other crews had been there the previous days also, but the hurry call that Skjei's crew got at the last minute this morning left the other two crews in bed. Hellcat went out again to establish the four-for-four record a lone. The navigator, 2/Lt. Herman A Matthees, of Goodhue, Minn., didn't have time to draw an oxygen mask for the short trip to France; he took off with an oxygen tube stuck between his teeth, having fastened it on with a handkerchief. Ed: This may have been printed in the Stars and Stripes and did appear in local U.S. papers.

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8 Dear Cal, I wrote the following to Dick Trousdale. Dear Richard, Read your letter page 9, BOFQE. I was in the ale you mentioned. It was an experience all right. The shell that killed Pete continued out the top of the waist and another just aft of# J and one just aft of #2 engine. They made big holes but did not explode. As navigator, I also released the bombs. That time the electrical release failed and I had to do it manually. This was fortunate as a 4th 88m entered our bombay just as T released them .. Tt did explode, making holes outward from the born bay. Lf the bomb load had gone electrically, the shell would have gone into the tanks. We did drop down rapidly in hopes of helping Pete but it was too late. I planned a direct route to Hardwick as we continued a steady slope downward. I gave course corrections continually. We had no hydraulics, so crew members urinated for fluid and gear was put down manually. There was just enough fluid to stop ale at the end of the runway where we all got out to mother earth. At debriefing S2 wanted to know why we aborted the mission; we arrived far ahead of the rest of the Group! Tbei,ilotteceived a DFeyearsiater; forsome reason no one else did. Pete is buried at the American Cemetery. near Cambridge. My family visited there a few years ago. The crosses are there row on row, Makes one sad. I have asked the monument commission to place some flowers on Pete's grave 23 March 2000. Art Corbin 2555 Pricer Ridge South Salem. OH 45681 Dear Ca~ Hear is my check for the BOFQE. I enjoy it very much. I go back a long way in the 93rd• From when we formed in Barksdale to Ft. Myers, to Ft. Dix for ground echelon, AJconbury, the days of Moleing Missions with the 329th at Bungay. I would Jove to read some stories about those missions in the BOFQE. Perhaps Chuck Merrill could write a few for us. Michael Corcoran Jr. 9 Ridge Hill Rd. Scituate, MA 02066 Ed: How about it Chuck or arryone else that may have been at Bungay or have knowledge of these missions. Dear Cal, As you may know [ am helping to supply information for a program at the Liberation Museum in Holland. They are recording all 8th AF losses (combat and non-combat), including details of crash circumstances, position, serial numbers, rank, burial information. The chief historian of this project is an internationally recognized authority who bas identified "unknowns" in European cemeteries. He has also accumulated information on men lost in Operation Market Garden, World War J, 355th FG losses, Australian losses, Polish losses, Canadian losses, etc etc. Many official records are incomplete - or non-existent. He sends me his problems on crashes within the UK. Because I know so many people l have had good success digging around for infonnation but sometimes I just can't do it! On 19 December 1944 "Beaver's Baby" 42-50597 (Robert Marx crew) crashed on take off All were KIA. l know everything except the positions of the crew on the aircraft. M ACR I 5463 does not give positions. They don't have this information at Hardwick, although they have Marx's jacket and other items on display at the little museum. No positions are mentioned in "Ted's '£ravelling Gfrcus". It has been suggested that L TC Robert L Marx, listed as a 93rd "AM" in the 2nd ADA roster, could be the son of I st Lt Robert W Marx, the pilot. Do you know him? Or do you have any information in your records that would give me the missing crew positions: Pilot: I st Lt Robert W Marx Co-pilot: I st Lt William H Young ?: I st Lt John D Camp ?: I st Lt Henry D Fulmer, Jr ?: T/Sgt Frank H Whitten ?: T/Sgt Benjamin C Wiegand ?: S/Sgt Ralph E Gifford ?: S/Sgt Harold Glickman ?: S/Sgt Robert A Hughes ?: S/Sgt Fred D Pettigrew ?: 2nd Lt R K Locker ON Nav. Bomb. Eng. Radio Op Tail Gun. RWGun LW Gun. Top Gun. Co-P I should be grateful for any help. With kind regards, Phyllis DuBois 22 Hungate Street Aylsham, Norwich NRI 1 6AA Ed: Phyllis: Above info came from Col. John Marx, nephew of Robert Marx. For more info he can be contacted at 700 East Roth Rd. #26, French Camp, CA 95231 or <pennypaclcr@aol.com>

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Notes from 93rd Business Mtg. at Austin, TX Dear Cal. Ref: Fred Strombom asked if someone would volunteer to record the minutes of our business meeting of the 93n1 BG, held on May 30 1999 at the Hyatt Regency hotel, Austin, Texas. I guess I volunteered. Anyway as best as I can recall the following is what transpired at the meeting: Fred opened the meeting by noting that he too was pinch-hitting for Al Asch who was not able to ancod since he had been affiicted with some sort of nerve problem which made it very difficuJt and painful to move around. lt involved his back and legs. [We all wish him a speedy recovery) Fred then called on Rosa Sadowski to sing "Amazing Grace" as the form of a prayer to begin the meeting. [Rosa is the daughter-in-law of Vernon Sadowski a 93rd member) Her rendition of the hymn was very moving - you could tell her heart was in her presentation. Vernon was one of several 93n1 members attending their first reunion. Fred reported that the dedication of the B-24 memorial at the US Air Force Academy went very well and looks great. Cal Davidson reported on the status, finances and well-being of the "Ball of Fire Quarterly". The BOFQE funds as of this date stand at $7039.36. Cal said that in order to keep the Ball of Fire "fiying" it nevertheless requires a constant cash now. The subscription form is always included in each BOFQE publication, please continue to support your news letter. Cal also noted, that equally as important are articles from our members - others would like to hear about your experiences as well. Keep them coming in. [After Cal's report a spontaneous applause erupted in appreciation for the good work he is doing on the BOFQE] Cal mentioned that a "young" fellow by the name of Don Morrison (grandson of a 93rd type) and an Associate Member of the 2ADA, is really becoming an authority on the 93rd, especially as it pertains to aircraft, serial number identification ' nose art and crews. In fact the albums of aircraft photos which you reviewed in our Hospitality Room belonged to him. He has done a great deal of research with associated costs (all at his own expense) and wanted to share the albums (4 volumes) with us. While his research is very comprehensive, and there's not much he doesn't know about the 93n1 aircraft, he nevertheless still needs to fill in much information and photographs. 9 If any of you have any memorabilia, photos, mission information, he would certainly appreciate receiving same. He said that he wouJd reproduce any such items and return them to you. [I, the undersigned, can vouch for his integrity, tireless efforts, and enthusiasm - he has practically made it his ••life's" work.] Discussions regarding a 93rd Memorial to be located at the 8th AF Memorial Museum in Savannah, Georgia have been going on for quite some time, and now that the Denver B-24 is a reality, Fred Strombom asked for a consensus from those present, as to the type of memorial the 93rd should place at Savannah. A motion was made and seconded and voted in the affirmative that the memorial monument be similar in design as the one at Hardwick, with only minor editorial corrections as required. Cal Davidson bad made some preliminary research relative to the type of granite available and associated costs. All in all the est1mated cost would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $8000.00 dollars. This includes all lettering and pictures of all insignia, 81h AF, 93rd BG, all four Squadron patches and etchings of the two B-24's All moneys would be raised from contribqtions. Fred then asked for a motion to approve the project. The motion was seconded and voted on in the affirmative. Fred asked for a volunteer to manage the project - there was a deafening silence, he then agreed to take on the challenge himself. The undersigned later learned that good ole Mark Hontz (long time faithful member of 93rd association) would assist Fred in this project - now it's up to the rest of us to see that the project becomes a reality! Fred brought up the subject of perpetuating the memory of the 93rd and that he had received comments fi'om other members to the effect that perhaps we should fonn some type of organization, similar to the Heritage Organiz.ation (2ADA). Comments from a few of our Associate members present were solicited. Kent Jaquith (nephew of one of our 93rd types believed such a group could be started. He similarly noted that it would be great if aU of the veterans of the 93rd would reduce their experiences to a written document so our history would not be lost forever. Don Spencer has agreed to help with this project so all correspondence of those interested in forming a group of Associate Members should contact Don with any suggestions they may have. His address is

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Folded Wings Claflin, Leigh Rosenow, John J. Fraser, George W. Schulbach, Roy Hemmel, Lawrence Trostle, Cecil M. McCualsky, Andrew E. Editors Comments Bob Tredway would like to know where or how he could get a 93rd BG, 330th Sq. square-billed gunners cap. Eric Ericson is urgently in need of a Weems plotter and map of return over North Atlantic from Hardwick to ZI. Thomas Joha, who made friends with 93rd's Lt. Howard (Tar.mo) Kleinsteuber in London, England is anxious to hear from anyone who knew him. Joha's address is 1202 Bethany Home Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85013-1620. Joha's story is an interesting one and will be in the next newsletter. Please be sure and send address corrections to me if you move and want to continue receiving the BOFQE. I have had several issues returned undeliverable. J f no date appears on your mailing label your dues are in arrears. If the date on your label is this (l/1/00)your dues are paid up until Jan. 1, 2000. My computer is Y2K compliant Several people, when mailing in their dues, have mentioned they might have a story of interest for the newsletter. Please don't ask, just send them in, as I am running out of material. As noted in the minutes of Charles Weiss, Don Morrison is making as complete a collection of the 93rd's aircraft nose art as possible along with the a/c serial numbers. His address is 1375 West Comet Rd., Clinton, OH 44216. lf you can help in any way please contact him. The report on our Memorial Library in Norwich indicates it is on schedule to be completed in the spring of 2001. When Evelyn Cohen asked for a show of hands at the 2ADA banquet oflhose interested in returning to Norwich in 200 I the response was overwhelming. So we may be going back one more time. Notes on the Memorial for the 8th AF Museum Some minor rewording will have to be done on the Memorial for the 8th Air Force Museum in Savannah. We hope to have all final arrangements made so Lhat they may be published in the fall newsletter. V.P. Al Asch will contact the Museum about placing the Memorial and determine a final 11 cost He will also look into the process of making all contributi'ons income tax deductible. Tbe possibility for the names of major contributors ( an amount to be determined) to be placed on the back of the Memorial is being considered. A booklet available at the time of dedication will list all contributors. l believe the dedication day for this Memorial would be an excellent time for the 93rd Bombardment Group to hold it's own reunion or in conjunction with the 2ADA reunion in Tampa, FL next May. This Memoria I will be a great addition to the ones already at Hardwick, the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH and the one at Arlington Cemetery. If Murphy's Law doesn't intervene you will get all the final particulars in the fall newsletter. Dear Cal, Thought you'd be interested in this blurb from the April 26, 1999, issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology F-16s FOREVER Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems recently delivered its 3,0351h F-I 6 from Air Force Plant No. 4 in Fort Worth. which makes the F-16 the longest production run since the plant opened in t 942. The record bad been held by the B-24 bomber, the first aircraft produced there. From April 1942 to December 1944, Plant No. 4 produced 3,034 B-24s, including 286 C-87 cargo versions and five AT-22 navigator training versions. First produced in the late 1970s, the F-16 is the plant's longest-running aircraft program, but its manufacturing rate comes nowhere close to the B-24's. Peak wartime production rates were hit in January 1944, when 230 aircraft were produced in round the clock, six day per week shifts. By comparison, the height ofF-16 production was 33 aircraft in October 1981. The peak year was 1987 when 284 aircraft were deUvered. The newest aircraft, which goes to the U.S. Air Force, is the 3900th F-16 produced when aircraft built in Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey and South Korea are included. This is the plant I worked in from 1969 to 1977 when I moved from Texas to Mass. Bob Oliphant Ed: Bob is my nephew whom many of you met at the Arlington Cemetery Dedication ceremony.

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BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 7, No. 3 The Saga of Baggy Maggy by Richard Carrol Scott Jr. The View from the Co-pilot's Seat: Our crew's story began at Peterson Field, Colorado Springs, Colorado, in early 1944. We experienced many unusual situations while getting to know the 8-24 Bomber. l remember flying at 23,000 feet in a chilling temperature of 40 degrees below zero, wearing insulated clothing that warmed as well as an electric blanket, when a stray SO-caliber bullet hull from another plane burst through our two inch thick glass windshield and wound up way in the back end of our plane. It's path took it between Larry Hewin, the pilot, and me. The freezing wind tilled the plane. l stuffed a rag in the hole and we landed as fast as possible. Pike's Peak and many other Rocky Mountains provided the backdrop for both the daylight and night time bombing practices. I remember another crew, our friends, whose plane hit a mountain top in the dark. No survivors. After completing overseas training, our crew attended graduation exercises, then headed to Lincoln, Nebraska for our overseas orders. We said good-bye to our families on June 30, 1944. Around 3:00 a.-n. the next morning, we took off in our B-24, headed for Bangor, Maine. Around 4:00 a.m., while flying over the southern edge of Chicago, 1 could see a house on fire. The rest of the crew was sleeping. I was reading a book as we flew along. Of course, the plane was on auto-pilot and needed only occasional checking. As morning brightened the sky, we were about a mile and a half high, still on our way to Bangor. The fields of Fall, 1999 Pennsylvania looked like a thick carpet had been laid over the ground. We asked the navigator, Wilmer, how far out of the way we would have to go to see Niagara Falls. He thought we meant how far are we from the falls and said, "About 75 miles." That was too far out of the way just to see Niagara, so we continued on to Bangor. After we landed, Wilmer told us it would have been only 20 miles out of the way, which would have been okay, but it was too late now, so we laughed it off. Bad weather grounded us in Bangor for several days. We finally took off on July 4th, bound for Labrador. We flt:w over Canada for hours at an altitude of 8,000 feet -about I l/2miles high. We looked down on millions of green trees, hundreds of lakes and dozens of rivers. I imagined that MAN had never set foot on many of them. When we finally got to Labrador, we landed on a snow-covered runway - on the Fourth of July! We had to lay over for several days due to hazardous weather conditions. We did get to eat breakfast with the Base's Commanding General. As George Sadler said, "He's just a one star BUCK General . " I'm sure his tour of duty was lonely and this was one way the General broke the monotony. From Labrador, we flew across the water to Greenland. There were hundreds of icebergs in the water and only one runway to land on. It started at the water's edge and ran uphill for about a half mile. The high end was about 200 feet higher than the low end. High mountains on both sides of the runway were too close for incoming planes to circle around if they missed their mark, so they had better be right the first time. When it came time to leave, we took off going downhill. That helped us get to flying speed in a hurry and a good thing too!

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2 Pres. 2ADA ..... Al Asch 6205 Meadow Court Rockville, MD 20852 Tel. 301 881 1376 Pres. 93rd BG ......... Fred Srombom Membership .... l.L. Brown 220 Clardy Street P.O. Box646 Ogema, Wl 54459 Malvern, AR 72104 Tel./715 767 5461 Tel. 501 332 3125 Membership .. Robert McKeevcr 329 Rosewood Ave. Winnetka, 11 60093 93rd Historian .. Carroll Stewart 7150 Holmes Park Rd. Suite 323 Lincoln , NE 68506-4603 Newslener Editor .. Calvin Davidson 48973 Plate Rd. Oberlin, OH 44074-9619 Tel. 440 775 1787 Tel. 847 446 0205 Tel. 402 484 6046 Arry airplane still below flying speed by the time it reached the end of the runway would go right into the water. I never heard of anyone actually going into the water.We continued down the fiord to open water, climbing all the time so we would have enough altitude to clear the 5,000 foot thick ice cap that covered all of Greenland. A million needle pointed ice spires completely covered the cap. I wondered bow we could land among those spires if we had trouble. Later, l heard of several planes that did have to land there. Fortunately, we did not experience any problems as we headed for Iceland, 800 miles away. Iceland is near the Arctic Circle and we encountered foul weather again. During the several nights we spent waiting for the sky to clear, we had to cover the windows of our barracks with thick curtains in order to sleep. Standing_ outs id~._ in_ the street, I could read a newspaper at any time of the day or night without the aid of any lighting other than that of the sun. When the weather was suitable we flew to lreland, about another thousand miles over the North Atlantic. We circled Loch Neig~ landed and kissed our new B-24 good-bye. We stayed in Northern Ireland about a week. One enterprising family near our air base would hard boil their surplus chicken eggs, bring them around lo the Quonset huts ( our sleeping quarters), and sell them to the "Yankee" soldiers for a shilling each, about 25 cents American. They never had a problem getting rid of the eggs. I remember a little sideshow 1 went to, along with about a hundred other Yanks. An Irish lassie of about I 6 or 17 years old, dressed in native costume, demonstrated different Irish dances. Entrance fee was a couple of shillings. When tne time rolled around to move on, we marched down to their seaport and boarded a medium-sized ocean liner for a short trip across the Irish Sea to Edinburgh, Scotland. ln Edinburgh, we boarded a train for the final leg of the journey to our air bases in England. The English coaches were different from ours. On American trains, a passenger has the freedom to move from one end of a car to the other and even allowed to enter the next coach. Not so in England. Each car was divided into fairly small compartments, with room for eight to ten people. And there you stayed all the time the train was moving. Our crew wound up at an air base near Hardwick, England. Once there, we attended lots of meetings and lectures. As a co-pilot, I was assigned to fly my first mission with a totally different crew for one time only. This crew had already flown a few missions. 1 figured this was to "initiate" me. The target was a medium-sized airport in France. If we could drop bombs on the runways, they would then be unusable for the German planes. The most impressive feature of this mission happened just before we started our bomb run. The pilot, whose name I cannot recall, crossed himself in the standard Catholic manner. That awakened me to the fact that we were subject to being fired on, which l~dn't fuJJy~lized. On this trip, no shots were fired, but we were just lucky. From then on our regular crew flew together. l vividly remember the next mission. lt took about an hour of circling in our base's general area for all of the planes to get into the formation. Then, we flew across the English Channel with a German oil refinery as our target. Oil was, as it is still, the life-blood of any army. As gasoline, it fuels airplanes, trucks, cars, etc. So Hitler had his best sharpshooters surrounding the German refineries. Lots of our planes were on this mission. l saw more than a hundred. We were flying in a 12-ship formation at 23,000 feet. That's more than four miles straight up. Our lead plane had three or four "visitors" on it, some Colonels and Majors who came along just for the ride, to see what a real air raid was like. They found out the hard way! A "flack" shell hit their plane and set it on f tre. The whole bomb bay area was ablaze, although no bombs had exploded as yet. The pilot had the presence of mind to turn his plane to the right to get out of the way of the rest ofus. I lost sight oftbem after that. This called for some TALL thinking. When the normal exil is on fire, there is another exit located near the folded-up nose wheel. But, it is rather small and fairly difficult to get through. l don't know if

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anyone made it or not. Something else to think of, that plane was about 200 feet from our plane. At four miJes up, if that ground cannon's gun barrel had been I /I 00 of an inch to one side, our plane would have been the one that was hit. Such things will make a philosopher out of a person. A few minutes later we saw a B-24 in a tailspin. We watched for about a minute and then couldn't see it any more. There were hundreds and hundreds of oily yellow blobs of smoke aJJ around us. As each sbeU exploded, it scattered pieces of cast iron in au directions with the intent of hitting and destroying our planes. I saw a number of our planes go down in flames. We always counted the parachutes coming from each plane so we could report to our people back in England. But we did bomb the refinery! That helped the war effort. After about a week, we were allowed to go to London for a weekend. The four officers from our crew stayed together. We saw the stage play, "Arsenic and Old Lace." lt was pretty good. We had dinner in a downtown restaurant. While we were there, a siren sounded. That meant a "buzz bomb" had gotten through the coastal defenses and was beaded for London. When we heard the siren, we all jumped up from the table, ready to hunt for a bomb shelter. We looked around but no one else was paying any attention. We sat back down, finished our meal, and finally heard the buzz bomb off in the distance. I don't know where it hit, but it wasn't near us. We spent that night on the top floor ( 4th) of a little hotel Because of a shortage of space, we had to sleep two to a bed. About 4:00 a.m., Wilmer poked me 'in the side to wake me up. He said, "Scotty, listen!" Off in the distance we could hear what sounded like a motorcycle. After a moment, the sound stopped. About five seconds later, we heard the thousand pound bomb explode. Soon, there was another, then another. We heard one that sounded like it was headed straight for us. We held our breath. Fortunately, it flew right over our hotel and was still going when we could no longer hear it. Buzz bombs are designed to run and fly until the fuel is exhausted. Theo, they tip over and head for the ground. It is random shooting and thousands of Londoners were killed or injured by the bombs. One of our missions was to bomb Nazi factories in France. Our plane was one of several dozen and we were past the coastline when we noticed a smaU stream of oil leaking out of the number 3 engine. We watched both the oil stream and the oil pressure gauge and sure enough the 3 pressure on 3 started dropping, which meant we had lost one of our four engines. By this time, we were somewhere in the middle of occupied France. Larry feathered the propeller to reduce the drag on the remaining three engines, but even though we revved up the other three, we soon began to drop behind. Very soon we had no choice but to turn around and try to make it back to our base, approximately l 50 miles away. And, we were all by ourselves. We scanned the area for German planes, whose pilots would delight in having such an easy target. After about five minutes one of our crew caJJed on the intercom and said "fighter plane at six o'clock." I remembered the P-51 looked like the German FW-109 from the front. l told our gunners to clear their guns and make sure they were ready to fire instantly. After a scary five minutes, the fighter plane closed in enough for us to see it was an American P-51. After heaving a huge coJlective sigh of relief, we asked him to escort us back to the channel, which of course he did. Theo, we thanked him and continued back to our base while he returned to his in Southern France. By the middle of September, 1944 we had gone on five bombing raids. Some were to damage runways on French airports so the Germans couldn't use them and some were to bomb Hitler's very important oil refineries. Then our 409th Squadron was temporarily taken off bombing raids. Paris had been retaken from the Germans. The train rails were left in mangled condition. #'. million people in Paris were without food. We flew to Liverpool, in the south of England, to pick up a large number of floor-filled sacks (300 pounds each) and transport them to Orleans, France, where they were transferred to army trucks. The trucks drove the flour approximately forty miles to Paris and distributed it to the people to sustain them until the railroads could be repaired. In transit we flew over the beaches where the June 6 D-Day lnvasion had taken place. We saw burned out villages, destroyed tanks and trucks, crashed glider transports, etc. ln September, L944 100 days after D-Day, the war in Europe seemed aJI but over. British and American forces had dashed across France and Belgium and German defenses were collapsing everywhere. The Allied Commanders felt that one bold thrust could open the way to Berlin and end the fighting. "Operation Market Garden" was the brain-child of Field MarshaJJ Bernard Montgomery, Britain's favorite

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4 general. It was the greatest airborne assault in history. Its main objective was to capture, intact five bridges across big rivers like the Rhine at Amem, Holland and the Maas and Waal also near Amem. But we didn't know about trus until later. Someone in authority had the bright idea of flying the supply planes in formation, 200 feet above the ground. Advantage: Before the enemy knew we were coming, we would be past them and they wouJdn't have time to grab a gun. Dnadvaotage: Fonnation flying at 200 feet is different. Normally, in a turn, the outside airplane climbed a bit and the inside airplane dropped down, but aU the aircraft remained in the same geometrical plane. Not so at low level. All aircraft remained in the same geometrical plane, but that plane was parallel to the ground. In a left tum, the airplane on the left lost sight of the airplane on his right, and that could be dangerous. On September l 7, l 944 we practiced a new way of formation flying in our B-24 bombers. We flew at 200 feet or less from the ground. At one point, we even flew through some shrubbery which was at most ten feet high. Over our radio headphones, we beard someone in another plane shout, "PulJ up! PulJ-up1" Bid tbey-mean-us?-'Fhey didn't say. Anyway, low-level formation flying proved feasible. The idea was that a 12-ship formation at 200 feel altitude, would be gone before an enemy soldier had time to fire and hit a plane. On the same day, September 17, about 1900 paratroopers dropped behind German lines in Holland to distract a portion of the German army, which would now have to fight on two fronts. The theory was that the Germans might very well withdraw farther into Germany rather than face the added risk of being shot at from two directions. It was our job to drop supplies to the paratroopers on Monday, September 18. We were told it would be a "milk run." We took off about 3:30 p.m. l didn't even wear my coveralls or my army shoes. Why bother? This wls only a "milk run." We crossed the English Channel in formation, at about 200 feet above the water. At this low level radar couldn't pick us up. We crossed the beautiful fields of Holland, so bright in the afternoon sunshine. There were ten of us in our old B-24, "Baggy Maggy." She was given this name before we saw her, having flown many missions prior to being assigned to us. When J say she was old, I truly mean it. Larry Hewin was Dying and I was co-pilot or second pilot as the Dutch say. r remember seeing a windmill or two and some civilians as we flashed by. We were traveling around 150-160 miles per hour and were positioned off the left wing of the Squadron leader. We trusted that the lead navigator knew where we were going. Everything was working fine. Before anyone on the ground knew we were coming, we'd be past them and out of range. As we neared the target area, the lead plane gained up to about 600 feet of altitude to alJow time for the supply boxes' parachutes to open. Unfortunately, this gave the enemy a much better chance to shoot at us and they did! Suddenly, a loud explosion tore a hole fifteen to sixteen inches in diameter in the left side of the Baggy Maggy, next to Larry, and sprayed our control room with many small pieces of red hot steel. Most of them embedded themselves in Larry's left arm and the calves of both his legs. Imagine, if you will, red hot bits of metal piercing about ½ inch deep into your flesh and remaining there. Some of the metal bits hit arteries. Larry's body probably shielded me from most of the shrapnel but I was hit by several small pieces causing numerous cuts, plus one piece hit the metal bulkhead behind me and caromed into the back of my head. It is still there, 53 years later. The-force-of-the-shrapnel knocked my-bead down to my chest and stunned me. As you may suppose the tremendous excitement at that point caused utter chaos for a few seconds. l told Larry, "I've got it." Our radio-man, Bill Kirlin, and our engineer, Don Dukeman, helped put Larry on the floor of the radio room directly behind the pilots compartment and directly under the 800-pouod gun turret. They administered first aid, putting tourniquets and bandages on his gushing arteries, as well as giving him a shot of morphine from our first aid kit. Under normal conditions, the B-24 was very easy to control. A thumb and forefinger could handle it, a real pussycat. However, once the explosive shell hit the side of our control room and blasted a sjxteen inch hole in the wall, Baggy Maggy turned into a raging tiger that seemed intent on killing us alll When l took over the controls, the plane was in a rainbow shal)ed path that would have smashed us into the ground killing all on board instantly. Normally, I. would have returned the controls to the centraJ position and that would have been enough to straighten the plane out. Normally, but not this time. So 1 kept the controls moving trying to find a balancing point to fly straight and level. As it turned out, To be continued

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Dear Cal, 1n regard to the picture of the "Johnnie Reb" on the back page of the Summer 1999 "Ball of Fire" I can't give you the serial number, but can give you a little history. On the 2l81 of November, 1944, the Johnnie Reh was assigned to George Bridgeman's crew for a mission to Hamburg. We encountered heavy flak over the target and were hit in the fuel cells. We had to feather the number two engine and leave the formation. We were lost over Germany with the bombardier doing the navigating. We finally got a land fix and found we were over the biggest fighter base in Germany. We headed for Brussels Belgium and were lost with the weather closed in and running short of fuel. We thought we would have to crash land, but then spotted a bombed out airfield with a strip that had been repaired. The place was in Belgium near the town of Charleroi. There was a mechanic there to keep a P5 l ready at all times and there was a B24 on the ground that bad crash landed. I used the mechanic's tools to take parts off the 824 to repair the Johnnie Reb's fuel cell coupling to the number two engine and, also, replaced a crushed wing tip. When the weather cleared, we took off and flew back to England. At the time, the Johnnie Reb was practically new. lt was assigned to Bridgeman's crew for that one mjssion. I would be interested to know just what happened to it after that. Herman Witt 10292 falling Creek Rd. Bedford, Ma 24523-5670 Bridgeman's crew. First row, 1/r: T/Sgt. Hennan Witt, eng/gunner; S/Sgt. Chief Ferland, w. gunner; S/Sgt. Frank Liston, w. gunner; S/Sgt. Henry Nykamp, nose gunner; and T/Sgt. Dan Leveroia. radio-op Second row: Lt Steve Rudnyk, co-pilot; Lt George Berg, Bomb; Lt. George Bridgeman, pilot; Lt Keith Wallace, Nav. and S/Sgt. Kyle Dockery, tail gunner. 5 Cal, I received the quarterly a couple of days ago. Much Thanks. 1 liked the comments by Walt Stewart. 1 am assuming that you got the pictures from Walt. l didn't know that he had any more pictures that I hadn't seen, and I saw these for the first time. Do you have any copies of them that I could add to my scrapbook? I liked the new colors on the BOF. Has anyone commented on the change? One of the books J bought at the reunion, called "The Book of Remembrance", shows the same picture of the BOF in black and wrute, but doesn't acknowledge that it is the BOF. I wrote a brief story to our local paper about Ploesti, and asked them to interview one of our local residents who was a co-pilot with the 44th on that mission, Frank Davido. The reporter who was to do the interview with Frank said that frank turned him down. I contacted Frank, went over to his house, spending about an hour and a half with him, and he finally agreed to the interview. Today, Sunday Aug. I, is the 56th anniversary of the mission, and 1 thought it would be nice to commemorate the day with an article about the mission and about Frank. The young reporter did a good job with the story. l had given him Cal Stewart's phone number regarding the book Cal co-authored and the reporter called Cal . All in all, it came out OK, with only one smaU error, or perhaps a typo. That's it from the HOT northwest. It's been in the high 9_9's for about 2 weeks. Kent Jaquith 760 Knight Hill Rd. ZiJJah, WA 98953 P.S. I'm plannfag on attending the B-24 60th Anniversary in San Diego in December. Are there any 93rd veterans in the area that might attend? Dear Cal, Attached is a check for two years and a change of address. r am enclosing a copy of a brochure that we were given prior to our leaving England in 1945. It was also mandatory that we leave a pound note contribution for this Memorial. l was always somewhat curious as to what happened to all this money. Speaking of money, just as we were getting everything ready to load up the plane to go back to the United States, the Sergeant that ran the gambling operations at the base came running out with two Gls carrying a footlocker spilling pound notes and dollars. He said that he was going back

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6 with us and two of us had to stand on the lid of the box in order for him to close the hasp because it had so much money in it. When we landed in Massachusetts I think that was it. He took off with the footlocker and was long gone. We were then put on a troop train to Sioux Falls, SD and at every stop they had MPs guarding the train to prevent any of us from leaving. At one place in Ohio a couple of the local matrons thinking us to bePOW's made the remark, much to our amusement. "You know, they look just like our boys don't they?" We were guarded at stops so closely no one could get over ten feet away from the troop train. We never even had a chance to get a soft drink. However the Army is not perfect and at the train station in Kansas City there was not a single MP. They had to hold up the train while they were trying to round up all the ones that had left. The MPs even rented a hotel to keep them in until they got almost everyone back. Another Sergeant and I were out for four days. I knew Kansas city as I had gone to work there when I was fifteen. The people there were wonderful to us but finally, exhausted, we were taken back to the train. After arriving in Sioux Falls J was assigned to a 8-25 crew for some reason or other to a Lt. Colonel Smith, the pilot. Another T/Sgt by the name of Leiderbaus from PA and I went down to the orderly room and intimidated a lowly stateside Pfc into giving us a three day pass with us signing for it. This was during noon chow hour of course, and we signed for each other to make it official. We spent a wonderful five days at the Com Palace in Mitchell, SD, not having to spend a cent and drinking a lot of grain belt beer. On returning to the barracks l found all my new crew's mattresses folded up and their barracks bags gone. I ambled down to operations and asked where they were? The next thing that l knew l was in front of a full Colonel wanting to know how I was still alive. Seems that this was the 8-25 that crashed into the Empire State building and some other airman had grabbed my place. I never saw paper work a.nd phone ca Us work so fast. The next thing I knew, all this in less than thirty minutes, J was on my way home with a 30 day leave and assigned to an air base in New Mexico. The pass was snuck in by one of the prettiest WAC Officers that I had ever seen and she even took me to the train. However we missed the departures for the next three days; so much for enlisted men-officer relations. The remaining time at home was great since J had not been back since I was sixteen and was one of the frrst of the returning heroes. One funny thing l haven't forgotten. Back in a fairly dense grove of trees, while resting from skinny dipping, an old farmer came by calling his hogs. He was within ten feet of us, caJling away. He just kept calling otherwise he would have heard my companion giggling. I finally had to put my hand over her mouth until he left, then we laughed till we cried. I was assigned to the Clovis, NM air base in a so called weather squadron. Jn a couple of months we picked up a new 8-29 and flew it to Guam and then Okinawa. We basically did nothing but take off and fly around. The plane was always guarded by MPs. Only the crew and maintenance people could get close to it. One afternoon I was checking out some gear and the navigator bad left his maps out and I looked to see where we might be going on the next flight. All of his maps had but one destination, the Bay of Tokyo, nothing else. Since the war was just over I was somewhat puzzled. I wasn't puzzled anymore after talking to some people in Alamagordo, NM when one of the old timers talked about them desperately trying to get another nuke ready in case the natives of Japan started revolting. Looked as if old Doug warned an ace in the hole. He at least had the plane. l stayed in the reserve after being discharged , why I don't know, but still in the 93rd. I was in an Iraqi prison when the war broke out in Korea .. A great way to lose 30 _pounds in three weeks and being paraded in front of a firing squad every three or four days didn't do much for the appetite either. I managed to leave there and got word to the U.S. Consul in Colombia that I would be pleased to come back to the U.S. and be in service, since they did call up the unit I was in, if they would forward the money for airfare to Selfridge Field, Ml. They declined and said that if I ever got back I should report to the nearest Air Force Station for active duty. The money for airfare never developed and I felt it would be somewhat selfish to cheat anyone else of the chance to see combat and travel to the Far East. Years later while basking in the warm sun of Cuba I received a discharge, honorable no less, thanking me for my service of fifteen years in the reserve. It was interesting and l still think that one war per life is sufficient. l got out of it with a bad foot and a lot of good memories. Lee Hall P.O. Box 1111 Columbus, TX 78934

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Ed: The following two articles are those Lee sent in reference to the Memorial library about it's inception and the process of contributing funds per Gen. Kepner's letter. The Flame Must Burn On When the last bomb has been dropped, the last shot fired; when the winds aloft have washed the last traces of this holocaust from the skies, we who are left will go home. As some returning soldier so aptly put it:" If the Statue of Liberty wants to see me again, she'll have to turn around!" But what of those whom we must leave here? We all have memories of gallant comrades who paid the supreme sacrifice in war tom hostile skies and those who died honorably in line of duty. ln order to perpetuate their memory, we propose to erect a Memorial to these honored dead, your Memorial to them. This Memorial must be a spiritually Living thing. The deep and sacred feeling giving birth to this Memorial, their spirit of youth, hope, and desire for a world of decency, freedom, and peace must live on, must imbue this Memorial with that same sacred spirit dedicated to oncoming generations whose way of life they died to protect. This Memorial must be a haven wherein the flame of their principles must bum brightly and eternally, wherein the bewildered, stumbling footsteps of succeeding generations can be unerringly placed on the right paths. The Memorial will be in Norwich, England. It is proposed, in agreement with the Norwich City Council, who have agreed to furnish the site and build the main library building, to construct a Memorial Entrance Hall to this proposed Municipal Library, fitted with commemorative sculpture, art, plaques, and decorations, and setting forth in detail the history of the Groups of the Second Air Division, with the names of our comrades and records of the organiz.ations. This Hall will be flanked by two rooms fitted with literature, art, music, etc. written about America by Americans, and endowed for its continuous upkeep for generations to come. The sole entrance to this Library wiU be through this Hall. The estimated cost of this Memorial is £20,000 or $80,000, which, divided among the personnel of this Division, brings the individual contribution to a comparatively small amount. All contributions will be voluntary and each one permanently recorded. Again, it is your Memorial to your friends. 7 Depending upon labor conditions, supplies, and priority of construction, existent in England after the War, it should take about three years minimum to construct a Memorial of this magnitude and importance. However, should the library, for some unforseen reason not be built, the funds collected wiU remain in trust, and if another suitable memorial can not be decided upon by the trustees, the entire sum will be turned over to the United States Army Air Forces Relief Fund. For those who survive this conflict, this Memorial will be a source of pride and enjoyment for our accomplishments. It will be a place where we can bring our families and friends in years to come and relive these days of our years. For those who have paid the supreme sacrifice, and for whom there can be no permanent resting place, such a Memorial to their families and friends will represent tangible living evidence of the heart-felt gratitude and love of their country and comrades with whom they lived and fought-for when the airfields are plowed up, and all vestiges of the chaos of war have disappeared in time, this will remain a perpetual tribute to their memory, to their faith in an ideal. Second Air Division Memorial Committee HEADQUARTERS 2nd AIR DIVISION AP0558 To THE MEN Of 2nd Division The plan for the erection of a memorial to the men of 2nd Division who have given their lives for their country has, 1 know, a universal appeal. AIJ of us have friends and comrades who have been lost in action against the enemy or who have died in performance of their duty as American soldiers. These are the hard and bitter facts of war. These men live in our memory not only because of our sense of personal loss but also because of the admiration and respect we have for them and for the supreme sacrifice which they have made for their country and for their comrades. Their loss has been even more deeply felt by their loved ones at home to whom they will never return. This memorial will be a shrine to which the families and loved ones of these gallant comrades and indeed many of us may return in years to come. It will be in every way worthy of the men whose memory it perpetuates and of the cause for which they gave their Jives. The stately and

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8 beautiful hall of memory will furnish a harmonious setting for the Group plaques to be placed on its walls and for the bound volumes containing Group histories and the Group Rolls of Honor. More than that, however it will be a memorial of living spiritual significance for, through the American Reference Library and the American Reading Room, it will bring a daily influence of American thought and ideals to the people of the Norwich community with whom we have been so closely associated during these difficult years. l know that all of you will welcome this opportunity to express in concrete fonn what so many of you already have in your minds, and the colJection of the sum required will not be difficult if the response is as enthusiastic as I expect it to be. Together we have built the 2nd Division into one of the greatest aerial striking forces in history. Together let us build this fitting memorial to its officers and men who have sacrificed their lives to overthrow the enemies of our country in order that the ideals of our American democracy, and indeed all democracy, shall endure. W.E. Kepner Major General, USA, Commanding Dear Mr. Asch, Please find below details of books bought on behalf of the 93ro Bomb Group under the 1997 /98 endowment programme. Funds available for book purchase continue to show a healthy increase as we strive to adhere to General Kepner's guiding principles and to build a collection relevant to the needs of our users within the Millennium Library. This year, aside from the purchase of our core material on the 2nd Air Division and the Eighth Air Force, I have given heavy weighting to the provision of major American reference works. Traxel, David: 1898 The Tumultous Year of Victory, Invention, Internal Strife and Industrial expansion that saw the birth of the American Century. Cawthorne, Nigel: The Art of Native North America Also enclosed is a copy of the bookplate in Memory of all who served in the 93rd Bomb Group which will be p]aced in each book. Yours Sincerely, Derek Hills Trust Librarian Ed: For those of you who keep back issues of the BOFQE you will find the bookplate in the summer 1996 issue. Hi Cal, The European Winter of '44 - '45 had never seen its equal, not ever. The hemorrhage of human life on the ground and in the air was unremitting and, in a way, out of control. Estimates of the loss of human life as a resultofWWJJ vary between 55 and 75 million men, women and children. To put that figure in comprehensive terms, think of that many grieving mothers and grieve they did. If our war had a constant it was the seemingly endless sound of aircraft engines. All day it was the Yanks in B-24s and B-17s and at night the RAF took over in their Lancasters and Halifaxes. There were engines being run up by Crew Chiefs with the aid of the Put Put (a raucous Little auxiliary engine that always smelled as if it were leaking gas) which was mounted in the plane to provide power when the main engines were allowed to rest. Now blend in P-5ls, P-47s and a dozen lesser breeds and you have the penetrating unforgettable drone of engines by the hundreds and often thousands. The sound never ended, it just varied in intensity. We lived in Quonset huts. A half moon steef shelter that housed anywhere from eight to eighteen men. Heated by a small stove in the middle of the room that was inadequate even if fuel was available, a concrete floor, light bulbs hanging by their cords from the .9eiling plus a transformer to cut the 220 volts to the I IO our radio needed. One radio per hut tuned to the Armed Forces network or occasionally to the German station which was a marked change of pace with its propaganda and litany of prisoners of war. The latter being a clumsy effort to show compassion but designed to attract listeners. Our beds were metal folding cots and represented the onJy (custom made?) furniture but we had built tables, chairs and clothes racks out of anything we could scrounge that got the job done. There really is something to Yankee ingenuity. To beg, borrow or steal something you needed more than the government. For the Air Crews, a combat mission began at the front entrance to our mess hall. Just inside the door was the proverbial buUetin board and on it would appear the name of the air crews scheduled for the next days mission. Most people would simply glance at the list and move on. lf they saw their pilots name, this meant they were scheduled to

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fly. But some wou)d stare at the list in silence with some very private thoughts. The more missions, the more resigned if not stoic the crews became. Whatever flamboyance was displayed couJd usually be attributed to the 11new guys". Your mental stability depended on being able to convince yourself it couldn't happen to you but anyone with at least two brain cells firing had to work at it. A close friend of mine went from Atheist to Agnostic to Bible Thumper in 60 days. His way to cope. I believe we all prayed one way or the other. l know I did. For some reason the combat crew officers living area was located in a separate area maybe a mile from the flight line and even farther from the main base. Buses were available during the day for PX, sick call, laundry, church etc. but it was a long muddy hike to the theatre (another Quonset hut) and back on movie nights. We had our own Officers Club (Quonset) which had English beer, which I still like, scotch whiskey, slot machines and a crap table in the back room. The club activity didn't resemble anything you've seen in the movies. Mostly bridge players and letter writers soaking up the heat from the stoves. In fact the Mess hall and club were the only places at the site that were always warm. That includes the shower and toilet building which had ice on the floor and frozen pipes for most of that winter. While a bot shower after a mission wouJd seem important, the Officer who controlled the coal allotment Hved on the main base with their own showers and their own coaJ pile. I don't recall any rank above Capt. living at our site and therein lies the tale. The "tannoy" was a one way speaker in every hut which was used primarily to roust out the crews for a mission ie, click, scratch, "attention combat crews alerted, breakfast is being served in the mess hall", click. Although we were just getting up, the ground support men had been prt>-flighting the aircraft, topping off the fuel tanks, checking oxygen, hydraulics, engines, communications, radar, electrical and loading the bombs for several hours. By now tbe entire base was awake and moving. Time 3:30am. But where was the man of the hour? Not the Group Commander, not the Flight Surgeon but the guy I will always picture as lying on top of an engine. In the dark and co)d, working through an engine panel with bare hands, his underwear showing through his tom fatigues, "The Crew Chief," what a man. By the time we would arrive at the plane for a 9 mission, the Crew Chief and his assistants would have been at it for hours. It was being proud of their airplane and acutely conscious that our lives depended in great measure on their efforts that made them special. Breakfast for the combat crews was fresh eggs, spam, ham or bacon treat. We toasted our bread on top of the stoves, that heated the room, which resulted in a smokey haz.e compounded by nickel a pack cigarettes. My goodness but we did smoke up a storm. A cigarette became an appendage of sorts. We smoked everywhere and often. I recall our Crew sitting on a row of 1000 pound bombs and smoking up a storm. Why not? That last nervous cigarette bad to last until we were airborne and climbing out to find the Ball of Fire and form up. From 10,000 ft. up there wasn't enough oxygen to smoke normally besides it was time to put on our oxygen masks and climb to altitude. The way home was a different story. Passing through I 5,000 ft. on our descent I would unhook my oxygen mask and blow oxygen through a cigarette and on to my zippo lighter to ignite some fire on the end of my smoke - it worked. I would take three or four deep drags, which almost finished off the cigarette. Being somewhat sated, I would then hook up my mask and fly on. Bob Oberschmid N8930 Island Lake Rd. Spooner, WI 54801-7845 Ed: The bombsight shop crew, 1/r: Lt. Charles Schneider, S/Sgt lrving Rennaker, Sgt Beret Weinstein, S/Sgt John House, $/Sgt Roy Scbulbacb, M/Sgt Bynum, $/Sgt Crozier Youngkin, S/Sgt F.J. Toth. Dear Cal: "Does anyone remember my pilot," First Lieutenant Guenther H. Christiansen. Chris was a large, taJl man whose dark hair belied such a

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Scand.inavian surname. He wore the "half-wing" of a Royal Canadian Air Force navigator over his right breast-pocket. On the twenty-fifth of April in 1945 our crew flew on the mission to the marshalling yards at Salzburg, across the German border, in Austria. We knew at the time that the War was just about over, as we'd been briefed that one object of this operation was to prevent German war criminals and high officials from escaping to Eastern Europe. Another reason was that "01 Blood'n Guts" George Patton's armored columns were advancing across the Reich so rapidly that it was well nigh impossible to keep the bomb line safely ahead of them. For the last days of April and first few of May, we continued to go through the motions as if there might be further bombing missions. We'd stop at the· Three-Twenty- Eighth Squadron Operations each night on our return from the Liberty-Run to Norwich, and check for a Battle Order. But none was ever to be posted again; the task of the heavy bombers over Europe was completed. During the day-time, however, "keep the troops occupied" activities were invented. Our officers, for instance, were "detailed'' to play volleyball in the 328th Squadron recreation area and many of os gunners, now staff and technical sergeants, were occupied in whitewashing the rocks that formed the borders of the walks around the Squadron Orderly Room and Operations Office - even though it was obvious we'd be leaving Hardwick before too long, either to the Continent on Army of Occupation duty, or return to the States. When the European conflict was finally declared terminated, on the eighth of May, we learned of a project to employ otherwise idle combat crew members, on "morale flights" over Germany for ground personnel. These trips were termed "Trolley Runs". The very commendable idea was to take chair borne, staff people, and members of ground units on flights over the targets of past months and let them see at first-hand the damage that had been the "end-product" of their efforts. Oo the three hour thirty-five minute "trolley-run" I remember making during this period, eleventh of May according to my Form-Five, we were assigned a fighter base in France, at which we were to land and pick up a group of Ground Forces officers for a trip over Hamburg and possibly other important German cities. It was a fine clear spring day, and a sort of picnic atmosphere prevailed as we made the short hop to France, landed, and waited for our passengers to show up and be briefed for their sight-seeing trip. Bob Randolph, our copilot, couldn't resist the impulse to climb into one of the checker-nosed "Jugs" parked along the apron, and have Chris take his photo. After our "guests" had arrived and been told what to expect, we got back into the air. I settled down in the Consolidated tail-turret as J'd elected to do, to be out of the way of, but also to keep an eye on, the half dozen or so captains, lieutenants and a major, who were now gathered in the waist section and looking out the windows on either side. As we'd been briefed, we flew over Hamburg at an altitude low enough to get a good view of the devastation in the harbor area, and the blocks upon blocks of skeletal buildings recognizable only by the outline of those walls and foundations that remained after the rubble had been partially cleared away. Our crew had not been on any sorties to Hamburg, although we had seen how well-protected were the German port cities, on our trip over Wilhelmshaven at the end of March. We had never bad the opportunity to fly low enough to get such a detailed view of any of our targets. So I flad a heyday slewing the turret from s.ide to side for the best look at the wiped-out city as it passed beneath our wings. Our passengers, too, seemed quite impressed, as I advised Chris when he asked over interphone how they were enjoying the ride. When we had flown past the outskirts of Hamburg and open country began to appear under us, we dropped even lower perhaps to just a few thousand feet and, although we could now see the countryside, farmhouses, autobahns, and such in much better detail, we also picked up a good bit of turbulence in the warm afternoon air and our ride became decidedly bumpier. By this time, I gather, we were heading southwest back toward the French base to which we'd be returning the Anny officers. Chris told me we were now coming up on Hollan'd and would the major in charge of the visiting party mind if we dropped down a bit more for a closer look? I replied that I'd be going off the intercom for a few seconds, to check with him. Hanging my headset on the control handles of the turret, I unhooked the throat-mike and hand held my way down the short passageway to the waist-windows, to see if the officers had any objection to the pilot's suggestion of a really low-level flight back to the base where we had picked them up. The officer to whom I shouted the

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question was not the major in charge, who seemed somewhat indisposed at that moment but he relayed the message, and the major stumbled over to give me his reply without intermediary: "T don't care what the hell he does just so we get back and out of this goddam thing!" He was a beautiful shade of chartreuse almost matching the tanker type field jacket he wore. His eyes were slightJy glazed and a thin trickle from one corner of his mouth had not quite been wiped away by the handkerchief be clutched in his white-knuckled fist. When l'd clambered back into position in the turret and re-booked the headset and microphone, I told Chris the major said he didn't mind. I didn't bother adding that he hadn't looked too well and couldn't see that anything would help, as long as we were hurrying back to their starting-point. Besides, perhaps the other captains and lieutenants were enjoying the trip. At any rate, Chris and I could almost hear him grinning, even over the intercom. "He rogered" my transmission and we immediately peeled off like a fighter leveling out at about dike height. In fact, I distinctly remember looking up as T waved back at a group of lightly-clad youngsters who'd apparently been swimming in one of the canals, when we roared past them. The pilots must have been having the time of their lives, buzzing across the flat low country terrain probably running mock strafing attacks on any windmills we might have encountered along the way (shades of latter-day Don Quixote!). A decided relief: I'm sure, from the staid formation "truck driving" they had to contend with in recent months with the single exception of the Rhine crossing supply drop; but even then we were being shot at while doing it. Back in the tail I too was enjoying the exhilaration of this on the deck cross country although I'd much rather have been able to get a look at whatever we were approaching, rather than what was whizzing past or under us. Particularly when I could feel our nose come up every once in awhile, to clear a dike that was a little higher than the others; or a row of power-lines, that would flash under us, to fade in the distance as we settled back to skim the bushes again. T kept swinging the turret from side to side to see as much as possible, never even sneaking a glance at our ground oriented visitors in the waist section. If they were going to get sick, they would get sick; there was nothing l could do that would help 11 and having a lowly staff sergeant observe their discomfort would probably only add to their misery. Eventually we crossed out of the Low Countries and into France. climbed up to traffic altitude, landed at their field and dropped them off. I imagine it was to their relief as much as ours although the major and any others who might also have had air sickness problems, put on a good show of gratitude. We then climbed back into the Lib and into the air, to return to Hardwick. While still en route back, I checked the waist area where our erstwhile sightseers had spent their time; but if there had been any actuaJ nausea among them, they'd been neat about it. I was glad to discover this as we had been cautioned beforehand that some flights of this nature had required extensi.ve cleaning-up afterwards. There had been other cautions about these flights: At least one Fort or Lib had been reported as having collided with power-lines apparently strung between two fairly high hilJs. I assume our pilots had been extra-alert to avoid any such obstructions. Joseph "Dan" Roure 845 West Fingerboard Rd. Grasmere, Staten Island New York 10305-1444 Editors Comments In a note from Richard Blakelock be asks for some articles on the ground personel who kept our planes in the air. I will gladly print any articles sent to me. Jim McMahon bas a change of address for "Americans Interned in Sweden." Mail to Jim at PO Box 2511, Lake Almanor, CA 96137. Patrick B. Curran, 3 White Street, Litchfield, NH 03052 is interested in corresponding with anyone that may have known b:is grandfather T/Sgt. Benjamin P. Hall. He passed away a couple of years back. He has been unable to determine which of the 4 squadrons he was attached to. Al Asch is recuperating from back surgery and able to walk again without pain. He is to have a cataract removed Sep. 24. At this time nothing new to report on the Memorial for the 8th AF Museum. Folded Wings Edwin C. Baker James Cooley Arthur J. Corbin Kenneth Keene Lawrence Markes David W. Robison

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BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 7, No. 4 Activity Report by Al Asch Thanks to modern medicine I am recovering from back surgery, a heart problem and eye surgery. The letters, cards and telephone calls I received from some of you helped my recovery! I was well enough to attend the Second Air Division Executive Committee meeting at Tampa Bay, Florida on 22 and 23 October. Herritage Museum. Barry M. Buxton, President and CEO of The Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum, gave our committee at Tampa a fine briefing about the museum. The museum continues to grow with new exhibits and new programs. A total of 107,977 visitors in 1998 became more familiar with the remarkable story of WWII and the heritage of values of the men and women who fought and died to preserve our freedoms. The visitors came from all fifty states and more than forty-eight countries around the world. The museum is rapidly becoming a place that attracts aviation and history enthusiasts. School groups also visit the museum and it is becoming oriented t0ward educating visitors about the history of WWII. The programs of the museum can be very beneficial to the 93rd and to us individually. The library and archives continues to grow and there will soon be ground breaking for a fine chapel in the museum gardens. Don Spencer has agreed to investigate places where we can store memorabilia, historical information and personal data that will be protected and made available for future generations. The museum is one of these places with their WEB site and archives programs. Also, Don reports that the Air Force Academy is interested in our material. He will be working to -.,. Winter, 1999 develop programs and procedures to get something going. I suggest that you contact Don with your ideas; his address is: 858 E. Wheeler, Midland, Mi 48460. Although the visitors are increasing in number and pay an entrance fee, the museum is still not self sufficient to pay all its operating expenses. It relies on individual donations and financial help from Chatham County for financial support. I urge you to join and support the museum. You will enjoy its news letters. Its address is: P. 0. Box 1992, Savannah, Ga 31402; Fax:912-748-0209 Tele: 912-748-8888. Master Data Base For 2ADA Organizations. Dick Butler of the 44th Bomb Group heads a committee to provide information and recommendations on .having computer software, procedures, etc. for members of the 2ADA to use in storing information about groups and individuals that can be retrieved through the Internet. He has received very favorable response from the Air Force Historical Library at Maxwell AFB, the Air Force Academy and the Heritage Museum for participating in the program. Sortie information of the 44th is already in the system. Dick estimates it will cost about $3.00 per sortie to store the information. His committee is looking into the possibilities of getting grants from various foundations for financing the effort. There will be more about the system in the 2ADA Journal. I have asked Don Spencer to look at this and make recommendations for possible use by 93rd people. Non-Crew Members Lost in the line of Duty. As you know, we have a Roll of Honor of those aircrew members we lost in combat during WWII. A very well done scroll of the names

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2 resides in our Memorial Library in Norwich, England. It has been decided to establish a similar roll for our support people who lost their lives in the line of duty during WWil. It is incumbent upon the groups to find the names of these people and provide them to Jordan Utal to deve!op the roll. If you can remember anyone we lost who fits this category, send the name to me with his/her serial number and l wiU do the rest. I periodically call the U. S. Total Army Personnel Command in Alexandria, Va to get information about those we lost during WWII. The address is: Attn. T APC-PED-F, 2461 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria, Va 22331-0482; Tele 703-325-5300. Remember, one must have the person's serial number. One place the numbers may be found is from old personnel records and orders. A 93rd PLAQUE AT THE HERITAGE MUSEUM. Placing a 93rd monument at the Heritage Museum was approved at the Austin reunion. J could not attend the reunion because of illness. Since I have recovered from surgery, I learned that the museum discontinued the program of placing large memorials for groups and others in their garden more than a year ago. However, the placing of a plaque in the Memorial Garden program is still open. Others of the 93rd and I felt we should take advantage of this and I have gone forward with the museum for a 24"x24" black granite plaque. The design is much like the one we placed in the Arlingto!1 National Cemetery in 1997 except I have added the squadron patches to the bottom part. The cost will be about $2,500. We have sent the Museum $500.00 but will need to pay our debt with the final design which will be in about 3 months. Cal Davidson is using funds on hand that exceeds our needs for publishing the BOF and other expenses. Ed: Due to the generosity of many of our members who have donated additional moneys to the Ball Of Fire Quarterly Express.fund we can underwrite the complete cost of this Memorial Plaque. Our newsletter fund is in excellent shape at this time due to the many timely subscription remittances. BRONZE BUST FOR GENERAL TIMBERLAKE We have received approval to place a bronze bust of General Timberlake in the Heritage Museum. I have contacted the Timberlake family and they are pleased with our doing this and will be participating. The cost will be $5,000 which will include the creation of the bust, the building of a base and creating a text panel to accompany the bust. It wiJJ be positioned in the museum with respect and admiration for his service to our country. We will need a deposit of$2,000, then the balance may be paid over the next 12 months in two equal payment of $1,500. I have made arrangements for donations to be made directly to the museum and they will send each donor a receipt that can be used for income tax purposes. Make checks payable to The Mighty 8th AF Heritage Museum and mail to Judy W. Walker, P. 0. Box 1992, Savannah, GA 31402. Make certain you indicate the donation is for the General Timberlake bust. lf you choose, you may mail your check to me and I will see that the museum receives it. My address is 6205 Meadow Court, Rockville, Md 20852; Tele: 301 881 1376. The museum will keep me informed about the receipts so that collection progress can be measured. There will be a pamphlet published for the dedication ceremonies that will include biographical information about General "Ted" and the names of the donors. If you choose to make your donation irunemocy ar booar of someone, let me know and I will include the information in the pamphlet. Each person making a donation will receive a copy of the pamphlet. Hopefully, we can complete this project before the 2ADA reunion in Tampa this coming May. 2ADA MEMBERSHIP Evelyn Cohen reported that the 2ADA has a total membership of 6,228. Of that, the 93rd has 532, the fourth largest. The 389th has the largest membership. Since we are the oldest group in the 2ADA, we should do better than this. 2ADA REUNION IN MAY, 2000 Our next reunion is this coming May, the year 2000, to be held in Tampa Bay, Florida. The fine hotel is the Hyatt Regency. I just spent 3 nights and two days there and found it to be outstanding. lt is only IO minutes from the airport with the hotel shuttle transportation. The hotel is very well kept, clean, good food and service. You will enjoy a few days there. Watch for details in the 2ADA Journal or the BOFQE. I hope to see you alJ in Florida next May. Best Wishes for the Holiday Season from the Asch farniJy.

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3 Pres. 2ADA ..... Al Asch 6205 Meadow Court Rockville, MD 20852 Tel.J0I 881 JJ76 Pres. 93rd BG .... Fred Strombom P.O. Box646 Membership .... L.L. Brown 220 Clardy Street Ogema, WI 54459 Malvern, AR 72104 Tel./715 767 5461 Tel. SO I 332 3125 Membership .. Robert McKeever J29 Rosewood Ave. Winnetka, fl 60093 93rd Historian .. Carroll Stewart 7150 Holmes Park Rd. Suite 323 Lincoln , NE 68506-460] Editor .. Calvin Davidson 48973 Plate Rd. Oberlin, OH 44074-9619 Tel. 440 775 1787 Tel. 847 446 0205 Tel. 402 484 6046 The Saga of Baggy Maggy continued by Richard Carrol Scott Jr. As it turned out, the balancing points were as follows: (a) hand-turn the wheel to extreme left, (b) push it forward about ten inches, and (c) force the rudder as hard as I could to tbe extreme left. After doing all this, the plane flew straight and level. I began to read the instruments to see what they could teU me. First, the engine heat was in the red, up against the peg. This told me that we had lost our engine oil. A red hot engine is liable to fi-eeze up and stop at any time, unbalancing the plane. I tried to gain altitude because we were only 600 feet above the ground. Not a good idea because we would be a much better target for ground fire. But, J was still stunned from the piece of shrapnel in my head. Also, my vision was impaired by the blood running down my face from the many scalp wounds. Being shot tends to make a person somewhat excited, which flaws the thought processes. Ordinarily, 750 feet per minute would add lo our altitude. Not this time! The air speed needle began falling rapidly. The B-24 stalls at around 120 MPH. We would need about 3,000 feet of altitude to recover. At 600 feet, we could not afford to stall. I returned to straight and level flying. Then, I tried to gain only fifty feet per minute. No dice! The speed needle began dropping again. Okay, I'll fly straight and level. However, we began to slowly lose airspeed again. 1 dropped the nose a bit to increase speed. Sure it worked, but I lost precious altitude as a result. Next, I tried to lower tbe wing flaps to increase the lift. No response. That meant the hydraulic line had also been hit and all the fluid was lost, preventing me from lowering the landing gear. Of course, I am in the only airplane in the United States Air Force that absolutely, positively, was not to be landed with wheels up! I personally added to that warning: "Unless you absolutely, positively cannot help it!" About that time, it occurred to me that the American front lines were probably only a few miles, 15 or 20, to my left and we would be much better off if we landed south of the current battle line. At least we would be in friendly hands. The only trouble with that plan was that a 90-degree left turn was required and all my controls were already as far to the left as possfule. 1 gently turned right by relaxing the controls just a little. When we had turned 270 degrees, I again flew straight and level headed for the American lines. But the turn cost ~e l 00 feet of altitude and we were periJously close to the tree tops. "l turned too late," I thought. All this time, 1 had been frantically looking for an open field to land in. My injuries did not keep me from being acutely aware of what could happen to the plane should it crash into the trees. Shear off the wings, burst the gas tanks with 600 gallons of fuel on board and four red hot engines. But, all I could see ahead were row after row of trees, about 40 feet high. surrounding each field. l called on the intercom, "Everyone prepare for a crash landing." I thought I was talking to the whole crew, but only George Sadler could he~r me. George was in the bombardier's room, directly below me. He responded. "Do you think J'd better come up there?" "Absolutely," I replied, "as fast as you can!" . By this time, my arms and legs were rapidly wearing out. George sat in the pilot's seat and helped me hold the controls. When it became apparent that we were going to have to land pretty quickly, George suggested that we drop o~r load, preferably into the trees to make recov~ry dtfficult. I agreed so George went into the back, opened the bomb b~y doors, and let the boxes of supplies, with their parachutes (42 of them) fall into the trees. Finally, I gave up. The plane was literally flying through the top branches aod the next row of trees was waiting, with bigger branches because, by then, we would be lower still. So, I pulled b_ack the throttles and headed down into that dinky httle space to land, wheels up! But, I just couldn't do it. 1 could tell that we would still be going at least 60 MPH when we hit the trees and we'd be in a huge

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4 bonfire. J pushed the throttles wide open one last time. Those blessed red-hot engines came on, managing to lift us through the tree tops and, miracle of miracles, there before me was an open field at least a half mile long with no trees. I yanked the throttles back and whispered 'a prayer, "Lord, it's all up to you now." And with that, I flipped off the Crash Bar Switch and blacked out. When [ came to, I was still strapped in my seat, but it had been jerked loose from the floor and I was upside down, completely enclosed by the wreckage. I was pinned in so closely that [ could not release my seat belt in order to get out. [ could see George Sadler outside and I called to hlm. He was in such a dazed condition, I had to caU him several times before he could locate where my voice was coming from. He unfastened my seat belt and everythlng around me collapsed. I got out of the demolished airplane and set about checking up on the crew. A civilian doctor had arrived at the scene very soon after we crashed and bad already pronounced Bill Kirlin dead before I woke up. His body was caught in the wreckage in such a way that we could not get hlm out. By this time, J realized that my knee had been injured in the crash. l also discovered my l>ottom lip..haclbeen. cut all the way through and my left upper front tooth was hanging out, and my forehead and face were covered with numerous cuts. Larry was lying on the ground receiving medical attention from the civilian doctor. The others had injuries ranging from minor to severe. 1 counted mine minor. Many civilians from Holland and Belgium came to the crash site. The Germans arrived soon and sent the civilians away. The underground arrived before the Germans, but with all our injuries, they could not help us. The Germans loaded us onto a horse-drawn wagon and took us to a nearby village. From the wagon, I took one last look at what was left of Baggy Maggy and thanked God for having known Bill, who bad elected to bold the tourniquets on the pilot. Later, when I wrote Bill's mother, I included the scripture from John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than thls, that a man lay down his life for his friends." I also thanked God for the safety of the nine survivors. The wagon took us to Hoogstraten, Belgium, where we were kept overnight in a red brick school building, under guard. It was here th~t a German officer, sitting behind a desk, asked my name, rank and serial number. I told him. Then he asked how old I was, and I said, "I can't tell you." And in response he said, "You can't tell me how old you are?" When l said "No", that was the end of my interrogation. Many others were less fortunate than 1. You know, solitary confinement, a little bread and water and mistreatment. The next morning, they took me to a hospital in Shertogibush, Holland. The nurses were not only pretty, probably 18 or 19 years old, they were very competent, as were the doctors. I remember them laughing and joking with the injured men. I stayed in the hospital for two weeks. A doctor dug the dirt from my knee, 1 still have a caved-in place about as big as a quarter, and they checked me over each day. The cuts on my face were now healing. My lip had to heal by itself and 1 kept pushing and holding the tooth in place. J don't recall when it finally stayed in by itself, but l kept the tooth for 48 years. I walked around inside the hospital often. Once 1 passed a door marked "Kinder" - Children! I knew few Dutch or German words, but learned many in the days to come. When I left the hospital, with two of my crew members, we stopped at a prison camp near Hamburg. We were separated there and I was taken on to an enlisted men's camp, Spangleburg IX, in Germany. This was not the official place for me, but after a few days they had papers ready su.Lc.ould be mo_yed JQ Qflag 64 in Poland. When 1 left, a fighter pilot was headed for the same place. It was good to have his company until we reached our destination. The same guard escorted us all the way. We had a short lay-over in Berlin. The guard used his own money to pay for us to use the coin-operated toilets, rest rooms to us. We asked the station master where we could get some water to drink. He said, "Nicht trinken wasser -boomers!'' We understood what he meant, the bombers had po1luted the drinking-water system. When we boarded our assigned train. there were no empty seats. The guard made two German men give us their seats. A German woman with a basket of apples sat across from us. Here we were, in our prisoner-of-war jackets, but she took two apples from the basket and handed one to each of us. 1 quickly took mine and said, "Danke." I ate the apple, pawing it from the right side of my mouth, carefully avoiding my tooth on the left which was stiU very sensitive. At Poman, in Poland, we had a four-hour wait before we would begin our last lap of the long journey to Oflag 64. The train station was like a beer joint. While we were waiting, l mentioned to the other pilot that the Germans didn't know about

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secret compartments in a billfold because they had emptied out my billfold, but didn't find the American dollar in the secret compartment. The pilot could speak German so he told the guard that I had an American dollar bill. The guard could have confiscated it, but instead, he offered to buy us a beer and a dill pickle in exchange for it The dill pickle, although small, was very tasty. Of course, the beer had no alcohol. Hitler needed it for munHions. It tasted like colored water, but at least it was liquid and I didn't care for beer anyway. We arrived at 0flag 64 to find it was a ground officers camp. Wrong place again! However, it was not a total loss. I had seen lots of Germany and some of Poland traveling by train. The scenery was beautiful in the fall of the year and also as the winter months came on. I received warm clothes here, but didn't realize at the time what a Life saver they would be for me Later on the Long march that was yet to come. I never saw the fighter pilot again, but feel sure he, too, ended up at Stalag Luft Ill. indeed, 1 was lonely and longed for news from home but T had not stayed in one place long enough for the mail I sent to be received, then to get a reply back before I was moved again. Stalag Luft Ill here I come to join thousands of other prisoners of war! By the first of November, I had finally settled in at Stalag Luft IU, a POW camp for air officers. This was where T should have been all along, but it took the Germans two months to get me here. In early December the YMCA brought in ice skates, at least a dozen pair. Some of the PO W's made a dike about a foot high and about fifty feet square for a skating rink. We carried pitchers of water from the middle of the compound and poured it inside the dike. The temperature was below freezing so the water quickly turned to ice. However, the surface was rough. A few days later the temperature rose to above freezing and the ice melted. That night a hard freeze came and the next morning the ice skating rink was like a mirror. On went the skates! But, I didn't try il I had never ice skated and couldn't think of a worse place to break an arm or a leg. We stood for a long tine in the cold, just watching them. They were like professionals. It was coming up on Christmas, in prison, deep in the heart of Germany. But, I had a pleasant surprise because a special program had been planned. Some of the prisoners presented a Broadway play, The Man Who Came to Dinner. Had it been in the states, it would have gotten an 5 excellent review. One young man played a violin. Either the Red Cross or YMCA had brought it into camp and he certainly had a special gift added to lots of hard work, I'm sure, for playing it. It lifted our spirits as he played. Another prisoner, who was a doctor, hypnotized several of the POWs. To one man, who was a big football player type, the doctor suggested that he might like a drink of whiskey. The man said he'd like one. The doctor handed him an empty cup and pretended to pour whiskey into it. The man drank it wiped -his mouth and said it was good. "Would you like another?," the doctor asked. "Sure," was the reply. So, the cup was filled again, then again. After drinking the third cup, the man became drunk. Some believed it was a made-up deal but I thought with hypnosis, it could be for real. The entertainment helped us to forget for awhile that we were cold and hungry, and far away from our families and friends. It was now January, 1945. 1 had been a prisoner of war for four months. J'd had no communication with Lucy Faye or anyone else, since I had left England. Letters were plentiful from family and friends then. Some prisoners got mail but no letters written to me ever reached me. I had written many times and could only hope that the letters I sent had been received, so that my loved ones would, at least, know that I was alive. It was a dismal time, icy cold, the ground covered with ice and snow. Toward the end of January the Russian army front started moving in from the east, to probably no more than 100 miles away. As they got closer and closer 10· our camp we could hear the firing at might. The Germans did not want the POW's to be reclaimed by the Russians since, perhaps, we could be used against them. The Germans staff thought they could win the war and this was only about three months before the war was over. So, in order to keep the Russians from taking us, we were alerted that we would be moving out of camp. We bad about an hour to get ready. We packed our few belongings, along with the food that the Red Cross bad given us. I took a bed sheet which served a very useful purpose the next day. All this was tied up in a blanket. We bundled up with as many warm clothes as we could get on. Fortunately, I had an overcoat which had been given to me while I was at Oflag 64 in Poland, plus a pair of army shoes and a pair of wool gloves. All three items were new! These had come from a small warehouse that the Red Cross had set up to distribute the items as they were needed. When they

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6 asked me my shoe size, l asked for the smallest pair they had. They were size 8's, two sizes too big, but they were lace-up shoes and came over my ankles. These size 8 shoes were what I later walked 165 miles in. We moved out about midnight, a full moon shining on the ice and snow. Even so I found little beauty in it because of the severe cold. Sometime during the next morning my ankles began to give way. Vic Bubbett appeared out of the mist to help me. He took my sheet and tore strips and bound up my ankles tightly so that T could keep walking. My knee was also giving me trouble. Thanks a hundred-fold to him or I would have been left behind to die in the cold or be shot. The roadways we followed curved and snaked back and forth. We came to an "S" turn in the road. The string of prisoners and guards were going around this "S" tum when one of the German guards saw a reflection where the moon had made a glint on the metal work of another German guard's rifle. Thinking it was the Russians, he shot. The other guard heard the bullet zinging by and shot back. Both firing at each other and thinking "Russians! " The German guards were extremely scared of the Russian soldiers. When Hitler had run his armies against Russia they were so sure of victory that they mistreated their Russian prisoners and shot many unnecessarily. The Germans knew the Russians would do likewise. As soon as the firing started, we promptly dove into the ditches full of snow, and lay flat on our stomachs. The guards then began yelling for us to get out of the ditches. We got up and had just gotten lined up again when, all of a sudden, another shot was heard and back into the ditches we went. That night, the guards commandeered barns, more like sheds, from the fanners for us to sleep in. Since we had no sleep the night before and even though we were crammed in like sardines and could not even tum over, it felt good to lie down. I was so tired and my feet were icy cold. I thought by the time l woke up, they would be warmed up, but they weren't. The frostbite bothered me for a couple of years. We walked about 20 miles per day and on our second day's journey, I was able to trade a package of tea to a young German lady for a loaf of fresh baked rye bread. My first real bread in a very long time. The exchange was made through the window of her house. She was speechless to get tea, then repeatedly said, "Tay? Tay?" She probably hadn't had any tea for several years. That night was spent in a beautiful cathedral. POW's were everywhere, on the floor. on the benches. 1 slept on a kneeling bench, perhaps a foot wide. T would like to add now that there were not enough guards to properly guard us. We were strung out over miles and miles. Some of the time we couldn't even see a guard. The guards were old men, the younger men were in the fighting war. These old men were not used to walking either. and I actually saw some of the young PO W's carrying rifles for the guards to help them out. The third day of the march seemed colder. My feet were all but frozen. I felt at this point, none of us would survive. I felt nothing could keep us from freezing to death. We came to the edge of a town called Chemnilz, a manufacturing city. The guards left us. When they returned, they moved us farther into the city and herded us into a brick factory. It was like an oven inside, warmth at last. We went up to the second floor. There were holes in the floor sort of like chimney flues. Little flames came up through these holes. We began to thaw out! Some of us still had some of the Red Cross food left and we used the fire coming up through the holes as a stove to heat up the food. The guards were sitting behind us as cold and hungry as we were. We invited them to have a cup of coffee. They very quickly accepted. At last!! Sleep_plus warmth! We had walked three days to reach the railroad station 'in Chemnitz. (The name is probably not the same now.) The next morning 53 men were crammed into one boxcar. The French called the boxcars "40 and 8's" because they were designed to carry forty men or eight horses. And here we were 53 meh, standing up all night, with the doors locked, not even able to get out to use the bathroom. One man. who had pneumonia, was the only one a!Jowed to lie down. This was the lowest part of the war for me. Complete darkness, cold and rainy, with a leaky roof. I prayed, "Lord, please temper the wind to the shorn lambs." He heard my prayer and the rain stopped. l thanked him for answering so quickly. lt helped a lot but it was still cold. As we traveled, the train would repeatedly speed up with a jerk. Had there been a place to fall, everyone would have fallen. This went on again and agair., all through the long night and for the rest of the three-day trip. The next morning a major, who was the highest ranking officer on board, took charge. He numbered us off. 1-2-3, 1-2-3.until we all had a number. "Number one's can have half the box car to lie down and sleep for three hours. Number two's may sit down, and number three's remain standing," he ordered. To be continued

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Dear Cal, Many thanks for your encouraging letter, received on the 28th of August. l'm sending the copy of my original printout of the item 1 mentioned that appeared in the "Over Here" book. The book is published by: BREEDON BOOKS PUBLISHlNG CO., DERBY (UK) Distributed in the U.S. by: Tmages of Britain, Suite 142 5761 East LaPalma Avenue Anaheim, California 92807 ( 1-800)529-99 l 2 - or (] -714 )282-0383 The jacket credits one Steve Snelling as the compiler and editor and says he was born (doesn't say when but I'd guess a bit later than either of us) and educated in Norwich. He seems to have been greatly impressed by the Yanks of the "Friendly Invasion" of Britain, and fills the book with quite an impressive collection of photographs, letters and anecdotes, heavy, I was gratified to note on our beloved Lib. AJthough a few items do refer to that other four-engine machine of the era and associated fighter aircraft, it even includes one photo featuring the "Ball of Fire"! Back in early 1995, sometime before we were due to observe "VE-Day+ Fifty," I vaguely recall our being asked to submit any pictures or articles we might have about the original VE-Day celebration. 1 sent in this offering including the "Trolley-Run" story and promptly forgot about it. Eileen and I, she's English y'know, were getting ready to go over in April to visit our friends and her relatives. before going to Norwich to join the 2ADA folks for the parade and other activities during the first weeks of May. Now, fast-forward to 1997, and the Regional 2ADA meeting in Orlando, Florida ... A bunch of us were chatting around a table in the lobby, when someone put a copy of the book in front of us, to be passed around for possible interest and purchase. When it got to me I flipped idly through the section about the end of the war, actually searching for something to confirm my recollection that at least my part of our Victory parade went to a small church, which l believed to be Saint Peter Mancrofl and not to Norwich Cathedral. I'm sure that having gone to that magnificent edifice in ninety-five I would have remembered if I'd been there after the first parade. At any rate, among the pictures and articles alluding to the eighth of May in forty-five, the peculiar phrase, ''random trajectories" caught my eye and seemed strangely familiar. ~eading a few lines further, I gasped, "Good Lord, this looks like something I once wrote!" Turning back to the 7 preceding page, l realized that this must have been some of the material I'd sent in a few years earlier. So I either jotted down the California address or gave the guy a check on the spot and in due course added the book to my reference library. Speaking of which, T delved into the "Second Air Division" book and got a shock on first seeing its cover with "J-Jig" of the 93rd in the foreground. That's the ship we were in when the FW hit us and I see you completed your tour and left Blighty in September of 1944, about the time I'd just finished Gunnery School at Tyndall. Other than that, it looks as if our careers were oddly parallel. I tried unsuccessfully to convince the Cadet board at Bolling Field, Washington that my sole allergy, to kitten fur, would not be a problem in an airplane. Then came to New York and re-applied, denying everything. Washed-out for aU Cadet training at Greensboro, a bunch of us were transferred to the Signal Corps, and shipped to Tampa for training in the new RADAR. Most of us again applied for Gunnery, and eventually got to Tyndall Field. It'll probably take some time to get the "Ramstaffel" story trimmed down to a nearly acceptable length, so I'll get thfa on the way. "random trajectories" As it happened, we were at Hardwick when the end of the European conflict was officially declared and had been confined to the base by higher authority. So we missed not only the wild scenes such as those at Piccadilly, much recorded in print and film, but we missed the celebrations that must have taken place in the local communities as well. But even on base there had to be some sort of observance and as might well be imagined there was. One of the first things that happened was that all the trash barrels in our hut area were set afire and all the waste-paper and other inflammables that could be found were fed to the flames. This was sane enough, but apparently a little too tame for some of our more high-spirited lads who then-began to dig out the souvenir fifty caliber shells and forty-five ammunition that had been collected during their tours, as well as any that might have been left behind by departing warriors. It turned out to be a sizeable cache of mixed cartridges that were tossed by the handful into the blazing GI cans. ln a few seconds, of course, they had heated sufficiently to detonate, many .of their slugs

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8 penetrating the sides of the cans and flying about on random trajectories. It was soon worth one's life not to venture out in the area while the fires were still burning. As if that were not enough, a couple of other bright chaps remembered a Very signaling pistol that someone bad scrounged and kept in his quarters, along with a supply of star shells. Before Jong there were colored balls of light arching over and around the huts. That reminded somebody in a nearby Nissen that they too knew where another Very gun, with its flares, was stashed. The predictable outcome was a colorful, if somewhat precarious, "battle" between the huts involved, until all their shells were exhausted Thankfully, we never heard of any but the most ca~ual injuries sustained during these wild antics that marked the end of hostilities. It would have been an ironic tragedy, indeed, if someone had survived the intentional shooting only to end up an accidental victim of horseplay such as this. Dear Cal, Dan Roure 845 West Fingerboard Rd. Grasmere, Staten Island, NY I was in Casper, WY between 42-43, a B 17 last stage training base for air crews in gunnery bombing, navigation, and pilots. I was a gunnery instructor for KI & K2 sights in the Sperry turrets. We trained on a gunnery range, shooting at ground targets between Scotts Bluff, NE and Casper. The bombing range was on another route to Rapid City, SD. The winters were colder than at Lowry field, Denver where I took armament training on 30 Cat. to 75mm on B25's. While at Casper the C. 0. sent our plane to Lowry Field to pick up Bob Hope, Francis Langford, Tony Romano and Jerry Colona, as they were going to put on a show for the troops .. At Casper temperatures were 20°- 40° below ZfllO with wind chills of 60° - 70° below. This was too cold for a southern boy so I signed up for combat with Pierson's crew and we were sent to a staging area at Salina, KS. On our way from Gander Lake, Newfoundland one engine W«:int out and we had to return to Gander.• Weeks later we flew across in, C54 and ended up in Hardwick assigned to Wurzer's crew flying in Teggie Ann. On a 3 day pass to London I went to the USO center on Piccadilly and met Coleen P. BuckJey a friend in charge of the center. She gave me the enclosed ticket to go back stage and meet Flanagan and Allen after the show. Low and behold there were Bob, Francis, Jerry and Tony. Surprise! Surprise! After three big shots of scotch, sitting beside Francis, she recalled the trip back in the states at Casper. She asked ifl had any plans for the night and then said to Bob, "I want S/Sgt Hayes to go with us." So first to the Ambassador Club, HEAVEN! dancing close to her WOW! Next to the Embassy Club, more Heaven and then back to Bob's suite at Claridge's of London. Classiest place I've ever been in! ln Bob's room, Bob brought over a girl and said look out for him. When he left the girl said, "f don't date enlisted men," and then went to call an officer she knew. Bob looked over and saw what was going on and I told him what she said. He went over and took her by the arm escorting her to the door and said, "Get out, these are the men who are helping to win this war." We went to Francis' suite and I awoke at 4 or 5 AM with a big hangover not knowing where 1 was. 1 found my way out and back to my own hotel room and bed. Awoke around 12 or I PM and couldn't find my hat. I caUed Claridge's and they said Francis was not accepting any calls. I asked the attendant to tell her Sgt Hayes was calling and felt she would answer. When she answered I thanked her once again for how very much the night before meant t-0 me.-Shc-toid-me she had my hat and I said, " 1 know you have plans for tonight." She replied that she didn't and 1 said "really" very loud. Then I asked her out for dinner and dancing and she said she would l.ove to. Heaven again! When we started out the door at Claridges' she said, C'<Don't you want to take a taxi? 1'11 pay for it." I said, "No, I want to show you off." I can still hear the soldiers and civilians saying, "Isn't that a movie star," others, "That's Francis Langford." Later before leaving the princess I told her no one at the base is going to believe this story. She said, "I'll fix that," and got out this picture and asked me what I wanted her to write on it. I said,"To Fred Thanks for a wonderful weekend in London, Francis," Well you guessed it the guys hemmed and hawed refusing to believe me. Said I bad bought it at a Pawn shop and got some girl to sign it. Then to top things off I wrote my mother about that weekend and she wrote back saying to never write home when you've been drinking. So I sent the picture home with a note saying this is to verify my story about my weekend with Francis. She never did get to our base for a show. Fred Hayes, I 024 Euclid Ave. Bristol, VA 2420 I

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9 Above: Autographed picture ofFrancis Langford On the right is a drawing of Fred by Harry Towers. Maybe Harry will write aod explain the meaning of"Fresh Eggs" in his autograph. Excerpts from a news story while Fred was stationed at Smyrna Field, TN: While in England S/Sgt Hayes attended an RAF Gunnery School and was awarded RAF gunner's Wings. He shot down his first German plane on his third combat mission to Weiner-Neudstadt. They were attacked by heavy anti-aircraft fire near the target and one of their engines was hit and left smoking. Right after dropping their bombs the AAF heavies were attacked by German Fighters. Sgt Hayes' bomber was straggling behind the formation with streams of smoke pouring out of it's damaged engine. Suddenly three German fighters came up through the clouds and attacked the bomber. Bullets splattered through the wing and tail section. One fighter came in close pressing his attack and Sgt Hayes could see flames from its machine guns when he opened fire. His bullets set the German plane on fire and it went down spewing flames and smoke through the sky. Heading back to their base in North Africa with only three engines, one in flames, and separated from the rest of the formation was quite an ordeal, particularly crossing the vast blue expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. The entire crew was prepared for any kind of landing. Fortunately the Liberator took them to a few miles from their base before the fire got out of control. A sudden rush of flames enveloped the bomber and the pilot, realizing further flying was impossible, gave the signal to bail out. Sgt Hayes parachuted safely into the desert and was picked up 30 minutes later by a Jeep and returned to base. Back in England Sgt Hayes participated in a raid to Munster and experienced the heaviest fighter attacks of his tour. The formation was under constant attack from the coast inland to the target. Right after bombs away his plane was attacked by one German fighter that drove in close firing from its 20 mm. cannon and smashed through the waist leaving his waist gunners position looking like a piece of Swiss cheese. But he got a few bursts off at the fighter and sent it down in flames. His longest mission was to the submarine docks at Danzig, its length due to the course taken to the target .. One of the most 6eautiful jobs of precision bombing was on the enemy marshalling yards in the Italian city of Pisa. You cou.Jd clearly see the bombs bursting throµghout the yards without a single one going out of the target area. The Tower of Pisa was nearby, untou~hed.

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Dear Cal, Please renew my subscription to the BOF. 1 am so pleased to see the newsletter Dad started live on after he is gone. This August the family had a reunion out at Hardwick in his honor. It was my first trip there and made a deep impression. To see my children playing outside the Officer's Mess Hall and skipping down the road and to imagine life there during the war .... it brought home to me why these men made the sacrifice they did. David and Jean Woodrow and the Friends of the 2nd Air Division were so welcoming and such wonderful people. Their commitment to keeping alive the memory and honoring the men that served at Hardwick touched all of us who were assembled there. I now understand why my father went back there year after year. . I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. Thank you for all your work on the BOF. After my trip to Hardwick, I noticed I read the last issue cover to cover as soon as I got it. Sincerely Mary Steichen Yamamoto Dear Cal, I am forwarding a letter I mis-sent to Paul with my dues. I never heard if there were any pilots younger than I-was when I-finished up my missions, not quite twenty years old. have you? Ed: No one wrote claiming to be younger so I guess the honor is all yours! My engineer mailed you the information concerning our mission in "Johnnie Reb." My crew is having a reunion October 25-26 in Bedford, VA. There are six of us still left. George Bridgeman 346½ Main St. New Martinsville, WV 26155 Ed: P-38 on steel matting. ls this Hardwick? From the Internet My father, Raymond H. Klein, flew a B24 in WWII for the 8th Air Force, 93rd Bomb Group out of Hardwick, England. One of his crew's planes was named Naughty Nan. He flew 35 missions over the course of 9 mos. He is from, and currently lives in the Cleveland. Ohio area. Any acquaintances reply to me and I will gladly forward to Dad! Thanks, Brad Klein at k1einbn@aol.com. Ed: I checked on the Internet and found Klein's mailing address: Raymond H. Klein 12874 Olympus Way Strongsville, OH 44136 Folded Wings Carroll A. Berner Benjamin P. Hall Cecil (C.D.) Johnson Edwin W. Ritter Editors Comments First, I would like to thank all of you who have expressed their appreciation for keeping the BOFQE alive. Secondly, I want to thank all of you who continue to support this endeavor and especially to all who have contributed extra donations which has resulted in our being able to pay the full cost of the 93rd Memorial Plaque to be placed at the 8th Air Force Museum near Savannah. At the Austin reunion several members asked about obtaining a roster of our 93rd membership. Since

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the Strombom's no longer provide this service I have put together an alphabetical roster, a roster by states and as complete a list of Folded Wings as possible all in one booklet. If anyone desires one of these booklets a donation would be appreciated to cover my cost of printing and postage The two pictures on page I O were among several negatives and pictures sent to me by Mrs. Roy Schulbach. ls the picture of the flag at half-mast at Hardwick? Dear Cal, First I would like to thank you for the wonderful job you are doing in putting together the Newsletter. T have trouble writing a simple letter such as this and cannot imagine the time and effort you must put forth in getting the BOFQE published. I see by my mailing label it is time to renew my subscription so here is my check with a little extra for postage or whatever_. I have also included a document that the fellows may not be aware of. By sending in the coupon and a copy of your discharge they will send you a beautiful medal and diploma. Anyone who was in the 93rd, either flying crew or ground personnel is entitled to the medal, as long as it mentions Normandy or D-Day on your discharge paper. I learned of this from a friend of mine who was a top gunner on one of those medium bombers, a B17 I think they were called. Keep up the good work. Norman Gould 1929 Oak St. Hastings, MN 55033 Dear Comrade in Arms, The medal struck by the Federation of French War Veterans Tnc., in recognition by the French 11 community of the Veterans who landed in Normandy and Provence and participated in the Liberation of France was first presented in New York City by 150 French people hosting 175 Veterans at the Armory of the Seventh Regiment on June 6, I 994, the 5oth Anniversary of 0-Day 1944. Designed by Robert Perrot, a WW II Veteran, the medal bears on the obverse a blue and gold head of Lady Liberty with its diadem against a background of blue waves and at the bottom the Cross of Lorraine on a red background. The lettering in gold reads "Cinquantenaire Des Debarquements" within the inner red ring and "1944 Normandie Provence l 994 Liberation of France" on the outer ring. This is a two sided die-struck round brass medal, 2 inches in diameter, in 3 soft enamel colors with a gilding-gold finish, topped by a metal loop. A tricolor neck ribbon is attached by 2 rings. The reverse commemorates the 75th Anniversary of the Federation of French War Veterans Inc. with its insignia and "1919-1994". The 8 '/2 x 11" Diploma, accompanying the medal of the 5oth Anniversary of the Landings of Normandy and Provence and the Liberation of France, is conferred by the Federation of French War Veterans Inc. on Veterans who qualify by virtue of service in France in WW ll. Who qualifies: AU Veterans who landed in Normandy or Provence and all Veterans who participated in the Liberation of France are entitled to the diploma and the medal. A -contribution of $24,50 would be appreciated to help cover costs. How to claim the medal and the diploma: Please return the attached coupon, below, with a copy of your "Service record and Report of Separation-Honorable discharge" with your check or money order. Please do not return this coupon by registered or oortified mail Tn Federation of Fre11clt War 'Petertms, Im:, 18 Enst 41 Street, Suite 401, New York NY 10017 m, 1 claim Ille medal aud die diploma or Ule 50tlt Anlll,enary or Ult LanalDp In Normandy and Pnm,ace 111d tile UberaUoa of France commluloned by I.be fedentlon or Frenc~ Wnr Veterans Inc. In recogulUon or tbe Yeteram bJ the Freocb commuulty. Name._ .... -... -...... _ .. _···-·"·-·-··-·- .... -..... _ .. _ ... __ ._ .. _ .. _ .. _ .. _ .... __ .. ___ ... __ ............. -- .. -- ...... -.. _ ... __________ ., ___ ,._ Address ............ -............................. - ... ---·· .. -··-·········· .. -- .• -•• ---··-··· ............... __ ..... _ .. ______ ... ,. ___ ········-.. --.. -._ ...... _, ................ _ .. __ ._ ---·-·-·-·····"-"" ..................... _ .... _.,, __ .,_. __ ............. _, ................... _ ............. __ .. _ .. _ ........ __ .. ,.-------······-···-····-····--·-·· ................................... - ... ···········-· ............................... Tel .. _ .......... _,. .. ., ....... _ ......... _ .............. __ . __ ........ _ ......... ___ . _____ ._._, ____ _ Enclosed 11 a copy of my Sen1ce Record and Report or Separatlon-Bonornblo dtsclwee. Dlo, a chock (ormooey order) for $ ........................ -......... _. u a coutrlbuUoo to lhe FederaUon or French War Votm :ws for Ula 50lb ADll.ltersary Meda.I and Diploma. Date: ..

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BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 8, No. 1 ACTIVITY REPORT BY AL ASCH We seem to be getting a few things accomplished as a Group and Division. The Division is in better shape, financially, than any time I can remember and we, the 93rd., have a few resources and generous donors to take on projects for the good of our Association. BRONZE BUST FOR LIEUTENANT GENERAL TIMBERLAKE We have collected $4550 toward a requirement of $5,000 to have a bronze bust of General Timberlake sculpted and placed in The Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum at Savannah, Georgia. The money has been sent to the museum and given the go ahead to do the project. Pictures of General Ted have been sent together with specifications for the bust. For example, we want his chest with ribbons and command pilot's wings shown and his three stars on his shoulders. The bust will be bare headed and resemble General Ted at the age we knew and remember him. With the $4550, the museum will contract for the bust and provide for the pedestal and a large plaque affixed to the pedestal for biographical information about General Ted. The Timberlake family has provided us with enough information about General Ted so that it can be reworked to fit on a plaque. We will soon need the balance of $1 JOO to send to the museum. Donor chccb should be made payable to The 8th AF Museum and mailed to me: Alfred Asch, 6205 Meadow Court. Rockville, MD 20852, Tele: 301 8811376. While working with the Timberlake family, General Ted's son passed away on 9 January. He Spring, 2000 was buried with full military honors at the Arlington National Cemetery on January 25 after a memorial service at the Fort Meyer Chapel. The son Lieutenant Colonel Edward J. Timberlake 111, , named after his father, had a distinguished career as a pilot in the Air Force. An appropriate condolence card and letter were sent to the family on behalf of the 93rd Bomb Group Association members. I had the good fortune to talk with a number of our members in doing this project. Most everyone recalled an incident about General Ted which showed his leadership, compassion and caring for his men. He led us in pioneering the use of the B-24 in high altitude bombing, took us to Africa on three occasions to support critical war efforts there, directed the planning of the low altitude raid against the Ploesti oil industry in August 1943, and was quick to complain to higher headquarters about the deficiencies of our "D" model B-24's, e.g., the lack of fire power. Because of the many bases we operated from during WWll, the 93rd was nicknamed "Ted's Travelling Circus". General Ted was a graduate of West Point in 1931. finishing 393 in a class of 403. His remarks were that he beat IO men and finished ahead of the class of 1932. His most enjoyable time at West Point was his participation in athletics: football, lacrosse (named All American Full Back), swimming (set new records) and baseball, to name a few. I le became group commander of the 93rd at Barksdale Field, Louisiana in May 1942. The group trained that summer and entered combat from England where General Ted led us on our first bombing mission against a strategic target at Lille, France in October, 1942. As the air war progressed, General Ted received national attention

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2 Pres. 2ADA ..... AI Asch 6205 Meadow Court Rockville. MD 20852 Tel. 301 881 1376 Pres. 93rd BG ......... Fred Srombom Membership .... L.L.Brown 220 Clardy Street Malvern, AR 72104 P.O. !lox 646 Ogema. WJ 54459 Tel.I 715 767 5461 Tel. 501 332 3125 Membership .. Robert Mc Keever 329 Rosewood Ave. Winnetka, II 60093 93"1 Historian .. Carroll Stewart 7150 Holmes Park Rd. Suite 323 Lincoln. NE 68506-4603 Newsletter Editor .. Calvin Davidson 48973 Plate Rd. Oberlin. OH 44074-96/9 Tel. 440 775 1787 Tel. 847 446 0205 Tel. 402 484 6046 for his leadership abilities. TIME magazine called him "one of the Army's hardest hitting bomber commanders, a crack pilot and specialist in the 8-24". ln three years he was promoted from captain to brigadier general. Thus in 1943 he became the youngest general officer in US history since the Civil War. General Ted was 33 years old and had been out of West Point just 12 years. As indicated above, we need a few more dollars to pay for the Bust. We plan to develop a pamphlet to cover the dedication ceremonies; donor names will be included. Many of you did not know General Ted as he was promoted to Wing Commander in mid 1943. However, he remained close to the 93rd throughout the war as it was one of the B-24 groups under his command and he continued his combat activity. Several different officers followed General Ted as group-commander of the 93rd. They were well chosen as the group continued to establish combat records throughout the war. 93rd PLAQUE AT TifE HERITAGE MUSEUM We have an agreement with the Heritage Museum on the final design of the black granite 24"x24" memorial .Plaque to be placed in the museum gardens. Cal Davidson, our editor of the 93rd news letter, paid the total amount of $2,000 from accumulated funds received from membership dues, news letter subscriptions and donations. A CHAPEL AT THE HERITAGE MUSEUM The ground breaking for a chapel on the grounds of the Heritage Museum occurred just a few weeks ago. Additional funds were needed to build a bell tower and reception room. The B-24 Groups Memorial, me. of the Army Air Forces is donating $25,000 for building the bell tower and $20,000 is becoming available from another source .. for the reception room. Please recall that the B-24 Groups Memorial, Inc. sponsored the bronze model of the 8-24 at the Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs. Designs for the plaques to give the donors credit have been sent to the museum. 2ADA REUNION IN MAY, 2000 Don't forget to reserve time for our next reunion this coming May, 2000. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa Bay, Florida. The hotel is ideal for a reunion and only IO minutes from the airport with shuttle bus service. 1 hope to see all of you there. You will find application forms in the latest Journal issued by the Second Air Division Association. Best Wishes for the new millennium. Al Asch The Saga of Baggy Maggy continued by Richard Carrol Scott Jr. 1 was a number two and it was good to sit down! But when our time came to sleep, that was something to be thankful for. Over the years, I've thought many times of this major. I never knew his name, but each time I thought of him, I prayed for a special blessing for him wherever he may be. We ended up at Nuremberg. where the trials were held later. They put us in an old ex-Italian prison camp, a dirty filthy place. Beds were three-bunkers high, but right next to each other and touching. You had to crawl over someone else's bed to get to the back of them. We hadn't had a bath for about a month, so we were interested when an announcement for a shower was made. We should be at a certain gate at a certain time to march to the showers. And wouldn't you know I had to go to the bathroom and was late in getting to the gate. About 20 PO W's were already I 00 feet down the road and the gate was locked. When I called, "Hey!" they ignored me. So, I didn't get my shower. I also didn't get lice on my clothes, like the others did, Thank you, Lord. After the shower at least one

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person became infected with lice. The lice seemed to start at one end and each night they would migrate to the next bed. Fortunately, I was on the end row and the day I found one louse on me was the day the Red Cross brought in the DDT powder. lt came in small boxes, like a pepper can, so that you could sprinkle it on you. At this time, DDT had not been banned as a poison. We sprinkled it on us and on our beds. The DDT was a "kill-all." We were at Nuremberg for about two months. One day American Air Force bombers flew over and bombed Nuremberg. Our camp was about two miles away from the city and we watched from our windows. The bombers were dropping their bombs on the town and the ground anti-aircraft guns were firing back trying to hit both the bombs and the planes. A few planes were shot down. The next day the crews from downed planes were brought into our camp. They brought us news of the war, much of which we had not heard. While we were in Stalag Luft III, one of the prisoners had managed to construct a working radio that could pick up the British Broadcasting System news reports. We would casually gather together in one of the big rooms in our prison complex and receive a brief update on the latest developments. About three days after we had learned what was really happening, the Germans would give us their version of the same events. They always made it sound as if they were winning. Periodically, the Germans performed personal searches of the POWs. During one of the searches, the English POW that had the tiny, little radio, held it in his hand over his head while they searched bis pockets. We learned that President Roosevelt had died and that Harry Truman was now president of the United States. By late April, we were still in danger of the Russian army releasing us. We left Nuremberg, heading for Moosburg. It was now spring, still a bit cool, but l was thankful that the winter had passed. Vic was still with me, or maybe r was with him. At least we had stayed together. This was a more relaxed march since we weren't half frozen now and we could hunt for extra food. Once we stole some potatoes from a farmer's cellar. We had no pots or pans but we did have a can that we had saved after we ate the contents. We cooked the potatoes in this. Another time, we took a half gallon of cattle feed from a barn. It was a mixture of dried peas and wheat. We spent a long time picking out the peas, then soaked them overnight. The next morning, we cooked them and ate them. They tasted great, even without salt or 3 seasonings. At this point, l could take my middle finger and thumb and reach all the way around my arm just below the elbow. l do not know how much weight I had lost. The camp at Moosburg was not a camp just for English and American airmen. There were also Indians with their big turbans, Australians with their big, floppy hats and many others of our allies. We had only been at Moosburg for about two weeks when General Patton's tanks came over a hill about 5 miles away. This was on or about May 1. We watched a tank battle between the Germans and Americans for about 30 minutes before the German tanks retreated. About 30 minutes after the battle, here came a big Sherman tank right up to the gate of the prison camp. The prisoners went running through the open gate and swarmed aU over the tank until alJ I could see was the gun barrel sticking out over them. In the meantime someone had run up an American flag over the city ofMoosburg about a mile away. r had a very strange feeling when I saw that American flag flying. There had been times when I felt like I would not make it through and here I was LIBERA TED! "O me, of little faith!" And yet, God was with me all the way. When I asked for help in finding a place to bring the plane in for landing, He supplied it. When I left it up to Hirn after I turned off the Crash Bar Switch, nine out of ten men survived. During the times when we did not know if food would come in time, the Red Cross trucks would appear with some parcels. When my ankles gave way, He sent someone [ did not even know to bind up my ankles so that I could continue walking. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of these, ye have done it unto me . ., He supplied a brick plant when we were all but frozen. And He brought me home to family and friends. I even got to walk across the bridge over the Blue Danube River in spite of the fact that it had a 500 lb. bomb attached to it! Now to finish up the account. Within an hour after our liberation, a kitchen camp had been set up and they began cooking food for us. I had white bread for the first time in 7 ½ months. It tasted almost like angel food cake. l had to learn to eat it all over again. After a day or two, they were busy getting us back to France, literally thousands of us. At first they flew plane loads of us and r was on the next to the last plane. I found out later that the ones who were left had to come to F ranee on trucks. The plane r was on landed at Paris to refuel. While we were there, here came the Red

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4 Cross lady with doughnuts and hot chocolate. I am ashamed to say that I ate six doughnuts. r had no willpower to resist them. Thanks to the Red Cross again. From Paris l went to camp "Lucky Strike," near the coast. We had received some of our back pay and at some place in the camp, probably a PX, I bought a gold bracelet (at least the color was gold, for Lucy Faye and a smaller one for Carol Ann. She still has her bracelet and the remains of Carol's, fifty years later. I stayed at camp Lucky Strike for about two weeks before boarding a ship headed for the United States of America. On the ship we ate, and we ate, and we ate. Full balanced meals! Besides that, J ate almost a full box (24) of Hershey's chocolate bars. l fattened up in a hurry. By the time I got home, you couldn't tell that I had ever missed a meal. When we were coming into the harbor at New York City, just by chance I looked out the window at the exact right time to see the Statue of Liberty. Home at last after seven and one-half months, which seemed like years, as a Prisoner of War of the German government. Crew Members on the Last Flight of Baggy Maggy: Pilot - Larry M. Hewin, Co-Pilot -Richard C. Scott, Navigator - Henry Greenberg, Bombardier-George W. Sadler, Engineer-Donald W. Dukeman, Radio Operator-William H. Kirlin, Left Wing Gunner - Eugene Shabatura , Tail Gunner - Osborn M. Malone, Right Wing Gunner - G. Stuart Burford, Supply Specialist - James Bolton· Ed: An epilogue to Scott's story will be in the next issue. &I: The following article came from a B-24 WEB SITE. I have seen this fn print somewhere before but thought it worth reprinting here. Honoring the American Flag Condensed from a speech by Leo K. Thorsness, recipient of The Congressional Medal of Honor. "You've probably seen the bumper sticker somewhere along the road. It depicts an American Flag, accompanied by the words "These colors don't run." I'm always glad to see this because it reminds me of an incident from my confinement in North Vietnam at the Hao Lo POW Camp or the "Hanoi Hilton," as it became known. Then a Major in the U.S. Air Force I had been captured and imprisoned from 1967-1973. Our treatment had been frequently brutal. After three years, however, the beatings and torture became less frequent. During the last year we were allowed outside most days for a couple of minutes to bathe. We showered by drawing water from a concrete tank with a homemade bucket. One day as we all stood by the tank, stripped of our clothes, a young Naval pilot named Mike Christian found the remnants of a handkerchief in a gutter that ran under the prison wall. Mike managed to sneak the grimy rag into our celJ and began fashioning it into a flag. Over time we all loaned him a little soap and he spent days cleaning the material. We help~d by scrounging and stealing bits and pieces of anything he could use. At night, under his mosquito net Mike worked on the flag. He made red and blue from ground-up roof tiles and tiny amounts of ink and painted the colors onto the cloth with watery rice glue. Using thread from his own blanket and a homemade bamboo needle he sewed on the stars. Early in the morning a few days later, when the guards were not alert, he whispered loudly from the back of our cell, "Hey gang. look here." He proudly held up this tattered piece of cloth, waving it as if in a breeze. If you used your imagination you could tell it was supposed to be an ~erican flag. When he raised that smudgy fabric we automatically stood straight and saluted, our chests puffing out, and more than a few eyes had tears. About once a week the guards would strip us, run us outside and go through our clothing. During one of those shakedowns, they found Mike's flag. We all knew what would happen. That night they came for him.Night interrogations were always the 1/r: Ground crew: Morrow. Tussey, Pispanen . ~ worst. They opened the cell door and pulled Mike

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out. We could hear the beginning of the torture before they even had him in the torture cell. They beat him most of the night About daylight they pushed what was left of him back through the cell door. He was badly broken; even his voice was gone. Within two weeks, despite the danger, Mike scrounged another piece of cloth and began another flag. The Stars and Stripes, our national symbol, was worth the sacrifice to him. Now whenever I see the flag, I think of Mike and the morning he first waved that tattered emblem of a nation. It was then, thousands of miles from home in a lonely prison cell, that he showed us what it is to be truly free. Jim Lampman <xsea1team@hotmail.com> Loma Linda VA Hospital, CA The Wooden Airfield One enemy decoy, built in occupied Holland, led to a tale that has been told and retold ever since by veteran allied pilots. The German decoy "airfield," constructed with meticulous care, was made almost entirely of wood. There were wooden hangars, oil tanks, gun emplacements, trucks, and aircraft. The Germans took so long in building their wooden decoy that allied photo experts bad more than enough time to observe and report it. The day finally came when the decoy was finished, down to the last wooden plank. And early the following morning, a lone RAF plane crossed the Channel, came in low, circled the field once, and dropped a large wooden bomb. Ed: This query came from the B-24 Internet Web Site Does anyone have any information on the 330th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bombardment Group(H)? My husband's uncle, Clifford Stafford, was a nose gunner on the" Lonesome Polecat" that was shot down on February 11, 1944. All 10 on board died. My husband, IO year old daughter and 1 would like to find out a little more about Clifford, the plane, crew and Sq. This mission was Clifford's 25th. If anyone has any information that you would like to share, please e-mail me at cstafford@att.net or to: Cindy Stafford 6407 Kury Lane Houston, TX 77008 THE STORY BEIIlND "TAPS" It all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was 5 with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land. During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moan of a soldier who lay mortally wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead. The captain lit a lantern. Suddenly, he caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. Jt was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, he enlisted in the Confederate Army. The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial despite his enemy status. His request was partially granted. The captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for the son at the funeral. That request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. Out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician. The captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of his dead son's uniform. This wish was granted. This music was the haunting melody we now know as "Taps" that is used at all military funerals. These are the words to "TAPS" Day is done, Gone the sun. from the lakes, From the hills, From the sky All is well. Safely rest. God is nigh. Folded Wings Stilson J. Ashe Henry Betz Homer Moran

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6 Dear Cal, What a surprise to see my "Sketch" of Fred Hayes in the winter issue oftheBOFQE. As for the "Fresh Eggs" note, I'm not sure of the reason, maybe Fred somehow got a dozen fresh eggs and presented them to Nissen Hut #7. This was Roger Skjei's Crew. It may have been for the privilege of flying a couple of missions with us. Our crew understandably was one of the finest in the ETO. Dear Cal, Harry Towers Jr. 46 Broadview Terrace Chatham, NJ 07928 I belong to the 3rd Strategic Air Depot Association. Jordan Uttal and Evelyn Cohen are the ones who will not recognize the 3SAD. I was stationed at Watton with the 3 SAD and also with the 93rd BG. This realJy puzzles me that the 2ADA won't recognize the 3SAD and others. We did the same work they did and even worked with them at times. The 3SAD served alJ B-24 groups of the 8th AF and were also told we were members of the 2AD and asked to donate money for the Memorial Library, which we did. Now after 50 years we are told we don't belong to the 2ADA after we made our donations. We wonder what the hell is going on in the 2ADA. Believe me, I gave a lot of money to the Library Fund but not any more. I give to the 3SAD now as we have our own. I called Jordan about this matter and he wanted the gentleman's name etc. from the 3SAD that we gave money to. How after all these years am I supposed to remember a name from 50 years ago! We just gave him the money and kept on doing our job. Doesn't he realize there was a war going on? John Julian Dear Cal: 3956 S. Eagle Ln. Spokane, WA 99206 Here as promised (threatened?), is my rendition of the brush we had with the Luftwaffe "Kamikaze" effort of 7 April 194 5. DAY OF THE ''RAMSTAFFEL'' On the seventh of April in nineteen-forty-five our tenth mission was to an ordnance plant at Duneburg. This was to be one of our most exciting flights, second only to the Rhine crossing supply drop, except that whereas we'd expected some unusual activity on that low-level sortie (our sixth) this one began like just another bombing sortie to a place we'd never heard of before. Takeoff, formation, test-firing and coast-in were uneventful; but as we penetrated Germany and were nearing the IP and tum into the bomb-run we (or actually the pilots, who relayed the information over intercom) heard numerous reports ofME-262jet fighters being sighted in our general area. One of those sleek beauties dove through our formation on our seventh mission, and I'd like to see another, possibly get a shot at him. so was even more attentive than usual to what went on outside my right waist-window. It was Ed Balga's tum that day to slip the chaff (packets of aluminum foil strips designed to confuse German gun-laying radars) through the "letter-slot" just aft of the left window. so I was able to concentrate on my side of the plane both before and after we altered heading toward our target. Cloud cover was four to five-tenths, as it had been for previous missions, and we skimmed the tops of'innumerable fleecy puff-balls, as many more drifted below us. Ct was between some of those lower clouds that I first saw the fighter. It looked like just any other escorting P-F orty-Seven, several hundred feet below our altitude and slightly off to our right. Having pulled up from somewhere behind us, he was now almost pacing us but gaining ever so slightly, until he was a little forward of my window viewpoint. From above, his blunt radial engine was quite apparent, and I would swear his wings, as he appeared from time io time between the clouds, were the "orange-section" shape characteristic of the friendly "Jug". His color was a dull camouflage shade, and [ saw no markings of any kind, as he flitted in and out of sight through and under the clouds. I got a feeling of comfort, since we seemed to have picked up a fighter-escort of our own on the bomb-run. Nothing to worry about now, I mused, except the anticipated flak. Gradually, though, he now began a very gentle climb toward our level; and as he did, there was something about the placement or shape of his tailplane that no longer jibed exactly with my preconceived notion ofan "escorting Jug". His nose came yet higher but still nowhere near head on and I thought the cowling of his radial engine did not have the "egg-shape" of the 'Forty-Seven's recognition features, but from this perspective seemed more like a circle, and not as massive as it should have appeared. In his climb he had now fa!Jen slightly aft of my position, and leveled off

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somewhat lower than us. Then some kind of lights started winking along both of his wings. Cursing to and at myself, I suddenly reaUzed that what r' d assumed was a "friendly P-47" was really a most unfriendly FW-190, on a firing pass in our direction! As I attempted to alert the crew, and at the same time get my own gun swung to shoot back at him, the microphone switch dropped out of my mittened fist and clattered to the corrugated metal deck, among the spent shells from our test-firing. We waist-gunners bad our hand switch attached to the interphone line, between the oxygen mask and the junction box at the side of the aircraft, with several feet of wire separating the mask from the switch and many more feet between the switch and the box. All other B-24 positions had mike buttons mounted on the equipment they operated in a stable convenient arrangement. I think I made one blind sweep for it with my right hand, while trying to keep my left hand on the gun's handJe, and an eye on the fighter. Then I gave up on the intercom for the time being, and tried to bring the gun to bear on the f W. He was my problem, and 1 couldn't see that anyone else in the plane could help with it By now, though, he'd climbed high enough. and fallen back to the extent that he appeared between our right vertical stabilizer and fuselage, and barely below our horizontal stabilizer right where 1 couldn't fire at trim without the risk of hitting our own tail surfaces. Yet he was so near to our rear, and still slightly below, that I doubt if Shortie ever even saw him. I know be could not have swung his tail-turret and twin-fifties around to that angle, in any case. The next impression 1 had was of the fighter abruptly speeding up and flying beneath us, crossing from our right to our left. Then there was a slight swerving of our aircraft, and Chris' voice. on the intercom, telling us that we'd just been in a collision with a P-47 who's tom off his own right wing and gone down. By this time l'd recovered my mike switch and keeping an eye out of the window for another enemy fighter in case they flew in pairs, as ours generally do, l told him that was not one of ours, but an FW-190 who'd come from below and had been shooting towards us. Right now, however, we were still on our bomb run which might have been just as well under the circumstances. Perhaps if we'd not had the bomb load in the plane's belly to stabilize her, the impact of the collision could have flipped us over. What was not so well, though, was the 7 unknown length of our left wingtip damaged or tom off with the tattered remainder flapping in the slip stream. Nobody in either the front or aft compartments could get any clear estimate as to how badly damaged we were. So in addition to normal bomb run precautions we double checked the fit of our parachute straps, flak-vests etc. We kept even more alert to depart the bird in a hurry should the rest of the wing suddenly come loose. The collision had not slowed us down. and we retained our assigned position in the Group's formation. We droned on. and at the smoke bomb signals of Lead and Deputy Lead, John Powell in the nose-turret. reached back and toggled out our load. I don't even recall any flak over the target but then we had other worries at the time. After bombs away and the formation's sharp tum away from bomb run heading, we in the aft section could see enough through the broken clouds to watch the bombs on their way down and impact explosions that seemed larger than usual. Seconds later we could actually feel three distinct concussions even at our twenty-two-thousand-foot altitude. Fortunately we back-enders were thus able to reassure those up front that the jolts we'd just been experiencing were from the exploding around installations and not indications that our left wing was about to leave us. Shortie later advised us all that from his tail-turret vantage point he could see the entire target complex blazing merrily for us as it faded in the distance behind us. But our troubles were not yet over. Shortly after bombs away and our homeward turn, our number three engine, without warning, suddenly faltered and seized. The propeller was feathered without further ado, so we had no problem as far as staying in the air; the bomb load w~ gone and two engines on the left wing as well as the outboard right one were still churning. However we did lose airspeed and gradually fell behind the rest of the formation as they continued toward the German coast, the Channel and Blighty. This to say the least was not the best situation in the world. It was obvious that the Luftwaffe's fighters were up in force that day; and their favorite prey was a bomber straggling out of the mutual protection of his formation. We gunners and the rest of the crew I'm sure, continued to scan the skies above, below, fore, aft and all around even more keenly than usual. As we neared the coastline however we encountered no further opposition. The pilots established contact with Air-Sea Rescue just in case another engine should

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8 conk out or the damaged wing deteriorate even more in the slipstream. In which event we'd have a good chance for an early pickup after a ditching or bailout into the Channel. To keep abreast of developments I switched my intercom control box to the compass position so I could hear the pilots' radio transmissions as they talked alternately with ASR and "Ox.-Pug" (Hardwick) apprising both agencies of the progress of our ship for that day. But I still kept an eye on Ed who was listening on the lnterphone. I wanted to know ASAP if he heard anything requiring immediate reaction such as "get ready to abandon ship." By the same token I was able, by signals, to keep him notified that we were not forgotten by the people on the surface. As if things were not bad enough as we approached the English coast and were able to tell ASR thanks, it looked as if we would not be in need of their services after all. The entire island, at least alJ of our "home" area of East Anglia was now solidly socked in. And we bad scant faith in our navigational equipment, what with the collision damage and loss of power due to the dead engine. But we had not penetrated many miles inland before we learned that one of the planes from the Group's formation had volunteered to remain aloft and help guide us home. [ t later turned out it was the crew whose gunners lived in the same hut with us. J gathered that their officers shared quarters with ours as well. 'They were certainly a most welcome sight when they showed up, made a one-eighty below us, checked our left wing and reassured us that it looked structurally sound, although badly torn to about six feet in from the tip. They fell into a loose formation with us, ahead and to our right. I was greatly impressed, too, with the British system of navigational aids, relatively primitive though they might have been at that time, which had enabled us to get back almost to Hardwick. We really had not needed the other Lib for guidance, although it had been a comfort to cross-check with them over that unbroken blanket of low-lying cloud. lt seemed as if all of England were interested in little else but getting "J-Jig" home in one large chunk, a very gratifying feeling indeed. After a 11 our difficulties letdown and landing were uneventful although we might have been alerted for possible hydraulics failure after initial application of the brakes, because of our dead engine. We just had that awful tension of descending into the solid cloud bank and waiting, waiting, waiting, for the grey-white to dissolve into the lush green countrysideofNorfolk. We logged seven hours for that day's flying. It had seemed much longer. EPILOGUE One of the crew, probably Bob Randolph our copilot, who almost always had a camera handy took photos of the torn wing-tip as soon as we'd parked and deplaned. He later distributed 5X3 prints of the best one· to us. It clearly showed the damage, almost six feet completely ripped off, with a gash extending about four feet more down the center of the wing. l had my copy for years but for some reason had it enlarged, in the seventies. l thought T'd impressed on the people doing the blow-up that the damage was to be shown to the best advantage but it turned out grainy and fuzzy with the wing tip disappearing in glare off the upper left hand comer. My original has in the meantime been lost; but l continue to hope it will turn up in old papers. When we went in for debriefing our crew and the ones who'd escorted us back were almost the only ones being interrogated as we'd landed so much later than all the others and then we'd had to explain to the ground crew how their airplane had happened to get "broken", and so on. As we gave our narration of the mission and described the collision, the Intelligence officer in charge told us that a gunner on the B-24 flying off to our left in

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the formation had claimed he'd been firing at the FW and saw pieces of wreckage falling off before it went out of control and crashed into us. As far as I can remember, our collective reaction to this news was OK, good for him. Much later after my retirement in the seventies I was reading Roger A. Freeman's excellent book, ''The Mighty Eighth"; and was astonished to learn about the numerous other mid-air collisions that had occurred on 7 April 1945, many much more serious than ours. Furthermore that our J ntelligence had come to the conclusion that they were actually the outcome of Goering's volunteer "Ramstaffel" properly named Sonderkommando Elbe. The pilots were instructed to open fire at extreme range and continue firing until in a position to ram the bomber preferably in the fuselage just aft of the wing. It would appear we were even luckier than we had believed at the time. Dan Roure 845 W. Fingerboard Rd. Grasmere, Staten Island New York 10305 One of East Anglia's most poignant war-time land marks has been restored. Thanks to maintenance engineers at Sizewell B. A group of maintenance people joined forces with men from contractors Atlantic Powers to restore the Memorial at Henham. The Memorial honors the sacrifice made by 36 American servicemen who were tragically killed in one of 9 Britain's worst mid-air collisions. The SizeweU men decided to help restore the memorial which is situated in the grounds of the Earl of Stradbroke's estate after they beard it had fallen into disrepair. During a team building day at the park the men, together with Atlantic Power, refurbished the war memorial. The group landscaped the overgrown surroundings, fitted new fencing and crafted new display gates which feature the insignia of the US Air Force. The memorial marks the cite where in March 1944 two B24 Liberator bombers, from the 93rd BG, collided in mid-air. A total of 17 aircrew were killed in the collision. A second tragedy followed as the bombs did not explode on impact. The bombs exploded more than an hour later when rescuers and ambulance staff from the airbase arrived OJ1 the scene. This explosion killed 19 rescuers and ambulance staff and left 53 others badly injured. The re-dedication service was attended by witnesses to the accident and its aftermath, as welJ as representatives from the United States Air Force. Gordon Reynolds, who was just 16 when he witnessed the incident, praised the maintenance team from Si zewell. "They have done a great job and the memorial looks how it should. It was very overgrown but now it is something to be proud of" Dear Cal. I thought after ~o years had gone by that it was time to bring you up to date on what had transpired since Bob Purdie contacted you about Red Komarek and myself. We have been staying in touch and keeping each other up to date. The Purdie family are all well. Red suffered a stroke last April that paralyzed his left side, so he has been in the VA hospital since. Jim McMahon and l plan on visiting him this spring and summer. Cheerio and all the best. Bud Wurm 2005 Marcola Rd. #36 Springfield, OR 97477 Ed: For our newer members and those who may have forgo/I en the leuers below explain all. Dear Mr. Wurm, I am writing to you on behalf of my mother Mary Goldrick who you may remember from your time in England during the war. She, her cousin Mary Shields and her friend Bea Gavigan were all Irish girls who knew you and your crew mates Red Komarek. Jack Lang and Merle Wolf when you

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stopped over in Finsbury Park, London. My Mom and Mary Shields worked in the Tavern Pub and Bea worked at the Silver Bullet Pub. Sadly the other girls have passed away but Mom, who is turning eighty this year, asked me to write you and say hello. She is now living in Ipswich, England and apart from the normal aches and pains she is doing great. If you look at the attached computer messages between Cal Davidson and myself you can get a general idea of how this letter came about. My Mom and r were visiting the American War Cemetery at Madingley, near Cambridge, England and saw the names of Jack Lang and Merle Wolf on the "Wall of the Missing". She knew they had been lost but didn't know the circumstances and wasn't sure if you or Earnest had survived the war. I did some research over a period of about two years and learned Jack and Merle were lost with a different crew in November 1943. After reading the book "Ted's Travelling Circus" I learned about you guys getting shot up in April 1943 and Red winning a Silver Star and you losing your Sergeant Stripes to administration. (I spent 27 years in the Air Force so I know all about that kind of "administration", haha). I also learned from the list of the fallen in the book you guys had survived which was very good news indeed. To quickly fill you in on how Mom ended up with a Yank son, she finally married my Dad (who was with the Scots Guards) at the end of the war and they both emigrated to New York City in 1948. I was born and raised there and joined the Air Force in 1967. She lived in the States for 35 years but after my father passed away she came back to England (where I was stationed) and lived with my family. We have been over here ever since. ram now retired from the military but still work at RAF Alconbury where the 93BG started the war. Small world hub? lf you have a picture of all you guys together, I would really appreciate it as a surprise for her birthday. Once again Greetings from England and Best Wishes. Bob Purdie Dear Bud, A million thanks for the package you sent along with a letter from Red and the copy of Red Komarek's book. I couldn't put Red's book down until l had finished it. I am dying to ask Mom about the Finsbury Park chapter! It will be fantastic to see my Mom's "surprise" at her birthday party this Saturday njght. My Mom was absolutely thrilled by your card-and l made a big photo album with the material you and Red sent. My cousins and her friends were all at her birthday party to see the expression on her face. Bea's son, Eammon, was up from London to visit us and says he would like to write to you also. I am including a letter from my Mom along with her British address if you would like to have it. She has written to Red and I will also. Best Wishes and God Bless. Bob Purdie Dear Members of the 93rd, I have been researching the 93rd Bomb Group and collecting photos for several years. After numerous inquiries about publishing a book, [ have contacted a publisher. The publisher is very interested in publishing a Photo history of the 93rd BG. I have over 170 aircraft of the 93rd BG identified in photographs. My original goal was to have a photo of every 93rd BG aircraft but J do not think that is possible now. I would, however, like to make the book as complete as possible. There will also be sections dedicated to personnel, crew photos, Hardwick airbase and wartime England. Each photo will have a detailed caption as well as the photo source. I am looking for any photos that relate to the 93rd BG. A~ photos will be returned after I make a copy negative. If you have any photos please contact me. Please do not assume that the couple of photos that you have are not special. I am very interested in all photos as well as the stories behind-them. If you would like to send a Xerox copy of the photos so I can review them prior to sending the originals that is fine. Copies of diaries or logbooks that reference aircraft names help me determine seriaJ # by cross referencing the diaries with mission reports. I have several unidentified 93rd BG aircraft. I am looking for any clues, recollections, diaries, logbooks or additional photos regarding the following: "Barfly", "Rountrip", "Willies' Worry", "Carioca Bev", "The Tennessee Rambler", "Zoot Snoot", "Fart Sack Time", "The Gremlin's Roost", "Satan's Sister", "United States of America"(looks like a coin), Lion holding a bomb(olive drab), nude women standing on toes with left arm behind head and right arm straight down (olive drab), "Herby", "What a Sack", "The Invader" and "Zippo". I am looking forward to hearing from you so I can make this book a fitting tribute to the men of the 93rd BG. Don Morrison 1375 West Comet Rd Clinton, Ohio 44216 Phone 330 882 2536 email: dkm@raex.com

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Editors Comments I inadvertently deleted a list of names on my computer of those people who sent me money for a roster of our members. If you sent me a donation for a roster and did not receive one please notify me. One topic for discussion at the 2ADA reunion, in Tampa, will be when to hold dedication ceremonies at the 81h Air Force Museum for our Memorial and the bust of Gen. "Ted." The bust should be finished in time for a possible reunion of the 93"' BG this fall. To my knowledge the 93rd has never had a reunion on its own and as our ranks become ever thinner 1 think we should all gather together as a unit at least once. 1 think this dedication ceremony at the museum holds great promise for such an event. David Judy wrote the following note. Their crew. Dan Comingore's crew, flew Wee Willie and also flew Patches on it's 971h mission. Patches was shot down by the British while on a training mission. George S. Bocchieri, a new member, wrote he had been contacted by his radio operator after all these years and has joined our organization. Derek Hills, Trust Librarian of our Norwich Memorial, reports the acquisition of two more books from the 93rd B.G. endowment fund. Land of the Free: What makes America different by David Graham Boston: A photographic Tour by Carol M Highsmith He also reports continuing generous donations have boosted the endowment program. 11 The Eighth Air Force Historical Society Unil and Chapter Development and Advisory Committee Jim Erskine, Chairman 568 Colima Drive Toledo, OH 43609 To: All Units for publication in your newsletter From: The Committee The Committee is aware that there are many Unit members that are not members of the 8th Air Force Historical Society. The reasons for this are many and varied and we shall not go into them at this time. However, now is the time to correct this situation. By now joining the Historical Society through your Unit you will not only strengthen the Historical Society but you will add money to your Unit treasury. One half of your first year dues ($5.00) will be retained by the Unit with no strings attached. Send your application and money to your Unit Treasurer and he/she will forward your application and your money - minus $5.00 - to Savannah. Please do not send it to Savannah yourself and expect a rebate because it just won't happen. The application form at the bottom of this page may be duplicated. Associate members to the Historical Society may be signed up through your Unit even though your Unit does not have associate members and you may still keep the $5.00. This method has been used by the Chapters in the past and has worked out very well, so it should work for the Units. LOO. 8th AFHS Membership Application Name ----------------------Address -----------------------City State Zip Wbtrt Did You Hur About ls? _________ 8th AF I nil ________ _ 'lot in s•-si2n .\tr l Ip □ A~ An Auori11, Mtmbu lnStrvict Vu :'lio D1tn. _____ To __ _ Br1nrb _________ _ Wtrt }OU• formtr mtmbtr \1tmbf-r# if Avall1blt ---------PI ease use this form only for your initial application and first calendar year·s dues ($10 U.S. and $15 non-U.S.) Your annual dues will be billed for subsequent years.

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BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 8, No. 2 Air Force Memorial Foundation Some of you may have received your packet from the Air Force Memorial Foundation for building the Air Force Memorial on the Arlington Ridge at the Arlington National Cemetery. If not, let me bring you up to date. I have been in telephone contact with the Foundation staff and this is what I learned. A tax-deductible gift of $25, $50, $100, or $250 or more will help the Foundation raise the remaining fund requirements to build the memorial. A unique feature of the memorial will be The Airmen's Chapel. A donation of$25.00 or more will make you a charter member of the Foundation and your name will be inscribed in a book to be maintained in the Memorial. The book will be arranged in such a way that names can be retrieved. Also, the sponsor's names will be on the Foundation web site and may be retrieved. Various levels above $25.00 gives the sponsors other considerations such as lapel pins, invitations to ground breaking, dedication ceremonies and other activities. The Foundation has raised over $21,000,000 but needs additional funds to reach the required $30,000,000. The aircraft industry, some veteran's organizations and others have been most generous. I learned through my discussions that an individual will have his name shown on a plaque inside the memorial with a $10,000 donation. The Foundation has a brokerage account with Smith Barney and will accept negotiable securities as a donation. I received a note from Pete Lindquist, Vice President of Operations, that a $25,000 donation from a veteran's organization will secure a place of honor in the Air Force Memorial. The exact details of that recognition are being worked out. (Pete is a Summer, 2000 retired AF Colonel.) Members of the Air Force and the Foundation have worked hard to get our memorial project approved. They fought and won a courtrovm battle with an outspoken and misinformed minority that sought to keep us from honoring our heros. I will have a 5 min VCR for viewing the memorial plans. Address: Air Force Memorial Foundation, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, Va 22209-1198; Web: www .airforcememorial.org. I have asked that this be placed on the agenda of the Executive Committee at Tampa. Timberlake Bust We have exceeded the $5,000 figure necessary to fund the bust for General "Ted" Timberlake. We have received several contributions from people in other bomb groups who served in some capacity under General "Ted". I have received copies of a clay bust that will be used to make the final bronze bust and forwarded them on to the Timberlake family and General Potts for their approval. Archive Research Don Spenser has been researching several organizations for depositories of 93rd memorabilia and will be in contact with our editor with his recommendations. Al Asch Hi Cal, I have been in touch with Al Ash and he suggested I send this to you for the BOF Add, delete or edit as is best; I'm not much of a writer. We are unable to attend the Tampa reunion but hope you can and enjoy the festivities. (Page 2)

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2 Prts. 2ADA .......... Al Asch 6205 Meadow Co11n Rockville, MD 20852 Tel. 3018811376 Member1hip .. Robert McKeever 329 Rosewood Ave Winnetka. JL 60093 Tel. 847 446 0205 Pres. 93'° BG ... Fred Strombom P.O. Box. 646 Ogema, WT 54459 Tel. 7 J 5 767 546/ 93' Hiswrian .. Carroll Stn.'Ort 7150 Holmes Parle Rd. Sui1e 323 Lincoln, NE 6805-4603 Tel. 402 484 6046 Three organizations are interested in 93rd memorabilia. All three would like printed material and photographs. Only the museum at Savannah is interested in three dimensional artifacts. The Air Force Academy makes its material available on site to staff, cadets and researchers but bas no plans for the internet. They prefer to accept donations thru a contact person and I have agreed to do this. Don Spencer 858 East Wheeler Rd. Midland, MI 48640 5178359975 The Air Force Historical Research Agency provides microfilm of material to Bolling AFB and the national Archives and Records in Washington DC. Visitors at Maxwell AFB can view material and copy at their own expense on site. Al Ash has used the Bolling Field source and was successful getting information from them. Contact: Miss Lynn Gamma, Archivist 600 Chennault Circle Maxwell AFB, AL 36112 334 953 5834 The Mighty 8th Air Force Museum is in the process of cataloguing all its donations by donor and group. The catalogue would be on the internet but the actual artifacts would not, at least in the near future. Materials of a particular type or donor can be puJled and made available to visitors on site. They have a very extensive education program for all ages. The day we visited an Elder Hostel group was in the Hbrary and one exihibit featured was the 93ro_ Contact: Jeffery Bilderback, Director of exhibits and Collections Sonia Dickey, Archivist Mighty 8th Museum P.O. Box 1992 Savannah, GA 31402 912 748 8888 All of these organizations have the expertise and resources to provide long range satisfactory care of any of our donations. Material should not be sent without prior discussion with the contact person Don Spencer Membership .... LL. Brown 220 Clardy Street Malvern, AR 7U04 Tel. 50/ 332 3115 Nrwsletter Edi/or .. Calvm Davidson 4897 3 Plate Rd. Oberlin. OH 44074-9619 Tel. 440 775 1787 Epilogue by Richard Carrol Scott Jr. After returning to the United States I soon realized that military life was not over. l was in for the duration of the war plus six months. My first orders read, "Report for Duty August 17, 1945 to the Frederick Army Air Field, Frederick, Oklahoma." This base specialized in twin-engine flying and since I bad not flown since September 18, 1944 I naturally had to pass required army tests before I could be cleared for flying duty. I stayed in Frederick only one month. It was here that I received my silver bars and was now I st Lt. Richard C. Scott which meant a pay increase. Next orders were to report to Enid Army Air Field, Enid., Oklahoma. This was a pilot school for Advanced Two Engine planes. Next was to Good Fellow F-ield i-n San Angelo, Texas-.-Most-.of the.-time from here on T was classified as Pilot and Administration Officer. One day I was reading through a ton of papers and pamphlets and read that a pilot could take his wife or mother for a plane ride once a year. I went through the channels to see if this was still true. It was so the next day Lucy Faye was given her paper bag and off we went in that Seaman PT• I 7. r promised her that we would not loop the loop or do a tailspin unless she agreed to it. First we flew around for about I 0 minutes and she decided that I could loop the loop. She had more of an adventurous nature than I thought. However, when she said that I could do a tailspin, I hesitated only for a moment for fear she would change her mind and she did not even need to use the paper bag! J always thought I had a one in a million wife and now I knew it was true. I felt sure that in 1945 she was one women in a million to loop the loop and do a tailspin in an airplane. After leaving San Angelo J was stationed at Stockton, California until my discharge in February of 1947. 1 was still not getting many flying hours, mostly because of shortage of planes. My Separation Qualification Record says as a ELL I had piloted a PT- l 7, BT· I 3, AT-I 7, B· I 7, B-25, B-24, PT•l3, and C--47. As Administration Officer

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it says Directed operation of Administrative Unit and responsible for policies, maintenance of personnel, supply; fiscal records, funds, work schedules, operation of unit and liaison with other operating agencies. Thoroughly familiar with problems of Organizing Administrative Units and its operation. This meant I audited, with help, Central Post Funds for many bases that were closing. One in particular was in Reno, Nevada. The rest of the time was spent doing whatever the army needed me to do. For instance I was called to sit on a trial of a Finance Officer because $112.00 was missing. The Army wanted to force the Finance Officer to pay for the missing money. We, the jury, decided it was a clerical error and found the officer innocent. Several weeks later our verdict papers were returned, For Review, meaning that the army still wanted the officer to pay for the missing money. By that time most of the jury members had been transferred to other bases. Those of us remaining told the army we were still of the same opinion and sent our reply up the channel. Then the rest of us transferred elsewhere. Fortunately, I never heard another word about the case which saved the Finance Officer $112.00 of his own money. After my discharge we moved back home to Houston, Texas. I worked as Assistant Equipment Manager for a construction company for several years. I then became a buyer for Brown & Root, and retired in 1984. While teaching a Men's Bible Class a man named Thereon Collins became a new member of the class. We immediately became good friends because we had both flown B-24's in World War U. One Sunday he brought me several copies of a Quarterly Magazine devoted to B-24 crews. He said, "Enjoy and you need not return them." After reading them I decided I'd like to receive future copies so J sent my subscription to the Journal. I received a master list of all present subscribers but I did not recognize a single name except Tbereon's. My name was noted as a new subscriber. Here it was, almost 45 years after the crash landing of Baggy Maggy and I had only been in touch with Mrs. Kirlin, the mother of Bill, who had been killed in the crash and Vic Bubbett, who had appeared to help me when I would not have survived without his help. Then I received a letter from Donald Dukeman of Narvon, Pennsylvania. He had subscribed to the same Journal and found my name on a list of new men:ibers. His question was, "Are • you the Richard Scott who crash-landed a B-24 in 3 Holland on September 18, L 944. I answered his letter and told him, "Yes, I was that Richard Scott." The following is a portion of Don's letter in response. "Dear Richard, 1 yelled a few more words beside bingo and bull's-eye when 1 received your letter. Thank God I reached someone from that crew I was with that fateful day. First I want to thank you for the terrific job of landing that plane 45 years ago. I know God was riding wjth us that day to allow 9 crew members to walk away from that plane. r wish quite often that all of us could have walked away." Don had found our gunner on Baggy Maggy, Eugene Shabatura's name on the same list where he had found mine. He was living in Duluth, Minnesota. Correspondence began with Don and Shah and then the search began for the other crew members. Now, l don't believe that this was just simply a coincidence. Had Don subscribed to the journal at an earlier date my name would not have appeared on the roster that he had received. God had allowed all of us the special blessing of renewing acquaintances during our retired years when there was time and some energy left. In the meantime Shab had written an article that was published in the journal. Frank Wathen who was on the original crew but not with us on the crash mission saw the article and wrote to Shah. r had a newsy letter from Frank dated 7-22-90. We had been within 60 miles of his home when we visited Yosemite National Park several years earlier. About six month5 later a letter arrived dated February 5, 1991 from Floyd Mabee, Vice President of the 93rd Bomb Group, Second Air Division. He had received a letter from Jos van Roozendaal in Holland requesting addresses for any of the crew of Baggy Maggy. He sent us the addresses of the ones he had, asking us to convey the information to Jos. They did not give addresses to anyone outside their membership. Would you believe that Ozzie Malone's (Leesburg, Alabama) name and address had been included on this list. Great day in the morning, one more! Now we were in touch with four who were on Baggy Maggy and one, Frank, who escaped the crash because of a skinned knee from a bicycle accident the day before. [n the late summer of I 992 Shab found Larry Hewin through the Veterans Administration. He was living in Williamsburg, Virginia. Larry was almost certain that George was in Richmond and located him there. Each time another one on the list turned up we had

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4 Thanksgiving in our hearts and here were two at the same time. Only three of the crew on the ill-fated plane left to find and one other original crew member who was not with us when we crashed. Shab sent me the phone numbers of Larry and George so on September 18, 1992 I called them both. At Larry's l got an answering machine so I left this message "Thls is Scotty and l called to congratulate you on 48 years of borrowed time." T called George and he was at his office so I had a lengthy and interesting conversation with Wilton, George's wife. She brought me up to date with their life. George returned my call that night. In a few days I received a letter from Shab saying he had not given me the correct telephone number for Larry. Well, then, whose machine had recorded my message? I called Larry again and this time he answered. 1 told him T bad left a message on someone's answering machine thinking it was his. He told me that the lady had called him and said, "Do you know anything about this?" Then, she played the tape back to him. Strange, but true. lt really is a small world after all. George, being a lawyer, set out to find the others. HanJc Greenburg, James Bolton and Stuart Burford, plus Wilmer Landon and Joe Stallings. Wilmer had been taken off our crew and became a lead navigator and Joe Stallings was not with us because this was not a bombing mission. Through George's efforts he learned that Henry Greenburg was deceased. He found Wilmer Landon through another lawyer in Wilmer's home town. In fact the lawyer was in the middle of some bus.iness with Wilmer at the time. Wilmer was now residing in Littleton, Colorado. Everyone was now accounted for except Stuart Burford, James Bolton and Joe Stallings. Wheels were set in motion for a reunion of the crew. Since my retirement we had been taking a trip each year with our family. Plans were being made to go to Cary, North Carolina and on to the east coast to Cape Hatteras Island and to see the Lighthouses. AJso we were going to see the Wright Brothers original flight sight, then on to Washington, D.C. We would be going in late June and early July. The reunion was quickly planned for June 30, l 993 in Richmond, Virginia at the home of Wilton and George SadJer. What an interesting and delightful evening. Over a very special dinner, prepared by a lovely hostess Wilton with some help from George, talk never ceased. So much reminiscing about the crash, our prisoner of war days, so many questions asked about exactly what happened while I with George's help was trying to find a place to set Maggy down and keep her flying until 1 could find the right place. The crew being in the back could not really know what was happening. I don't suppose we'll ever get all our questions answered but it satisfied us temporarily. Shortly after the reunion, George found Stuart Burford in Keoswick. VA. We still have not yet located Joe Stallings or James Bolton. After the reunion Barbara Hewin wrote thls poem as a tribute to the crew. She is both a published and prize winning poet. On Re11nion Oh let us bless these gallant aging warriors, these fragile heroes dreaming of the dark and cruel days, those awful days when evil vowed to gobble up the world and coldly slaughter or enslave us all for its insanity. Our future lay like thinnest crystal in their hands as off they flew in huge ungainly planes over a land of hunger, fear and pain over a land of bullets, flak and death. And with their victory they saved us all they gave us freedom, happiness and love. chitdren and progress. magic cures, the Moon! And now, despite the crass revisions and ingratitude uilJfe they hoist their old beloved Uagi, and weep for buddies lost who missed these fifty wondrous years, and raise their glasses high to borrowed time, and see again the awesome battles wilh each other's eyes. B.M.H July '93 A Special Celebration Sometime in the year 1992 a group of citizens in Holland formed a committee, six leaders and fourteen helpers. Their main interest was the military hlstory of their area. All lived in and around the spot where I had crash landed in 1944. The group planned a celebration to commemorate the -end of World War,Il. Fifty years later the Dutch people are still grateful to the Americans for helping free their country from the Nazis. As it turned out, William Kirlin, our radio man who died in the crash was the only American soldier who lost his life in this particular area of Holland so the committee had made him a symbol of all American soldiers who were killed in the war. We were invited to attend the celebration and accepted along with our bombardier George Sadler of Richmond, VA and our nose-gunner Eugene

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Sbabatura of Duluth, MN. AJso attending was Mrs. Gertrude Stuber, sister of William Kirlin, and her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Suzanne Stuber. We flew from Houston to Amsterdam where the committee met us on September 16, 1994. We were then taken to the viJJage of Baarle-Nassau near Breda about I 00 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam. BaarJe-Nassau is in a situation similar to Texarkana, Texas. Baarle-Nassau, Holland is on one side of Main Street and Baarle-Hertog, Belgium is on the other. Each has its own mayor pardon, "Burgomaster" and city councilmen called "eldermen". Fortunately for us, most if not all, Dutch people speak excellent English as a second language. All guests were booked in at Baarle's hotel, "Dea Engle" which translates appropriately enough as "The Angel". The committee paid for all our rooms and all of our meals, with funds contributed by all the citizens of the two Baarles. Friday evening the celebration began with a dinner to welcome the American guests. On Saturday, September 17 we were taken to the small local museum with one tiny room reserved for "Baggy Maggy". I actually put my hands on parts oftbe plane I had crash landed fifty years ago! Next we were taken to the little village ofHoogstraten in Belgium. This was the place the Germans brought us to on the horse drawn wagon. I was introduced to a lady who remembered seeing that horse drawn wagon with the prisoners on it fifty years before. She honored me with a Dutch greeting custom, a kiss on the right cheek, then a kiss on the left cheek and a third back on the right. Then we were taken into the red-brick building where I had spent my first night of captivity so long ago. At 4:00 PM, we were given a welcome reception in the Baarle-Nassau Town Hall by Burgomaster Dr. Jan Hendrilcx and bis Eldermen, and all of the celebration committee with their working group helpers. We had a 9 course dinner at 6 :00 PM in the restaurant "De Pomp", which incidentally was built in l639. t remember some of the entrees beef, pork, fish, wild rabbit, and lamb. And always wine, wine, wine. Because of a heart condition I don't drink wine and had to do a lot of pretending. Sunday, September 18 was proclaimed Bill Kirlin Memorial Day. After a late breakfast, typicatly Dutch, with seven different kinds of bread, several kinds of meat, jams, jellies, and juices, plus a soft boiled egg each. On this special day, the 50th anniversary of our crash. the five 5 guests were taken by taxi to Minderhout, Belgium where a special commemoration service had been planned. There was a parade of about 18 uniformed and mounted soldiers. There was a band of about a dozen uniformed players and about 24 school children, each holding an American tlag, forming a double line for us to walk between going into St. Clemens Catholic Church of Minderhout, Belgium. The beautiful church with stained glass windows and a large pipe organ was built in the early l 500's. The church people gave us a program of the upcoming ceremony written in Dutch and also in English. There were choir songs and solos and a short sermon dedicated to BilJ Kirlin. After church everyone had lunch at a restaurant in Castelre, Belgium named "De Zwann." Theo the crowd of about I 00 people, many of whom were in native costumes, walked about a mjle (2 kilos) to the actual site of the crash-landing, on Hoogstratensebaan. ("Baan" means "road"). The lucky guests were still in the taxi. After words of welcome by Jos van Roozendaal, committee chairman and Burgomaster (Mayor) Dr. Jan Hendrikx, of BaarleNassau, his sister, Mrs. Stuber, unveiled a memorial to Bm Kirlin. After a minute of sitence the band played "The National Hymn of the United States of America". (We call it the "Star-Spangled Banner") After wreaths and flowers were laid around the memorial I was introduced to three elderly men who were eye witnesses to the crash. After the hand shaking one witness said, "the plane made a slight tum just before it landed", which validated his testimony. Another said, "I expected to see a big ball of fire after the landing but there was none." And I thought, "Thanks to that crash bar." I bad no idea that there were witnesses to the crash landing. Imagine! l also took notice that the program was timed so we would be at the actual crash site fifty years later exactly to the minute of the crash. On Monday, September 19th the final day of the program, we made a visit to the large American cemetery at Margraten, near Maastricht, Netherlands. Bill Kirlin's body had been moved three times and this was his final resting place beneath a marble cross with his name on it. More than 8,000 American soldiers are buried here. After tributes and wreath laying we viewed the walls of the large memorial at Margraten, where the names of more than 1700 American soldiers, still missing in action, were inscribed. The committee had graciously researched the names and pointed out the ones from our old outfit in

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6 England, the 93rd Bomb Group and the 409th Squadron. Most of the names we did not recognize but there were three we did. Not until after the war when I returned home did 1 learn that on a later bombing mission our friends' bomb load had expJoded when hit by flak blowing their plane to bits. We had been friends a long time, same training schools and same flying base in England. Seeing their names there was a bit of a shock. The group returned to Baar1e where we had a farewell dinner at the restaurant "Wapeo van Nassau". At this dinner each of the guests was given gifts. A pretty gold bar-pin for the ladies, two neck-ties, one red and one blue, each with tiny logos of both Baar I es on them for the men. There was a special bronze medallion about 2 inches in diameter commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II and a silver commemorative coin about l and 1 /3 inches in diameter celebrating the l ,O00th birthday of tbe two Baarle villages. It was dated "992 to 1992". There was a stained glass memento of Baarle-Nassau 8" X IO" for wall hanging, a ceramic plate about 8" X 1 O" from the Burgomaster oftbe Hoogstraten village and a copy of"TheBaggy Maggy File". This remarkable book about 8 ½" X 10 and almost )" thick contains a copy of almost every piece of paper pertaining to the crash of the "Baggy Maggy". It even included actual photos taken the same morning of the day we received our copies of the book. Oh, yes. Somewhere along the way I got to shoot a cross-bow, just to say that I had. I missed the target but so did everyone else. This was a weapon of war that was used before firearms existed. Tuesday morning, September 20th we had one last breakfast and departed for Amsterdam. Wednesday my wife and J took a long ride on a tourist boat up and down the canals of Amsterdam. We stopped off to see the Anne Frank House and went through the rooms where this Jewish family lived for two years, hidden from the Nazis, until some unknown person betrayed them. Only the father survived the war. We also went through the Bible Museum which had many old Bibles on the shelves and many large models of temples mentioned in our Bible. Their flower garden bad a number of plants and trees which.are named in the Bible. Last of all, we visited the famous Flower Market of Amsterdam. Next morning we boarded our 747 Jet plane and left Scbiphol Airport at 10:30AM. Five thousand miles later we landed at Houston Tntercontinental Airport at l :30PM. Five thousand miles in 3 hours? Impossible! Until you consider that we had crossed seven time zones. The trip actually took IO hours. What a great adventure! Thank you again and again, Baarle-Nassau, and Baarte-Hertog. Comrade Asch, Enclosed is a small donation towards the bust of our Commander, General Ted Timberlake. On our first trip to Africa we enlisted men were in the German ammo dump breaking open 88MM shells to get the gun powder, looks like long pieces of macaroni, to use to heat canned rations. This powder did not explode in open air. Up walks Gen. Ted and no one paid any attention to him. He asked who the senior NCO was and P.A. Martin said, "I am." The old man, as all Senior Officer's referred to rum, killed himself laughing. After a round of handshaking he walked off still laughing. Hope this finds you in good health. I myself have trouble seeing, can't hear and had both knees replaced, but otherwise health is excellent and still put in eight hours every day. Dear Al, Sam Delcambre 6606 Daspit Rd. Hwy. 86 New Tberia., LA 70563-7845 I am happy to contribute to the bust of Gen. Timberlake. When the 93rd was formed, three men Gen. Ted, Joe Moffit and myself, were assigned to it. We were joined a day later by Addison Baker, Ken Cool and K. K. Compton. Gen. Ted was the best man at my wedding in the Chapel by the Sea, Ft. Myers Beach, FL. I stayed with the General when he formed the Combat Wing and was the Engineering Officer on the Ploesti raid. Eventually we both were assigned to the 2nd Air Division. Gen. Ted was a compassionate, caring, wonderful guy. Dear Al Asch, George "Bud" Hughe! 241 Somerville Rd. Anderson, TN 46011 Enclosed is a check to help in completing Gen. Timberlake's bust. I worked in operations at the 2nd Bomb Wing at Hethel during the summer of 1944 when General Timberlake was the Commander. We bad the 453rd• 445th and 3891h Bomb Groups under his command.

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He was the finest leader and gentleman that I have ever known. I worked nights sending mission information to the three groups.He would come in early every morning freshly shaved in a newly pressed uniform and challenge me to a wrestling matcbwhich he usually won. J finally went back to the 445thfor a second tour and became a lead pilot and then 700th B.S. Commander. The war ended before I could finish but did get a total of 49 before VE Day. My best wishes to you and congratulations on your efforts to have a bust of the General at the Heritage Museum. John T. Burke Dear Ca~ Enclosed is a check in the amount of $40.00 for dues and BaU of Fire subscriptions for me and my dad, T /Sgt. Samuel E. McGowan of Lavinia, Tennessee. If my mom has already sent in dues for him, then just put the difference into the memorial fund. By coincidence, I was in Tennessee visiting my folks when the newsletter came. My dad was excited to get it. Even though he bas lost most of his eyesight due to a stroke, he can see the large print and pictures and my mother read the text to him. They would like to find out if anyone knows anything about John F. Higgins, who was the aircraft commander on my dad's crew. They had been in touch with him but haven't received a Christmas card for the last couple of years. He was a retired Coca-Cola executive living in Carmel, California. lncidentalJy, J scanned the above picture from the old 93rd picture book because the airplane in the lead is Naughty Nan, one of those they flew many of their mjssions on. Higgins was an Ohio native, from Youngstown, r believe. There is a story that Cal Stewart related in his book that is not true to what really happened. The flight engineer on their crew, T/Sgt. Loren J. Hoderlein, was killed by "friendly fire" from a B-17. Cal related the "official" version, that the bullets came from a "thoughtless" ball turret gunner who was checking his guns. In reality the shots were fired deliberately and it was the chin turret that was firing at them. My dad still remembers seeing the cartridges dropping from the slots. What happened was that the crew had gone out as a spare, but they couldn't catch up with the 93rd formation so they decided to join up with a 8-17 formation and go to the target with them. But the lead B-17 pilot refused to recognize the colors of the day and evidently ordered his gunners to shoot Lhem down. They immediately returned to 7 Hardwick with the wounded Hoder le in, who died in the hospital. In debriefing they were told that they could track down the crew who did the shooting, but the crew elected to let it go as they knew it was just one of those things. Evidently the mission report was altered somewhat from the actual events. The death of Ted Timberlake's son caught my eye because I served with him in the 779m Troop Carrier Squadron at Pope AFB, North Carolina when I first went on flight status myself in 1964. He was a captain then, flying as a C-123 aircraft commander. The squadron was transitioning into C- 130s at the time and he left us shortly after I met him to go with the C-l23's to Eglin AFB, Florida. My dad says that Ted Timberlake's brother lived not far from where be lives in Tennessee. I'm glad that my dad is now connected with the 93rd Association. Every time I see him, he talks about his time with the group and the 328th squadron. I wish that he would have come to Kentucky so I could have brought him on up to the Air Force Museum for the presentation of the plaque several years ago when he was still able to get out Now, at age 87, I'm afraid the next reunion he will attend will be the Great Reunion in the Sky. Sam McGowan 450 Winthrop Drive #3 Findlay, OH 45840 Kneeling UR Guy Cheney, John Klapkowski, Bill Apey, Dave Davidoff, George Rapapport. Eldon Prigg Standing UR G. Vick, Swede Ahlman, Walt Trosien, Bill Dearing, Bill Bailey, Unknown, Dick Dains and Capt. Jim Shelby Dear Cal, In the summer issue, 1999 of our newsletter there was a photo of the crew that flew "Bomerang" back to the states. Bill Apey was in the picture and was with us at Alconbury and

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8 Hardwick. In the bombsight crew photo, fall issue, 1999 l recognized Young.kin whom I met in Ft. Myers, FL. Finally in the winter issue there was a letter from Norman Gould who was a hut mate of mine at Hardwick. Others in the same hut were John Bresnahan, Dick Dains, Bill Dearing. Jack Stories, George Rapapport, Gould and myself. I am sending you some pictures you can use in the newsletter. One is of the ground crew, all members of the 329th BS armament crew, when we returned from Africa. The other two are of Jack Storm, Bill Barrett and myself. I will be attending the reunion in Tampa and hope to meet you there. Mike De Brino 13 Charles St. Schenectady, NY 12304 L/R; Stover, Barrett and DeBrino Dear Mr Pytel, l received your address from Mr. Antonio Bertapelle who lives in Colorado. He said yoy might be able to help in my search for a WWU B-24 waist gunner, William C. Richardson. He was a member of my dad, co-pilot Harry Shipon's crew. They were members of the 329th BS, 93n1 BG at Hardwick. The last address we had for Richardson was I 03 14 W. 44 th St. Apt2A Wheat Ridge, CO. We don't know ifhe is still alive. With the help of the Internet and good luck we have found everyone else and would like to locate Richardson for a crew reunion. Could you print something in your Journal of our search. Carol Shipon 9 l 9 Knorr St. Philadelphia, PA 19111 Email: cshipon919@hotmail.com Ed: This letter was forwarded to me by Al Asch. Can anyone help Carol Dear Sir, I understand from Leslie Treetwood at the American Museum on Ber St. that you are the editor of the "Ball of Fire" newsletter. I am trying to trace S/Sgt William Henry Pescosolido, who was stationed with the 93rd Bomb Group. I believe his C.O. was Ted Timberlake. Pesky as he was known to us used to lodge with my grandmother in Norwich. We last heard from Pesky when he was living in California and working for the Lido Petroleum Corp. Correspondence to last known addresses received no response. I have enclosed a press article about Pesky from an American newspaper. Treetwood also tells us the story about Pesky swapping his plane for a regular supply of fresh eggs. T do hope you can help me in this mission, surely someone must know his whereabouts or what became of him. Elizabeth Anne Lord Norfolk, England TRACK STAR PESCOSOLIDO CITED FOR VALOR Captures English Track Events While Winning Laurels For25 Bombardment Missions

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Io October of 1942, an all American bombing force raided German factory installations at Lille, in northern France. A Newton High graduate took part in that' attack, and his story appeared in The Newtonite at that time. Since that first assault, Bill Pescosolido bas fired upon Germans in the skies above both Europe and Africa. Over Wilhelmshaven, in a battle of terrible ferocity, Pesky was able to repeat his performance at Lille and on 25 other raids be took a part in the reduction of Axis Europe. When at Newton High School Pesky was a track star. He high-jumped six feet two and three eighths inches to set a new state record for his time, wiMing acclaim for his prowess in the field. For his record of25 bombardment missions, be bas won for himself the Air Medal with three oak-leaf clusters, for courage and skill in aerial combat during these missions, he has lately been awarded the Oistinguished Flying Cross. Along with his decorations of war, Technical Sergeant Pescosolido is still winning medals as track-man Pescosolido. He went to Syracuse for one year, but when war broke out he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, therefore he hasn't yet competed in intercollegiate track; but in England he has entered track meets held by the American soldiers there. The Pesky who was tops in schoolboy track is still in the running, for he has competed and won in the hurdles, mile, 880 and high jump events of the United States Anny in England. The Newton high track coaches may look forward 15 or 16 years to new records. Waiting for Pesky to come home is a future track star of eight months of age. When Sgt. Pecscosolido returns home, he wiU be able to look back on his days over Europe with great pride of accomplishment, and perhaps he may look forward to the day when his son will clear a bamboo rod at six feet three inches or more. Ed: In researching the uncommon name Pescosolido on the Internet I didfindPesky's son WilJiam Jr. in CA. He informed me Pesky had passed away in 1978 due to an inoperable brain tumor. In a lengthy phone conversation he mentioned his mother was still alive and Jiving in NH and that he still had his dad's memorabilia including his flight jacket. William Jr., who goes by Rick, was a Navy pilot and lives at 5858 Albert Lane, VaJley Springs, CA 95252. I wrote to both Elizabeth Lord and Rick Pescosolido. / sent both the letter and.the newspaper clipping lo Rick. 9 "Escort to Valor, Courage and Undaunted Determination" As seen through the eyes of a former P-51 Mustang Fighter Pilot of the 8111 Air Forces Fighter Command, 4°' F.G. By Major WNTa? .Johnson " ... with undaunted courage and obvious bravery, the B-24 bombers made their way to the target through murderous enemy flak, thick enough to get out and walk on . . . then one bomber at a time would receive a fatal direct hit and suddenly or sometimes slowly, roll over and begin going down in flames ... as an escorting fighter pilot who bad to stay clear of "Flak Alley", I witnessed the B-24 bomber crews dogged determination to reach their assigned targets ... 1 felt so helpless, wanting to do something more to help those brave men through their courageous defiance of death ... we could only pray for them and count the chutes as they would appear coming out of a burning B-24, hoping that we'd be able to count all ten crew members as survivors who would, though soon to be captives of the enemy, remain alive . During the forty years since the end of World War II and as a former member of the "Mighty 8th" Air Force I have always felt that too little bas been said about the heroism and death-defying courage of those brave and determined bomber crews who smashed the war-producing industries of Hitler's Third Reich. I can vividly recall our arguments on the ground with the crew members of a B-24 Bomber Division, as to which of us had it the best They claimed.that "they bad it the best because they had four engines where we fighter pilots only had one." Actually, in my own opinion and considering the loss of our own fighters, J still maintain that the bomber crews had the toughest job. However in fairness to both sides of an argument of this nature, 1 would like to point out that for every fighter pilot we lost in combat escorting the bombers, we'd lose four when we'd Rhubarb an enemy airbase or try to take out Nazi mechanized armor, or even trains. The Germans had very deadly ground fire capabilities and the many fighter pilots, who are buried in Germany, attest to this fact. There are numerous missions which r recall, whereby our assignment was to provide fighter escort for the B-24s of the Second Bomb Division. It was during a very cold April day in 1944 when we entered our Operations Roost at 0500. Our Operations Officer lost no time giving us the customary data as to targets, the "anticipated"

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weather conditions and of course, where and at what altitude and time we would rendezvous with the 2nd Bomb Division. I recall that one of the targets would be Mannheim because it was to be a primary target. There was also a "target of opportunity" in case inclement weather made the bombing of Mannheim impractical, even with the use of Pathfinder radar. We were dutifully warned of the possibility of heavy enemy fighter opposition, which by this time had become common to us. It was barely light as we left our hard stands, got on the taxi strip and began "S-ing" our Mustangs from side to side to avoid running into the plane ahead ofus. This bad to be done because our tail wheels were still on the pavement and you couldn't see without swinging back and forth. Once we reached the main runway we were all airborne quickly We met up with a large forceofB-24s over France at the pre-ordained time. As our squadrons drew up alongside of the B-24s their crews began waving to us and we waved back We soon began our ascent and climbed above the bombers where weaving back and forth enabled us to stay with them due to the variations in the cruising speeds of the bombers and fighters lt was clear and cold up there and we, as well as the bombers, were leaving white contrails We were now approaching Ulm, the southern part of Germany, and if the Nazis hadn't already picked us up on their radars, we knew our contrails would be just as effective About a half hour away from Mannheim, one of our fighter pilots broke radio silence and excitedly shouted, "Bandits at one o'clock high " Those of us who hadn't cleared our guns did so at once We were soon attacked by a "Gangurschwaden", usually comprised of twenty ME-I 09s, and they were vicious. They tried to break through our fighter cover but we shot down five of them before they could get within effective range of the bombers. I guess that those remaining Krauts got the message and headed elsewhere. When the bombers lined up on their I. P. and entered "Flak Alley", all hell broke loose - it was murderous and devastating. Although we had to climb up and away from the B-24 bombers, we nonetheless had to clench out teeth and pray for those poor yet brave and courageous dedicated souls who were now on their assigned target run. Many of the bombers received direct hits, rolled over and began plunging towards earth as they left a trail of flames. We tried to count the chutes but sometimes there were none to be seen. The Nazi gun crews were demonstrating the deadly accuracy of their anti-aircraft batteries with a vengeance, especially as we fighter pilots saw more of our comrades in arms rolling and going down in flames. Those B-24's who survived "Flak Alley" and made it to the target, really did a memorable job on Mannheim. The bombardiers had set their intervalometers in such a manner that very little of the target, if any, escaped. I vaguely recall that they bombed from 22,000 feet and it was a masterful demonstration of superb skill. Right after the bombers began turning away from their target area and entered their pre-selected course for returning to England, we were jumped by the Luftwaffe from several different directions. The Mustang fighters tore into them in a desperate attempt to save the B-24 bombers Although we managed to shoot down several Nazi fighters quite a number of them managed to get through to the bombers whose gunners succeeded in shooting down several more The bombers managed to sustain numerous and vicious attacks but they most certainly held their own against the Luftwaffe The battle entered into a large formation of cirrus cumulus clouds and many of us got separated. We learned the Krauts had broken off their attacks and called it a day, although they did pay a stiff price for their efforts. We had not lost any of our fighters By this time, other than the compass heading that I knew I should be on, I was lost. Having a soft spot in my heart for crippled bombers: J dropped down to 8,000 feet to see what I could find. To this day I didn't know whether it was intuition or just plain ]uck, but 1 came upon twelve badly damaged and severely crippled B-24 bombers, most of them trying to make it on two engines and leaving numerous trails of smoke. I pulled up alongside of the starboard bomber, dropping my flaps fifteen degrees and pulling back on my throttle. I had to be careful to keep my nose up to avoid getting into a stall angle. I looked the B-24s over and to say they were in bad shape would be the under statement of the century. They were sure glad to see me; they knew they were sitting ducks for an attack. I decided to risk breaking radio silence and put out a calJ for P-51 fighters, giving them our heading, speed and altitude. It proved to be a good move on my part. I received many "Rogers" to my call and within several minutes eleven Mustang's arrived on the scene. none too soon. A lieutenant fighter pilot asked me. "How do you want to work this, Major." I replied,"You take five of the silver

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birds with you and weave back and forth underneath the bombers, while the rest of us do the same thing above. " About ten minutes after we'd all gotten into our respective positions, we saw another "Gangurschwaden" of Kraut fighters swooping down to kill off the nearly helpless crippled B-24s. Somehow those Hitler-loving S 0 B 's didn't see us in lime as we gathered together, gave our Merlin Rolls Royce engines 75 inches of mercury, opened up our throttles and went on up and met them head on. We quickly split them up, shot down six of them and gave chase to the rest in such a manner that none of them even got near the crippled bombers. Our fervent tenacity to protect those crippled 8-24s was too much for der Fuhrer's finest and they quickly broke off and headed for home. The bomber crews by this time had seen what we had done and they were ecstatic with joy and relief We talked to them over our intercoms and they couldn't express enough appreciation. I told them to be sure to "ring for room service" whenever they needed us, and they all laughed We stayed with them until they all made it back to England. I'll never forget their waving to us as we parted. Folded Wings Joe Covone Henry Brandt Kendrich Williams Daniel Kremp Edward Appel Charles Knoedler Stanley F. Jacewicz Editors Comments 11 r n order to keep my records of Associate Members current in my 93n1 roster, I would appreciate a note from all the sons, daughters etc. who receive the newsletter and do not have the letters AM on their mailing labels. In my last conversation with Al Asch he informed me we would have the largest group al the Tampa reunion. I hope to see a lot of familiar and new faces among this group. We have several items to discuss this year, including a possible 93n1 Bomb Group reunion in Savannah as soon as the Timberlake bust is completed. Dedication of the bust and the 93rd BG Memorial plaque will provide an excellent opportunity for us to get together as a group for one last HURRAH. Photo shop; Top row 4 from left Herb Paustian; Bottom row middle Attilio Verna: others not identified. This group is responsible for a lot of great pictures

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BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 8, No. 3 The 93rd Bomb Group Reunion A number of our members have expressed an interest in having a 93rd Bomb Group reunion separate from the yearly ones sponsored by the Second Air Division Association (2ADA). I have started making arrangements for one to happen on the 30th and 31st of March and the 1st of April of next year, 200 I, at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum at Savannah, Georgia. The occasion will be the dedication of the General Timberlake bust and also the 93rd Bomb Group plaque which has been completed for some months now. Jack Barton of the museum has agreed that these dates will be good for them and they will be delighted to host the reunion. The museum can provide banquet and luncheon services, information about local motels, tours, bus services and other services. The airport is near the museum and it is just off Interstate 95 for those driving their cars. The museum by itself is a most interesting place to visit for a day or two. I informed Jack Barton of the museum to plan on at least 100 guests for our reunion. My thinking is that guests will send their checks to a designated member of the 93rd to cover banquet and group bus transportation costs and will pay their own way for motel and other personal costs. As starters, let me know as early as possible if you plan to attend. My address is: 6205 Meadow Court, Rockville, Md 20852; Telephone: 30 I 881 8376. I need the information for sizing the banquet, reserving a block of rooms and plannfog local transportation. Details will be published in the Fall,2000 Winter BOF about motels, banquet costs, program schedules, etc. Next year seems like a good time for our reunion as there will not be one in the US sponsored by the 2ADA. WWII and USAF Memorials The 2ADA asked that l head an effort to deliver checks for $10,697 to the World War II Memorial Commission and $25,000 to the USAF Memorial Foundation. This was done in May. More detail concerning these activities appear in the 2ADA forthcoming Journal. The Executive Committee of the 2ADA approved the $25,000 to the USAF Memorial with the understanding that the money would be returned to our treasury through donations of the bomb groups and individual members of the 2ADA. The donations are tax exempt for those who use the long form for the payment of income taxes. Please make your donations to: 2ADA and indicate that it is for the AF Memorial. Send donations to: E.W. Northstein, 40 Meadow Drive, Spencerport, NY 14559-1142 Bill Northstein is our 2ADA Treasurer I am working with Felix Leeton, the 2ADA President, as a follow-up asking both organizations to be sure that they include a display about our B-24 in the memorials, to share at least equal billing with the B-1 7 which always seems to be shown. To this end Felix has sent a letter, which I drafted, to each organization strongly recommending displaying the B-24. We may solicit other organizations to do likewise, e. g. The 15th Air Force Association. We must not permit this chance to slip by us.

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2 Recent 2ADA Reunion Jt was indeed a pleasure to see many of you at the recent reunion held at Tampa Bay in May. We had the largest number of attendees and a great hospitality room. AU our 93 Bomb Group officers were reelected except Harry A. Kelleher was elected as my backup as VP ofttie 2ADA for the 93rd Bomb Group. Harry has had good experience in executive positions in the business world that makes him ideally suited for trus position. Al Asch HEADQUARTERS NINETY-THIRD BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H) AAF Office of the Public Relations Officer APO 634 - U.S. Army 8 March. 1943 IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Death took an enffirced holiday .... foiled repeatedly by 1 O gallant American airmen, who didn't know how to quit fighting, and by the stubborness of the Night Raider, a rugged and tough battlewagon that wouldn't let its masters down. For nearly four hours death's icy fingers lurked in every nook and cranny of the proud, battle scarred Liberator (B-24) bomber, making a daylight round trip journey to W ilhelmshaven from a U, S. Army Air Force base "somewhere in England". For nearly four hours it seemed the grotesque fat fuselage of the giant four engined craft would momentarily become a veritable coffin. The prey within grasp, the groping, cold fingers reached out, but couldn't strike, Death was cheated. The Huns were the losers. All IO of the Yanks survived to tell the tale of one of the strangest and weirdest, yet thrilling and heroic, epics of aerial warfare ever recorded; the story of a bomber crew that overcame all odds in a stirring triumph for American fighting and flying skill and craftsmanship. The story of a surprise defeat for the cunning and clever Hun, The day, February 26, dawned crisp and bright on the B-24 base. At the briefing the Nighl Ra;der was tagged for one of the hot spots, an outside position on the next to last 'V' formation. But that was nothing new for Night Raider was now a veteran over enemy territory. The thrilJs of the first trip early October now lay in the dim and distant past. The title, Night Raider, was an incongruous term, for never in its life had it been a nocturnal intruder. Clad in awkward high altitude flying tog.s, the airman made final checks with the ground staffs and climbed aboard. There was nothing strange in the atmosphere. The weatherman had picked a honey, the skies were clear, no possibility of scrubbing this one, this was it. The Skipper, Capt. Bud Fleenor, 25, was at the wheel as usual. The pink in his cheeks that he brought from his native Manhattan, KS hadn't bleached a bit in England's dullish weather. Nor did the "target for today" erase his perpetual smile. The Kansas State college alumnus tucked his long, gangly legs into the compartment wtule the engines warmed. Beside the Skipper sat the copilot, let Lt. J. J. Leary, 25, 2422 North 50th St., Omaha, Neb. Ttus fellow would give Fleenor a chase any day if and when they dish out titles in the Eighth Air Force for being "the most handsome". Zipping open their brief cases and pouring over the data in the nose down below. were two southern gents. Among other reasons, they said, their presence was justified to counteract the midwestern alliance above. They were: lst Lt. Earle E. Ellis, 25, Arco Road, Asheville, N C-.-.the navigator and 2nd Lt. George A. Pinner, 25, Covington, Tenn., the bombardier. Ellis is happy-go-lucky, ruddy-faced and short. Fair complexioned Pinner exhibits dimples when he smiles but dislikes being told about them. The radio operator, another Nebraskan, was S/Sgt. Robert F. Jungbluth, 24, Arlington. Farm born of American-German stock, Jung's first love is and always will be flying. He knows his dits-and-dahs and equipment well S/Sgt. Ronald L. Nelson, 31, 2601 N. Pittsburg St., Spokane Wash, is the oldster on the crew. Like always, he listened attentively to the hum of the motors before settling himself in the top-turret. His l 57 pounds, plus the high altitude togs, were a snug tit into that elaborate mechanism that Jerrie has learned to shun. Peering out the side windows from their waist-gun positions were S/Sgt. T. J. Kilmer, l9, 927 Sante Fe St., Alva, Okla., and T/Sgt. Louis Szabo, 28, 367 West 14th Ave., Homestead, Penna. They were engaged in the usual last minute chats with their earthbound buddies. There were two pinch-hitters aboard: Sgt. Elmer W. Dawley, 19, 362 William St., East Orange, N. J., the youngster of the lot, and Sgt,

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Edward M. Hates, 22, 804 Figurora St., Walla Walla, Wash., a curly-haired 175 pounder who claims his hometown was christened with the double name because of its potential greatness. Hates was substituting because the regular tail-gunner S/Sgt. Steven Hedges, Milwaukee, Wis., had his hands frostbitten several days earlier. Dawley, wounded in action in Africa in December, had simply "found himself another job". The regular tunneJ-gunner, S/Sgt, J. V. Roberts, Denver, Ia. was on a furlough. Night Raider went thundering down the runway at the appointed hour. The takeoff, always a minor crisis because of the nature of the cargo, was uneventful. The eyes of the ground crewman anxiously watched. The Raider had two appointments: I) a rendezvous in the bright sky, high over picturesque England, where the 'V's would be fonned; 2) delivery of a few calJing cards to Hitler. A few spurts of lead were fired indiscriminately into the thin air, or into a fluffy cloud bank, as the gunners intermittently warmed and tested the guns. Things began to go wrong early. Just as the annada reached the Dutch, coast, and enemy opposition began to appear, Dawley passed out in the high altitude, his oxygen mask was frozen. Kilmer went to investigate and found icicles on the kid's eyelashes. The effort to revive Dawley, plus oxygen trouble of his own, soon stopped Kilmer, who lapsed into unconsciousness, clinging desperately onto wire cables that control the vital tail assembly. The Skipper and Leary managed to stay in formation. Szabo, the 150-pound waist-gunner and engineer, had almost more than he could handle in loosing Kilmer's grip, his own mask being torn from his face,in the struggle. A few moments later Kilmer gave up, be lay there blacked-out, cold and unconscious. Came the approach to the target. Flak was "puffing" all around. Cannon hits were heard. Shrapnel was spraying the fuselage everywhere. Enemy fighters had already made an estimated 30 passes at the Raider, even when the flak was heaviest the Jerries continued. to attack. The Fortresses and Liberators in the lead were seen making their deposits. The hits were beauties, The Raider began its run, its yawning bomb-bay doors wide open. The plane lurched upward as it lost its load. Wilhelmshaven rocked as Pinner had pin-pointed his mark. The supercharger was knocked out, presumably by flak, the Skipper discovered as he 3 turned the Raider's nose in the homeward direction. Trouble mounted fast as the B-24 limped towards England, its big belly empty. Ack-ack fire was intense and German fighters were boldly challenging nearly all the Forts and Libs. Even a destroyer lying thousands offeet below in a quiet Dutch harbor sent up a barrage of flak and hot lead, but the Night Raider doggedly made its way, apparently into the clear, high over the Zuider Zee. The sister ships that had led the attack were now disappearing far out on the horiz.on. The Skipper knew that with the supercharger out and one engine dead, the result of enemy cannon fire, the Raider didn't have a chance of overtaking the others, The radio was dead. It was impossible to call for help. Jung, the fair-headed radio op, left his position on the flight deck to administer first aid to Kilmer, whose face was now a morbid purple. Those that saw him thought he was dead, but Jung didn't think so. He fixed a "walk-around" oxygen supply on Kilmer and worked feverishly with artificial respiration The Raider was losfog altitude as one of the three remaining motors began to vibrate and cough. Jung had sufficiently revived Kilmer to leave him and get working on Dawley, the belly-gunner who had been unconscious since reaching the Dutch coast on the way to the target. Ellis left the nose to go to the rear and lend assistance. "Big Jung saved the lives of those two follows, a!J right," the ruddy North Carolinian later testified. Jung had revived them with the calmness and coolness befitting.the sub zero temperature, The Skipper sent word for Ellis to hurry back to his gun in the nose, trouble aplenty was brewing. Jungbluth took over one of the waist-guns, Szabo was on the other. There suddenly appeared, as if from out of nowhere, 20 German :fighters FW-190's, Me•I 09's, Me-11 O's and JU•88'slurking in the sky for a straggler. This was their chance for a kill. Death's icy fingers began to twitch and squirm. The airmen wondered who would be the frrst victim? Peeling out of the bright sunlight came the silver-painted Huns for a vicious running attack that was to last for 40 minutes, Night Raider had taken care of itself before one, two, or three at a time. But this was different. One Liberator vs. 20 Jerries, Capt. Fleenor eyed a large, friendly cloud miles away, perhaps a half hour away at the speed they were traveling. It was their only salvation and a slim, desperate hope, at that. Bates' tail-turret

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4 guns had long been silent. They froze up tight after he had poured ooJy, eight volleys into the Huns enroute in to the target. He was bluffing how training the sights on the Me's and FW's as they came in but ironically the tracers were arcing in, not going out, "One JU-88 sat out there about 200 yards off our tail for several minutes. I could have shut my eyes and hit him if my guns had been working," he later bemoaned from a hospital bed where his hands and face, frozen and swollen early on the flight were being treated. One Jerrie planted a 20 mm. sht:11 inside the rear-turret, barely missing Bates. The hydraulic fluid was spurting from the turret mechanism in numerous places, Ellis and Pinner were pulling their triggers on everything that came into sight.and up in the top-turret Nelson was shooting 360 degrees, didn't even have time to "'follow through on the shots". 'l was shooting over 3 o'clock for an Me-I 10 when an Me-109 came in from 11:30, putting a 20 mm. into one engine. If he'd been any lower he'd have sure hit Capt. Fleenor and Lt, Leary, and if he'd been any higher he'd have hit me", Nelson related. Dawley picked off an Me-1 l O as the running affray was at its height. Big Jung hadn't been on Kilmer's waist-gun long-when he-sent an Me-109 plunging aflame into the sea and a little later Szabo, the hard as nails steel mill worker, bagged another Me-109 off the starboard. Besides the three knocked down there were also three "probables". "A FW-190 came towards me", Szabo recounted, "his wings were pure red. I could almost see the lad coming point blank. I froze on the trigger and his left wing dropped off. He went hell-ben' into the water but he had fired first and hit Jung and me", he continued, "I knew Jung was hurt worse, The powder smell and odor of the wounds was sickening. T looked up and saw part of Jung's arm hanging from the window, looked around and saw his side intact, then 1 was relieved. The 20 mm. blast had ripped Jungblmh's arm from his body, and the shrapnel hit us both," Kilmer saw what had happened and began to administer morphine and sulpha to Big Jung, the guy who'd saved his life a few minutes earlier. "When I got to looking around I realized I was injured pretty bad," said Jung later from his hospital bed. "We'd been expecting the end for so long that we figured things couldn't be much worse." AU the while there was no respite for Ellis, Pinner and Nelson, their guns blazing steadily. Nelson, from the circular top-turret was covering the Dead spots where Night Raider's 50's had been silenced. There wasn't even split-second time for intercom orders or questions. The Skipper knew his boys in the back were catching hell. He also knew that the big cloud formation was much nearer now and what a haven it would be if they reached it. Any moment might mean a watery ending. Ammunition was getting low everywhere. Szabo's gun had only three shells remaining when he was hit. Dawley's parachute was hit and began to blaze. He was busy extinguishing it. Suddenly Fleenor put the Raider into a dive and into the cloud they went. A strange, deathly, cold silence came over the ship. There was no more gunfire. Visibility was almost nil. "Four Jerries followed us in", one crewman related, "but that was the last we saw of them". Night Raider was still some distance from England. Gapping holes as big as a fist were draining gasoline-precious gasoline. Ellis, the navigator gave the Skipper a course to steer to the nea.rest landing point. Nelson went out on the catwalk, checked the remaining gasoline, diverted it to the two good motors. None of the .fuel gauges was working. One engine was cut and feathered. Pinner went back and helped adjust Mae West life preservers. A dunking in-the North .Sea seemed imminent. After surviving the hell they'd already gone through, prospects were pretty dim Szabo said, 111 figured Jung and [ wou]dn't have a chance ifwe were forced down at sea." Big Jung recounted, "l guess everyone took time to pray." Bates climbed out of the tail-turret to stand guard with a waist-gun. "How are you doin Lou"? he asked. "Okay," was the reply from Szabo. "When Bates shouted, 'There's land!" Jung recalled, "] knew our prayers had been answered" Both the Skipper and Pinner bad been io the rear lending assistance to Kilmer, who was doing a superb job of administering first aid. The catwalk through the bomb-bay was virtually a beaten path, the crewmen going from the front of the ship to the rear and return. Dawley had taken over Szabo's gun. Ellis' uncanny navigation had steered Fleenor and Leary directly over the nearest landing field and England's friendly fields and coastline stretched out below. Emerging from the cloud at 1,600 feet, the Raider's two engines struggled and strained to climb to 6,000. "Just as we reached the coast,"Fleenor explained, "our two remainig engines petered out ... we were out of gas." The wounded in the back of the ship didn't know that the undercarriage had been shot out, that

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the hydraulic system was knocked out, the tires were punctured, and a forced crash-landing was inevitable. The Skipper sent word around that he'd "have to crack er down"'. The news was accepted calmJy. Ellis and Pinner went backship again to arrange the wounded in such fashion to lighten the shock. Dawley held Szabo in his lap to cushion the wounded man's side, and Kilmer laid down alongside Jung with one arm around Jung's body and used his free arm as a brace. But the shock never came. Instinctively and skillfully the Skipper set the Raider down in a "perfect" landing. Said Ellis, "It was a smoother landing than when we had wheels." The wounded were rushed to hospitals in ambulances and though it was a strange airdrome, the Raider was "home". The crippled ship looked tired and weary .. almost human ... or like a greyhound that bad just finished a hard race ... could almost be seen panting for breath. The next day in an English hospital a young whiteclad nurse showed Chaplain James A. Burris "Mr. Jungbluth's ring". "Wont you tell him he's lost his arm," she pleaded, "because I can't". Then she moved to Jung's bed and slipped the ring on a finger on the left hand. Jung, asleep since the operation, was now wakening. "Where was Szabo hit, Jung?" the Chaplain asked. "They got him on his right side and in the right lung," he murmured hesitatingly. "Where did it get you, fella"'? Chaplain Burris asked sympathetically, attempting to break the news of the amputation as easily as possible. "Oh, it got me in the right arm. Would you like to see"? The Big Jung produced the stub from beside the pillow and they both "saw." "Well Jung, I guess that's part of it:' the Chaplain remarked as Jung ducked the stub and covered it by drawing up his blankets. "Oh yes, that's to be expected. But I'm lucky, I thank God we had Capt, Fleenor driving that ship. We all owe our lives to him. It could have been a lot worse." Shrapnel had entered Jung's body in over 100 places. He readjusted himself slightly, brushed back hjs long, brown hair and dozed off. Szabo's bed was adjoinfog. His wife's picture in a delicate glass frame shared a Little table with wrappers of vaniUa wafers. A growth of black whiskers. almost typical of his Hungarian ancestry, was cropping out. "How do you feel, Lou"? the Chaplain queried. "Fine," snapped Lou, "but I think I have more metal in me than a B-24". Szabo's body was riddled with over 80 holes, some of the shrapnel so deeply imbedded 5 that physicians decided not to attempt to remove it. "My wife, Margaret, objected to my flying but later approved. You know, this won't keep me out of the air. Not for the world." Both Jung and Lou will be confined for "several months". Their shrapnel wounds. vary in size from a pin-point to a half-dollar. "Chappy, I did more praying in three hours, my guns dead and me bluffing than you've done in all your ministry". These were the words of Bates, the tajl-gunner. Nelson figured while his tracers were fannfog out in every direction "if we ever get out ofthis it'll be because of more help than we had ourselves." Dawley regretted he was dead weight so much of the time. The Skipper was moved deeply, "The teamwork and spirit were most admirable and wonderful, couldn't have been more perfect." Leary, the Omahan, formerly a student at Jowa State college, figured it was all a "nightmare." Ellis, who was an employee of the city of Asheville and Pinner, who was a dry cleaner, quickly agreed. It was an experience they "didn't want to go through again." Kilmer, the youthful Oklahoman who went from college into the Air. Force at the age of 18, couldn't be found the next day for a statement. The one whose life had been saved by Jung, and who in turn saved Jung's life, was gone on another raid. "I hardly remember that Wilhelmehaven mission, I was so dazed most of the time [ didn't even know which gun was mine. But when I did wake up J figured we were in the middle of hell", The ground crew chief handed the Skipper this report an Night Raider's wounds. Shot out were the hydraulic and power lines in the tail-turret, primers, intakes, carburetors, oil coolers and oxygen regulators: the undercarriage wouldn't work; tires were punctured; there was a 15 inch hole in the right tail flaps; there were 4 7 30 calibre holes and 5 20 mm. holes in the rear fuselage; 16 30s and 4 cannon in the left fin; 7 30s and l cannon in the right fin; 5 30s and 1 cannon in the stabilizers; 9 30s and 4 cannon in the right wing; 3 30s in the right aileron; 12 30s in top fuselage; 36 30s in the l.eft wing; 27 .30s in the bomb-bay doors; all gun barrels burned out. One die hard ground crewman, whose surface duties must seem mighty dull to the airmen, muttered. "This one shouldn't have come back." But it did and so did the crew. Death had been cheated ... bad taken an enforced holiday. Ed: Who said a Lib couldn 'I take punishment, survive and make it home?

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6 Dear Mr. Davidson, My father, Chaplain James A. Burris, served with the 93 Bomb Group, both in North Africa and in England. 1 recently found the two attached documents and immediately felt I should send tl\em to you. The news release about Night Raider would be good to reprint, ifit has not already been done. The casualty list is another matter. (The file was listed "missing and killed in action 93rd 1942-1944" ) 1 would hate for someone to read the fate of a relative in the news letter rather than notified through official channels. I am sure you will know how to handle this matter. On the last page of spring 2000 edition is a picture of "Bomerang" with it's tail cut off. Daddy flew on Bomerang on occasion, so l asked him about it. (He is in a .V. A. Nursing Home suffering from Alzheimers) He immediately stated, "It stopped too fast and cut his head off." l could get no further details. Could you provide me with more information? Hope this information will be useful. Sincerely, Dear Sir, C.Marvin Burris 8 HilJside Dr. Lake City, FL 32025 The enclosed check is in memory of Oliver S. Larouche, 93rd BG, WWII. Although Ollie passed away over four years ago I know he would want me to donate to the Air Force Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. Mrs. June Larouche Ed: l forwarded this check along with one of my own to the Memorial Foundation. The address for sending checks will be found on the front page of the summer, 2000 issue. Dear Cal, In July or August of 1994 Carroll Bemer, an ex 93n1 pilot, wrote to PauJ Steichen requesting that his letters be published in the BOFQE. The letters were asking crew members of the 93n1 and later members of the 1411> and 20th combat wings who flew on the Sept. 18, 1944 low level mission, titled "Operation Market Garden" to please send him their stories about the mission for publication in a book. The books title is "Monty's Folly-Operation Markel Garden. It was published Dec. l. 1999. It is a sequel to Cornelius Ryan's story "A bridge to far" which was made into a movie. After many months we received 41 crew stories plus S related stories. Shortly after Carroll finished editing the book he passed away. His wife, June, and l finished the book. MONTY'S FOLLY - OPERATION MARKET GARDEN was indeed a military failure. It did nothing to advance the date World War 11 would end. It did, however, give great encouragement to the Dutch people that an honest effort was being made to free them from their four years of German occupation. This operation was also a special event for the air crews, who were accustomed to aU their combat flying being at an attitude of about 20,000 feet in their B-24 Liberators. They were now coming into enemy territory at 50 feet above the ground, drop-ping supplies. This was expected to be a fun time. lt did not turn out that way for many of the airmen. Copies of this book are available fi-om June Bemer, 4806 Whippoorwill Lane, Bonita, CA 91920-1724. The price is $15.00 plus $1.95 for PIH. June wilJ pay sales tax for California residents. Dusty Worthen Dear Cal, Just received the latest BOF and as usual I think it is great, just wish it was more than eleven pages. Upon seeing the picture of Sleeping Dynamite l went thru my many snapshots and found my snap. She was a 330th plane and crash landed in France in December of 1944. A nice fellow whose first name was "Andy'' was the crew chief but darned if I can remember his last name. I even went thru the 93rd BG issued in 1945 but still could not find his name. I wish I could tell you more about the plane but this is all I could document. Howard Macreading 93 Darrow Dr. Warwick, RI 02886

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93"' BG website now online at: http://www. Q3 rdbombardmentgroup. com Ed: the following are requests received via email. lf anyone can help these people they will be forever in your debt. I have been able to furnish some information to a few of the requests but I am sure they would like to hear from anyone who knew the men they have asked about. lfthe request has only an email address and you are not able to reply send any information to me and I will forward it via email for you. One page on the 93rd web site is for crew pictures. If you would like your crew picture added please send me a good photo and pilot's name. l have placed a few crew pictures on this page that I did not have a pilot's name for. 1f anyone recognizes these crews please notify me so their name can be added. I will also post pictures of ground crews. One page titled "What's New" will be updated periodically. I suggest to those of you who may not have a computer to have a son, daughter or friend keep you abreast on what is posted on our web site. Dear Sir, r would like to place a request in your newsletter for information on Gerald Smith. He was Athletic Officer for your group from April, 1944 to June, 1945. In his resume he stated he was a member of the Caterpillar Club and I was wondering if he may have flown a combat mission with your group? He spent over 20 years in the USAF, is now deceased and I would like to learn more about his service with the 93rd. Than.ks for any help you can give me. R. C, Rogers P.O. Box 354 Clarkston, GA 30021-0354 Hi, I'm pretty sure most of the "regulars" know my connection with the 93rd. One of my older brothers, T /,Sgt Raymond R. Carriker, (the family called him "Rudy") was TT/Engineer ona B-24 stationed at Hardwick. I've been trying for several months now to gather enough information about his military service to complete the biography .I am writing of his life. Being the youngest in our family, and l l years younger than my 93rd brother, almost alJ my family members who knew him are deceased. The letters he wrote home "disappeared" sometime 7 after I left home in 1950. So l know only what I remember from fifty years ago. If anyone associated with the 93rd has any knowledge of any member of his crew, or of him I would be so deeply grateful to correspond with you. His piJot was a Lt. Robbins. Thanks to the fire at St. Louis I'm not able to obtain any of his service record. 1 do have the MACR and the IDPF fL.les. They were helpful in reconstructing their last mission. r corresponded with the Crew Chief, who has a web page. He was somewhat helpful, but couldn't tell me much [ didn't already know. The surviving gunner wrote me a long, moving letter, which I treasure, describ'ing their last mission. My brother wasn't a journal keeper or "historian", so he didn't keep any journal or diary. So that's my connection with the 93rd. "Rudy" was a quintessential "big brother" to me when I was a kid. J was only 12 when he was KIA I've deeply missed him all my life. Don Carriker 3321 West Regal Ct. Springfield MO 65807 My name is Vince. My affiliation with the 93rd is that my father the late Dr. William V. Fitzsimmons, MD, in the 409 BS of the 93 rd BG He was in it early I believe, when the group first arrived in England. He was a Bombardier and flew in Tidal Wave and was Major Ramsay Potts Wingman in B-force. His aircraft was called Lucky and is in Stewart and Dugan's book. My Dad died in Feb 1992. At that time we were going to buy a computer so he could write his memoirs in the Military. Also after the war he went back to school got his MD in 1952 and rejoined the USAF as a flight surgeon, resigned his commission in 195 5 after a squabble with the bureau of Indian affairs in New Mexico. I was 5 years old then. Vince l:itzsimmons 2800 Rhodes Ave. # 5 PO.Box2031 N ortblake , IL 60 J 64 My dad flew with an A.B. Dolliver in a B-24 called What's Cookin Doc. They arrived at METFIELD in May with the 491 BG 855 BS. After six missions they went to the 93 BG 329 BS. I was wondering if 1 could get any information on the squadron, crew, • or plane. My email is RAKOUSTRUP@yaboo.com. My mailing address: Roger Koustrup 21 I 4th Ave S E Watertown SD 57201

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8 My father was killed I Dec 1943 over Germany when his B-24 went down. The pilot•was Joseph M. Wurzer. Serial numberofplanewas42-63987. Leonard's service number was 37296550. 1 am looking for pictures of him and also bis crew and plane. Maybe some of those you have could be him. Any possibilities of that? I have only one picture of him, before he even went into the service. My stepfather got rid of all of them when my Morn remarried. Any help you could give me would greatly be appreciated.I would love to have any suggestions where I might find some pies. My email addresss is mailto:slivingstoo@hauns.com. Thanks, Sharon Gallaway Livingston Hi Cal, I have talked to two of the men on bis plane that ended up POWS. One man Hartis, died in April, I missed him by a couple of months. He was the only one who knew Buddy. The other two were replacements for a couple of guys who were sick that day and didn't know the rest of the crew members. l got the MACR's and they say that Buddy was shot in the leg and didn't have his par-a~hute.on. They tried to help,b\i.t-the-plane-exploded and they were thrown out. One didn't even know how his parachute opened. It was rough listening to and reading the reports, but it explained a lot, about bis body when he was disenterred and brought back here. Thanks for your interest. My home address is Sharon Livingston. 21 Mesquite Lane, Alamogordo, NM 88310. Thanks again. To the 93rd BG List, My father, Harold S. "Dutch" Erbe, was a gunner in the 93rd BG (329th BS) between 1/44 and 9/44. Before that, from 9/43 through 12/43, he was a gunner in the 392nd BG (579th BS). His 579th BS crew flew to Vegasack ( l 0/8/4 3 ), W ilhelmshaven (11/3/43), Kjeller, Norway (11/18/43), Bremen (l I /26/43) and a few other combat/diversion missions. Dad went overseas as part of the original 392nd BG cadre. Special Orders No.180 list him aboard Crew #1 that left Gowen Field on June 29, 1943. 1 believe, along with the other 11 crews, Crew # l was beaded for more training and then to Topeka for deployment to the 8th in East Anglia. Members of Crew # 1 included: 2nd Lt. Ralph W Keck, Jr (0747128) 2nd Lt. Charles T Cleaton (0741472) Sgt. Earl W. Lett (15337154) Sgt. Harold S. Erbe (37437086) Sgt. Robert R. Wright ( 16067188) Sgt. Harvey (nmi) Jackson (34435298) f've gathered much info concerning my father's time in the 392nd, nothing about his time in the 93rd! I do have all his JFRs (Form 5) listing dates flown in the 93rd. According to Cal Stewart's book (93rdroster/index) the six men listed above ended up in the 93rd BG! Anybody remember them? 1 don't think they remained together as a crew after transferring to the 93rd. But l might be wrong. Carol Erbe Cal, It took you (a 93rd person) and your e-mail for me to make a connection with someone who flew with my father in the 392nd BG. Thanks so much for the address of Charles Cleaton. With a few mouse clicks on the Internet I was then able to find his phone number. And I called him! What a delightful conversation we had. He answered many of my questions. 1'11 follow up the phone call with a written letter to him next week. Thanks again. Cleaton is the first crew member of my father's that I ever contacted. Carol Erbe Cal;- -Tried to call Robert R. Wright several times during the past week but all I got was his answering machine. Today l made a connection! Bob Wright and l had a great conversation. Both of us promised to share photos/documents. He assured me that my father stayed with the crew when they moved from the 392nd to the 93rd on 1/1/44. Thanks so much for supplying me with the addresses of Cleaton and Wright. I am forever in your debt. Carol Erbe I am doing research for a family history project and am looking for information on my uncle, Lt. Charles Loedding (Buddy) who was a copilot on B-24s with the 93rd Bomb Group, 330th Bomb Squadron. I'm not sure when he went to England, but was there until VE day at which time he returned to the States and was mustered out of active service. He is still alive, but even after all these years will not talk about any of his time in England. I know be flew combat missions, but don't know how many, who was in his crew, which aircraft he flew, etc. lf anyone has any information, please send to me. H. Michael Loedding mikeloe@aol.com

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Looking for anyone (crew men or ground crew) that may have known Lt. Roy Hanns killed 8-1-43 over Ploesti. Flew "Hells Angel." LeeLynnPaulin@aol.com l am seeking any information in regards to my fathers plane "Baggy Maggy". Serial# 2100416 of the 409th Squadron. I would also appreciate any information on my father, S/Sgt David H. Gullett Jr.# 16167169. who completed 31 missions from May to July 1944, other crew members, etc. David H. Gullett Ill Ed: My cup runneth over with email requests from our new web site! It seems that more people are looking for information on loved ones via the Internet than ever. Photo taken at Ft. Myers: 1/r Davidoff, DeBrino, Sutter, D'agostino, Barett, Basile Hi Cal, I read every inch of the quarterly and eagerly await the next issue. Hope you are well, we really owe you for your great contribution to the 93«1 ,boys. I was the Grand Marshall in a Veteran's Day Ceremony at a local cemetery. I am a member of the commemorative board and we put on a first class Veterans alld Memorial day service. We usually have 2,000 plus in attendance for these events. [ put a wreath at the Veterans flag pole every year and say a few words over the mike about our boys who didn't make it. Especially the eight of my ere~ who went down 19 Jan 1943, Souse, Tunisia on our 22 or 23 mission. They are all, 93rd boys, in my heart and on my mind. It is the least I can do to honor them on every occasion possible. I am hobbling along, but the good Lord has been and still is good to me. Luther Cox 4932 Oakbrooke Place Orlando, Fl 32812 9 Ed: The owner of this photo whose name I have misplaced would like these two ground crewmen and the name of the plane identified. Maj. Gen. John Herrling, Secretary American Battle Monuments Corn. 2300 Clarendon Blvd. Suite 501 Arlington, Virginia 22201 Dear General Herrling, On behalf of the 6,000 plus World War ll Veterans of the Second Air Division Association, we (Dave Thompson. Charles Freudenthal and Alfred Asch) are pleased to present the enclosed check for $10,697 to help build our World War II Memorial monument in our Capital City. This money came from individual donations from our Association members. We requ~st that the Association name be listed in the World War Il Registry of Remembrances as follows: Second Air Division Association 8th AF, European Theater, World War TT 94,441 Sorties, 439 Operational Missions, B-24 Liberators Losses: 6,674 Airmen Sacrificed Their Lives, 1,442 Heavy Bombers In Memory of All Who Served Also enclosed is a general history of the World War II combat experiences of the Second Air Division. ft is our understanding that the World War 11 Memorial staff is planning a web site to store historical information, making it available to the internet for public retrievals. If this is so, it is requested that our general history be included-in the Memorial web site. The members of our Association are pleased that we will have a World War U Memorial and we appreciate the hard work that you and others have done to make this come true. Respectively, AIAsch

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10 Greetings Cal, Enclosed is a check for my subscription to the BOFQE. You may recall, we met at my uncJe Paul's funeral. I'm happy to see the BOFQE continue on. If you have room in the next issue, could you put in a request for me? To remember my late uncle by, I'd like to find an original 93rd BG patch and a 409th squadron patch, and things that he would have had in his navigator's kit, like a Weems plotter, E6B, maps, etc. I'd sure appreciate it. And let me know if there is anything l can do to help with the newsletter, I'm a writer/editor by trade. Best regards, Girard Steichen 703-276-2572 email: steichg@ntsb.gov Hi Cal, I am looking for anything that refers to the foUowing planes: Hanger Queen, Ma's Worry (Olive drab) and Foil Proof( natural metal Finish). Can you put a note about request in the next newsletter. I am still looking for photos of Alconbury ground crew members doing daily tasks and the Glenn Miler concert. I am also looking for any photos that show daily conditions. _ Don Moai:>iSUJODlL-----1375 West Comet Rd. Clinton, OH 442 16 93rd Bomb Group (H) Minutes of the Group Meeting 27 May 2000 at Tampa Bay, Florida. AJ Asch, our 93 president, opened the meeting at 8:15 P.M, with a few informational notes. We got word that one of our members experienced an aneurysm on the way to the Reunion. Further information revealed that he was taken to a Tampa Hospital for treatment. His name is Ed Devon. I believe it was to be his first meeting. As of this writing, there is no further information relative to his status. Ed: Edward Devon is now a folded wing. Al noted that we had the largest contingent at the Reunion.37 Members and 82 including wives and guests were present. A] recogni7.ed Mrs. Floyd ("Dot") Mabee for her participation in the reunion. Al recognized the past presidents of the 93rd who were present, Floyd Mabee and Charles Weiss. Al noted that the moneys which were raised in connection with the Fullbright Librarian, and that some of the excesses were doled out to different committees and other memorials. Example the WWII Memorial $10,000. Al Asch noted that he had established a very good working relationship with the WWU Memorial committee. This is the memorial which is planned for Arlington Cemetery. The 211d Air Div Assn. Reunion which is planned for November 2001: This date coincides with the opening and dedfoation of the Norwich Library and our 2 ADA Memorial Room. Al said that there were 87 93rd members already signed up to attend. At this time however applications to attend have been cut off. There is a waiting list. One of the main reasons why there is a cap on the attendance, is that the Black Friars Hall (where the banquet will be held) can only accommodate 500 persons at dinner. Ed: This has been changed and is open to anyone. See Evelyn Cohen's Leifer on page Jl. Coupled with this reunion there were comments to the effect that perhaps we could have a big "Do" at Hardwick and that we would "pick up the tab" for same.? When Al Asch was in Washington, D.C. be learned from the WWII Memorial program office that the whole _thlp~uld cost approx $30,000,000. As 1 recall the 2ADA was going to donate $25,000 to the project. We, the 93rd was asked to support this effort by a donation of $1000.00. There was some comments from the members present to the effect, "Why are we doing this?" Al Asch commented that we might get some recognition by this action, perhaps in the form of a plaque. Another comment was" Are other groups participating also?" A motion was made that we support this effort by the donation of $l000. The motion was seconded and an affirmative vote was made to give the $1000. When we (93rd) dedicate our plaque at the 81h AF Heritage Museum, Savannah there were some comments that it would be great ifwe coupled the occasion with a mini-reunion of the 93rd• Al asked for a show of hands of those present if they thought that would be a good idea. Most everyone held up their hands .. A suggested date would be in the Fall or perhaps next spring. This mini-reunion is not tinaJ and l am sure we will be hearing more on this subject via the Quarterly Ball of Fire FINANCE REPORT Cal Davidson gave his finance report - Here are the highlights.

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Beginning of the year the balance.. $7039.36 Deposits since then............ $6831.00 Balance.......................... $13,870.36 Expenses (printing. mailing etc) $6982.02 Current Balance................ $6888.34 One outstanding bill for cost of publishing the last BOFQE. Note: Average costs associated with each quarter BOFQE .... $900.00 Cal noted that because of the generous donations sent with dues $2000.00 was used for the 93rd BG memorial plaque to be dedicated at 81h Air Force Museum .. The Treasurers Report was accepted. Some members wanted to know where to send some of their memorabilia or other archival material. Don Spencer wrote an article relative to thjs subject. Here briefly are some of the locations. The Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell Air Force Base. The Mighty 8th Afr Force Museum in Savannah, Ga. The US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Co. Each one of these places is in a position to properly handle such material. AJ Asch thanked those present who contributed as well as those who sent in contributions for the Bust of General Timberlake to be placed in the 8th AF Museum, Savannah. AJ commented that our organization was not the only source of funds for this project as many were from other groups who had served with General Timberlake in other capacities. The Bust cost was $5000.00 but $6000.00 was raised. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Membership committee recommended the following: All positions were open for norrunations from the floor. Pres. and VP 2ADA--------·-----------AJ Asch Membership----Lew Brown and Bob McKeever Historia n----------------------------------Cal Stewart BOFQE Editor & Treasurer-----Cal Davidson At this time there was a motion from the floor that the nominations be closed. Also a motion, second and passed that all officers nominated be elected for the new term. Voting was by acclimation. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00PM Charles Weiss Folded Wings Edward Devon William J. Komarek Warren T. MiUiken Ralph Sanderson 11 Ed Comments: [f anyone has any suggestions as to the composition of the 93rd web site please send me your suggestions. lt has been suggested that whjte printing on the blue black ground might be easier on our older eyes. There is plenty of room left on the site for adding pictures or text. As I am still learning all of the techruques in adding pages, pictures and text to the site you will have to be patient if new pictures, etc. do not appear immediately. For some reason the web site is viewed best with the Internet Explorer Browser and I have been unable to find the problem with Netscape. r would like to thank, my web Guru, Steve Magyar for donating his time and energy in getting the 93rd BG online and for hls patience in answering all my questions. Several people at the Tampa reunfon expressed an interest in the Polo shirt with the 93rd BG logo on it. The insert gives all information and shows logo on reverse side. Following is an update on th~ 2001 reunion. Second Air Division Association SHI Air Force Evelyn Cohen Vice President Membership To Exec. Comm & Group VP's NORWICH: Just a reminder that any guests you wish to invite to our banquet wi11 have to be paid for by individuals or by your group. Also for the day at the bases this will also be your responsibility, however, we will provide transportation where needed. We will have costs early 2001 and will do a mailing to all those going with costs. Will ask them to pay the entire cost, if possible, so that the funds can go over to EnglandJmd we then do not have to worry about the cost of the pound and whether or not the dollar is going up or down. It is possible that I may let them make 3 payments if antone wishes to do this. Our plans for the entire week are practically completed, but we are still waiting to find our what the city ofNorwicb is planning and if the governors can get someone to pay for the lunch after the memorial service. Any frecbees will be welcome. Our count is now 563 and still going up and I am determined to get everyone over who wants to go. Evelyn

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Vol. 8, No. 4 BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Winter, 2000 "TED'S TRA YELLING CIRCUS" MEMBERS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS We have a unique opportunity to honor our great leader, Ted Timberlake and his family, and to renew old friendships in historic Savannah, Georgia. The years are quickly flying by and we need all of you, both the flight and ground crews, to attend. You won't be sorry--Tbe Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum is a magnificent memorial and very inclusive. The Quality Suites Hotel is off Route 1-95, one-half mile east at Exit 94. The 8th Air Force Museum is off Route 1-95, one-half mile east of Exit 102. Due to limited parking, bus transportation has been chartered for our activities and the Hotel will shuttle to and from the airport. There is an RV Camp, Bellaire Woods, three miles west of Exit 94. Telephone 1-800-851-0717 for reservations only. Parking for RV's available at Hotel for those attending all activities at the Hotel and using bus transportation. RV Rates are $22.50 to $30.00 per day; depending on size of unit, for one or two people. Advance reservations required for full hookup sites March, April, May. Henderson Golf Course is within one mile east of the Hotel. For those wanting to stay longer, the group rate will be honored one day before and one day after the convention. Any Questions: Harry A. Kelleher, Chairman Reunion Committee 7925 SE Trenton Ave. Bobe Sound FL 33455 561-546-1486 blkell@email.msn.com IMPORTANT You are responsible for contactine the Quality Suites Hotel before February 28, 2001 to make your room reservations, $85 plus tax, per room. Quality Suites Hotel & Conference Center, 6 Gateway Blvd., East Savannah, GA 31419 Phone: 1-888-854-5678 Remittance form for attending the reunion is included as an insert and more information on activities in next pages.

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AGENDA 8th Air Force Museum 93rd Bomb Group Meeting March 30, 31, April 1 Quality Inn Suites Hotel---overflow at Comfort Inn Suites, nearby Friday, March 30 Hotel Shuttle Pickup Airport to Hotel (two 93rd Members to assist at airport) Hospitality Room 4:00-6:30 pm Dinner at Hotel: Low Country Boil 6:30 pm Hospitality Room 8:30 to 10:00 pm Open microphone and films Saturday, March 31 Full Buffet Breakfast at Hotel 6:30 - 9:00 am Coastal Bus Pickup Hotel to Museum 9:30 to I 0:00 am Business Meeting at Museum Art Gallery Room 10:00 to 11 :00 am, includes Formal Dedication of93rd Memorial Plaque in Memorial Gardens Luncheon at Museum Art Gallery Room: Cold Meat Platter 12:00 noon Tour of 8th Air Force Museum Coastal Bus Pickup Museum to Hotel 2:00 to 5:00 pm Hospitality Room at Hotel 4:30 to 6:30 pm Dinner at Hotel: Baked Chicken Dinner 6:30 pm Hospitality Room at Hotel 8:00 to 10:00 pm Sunday, April 1 Full Buffet Breakfast at Hotel 6:30 - 9:30 am Coastal Bus Pickup Hotel to River Brunch Cruise 10:30 to l 1 :00 am Luncheon: Sun. Brunch on River Cruise. Board Boat at 1130 am. Boat leaves at 12:00 Coastal Bus Pickup River Cruise to Hotel 3:00 pm (Boat returns I :30 pm) Coastal Bus Pickup Hotel to Museum Bus available 5:00 to 10:00 pm Open Cash Bar at Museum 5 :00 pm Banquet at Rotunda in Museum 6:00 pm choice of Prime Rib or Baked Salmon Unveiling and Dedication of Timberlake Bust after dinner Coastal Bus Pickup Museum to Hotel After Banquet Hospitality Room at Hotel After Banquet Monday, April 2 Full Buffet Breakfast 6:30 -1 0:00am Hotel Shuttle Bus to Airport as needed 3

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4 93"' Banner for Memorial Library Evelyn Cohen, the 2ADA Vice President for Membership, bas taken on the task of arranging for group banners to be bung in our Memorial Library when it is completed next year. Three of the groups that flew the low altitude Ploesti raid August I, 1943 are featuring this as well as other elements. I felt it proper to show the four highest decorations received: Presidential Unit Citation (I), Medal of Honor (2), Distinguished Service Cross (5), and Silver Star (13 ). I made several telephone calls to get the exact number of medals and who received them. My last call was to Don Morrison as he is doing research for writing a book about the 93rd. Ed: Don is the grandson of Melvin Morrison and has done extensive research on 93rd planes, nose art and many pictures from Hardwick for the book he hopes to get published in the near future .. He bad the answers! I knew of three Distinguished Service Crosses but there were five. I knew of four Silver stars but there were thirteen. These are all the highest decorations given by the military. One decoration J did not know about was the DSC for Lt. Mcfarlin. Don read some of his citation over the phone. lt seems his 8-24 was badly damaged over the target but he got it out of there and headed home on three engines. He lost another engine over the Mediterranean on the same side but he "nursed" the airplane home and landed it. I wiJI periodically ask Cal to publish selected citations in the BOF. I understand that all airmen who flew the Ploes1i raid received the Distinguished Flying Cross and many the Purple Heart. I would bet that the 93rd received the highest number of these special decorations of any combat organization for a single act in the history of warfare. While on the subject of the Memorial Library, the Trust Librarian, Derek S. Hills, informs me that three books were purchased from the proceeds of our $ I ,000 donation to the book fund. These are American books: Freehlin, William W.- The Road to Disunion, Secessionists at Bay 1776-1954 Greene, Bob - Duty: A Father, His Son and the Clan Who Won the War. Kranz, Gene - Failure is not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo J 3 and Beyond. Derek is being replaced by the new 2ADA Fulbright Librarian, Carson Holloway. Norwich Reservations. We have the highest number of people going to Norwich, England next October, a total of 123, to dedicate our new Memorial Library. Thus far, Evelyn has requests from 669. One thing we must do is make arrangements to visit our WWfl air base, Hardwick, for a day. [ will be contacting David Woodrow to work out a program. Hopefully, we can have lunch and perhaps dinner at Hardwick or in the village. We, of course, will ask those of you going to help defray the expenses. I understand the 2ADA will furnish the transportation. Any ideas for a program at Hardwick will be greatly appreciated. 93rd Bomb Group Reunion. Harry Kelleher has done a. great job in planning our reunion for this March and April at the Heritage Museum in Savannah, Georgia. I have pictures of both our plaque and the General Timberlake bust. Both look well done. Without Harry's help I would have been a little "hard pressed" to get everything done and continue to take care of my personal affairs. It seems more and more time is spent going to the doctor and taking pills. I am looking forward to our getting together as a group. Please note in other parts of this BOF the forms to use to attend the reunion. Al Asch, 2ADA VP for 93rd Folded Wings George T. Chase Elmer W. Dawley John H. Finitzer Paul W. Latenser George McNulty Charles J. Weiss

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Bringing Back History WhamBamil With a few strokes of the brush. three dedicated crew chiefs revived history in a Barksdale warbird. Staff Sgt. Thomas Pierce and senior airmen John Freund ~d Al Smith spent their off-duty time in May restoring the nose art to Wham Bam ll, also known as 52-H 60-037. The 96111 Bomb Squadron crew chiefs wanted to stay as cJose to the original artwork as possible. The nose art is an early comic book version of Bugs Bunny and Lt. Ed Baker was the first to paint it on his B-24 Liberator 41-23738 after receiving approval from W amer Brothers. According to the 8th Air Force Museum Director, Buck Rigg, aircraft nose art was almost exclusive to war time but began resurging in bomber and tanker aircraft during the 1980's to keep in touch with Air Force history. During this resurgence the B-24's nose art hoJ'ped onto the B-52-H during Wham Bam IJ's dedication at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas. "In order to paint the nose art here, we were told we bad to have a historical connection. We did some research and coordination, got it approved and began painting a month later," said Freund, crew chief of Wham Bam fl "Wham Bam boasts an array of historical significance with it's beginning in 1942 at Barksdale with the 93rd Bomb Group," said Rigg. It first saw combat in October, 1942 during the first bombing raids on Europe. As it accumulated a certain number of hours on the airframe it was 5 discontinued for combat and transferred to the 453rd Bomb Group in 1944 as an assembly ship. While assigned to the 453rd Wham Bam met Capt. Jimmie Stewart, the late Hollywood actor When Stewart turned 36 and was promoted to major his combat duty came to a haJt. Since Stewart remained on flying status be was given the group's assembly ship to fly. Wham Bam remained an assembly ship through the war and was later sold for scrap. Wham Barn's history includes a time when Stewart flew the aircraft to fonn up the 453rd for a bombing mission to Bordeaux, France in 1944. Stewart didn't break away and fly Wham Bam back home but flew the highly colorful aircraft in formation throughout the mission. The crew chiefs hope the aircraft's and Stewart's legacy lives on in Wham Bam II but it is the pride the crew chiefs like best. "Painting nose art on the plane you' re assigned to adds a personal touch," explained Freund. Ed: This article, written by Airman I st Class Marcus McDonald, appeared in the Features section of the Observer, a 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs publication July, 1998. Bomber Here Sinks Gulf Sub U-Boat Blown out of Water: Crew Praised Nine members of the crew of a long range B-24 bomber, based at Channing Page Field here with the 93rd bombardment group, yesterday were officially credited for sinking an axis submarine June 21 in the Gulf of Mexico a long distance from the Florida coast. The officers and crewmen of the big plane were asked to step out of line during a formal review at the fort Myers airbase yesterday morning to bear Col. E. J. "Ted" Timberlake read official letters of commendation for their "superior performance" in bombing the U-boat to the bottom. There bas been ta1k here for several weeks that the bombers on patrol over the Gulf of Mexico from the Fort Myers airbase sunk not only one but two axis pig boats which have harried commercial navigation in Gulf and Caribbean waters. However, as usual with strict naval censorship, no official report was made of the hits. It appears now

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6 that an official investigation was made of at least the first sinking and it bas been credited by the army air force to the crew of the B-24 that took off from the Fort Myers base and returned after blasting the sub with 325 pound depth charges from a low altitude. This may be considered an unusual announcement, however it has been authorized by Washington and in fairness to the splendid work of the entire crew, we are making public the letter of commendation to the men who sighted and sunk the submarine on a routine flight, which amounted to actual combat over and above the actual line of duty. It is no secret that planes from the Fort Myers airbase have been on the lookout for submarines in the Gulf of Mexico while making routine long range practice flights. Col. TimberJake was high in praise of the crew that sank the submarine. At the formal review and afterwards in talking with friends he said his outfit was "hotter than a fire-cracker and ready for assignment." The present bombardment group bas been stationed here nine weeks and expects orders to move most any day. Where they will go is a military secret but members of the highly trained task force make no secret of the fact that they are looking for action. Part of the first outfit to train at the Fort Myers airbase, locally known as the "Halpro boys" have been in action in the North African sector for the past five weeks. Members of the combat crew who received commendations in sinking the submarine off the Mexican coast were: l51Lt. B. F. Williams, pilot, Fort Worth, Tex. 1st Lt. E. C. Kent, co-pilot, Kansas City, Mo. 2nd Lt. R. H. Schoenberger, nav. Miamisburg, 0. 2nd Lt. C. Turner, bomb. Red Bud, Ky. Sgt. I. C. Robertson, engineer, Pontiac, Mich. Pvt. V O McMahon, eng-gun., Providence, R. I. Pfc. L D Kirkpatrick, r-op Mountain Home, Ark. Pvt. J. N. Thomas, radio-gunner, Meban, N. C. Pvt. W. B. Elliot, gunner, Shelbyville, Ind. Because the sinking of this submarine resulted from low altitude flying which is not the express purpose of the big B-24's which a have a high altitude range, the letters of commendation to the pilot, bombardfor and others were particularly flowery. Every crew of the local group has been making long flights carrying live charges rather than the more simple practice bomb~g flights.for this reason, both officers and men were glad to get credit for at least one submarine. It was a simple but impressive ceremony yesterday in which the fliers and their bomber crews paraded before Col. Timberlake and his staff. When standing at attention, the officers and men of the plane credited with the sinking were asked to step forward. Letters of commendation and endorsements were presented to each member of this crew signed by Major General Follett Bradley, commanding general of the eastern defense command and the first air force, also Brigadier General Carlyle H. Wash, commanding general, third air base, and Brigadier General S. M. Connell, commanding general, third bomber command. Major General Fo11ett Bradley's letters commended each member of the crew on their superior performance of duty, and included the following: "On June 21, 1942, the pilot and crew of a B-24 airplane of your command conducted a missioo so .skillfuJly and effectively. as to cause the destruction of an enemy submarine. Al 5:36 p. m., while on a patrol mission, they sighted a submarine on the surface, made a run for the attack immediately, during which time the submarine made a crash dive fro'!' a stationary position. "While passing over the U-boat from bow to stem, they released two 325-pound depth charges, as the conning tower went below the surface. One depth charge was dropped about I 00 feet short and the other about l 00 feet over the target. The rear gunner reported that immediately after the depth charges exploded, the U-boat was partially thrown from the water and broken into bits. Oil gushed to the surface and spread rapidly over a large area. Debris consisting of severa.1 pieces of metal were blown to the surface and sank immediately. Brigadier General S. M. Connell's endorsements of the above commendations were as follows: "Your superior performance of duty on June 21st in successfully attacking a submarine and subsequently causing its destruction was of inestimable value to the service. Not only have you destroyed one of our enemies' most potent striking arms, b.ut you have thereby saved possibly

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hundreds of lives and thousands of dollars of equipment. The difficulties involved in missions of this sort, necessitating long hours; painstaking look-outs, inclement flying weather, severe eye strain and pressure are well known. By such an act on June 21st, you have raised your level of efficiency, the efficiency of your organiz.ation and that of the United States army air forces an immeasurable amount. It is with great pride and pleasure that I forward this co~~ation." Ed: The above article came from the July 26, 1942 Fort Myers News-Press courtesy of Barbara Finitzer, who has kept the newspaper all these years. HEADQUARTERS EIGHTH AIR FORCE Office of the Commanding General AP0634 10 January 1945 To Every Member of the Eighth Air Force The year L944 was a significant one for those who have devoted themselves to the cause of freedom and justice throughout the world. In both hemispheres, the forces of tyranny were roUed back and steadily compressed into surrounded bastions from which there can be no escape. Here in the European Theater the Eighth Air Force fought with distinction. It contributed importantly to the Allied war effort and earned a place in history which time will not erase. As the Commander of that Force I am responsible not onJy to my military superiors but to those who have made the year so memorable, the men and women of the Eighth. I want you to share with me the broader view of the picture; a picture of our major tasks in 1944 and how we accomplished them. You deserve to share that view by virtue of the fact that you dedicated 1944 to your work, to your country and to the cause of freedom. In spite of physical discomforts caused by mud, rain and cold, in spite of losses in battle, in spite of handicaps which seemed insuperable at times you persevered and succeeded. The brief outline which follows will fill you with pride and with the realiz.ation that each of you 7 contributed to the job some element which was indispensable. I believe it will add to your determination to carry on unstintingly until our goal becomes a reality. J. H DOOL/'ITLE Lieut. General USA Commanding THE EIGHTH AIR FORCE-1944 On December 24, 1944, the Eighth Air Force sent over Germany, 2,034 heavy bombers and 936 fighters, the greatest single force of airplanes ever dispatched in history. Well over 21,000 Americans flew in that armada over marshalling yards, vital communications centers and airfields behind the enemy lines. Many times that number worked on the ground to launch those planes and many more again performed the great varieties of services which have built the Eighth into the deadly weapon it was intended to be. WHAT WE HA VE DONE The past year has seen t~e Eighth Air Force in full stride. We have hit the enemy with more than 430,000 tens of bombs. During the year, our fliers flew l, 700,000 operational hours, and our planes consumed 522,000,000 gallons of gasoline to release those tons of destruction. Blows were directed in tum at the. types of targets which were most vital to the Nazi war effort and which could onJy be destroyed by precision bombing the job of the Eighth. Our first task was to make sure that when the combined Allied ground forces invaded " Fortress Europe," we would have superiority in the air. Our bombers and :fighters hand in hand with those of the RAF, and the Ninth, Twelfth and Fifteenth American Air Forces, pounded German air power in the early months of the year and the Luftwaffe was helpless during the initial phases of the invasion. Aircraft factories, oil plants and supplies, and transportation faciJities, these targets showed the effects of our pre-invasion hammering when D-Day came. Our second great mission was perfonned during the invasion phase. Although designed for strategic bombing, the Eighth carried through every task of tactical support of the ground forces called for by the Supreme Commander. We helped to cover the Normandy beaches and later the Dutch

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8 airborne landings with protective air umbrellas. On June 6th, we flew a record-breaking 4, 700 sorties. We sealed off the bridgeheads from enemy reserves by cutting the Seine and Loire bridges and by hammering Nazi communications. Precision bombing blazed the way for the ground forces through enemy strong points. Before D-Day we flew thousands of tons of munitions and equipment to resistance movements on the continent; rushed emergency shipments of food, medical and other vital supplies to ground forces during the crucial month of August and cooperated in the development of the psychological by dropping almost 900,000,000 leaflets in enemy controlled territory by night and additional millions during daylight missions. In air battles during 1944, fighter pilots and bomber crews destroyed over 6,000 enemy aircraft. Strafing attacks by our fighters accounted for 1,950 more. In precision attacks on enemy airfields and factories our heavies not only blasted production facilities but damaged or destroyed an additional 2,630, Nazi aircraft. Fighters also knocked out 3,652 locomotives, 5,702 freight cars, 3,436 trucks, and significant numbers of tank cars, ammunition dumps and similar ground targets. Ground crews equaled the fliers in their devotion to duty. Men have frequently worked for 72 hours without rest to put their ships back in the air. There was a steady rise in percentages of aircraft in commission in spite of growing numbers of sorties monthly and increased battle damage. Just before D-Day, the number of planes to be serviced rose sharply; the job was done with no increase in numbers of ground crews. Recognition for achievements both in the air and on the ground came to many of you in 1944, in the form of decorations from our Government. Of the five highest and most cherished awards that our country can bestow for valorous conduct, 594 were won by members of the Eighth. Seven of these were Congressional Medals of Honor. AS ONE The story of the Eighth! is the story of all of you. It belongs neither to any individual nor to any part of us less than the whole. Every member of this Command has contributed some element to it; without all of these contributions the story would not have been. Ordnance and Chemical workers, for example, during 1944 loaded more than 3,000,000 bombs and incendiaries, most of them during the long hours of the night and hand-linked, repositioned and loaded 53,000,000 rounds of 50 calibre ammunition in the course of their duties. The sweat of thousands went into the driving, servicing and repair of the Eighth's 25,000 motor vehicles. At one Headquarters alone, the telephone operators handled 14,000 calls each day. If you are one of these, or if you are one of those who kept us, by all standards, in good health who in 1944 brought about important reductions in non-effective rates; if you are one of those who built and maintained our air strips and station facilities, or one of those who can proudly say that over 1,000 road convoys were escorted during 1944 without an accident; if you are one of those who performed the unheroic but indispensable functions of guaranteeing our supplies of food, adequate clothing and organizational equipment, or one of those whose attention to administrative assignments contributed so substantially to effectiveness, then you are part of the team. The past year has seen outstanding technical advances. One of the most important was the development of instruments for bombing through overcast which steadily increased the number of missions flown per month in weather previously prohibitive to operations. Weather and photo-reconnaissance units pioneered many new techniques and rendered remarkable services, not only to the Eighth, but to other air and ground forces. Other significant developments vital to our growth and success took place in 1944. Payroll and allotment problems were resolved and personnel showed growing interest in savings by sending home well over $170,000,000. Each month recorded marked increases in the diversity and quality of opportunities for recreation and leisure time education. Significant emphasis ·was placed upon activities which are giving us further understanding of the peoples and problems involved in global war. Each Chaplain conducted an average of 38 services every month; they proved themseJves invaluable sources of advice, friendship and spiritual strength. The already firm bonds of kinship and understanding which exist between our British AJlies and ourselves were made even stronger. In such ways did l944 do much to prepare us both mentally and physically to face our problems and the task that lies ahead. TO WIN Our story has not yet ended. Together we have become one of the mightiest striking forces of

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all time. As pioneers of the daylight prec1s1on assault we will continue that assault until final victory is won. This is your report, written by your deeds and sealed by your devotion. Let us give thanks for what has been accomplished. Let us remember those who have given themselves jn the battle. As the New Year dawns let us resolve to press the attack and go forward as one "TO WIN." Dear Cal, l'm writing to teJJ you that John (Jack) Fish died Wednesday, October I J, 2000. Jack was a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner on a B-24. He belonged to the 93rd Bomb Group and flew his missions out of Hardwick. He was 76 years old but l don't know what time frame he flew his missions in but he had six Air Medals and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. While we both lived here in Lancaster and attended the same church we had never met for some reason. I am wondering if anybody out there remembers John or possibly flew with him? If so, l would like to hear from them. Dear Cal, Arthur J. Quinn 403 Yalleybrook Drive Lancaster, PA 17601 Enclosed find a small contribution for your efforts. I am in contact with Ed Weir, who was navigator on "Red Ass," and have communicated with him for years. I would like to get information on the reunion in Savannah as I now live in Florida and Georgia is close at hand. Reading about "Night Raider" and that mission brought back old memories. Jung and Bates, The Master." were my good buddies. While they were in the hospital in London, Dell Kettering and I got a pass and went down to visit them. It resulted in a glorious drunk. Bates screwed a shot glass on the stump of a finger and al each pub, when asked what he wanted, he held out his hand and said "spirits." We went to a burlesque at the "WindmiJI Theater." The ticket taker asked for our stubs so Jung held out his arm and Bates his fingers. It was one of the most wonderful days of my life. Bates is still around but [ have lost Jung completely. I wound up in a German POW camp after an al.most unbelievable odyssey. Looking forward to hearing from you. Dick Ryan 320 Sandal Lane Palm Beach Shores, FL 33404 9 Ed: 1 have answered the obvious questions asked in the e-mails directed to our 93n1 BG web site and reprinted below. I hope that anyone with additional information on the 93n1 Veteran's listed below will write to these relatives. Hello, I was wondering if anyone out there knew my father. His name was James A. Weiss. He was in the 93rd and flew his 30 missions as bombardier between March and June of 1944. One plane he was pictured with had the name "Sterile Errol" on the nose. He djd stay in the USAF for quite some time retiring in the 60s as a major. He passed away in 1982. I would appreciate any replies. Thank you. Andrea W. Bookbinder 2261 Davis Rd. Corning, NY 14830 Hello, My name is John Marr. I live in Pennsylvania and I am looking for some help on finding some information on a Army Air Base in Hardwick England during World War Two. First of all when [ found this web site I called my father as he was stationed there. He came up and we got to looking at the pictures, the photo of the Hardwick Air field from the air, and he showed me where his barracks were, the bomb dump and also the mess hall. Then we opened up the picture, 64$ question, there standing beside the plane was a good friend of his. His name is Woolsey Lyttle and my dad still keeps in touch with him. l don'1 know if you knew who the man was standing in front of the plane. 1 tried to call him and he didn't answer the phone, if you would want his phone number I can give you that later. l did look thru some old photos that my dad gave me of the war and W oolsey's picture is in with them and it is the same man. I have run into some dead ends and I would like to know more about the unit my father was attached to. He was in the 885th Chemical Warfare attached to the 8th Air Force in Hardwick. I can not find anything on the 885th. l would appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction. I was reading a book that I subscribe too a few weeks ago. The name of the publication is The Journal. In the fall 2000 edition on page 16 there is a story on the Hardwick air base and it gives me the name of the man who is now fanning the base, David Woodrow. It was a really nice story and tells how he preserved the sergeants mess hall, the

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former commanding officer's dwelling and the officer's club. I was trying to get in touch with Mr Woodrow but cannot figure out how to find him. I guess there are many Hardwicks in England. My father is almost 80 and he would love to talk to someone who lives in that area now. He had made friends with some of the farmers that lived near the base and always wondered what had happened to them. If you could reply back I would greatly appreciate it. Any information that you can give me would help out a lot. I really want to find out about the 885th Chemical Warfare Division. He has asked me so many times and I never can come up with anything. I am so impressed with what the men of his generation have done and no one should ever forget what they did! I make it a habit to talk to men of his era .. I ask if they were a WWIT Vet and that usually breaks the ice. I tell them about my father and I learn a lot from them and before I am done talking with them l always thank them for what they did. I know it gives me a really good feeling and 1 think they appreciate it also. John Marr R.D. I Box 312 Turbotville PA, 17772 Good Morning: I am the brother-in-law of W. E. (Bill) Meehan, a pilot, who flew the Ploesti mission. I'm a Korean War Air Force vet and have recently gotten interested in getting more info about Ploesti and the 93rd. I have just about every book that has been published and continue to search for info. Is it possible for me to get on the mailing list for your quarterly newsletter? I'd also like to make contact with others who share this interest. Robert Carrier Jack Wehrle 4833 Millcreek Pl. Dallas, TX 75244 Bob was my uncle and the man I am named after. I saw your site and it did in fact make him more than a name to me. He was 20 yea.rs old when he died and I never knew him. All I know about him is what I heard from Mom and Grandma. I now know that he and the rest of you did nothing less than preserve a way of life that so many of us born during the 50's, 60's et al take for granted and to all of you I say Thank you. If it is at alJ possible I would like to know what plane he served on, what happened when he died and the date. I know the telegram says 4/20/44 but I cannot find out anything more and J understand it took a couple of weeks to process the information and release a report so maybe it was early April or late March when it happened. When I was growing up I was told he went to Ploesti and back and made a few raids over Berlin and was on his second tour when he was killed. Any information, pictures etc. would be greatly and warmly appreciated and again thank you for making the U.S. free. Hello, Robert E. Sullivan 4806 Daroca Way Buena Park, CA 90621 My name is Scott Browning and I have a friend whose father is named Dorsey Cain. He flew in a B-24 named "Rusty". The plane was assigned to the 3 28th bomb squadron of the 93rd bomb group of the 2nd air division. ff anybody has any information on Mr. Cain I would appreciate it. I have copies of his discharge papers and the missions he participated in. I also have the names of his other crew members and photos of them with their plane. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated. All my friend has left is memories of her father. Scott Browning Hi, 1524 Hunt Road Reading, Ohio 45215 My father. SI.Sgt Norman Mullock of Minersville, Pa, was in the 409 Bomb squadron of the 93 rd bomb group. He was a tail gunner on a B-24 called "O-bilch-u-airy Mary." He served up until June of 1945 and flew at least 20 missions. He married an English woman, they bad me and r served in the air force in East Anglia, Bentwaters in the I 960's. I am interested in researching his experiences as he is now deceased and we have almost nothing left. He served at Hardwick. Michael Mullock 933 Black Rock Road Gladwyne Pa. 19035 Comments To those members whose mailing label has no date or a date earlier than I/ 1 /02 it is time to renew your subscription. I Jook froward to meeting you in Savannah next March. May you all enjoy the Holiday Season and best wishes for the coming New Year.

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11 Betty's Shoes Douglas C. Gamer was a tail gunner oo a crew of the 93ro BG, ''Ted's Travelling Circus." When be was sent to England he took with him a pair of tiny shoes belonging to his baby daughter Betty. Doug attached these shoes to his parachute harness. During the course of his thirty missions his chute was sent in for repack. He was called up fer a mission and was given another chute to use. He Knew he would not return from this mission because his baby shoes were not going along with him. He did return safely and the baby shoes continued to make the rest of his missions with him. Doug is in the lower left comer with the shoes visible hanging from his harness. Also enclosed is a photo of Mr Garner at one of the Alabama Wing lunches holding the shoes, now bronzed, that have become a favorite story when he participates in Veterams into &hoots. Young people are touched by this story and gather around after the presentation to see "the shoes that made29 missions." Doug Garner and his wife Patsy are faithful and influential members of the North Alabama Wing of the 8th Air Force Historical Society. Their willingness to participate in Veterans into Schools help make this program a resounding success in our area. We are an intergenerational group that enjoys focusing on the exploits of The Greatest Generation. The North Alabama Wing veterans are creating a Legacy collection. These are 8Xl0 photos showing the veterans in their uniforms. The Legacy is another successful item being used for speaking engagements. Kneeling UR: SISgt Douglas Garner (with Baby shoes), S/Sgt John Curran, Gunner; S/SgtJohn Dinapoli, Gunner; S/Sgt Allen Reusch, Gunner; T/Sgt Donald Schwartz, Gunner; T/Sgt George Morris, Radio Operator. Standing IJR: 1st Lt. Theodore Guzik. Co-Pilot; Capt. James Rutherford, Pilot; F/O John Sloan, Navigator; 2nd Lt. Paul Freeman, Navigator; 1st. Lt. Robert Brooks, Bombardier. 1944 Ed: The above article is reprinted from an se11 Air Force News magazine.

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,) BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 9, No. 1 Spring, 2001 Local WWII veteran receives Distinguished Flying Cross CRAIG WILLIAMS Staff Wr,ter After flying nearly 30 intense missions in Europe during World War II, surviving being shot down and living through a prisoner of war camp, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Fred Lakner finally received the Distinguished Flying Cross during a special service at The Wall That Heals Friday night. Following a 26~year career with the Air Fore~, Lakner, who lives in Hollidaysburg, is highly decorated having earned the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal, European African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze service stars and numerous other medals. But during the ceremony at the Van Zandt VA Medical Center, Lakner was given a medal that many of the nearly 50 people in the audience felt he had earned years ago as a young first lieutenant flying his bomber over war-tom Europe. "These are our veterans. America's true heroes. They exemplify our best traditions and have secured America's place as a great nation," U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, R-Pa., was quoted with saying during his introduction. Elaborating on the challenges, which all added up to great courage, the senator said that many aviators and crew members shared in many small acts of heroism during the war. Just to have the courage to climb into the plane again when you know the next mission may be your last," said Santorurn, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, of Lakner's achievement when he presented the medal. "This is a commemoration of the colonel. But it also is a commemoration of all those who were in the plane with him." The Distinguished Flying Cross was authorized by an Act of Congress July 2, 1926, and is awarded for heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight. Lakner piloted a 8-24 for 29 missions before he was shot down during his service in the European Theater of Operations from July 31, 1944, to Feb. 24, 1945, Upon receiving one of the hlghest honors bestowed upon a pilot, Lakner distilled the essence of the sacrifices many by many of~hat some have called the greatest generation of our time. "This precious medal is not made of gold," Lakner said. "It is made of memories. Some of the memories were beautiful, but an awful lot of them are not."

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2 Dear Cal, I am sending you a copy of the letter that didn't get into the BOFQE: l regret to inform you that Larry Markes passed away on May 18, 1999. He was our co-pilot on Dave Thompson's first crew and had designed the 330th B.S. insignia which is on display on a flight jacket, as you come in at the Air Force Museum near Savannah. Dave Thompson and l flew out to studio City to celebrate Larry's 75m birthday. lam very glad we made that trip. He was still full of hls old self, cracking jokes and making us laugh the whole time we were there. That is how he was when we were flying combat, his gift of gab never ran out. It kept our morale very high and, with Dave Thompson as our pilot, our confidence was always at top level. Needless to say, Larry was very talented and he wrote for some of our top TV personalities such as Jack Paar, Jackie Gleason, Dean Martin etc. He also wrote skits for TV. One I remember was "Love American Style" that I often watched. His originality wiU always be remembered and we will always miss him. Sam Parisi Dear Mr. Editor, 495 Exmoor Ter. Dunedin, FL 34698 Re: Vol. 8 No. 4 BOFQE lt should be noted that according to the 93rd BG history Lt. John Jerstad, 3281h Sq. while flying out of Ft. Myers, was credited with sinking a German submarine in the Gulf of Mexico. On his combat B-24 # 4123711, Jerk 's Natural, a submarine with an X through it was painted on the nose. I was Navigator on Jerk's Natural and finished my tour April 5. 1943 Rollin Reineck 1127 Lauloa St. Kai)ua, Hawaii 96734 Dear Cal, I would like to get in touch with any of Capt. Louis Novotny's crew, We were shot down Sept. JI, 1944 over Madgeburg, Germany. We were in the 409th Sqdn and were the lead crew on the mission. Steve Rudnyk 16442 E. Inca Ave Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 Dear Cal, Thanks for your help with information on the 8th Air Force Convention in Salt Lake City. I was the only 93rder there. I was on the program as a speaker and they treated me sweU. On the story in the last issue about Wham Barn, it was the hardest plane [ ever had lo tly. Notes: It never was at Barksdale or Ft. Myers as we got our ships at Grenier Field, Manchester, NH in late summer of 1942. lt crossed the Atlantic with us in Sept. 1942. I flew Wham Barn on my first mission as pilot to Bourdeax in May 1943, later I got# 41-24226, Utah Man. Jimmy Stewart, the actor. ( no kin) became Assistant Operations Officer taking my job when I left Hardwick on April 4, 1944 with Bomerang for the bond tour. Prior to that T had worked with him and his 453rd group when they first arrived in England. He reaUy was a very friendly person. Thanks for all you do for us. Walter Stewart 7923 S. 4000 W Benjamin, UT 84660 Dear Mr. Davidson, Enclosed are my overdue-dues. I am definitely interested in the Norwich reunion in 200 l. I've heard it will be in November, not a very nice date in "Old Blighty" from a weather view at least Never the less as I was born there it's always pleasant to visit reg_ardJess of the weather. Incidentally, when T volunteered for the Aviation Cadet Program in 1942 at age 18 I was a foreign national, consequently a "Security Clearance" had to be completed. It took about 4 months but 1 was finally found acceptable, presumably to be officer material, and classified as an "co-belligerent alien." l enlisted on Dec. 8, 1942 and remained in the active and inactive reserves for a total of 41 years, 6 months and 22 days. l have a few questions but will see if the Web page can help Peter J.D. Allatt 97 Beech Road New Canaan, CT 06840 Regarding "Sleeping Dynamite" Enclosed is a copy of my husband's, John Farrington, diary sh.owing this plane with the 93rd• John was with the 446th but was at the 93rd for lead crew training: Nov. 30, 1944 Neunkjrchen-Target, Marsh.alJing Yards Ship 468-F Sleeping Dynam ire. Results GH Remarks-Flak light, five holes, think they were caused by another ship blowing up. Plane next to it had tail damaged and part of right rudder blown off. Its no.3 engine on fire, one man bailed out. Last I saw it was under control. A piece of flak or bomb from another ship just missed

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Mac's bead while he was throwing out chaff. Carried 100 pounders. Glad it's over, Led tbe446th on our first GH Mission. Mrs. John Farrington Association of Americans Interned In Sweden (1943-1945) Dear Cal, I am the president of the above Association. I want to advise you of the correct addresses and current telephone numbers of our current officers. James H. McMahon, President. Editor of "THE FLAK BURST' P.O. Box 1327 Santa Rosa, CA 95402-1327 Phone/Fax: (707) 525-9707 (S) Phone: (530) 596-6268 Samuel Mastrogiacomo Secretaryff reasurer 207 Narberth Avenue Sewell, N.J. 08080 Phone: (856) 629-0812 We are the only existing "Legitimate" SWEDISH JNTERNEE ASSOCIATION. We have been a Federally recognized Veterans Association since we organized in Vasteras, Sweden in 1956. Our dues are $20.00 a year. Our members are Eighth and Ninth Air Force combat crew airmen who crashed, bailed or force-lande-d in Sweden due to enemy action. Our Heritage Members are the widows of our Association Members. Our Associate members are family members and their friends. Our Honorary Members are Swedish Government and civilian suppQrters (Our wartime friends and our secret Allies). Our newsletter "THE FLAK BURST' was first printed in Rattvik., Sweden in June 1944. The second issue was printed on 16 July 1944. The staff was: Sapp Connor, Gilroy, Lustig, Davis, McALister, Needelman, Nimmo, Pekar and Phillips. "THE FLAK BURST' is the only legitimate newsletter of our organization. There is no other legitimate Swedish Internee organization. Kindly print the above information in your next newsletter. James H. McMahon Dear Cal, Enclosed check to cover BOFQE renewal and donation. 93rd reunion at Savannah late March 200 I to pay tribute to General Timberlake an excellent move. 3 A great opportunity to recount our exploits (deeds/misdeeds) in the company of our own. I always wanted to attend a reunion where the 2ADA was not holding forth. Looking forward to Savannah in 2001, in the meantime have a happy holiday. Dear Cal, Art DeCoster 3245 Sprucewood Lane Wilmette, IL 60091-11 l 0 I am a faithful reader oftheBOFQE. I would like to contact David P. Jones, aka Phil Jones, from the 409th SQ. He worked for NBC-CBS as a news commentator. I would appreciate any information, address or phone number, from anyone who knows of his whereabouts. Last seen when we bailed out over England on 11-5-44. Please publish in BOFQE Cal. Lester Steves. 943 S. Linden Ave Alliance, OH 44601 I just got back to Houston after visiting with my folks in Tennessee between the holidays. My dad is still doing pretty good, considering his previous health problems and that he will be 88 on February 6. My mom told me that they learned that Thomas W. Powell, the copilot on their crew in the 328th BS, passed away sometime this past summer. T. W. Powell was from Mississippi. He became a pharmacist after the war and worked for the VA Hospital in Memphis. My dad would drop in and see him once in awhile when he happened to be in Memphis. After retiring from the VA, the Powell's moved to Franklin. Tennessee. My dad's crew, commanded by John F. Higgins, went overseas in December J 943 and joined the 328th Bomb Squadron in late January or early February. They flew their first mission during Big Week and finished up just before D-Day. One crew member, T /Sgt Loren Hoderlein, was killed in an unfortunate incident when a B-17 fired on their airplane. The rest of the crew finished their combat tour. A picture of them is on my web site: Cal, Sam McGowan Jr 302 Wilcrest #3905 Houston, TX 77042 Don't know if this applies to your group or not. WORLD WAR 11 VETERANS: HA VE YOU

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4 MET MARLENE DIETRICH? Associated Producers Group, Los Angeles, California, is looking for World War II veterans who met or saw Marlene Dietrich when she toured with the U.S.O., performing for the Allied troops. Photographs and film footage are also sought. Contact: Howard Leder at DietrichOoe@aol.com, by phone at 310-858-2207, or write to him at 9028 Sunset Blvd., PHI, Los Angeles, CA 90069. I'm looking for information about my dad's service years as a member of the "Travelling Circus" from 1941 thru 1945. Dad was Sgt. Matthew A. Garofalo, a barber from Scranton, Pennsylvania and served with the 8th Air Force, 93rd Bomb Group, 409th Bomb Sqaudron as a ground crew chief. He served in Huntingdon and Norwich, England as well as French North Africa, Libya and Tunisia. I'm most interested in his experience serving in the air on the Ploesti raid but any information would be most welcome. I've got his scrap book with many photos of the men, B-24s, R&R trips to London, him giving fellow soldiers haircuts in tbe field, etc., etc. Names like Weir, Kurok~ Giordano. Parmenter,-Avona, aod others show up frequently. I might have a photo of you or yours that I'd be happy to share. Thank you. Richard M. Garofalo 603 Pamela Drive Clarks Summit, PA 18411 Garofalo cutting Weirs hair Cal, I thought you might like this one, too. Dad came across it a few months before he died (Sept. I 0, 1997) and showed it to me. I had never heard the story prior to that day. He and my mom and my older brother (l was not yet born) were on vacation in Lake Placid, NY and he discovered that President Truman was staying at the same resort. After much persistence and telling his aides that he only wanted lo thank him for ending the war and allowing him to return home, they agreed to let dad greet Mr. Truman. Dad says he shook his hand, told him he voted for him, thought he was doing a good job and thanked him for ending the war. Mr. Truman then asked, "Do you play shuffleboard?" Dad replied "that he did not but that he would be honored to play him." "He beat me soundly", Dad told me. This photo was taken in late summer of 1949, the first year of Truman's elected term. It's coincidental that dad died on Sept. 10. The day he enJ isted was also Sept. IO ( 1941 ). Richard Garofalo Cal, I was browsing around on the 93rd BG web page and saw your e-mail address for information. 1 am trying to locate any crew members or information relate~ to the service of Frank Barkley. He flew with the 328 Bomber Squadron. Any

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information would help. His daughters and son do not know very much about bjs service, so 1 took it as my duty, as a grandson, to find out what I can. From what I was told he did not talk mucb about the war. l never met my Grandfather therefore T have something to set my mind to. Thank you, Matt Meador Cal, 6938 Quailfield Lane Bartlett Tn 38135 As I was going through the e-mails T see where my son has written you about my father, Robert FrankJin Barkley. My dad was from Hickory Withe, TN. lf l'm not mistaken, he was in the service before he married my mother. This had to be in the late l 940's. Both of my parents are deceased. The only living relative of my dad's is his 82 year old brother and I'm not sure if he would know. However, Matt can check with Fayette County Court House and look for the records there. Dad really never talked too much about the time he served. My father passed away in 1973 when I was only 17 years old. Matt onJy knows my father from what my brother and I have talked to him about. This really warms my heart to think my child is so interested about a wonderful man he never got to meet. Thank you foil taking the time to respond back to Matt. Sincerely, Evie Barkley Boaz Derek S. Hills. Trusl Librarian Carson G. Holloway. 2ADA American Fulbright Librarian The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library, Old Glasswells Building, 71 Ber Street, Norwich, Norfolk. NR l 3AD. Tel: (01603) 215206 Fax: (01603) 215210 Dear Mr. Davidson: Happy New Year to you and to the veterans of the 93rd Bomb Group from the Memorial Library! We are delighted that so many of you from the 93rd will be joining us as we open the new Library here in Norwich later this year. It should be a wonderful event. Progress on the construction is encouraging and there is a great deal of interest locally about the new 2nd Afr Division Memorial Library. l have recently visited at Hardwicke several times and know that a visit there with David Woodrow and his family will be a pleasure for all of you next November. Here at the Memorial Library we have enjoyed reading your recent Winter 2000 issue of 5 the Ball of Fire Quarterly Express. One of our contacts, the photographic historian Tony North, noticed that on page 4 A 1 Asch mentions that I am replacing Derek Hills as Trust Librarian. This is incorrect. I replaced Judy Jerome and am here as the 2nd ADA Fulbright Librarian through the good efforts (and fund raising) of the 2nd Air Division Association. My appointment is a term appoint-ment and I will return to the United States after the opening of the new Library next November to be replaced by another American librarian. Derek, on the other hand, is the Trust Librarian and he will, 1 hope, be here leading the Library operation for many years to come. I have enjoyed working with Derek as a colleague; since the Library is an American Library Collection within an English Library system it is useful to have both an English and an American professional librarian on th~taff. Thanks to all of you for your support of the Memorial Library and best wishes for 2001 ! Carson Holloway Dear Cal, My wife's uncle was shot down on Oct. 18th, 1943 on a diversionary raid off the coast of Holland (93 BG, 328th BS.) with all crew lost. I've filled in quite a bit of missing information through the help of AVIATION ARCHIVES. But just recently got an answer to a web board message (from a Kent Jaqwth) that the navigator survived ( Harry J. Lynvill or LinviU as it's spelled in the missing crew report back in 1943). He said that be got this startling piece of information from a brief account of the mission in the 93th Bomb History Book. Would you be abJe to tell me if the book is still available for sale or where I can find a copy? For the amount of time I've spent getting as much information for the remaining family, cost is not an object. Her uncle's name was Gregory Bournazos and he was the Bombardier, the name of the plane was "The Duke"ser.# 123729. Oddlyenough,I found (in Michael Hill's book PLOESTI: BLACK SUNDAY) that a plane (Shoot Luke) that had to abort that mission had the same serial number. I sent an E-mail to Wally Forman who wrote the book on B-24 NOSE ART and he sa.id this was an enigma because the plane "Shoot Luke" was listed as being shot down on Oct. 18th, 1942 by the 8th Air Force Historic Assn. The dating of the year must have been incorrect because it would not have been possible for them to have taken part in the 8/1/43 Ploesti raid. The month and date coincides

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6 with the actuaJ downing of "The Duke" which r think means that if the 8th AFHA (year) date is in error, then "Shoot Luke" and "The Duke" are one and the same plane. It's a real interesting mystery. l would also like to subscribe to the 93rd newsletter. Thanks for any help possible. George Pappageorge 1165 West River St. Milford, Ct. 06460 Ed: Can anyone clear up George's question? Cal Enclose.cl check for BOFQE. I flew in that old buggy several times, when not scheduled for a mission. I was a member ofSkjei's crew. I don't remember most of the names mentioned in the quarterly but it's sure great to receive and read. Our crew is down to a precious few, only four of us left. Harry Tower 46 Broadview Terrace Chatham, NJ 07928 War veterans reminisce; students listen and learn By John Monteith WORLD WAR II veteran Henry Nycamp relates bis service experiences to HoUand Township School students as part of the culmination of a special study of the nation's 20th century wars. Nosegunner Nycamp flew 35 missions with tbe 8th Air Force over Europe. At HoUand Township School on Monday student Chad Silva found a Vietnam combat photo of bis father on the Internet. World War Il Air Force veteran Henry Nycamp described the first time ~e saw a jet plane - it was a German fighter traveling at a speed that seemed unbelievable. Vietnam veteran Martha McAvoy displayed a copy of General Eisenhower's D-Day announcement that her World War n veteran father carried in his wallet for many,years. The activities were part of a special get-together of students and veterans at the culmination of an 8th-grade term project that examined America's wars of the 20th century. Twenty veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War and the Gulf War met with the school's 88 eighth-grade students in small groups and answere.d questions abou1 events that many of the kjds were hearing about for the first time. . School custodian Ken Langston, a 20-year Mar me veteran who served in Vietnam 1969-70 said that he. had looked into a school history tex; and found only a handful of pages devoted to the Vietnam War era. He reported that the kids in his group seemed very interested in his experiences. The students were surprised to hear about the Cold War, the Berlin Wall and school air raid dri11s, said 1979-82 Army vet Chris Andreychak, who served in Germany. He was recruite.d for Monday's event by his son Kevin. Also on hand at Kevin's.behest was his grandfather, Bill Young an Air Force veteran of the Korean.War era ;ho served in Alaska "spying on Russia." "Jt brought back a lot of memories," sajd young in commenting about the day. "I'm impressed by the kids," said Karl Heimerl, a l 983-89 Navy vet. His son Joe bad asked him to appear at the event just the previous Wednesday. "They're well prepared and their questions are thoughtful." "Before the project got underway in September," said social studies teacher Pat Hall, many of the students were unaware that family members had served in wars. They started learning about it when they were aske.d to bring in family service pictures as part of the project. The interdisciplinary project was devised by Hall and language arts teacher Trudy Kish. It was incorporated into science, math, English, history and computer classes. "Kids learn better when they can see connections," said Hall. Science teacher Bill Lee took students to a cemetery in Greenwich T ownsbip, she reported, as part of a geology lesson and at the same time answered their questions about aU the headstones and monuments devote.cl to former soldiers. For more than a week students listened to and learned about popular wartime music - "The White Cliffs of Dover" from World War II and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless America" from the Vietnam War, for ex.ample. And of course they wound up receiving lessons in both geography and geology when they heard why the Dover cliffs on England's Channel coast are white. The students toured some of the area's many monuments to veterans. "They learned they're more than just stone," said Ha.JI.

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"It's learning in the first person," said student Peter Davis when asked his reaction to meeting and interviewing a former paratrooper. He reported that four of his relatives had served in World War II. "lt's actual people and how the world was," said student Amrit Schirmer, who had been listening to a World War II Marine. Both of her grandfathers were veterans. "This is a lot more than we could've learned in class," said student Billy McWilliams, who had been in veteran Nycamp's discussion group. Nycamp, bead of the local VFW post, recruited 13 of the veterans at the event. He flew 35 missions with the 8th Air Force in Europe in World War II. "They understand what the war was about," he said of the kids. "The teachers have made it a real program. 11 After the group meetings, all the students from the five 8th-grade classes and the veterans got together in the multi-purpose room. Each veteran was then introduced to the larger group by a student who gave a brief account of his or her service career. Student Casey Clark, for instance, introduced her grandfather, Frank O'Such. The day's events concluded with students, veterans and teachers encircling the school flagpole for the Pledge of Allegiance. The students' interviews of the veterans will be bound into books, said Hall, and copies will be presented to the VFW and the school and public libraries. Ed: I can't give credit to the paper in which this article appeared but assume it was from a paper in Henry's locale. Dear Cal, We look forward to seeing you all for the official opening of your Memorial Library in Norwich this November and especially for your day at the old air base, Hardwick, during that time. We hope you have a wonderful reunion on March 30-April 2 and will be thinking of you all at that time. We wisb you all the best. Love from Pearl and David Neale J am the son of George H. Sicklels. We were showing my father the "Web" and he was absolutely mystified. He asked to see if there was a 93rd Bomb Group site, boy was I surprised to see this one. Nice job! Dad was a 93rd Bomb Group Weather officer. He was with the Group from 1942 to 1945. A LI the years the group was overseas. He married a British woman and remained in the USAF, eventually retiring in 1961 as a Lt. Col. He is now almost 82 years young and would 7 very much like to go to Lhe reunion in Savannah, GA. Please list him in your records and include us in your mailings and communications if any. Lt. Col. George H. Sickels, Jr. (Rel.) C/O Mid-Island Beach Marina 4765 Estero Blvd. Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931 Dear Mr. Davidson, I have the following open research items for my book on the 93rd Bomb Group. I want to make it as correct as possible. Hopefully, some of the veterans of the 93rd can shed some light on the folJowing items. Mystery 93rd BG aircraft Here is my list of 93rd BG Aircraft that I have not been able to identify a serial #. I am looking for anything that pertains to these planes. If anybody has any photos, diary entries or recollection of these planes, I would like to her from them. "Lonesome Polecat", "Zippo", "What a Sack", "Barbara", "Satan's Sister, "Fart Sack Time", "Barfly", "Carioca Bey", "Zoot Snoot", "Foil Proof', "Jtty Bitty Commando", "Missouri Sue", "Return Engagement", ''False Alarm", "Hanger Queen", "Lucille", "Frances Ana", "Piccadilly Virgin", "Bodacious", "Gentle Ginny ll", "Outa Diss Woild", "My Achin Back" Military and Personal Records I am also lookjng for any form of written records from the war years. They can be official records, leave passes, diaries or list of missions. I know some men kept a personal mission list that showed serial # or nose art name. These types of records help me greatly in my research to document aircraft names or nose art. I am looking for orders for the return trip to the USA. They show the aircraft #, entire crew and passengers. "Sleepy Time Gal" I am also looking for anyone who remembers a 93rd BG airplane named "Sleepy Time Gal". It was assigned to the 328th BS and flew over I 00 missions. It was with the 93rd BG from May 1944 through to April 1945. It bad a natural metal finish. I am looking for photos of this plane. I have a possible photo of it, but it could be from a different group. If you remember the 93rd BG "Sleepy Time Gal" please contact me so I can send you a copy of this possible nose art. Mystery Photo Album I have recently purchased a photo album that shows the 93rd BG coming home. It is definitely a 93rd BG item but the original owner name is

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8 missing. I found it on the online auction. The album was found in a wooden box under a cabin. Mfoe had eaten the edges of the pages and the cover, but stopped short of the photos. I would like to learn as much as possible about this album and the people shown in it. Here are the clues from the photo album. I know it was 93rd BG and most likely 328th BS. There are many clues in it but the original owner name is not. I think the original owner was a ground crewman due to his comment that he now feels like a "Fly Boy". The first page is May 1945 and there is a caption about Mr. EUis's Place and a man named REE. There are references to Hal Fiegenbaum, San, BiU Huerstel, Homer Webb, Joe and Libby Nichols (Red Cross). There are photos ofall of the above people and one of the original owner. The plane they came home on was called "Homin Pidgin" and left Hardwick on or about May 22, 1945 and landed back in the USA at Bradley Field. There is also a photo of 41-28865 of the 328th. This would be the serial # of "Homin Pidgin" if the album is correct. ram continuing to check this. The flight crew for the return home flight was Fisher. They were originally assigned to the 453rd BG, 734th BS but were transferred to the 93rdBG. TheyflewonemissiononApriJ 25, 1945. Pilot William A. Fisher Co-pilot Henry E. Pickett Nav. Adrian A. Cherry Eng. Raymond C. Hunt Radio Raymond A. Murray N/G Carl H. Gustafson W/G Regis F. Judy W/G Joseph D. Skaff T/G Elmer E. Bennett Thank you very much for your help, Don Morrison 1375 West Comet Rd. Clinton, OH 44216 Phone (330) 882 2536 Hi Mr. Davidson, T'm researching Page Field Ft. Myers .I got in touch with Art F erwerda and he directed me to you being in charge of the newsletter. l'm looking for information through any possible source . I live on the barracks site at Page in a divided up barrack. I grew up in Oberlin Ohio and 1 have family still there. Just curious how long you have lived outside Oberlin. Appreciate all help you ca11 provide. Dean Reno 103 4th st #4 Fort Myers, FL 33907-2416 To whom it may concern: I am trying to find any information including pictures of Raymond E. Dolle whom I believe to oe my great-uncle. We know very little about him except that he was from Alabama, probably the Birmingham area. We were always told he was something of a black sheep, going into the service to avoid jail time for running a highly profitable gambling outfit, possibly from a cave. I searched the faces of all of your great pictures on the internet site looking for family resemblances but r thought someone might remember him and possibly be able to point him out. Please ~mail me if anybody bas any info, stories or pictures of him that you'd like to share. Thank-you so much! Dear Cal, Michele Mount 1600 Hillcrest Circle Albertville, AL 35951 michelemount@yahoo.com I just received the winter issue of the BOFQE and was quite surprised to find a photo of my crew on page 11 ! Evidently photos were switched since the story is about gunner Douglas Garner and the baby shoes belonging to his daughter. ltwould be nice if you could reprint the photo in the next edition with the correct names. AU of those in the photo are my original crew except the radar navigator who was added when we became a lead crew. The photo would have been taken in February or March of 1945 when we bad become a lead crew. We flew in various lead positions for our last eight missions: 4 Squadron leads; 2 Group Deputy leads; 1 Group lead; and one Deputy Wing lead. lncidently, General Doolittle's reforence to the Dec. 24, 1944 raids brought back many memories as I remember that mission well. Dear Cal. Phil Buffington 210 ln1periaJ Dr. Bloomington, IL 61701 1 hope this letter finds you in good health and like myselflooking forward to November. I have to date received back a few more of my questionnaires and am now up to 59. Had a super package from Harry Tower Jr And his son Harry LB who sent over to me copies of some sketches that Harry Jr did while passing the time away at Hardwick and "wow" these are fantastic. He tells me he has more If we would like them so r can not wait for the next package. You might also be interested in copies of these as I think they would

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make a great edition to the B. 0. F. Q. E maybe one in each quarter. I djd notice that the photo on page I I of the Winter 2000 issue has a completely different crew list as the one that we have. Ours was sent over from Phil Buffinton who was the pilot so I guess your list is in error or a mistake. Please let me know your thoughts on thjs and is there any chance of obtaining some good color copies of the 2 Christmas Cards on the reverse of the Winter 2000 edition as they look pretty good. Have also included a copy of a crash report for the 3rd February 1944 when 824D 4 l-24 l 92A "Dog Patch Raider" crashed on the outskirts of the airfield. Cal Stewart's book shows this as crashing on the 5th and not the 3th so hope you can put the records straight, if you have not done so already. Hope to see you and many others in November if everything goes to plan. Paul Thrower Dear Cal, l am sending you some items that you requested during our phone conversation a few days ago. I went overseas and began flying missions with Capt. George Dobb's crew. Our original co-pilot Lt. Edward Dunne was killed on hjs 3rd mission and Capt. Dobbs was reassigned as Operations Officer for the 409th B.S. Lt. Bernard Abel replaced Dunne as co-pilot and Lt. David F orseman replaced Capt. Dobbs as pilot. This crew flew as a lead crew with the 329th B.S. I flew with other crews that needed a gunner as well as my own crew. When I completed my tour of 30 missions my crew still h!!d several missions to go. As you know flying combat missions with different crews can be hazardous to your health. I flew my last mission with a crew flying their 3rd mission. I look forward to meeting you at the 93rd reunion in Savannah this March. Douglas Gamer 3606 Fay St. Huntsville, AL 35810 Ed: 1 am at present trying to resolve which crew was actually pictured in the "Betty's Shoes" article in the last issue. I have reprinted the picture, on page 11, with names provided by Phil Buffington and also included a picture ofForseman's crew. Dear Cal, I'm writing to introduce myself and renew my subscription for your fine newsletter while also 9 forwarding my 93rd membership fee. I wanted to tell you, too, how much I've enjoyed your well edited Newsletter which has kept me so beautifully informed on the history and activities of the colorful 93rd BG. In my book, the 93rd has to be the finest Group of its kind ever formed. Of course, I'm a bit prejudiced in view of my family connections to "General Ted" which you and Harry Kelleher, as well as Al Asch, acknowledged so nicely in your Spring and Winter issues. I'm a writer myself and happen to be a nephew of Ted's. l should tel1 you it was my pleasure to interview him at Hilton Head 011ly a month or so before his death. What a guy and what a leader! I was with him in connection to a book I'm doing on the three Timberlake brothers and their exploits during World War IL My father was the oldest; Ted the "baby!" ln between was Pat, another 3-Star type. Incidentally, I hope to attend your reunion in Savannah and. look forward to joining you. lo the meantime all the best. E. Wrenne Timberlake I am looking for any information that I can find about my grandfather, S/Sgt. Walter Springer, Jr. He was a tail gunner in the 330th Bomber Squadron, 93rd Bomber Group. He was killed in action on March 6, l 944 over Germany. I have a picture of bis crew and a few letters from the crew's family members after they were shot down giving few details of their mission. I would appreciate any information available, while people are still living who may remember. Kelly.Lord P.O. Box 51 l Mullica Hill, NJ 08062 Ercoupe snow plow discovered By Don Wood I was driving through Kingston, NY, one October and was startled to see a single-rudder Crcoupe airplane with a snow plow mounted on its nose. Luckily 1 had my camera with me and 1 took a picture as proof of this great setup. Another stroke of good luck was that the plane-plow's owner/operator, Gregory G. Brooks was there giving the plane a preplow inspection wbkh took about five minutes. He spent the rest of the time leaning on the wing. He said he was waiting for it to snow. When 1 asked Brooks how he got the idea for the plane-plow he responded that "having been a pilot for lots of years he bad observed that most of the smaller private fields in the Kingston area did not have their own snow removal equipment and it would sometimes be days before they would

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be open after a snow storm." Plane-plow operator Gregory G. Broo~ waits for the snow to fly Greg has a plane-plow route of five airports within a SO-mile radius of Kingston. When it snows he is "Greggie-on-the-spot." He has an old Southwind gasoline-fired car heater mounted in the cockpit. He makes good money servicing the airports, which talces him about four hours. He his is also building time toward his commercial pilot's rating. When asked what method he uses to plow the runaways, be said that if the snow is less than 12 inches deep he makes his initial approach with the plow dowp at 90 mph and flies onto the runway maintaining 80 mph while plowing. At the end of the runway be pulls up, spins her around, and plows the other way. He said that plowing the taxi ways are a series of dives and zooms. If the snow is more than 12 inches in depth be peels it down six inches at a time until he can drop on the runway to finish the job. Some of the local crop dusters asked Greg to fly for them during the summer, but he refused because crop dusting is too dangerous. Ed: Reprinted from an "Old Cars" magazine and if you believe this story I have a bridge I'd Wee to sell you on April I. Reunion update This is the latest news on our 93rd Bomb Group 2001 Reunion on March 30th through April 2nd at Savannah. Georgia. Vice President, Al Asch and Reunion Chairman. Harry Kelleher were hoping that 80 to LOO people would be attending the ¥ight Eighth Museum to honor our comrades and to unveil the bust of our famous Wing Commander, General Ted Timberlake. Well, Ted's Travelling Circus has risen again. Between reservations at the Quality Suites and activity fees paid to Bob McKeever we now have over 140 people definitely planning to attend our reunion, and there is room for more. The Quality Suites have reserved 75 rooms for our members, of which 62 have been reserved to date. Three very important t.as~ which must be done by a number of you: 1. Quite a few rooms have been reserved by members who have not remitted the $160 per person activity fee to Bob McKeevcr, and several members who reserved 2 rooms for 2 people each, have only paid for 2 people instead of 4. 2. At the same time, we have another group of people who have paid their $160 activity fee, and have failed to reserve a room at the Quality Suites and must do so immediately. If you are staying at another bote~ please advise Harry Kelleher (561-546-1486). 3. For those people who plan to arrive by air, please call Quality Suites and request their Airport shuttle service and give the Airline, flight # and arrival time. A member of the Hospitality Committee will be at the Airport to assist with the shuttle service which is scheduled to run from 7 am to 8 pm. Quality Suites will give us a computer printout of all the 93rd arrival times. We remind you that the Quality Suites toll free number is 888-854-5678 to reserve your room and to request the airport shuttle. We need everyone to finalize the above quickly as we must have the final attendance numbers to arrange for meals, buses and activities. For those who are driving to the Qua I ity Suites, use VS Rte 95, Ex.it 94 East. Tum left at the first traffic light (less than 1/4 mile). There will be a McDonalds on the NW comer and Quality Suites is about ½ mile north down the road on the left near Rte 95. 4. At the Timberlake bust dedication Al Asch will ask members who have stories and remembrances of Gen. Ted to relate them, so be prepared. This will be a reunion to remember. The MIGHTY EIGHTH MUSEUM is a masterpiece in itself, and Savannah is a historical treasure of the South. Harry A. Kelleher, Reunion Chairman Folded Wings Frederick A. Beckett Stanley Jacewicz Melvin F. Staudt RoyD. Holley Francis L. Lindquist Harry Tower Jr. Ed: Harry Tower Ill has requested that in lieu of cards or flowers that a donation be made in his fathers name to our Memorial Library room in Norwich, England.

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Ball of Fire @M&J[?{l@f?DSJ @:I~[?@@@ Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group (Ted's Travelling Circus) At War 1942-45 / Hardwick Aerodrome, County Norfolk, England Vol. 9, No. 2 Second Air Division / Eighth Air Force Summer, 2001 Celebrating the Life of Ted Timberlake ... and memorializing our fallen Edward Julius "Ted" Timberlake was born on 10 November 1909. He attended St. Luke Academy in Wayne, Pa., before entering the U.S. Military Academy in 1927. He was commissioned as an Infantry Second Lieutenant in 1931 and trans-ferred to the Army Air Corps three months later. The newly-minted officer served in various aviation assignments during the 10 years following commissioning. In 1941, he was a major com-manding a squadron. In March 1942, he took com-mand of the newly-formed 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), consisting of four squadrons-328th, 329th 330th and 409th-and immediately began a rigorous program of training and coastal patrols. The 93rd's four-engine B-24 Liberators made the first formation crossing of the North Atlantic in early September 1942. Colonel Timberlake led the Group into combat October 9, 1942, the first raid by Liberators, part of the "shoe-string" Eighth Air Force, against Hitler's Fortress Europa. Under Colonel Ted, the 93rd bombed tar-gets in Occupied Europe. In December 1942, three squadrons of the Group went to North Africa for two months' temporary duty. In May 1943, he took command of the 201st Combat Wing (Provisional). The 93rd made its second trip to North Africa, as part of the 201st, and began preparations in Libya for the epic low-level assault against the oil refiner-ies at Ploesti, Romania. Colonel Ted was one of the primary planners of the historic mission, but intensely disappointed because he was forbidden to fly that bold strike against the Nazis' most heavily defended target. The Wing returned to England after the Ploesti mission. By October 1943, Timberlake was a brigadier, the youngest U.S. gen-eral officer since the Civil War. General Timberlake's 201st Wing was ordered back to North Africa (the third Africa expe-dition for the 93rd) to attack the huge Wiener-Neustadt Messerschmitt spawning nest outside Vienna. By this time the 93rd had traversed so many lands and seas the outfit had become widely known as Ted's Travelling Circus.

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2 General Ted commanded the Second Combat Wing, based atHethel Aerodrome, until September 1944 when be took command of the Twentieth Combat Wing. based with the 93rd at Hardwick Aerodrome. lt was during late 1943 and early 1944 the Eighth gained fighter escorts and began dealing large-scale blows against the enemy's fuel sources, Luftwaffe factories and aerodromes, transportation. V-1 "buzz bomb" and V-2 rocket facilities, ammunition and chemical works, shipping and a wide range of other strategic targets. The 93rd amassed 396 missions-the most of any heavy bomber outfit in the Eighth. After World War II, General Ted commanded the 315th Air Division in Japan before assignment to the Fifth Air Force staff. He took the Fifth to Korea in July 1950 at the outbreak of the Korean War and became its commander in May 1951, a major general. In September 195 l, he returned to the U.S. and assumed command of the Ninth Air Force. ln 1957, General Ted commanded NATO's Fourth Tactical Air Force and a year later became vice-commander of U.S. Air Forces, Europe. In July 1961, he gained his third star as he assumed the post of Deputy Chief of the Air Force for Personnel. In July 1962, General Timberlake commanded the Continental Air Command and held this post until his retirement in June 1965. His many decorations included two Distinguished Service Medals, Silver Star, two Legion of Merit, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, Bronze Star, five Air Medals, plus numerous foreign awards. Ted married the former Marjorie Campbell in November 1932 and together they had one son; she had two daughters by a previous marriage. The Timberlakes were an illustrious military family, the father and four sons were West Pointers, all athletic. Three sons became generals: Patrick and Ted, Air Force lieutenant generals; Wrenne, an anti-aircraft artillery officer, one of the first American generals ashore at Omaha Beach June 6, 1944. Ted lettered in five sports at the Military Academy. He spent his twilight years at Hilton Head Island, S.C., serving as a planner and an elected official. He suffered a lingering illness and died 3 September 1990, having been preceded in death by his wife Marge. He had caused the marker to read: SHE WAS THE VALIANT ONE They are buried at Hilton Head. General Timberlakes daughter-in-law Sally and his two grandsons Ted and Christopher posing with his bust.

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3 We Had A Reunion! We had a reunion at The Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum at the end of March30-April l. There were two main events, the dedication of our memorial plaque on display in the Memorial Gardens of the museum and on Sunday night at our main banquet, the unveiling of the bronze bust of Lieutenant General Edward J. "Ted" Timberlake, the first commanding officer of the 93rd Bomb Group, a wing commander of the Second Air Division and one of the planners for the epic low altitude raid against the Ploesti oil refineries on August I, 1943. The Heritage Museum provided outstanding support for aU our reunion activities. Dedication of the Plaque. The White House had caUed me at my hotel the day before dedication with information that a message of greetings to the 93rd from President Bush was being faxed to me through the. museum. The message from the President arrived and was well received by the attend~ ( over 150) to start the ceremonies on a very pleasant note. It seemed fitting that one of our WWII 93rd Bomb. Group commanders, Colonel Harvey Barnard, USAF, Ret., inset, would read the letter TIIE WIIITE 11ous1.:: WASIIINGTON April 11.2001 I nm delighted to send my warmest greetings to everyone gathered at the Mighty Eighth Air force l lcritage Museum. The 93rd Dombardmcnt Group (H) served America with honor and distinction. Your unit established a reputation for courage and for vital contributions to significant victories in Europe and Northern Africa. The plaque you are dedicating is a fitting symbol of your heroic efforts to protect the cause of freedom. Americans must always rcmemher that our achievements in peace and war alike have been built on the service and sacrific~ of our men and women in uniform. I salute you. and all our Nation's \'etcrans. for responding to the call of patriotic duty with strength, resolve, and coumgc. L.1uni joins me in sending best wishes for a successful event. May God bless you. and may God bless America.

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4 The reading of the letter was followed by a very good paper presented by Colonel Kenneth "Kayo" Dessert about squadron life during WWil. Kayo was the commanding officer of the 409th and a West Point graduate. The paper is presented here: Home Was With the Squadrom by Colonel Kenneth O. Dessert Ladies and gentlemen. The squadrons of the 93rd Bomb Group became close-knit organizations, specially when we started flying combat. There were many close friends made by both officers and enlisted men. The squadrons accomplished the work to house and feed the people who flew and maintained our airplanes. We were self-sufficient and likened to small villages. The character of the squadrons started developing at Fort Meyers, Florida during the summer of 1942. By-and-large, all personnel were inducted into the Army Air Force a few months prior to arriving at Fort Meyers and our staging at Manchester, N. H. Those who had some training and experience were placed in charge of similar activities and had the responsibility to train others. Many of our fine officers and enlisted men had civilian experience which became usefuJ in the administrat:on, supply, maintenance and other logisticaJ support of combat flying. Our flight surgeons had experience from civilian medical practice and were sorely needed to take care of the wounded from combat as were our chaplains. It was in our squadrons where the lost airmen were missed the most. Their memories lingered long after they were gone. Everyone was saddened in taking care of their personal effects, notifying the next of kin and getting as much information as possible associated with the loss to notify their loved ones. Because of our early entry into the air war, we did not have replacements of aircraft and crews until the squadrons were getting depleted but our airmen never quit. New crews started to come in as replacements and we grumbled they would never be like the old boys, our squadrons are "shot." Then we discovered they were the same American boys wanting to be accepted, willing to share, eager to do their part and we soon were "sweating" out the return of our new friends from combat missions in just the same manner that we did the guys who had left. It is to all those who served in the air war over Europe during World War II, especially those who made the supreme sacrifice with their lives, that we dedicate this living memorial. Let it remain here for generations to come in their memory. Thank you ladies and gentlemen! Kenneth Dessert Dedication Remarb by Alfred "Al" Asch Today, we pay special tribute to the members of the 93rd Bomb Group who served in the Second World War, and in particular, to those who gave - their lives to preserve our freedoms. Our generat1on had a rendezvous with destiny. We were engaged in a life-and-death struggle against extremely oppressive forces that threatened to extinguish the light of freedom, not only for our country but for others as well . Mere words alone cannot express the significance of dedicating this memorial in memory of those airmen who lost their lives. It has special meaning to aU of us. Many of us lost crew members, classmates and close friends to enemy action. The family members and friends so well represented here today share our feelings for those who served so well. Many of our downed airmen became prisoners of war and suffered extreme hardships of Nazi POW camps. So, it is to all airmen and others who lost their Lives or have since died that we pay special tribute and dedicate this memorial. 1 vividly remember, as some of you do, our first mission briefing on October 9, 1942 by our Group Commander, Colonel Edward J. "Ted" Timberlake, who said to us, "This is the day we've been waiting for; I know you 'Joes' can do it." His personal courage and leadership qualities and his puckish sense of humor endeared him to the men of

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his command and the aircrews were never reluctant to follow him into combat. Our Group became know as Ted's TraveUing Circus because of the three trips made to North Africa to support the war effort by bombing Nazi supply shipping in Mediterranean Sea ports and by hitting airfields and other strategic targets in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Balkan States. On one of these trips, we joined an armada of 178 B-24's to bomb at low altitude the oil refineries in and around Ploesti, Romania. Of the 39 B-24's of the 93rd that took off from Benghazi, 34 reached the target. Only 15 came away from the target in formation and of those only five escaped with little damage. This was probably the most vicious air/ground battle in the history of aviation warfare. Of the five groups that participated, 310 airmen were killed, or one in five of approximately l,600 men reaching the target area. The 93rd. received the Distingujshed Unit Citation, and Lt. Col. Baker and Major Jerstad received the Medal of Honor posthumously. Distinguished Service Crosses were given to George Brown, Ramsay D. Potts, Kenneth D. McFarland, John Roche and Walter Stewart for extraordinary heroism and gallantry in action over the target, and 13 Silver Stars were presented for gallantry in action. A total of 318 received the Distinguished Flying Cross for distinguished and meritorious achievement while participating in operations against the Ploesti oil refineries of Rournania on I August 1943. And there were an untold number of Purple Hearts given. This may be the most decorations given an organization for a single combat operation in the history of aerial warfare. Some of you here flew that operational mission known as Tidalwave. We had many other intrepid and exemplary leaders in our group in addition to General Ted. Two enlisted men stand out. One was a crew chief, M/Sgt Herbert "Pop" Hastings and the other, T/Sgt Fred Anderson. Sergeant l lastings was an older man (32 years) so we aU called him "Pop". He was crew chief of The Duchess which flew 54 missions without an abort before she was shot down. She was called "Queen of the Liberators" in a Stars and Stripes article February I 0, 1944. She flew on all the tough ones, including the Ploesti low altitude raid. When Pop cleared The Duchess for flight. the crews knew it was ready to go. Sergeant Anderson distinguished hjmself as the aerial engineer for Packy Roche on the Ploesti mission. Prior to that, he had shot down at least one JU-88 German fighter while flying on submarine patrol 5 with Ramsay Potts. He received the Silver Star for gallantry in action when be was wounded very painfully from a burst of flak in the face and head while operating the top turret over Ploesti. "He was knocked from his turret but he got back into it and continued to fight. After leaving the target area, Sergeant Anderson made repairs on the damaged B-24 so that it could return to its base. His citation read: His performance of duty under fire, when seriously injured, constitutes heroism of the finest sort. His courage and the dedication to duty by Sergeant Hastings was symbolic of that of all the aircrews and other members of our Group." The 93rd Bomb Group, made up of four squadrons-the 328th, 329th, 330th and the 409th-flew more combat missions than any other heavy bombardment group during WWTI, whether B-17, 8-24 or the B-29. We were the first B-24 group to arrive in England and we pioneered many high altitude bombing and combat techniques that set the standards for those arriving later during the war. We operated from several bases from 1942 to 1945: Alconbury, Hardwick and Holmsley South in England and four different bases on our three tours in North Africa. We flew 396 combat missions and lost 670 airmen. either killed or missing in action. Let this memorial remain for generations to come as a reminder that the preservation of our freedoms required hardships and sacrifices by all who served during World War ll. Thank you ladies and gentlemen. The plaque shown was designed from the 93rd monument which stands at our WW II airbase at Hardwick. Al.Asch

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The museum provided a Color Guard and Bugler and they had the plaque draped for the unveiling. They also provided a wreath which was laid as a part of the ceremony. Words spoken by Al Asch for the safe keeping of the plaque by the museum were as follows: "On behalf of the members of the 93rd Bomb Group, this memorial plaque is presented to The Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum for safe keeping and care. It is a memorial to those we lost in combat and to all who served and as a constant reminder to future generations that through the lives of our airmen and dedicated service by others we have a life of freedom and democracy. Ms. Judy Walker, it is our privilege to present this memorial to the Heritage Museum. We know you will take good care of it." (Ms. Walker is the Museum Director of Development.) General Jacob Smart's visit for the ceremony followed by lunch was a high light. General Smart was an advisor to General Henry "Hap" Arnold for strategic bombing over Europe and be was one of the principal planners of the low altitude Ploesti raid. He is a West Point graduate and had a distinguished career in the Air Force. He is approaching 92 years of age and very much alert. We were indeed honored by his presence. K. 0. Dessert provided the transportation and aided General Smart during his visit. Thank you, Kayo! Kenneth Dessert and Jacob Smart Following a luncheon, Ms. Judy Walker of the Museum gave us a very good briefing on its history 7 and current operation. It serves a dual purpose, educating the younger generation as well as maintaining a very fine museum for the general public. The attendees bad the afternoon to enjoy the museum. Dedication of the Bronze Bust of General Timberlake. The programs in color were professionally produced, courtesy of Cal Stewart. He bad them done through the family owned design/printing company: Nebraska Printing Center, Lincoln. Cal applied his writing skills and knowledge of General Timberlake's career and put in final form a great biographical sketch of the General which was included in the program pamphlet and quoted here. Remember Cal as the author of our great history book, Ted's Travelling Circus, and he coauthored the book, Ploesti, both very well done. Ca.I served as General Ted's aide during WWII, thus probably knew him better than most of us. Cal also had two large banners of General Ted's picture appearing with the American flag in the background. These were hung in the museum during our reunion. I plan to take one of th.em to England for our Museum at Hardwick. Editor's note: General Ted's picture and biography are on the first two pages and Al Asch read the biography. Following the reading of the General's biographical sketch, Major General Ramsay D. Potts, Colonels John "Packy"Roche, "Kayo" Dessert and Carroll "Ca1" Stewart presented their memories of General Ted and emphasized significant occurrences that demonstrated why he was a great air combat leader and so well Jiked and admired by his men, family and friends. These four gentlemen were very close to General Ted during W Wll aod had a great admiration. for him. The bust was unveiled by Major General Ramsay Potts, Colonel John R. Roche and the two grandsons, Edward Julius "Ted"TimberlakeIV and Christopher E. Timberlake. It was accepted for the museum by the CEO and president, C. J. Roberts. The bust is now on display in our display case at the Museum. The grandson, Edward Julius. "Ted" Timberlake JV, then presented a paper about General Ted as a family man. It is presented here in its entirety:

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8 Observations by Edward J. Timberlake IV First of all, on behalf of the Timberlake Family, in particular my mother, Sally Timberlake, my brother, Christopher Timberlake, and my cousin Wrenne Timberlake, thank you for this tremendous display of admiration of and affection for my grandfather, Gen. Ted Timberlake. In particular, we would like to thank the many sponsors who generously contributed the funds necessary to complete the bust of my grandfather that will tonight take its place along side the busts of the other remarkable leaders of the 8th Air Force. We would like to especially thank Col. Al Asch, without whose tireless efforts this project would not have been accomplished, and Harry Kelleher, without whom this reunion would not have occurred. I know that nay grandfather would consider this bust and dedication ceremony to be his highest honor, more so I believe than the military decorations and commendations awarded to him, because it is an honor bestowed upon him by you, his brothers-in-arms whom he respected and admired so much. His extraordinary leadership abilities have been well-noted, but I think that when you are a leader of a group of leaders, facing extraordin2ry circumstances, the close bond and connection that results from the relationship transcends the traditional leader-follower model and becomes that of brother and brother. It would be far more appropriate for my father, Colonel Ted Timberlake to be here to help dedicate this bust. He was a decorated Air Force pilot and was awarded, among other commendations, the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross for the gallantry and leadership be exhibited while flying combat missions under intense fire over Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, be died last year after a courageous struggle with cancer, a disease which also claimed my grandfather's life in 1990. But, 1 feel the presence of both of them here tonight and I know that their leadership abmties, values, spirit, disarming senses of humor, and genuineness are imbued in their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. For example, my brother Christopher Timberlake, is a decorated v~teran of the Persian Gulf War. Chris started out in Jate 1989 on a routine float dressed in jungle camouflage aboard the USS Okinawa headed for the Philippines as a 2nd Lt. and the leader of a Marine amphibious assault platoon. As luck would have it, he wound up in the desert on the Arabian peninsula, stilJ dressed in bis jungle camouflage preparing to face the Iraqi Republican Guard. Chris told me that, as he prepared to lead bis young troops into combat, he remem~ered my grandfather's close connection to his men and the tireless preparations that he made in anticipation of combat. He recalled the tremendous feats of my grandfather and you, in the face of great adversity, and realized that ifbe was to lead his platoon home, he too would have to tirelessly prepare and develop the same close connection with his men that my grandfather had with you. I am pleased and proud to tell you that the formula for success did not change in 45 years. My brother liberated the first piece of Kuwaiti soil from Iraqi control and brought his entire platoon home without suffering a single casualty. On the other hand. I am a Washington lawyer, but I am hopeful that there is still time to redeem myself to you all. While I did not follow my father and grandfather into the profession of arms, a transgression for which my grandfather and father eventually forgave me, especialJy after they found out how much money a corporate attorney can earn, I took many lessons :from my grandfather and father that I employ today in my job as a lawyer. Those lessons include treating all people with dignity and respect, believing in the inherent ability of motivated individuals to accomplish goals that may seem to some to be impossible, and always using any power inherent in my position to benefit my colleagues and my company's constituents. Of course, most of the lessons J took from my grandfather were taken while at his side during his retirement years on Hilton Head Island, not far from this Museum. I can assure you that my grandfather was every bit the gentleman in his family and personal lives as he was in his military and professional lives. He was a considerate and concerned grandfather and even when we tangled the line of his new fishing pole in the crepe myrtle in his yard as we fished for spot and bass in the lagoon in front of his home, he was patient and understanding as he unwound the tangled line from the tree. I remember the hours we spent as he tried valiantly to teach me how to drive a golf ball and how be would grab and hang-on to a clump of my hair as I took swing, after swing to encourage me to keep my head down through the downswing. I recall that my mother was somewhat baffled by the small bald spot on the top of my head that she

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L noticed later that day and even more confused as J explained to her that I lost my hair while grandfather was teaching me golf. As you may know my grandfather loved sports and was an exceptional athlete, starring for West Point in swimming and earning All-American status in lacrosse. He played football and baseball as well, but his successes in those sports were less pronounced. He had the distinction of being promptly picked off first base by the catcher of the New York Yankees during the annual West Point -Yankees exhibition game when, after getting to first on a bloop single to right field, Lou Gehrig convinced him to take a long lead off of first base because the catcher didn't have an arm. His baseball career ended after his own father, then the Construction Quartermaster of West Point, insisted that he be dropped from the team for missing a game to visit with his mother before she left on a trip to Europe. As for his football career, my grandfather told us that his one "shining" moment occurred during a game in which be was motioned over by the coach after Army's star halfback at the time, Chris Cagle, ripped bis pants during a play. As Cag]e's little used back-up, my grandfather sprung forth, ready to be inserted into the game for the first time in quite awhile and show the coach what he was made of. He was sorely disappointed when the coach gave him the order: "Timberlake, take off your pants and hand them over to Cagle." It is often the little things in life that humble ooe, and make a man realize that there is more to life than the pursuit of self-aggrandizement. Perhaps it was his love of and pursuit of athletic accomplishment that made my grandfather understand that the key to leading a successful team is understanding that the whole must always be greater than the sum of the parts. In my view, the 93rd Heavy Bombardment Group, Ted's Travelling Circus, was the ultimate team. There was never one like it in modern times, and there will never be one like it again, at least in our lifetimes. God willing, there will never have to be a team that faces so much adversity with so much at stake. My grandfather had a passion for golf and enjoyed the sport and 25 years of retirement on Hilton Head Island with my grandmother. When he died, the local newspaper referred to him as the "unofficial mayor of Hilton Head" and t O years later, our family name is still recognized on the Island and fond recollections of my grandfather are often offered. 9 My grandfather rarely spoke of his exploits and accomplishments but often spoke of the friends he made during his career. I know that, whether enlisted or officer, be considered each of you he knew as a friend and colleague and above all was deeply honored to have Jed you during those momentous ti(nes. From what 1 have heard from you, he was the type of man whom you would follow to the ends of the Earth, and from what I have heard of you, he was privileged to have been the object of such dedication and commitment. l believe the picture in the program, which hangs in a prominent place in our family home in Hilton Head, says it all Genera) Ted, striding confidently between his flight commander on his left and his crewman on his right, was fit for command and ready for the fight. I know he treasured you all, from the pilots, to the flight crews, to the ground crews, to the wives and loved ones of his men. He wanted nothing more than to bring you home to your families and the lives you left behind, better men for having faced down your own foibles and fears and, of course, having beaten them and the enemy too. Again I thank you and telJ you that it has been a tremendous honor for our family to be here with you tonight to celebrate this occasion. On behalf of my children and a grateful country, we thank you for your mighty efforts to secure this nation and our way of life for future generations. You and your brothers who fell in battle will never be forgotten. I work for a defense contractor, and I can tell you that we striye today to ensure that we stand prepared to defend what you preserved and to ensure that your children, their children, and their children's children do not have to face the stern tests that you as young men and women endured. Rest assured that you have set the standard for all who follow, and that this nation and the world will be forever in your debt. Afterthoughts Some of the incidents reported below are borrowed passages from "Ted's Travelling Circus" hislorical non-fiction accounts of the 93rd at war 1942-45. Oscar Street of San Raefel, Calif., was resplendent in his half-century-old Air Force uniform and Harvey Barnard, like Street, were appearing at their first reunion of the 93rd Bombardment Group. Non first-timers include John Cadle of Tacoma, Robert (Bob) Jacobs of

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10 Hampton, Va., Luther Cox of Orlando. They and 156 others reunited at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum to unveil a bronze bust of the late Edward J. "Ted'' Timberlake, who led the 93rd into combat in the deadly skies ofNorthwest Europe on Oct. 9, 1942., the first B-24 Liberators into comNt from England. The outfit became widely known as Ted's Travelling Circus. piling up 396 missions, the most of any B-17 Flying Fortress or Liberator group in World War II. Personnel losses were the fewest among the origioal 8-17 and 8-24 four-engine outfits based in England. Previously 93rd "alumni" had gathered at Eighth Air Force and Second Air Division reunions across the U.S. and every fifth year in England. This solo affair March 30-April 2 celebrated the life of Timberlake, a retired lieutenant general who died Sept. 3, 1990 at Hilton Head, S.C. He was 79 and suffered a long illness. Among those in attendance were General Ted's immediate family: Mrs. Edward J. Timberlake m, daughter-in-law; Edward Julius Timberlake IV and Christopher Timberlake, grandsons; Wrenne Timberlake of Tucson nephew; and other relatives. During the first year of pounding Nazi targets, the 93rd was diverted to North Africa three times for short-term specialized assignments. German and Italian forces had finally been expelled from the south shore of the Mediterranean and the July 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily was getting underway. The 44th, 93rd and 389th, Britain based Libs had been deployed to Libya under then Colonel Ted to join two Middle East B-24 groups, 376th and 98th, to assault the enemy's heavily defended oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Ploesti was Hitler's gas station, delivering over half of Axis petrol requirements. Flight Officer William W. McKelvey's Big Job crew had lately joined the 93rd. Prior to Ploesti, the Libya-based Libs were ordered to attack Sicilian and ltalian seaports, airfields, rail and highway choke points in support of the Sicily invasion. Big Job's bombardier, Oscar Street, had helped plaster Comiso, Sicily late July 9, 1943. The Mediterranean waters and the desert sea of sand were indistinct in pitch dark, particularly for a crew fresh from the States. On the return McKelvey didn't pick up the shore line. Readmg the wrong side of a directiona I radio antennae, they overflew. Fuel nearly exhausted at 0245 hours Saturday, July 10, McKelvey ordered bail-out. Big Job's radio operator dispatched an SOS, telling of abandonment an estimated 325 miles mostly south of Benghazi. The chutists couldn't reunite because of the gnarled and broken lava with ragged edges. They had no side arms. Water was limited to canteens. They struggled in the utter wasteland, sucking scarce weeds, seeing an occasional bird. Back at base after Sunday church services, Walter Stewart, a 330th Squadron pilot, climbed to his feet and announced he couldn't bear the predicament of McKelvey's crew. He asked for volunteers, loaded a B-24 with spotters, full canteens, canned peaches, C rations and flares. In the sand be outlined a portion of the Cyrenaica desert, a patch the size of Arkansas. On the third day of searching. Stewart, an ex-Mormon missionary, spotted a scrub tree from which a parachute was spread. Four prisoners of the forsaken desert had been located and map coordinates were radioed to base. Those hapless creatures were thirsty and hungry. Stewart dropped canteens, which broke, and cans of peaches, which burst. The peaches slithered into cracks of rocks. The men of Big Job licked the rocks. The air was hot and turbulent, thermals everywhere. No airplane could land, certainly not a 30-ton bomber. Royal Air Force and USAAF planes dropped urgent supplies every day. Finally, an RAF Wellington dropped a note, assuring that surface rescuers were en route. The British in Cairo bad heard the SOS and immediately dispatched British long range rescue vehicles, which were six-wheel trucks designed for use in sabotaging Axis aerodromes, ammo dumps, supply depots and wireless stations. The contraptions were ideal for corrupting enemy water wells and rescuing friendly personnel agonizing in the desert. The six-wheelers could pop out of the desert in the dead of night. Its saboteurs would accomplish naughty deeds, then retreat into the sand sea. The Germans, who usually thought of everything, had no means to countervail. The Wellington note advised the beleaguered to fire a flare every five minutes. A six-wheeler arrived with Captain Gardner in charge of six troopers from India. Street attempted to thank Captain Gardner, who, while adjusting his pipe, said: "I see." ll was the 15th day before six Big Job survivors four perished, reached their Benghasi base. Harry Kelleher was a non-com from Jersey City, an ordnance man part of the bare bones non-flying support staff accompanying the air

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L echelon to Benghazi from England. Kelleher was canvassing the 409th Squadron pilots before the Aug. 1, 1943 takeoff for Ploesti. On the flight line, Kelleher appealed to Llewellyn "Lew" Brown for a gun position. Brown rejected the offer but urged the eager gunner to contact Nicholas Stampolis, pilot of the B-24 on the nearby hardstand. Heading for Nick's Jose Carioca , Kelleher heard Brown cry out, "Kelleher, I've changed my mind come with us." Brown's plane returned from the Ploesti inferno with nary a scratch; Jose Carioca was crippled by enemy anti-aircraft fire and plowed out of control into a women's prison. AD of Stampolis' crew perished. Now ofHobe Sound, Fla., Kelleher is credited for making splendid arrangements for the memorable dedicatory at Savannah. Brown, who built a shoe store chain in Arkansas, makes most reunions, including those in Norwich, the East Anglian city nearest Hardwick Aerodrome. The list of regular attendees is long. including John R. Roche, Ramsay D. Potts, Floyd Maybee (he kept the 93rd "alumni" outfit alive for years), Calvin Davidson (Ball of Fire Quarterly editor), Donald Spencer, James Adams, George Bailey, William Brown, William Doerner, George Johnson, John Sherman, Miles League, Burt Lenhart, James McMahon, Robert McKeever, Henry Nykamp, R. J. Rhoades, Joseph Schwarzgruber, Fred Strombom, David Thompson and Hearol Veteto. Many regulars are now deceased. Miles League was shot down twice. In the second generation of 93rders, L~gue of Greenville, S.C., survived the PJoesti cauldron. He was lead pilot during the Sept. 23 attack on the rail yards at Pisa, Italy. The famous tower was spared but bombs stitched the yards end-to-end. The Liberators resumed bombing from England and on Oct. 9 League was piloting against Danzig, Poland, the deepest penetration ofHitler's Fortress Europa until that date. League's ship was wracked by ack-ack and Luftwaffe fighters. League put down at neutral Rinbby, Sweden. His Death Dealer crew siphoned gas and set the aircraft ablaze before exasperated Swedish air police could intervene. The Swedish internment was comfortable and short-lived, than.ks to State Department machinations. Back at Hardwick, League flew as co-pilot with David Thompson to Furth. The target: components factories for Messerschmitt 11 Os and 410s. Weather perfect. Flak intense. Friendly fighter, didn't show, as briefed. The queen of the ) ) 93rd fleet, The Duchess, lost one engine to flak, then another. Three F ock~ Wulf 190s worked over the queen and Thompson ordered the crew to jump a moment before she went into a spin four miles east of Landau. Two crew members were killed. Thompson, League and six others were German captives until 1945. Besides League, other Circus men who had been Sweden internees included, James McMahon of Santa Rosa, Calif., Ernest (Bud) Wurm of Springfield, Ore., Bill Nelson and Roy RusseU. Those five reunited at the Timberlake dedication. The 93rd "cell" in 1943 Sweden has convened twice "over there." Robert (Bob) Jacobs was a crac.k navigator "loaned" to other groups and wings, frequently leading the Second Air Division. On D-Day, Jacobs was performing at the head of the entire Eighth Air Force. Some histories show that the 446th Bomb Group commander led the June 6, 1944 armada. True from a command standpoint. But three navigators were aboard the B-24 that physically Jed the big show. Jacobs, the quiet type small of stature, managed details that brought the Mighty Eighth to the Nonnandy coast line and drop z.one precisely on the second. The 446th, based at Bungay, five miles from Hardwick, was part of 20th Combat Wing commanded by then Brigadier General Ted Timberlake. Colonel Ted took the 93rd to Northwest Africa on the first expedition "down south" to support U.S. landings in French North Africa in December 1942. Luther Cox, a navigator, went down in the Mediterranean in January 1943. He was a 28-month captive of the Nazis, becoming a medical orderly in a number of putrid POW cages. He authored Always Fighting the Enemy. Cox presented a CQpy of Ted's Travelling Circus to Jacob Smart during the Savannah gathering. Carroll Stewart, the author known as Cal, autographed the book," To General Smart with unbounded admiration." Smart accompanied the USAAF chie( Hap Arnold, to the Casablanca Conference which drew President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill together with their staffs to plan prosecution of the war. Then Colonel Smart was Arnold's brain trust. During the historic January 1943 meeting of the two English speaking chieftans and the Combined Chiefs of Staff, the decision was made to take Ploesti out of the war at the earliest possible date. Arnold gave Smart orders to plan and arrange execution. The options were limited, fraught with

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12 problems highlighted by a shortage of B-24s. No other heavy bombers in Allied inventory could lug bombs 1,200 miles from Benghazi to the oil center and return. It was Smart who conceived the low-level tactic. The city of 100,000 hosted a dozen large and smaU refineries, including Europe's newest and Jarge.51. A well-executed uro-level attack would neutralize the oil capital and make subsequent visits unnecessary. Although planes and crews were geared for bombing from five miles up, intense training back in England and in the fiery desert presaged success. Before the historic mission, Smart and Timberlake told group and squadron commanders they would be flying in leadership roles. On the eve of departure, the Pentagon cabled a message grounding Smart. Washington didn't want to risk Smart falling into enemy bands and possible torture. He knew details of the Manhattan A-bomb Project. The Ninth Air Force commanding genera~ Lewis (Hot Foot) Brereton grounded Timberlake without explanation (Timber lake's 20 I st Provisional Wing was attached to the Ninth for temporary duty.) Result of the night-before groundings: musical chairs. Smart had been scheduled to fly with Kenneth (Kayo) Dessert, a West Point grad ( class president) commanding the 93rd 's 409th Squadron. A navigational screw up at 200 miles per hour over the strange Danubian plain proved costly. The error was charged against the 376th's CO, Keith Compton. The commander of the other desert group, John (Killer) Kane of the 98th, also erred. Kane didn't maintain visual contact with the out front 376th and 93rd. Seven strike forces formed among the five groups were to have dealt Webnnacht and Luftwaffe a devastating blow. Three of the strike forces executed according to Smart's plan and took three refineries out of the war. The three were from the Eighth (Timberlake's provisional wing). Smart and Dessert didn't ride side-by-side into the Balkans as planned, but they did ride together :from Smart' s hometown, Ridgeland, S.C. to the Savannah reunion 57 years later. Smart and Timberlake bad been 1931 classmates at West Point. Later in the war, Smart took command of a B-24 group in Italy, Fifteenth Air Force. Germans shot him down in short order. Torture that had been-feared by the Pentagon didn't materialize. The Nazis didn't know who they had. Smart was with his own group such a short time it's possible his unique relationship with Timberlake and the 93rd drew him to the Timberlake tribute. Smart retired as a four-star general, having spent most of his career in upper echelons of the Air Force. "l'm a little old to start a book project," Smart told Carroll Stewart at Savannah. "Thirteen hundred men and women from Jasper County, South Carolina (Ridgeland is the seat) served in uniform. I'm compiling a book. Each individual will have at least one paragraph. Smart turned 92 in May 2001. After the Ploesti death of Addison Baker, George S. Brown became acting 93rd commander, replaced by Leland G. Fiegel. Brown would become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving at the unprecedented pleasure of three presidents (Nixon, Ford and Carter). Harvey Barnard, who hailed from Buffalo and a West Point grad succeeded Fiegel. In 1944, Barnard led Second Air Division assaults against Hamburg oil refineries, Fassburg Aerodrome and Ludwigshaven chemical works. Tuberculosis abbreviated his Air Force career. After months i:n Fitzsimons Hospital in Denver, be began a successful career in feeder airline management. John Cadle was a bulking pink-cheeked kid heading a Circus crew in 1944-45. Over Big B (Berlin) Feb. 26, 1945, his Lib lost engines three and four to flak. Four U. S. Mustangs stayed with Cadle's 456M for 20 minutes. Fuel ran low for the friendlies, Cadle determined 456M couldn't make East Anglia and headed for a bulge in the Oder River northeast of Berlin, crash landing barely inside Poland. Cadle's was the only U. S. bomber crew to come under Soviet control. Weeks elapsed before the crew returned to England via Tehran, Cairo, Rome and Paris. The episode required a week of debriefing behind secure London walls. Big John and his bombardier Hearol Veteto of Pleasanton, Tex., reunited at Savannah. Veteto recently retraced his WW II travel in Poland and Ukraine. The prime mover, in 93rd affairs since the January 1998 death of Paul Steichen has been Alfred Asch, a Michigander who joined the 93rd as an original pilot. He is the 93rd's vice-president of the Second Air Division Association and played a key role in developing the Circus display bay, memorial plaque, Book of Remembrance, Timberlake sculpture at the Heritage Museum and Circus participation in the B-24 bronze sculpture at the USAF Academy at Colorado Springs and the Arlington cemetery memorial.

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L When Asch completed his statutory 25 missions in the spring of 1943 he returned to the States and trained the B-24 squadron he led into combat from Italy. He had three high-level looks at bloody Ploesti. Retiring as a colonel, he bad a successful career in the private sector and resides in Rockville, Md. He is highly regarded at the Eighth's Heritage Museum .. Books could be written on oodles of Circus men qualifying for the greatest generation. Speakers at the Savannah unveiling were highly laudatory of General Ted as a commander and tactician. No overlord in histQry had higher quality troops with which to work. As the war wore on, personnel became noticeably younger cut from the same cloth. Peg and Cal Stewart 93rd Bomb Group 2001 Reunion Eighth Air Force Museum Savannah, Georgia The reunion of the 93rd Bomb Group held jn SavaMah, March 30, 31, April 1, 2, 2001, is now history and for everyone attending it was an outstanding success. We were very pleased to have 160 people attend the Banquet for the unveiling of the Timberlake bust. Many of the attendees said it was the best Air Force Reunion they had ever attended. We had all the ingredients to make it a success: beautiful weather, excellent accommodations, good food, and great hospitality facilities. The Eighth Air Force Memorial Museum 13 in Savannah is an outstanding exhibit of the Eighth Air Force in World War II. One of the highlights was our visit to Savannah and the Paddlewbeel Luncheon Cruise down the SavaWlab River. What really made the reunion so successful and enjoyable was the enthusiastic participation of the 93rd's members, family and friends who gathered together at every available hospitality hour, starting in the afternoon. staying through the runner hour and continuing on through the evening. Those members attending the 2nd Air Division reunion in Tampa, Fl, in May of 2000. may remember that Al Asch, VP, had proposed that the 93rd hold their first Bomb Group reunion in Savannah, GA This reunion was approved by the membership and we hoped at that time to get about 80 or 90 to attend. Al asked Harry Kelleher to assist him in planning this reunion. By the summer of 2000 the plans had begun, and were completed by the end of October, and the information was subsequently published in "The Ball of Fire" quarterly winter edition. Bob McKeever and his wife Madeleine handled registration and recorded checks received. Cal Davidson provided the rosters of the 93rd and helped with locating addresses and phone numbers. Louise Kelleher typed all the materials and set up the packets and badges for the reunion. We are grateful for all the help we received from the following attendees who volunteered their services: meeting people at the airport, purchasing all the liquor and snacks for the hospitality room, manning the bar, registering all the attendees, and monitoring the buses so no-one was left behind. Bill Brown, Burt Lenhart, Fred Weir, Sandra Comstock, Karen Schneider, Keith Davidson and Fred Strombom Several observations: General Ted Timberlake wouJd have been proud of the attendance of the following members of his family who participated in the Timberlake Bust Unveiling during the Museum Banquet: Edward Julius "Ted" Timberlake, grandson, Mrs. Edward J. Timberlake, daughter-in-law, Christopher E. Timberlake, grandson, and Wrenne Timberlake, nephew. We were honored to have Four Star General Jacob Smart, 92 years old, who planned the Ploesti Raid, General Ramsey Pons, Colonel K. 0. Dessert, Walter Mundy, Executive Vice President of the 2nd Air Division, and Hap Chandler, retired President of the 2nd Air Division in attendance It was heartwarming to see many of our

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14 members who had physical problems be able to attend the reunion, thanks to their sons and daughters, nieces and nephews and friends who escorted them. Saturday morning at the Museum, a woman asked if she could join the reunion. Her husband had been killed flying with the 328th Bomb Squadron and she was looking for someone who might remember him. That evening she sat at one of our 16 tables and asked whether anyone at the table remembered him. One of the men at the tables asked, "What was that name?" On hearing her reply, he said "He was with me on the plane when he was killed." A number of the people who were attending suggested that the 93"' Bomb Group have their next reunion at the Air Force Academy. Another suggestion was to have a reunion at Barksdale Field in Louisiana where the Group was formed. Finally, a great time was bad by all. We renewed old friendships, made new friendships and captured the memories. Harry A. Kelleher Reunion Chairman Our Memorial Library Bequest Program I know you have read in the 2ADA Journal about the need to build up the trust funds for our Memorial Library at Norwich, suggesting that you add a codicil to your Will or Trust. A few things came to light at our Executive Committee meeting at Colorado Springs the first week in May. The program of a codicil continues to be encouraged for a donation of $2,000 to the trust fund. However, pledges for donations or cash are also encouraged The amount of $1,000 to $3,000 has been suggested. In either case, a donor's name wilJ appear in the 2ADA room of the library and, I understand, wilJ be something permanent. You may pledge now to become part of the program but payment will be expected by August 1, 200 I. Send your pledge, cash or codicil to the 2ADA Treasurer, E. W. "Bill" Nothstein, 40 Meadow Drive, Spencerport, Ny 14559-1142 and make certain to teU him it is for the Memorial Library Bequest Program. If you want to donate securities, call Bill at 716-352-3350 or Fax 716-352-4201. Make certain you inform Bill exactly bow you want your name to appear. For example, I requested my name appear as follows: COLONEL ALFRED AND NAOMI I. ASCH, USAF, RET. B-24 PILOT, 93rd Hd 4SStb BOMBARDMENT GROUPS I am going to suggest that our names appear under the heading of our 93rd Bombardment Group (H) which brings me to this. We as the 93rd have pledged $1,000 as matching funds offered by E. "Bud" Koorndyk. AU groups, however, must give at least $1,000 for Bud to make the matching funds. Again, I will ask that our group name and all your names appear together on the display. If you choose, you may keep me informed and I will follow up on the program. I am looking forward to seeing our Group and member names on the display at Norwich this November. Al Asch Ur Cal Stewart, Jacob Smart, l(ayo Dessert, Ted Timberlake IV, Miles League and Al Asch Oscar Street in Uniform

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16 Reunion attendees Adams, Lt Col, retired, Jim and Dot Asch, Col. Alfred, ret. & Naomi Bailey, George & Barbara Barnard, Col. Harvey, ret. & Joan Baur, Jack & Verna and Brian Bear, Arthur, & Phyllis Bridgeman, George & Virg. Gisler Brown, Lewellyn & David Brown, William Burks, Harold Cadle, Lt Col. ret., John & Richard Chandler, F.C. (Hap) Comstock, Sandra Cox, Col. Luther, ret. & Jeanine Davidson, Calvin & Keith Delguidice, Louis & Alberta Dessert, K. 0. Col. ret. & Gen. Jacob Smart Doerner, William Donahue, J Michael Dukeman, Don, Pauline & Gary Ferraro, William & Anita Fletcher, Bubber & Sarah Fragnito, Frank & Renee Fridel, John Frfzzel, Pete Gamer, Douglas & Pat Gilbert, Frederick & Fran Graves, Charles & Jane Grigg, Carl & Wilma Hinchman, Howard & Joyce Ho~ Eugene Hudspeth, Donald & Nancy Hemrick Hurt, Clifton & Jeanett Jacobs, Robert, Col. ret & Nancy Johnson, George, Col ret Kelleher, Harry & Louise Lance, Don & Ruth Lancaster Lanier, Roger & Doris League, Col Miles, ret & Gibby Lenhart, Burtan Manley, Dick, Marian & M McGowan Mabee, Floyd & Dot McKeever, Robert & Mike McMahon, Jim Morrison, Don & Lori Donnie & Megan Mundy, Walter & Ruth Neal, E.Lee & Dot Nelson, Bill Neumann, Col. Bill & MaryAnn Swanson Nykamp, Henry & Beatrice Paine, Will & Mary Lou Palestri, Claire Park, Neil & Dorothy Peloquin, Paul & Steve C Potts, Gen. Ramsey Raf.a.lo, Stan and Sandy Reeves, Jim & Edna Regan, Edward & Tom Rhoades, R J & Mary Roche, Col ret John & Pat Roure, Dan & Eileen Hunt Rowson, Margaretha Rudnyk, Steve Russell, Ray Sadowski, Vernon & Phyllis Schneider, Ray, Karen, Val Schwarzgnaber,Joseph Shaw, George & Shipley, Mahlon & Fran Shufflebarger, Joe & Era Smith, Edward & Millie Spencer, Donald & MaryLou Stewart, Carroll & Peg Street, Richard & Oscar Strombom, Fred & Inez Sullivan, Eleanor, Robert, Lisa Tanner, T/Sgt, Carl ret & Matthew Thompson, Lt Col David ret & Jeff Veteto, Hearol & Maxine Watson, Dorothy Weir, Fred Wurm,Bud 2.earfoss, Sam & Josephine Guests Mrs. Edward J. Timberlake daughter-in-law Edward J. Timberla.ke IV grandson Christopher E. Timberlake grandson Wrenne Timberlake nephew Judy Walker, 8111 Air Force Museum Waher Mundy, ex VP 2ADA & Ruth Jack Burton, Chief Operating Officer & June C. J. Roberts, Pres. & CEO 8th AF Museum Irene Hu.mer, Pres. Heritage League Felix Leeton, Pres. 2ADA Neal Sorensen

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Dear AJ, When Ramsey Potts made me an "honorary member" of the 93n1 l felt l had arrived. Your reunion was a highlight of 2001 for me. What a great group you have. Thank you again for your kind invitation. With regards to Naomi. Sincerely F. C. "Hap" Chandler Dear Mr. George Pappageorge, I was getting ready to attend the 93rd Bomb. Group reunion in Savannah, Georgia to dedicate a memorial bust of the original 93rd Bombardment Group's Commander, Colonel (later General) Ted Timberlake's Bronze bust which is going to be placed in the 8th AH Historical Society's memorial garden. General Timberlake's name was tacked onto our group after the Ploesti Raid on August 1st, 1943. The93rdBombardmentGroupwas,and still is, named "Ted's Travelling Circus". A name we are all proud of. To get back to my reason for contacting you. I had a letter I bad written to my parents in 1944 picked for publication in a book called "Lines Of Battle". Letters by American servicemen which was written by author Annette Tapert. As I looked through my published letter I read the following. March l O 1 944 "My Dear Parents, This letter will introduce my best buddy Bill Nelson. I was on Captain De Mont's crew with him. I will now give you some information that I don't want you to pass on to anyone but on 10/18/43, my first raid (with the De Mont Crew) was a diversion over the North Sea. We had no fighter escort and got lost and ended up over Holland (Friesian Islands). I saw my first enemy fighters, four ME- I 09's. and they shot down a B-24. It went into a dive and no one got out. Our tail Gunner Raymond J. Russell and our right waist gunner William (Bill) Nelson also saw this event. We were also attacked and suffered shrapnel and machine gun bullet damage from the same fighters. When we reported the loss of one of our planes, at debrjefmg, we were told "We didn't lose any planes!" The next day our pilot told us that we had lost one of our group's planes. The plane was ''Shoot Luke. " I never knew any more than that. We were credited with a combat mission for this "DIVERSION.'' When I saw your letter I had just put the book 17 down. I picked it up again and got out my mission record. 1 was amazed as Bill Nelson, Ray Russell and l will be getting together for the first time since 1944. Perhaps someone from the family would want to speak with us. All of our missions are burned in our memories. This being my first mission will never leave me. lt must be a sign. The reading of my letter tonight in the book and the reading of your letter in the "Ball Of Fire" which came in today's mail. Jim McMahon P.O. Box 1327 Santa Rosa, CA 95402 Ed: Some may wonder how this letter got thru the censorship on our lelfers home but I can make a good guess. Editor We are indebted to Carroll "Cal" Stewart and the Nebraska Printing Center Company for the excellent layout and color reproductions on the front and back pages of this issue. Cal called me and said he would like to see the front page with Gen. Ted's picture in color and offered their services. After several calls between Ohio and Nebraska it was decided to print the Ball of Fire and the group picture on the back page in color also. The pictures sho~n in blac~ and white are just a sampling of the many pictures taken and I hope they give you a good idea of what you missed. A short business meeting was held with Al Asch presiding. I reported a treasurers balance of $8017. 72 in the newsletter account. Al Asch reported that other WW ll groups had placed memorials at the Air Force Academy. A motion was voted on and approved to pursue the placing of a memorial plaque for the 93rd at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and if possible hold a reunion there at its dedication. We owe a debt of gratjtude to Al Asch, Harry Kelleher and Bob McKeever for all their time and effort in making our reunion such a memorable event. All of the telephone calls between New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, Georgia and Ohio certainly paid off handsomely. Folded Wings G.: W. Fraser Andrew J. Miller

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BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 9, No. 3 Fall 2001 B-24 Bomber on Museum Wish List B\' JAMES Dt.'NNEV WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRJTER Ashland, Neb. - When Scott Hazelrigg became executive director of the SAC Museum about two years ago, he was told there was a void ia the facility's exhibition displays - no B-24 bomber. "There seldom is a day goes by that some visitor doesn't ask, Where is your B-24?' 11 he said "Ever since we moved the museum from Bellevue three years ago we have been searching the world over for a 8-24." Thus far, none has been found that could be purchased. Should such a plane be found, Hazelrigg is convinced he can find enough donors to pay for it, even if the cost is $1 miUion. The museum, now called the Strategic Air and Space Museum, is located near Interstate 80, midway between Om.aha and Lincoln, near Mahoney State Park and interchange 426. It is just a few miles south of Ashland. Hazehrigg, 32, has been executive director since August 1999. He came to the museum after serving as youth director of Omaha's Countryside Church. He said fmding a B-24 is high on his agenda. "It appears to be impossible, but we haven't given up, 11 he said, "and we are hopeful one can be found somewhere." The B-24, sometimes called a Liberator, was a four-engine, propeller-driven bomber used by the Army Air Force extensively in World War II, particularly in the victory over Germany. Based in England, many of the planes made daylJght raids on cities such as Berlin, Frankfort, Hamburg and Munich. What makes it even more important to a . Nebraska museum is that the plane filled the skies of the Cornhusker State during the conflict because its crews were trained here before going overseas. "Army Air Force bases at Bruning, Fairmont, Harvard, McCook, Scottsbluff and Scribner all at one time had B-24s," said James Potter of the Nebraska State Historical Society. Kenny Haun, assistant museum director, remains hopeful. "When it comes to finding a B-24, let me just say it is very difficult trying to find one." Haun formerly served with the Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base. He said there have been, some promising leads, but alJ ended in disappointment. A few months back, it appeared that a man in California had parts of a B-24."He wanted a lot of money for them and we were preparing to pay because we believed we could find a donor. The only problem is the man didn't have enough parts for us to assemble a plane. 11 Haun's principal job at the museum is restoring the old war machines of the Air Force. Those bombers on display or being restored includeB-17, B-25, B-26, B-29, B-36, B-47, B-52, B-57 and B-58. Hazelrigg said more than I 8,000 B-24s were bujlt for the war. They had a crew of 10 men, a wingspan of about l 10 feet a length of 63 feet and flew at an altitude of about 31,000 feet. At the height of the war in the 1940s, B-24s cost about $336,000 each. He said most of the B-24s were destroyed after the war, some right on the air bases where they were used for bombing. Son;ie were purchased by the host nation. Haun said he understood that India converted a few B-24s into

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2 freight carriers. For now, the only B-24 that Hazelrigg can show tourists is a miniature made from a kit. " We may eventually assemble a large display of photos and some artifacts to explain how important the B-24 was in World War U, especially in Nebraska," he said. Hazelrigg hopes that some other museum may in time be willing to give up a B-24. The P-38 fighter on display along the westbound lanes of l-80 a couple of miles before the museum exit was obtained from another museum that was shutting down, he said. Ed: This is a partial reprint of an article appearing in the Omaha World-Herald newspaper. THE WILD BLUE YONDER The official Air Force song sung by thousands of aviation cadets marching to and from the flight line was born out of a contest sponsored by the old Liberty magazine. It was selected from some 757 entries by a group of Air Force wives. lt was submitted by Robert MacArthur Crawford, a graduate fellow of New York's Julliard School c,fMusic. He bought and learned to fly his_Q_wn airplane and was known~ the flying baritone and sang the song in its first public presentation at the Cleveland Air Races on Sept. 2, 1939. When the U.S. entered the war, Crawford became a pilot in the Air Transport Command and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He died in 1961 and as a tribute to him, the first score of his song was carried to the surface of the moon on July 30, 1971 aboard the only Apollo crew made up entirely of Air Force officers-the ApoJlo 15 Falcon lunar module. As the Falcon blasted off the surface of the moon, a rendition of the Air Force Song was broadcast to the world from the Endeavor command module orbiting the moon. Although the first verse is well known, the other two verses are seldom heard, and the chorus (which we sang as cadets) is hardly known; but here it is, as it is today. Off we go, into the wild blue yonder, Climbing high, into the sun; Here they come, zooming to meet our thunder, At 'em boys, giver the gun Down we dive, spouting our flame from under Off with one helluva roar! We live in fame or go down in.flame, hey! Nothing'/[ stop the Army Air Corp! Minds of men fashioned a crate of thunder, Sent it high, into the blue; Minds of men busted the world asunder, How they lived God only knew! Souls of man dreaming of skies to conquer Gave us wings ever to soar! With scouts be.fore and bombers galore, hey! Nothing'll stop the Army Air Corp! Off we go into the wild sky yonder. Keep the wings level and true. And you'll live 10 be a gray-haired wonder Keep the nose out of the blue! Flying men guarding the Nation's border. We'll be there, .followed by more! In echelon we carry on. hey! Nothing'll stop the Army Air Corp! Chorus: To afriendwe'l/ send a message of His fellow men who fly And drink to those who gave their all of old And down we roar to score 1he rainbow's pot of gold A toast to the host of those we boast The Army. Air Corp! (Note: The words were changed slightly after tbe old Army Air Corps became the U.S. Air Force in 1947.) Reprinted from the 3 D Strategic Air Depot Association Newsletter, Nov. 2000 Editor What is the future for our Newsletter The question was asked at our Savannah reunion what is going to happen to the newsletter when our generation is gone and in particular when I am no longer capable of doing it. Lf there is anyone out there who would like to take over the job I would be delighted to pass it on. All of the work, correspondence and record keeping is beginning to wear me down. I have talked with several people and we believe the best way to keep the 93rd's history and accomplishments alive is on the Internet with one of the younger generation computer Gurus taking over the 93rd web site. We envision a trust fund set up to pay for the expense of maintaining this site. AU articles of interest in the form of a newsletter could easily be added to the site. We also realize at this time many of our readers do not have computers but have access to th~m either by family members, local libraries or

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other readily available sources. Any thoughts that you may have on this subject would be appreciated. Most of the articles in this issue, especially from people looking for information on 93rd veterans, would normally have been in the summer issue. More and more of the younger generation are looking for information on relatives and loved ones. When our generation is gone the only source of information will be on our web site and the archives. My filing system, from lack of attention. has become like "'Fibber Magee 's Closet." lf our younger generation of readers doesn't remember the old radio show, just ask anyone from our generation for an explanation. I need articles for the newsletter so if you have submitted something and l have not used it please send it again. If you have anything of interest please send it. 1 have enclosed a letter regarding the cost of our luncheon at the old Hardwick airbase to those-who are going to England in November. If you are going and do not get the enclosure please notify me. E-mail Addresses Ed Allen Clarence Barton Paul Bergman Robert Bieber L. L, Brown Dave Carpenter Cliff Collins Luther Cox Cal Davidson William Doerner Phyllis DuBois Mike Fantasia Arthur Ferwerda Richard Garofalo Clint Gruber Bernard Havercamp Walt Hughes Kent Jaquith Diane Chaet Harry Kelleher Miles League Ed Logan Bob Lent John Marx Duane Miller Don Morrison Sam McGowan Bob McKeever Anne Pancella Arthur J. Qr m Steve Rudnyk edthel@att.net blackbart I O@geotec.net pber9 l6387@aol.com biebO l@aol.com a3 l O 13@cs.com dcarpenter@wave-net.net bee@netusal.net shootluke@juno.com k8qgc@aol.com w2fd@aol.com dubofa@netmatters.co. uk mfantasia@earthlink.net crine@worldnet.att.net rmgmaria@juno.com cags@intemetcds.com bernmax@pe.net libpilot@aol.com dkjaqu ith@prodigy.net bee-24@webtv.net kelleher@msn.com miles236@aol.com elhlog@aol.com uncasplot@aol .com pennypackr@aol.com davey@dnvr.uswest.net dk:m@raex.com semcgowanjr@aol.com bridgedove@aol.com pancella@wmich.edu ajq_dot@webtv.com srudnyk@aol.com James Rutherford Russ Sackreiter James Soper Lester Steves Walt Stewart Frank Story David Thompson Harry Tower f1I Hearol Veteto William Waldron Jack Wehrle Edward Weir j_lrutherford@msn.com rsackreite@aol.com jsoper@vnet.net msteves@webtv.net stewartranch@aol.com fostory@bell south .net dthomp3654@aol.com bhtower@aol.com hrveteto@earthlink.net townhall@sover.net jwehrlejr@aol.com edwardhelenweir@aol.com 3 ff you have an email address or if your address has changed please send them to me. The 93rd website is as follows: http: //www.93rdbombardmeotgroup.com Folded Wings Gerald E. Morrow Marion W. Saffell Lt. Beckett's crew with Beckett top left Recommendation For Distinguished Flying Cross,lst. Lt. Frederick A. Beckett 1st Lt. Frederick A. Beckett, 0-705101, 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bombardment Group (H) AAF. For extraordinary achievement while serving as First Pilot on a 8-24 aircraft from a wing position on many high altitude bombing missions against enemy installations. On innumerable occasions during his tour of combat Lt. Beckett, acting with the utmost of coolness, skilJ and valor, accomplished his missions in the face of grave difficulties and wrought incalculable damage to enemy targets and installations vital to the continuance of the enemy war effort. Flying his second mission on Sept. I 0, 1944, Lt Beckett lost# two engine ten minutes before the

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4 target, the marshalling yards at UJm. At considerable risk and peril to himself, be nevertheless chose to remain with the formation and dropped bis bombs on the target. After bombs away he was forced to leave the formation and return to base alone. On 18 September 1944 be took part in the low-level mission directed to the support of our ground forces in Holland, and by his superior pilot ability and exceptionally good formation flying he was able to deliver his supplies and to return to base without mishap either to the crew or aircraft. Striking at the Hamm marshalling yards on 26 September 1944, Lt Beckett lost # three engine shortly after bombs away, but again exercising steady judgement and irreproachable pilot technique he brought his ship and crew safely back to base. On 19 October 1944, having dropped his bombs with the Group on the marshalling yards at Gustafbaven. LL Beckett received a call from his nose-gunner, telling. him that the bombardier had been wounded in the face by flak. Within a few seconds his situation was rendered even more precarious :when another burst of flak knocked out # two engine. Urging his crew to keep cool, Lt. Beclceft attemptoorofeaffierlne engme, meanwhile directing aid to his wounded bombardier. Finding that be was unable to feather the engine and that the ship was losing altitude rapidly, he instructed his crew to prepare to bail out. After several minutes of struggling to maintain control of the crippled ship, however, he finally managed to feather the windmilling engine. He then took up a course for the home base, only to find as he circled the field that his nosewheel was crooked. Again using flawless pilot technique and the highest .degree of coolness and skill, he landed the ship safely and without. damage. Over Hamburg on 25 November 1944, flying through an intense and accurate barrage of flak, Lt Beckett further revealed his reserves of skill, ability and calm judgement in the face of tremendous odds. Although his aircraft sustained major battle damage over the target, he successfully made his way back to England and, with his left tire flat, landed at Watton. On another occasion, after flying an uneventful mission, Lt. Beckett discovered as he rounded out over the runway for a landing that the # three throttle was stuck in the open position. Although the' aircraft left the runway, Lt. Beckett's quick thinking and action enabled him to stop the ship with no damage other than a flat tire. Hitting the Schliebeo bridge on 29 December 1944, Lt. Beckett found after he bad left the target area that his hydraulic system had been shot out by anti-aircraft fire, whereupon he proceeded to Woodbridge, and landed safely and without mishap. On 14 January 1945, going after the Goering steel factory at Brunswick, Lt. Beckett encountered an intense barrage of flak and had his rudder controls completely severed. Retaining control of the ship and exhibiting a high quality of airmanship and pilot ability, be returned to Woodbridge, where he landed with the help of the AFCE a feat deserving the utmost commendation. Foliowing a mission which was recalled because of extremely unfavorable weather conditions, Lt. Beckett returned to base with a full bomb load only to blow a tire on landing. Again showing extreme skill be brought his ship to a halt with no damage to the plane. In the course of bis combat tour, Lt. Beckett flew numerous Squadron deputies, two Group deputies, and took over the lead of the Squadron on three occasions. On one of these, a mission to the SchJutem marshalling yards, his fine coordination with, nls Bombardier and excellent manner of leading the Squadron enabled them to put I 00% of their bombs within 2,000 feet of the assigned MPl. If approved, it is recommended that the following citation be used: 1ST LT. Frederick A. Beckett, 0-705101, 3 ~0th Bombardment Squadron, 93d Bombardment Group (H). For extraordinary achievement while serving as Pilot of B-24 aircraft on many operations against the enemy. On innumerable occasions during his tour of combat, Lt. Beckett exhibited the most of coolness, skill and valor, accomplishing his missions in the face of grave difficulties and tremendous oclds. Jn so exercising his superior pilot ability and unparalleled courage he wrought incalculable damage to strategic enemy targets and installations vital to the continuance of the enemy war effort. In addition in three instances he provided bis comrades with a quality of leadership that enabled them to deliver smashing blows to the war machine of the enemy. Lt. Beckett by his exemplary conduct and skilled flying bas brought great credit to himself and the Armed Forces of the United States. Col W.R. Robertson, Commanding Ed: This record was sent to me when I was informed that Lt. Beckett bad become a Folded Wing

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Looking to assemble a wall of honor for my late father-law and need information to pursue this dream. T/Sgt Charles A Roesch, 93 Bomb Group H, Turrent gunner, B-24 "Hells A Droppin" Serial #123723. Any information would be appreciated Jim Szymanowicz 621 Marshall Dr Erie, PA 16505-3615 Trying to find out any information on I st LT. James B. Grace who received the DFC & AM while flying with the 93rd Bomb Group (H). Any info would be greatly appreciated. Dean S. Veremakis P.O. Box 896 Duluth, GA 30096 I was browsing around on the web page and saw your e-mail ad for infom1ation. J am trying to locate any crew members or information related to the service of Frank Barkley. He flew with the 328lh Bomber Squadron. Any information would help. His daughters and son do not know very much about his service, so I took it as my duty, as a grandson, to find out what I can. From what I was told he did not talk much about the war. J never met my Grandfather therefore I have something to set my mind to. Hello Cal Matt Meador 6938 Quailfield Lane Bartlett Tn 38135 Thank you is the order of the day. l was searching for a David P. Jones 11095973 and I was advised to call a VA 800 number sol did and they told me what to do, r did it and in 7 days l got a phone call from David P Jones after 57 years. This has to be a miracle. Thanks a Million for your help, Without your help this would have been impossible. Job very well done. Thanks again. Lester Steves from WWII 409BS 93rd BG Cal, Saw your picture of TUPELO LASS in "Ball of Fire Quarterly." You E-mailed me the picture in color. My late brother, Pies W. Norwood, flew missions on this plane. I am seeking permission to post it to this site: http://www.b24bestweb.com Archie J. Norwood Cal, J am sending this attachment to you, because 5 I have a little story about it. I was visiting Savannah. J can't remember the exact year, but it was about two years before they broke ground for the Heritage Museum. My wife and I took a bus tour of the city, and because of traffic ahead, the bus stopped, and I found myself looking directly at the enclosed sign. I immediately ran to the front oftbe bus, and asked the driver for the street location. After the tour, I went back with my own car, and found out that this sign was in front of the Savannah Armory. I went inside, and on a bulletin board there was a notation about the Heritage Museum. However, nobody knew or had any information about it, except the location. After much cruising, I finally found the location, but there was nothing there. So I guess you might say that I was one of the first to visit the Museum. 1 thought that you might like to have this picture for your ftle. Received the BOFQE today. Let me say that I appreciate what you are doing and f am sure that I can't begin to realize how much time and effort that you put into it. We all owe you a voteofTHANKS! 8th A. F. Plaque I saw the 200th mission piece that I mailed to you. It reproduced quite well. Art Ferwerda 12-32 Rosewood St. Fair Lawn. NJ 07410

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6 Cal, I am enclosing a picture, that you might find interesting. Not because I am ln it, but because it also shows a picture of "Ted" Timberlake. This was taken when we alJ received the Bronze Star. I am in the front row, far left. Our 409th First Sgt is in the middle in the rear row. I can't identify the other people, but you may recognize some of them. I really would love to get to the reunion, but it is physically impossible for me to do so. Art F erwerda --em;--- -- -l just found another man who was with the 93rd BG. He is not on the list we worked on. I found his name on flight orders returning to the USA. He returned with the Arthur Love crew. I talked with him last night. He was with the 329th BS and was there till the end of the war. He was a ground crew member and was an assistant chaplain for Chappie Burris. He also married an English girl in June 1944. He would like to hear about the association. Can you send him a copy of the last newsletter to show him what we have? He is also looking for the best man at his wedding, Eugene Carr from Dothan, AL. Here is his address: Robert Love, 945 l E. Main st., Galesburg, MI 49053 Have you ever heard of a man with a nickname of "Frenchie". Per John Fridell he was a Frenchman who was in New York visiting family when the war broke out. He somehow got into the USAAF as a mechanic and was assigned to the 93rd BG. He painted nose art in his spare time. J now have heard about him from two different sources. I was going to contact Bob Trapp to see if he remembers him. Can you think of anyone else to ask. Don Morrison I'm looking for any information about my grandfather (deceased) Lt Carl Briggs, Binghamton, NY ... he served in the 330th Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group in 1944-J 945, anythfog would be truly enlightening ... photographs, aircraft assigned to, etc. Thank you. (Active Duty USAF in Germany) Sincerely, Cal, CMSgt Tim West PSC 2, Box 8027 APO AE 09012 Email: timwest9@aol.com You asked about the Vet in the blue uniform. He is Col. Oscar R. Street and there is quite a story about him which I'll repeat even though you may already know it. Just before tbe Ploesti mission. his crew was returning at night from a mission out of North Africa. The Germans transmitted false radio signals that resulted in them getting way off course and running out of gas over the dessert. A part of the crew survived the night low altitude bailout. They were finally found by Walt Stewart about seven or so days later and rescued by the British a couple days after that. Subsequently, he and two others of the rescued crew were assigned to uThe Duchess" and flew about five missions with Ramsay Potts. Later I was assigned to "The Duchess" and he flew about 12 or so missions with me. Just before r was shot down he was promoted to Group Bombardjer and Papp)'. Warner replaced him. The two other rescued crew members were with me when we went down. One was KJA and the other became a POW. Prior to the Savannah reunion I had not seen Oscar since May 1945 and aJI my efforts to locate bim were unsuccessful. Cal and Peg Stewart convinced him, and his son, to attend the reunion and made sure we contacted each other. Many thanks to Cal and Peg for their efforts. Dave Thompson Hi, I don't know how many POWs the 93rd had, but if they had some your members might be interested in 2 websites that I administer. They are: American Ex-Prisoners of War at http://www.axpow.org/ which is the congressionally chartered organization of America's Ex-POWs. It does a wonderful job of helping our ex-POWs get the benefits and entitlements that they deserve. They are trying to find the 2/3 of surviving ex-POWs that do not

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know about these benefits and inform them and help them start getting their benefits. The other one is: Stalag Luft One Online at http://www.merkki.com/ Tbjs is a site I built about the camp my father was held in. He never spoke much about this time, so I began my own research and have put what 1 have learned on trus site. It contains stories, photos, documents, art, poems and the secret camp newspaper the POWs printed and smuggled between barracks in a hollow wristwatch, it was only one page but issued daily. Also if you have a publication that is mailed to your members please consider publishing the following information (for the benefit of those that are not on-line). Ask them to contact a National Service Officer with the American Ex-Prisoners of War about benefits that they are entitled to receive as an ex-prisoner of war, which includes a monthJy tax free check. The address for the American Ex-Prisoners of War is American Ex-Prisoners of War National Headquarters 3201 East Pioneer Parkway, #40 Arlington, Texas 76010-5396 Telephone: (817) 649-2979 Fax: (817) 649-0109 E-mail pow@flash.net Just wanted to pass thls information on to you. Please feel free to add the website links to your site if you think your visitors/members wouJd be interested. Mary Smith Stalag Luft One Online http://www.merkki.com/ Dear Mr. Davidson, My name is Alan F. Kiesel. My father is Fred Kiesel. He was a Master Sgt. with the 1080th Signal Corp attached to the 329th Bomb Squadron stationed at Hardwick, England. He was in charge of a radar repair shop at Hardwick. From his stories, l suspect that his name might have been known around the field.Jam currently putting together a shadow box of his insignia and decorations as a surprise for hlm. His health is beginning to fail and I would like to present thls shadow box to him by Father's Day. J have been able to locate everything except for any type of patches relating to the 20th Bomb Wing, 93rd Bomb Group or the 329th BS. Would you know where I might purchase a patch for one or all of these groups? Also, if anyone might have a picture of his radar repair shop laying around, 1 would also appreciate being able to secure a copy. 7 Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. Sincerely yours, Alan F. Kiesel Cal, l29-A John Wayne Dr Lafayette, LA 70508-4915 afkiesel@globalreach.net Thank you for your response. I will check with U.S. Authentic Mfg. Co about the patches. I would appreciate your printing my request for a picture of the radar shack in your next newsletter. I understand that I probably won't receive a response until after Father's Day but that is fine. I would like, if possible, to have the picture for the memories that it would provide. Thank you for your quick response and your help in this matter. Alan F. Kiesel Dear Cal, I wanted to let you know how great the Summer newsletter was. It was good to read about the reunion of the 93rd and all that took place. f also wanted to tell you how I met the pilot that my dad served with, Mr. Heller. It started with your e-mail dated June 19th 2000 giving me the address of the Co-Pilot, Mr. Lucas, and the names of the crew that was with my dad. I contacted Mr. Lucas and he gave me Mr. Heller's phone number. I was able to meet Mr. Heller in VA, at his stepdaughters house. He lives in Pen Yan, NY. l was able to attend an Air Show at the Elmira-Corning airport on June 30th and stayed with Mr. HelJer. On May 25th l got an e-mail from the son of another crew member, Len Bartchak, radio operator. After some more e-mails and a phone call Matt Bartchak was able to attend the air show also and stay with Mr. Heller. l must say we had a wonderful time. We got to see photos of our dads and see other things in his old Army trunk. This all came about by you giving me Mr. Lucas address. Thank you, Thank you again for all your bard work that you do to help all of us looking for information about our dads and crews members. I would like to know if I could get 2 extra copies of the summer newsletter? I want to send them to Mr. Heller and Matt Bartchak. Let me know what the cost will be and I will send a check along with the subscription to the 93rd newsletter that I am going to give Mr. Heller. Thanks again Kenneth Kenney 846 Birchwood Ct. Arnold, MD 21012

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8 Hi, My Great Uncle(] st LT George Reuter) was the navigator aboard "Hell's Wench" during the raid on Polesti in Aug. 1943. He went down with Baker and the rest of the crew. As 1 understand it, "Hell's Wench" wa<: an "aircraft on loan." I'm wondering if anyone has any information on what aircrew, or aircraft, George Reuter might have served with or on, prior to his volunteering for Ploesti. No one seems to know him, yet he was around long enough to have completed all of his missions (25). He was a volunteer for the Ploesti mission, and was picked as navigator of the aircraft carrying the 93rd Bomb Group's commander (Col. Addison Baker). I thought that he was not well known because he was perhaps a new comer to the 93rd, but just how new could he have been? His face is looking up at the camera with a hundred other airmen on the cover of Life Magazine (July 23rd Issue 1943) under the title "8th Air Force Bombers." I understand that to be a picture of "Travelling Circus" personnel taken in England. So my Great Uncle had to have been around the 93rd for sometime prior to deployment to North Africa. I would appreciate any help in locating information about him. Thanks. Dear Sir, Duncan Stewart Laubender Str 5 96117 Memmelsdorf, Germany I am seeking information on James Monroe Gill who was killed in the Ploesti raid. Any information will be appreciated. Cal, Ken Gill 306 Timber Ridge Drive, Ridgeland MI, 39157. The man lam looking for is Byron G. Kuhn and he was a buck sergeant in the armament section of the 409th Bomb Sqdn., 93rd. Bomb Group based at Hardwick England in WW II near Norwich. on the East Anglia coast. He stayed in the air force and the last time I heard from him he was based in England. He was a Lt. Col. and his address was USAF /RAF exchange program (upavon) APO NYNY092 I 8. That was in June of 1968. He would probably be about 80 years old now as he and l were about the same age and I have just turned 80 in June of this year. Any info you can give me would really be appreciated. Fred Kern 3016 Blue Ridge Blvd. Kansas City, MO., 64129 Dear Mr. Davidson: l am writing a book for Squadron/Signal Publications titled B-24 WALK AROUND. This book will contain numerous, detailed drawings and photographs, with many of each in color. At present, J aim to have this book published by early next year, if not sooner. To this end, I am trying to locate a Mr. Glenn Tessmer. One of Mr. Tessmer's color prints or slides appeared in Mr. Freeman's recent book, The .Mighty Eighth: The Colour Record. The enclosed copy of the page from Mr. Freeman's superlative work shows this photograph. I will be most grateful of any information you may have where I may contact Mr. Tessmer. I, too, would like to possibly use this same photograph, as any quality wartime color images are very difficult to locate. Similarly, if you know of anybody from your Bomb Group who may have a wartime, 93rd color image or two they would be willing to loan me for this book endeavor, I will be most grateful for their name(s) and addresses, also. All items will be returned promptly, in original condition and will be properly credited. [ look forward to your reply. James Zazas P.O. Box 1450 • Carthage, NC 28327 Ed: 1 have sent Tessmer's address to Zazas. The color page he sent me included four planes in color; War Goddess, Spare parts, 4F and Silver Eagle Dear Cal, Thanks to your memorable publication we received replies from Marshall Mallory and James McMahon that helped answer the questions we were searching for. The letter from McMahon was not only most meaningful but very moving emotionally. George Pappageorge Dear George, I saw your letter to the editor in the spring issue of BOFQE. I did quite a lot of research into the history of the aircraft SHOOT LUKE of the 328th Bomb Sqdn, 93rd Bombardment Group (H). The serial number you wrote 41-23729 is the tail number of the SHOOT LUKE and it would not

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ever have been reassigned to another aircraft. The original pilot was John H. Murphy of Sao Diego, California. I dated his daughter Maureen Murphy and was engaged to her for nearly 2 years. Murphy named the ale the SHOOT LUKE because they bad an instructor at gunnery school who used to exclaim "shoot or drop your gun, Luke." To my knowledge there was not another aircraft named the SHOOT LUKE in the ETO. After hjs tour, Major Murphy went out to the Pacific and flew mission; with a B-241 be named SHOOT LUKE II. He died in 1976. The SHOOT LUKE did fly the Ploesti Mission of l August 1943 but was forced to abort. Floyd Mabee was one of the original gunners and was onboard for that mission. If you have any questions for him you may contact him through the 93rd Bomb Group Association. The SHOOT LUKE was shot down on a diversionary mission in October 1943. I have no information about an-ale named THE DUKE. I do know the SHOOT LUKE was never renamed. I bQpe this bas been of some help to you. Dearfred, Marshall M. Mallory 15-2755 Papio St. Pahoa, Ill 96778 I would like to ask if you could send this letter out to your members. Maybe they can help me find out information about my father. My father was Jack Richard Stover, nickname" Smokey". He was a tail gunner in the 93rd, 329th. squadron. He served in Europe, North Africa from September 2, 1942 to May 28 1945. My dad's plane was called the Thunderbird. I have found several planes with that name. None so far have been my dad's. I am including a picture of the logo and crew. My dad was in a plane crash taking off out of England. All but 2 crew members were killed, my dad survived. I am trying to find out any information on the crash as well as battles and campaigns be was in. His discharge papers include the following information. Battles and campaigns Normandy, Tunisa, Air offensive Europe, Naples, Foggia, Northern France, Air Combat Balkans, Sicily, Egypt, Libya, Rhineland, Central Europe and Ardennes. I can see in my dad's pictures another crew member's name, Mike DeBrino. 1 wish dad was here to help. He passed away 17 years ago. The war was such a big part of his life I would like to 9 trace his time spent during bis military service. If anyone can help me with my questions please write me. Cathy Stover- Jorden Dear Al, 5701 Bowling Green Circle Las Vegas NV 89130 I had to write this one to straighten out a little mistaken description of our B-24s in the early days. You wrote in the 2ADA Journal, Winter 2000-200 l issue that the 93rd entered combat from England with the "D" model which had only a single gun in the nose. Al, every B-24 I flew in combat out of both England and Africa had three fifties in the nose (ball and socket type). I had frequent opportunities to shoot back at the enemy fighters. During those times I stopped being a navigator and was a full time gunner using the two fifties that were situated at roughly a 45 degree angle on both sides of the nose. ln particular, my most vivid use of both of them, was while Gus Gray our Bombardier was very busy using bis which was straight forward. The ME-I 09s and FW-I90s were coming in mostly from high and at 2 o'clock, a diving attack, firing all the way in and diving under our nose. I was kept very busy jumping first to the right gun and then to the left gun which were about chest high. I had a cascade of fifty shells all over the floor under both of my guns. It was very difficult to have a steady footing since I had to jump from one side to the other to try to pick u~ the fighters as they flew by from the right side. The shell casings were so deep that when our ship went into a abrupt nose dive, because of my shaky footing I was thrown head first into the breach of the gun on my right It stunned me and left me pinned to the floor amidst all of those casings. Gus Gray had bailed out prior to this event, right after Benny sounded the bail out bell, the only communication system worhng within our plane. Apparently our intercom system had been shot out Somehow I managed to crawl to the nose wheel hatch and tumbled out, tucked into a ball. through the opening. Number I engine had run away and 3 & 4 were practically useless, we picked up speed tremendously. During the battle, Benny started to let down quite rapidly, The near verticle dive exponentially increased our airspeed to somewhere around 400 MPH. I had Jost track of altitude so as soon as I hit the slip stream, I pulled my rip chord and got the jolt of my life. My chute just about jerked me in two and my straps nearly finished the job. One of the main problems that

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have necessitated my having two spinal fusion operations from which r have pain most of the time ... BIG TIME TF I TRY TO LlFT OR BEND OVERMUCH! Sorry, Al. I didn't mean to get so windy. Just got carried away. By the way, I am enclosing a copy of our Double Trouble as well as a very excellent art piece showing the 93 rd on the way out of England for Europe. Shoot Luke, the plane on the wing of Boomerang, was my very first mission over Lille in October 42. My oxygen system malfunctioned and I collapsed. The bombardier saw me after a time and immediately slapped a walk around bottle on my nose. Murphy had to do a 180 and diving homeward bound in order to save my life. I ended up two weeks in the AF Hospital in HyWicombe (SP) outside of London. About 4 weeks later, half in the hospital and half on RR in London, I returned to my unit and had to fight like mad to get reinstated to combat status. Of course Murphy had filled my position on Shoot Luke and I got lucky and got the Navigator slot on Double Trouble, after Colonel Ted fmaUy relented and reinstated me after I practically crawled on my knees to stay on combat. Looking forward to seeing you at the reunion in Georgia 30 March. Lou Cox Cal, Lou has quite a story of survival the first time we went to Africa. He is incorrect about the nose guns. Our first "D's" only had one gun. Two more were added as field modifications after we flew a few missions and learned the Germans could make bead on attacks without being fired upon. Al Asch Dear Mr. Davidson, While in the process of cleaning a closet I came across two 1945 calendars commemorating the 93rd Bomb Group. Obviously these were passed to enlisted men of which my late father-in-law, James H. Pierce, was, sometime in late 1944. Both calendars were rolled together and mailed to his father's home in Conamaugh, Pa., post marked, December ? 1944. Quite interesting as they denote the 93rd's battle citations, sports records, and championships, including names and dates between Sept. 1942 & December 1944. What makes these caleadars unique is the fact that enlisted men's names are placed under each calendar date throughout the coming year (1945). We are more than willing to share one of these calendars with the Bomb Group, either via photo attachment or UPS. We have no idea as to what my father-in-law did within the 93rd Bomb Group other than he was assigned to a ground crew. Sincerely, Winona Shultz 13640 Faust, Ave. Bellflower, CA. 90706 Dear Mr. Cal Davidson: Your name has been given to me as the editor of the 93rd Bomb Group newsletter. My father, Lt. Jess H. Edwards, was a co-pilot with the 330th SQ, 93 BG flying out of Hardwick, England and North Africa between 28 Jul 1943 and 5 June 1944; thence with the 310 Ferrying SQ 27 ATG ASC England from 6 June 44 to 13 Dec 44. He died in 1978, preceeded in death by my mother. He suffered a crop dusting accident in l 968 and sustained a serious brain injury; prior to that, my dad bad only talked briefly about his service in the 8th AF. Luckily, my brother had a lot of his war records, pictures, and other memorabilia to help me research when, where and what my father did. But I really only had pieces of the puzzle, not the full story. In 1993, I was able to connect with the radioman/gunner who flew with my father on 27 missions, Sam Bain of Henderson, NV. I have lost touch with him and am trying to find out if he is still around. Also, I have a list of crew members who flew with my father . .,Perhaps your readers will have information to put me in touch with anyone who knew my dad or flew with these men. Truett K. Bullock, Pilot (I believe he was killed during the war) Robert W. King, bombadierreplacement: lastnameBoyd Thomas B. Morris, navigator replacement Robert G. Roten (I received a letter from him in '93 and tried to call him but was informed that he'd had a stroke on the 50th anniversary ofDDay-may be deceased by now?) Thayer B. Robinson, engineer ? H.J. Hoover, A.E Sam Bain, radioman C. N. Galassi, AR J. Hermanowski, AG J. E. Semler, G I don't know what all the positions are as I found them coded in one of my father's memo books. He even kept a record of how much be loaned to various crew members and when they paid him back, printed in his neat handwriting. Sam Bain wrote me a letter describing how the crew flew unescorted in a B24 D named

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''Hangover"from Gander, Newfoundland to Pre,gwjck, Scotland. This was the result of delays due to continual problems they experienced after picking up their aircraft in Lincoln, NE. They had to make stops in Bangor, Maine & Newfoundland and stopped for several weeks at each location to fix their leaking gas tanks. Consequently, they were left behind by the rest of their group and had to cross the Atlantic unescorted. After arriving in Hardwick, England they trained for a special mission in North Africa. At this point they were 6-7 weeks behind the rest of their group. They again had to fly unescorted to Benghazi, Libya. They arrived on Aug. I, 1943; the airfield was deserted except for a few battered B-24's. They had missed the Ploesti Oil field bombing mission and he said that many planes and men did not return that day! What fate ... I wonder if anyone remembers this lone plane arriving on that day? I would love to hear any stories from your members. I recently had the opportunity to fly in the 8-24, "The Dragon and His Tail", which was brought to Homer, Alaska by the Collings Foundation of Stowe, MA. Before going up in the air, the pilot allowed me to sit in the co-pilot's seat (1 took along a picture of my dad in bis pilot's flying uniform). Then when I flew, the pilot allowed me on the flight deck behind the cockpit. It was such a thriJI to the senses to ride in this plane. l was awestruck by all that your WWII heavy bomber aircrews must have endured. My father rarely spoke of these times, and I am grateful to all who made such sacrifices for freedom. Sincerely, Virginia (Ginger) Van Wagoner P.O. Box 294 Homer, AK 99603 Ed: The bracelet pictured below and to the right was found recently by a young man, Adam Austin Arnold, in his grandfathers Army trunk. Hoping to return it to a family member he emailed several people including myself. I was on the list as he 11 knew Crouthamel had been in the 93rd Bomb Group. The letter from cousin Tom explains all.. Hello Adam, My sister-in-law, Mary Jane Crouthamel (crout2@mindspring.com), in Ft. Lauderdale forwarded your message regarding Edgar S. Crouthamel's Air Force Bracelet to me this morning. Reading it, r immediately called my cousin, Edgar's younger brother: John Crouthamel 3710 Rockland Rd, Front Royal, VA 22630. Edgar was a 2nd Lt, co-pilot of a B-24 in England during WWII. He was KIA, 4/20/44, when his plane having been shot up very badly, crashed in Folkestone, England. Edgar was born 2/2/20, and married Rena Mickel on 5/10/43, while in trainjng in CaJjfornia. Rena subsequently married John Hicks. I know all of this because I am the unofficial "keeper of the Family Tree" and compiled an anthology of our family's writings and compiled the family tree at the same time for our Grandfather's kith & kin. Unfortunately, cousin John isn't "with it", and doesn't have a computer. so I couldn't forward your message to him directly. I am printing it out and will snail-mail it to him. However, YES! He would very much like to have the bracelet! So please let me know the mailing costs, and I'll send you a check immediately. Thanks, Tom Thomas G. Crouthamel, Sr.

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Al Asch has informed Jne that a cost of $20.00 per person needs to be collected from all those attending the day at Hardwick airbase. Please mail your checks to me prior to October 20, 200 I so that I can have them deposited in our checking account. I can then write David Woodrow a check for the luncheon and banquet expense. Please write your checks to: 93n1 Bomb Group. lfyou have any questions call me after 6 PM at 440-775-1787 Mail checks to: Calvin Davidson 48973 Plate Road Oberlin, OH 44074 A new dimension has been added to our Norwich reunion this November for the day we visit Hardwick. David Woodrow has informed me that he has restored the sleeping quarters and operations building that General Timberlake and his staff used during tbe war while the Wing was stationed at Hardwick. We will hold a short dedication service at the buildings which will remain as a memorial for General Ted. The large banner cf General Ted that Cal Stewart had produced for our recent reunion at Savannah, Georgia will be hung and remain on display in an appropriate place. Also, Dave Woodrow asked that we bring pictures and other memorabilia for the memorial buildings. He especially requested pictures of Gen. Ted with King George when he visited our base soon after we arrived in England. Please bring other items appropriate for the memorial and the 93rd museum. Just a reminder for those of you attending the reunion, our program will be as follows: Bus transportation will be furnished for pickup at hotel(s) and return at the end of the day. 1. Service at Topcroft, the 16th or 17th century church 2. Memorial Service at 93rd Monument at Hardwick Airfield 3. Dedication of Timberlake compound 4. Snack Luncheon at Hardwick 5. Visit Museum and Airfield at Hardwick. Bring items that can be left at the museum and Timberlake compound for permanent display, 6. Airplane rides at Hardwick weather permitting. 7. Evening banquet at Hardwick. The buses will leave Hardwick early enough for packing our bags and getting a decent nights sleep before leaving early the next morning to catch our flights home that day. Our Memorial Library Bequest Program I know you have read in past Journals and in our news letter, The Ball of Fire, about the need to build up the trust fund to support our Memorial Library at Norwich, suggesting you add a codicil to your Will or Trust leaving a suggested amount of $2,000 payable from your estate. However, pledges for donations and cash now are also encouraged. The amount of $1,000 or more has been suggested. I understand a donors name will appear in the 2ADA Executive Room of the Memorial Library and will remain there in the future. I am suggesting that 93rd names appear under a heading of 93rd Bombardment Group which brings me to this. The 93rd has given $1,000 toward this program as matching funds pledged by E. "Bud" Koorndyk. All groups, however, must give at least $1,000 for Bud to donate matching funds for all groups. This is a most generous offer and the 93rd immediately pledged this amount to take advantage of the offer. Personal donations of lesser amounts are certainly accepted and encouraged. Remember, donations are tax deductible if you file the long lRS form. Send your pledge, cash or copy of your codicil to the 2ADA treasurer: E.W. "Bill" Nothstein 40 Meadow Drive, Spencerport, NY 14559-1142. If you choose to donate securities, call Bill at 716-352-3350 or Fax him 716-352-420 I. Be certain to tell Bill how you want your name to appear as part of the listing, or if you choose, you may send the information to me and 1 will accomplish a grouping of names. If you have questions, please call me at 616 629 4056 until mid October then use 30 I 881 1376. Al Asch

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Ball ofFire BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol 9, No. 4 Gloriom dimu to a special friendship By Steve Snelling It promises to be the last hurrah. A glorious and defiant climax in a genuinely special relationship, forged in war and fostered in peace, in which the rebirth of a unique living memorial will be matched by unparalleled honor. Veterans of the US 2nd Air Division are back in Norwich to mark the dedication of the hallowed shrine destroyed seven years ago when fire gutted the Central Library, and to receive the Freedom of the City, a civic award never before bestowed on any organization from beyond these shores. More than 550 Americans, veterans of the wartime bomber force that Jost over 6700 men in the air campaign against Hitler's Germany, their wives, children and grandchildren have traveled across the Atlantic, undeterred by the current conflict against terrorism, for a week of acclamation and celebration in what many believe to be their "home from home". Their spirit was best summed-up by Evelyn Cohen, a vice-president of the 2nd Air Division Association and a former member of the Women's Army Corps, who insisted: "It was never an issue. As far as our veterans are concerned, they feel they were there in worse times and they flew under worse conditions." All signs point to a magnificent and emotional milestone in the history of a truly remarkable grand alliance between this comer of East Anglia and a group of American veterans. Ed: Partial reprint cowtesy of the Norwich Eastern Daily Press and taken from their web site at: http://www.epd24.co. uk Winter, 2001 NORWICH CONVENTION Al Asch The trip to London was Jong and tiresome, partly because the airplane was rather crowded and seating space was small. The sight of England was most welcome in the morning after flying all night. The traffic pattern of our ffight took us directly over London where we could plainly see aU the historic sights in the crystal clear weather, e. g., London Tower, Parliament, bridges across the Thames and Buckingham Palace. We were met at the airport by a most pleasant group of our British friends, headed by Mr. and Mrs. David Hastings. We were served a snack at the airport and then boarded a bus for a three hour trip to Norwich. The city of Norwich hasn't changed much since we were there during WWil except for the beautiful new Forum on the Millennium Plain which houses the Second Air Division Memorial Library as well as serving as the Norwich public library. It is a large horseshoe shaped building of red brick and glass which dominates the central city. We bad a nice lunch awaiting us at our arrival at the Nelson Hotel. BUSINESS MEETING There were some 600 from the US. that attended the reunion. At our business meeting on Monday, November 4, all. members of the 2ADA were designated delegates to the convention. For tax purposes, the 2nd. Air Division Association is covered under IRC Section 501 c (19), EIN 241227743. HERITAGE LEAGUE BUFFET DINNER A buffet was sponsored by members of tbe Heritage League at the Hilton Hotel for family members of all ages to meet and become

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2 acquainted. The food was good as well as the entertainment. It indeed served its purpose and prospects for the membership of the League to expand are good. All WWl1 families should get their sons and daughters to join the Heritage League if they have not already done so. Madingly Cemetery and Duford Museum Most everyone took buses to Madingly Cemetery where we had a short memorial service and our new President, Walter J. Mundy, laid a wreath at the base of the monument. The visit to the cemetery was shortened because of a severe traffic problem on the highway from Norwich. Nevertheless, 1 had time to go to plot Row 6, Grave 67 where my WWil bombardier, 2nd. Lt. Howard R Gilbert is buried. Although saddened by the loss of"Gil" on 18 November 1942, it is comforting to know that those we lost during WWII continue to be remembered. The cemetery is exceptionally maintained with the 3,810 white crosses standing straight and in perfect rows. Madingly Cemetery Lesl We Forget; 3810 White Crosses The names of the missing, are inscribed on a 427 foot wall of Portland stone. Recorded on the tablets are the names and particulars of 5,127 missing in action, lost or buried at sea, or those unknowns whose remains were either never found or never positively identified prior to interment. I found several names of fellow airmen on the wall. In particular, Lt. Col. Joe Tate, who was the first pilot I flew with on our first mission October 9, 1942 and 2nd Lt. Thadius Hawkins, our navigator. They were lost on later missions and their remains were never found. The group split up with some going to Duxford with lunch at the Officer's Club and others going to Clifford Hall for lunch. Part of this group went to Wyndham College after lunch and others directly back to the hotels. My family visited the Duxford museum. Of course the highlight there was the restoration of the B-24. The nose section of the B-24 is on display but the wing, engines, fuselage and tail section are being restored in a hangar. The technicians are doing a thorough restoration job, in particular to get rid of the corrosion. It is my observation the aircraft will be near airworthy condition when completed. Freedom of the City Ceremony This Tuesday, November 6, evening was the civic reception for aU of us of the Second Air Division Association with a splendid ceremony giving us the "Freedom of the City" award. This was held at the historic St. Andrews HalJ. We were entertained with organ and band music as well as having the awards ceremony. The Freedom of the City award is of the highest order and was given by Norwich Lord Mayor Keith Ratcliffe through handing over a scroll paying tribute to the continuing bond between American airmen and the citizens of Norwich. ln his presentation, be gave us his reasons wby we Americans held a special place in the hearts of so many locaJ people. Let me paraphrase a bit here. "It is for their courage, detennination and skill in the way they defended us, for their sacrifices risking everything, their lives, youth and their futures. Finally, it was for their company. The Mayor jokingly repeated what many Britons have humored: "The Americans were over-paid, over-sexed and over-here." He was quick to describe the strong bonds that we bad during WWII. These have continued through the years and continue today. Jordan Uttal, Honorary President of the 2ADA. accepted the Freedom of

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the City Scrotl making most appropriate comments about the outstanding reception we receive when we visit Norwich. It was a most enjoyable evening, with the pageantry in true British style. DEDICATION OF MEMORIAL LIBRARY This is the principle reason most of us came to England; to see our Memorial Library and celebrate its dedication and to honor the 6,700 airmen flying B-24's during WWII who lost their lives. The memorial and thanksgiving activities started at the centuries old impressive St Peters Mancroft Cathedral which is just across the road from the Forum Library which houses our Memorial Library. The Dragon Guards Band played marching music for a church and civic dignitary procession with sons of members of the 2ADA escorting the Standards (flags and banners) and our Roll of Honor containing names of the 6, 700 airmen we lost. The Bishop of Norwich, the Rev. Graham James conducted the ceremonies in the church. He spoke of the sacrifices of our airmen in a time of crisis for England and the friendships which have existed since WWTI. Of particular note was his comment that again we are allied in a common conflict (caused by terrorists). The church music brought one to attention and all in-al~ the performance was most impressive. One had to know the seriousness of the program from the planning required and resources used. I was impressed that so many of the busy dignitaries and local and Norfolk citizens were there to help us celebrate our Memorial Library and memorialize those who gave their lives for our freedoms. Memorial Library Opening Escorting the Standards and Roll ofHonor The day outside was grey with drizzle falling from the overcast. Nevertheless, the scheduled fly-over occurred at noon time with two British 3 Jaguars and an American tanker. Associated with the fly-over, there was a Guard ofHonor provided by the Royal Air Force ColtishaU and the USAF Mildenhall in honor of the Americans. Paul King, Chairman of the Memorial Trust, set the stage for the dedication speeches by commenting that I 00 is regarded as a long distance by the British, and Americans look at l 00 years as a long time. He then looked at us and stated that we were taking our final "bow" in a. country that many regard as their second home. The thought occurs that our WWII veterans' life span represents more than a quarter of our nations history. Assembly of2ADA Members and Norfolk Citi:zens Memorial Library Dedication Ceremony A message from the Queen delivered by the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, Sir Timothy Colman was as follows: Her Majesty said "All of us will remember with everlasting gratitude their bravery and sacrifice in the defense of freedom during this country's hour of need. I hope that their entire visit to Norfolk will be a happy one, strengthening still further the unique bond of friendship between our two countries." This was followed by Major General Kenneth Hess, Commanding General of the 3rd. Air Force stationed at Mildenhall, delivering a message from President George W. Bush who quoted the words of President John F. Kennedy for the dedication of our Memorial Library nearly 40 years ago, "They gave their lives in the defense of free men everywhere." General Hess substituted for the American Ambassador and was a good one as his father had flown B-24's from Hethel during wwn. Support For The Library Trust Fund The Memorial Library is unique in that there is not another one like it in the world. Our organization, the Second Air Division Association,

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4 established an endowment fund for its operation and the English people provided the space for it, in one of the most modem libraries oftbe world. This is, indeed, true friendship and respect between two peoples of two nations. The fund is administered in a Trust by an English Board of Governors. The Governors are indeed as interested as we are to have the library continue many years in the future. As has been advertised, the 2ADA bas had a special effort to raise monies for the trust fund. This effort has been most successful. During the evening of our banquet with our English friends, the Chairman of the Memorial Trust was presented with checks totaling $200,000 (140,000 pounds). This is a good start towards meeting our goal of 500,000 pounds, the amount believed needed to continue the support of our library after we are folded wings. OURDAYATBARDWICK Ttus was a highlight of our visit to England. David Woodrow, owner of Airfield Farm, Morris Hammond and Paul Thrower have done an outstanding job of maintaining a few original buildings and turning them into quite a good museum of the 93rd. Part of one runway still exists and a hangar has been added to house several vintage aircraft which are still airworthy; the principal one is the P-51. Morris Hammond is the pilot and he was scheduled to give us an air show and airplane rides but it was raining and snowing the day of our visit. Although this dampened our activities a little, it did not stop us from having a very pleasant time. There were 77 in all representing the 93rd. Of this number, 28 were veterans and the other 49 were family members. Special guests were Jim Reeves of Headquarters and bis two guests. There were two cameramen, Bill Kubota and John Gulas, who were busy the whole day taking pictures and conducting interviews. We started the day with a service in the Topcroft Church conducted by the Rector: Rev. Conal Mahony. The church was built in the Middle Ages and the village has retained its links with members of the 93rd. Some of us have visited Hardwick and Topcroft on a number of occasions since WWil. We were met by a group of Nonnandy Veterans decked out in their Regimental caps and combat ribbons and medals. They formed a lane for us to walk through in entering the church. They were most impressive, standing at attention in all their splendor. They later joined us at the Hardwick base. The church service was exceptionally well done with organ music and conducted by Reverend Mahony. We celebrated the occasion with songs and prayer and a large candle was lit by David Woodrow and me in memory of those of the 93rd and the Normandy Veterans who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. This candle will be lit once a year in memory of those we lost in the air and Normandy. Centuries old Topcroft Church The candle lighting was followed by a reading by Kent Jaquith, The Shadow of the Dove When dawn's ribbon of glory around the world returns and the earth emerges from sleep May the shadow of the dove be seen as she flies across moor and city. Over the warm breast of the earth she skims, her shadow falling on the watcher in the tower, the refugee in the ditch, the wary soldier at the gate. May the shadow of peace faU across the all-night sitting of a council, across the tense .negotiators around a table. May the shadow of hope be cast across the bars of a hostage cell, fill with momentary light rooms tense with conflict, bringing a brief respite, a slither of gold across the dark. May she fly Wltiring across flooded fields, across a city divided by hate and fear, across a town wreathed in smoke. May the shadow of reconciliation, the dove of peace with healing in her wings, be feJt and seen and turned towards us as she makes righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of her cause like the noonday sun. Holy Spirit of Jove Bring Healing, Bring Peace. This reading from Kent was followed by a few remarks from him: "The heritage we enjoy as a people was not simply given. Let us give thanks to

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the sacrifice of youth for the common :freedoms we enjoy today and for the uncommon valor and sacrifice given. Let us offer our gratitude. May we be grateful for this day and those that follow, and may we keep faith with those who have gone before us. Let us be honored to carry the torch of freedom that we have been given by those who have given their all. May their great deeds and friendships never be forgotten". The rather large contingent ofNormandy Veterans in the area have formed a Normandy Veterans Association. It was indeed a pleasure to celebrate and spend the day with them at both the church and at Hardwick. Their President gave each of the 93rd veterans, who attended the reunion at Hardwick a "Certificate Of Friendship,"in recognition of the special bond of comradeship between the 2nd Air Division, 8th USAAF. and the Norwich Branch of the Normandy Veterans Association. Lew Brown admiring his Certificate of Friendship PauJ Steichen and George Johnson folding flag In addition, the 93rd was given a wall plaque commemorating our new found relationship. I will ask the 8th Air Force Heritage Museum at 5 Savannah, Georgia to include the plaque in our display case at the museum where aU can take notice. la spite of the inclement weather, the Normandy Veterans and 93 rd members held a short memorial service at our monument at the airfield. It was started by playing the national anthems of both England and the United States. Wreaths were placed at the monument by the Normandy Veterans and BiU Sargent for the 93rd. Jim Adams and Ray Rhoades of the 93rd made most appropriate remarks. This was followed by the playing of taps and the lowering of the flag by George Johnson and Paul Steichen, son of Paul who was our past Vice President. It snowed and rained quite bard toward the end of the ceremonies but it did not dampen the spirits of the gathering. The ladies at Hardwick organized by Jean Woodrow prepared a delicious lunch for us. It was so well organized and the service was great. Most imaginative was the serving of fish and chips at dinner. They were delicious followed by strawberries and a special ice cream bar. This was the last chance we had to get fish and chips while in England, they were fresh and delicious. Just before the evening meal, we were entertained by a group of children from the local area singing several songs. They were good and it was most enjoyable. We veterans were stilJ impressed by the politeness of the children which we marveled at during WWil when we were at Hardwick. We will always be grateful for the preservation of parts of our old air base at Hardwick and we believe it will be maintained after we are gone. Paul Thrower and Morris Hammond are relatively young men and they have a keen interest in its preservation. For example, Morris has his vintage aircraft hangared at Hardwick. When one enters the hangar, it is impressive with Roll of Honor on Hangar WalJ at Hardwick

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6 the vintage aircraft and on the back waU hangs a large plaque with the Roll of Honor of the names of the 670 airmen the 93rd lost in WWII. Also, Dave Woodrow's son helps work the farm now and he plans to continue to work it after his father, Dave, is gone. If you have items for the Hardwick museum, send them to Dave Woodrow, Airfield Farm, Topcroft, Norfolk, NR35 2PA, England. Dave Woodrow had planned to have fire works in the evening but because of the rain and snow and late hour, we did not stay for this. In addition, many of us had to meet a very early morning bus schedule to meet our flight at Heathrow. Our check-in there was complicated and we were moved and transported several times before we finally boarded our airplane on the tarmac using an outside stair ramp. We were glad to arrive home. The Customs people at Dulles looked at us and said: "WWII veterans, yes! Welcome home;" and we were on our way. MEMORIAL PLAQUE AT THE US AlR FORCE ACADEMY l have interfaced with the appropriate office of the AF Academy for the design, manufacture and installation of a 93rd memorial plaque. The walls at the Academy cemetery are almost full but I was informed that they will continue the program by installing plaques on the wall bordering the Memorial Garden where the bronze model WWII aircraft are standing. Our B-24 model is near the wall mentioned. Hopefully, we can have the plaque installed near the B-24 model. I suggested the first week in October, 2002 for dedication. Associated with that, we can have a reunion and renew old friendships. We will keep you advised through our news letter, The Ball of Fire. Naomi and I Wish you all a very Prosperous New Year. Ed: Drop me a card or email if you plan on attending the reunion aJ the Academy this October. This will give the planners an idea of how many rooms to re.serve. Return to England 93rd Bombardment Group ( H) Norwich Convention Members and Guests Adams, Jim & Dot Asch, Al, Naomi, David & Peter Bargami~ Sam & Josephine Blacker,Nancy, Joan & Ann Brown, Lew & Lew m Neumann, Comingore, Dick & Linda Connell, David, Wilson & Joe (2AD Support Group) Cooley, Alice & Ann Urick Davidson, Cal Delguidice, Lou, Alberta & Sandra Comstock Flaningam, John & Christine (Steichen) Geyer,Don Graves, Charles & Jane Jaquith, Kent Johnson, George, Tom & Wendy Johnson Eveland Kelleher, Harry & Louise Magill, Art & Pat Terro Mathews, Gene & Julie (Steichen) Nykemp, Henry & Beatrice Peloquin, Paul & Steve Rhoades, Ray & Mary Regan, Bernie & Tom Rouse, Dan & Eileen Hunt Sargent, Bill Schneider, Ray, Tim & Karen Schneider Crain Sellers, Michael & Peggy (Sullivan) Sellers, Spencer, Don & Mary Lou Steichen, Paul & Marissa Stefoben, Ted Strombom, Fred & Inez Sullivan, Patrich & Cynthia & Brendon Sullivan, John & Bea & Jim Swaim, V ernoo Swanson, Clarence & Mary Ann Thompson, Glen Yamamoto, Mary (Steichen) British Guests for Banquet Hammond, Morris & Jane Mann, Colin Neale, David & Pearle Woodrow, David & Jean Special guests at Hardwick Hammond, Morris & Jane Mann, Colin Neale, David & Pearle Thrower, Paul & Joy Woodrow, David &Jean Cameramen Kubota, Bill Gulas, John

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Dear Mr. Asch, My name is George Goehring and I am a member of the 2nd AD. I was in the 389th and J get their newsletter. For along time 1 thought about designing a bumper sticker and print it with each group number on it. J got prices for printing a two color sticker. The minimum order was I 000 of each number. That meant 14,000 bumper stickers at a tremendous cost. No group bas close to a thousand members. I gave up on the idea until one night I awoke from a deep sleep and said ''That's it. Print the numbers separateJy and cut them up and put them on each sticker." So 1 got a quote from a company that prints peel and stick plastic bumper stickers. The minimum order was 2000 to get the cost down. I am selling them for $2. for one and $3. for two and I pay the postage. I will not make a lot of money but I like to think that my stickers are on a lot of cars throughout the country. I had two ads in the 2nd Journal and one in the 389th newsletter. So far there are about 500 cars running around with my sticker on it. Cutting out the group numbers and placing them onto the sticker is a Uttle tricky and it takes time. You couJd say each sticker is custom made. 1 would like lo send a letter and have it included in your group newsletter. Please let me know where and who to send it to. Maybe J could ~ rid of more that way. Breaking even is my goal right now. Enclosed is one of my stickers. Put it on your bumper today. You could ~mail it to me at: gegbagnaol.com Thank you very much; George Goerhring 799 Pleasnat Ave. Westbury, NY 11590 516- 334-4635 Ed: The engine nace/Je.s and 93111 Bomb Group lettering are in bright red color. Plane outline in blue and Second Air Division patch in normal colors. l worked with Wayne Porter, Enochs' younger brother. He told me his older brother Enoch was killed on the Ploesti raid in 1943, but that's all be knew as be was only two and re.a.Uy didn't know his brother that weU because of the age difference. I've tried to find information and a picture of the plane 7 "Euroclydon" and her crew to no avail. So far all I've found is the info. listed on your site. Am wondering if you might be able to help with pictures and info. Thank you, Doug Lillie stuartplaid@aol.com Subj: Hardwick Date: 10/3/0J 2:10:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time From: JG HODGSON l@cs.com I live in a house in Shelton (actuaUy closer to Hardwick airbase than Hardwick) and would love to hear any memories of the 93rd and England. If any of you know anything of my house that would be even better. My real address is J. G. Hodgson, Sundial Farm, Shelton Green Norfolk NR t 5 2SQ. r also have a picture of a local memorial which isn't on your borne pages, would you like me to e-mail you a picture? After the J I th of September, our thoughts and prayers are with you. Please note that work ~mail sbouJd be sent to me at: hodgsj2@norwich-union.co.uk Dear Mr. Davidson. My name is Bob Mertins, My father's name is Fred Mertins, and be was a navigator on a B-24 named "Big Operator". We have a Httle information and memorabilia of his tour in England. He made 31 missions from April 24, 1944 through July 25, 1944. He didn't talk much about his experience and ~e were too young to really ask questions. Now we would like to know more about his tour but dad is not able to communicate with us due to illness. Our whole family enjoys your newsletter and would lilce to hear from anyone that was on the "Big Operator". HeUo; Bob Mertins 2900 Pickford Place Pensacola, FL 32503 I'm starting with you, as your email address is most prominent. A friend of mine asked me if J could find out any information on his father. All he knows is that bis dad was a Tech Sgt. in the 330 squadron of the 93rd. (Forgive me if some of the AF Jingo is incorrect, as r am a ex-Coastie). His name was William Bolton, a flight engineer and he served with the 330th from '43 lo '45. After the war be was discharged but joined back up and was stationed at Muroc for a time working with B-29's. His son gave me the only

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8 picture he has of his dad and I copied it and sized it, I hope, small enough to send by email. In the picture bis dad is kneeling on the front left. None of the markings on the aircraft are visible. One ale in the background bas an "H" on the fuselage. I'm not sure what I really am asking for or expect to find out, but thought you might be able to help. Joseph M Bowers 110 N Side Park Louisa, VA 23093 Dear Sir, I'm emailing you because Art Ferwerda said you might be able to help me. I'm looking for anyone who might have pictures of the "JOSE CARIOCA" crew which was shot down over Ploesti on Aug 1, 1943. All of the crew was KIA and their bodfos never recovered. They, along with many other crews were buried in unmarked graves. I am looking for a picture oflvan Canfield. He was the co-pilot on "Jose Carioca". The pilot was Nicholas Stampolis. If you can help, please contact me. Jessie J Gonzales 3707 Pipers Field Hello, Sao Antonio, Texas 78251-1638 (210) 647-7032 I just came across your website page. My father, Martin H. Rubin, was a nose gunner in the 93rd. I don't know which Squadron. Bill Shoepster was the Navigator. They were shot down over Holland in early 1945 and were captured. I searched in the 8th Air Force Archives database. My father's name is incorrectly listed as Marvin H. Rubin, I have emailed them to have it corrected. I don't know who the pilot was or what the name oftbe aircraft was (if any). My father passed away in January of 1999. He attended the opening of a WWil museum in The Netherlands, where his boots (he claimed they weren't his, but who knows?) are part of an exhibit. If anyone wishes to contact me, please give them my email address, which is: gnl128@aol.com. I was wondering if the Group has a list of its members onJine, or was planning to do so? I understand that there's a newsletter. Are there any plans to put that online as well? Looking forward to hearing from you. George Rubin 78-39 223rd St Hollis Hills, NY 11364 Dear Cal, This is just a note to deliver some bad news. My grandfather, Roy Mayhew passed away on Oct. 15, 2001. He was T/Sgt with "Ted's Travelling Circus." There was hardly a day went by that he didn't discuss bis service in the war. Just this summer I made a scrap book of all his pictures, letters, patches, etc. and am very thankful he was able to enjoy it. I was curious to see if anyone else out there may have any pictures of him. He said he never had a particular crew he flew with every time. Among the names be mentioned most were Cal and Peg (O'Mara) Stewart If anyone has anything to share please contact me. Thank you Dear Cal, Melissa Mayhew 317 N. Dakota St.# 810 Vermillion, SD 57069 You are doing such a fine job on the .. Ball Of Fire" and I always Jook forward to getting it. A letter on page 6 of the fall 2001 issue gave Robert Love's address which is onJy 15 miles from our home. He was in our 3291h barracks. He has been a missionary since 1945 and lived throughout the world. I called him and will go to see him and bis wife next Sunday. Have not seen him since 1945 so l'm looking forward to this. After 57 years we should have a lot to talk about. I still keep in touch with five fellows from the 3291h and enjoy doing so. Garner A. PeMock 6415 Purdy Dr. Battle Creek, MI 49017 PLOESTI 60TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION P)oesti Tidal-Wave Veterans, Historians and enthusiasts. A 60m anniversary reunion is in the

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planning for those who participated in this famous mission of August 1, 1943, and for those historians and dedicated enthusiasts, who would like to participate in this event. It is scheduled around August l, 2003 and is planned to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. A side trip is on the agenda to visit the Hill Air Force Base Museum where a restored B-24 D will be on display. A program will be held at the museum with the possibility of a lunch or dinner as well. Consequently it is necessary to get some idea of feedback from you Ploesti Veterans and historians to see if this is a feasible undertaking. The planners of this reunion need to get an idea of the number of people wanting to attend the reunion, so plans can be made to get it organized. We know that it is a year and a half away, but we need your feedback now in order to determine whether or not this reunion is possible. Please drop us a postcard and let us know if you are a Veteran, either ground crew or air crew, and would attend the reunion, or if you are an enthusiast and would like to be part of the reunion and be willing to help out in some capacity. Right now there is only a handful of us wanting to see this reunion come about and we will be needing some assistance by fellow enthusiasts to make this a successful event. PLEASE DROP A POSTCARD TO: Kent Jaquith 760 Knight Hill Rd. Zillah, WA 98953 Ph. 509-865-2481, FAX 509-865-2189 OR Blaine Duxbury 524 Weston Hills Ct. Eagan Hills, MN.55123 Dear Mr. Davidson, I have the following open research items for my book on the 93rd Bomb Group. I want to make it as correct as possible. Hopefully, some of the veterans of the 93rd can shed some light on the following items. Mystery 93rd BG aircraft Here is my list of 93rd BG Aircraft that 1 have not been able to identify a serial#. I am looking for anything that pertains to these planes. If anybody has any photos, diary entries or recollection of these planes, I would like to hear from them. I have included names of men with connections to the 9 planes. I would like to find them or their families. "Lonesome Polecat" was an Olive Drab with an A-15 nose Turret. I do not know the Squadron that it was assigned to. The ground crew of "Lonesome Polecat" was Loring, Zeb Mueller, Johnny Hayes, and Havens. There are also references to Jack Dysart. There is a photo in the National Archive that shows Cbappy Burris with the crew of this plane. "Fart Sack Time" was an Olive drab aircraft and was possibly assigned to the 328th. l would like to talk with anyone who recalls this plane. I feel that "BarFly", "Zoot Snoot", "Lucille" and "Frances Ann" were assigned to the 409th. Based on group markings and background 1 believe these were attached to the 93rd BG in the spring of 1944. "BarF/y" was an Olive Drab aircraft with an A-6 nose turret. "Zoot Snoot" was noted in "Ted's Travelling Circus" as a plane that Bernard (Bernie) Edelman of Placerville, CA flew many mission on. The pilot for many of bis missions was Douglas W. Thompson of J obnstown, NY. I feel that Mr. Edelman and this crew will shed light on "Zoot Snoot". I have a possible serial # for this aircraft but I want to double check. "Lucille" was a bare metal aircraft and was active on June 6, 1944 "D-Day," based on a photo album note. It may have also flew with the 328th. This plane was named after Joe Giordano's sister. "Frances Ann" was an Olive Drab aircraft with a nose turret and was named for Matt Garofalo's sister. Vince (Vincenzo) Jimmy" Crimando was a possible crew chief. One photo states 0it was Joe's ship and all of the others state Crimando. There is a photo in Matt Garofalo album that shows ".Beminger'' painted under the engineer's window. On the back of the photo, is a note that states it was "Frances Ann". I have contacted Mrs. Bensinger, since be has passed away, but she does not recall any details. 1 am looking for anyone who flew with Nolan Bensinger of Terre Haute, IN. Recently Discovered Aircraft Names I am looking for any recollection or photos of the following aircraft that were assigned to the 330th BS during the time frame of January 4 to March 6, 1944. I received this information from the family of Leland Walz.el. He sent home letters describing his missions that he flew on. He was K1A on March 6, 1944. Bucket of Bolts 42-40127 "K" transferred to 458m. Old Hickory 42-1349S "D" MIA on April 8, 1944. Queen Ann 42-109832 "N" that was lost on March 6, 1944

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"Gorgeous Hussey" was a D model that was from a 328th BS ground crewman.He spent most of his time with the 93rd BG and a very small amount of time on detached service to Hetbel while the 93rd was in North Africa. He also went to ScotJand to support Sub patrols. I think there is a good chance that this plane was witb the 93rd BG. Thank you, Don Morrison 1375 West Comet Rd. Clinton, OH 44216 Phone (330) 882 2536 Folded Wings George W. Bailey Gen. John Brooks Richard Blakelock John J. Fitzpatrick Frederick A. Gilbert Basil E. Guynn Bernard Havercamp Roy M. Mayhew Ed: Paul and Nora Harwood and Bill Doerner all had open heart surgery this past summer and at last report are doing weU. Proposed Memorial for Air Force Academy Plaque 93rd BOMBARDMENT GROUP (Heavy) -... fk{l S-24 UBE.RATOR ~ ~ Ted's Tr.1vellina Circus Second Air OMsJon IN HENDRY OF TUOSF. \180 GAVE TUElll LIVES AND DEDJ.CATF;o TO Tlrt: OFFl CEIIS AND Ull. l STEO NE~ OF TUE 93RD llONBARDfU;ttT GROOl' (II) VIIO SERVED so VALIENTLY IN TIIE DEFENSE OF FREEDOM on~ING VORLD WAR II. THEY DlSTJMCUISIIED TBENSELVES BY PY.RFORM1NC STRATEGIC AERlAL \IARFARE Ul THE EUROPF.A" TDEA"t£R or OPERATlOIIS WBlLE STATIONED AT ALCONIIURY AllD HARDVIClt IN J:NGl,AND A■D FOUR. OJFFJ.Rf.:NT BASES IN SORTU AFRICA FaOM SEPTEftflER, 1942 U ■TIL VAa"S EftD )■ "AY. 1?4~. COMBA~ HlSSIONS: 396 BATTLF. CANPAJGIIS: 18 DJSTl■CUlSTIED UNIT CITATION: TVO TVO NEDALS Of UONOR, FIVE DlSTIRCUlSBED SERVIC£ CROSSES LOV ALTITUDE PLOESTl RAID AGAINST Oll REFINERIES: l AUGUST 1941 SQUADRONS: 328TH, 329TH, 330TH AND 409TB DEDICATED OCTOBER 2002

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Ball ofFire BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 10, No. 1 ATTENTION: Ted's TRAVELLING CIRCUS So many of those who attended the successful 93rd Bomb Group Reunion last year in Savannah and the wonderful Reunion of the 2d Air Force in Norwich, England in November, expressed hope that there be another 93"' Reunion. We are happy to announce the "Travelling Circus" will be getting together again on October 10 through 13, 2002 at Colorado Springs, Colorado, home of the United States Air Force Academy. The major function will be the dedication of a 93rd Bomb Group Plaque on a memorial wall of the Academy. All the major airlines fly into Colorado Springs. Our hotel, Embassy Suites, is located approximately 15 miles from the airport. Unfortunately, the hotel does not provide shuttle service, but the Hotel more than makes up for this by supplying complimentary cocktails daily from 5:30 to 7:30 in their West Atrium. We are informed that taxi service from the airport is about $20 for two people, and $10 for each one extra Costs of buses and meals are slightly higher this year, adding $10 to last year's $160 per person. It would be wise to check on the weather in Colorado during October and consider bringing warm sweaters and jackets, as the Colorado Springs area is 6,000 feet above sea level. We have not included any trips up Pike's Peak because of the danger for those who have heart problems and we have limited all walking tours. However, those interested in further touring Spring, 2002 the area might consider staying longer. We again welcome volunteers to assist, as they did in Savannah, in helping at the Thursday registration, bus transportation, etc. A schedule listing the Embassy Suites accommodations, and a schedule of daily events is attached. We are looking forward to seeing you all again. PLEASE: l . Phone in your credit card reservations to the Embassy Suites Hotel as soon as possible before September 1, 2002. After that date suites not spoken for will be made available to the general public. 2. Fill out the bottom section of the schedule naming persons in your party attending, and adding an "X" for those interested in Saturday's Academy football game as soon as possible so that we have an idea of numbers interested. 3. Make out your check payable to the 93rd Bomb Group and mail it to: Bob McKeever. 329 Rosewood Ave. Wmnetka, IL 60093 84 7-446-0205 Harry A. Kelleher, Chairman Reunion Committee 7925 SE Trenton Ave. Hobe Sound, FL 33455 772-546-1486 hlkeU@msn.com RENEW OLD FRIENDSHJPS, MAKE NEW FRIENDSHIPS, RECAPI'URE THE MEMORIES

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2 93rd BG REUNION 10/10-10/13, 2002 COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO Accommodations Embassy Suites Hotel 7290 Commerce Center Dr Colorado Springs, Colorado 80919 719-599-9@:l::l Cf Io 0 Luxury 2 room suite, 2 TVs, Coffee, USA paper, Indoor pool, whirlpool, sauna, exercise facilities, video game room Daily: Hotel Complimentary full breakfast Hotel Complimentary cocktails 5:30-7:30 pm Group rate one day before and one day after Check in: 3 :00pm Checkout: 12 noon $79 +8.4 tax, Single or Double Extra person $10 per day Call the Hotel to make your own reservations C•t Atl'O!IS put - ■d mail ia activity Fee: ACTIVITY FEE $ 170 PER PERSON List each person in your party: Print "X" Your address and phone and email address Please SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Thursday, Oct l 0 Arrival and Registration 5:30 complimentary cocktails 7:30 Hotel dinner Friday, Oct 11 Full Breakfast 6:30-9:30 Bus to Air Force Academy Dedication of Plague Lunch at Academy Bus to Garden of the Gods Bus to Hotel 5:30 complimentary cocktails 7:30 Group Banquet at Hotel Saturday, Oct 12 Full Breakfast 7:00- 10:30 Bus to Royal Gorge Bridge & Park Lunch at Royal Gorge Bus to Hotel QR AF Football vs Brigham Young Box Lunch provided-tickets $25 per person+Activity Fee Sunday, Oct 13--Departure Full Breakfast 7:00- 10:30 Mail one check for all attendees in your party payable to: 93rd Bomb Group to: Mr. Robert McKeever 329 Rosewood A venue Winnetka, IL 60093 84 7-446-0205 email: BridgeDove@aol.com We will contact those interested in the Football game at a later date. Tickets are $25 per. Please add this to the Activity Fee at left and put an "X" after the names of those who are interested. We will arrange a free box lunch per person.

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BOF Item from Al Asch Planning is well underway for dedicating our plaque at our Air Force Academy at Colorado, Springs this October 11, 2002. We first announced planning for October 4 but since have learned that the Air Force/Navy football game is scheduled for that weekend and the area is unusually busy during these games and we would not receive a high level of service to make our visit a complete success. The cost of the 12"xl2" plaque is approximately $700.00 plus a maintenance endowment amount of 10% of the cost for the Academy. Our Academy has approved our plaque design. date and time (October 1 l at 10:00 PM) of dedication and will provide ceremonial support including an honor guard, recorded music, a chaplain, an officer to accept the plaque, chairs and public address system at the dedication site. We are asking the Academy to place the plaque on the wall next to our B-24 bronze model monument. If you have not seen our B-24 bronze model, this will give you the opportunity to do so. It is worth seeing as well as Colorado Springs is a most interesting place to visit. The last issue of the BOF was devoted almost exclusively to our reunion held last November-at Norwich, England to dedicate our Memorial Library. Our visit to Hardwick, our WWil base, was certainly a highlight. Dave Woodrow and his wife, Jean, did a great job of making our day most enjoyable. We were welcomed at the old church at Topcroft by a group of WWII Normandy Veterans who formed a double row for us to pass through in entering the church. Toward the end of the day's activities, the 93rd veterans were each presented with a Certificate of Friendship by the Chairman of the Normandy Veterans' Association. Norwich & District Branch, 69 Colindeep Lane, Sprowston, Norwich, NR7 SEQ, England. Mr. Bennett made the following address to our group before presenting the certificates. His comments were most appropriate for the gathering because of the short time since the horrible attack against our Trade Center, the Pentagon and the downing of one of our airliners in a field in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.These remarks were made 8 November 2002: Ladies and Gentlemen. As Chairman of Norwich & District Branch ofNormandy Veterans' 3 Association, it is my privilege and my very great pleasure to say a few words on behalf of all our Branch Members and at the same time echo the welcome back here to Hardwick made manifest to you by our landlord David and his wife Jean, our esteemed hosts today, a welcome back to this, your home for quite a long time. Now, over the past few days, you have no doubt beard many speeches of welcome, of appreciation and of thanks all demonstrating the affection in which we bold you all. Well, I won't tread that path too closely, because r think that we can safely say this particular corning together here is rather different- perhaps even unique. You first came here, dear Veterans, when you were young men, full of life and vigor, no doubt sometimes a little bewildered, often very homesick and frequently very frightened. We British Veterans were also young men at that time, we were also lively and if my memory serves me a little, maybe even virile. We also were often homesick, usually completely without a clue as to what was going on and most certainly often scared beyond belief. Together, in our different spheres of service we faced dangers and hardships which, looking back, seem today almost unbelievable. We on the ground (what our RAF men condescendingly called "brown jobs") trod, with your soldiers, along a bitter and bard road from the beaches ofNormandy in its heat and dust, through a bitterly cold winter, until we British reached the Baltic, your men stood on the Elbe and it was all over. Throughout that long campaign, we on the ground had an umbrella protecting us and backing us up. We watched with awe and we rejoiced to see overhead the massive, glinting, silver formations of B17's and B24's by day. We heard by night the drone of the RAF Heavies and saw them by day as well later on. We admired the skillful aggression of your fighter pilots as they, with our men of 2nd Tactical Air Force, cleared the enemy from the skies and dealt swiftly with the formidable Tiger and Panther tanks of the enemy. The Mighty Eighth and the RAF: What a partnership! Perhaps a quotation from Shakespeare would apply: "Fierce, fiery warriors fought upon the clouds in ranks and squadrons and right form of War. The noise of battle hurtled in the air and dying men did groan" (Julius Caesar, Act 2 Sc. 2). Gentlemen, we fellow combatants salute you and we too thank you for all you did in the cause of

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4 civilization. Particu]arly here in Norfolk there will always be a very special affection and warm welcome for you, your wives, your sons and daughters, your grandchildren yes, ad infinitum. Today, we are all disappointed that once again we have to stand and fight against evil and tyranny. We in this Branch were quick to express to your Ambassador our sympathies and our sorrow for the atrocities of September 11111 and to reassure him that you have our support, 100 per cent and up to the hilt. We Veterans, in the time now left to us are of course limited in what we can do practically by way of help and support. We hope that you will find some comfort in the knowledge that you and yours will forever be welcome here in our hearts, in our minds and in our homes. Ladies and Gentlemen it is the unanimous wish of our Members, our Branch Veterans, their wives and families, that we present to each of you, our fellow Veterans, an individual token and a communal presentation to the 93rd Bomb Group, which we hope will be a reminder of the bond between us, a reminder of the days when we were brothers-in-amJS and of today when we can justly say we are sti.11 brothers. Thank you all for coming back here and giving us the pleasure of meeting you all. May God's blessings be with you always. (Here followed the presentation of the Certificate ofFrieodshipto all Veterans attending the reunion at Airfield Farm). I have since received a friendly letter from David and Jean Woodrow thanking the 93rd. for the donation to help support our museum at Hardwick. I quote as follows: "I just wanted to say thank you to aJI the generous 'Ninety Thirders' who gave so freely to arrive at such a wonderful sum of $2,500.00 which equals Pounds 1, 700.20p which has been put into the Airfield, T opcroft Church Fund, which will remind people of the 93rd and their sacrifices in the years to come. This was such a huge surprise and we are all very grateful to you all!" I understand from Dave that this money builds up the fund to between $6,000 and $7,000 which makes a nice amount for use at Hardwick. Naomi and I look forward to seeing everyone at our reunion at Colorado, Springs this fall, if not before. Al Asch REMEMBERING THE 93rd During World War TI I was a 8-24 pilot in the 409th Squadron of the 93rd Bomb Group. I flew my first mission on November 25, 1944, and my 35thonApril 16, 1945. Occasionally a few members of my family suggest that, since I don't talk much about my time in combat, (for which I suspect most of them are probably grateful) I should write some kind of narrative about that time. I've always begged off from that suggestion telling them that hard as it may be to believe, I didn't win the war single handedly but was only a very small cog in an enormous wheel and that there were literally thousands of men/boys who had much the same experiences as I. I've :further stated that, compared to 8th AF crews, who flew their missions earlier in the war when the loss rate was much worse, my time in combat was a walk in the park. In all fairness, however, I did make the. point that you were just as dead if you were killed in '45 as if you had been killed in '43. As time went by I had second thoughts and came around to the idea that I might try to put something on paper that would give my family an idea of what combat was like for me. And so, as memories wouJd come, rd make a note of them against the day when I'd try to put them together in a little personal remembrance that would make my children and grandchildren appreciate what a "towering hero" I was. As the notes of my memories accumulated I realized thattbey were not so much about dropping bombs, flying through flak, sweating out fighters and praying to get back on the ground in one piece, as they were about some of the people in the group whom I got to know either personally, casually or by reputation. So I came to the conclusion that my family wouldn't find much of interest in a memoir featuring people they'd never heard of, and cancelled the project. Then it occured to me that possibly some of my memories might ring a bell with some of the men who were in the group at the same time I was. So I decided to put these memories on paper and send them off to CaJ Davidson, with the suggestion that be might find them of sufficient interest to use in the B.O.F.Q.E and if not, to toss them in the wastebasket. At the outset I remind the reader that I am relying on memories that go back "lo these many years" and hope that errors (of which I'm sure there

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must be some) in these memories will not cause undue distress to anyone. After all, I'm an old crock too so cut me a little slack please. And so, in no particular order, here are some of my memories of the good old 93rd. Col. Tberman Brown: When we joined the 409th he was the C.O; and. in my view, was the epitome of what a tough, and experienced combat leader would be. I later found out that, as a 2nd Lt; he'd flown the "Balpro" mission. This was a super long mission against Ploesti, flown in 1942, fully a year before the infamous low level Ploesti mission which was flown in August '43 by the 93rd among others. You could tell he knew the score and everyone I knew really respected him. Captain Werland: He was the squadron training officer and took his job very seriously. He had a big bulletin board on the wall of his office, on which there were squares, which he filled in when we'd completed whatever training phase that particular square represented. On the outside of the door to his office be had a sign that said, "If you can't help me fill my squares, don't come in." Our 13th mission: Until we had it behind us, we called it "12 A". Lee R. Stepp: lo my opinion, he was the best pilot in the group. He'd worked at Consolidated, building B-24's, before going in the service, and knew more about the inner secrets of that airplane than, I suspect, even the engineering people. Example: While on a mission he ran into a nasty problem in his fuel transfer system. Something was either broken or plugged so he couldn't transfer fuel. He remembered that the handle on the emergency hydraulic pump was a tube whose outside diameter was the same as the inside diameter of the hoses that were part of the transfer system. So be told his engineer how to bypass the blockage, using the handle from the pump to carry the fuel. I'll bet there wasn't another man in the whole 2nd Division who could've figured out bow to get out of a jam like that one. The above was told to me by Jack Waldrop, Stepps copilot, and one of his navigators whose name l can't recall. (It might have been Captain Koenig.) Stepp was a le.ad pilot, and I always felt we were in good hands when he was leading the formation. Unlike some of our leaders his flying was very smooth. That made it easy for us to fly a good steady formation on him without having to be sawing back and forth on the throttles all the time. Furthermore be never did anything stupid like screwing up the bomb run so that we'd have to do 5 a 360 and try again. He was a fine person, a real gentleman, and l'm not the least bit chagrined to admit that he was my hero. Frank Eiben: He was a pilot in the 409th, and quite a character. He called toilet paper "moon tape"; and when you'd meet him he'd throw you a Nazi salute and say, "In case we lose". The best "put down" I ever heard. We bad a pilot in our squadron named Dave Branfass. He liked to keep us current on how he was, all by himself, "Crushing the Hun." We called him the "King of Snow Jobs". One day before a mission, as we were gathered around the stove in the room where we kept our flight gear, the "drying room"? Branfass started to fill us in on his latest act of heroism. He was in especially good form and voice that day and as he reached the thrilling climax to his recital, a voice from over among the lockers rang out, saying, "There I was, upside down over Big B, fighters on the left, flak on the right and the navigator taking star shots through the flare chute." [ never found out who sounded off with that gem. I always suspected it was Branfass's copilot, a chap named, as I recall, Kickaloe. Who ever it was he gave us all, even Branfass, a good laugh to start the day on. The "Great Heat Debate": We were given one bucket per week of very low grade coke, to heat our buts. This would sometimes trigger rancorous disagreement between two factions. The "Live for The Moment" lobby, whose creed was, "Burn it all now. We'll be nice and warm for one night and worry about tomorrow when it arrives". The opposition favored the doctrine of "Conserve and plan for tomorrow. Forego one realJy warm night for multiple somewhat warm nights when we won't have to search for bomb rings or steal some poor farmers fence, for fuel". The two parties never did resolve their differences. The whole affair had overtones of the fable of the "The Ant and the Grasshopper." Toward the eod of the winter of 44/45 the fuel problem got so bad, we even ran low on bomb rings, that some of the more larcenous elements in our hut area, the "Lower WAAF Site", started stealing the doors off the toilet stalls in the latrine. Finally, when the doors were all burned up they stole the seats off nearly aU the toilets. They did show some compassion however. Although they could have taken and burned aU the seats they were merciful and left a couple for which we all were grateful. Captain Goodfriend: (Is that a neat name, or what?) He was the group's own tunesmith. His

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6 specialty was bawdy songs that he cou Id apparently compose off the top of his bead. He would belly up to the piano in the Officers Club and entertain his audience for hours with his extensive repertoire. I only remember a few fragments of his songs. One describes in rich detail a liaison of a grossly carnal nature, in which he and his lady friend are flying out over the Wash in the waist of "Fur Coat P-Paul". About the onJy part of the song that's suitable for print is the last line: "Ha-Ha-Ha, Ho-Ho-Ho. Some sh-t." One of his cleaner songs started out: (to the tune of "If I had the wings of an angel") "Oh I'll meet you tonight over the buncher. I'll be flying at forming altitude. I'll be flying with number one feathered, and the oil running out of number two." He was quite a character, was Goodfriend. I don't think I ever saw him when he didn't have a big grin on his face. I didn't know him personally but did enjoy watching him in action. I wonder what ever became ofhim. I suppose he's long gone by now. A sight I've never forgotten: We were on a mission. I'm not sure where or when, maybe Hanover, on March I 7, 1945. As I recall we were flying in the low left element of tbe lead squadron. We were forming on the group lead whose command pilot was Major Biggers. I don't know who the pilot was. At that time all the lead crews were in one squadron. (the 328tb?) My copilot, Don Porter, was doing the flying and holding good position while I was keeping an eye on Biggers ship, watching for his bombs to drop. He finalJy dropped his bombs and hadn't even gotten his bomb doors closed when I saw his ship take a direct hit in the bomb-bay. Then the left wing came off and flames engulfed the ship from the center section, clear back to the tail. Then I lost sight of it (and not a moment too soon). Jim Woolam, our tail gunner, said he didn't see a single chute. I think I said, on the interphone, something on the order of, "Well we've just seen twelve people die." Not another word was said by anybody and we never talked about it after that. Years later, Don Weisert, my navigator, told me that be bad run into Bigger's pilotage navigator who was in the nose turret when they were bit. Apparently be was blown free, and got bis chute open at the last second. I'm sure we all have our own sad memories that we'd just as soon not have to carry with us for the rest of our lives but we weren't given the option, were we? The best Bombardier I ever knew: We flew quit~ a few squadron deputy leads, so we usually had a bombardier assigned to us. The one in question was Bob Stahl We took him on a practice bombing mission and I couldn't believe how good he was. He got the sight set up in about one minute flat, flew a short and very smooth bomb run, dropped a bomb and got a shack. Then to prove it wasn't a fluke he flew three more runs, each on a different heading, got two more shacks and what in horse-shoes would be called a "leaner". So, four bombs, three shacks and a "leaner". The guy was pure magic. When we got back to the base, I bumped into Murray Fant, our new squadron C.O. and told him about StahJ. I think Fant sent Stahl right over to the lead crew squadron because he never flew with us again. I should have kept my mouth shut. "Duffie Bag": The armed forces radio, in England, had a morning program called "Duffie Bag". The "Disc Jockey" was Sgt. Johnnie Desmond. 1 believe he'd been a singer with Glen Miller. We would frequently Hsten to his music on the radio compass after we were formed up and heading out on a mission. For some reason that part of the mission always gave me a good feeling. Of course if the ship wasn't behaving itself that would be a different story. But if all was well I enjoyed that time. Usually we were high enough that we'd be in bright sunshine which always felt good. For some reason I felt especiaUy close to the men on my crew at that particular time.. I've always been sorry I didn't tell them. But I guess you don't do that when you're twenty years old and not very sure of yourself. The warm and fuzzies didn't last long though. They ended when we saw the first burst of flak. From then on it was "Pucker City". Speaking of "Pucker City": I remember once after coming back from a particularly hairy mission, as we were getting out of our seats, I noticed Porter examining his seat cushion. I asked him why and be said, "For a while there I was puckered up so tight I thought sure I'd sucked the buttons right out of this cushion." He said it with a perfectly straight face and I laughed so hard I almost wet my pants. And so on that note I end this exercise in remembrance. Those few months were a part of my life rm glad I experienced, But I'd never want to do it again. Who would? Ted Smith #3 Sagunto Lane Hot Springs Village, AR 71909

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THE LAST MISSION By Michael Donahue Early in 1944 our bomber crew was formed at Westover Field, Mass. Later that year we joined the 93rd Bomb Group at Hardwick, England. [n the months that followed our B-24 bomber crew participated in the Normandy Invasion supporting the ground troops during the Battle of the Bulge, survived the bitter cold at high altitude and the Jong hours on oxygen, fought off enemy fighters and flew through heavy concentrations of flak. Our 29th mission was on Jan. 2, 1945. The 93rd led the 20th Wing on a successful attack on Neuwied, Germany. One more mission and we are eligible to go home. I thought everything was going fine but as bad luck would have it our pilot, Capt. Spencer was wounded and had to be hospitalized. This resulted in our crew being grounded. We were all anxious to fly that last mission. At this stage of our tour we were aU suffering from battle fatigue. I really don't know why we were so anxious to fly as some crews had been lost on their last mission. On the 12th ofJan 1 was summoned to appear at base operations. The officer in charge informed me that I was on alert and scheduled to fly as a replacement radio-operator on tomorrow• s mission. Excited and relieved I left operations knowing now 1 will fly my 30th and final mission. If successful its WHAM BAM and back to the States. Returning to the Quonset hut on my English bike, I came upon a parked P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft. She appeared big and brawny silhouetted against the evening sky. The British called her the JUG, I referred to her as my life savior. On a earlier mission we got shot up pretty bad and had to drop out of formation . Flying alone we are vulnerable to enemy fighter attack and that is when our little friend appeared in his Thunderbolt and escorted us to safety. God bless our wonderful fighter pilots, they did so much. and I was privileged to serve in their company. Pedaling on I find myself in front of a large open hanger. ln the dim light the crew-chiefs are preparing a bomber for tomorrows• mission. Its dark when I arrive at the Quonset hut. The crew wishes me luck on tomorrows mission as I snuggle into my bug infested Limey blankets. At briefing the target for today and aJI the stuff pertaining to the mission is revealed to us. Capt. Dolliver's crew and Commander Major Herr will lead the Second Air Division to a target at Worms, Germany. Being out in front makes it easy for the 7 German gunners to shoot you down. I feel 1 ucky today as 1 have my shamrock and am wearing the same socks I wore for 29 missions. I think I'll have them bronzed when I get borne. I am not superstitious but when 1 checked the crew roster on the bulletin board for tomorrow's mission 1 counted 13 names to fly with Capt. Dolliver and I was one of them. The day of the mission was Friday the 13th. Waiting for take off in my radio compartment I was amazed that all my equipment worked perfectly. At 0740 hours our group took off and the flight to the target went smoothly. We had good fighter support and flak was sporadic. After dropping the bombs on the target Capt. Dolliver made the tum and the armada of trailing bombers headed for home base. On our gradual decent from 22,000 ft. we were hit by a concentrated barrage of flak. Shaken with fear 1 thought I was going to lose my socks. When the shelling stopped the pilot called for a damage report from the crew. The waist gunner, Waldron, reported that Sgt. Pompa had been hit by flak and was bleeding badly and was in a lot of pain. The navigator was sent to administer first aid. I pray that he will survive the long hours that lay ahead. Flying low over the English channel and the snow covered fields of England we reached our airbase. After a good landing we taxied to the hardstand, with the power off tbe mighty engines clink and clank to a stop. It's very quiet now as I sit here at my radio table, the noise of the mission slowly diminishing from my ears. I don't know why but it's a sad feeling I have that the mission is over. Nervously I tap out on my transmitting key an uncoded message thanking God and my fellow airmen for my survival. From my radio compartment window I watched the medics lift the wounded gunner onto the stretcher into the red cross wagon and drive away. After all that I feel pretty lucky. Capt. DoUiver on his way out of the Bomber congratulated me on successfully completing my 30th and final combat mission. He said, "Sergeant, fifty years from now you can tell your grandchildren what happened here today." So I did. When I finished telling this story to my children on this last Christmas day, they sat in disbelief that old POP could have done such a thing. Michael J. Donahue 2412 Damman Dr. Apt. 104 Midland, MI 48640

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8 Dear Cal, I have a question you migh1 be able to help me with. When I got out of Turkey after being interned I was sent back to the 93rd BG, 409th 8/S and was assigned to the crew of "Baggy Maggy'' as their nose gunner. My problem is I can't remember that crew or who they were. l was with them from January to March of 1944 when I finished my tour. If possible I would like to get a crew picture of them or if anyone has any information about the crew during that time period I would appreciate hearing from them. This may seem dumb but my mind is a total blank. Thanks for any help you can give me. Granville Meseke t 215 Ponce Del Leon Ave Las Vegas, NV 89123 We have been trying on and off for several years to locate any and all information about my husband's uncle, CJifford Stafford, who was part of the crew on the final mjssion of the Lonesome Polecat. We receive your newsletter and have received lots of information. What we would love to find is someone who knew Clifford, pictures, stories, anything really. We have all the facts but would like something a little more personal if possible. Hi: Cindy Stafford 6407 Kury Lane Houston, TX 77008 I'm former S/Sgt Charlie Russell, 93rd Bomb Group. Flew 33 missions between Nov. 1944 and April 1945. I just finished reading Stephen Ambrose's "Wild Blue" and thought it was the best book I've seen on B-24s and the air war in Europe. I always admired my pilot, Ellis Calfee, of Birmingham. Alabama but after reading this book I respect him and all other pilots more than ever. It would sure be great if one of the "Ball of Fire" quarterlies carried comments on the book from the pilots who flew our planes out of England. By the way, l was the only guy on our crew who ever fired at an attacking German fighter. It was a jet but he broke off the attack almost immediately when P-51sjumped him. Charlie H. Russell 18103 Bal Harbour Drive Nassau Bay, TX 77058 Hello, Calvin Davidson, I have been given your email address by Nick & Paul Thrower, of the 93rd BG Museum at Hardwick. Both they and I would like to let you know that the museum at Hardwick is now on the web and can be found at: www.93rd-bg-museum.org.uk We thought your readers of the "Ball of Fire Quarterly Express" (an excellent publication by the way) would be interested to know of the sites address. I will be contacting the various 93rd related sites in America over the next few days to pass the word of the sites address. Hope you are all keeping well. Roger Fenton Wildlife & Historical Photographer feotonphotography .co. uk J am looking for any information you may have on my grandfather, Alfred Midgley. He was a tail guMer in the 329th BS 93rd BG. Shot down 6 February 1945. I am in contact with his Navigator Bill Schoepester and I am looking for any one else that may have known "Midge." Thank you, Dear Sir, David Speer 923 Homestead Park Drive Apex NC, 27502 J am trying to locate anyone who may have flown on the B-24 MJSSCHIEF. I have names of several of the office.rs and crew who flew oo this plane: Pilot: James Cook (of Houston, TX) Co-Pilot: David Carpenter (ofNYC, NY) Top-Tur-Gunner:R. E.Croom(ofMuleCreek, NM) Gunner: Louis R. Oliver (of Jacksonville, FL) Tail Gunner: C.D. Chinberg (of McPherson, KS) l would like to locate anyone who may have flown on this plane with my grandfather Ralph E. Draper (Engineer-Gunner). Any help you may be able to provide for me would be greatly appreciated or if you could just point me in the right drrection to look. Ralph E. Draper 1Il 5463 Paulson Street North Charleston, SC 29406 Thanks Cal for the info on Jake's "Tupelo Lass" and the 93rd BG. I remember my Dad, still living in Tupelo at Age 91, telling me as a boy about "Jake Jr." and his 8-24. Jake brought the B-24 over Main Street in Tupelo and buzzed the town at "tree-top level" prior to his departure for ETO in

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'42. 1 was only 4 years of age but Dad kept telling me of Jake and his exploits. Also Dad built me a model of the B-24 from the end boards of apple crates, using adding machine paper rolls as engines. It was my favorite boyhood toy! Anyhow, I recently read ''The Wild Blue" by Stephen Ambrose and rekindled my interest in the history of the B-24 and Jake's BG. My wife, Peggy, and I live here in the KeMedy Space Center area where I retired 2 years back after 35 years with Lockheed, 20 Years in Huntsville, AL. All my career has been in the aerospace field since a mechanical engineering degree at Miss. State in 1961. My favorite fighter is the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. But by far my favorite bomber is the B-24. I'm currently building a model of both . Last week J went to see the Collings Foundation flying B-17 and B-24 at Stuart, FL . lt was great and I shot 3 rolls of film. Also, 1 plan to order 'Ted's Travelling Circus" from Cal Stewart. Archie Norwood gave me his address. Archie has sent me a news clipping and photos! And was the first to notify me after my inquiry on the web site. Thanks again, for keeping the history of these heros and their aircraft fresh in our minds. Please send the next newsletter to me at: Leland P. (Pat) Scott 485 Bella Capri Drive Merritt Island, FL 32952 Operation Stupid and the Chattanooga Choo Choo By Lt. Col. R.H. Ottoman It was somewhere around the middle of December l 944. I bad completed my tour with the 445th Bomb Group (B-24's), and for the past five months was stationed at 2nd Combat Wing Hdqs. working as a Combat Controller for Brig. Geo. Ted Timberlake, Wing Commander, and Cot. Jim.my Stewart, Director of Operations. Gen. Timberlake had gained fame as a Group Commander on the initial Ploesti raids. Col. Stewart was a celebrity in his own right as a famous Hollywood movie star. Not only were these two of the finest military men I ever served under during WWll but they epitomized the optimum in both professionalism and leadership. They provided 9 an atmosphere within the Headquarters that was conducive to making the task at band less stressful as quite frankly there was considerable stress associated with the daily launching of three bomb groups. This particular time in the history of the War was quite sigruficant as the Allies were engaged in two conflicts at the same time. One was associated with the weather, which was as cold and raw as this kid from Montana had ever experienced and the other of a military nature, where the ArdeMes Offensive (along with the Battle of the Bulge) was going full blower. Needless to say, with below zero temperatures, eight inches of snow and heavy fog, the Allies were now fighting an uphill battle with their backs to the wall. After several weeks of fighting the outcome was still in question. Compounding the problem for the Allied ground forces was the unfortunate fact that practically all Allied aircraft had been grounded or scattered throughout England and W estem Europe, due mainly to the fog and low visibility. We, along with every other Combat Wing headquarters, faced the dilemma of having our aircraft on the ground somewhere but no way of getting them back to their home stations. If we were fortunate enough to get any of them home, the miserable weather precluded the launch of a single aircraft on subsequent missions. This situation applied to both bombers and fighters a11d came at a time when our Ground Forces needed all the help they could get. So, for us at Combat Wing Headquarters, this business of not being able to get our three Bomb Groups airborne was not only frustrating but boring to this contingent of mission planners who were confined to our limited facilities comprised of a cluster of Quonset huts. We could only hope and pray the Good Lord would send us some favorable weather quickly before the German offensive could accomplish its original goal of splitting the Allied forces and reaching the Channel. As this state of boredom became more infectious someone, whose wisdom should've been questioned, suggested that with the Christmas period approaching we could possibly dispatch our staff aircraft. a single-engioeNorseman, along with a couple of guys from Operations, to Paris. Once there, they could not only evaluate the situation relative to the Ardennes Offensive but also procure

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10 several bottles of exotic perfume (Chanel #5), along with an ample supply of quality brandy and cognac. The perfume would be for the married guys to send home while the liquor would be to enhance any Christmas festivities we might be fortunate enough to have. The wheels were now starting to turn for the launch of what might best be known as "Operation Stupid." The next step of this bold venture would be to get approval of Gen. Timberlake and Stewart. I'm not really sure if they were ever really made aware of this fiasco but the approval was fmally granted. Phase 2 of the Operation was to find a pilot and navigator whose combined intelligence and flight experience were capable of getting the Norseman off the ground, in possibly Zero/Zero conditions and back on the ground at either Orly or LeBourget airfields in Paris. A request for voJunteers went out but as most of the guys were married, no family man in bis right mind wanted to get involved in a stunt like this. However, one bachelor, not considered the brightest by his compatriots, raised a hand. lt was me! Now, J'd previously-flown to Paris a couple of times, so felt William McKelvey p 2 Ted Shannon Bomb. 3 Hugh Roper p 4 John "Pocky" Roche p 5 Jaclc Jones p 6 Walter Stewart p 7 Joe Avendano p 8 9 John White Nav. 10 11 12 13 14 Wilkinson? p IS Leland Rath ? 15A Loren Coon Co-P 16 Stanley Wertz Nav. 17 limberlakc ? 18 19 Walter Zablocki Gun. 20 highly qualified to fill the needs of the mission. My first journey to gay Paree was with a load of troops in a "war-weary B-24" shortly after the liberation. My passengers had heard stories about the Follies-Bergere and wanted to see first hand whether the Can-Can dancers wore any underpants! They soon found out! My second flight was carrying a group of "sightseers." Ed: To be continued "93rd BG Web Site" At this time our web site is undergoing a complete reconstruction. You might want to check periodicaJly as I am not sure when it will be ready. I think you wilJ like its new format. I would appreciate copies of any pictures you might have of group photos, especially those of our ground personnel. Folded Wings Bousquet, Francis Nevin B. Gibson 21 John Lentz 22 23 William Keefer 24 25 26 27 Aaron Moses 28 29 Harold Lloyd 30 31 32 33 Earl Zeulemeyer 34 35 36 Darrell Sims 37 Anthony Zenelavage 38 Jack Dickson 39 40 Ignatius Deicidue 41 William DeFreeze 42 A J. Petkovich Hanlon, Donald William E. Reynolds Co-P R-op Gun. p Bomb. p Gun. Gun Gun We need help in identifying all these men or corrections if you believe anyone to be mis-identified. Please contact your newsletter editor or by email at k8ggc@aol.com if you recognize anyone in the picture. The Life picture can be seen in color on the new website under "What's New." A special thank you to Time-Life Inc. for giving us permission to reprint this Life cover page.

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Ball of Fire BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 10, No. 2 9 3rd BG Reunion Colorado Springs, CO UPDATE June 18, 2002 All of our plans have been finalized for October 10 through 13, and Colorado Springs is waiting for us to arrive. We have reserved 75 rooms at Embassy Suites (We used 60 rooms in Savannah last year, and a number of attendees had stayed at other places in the area.) The Hotel is requiring that we make our reservations before September, otherwise they will not guarantee the availability of the· rooms. Your reservations are also necessary to give the numbers for activities, lunches, dinners and bus transportation. As usual, some of you have made hotel reservations but have not sent in your Activity Fee to Bob McKeever. And some of you have sent in your $170 activity fee to Bob McKeever but have not called the Embassy Suites to make your reservations. You can save a nickel by calling the 1-800 Embassy Suites number: 1-800-362-2779. Mention the Rate Code C-93B for our Reunion to get the room rate of $79 plus tax per night for a suite. The AF Academy Football Team is playing Brigham Young University at home on Saturday, October 12. We will car pool those interested to the game with a box lunch prepared by the hotel. Tickets for the game are $25 per person, which we ask that you add to your $170 Activity Fee sent to Bob McKeever. The 93rd BG Reunion coming up this October was planned one snowy night in Norwich, England last November, and we had a thumbs up from all of you interested in attending. We need to bear from you. These "Golden Years" are swiftly going by and we need to make the most of them. We realize some of you may fear that unexpected "aches and pains" may occur as October approaches. Be Summer,2002 assured your Activity Fee will be returned if you do not attend, and you can cancel your Hotel Suite up to 48 hours before arrival. so don't hesitate to make your commitment. As mentioned before, we need to know the numbers attending in order to complete pJans. For your convenience, we include again the schedule of events, the information for registering with Embassy Suites, and the section to fill out for the Activity Fee of $170 per person, plus $25 per person Football fee if attending, in a check to be mailed to Bob McKeever. We are hoping for a great turnout. Harry Kelleher Department of the Air Force Headquarters United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, Colorado Ms. Nancy J. Bums Chief: Development and' Alumni Programs Division 2304 Cadet Drive, Suite 351 USAF Academy CO 80840-5002 Col Alfred Ascb, USAF, Retired Second Air Division Association 6205 Meadow Court Rockville MD 20852-3637 Dear Colonel Asch I have received your "Offer of Gift," dated March 25, 2002, by which you on behalf of the 93'd Bombardment Group transferred $70 to the United States of America as a gift. The gift will be used.for repair and maintenance of the 93rd Bombardment Group memorial plaque. By authority of the Secretary of the Air Force, I accept with pleasure your gift of $70, pursuant to 10 USC 260 I. Thank you very much for the interest in and support of your United States Air Force Academy. Sincerely

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2 93rd BG REUNION 10/10-10/13, 2002 COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO • ... t tb· ~Ji~1 Accommodations Embassy Suites Hotel 7290 Commerce Center Dr Colorado Springs, Colorado 80919 719-599-9100 Luxury 2 room suite, 2 TVs, Coffee, USA paper, Indoor pool, whirlpool, sauna, exercise facilities, video game room Daily: Hotel Complimentary full breakfast Hotel CompJirnentary cocktails 5:30-7:30 pm Group rate one day before and one day after Check in: 3:00pm Checkout: 12 noon $79 +8.4 tax, Single or Double Extra person $10 per day Call the Hotel to make your own reservations Cu1 across page aad mall in activity .Fte: ACTIVITY FEE$ 170 PER PERSON List each person in your party: Print "X" Your address and phone and email address Please SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Thursday, Oct 1 O Arrival and Registration 5:30 complimentary cocktails 7:30 Hotel dinner Friday. Oct 11 Full Breakfast 6:30-9:30 Bus to Air Force Academy Dedication of Plaque Lunch at Academy Bus to Garden of the Gods Bus to Hotel 5:30 complimentary cocktails 7:30 Group Banquet at Hotel Saturday, Oct 12 Full Breakfast 7:00-10:30 Bus to Royal Gorge Bridge & Park Lunch at Royal Gorge Bus to Hotel OR AF Football vs Brigham Young Box Lunch provided--tickets $25 per person+Activity Fee Sunday, Oct 13--DepartUre Full Breakfast 7:00-10:30 Mail one check for all attendees in your party payable to: 93rd Bomb Group to: Mr. Robert McKeever 329 Rosewood Avenue Winnetka, IL 60093 847-446-Q205 email: BridgeDbve@aol.com We will contact those interested in the Football game at a later date. Tickets are $25 per. Please add this to the Activity Fee at left and put an "X" after the names of those who are interested. We wilJ arrange a free box lunch per person.

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Operation Stupid and the Chattanooga Choo Choo continued by Lt. Col. R. H. Ottoman My second flight was carrying a group of "sightseers." I bad the misfortune of landing at Orly air.field where I hit a bomb crater on the runway, leaving the B-24 with one main landing gear stuck down four feet in the hole. Luckily, no one was hurt (excepting my pride, of course). When we returned to England on that trip, thanks to the generosity of the Troop Carrier Command, our B-24 was still lodged in the crater, where some Frenchman was attempting to pull it out with a team of oxen. Possibly, my track record of landing at Paris would portend the chain of events, which were to follow, but with me being the only volunteer as pilot, such future adversities were never a consideration. Now all I needed was a smart Navigator - no problem - one of my close friends was a major by the name of Bill Hall. Bill was the Wing Navigator, and although married, reluctantly agreed to occupy the second seat and steer me in the right direction. Not only was Bill one of the best navigators in the 8"' Air Force, but he was one of the coolest, calmest guys I've ever known. These characteristics would play a very important and life-saving part in this "journey of no return." The proverbial: "accident waiting for a place to happen" was gelling rather quickJy. At about three P.M. the next day, the fog lifted to about 300 feet, which was about as good as it had been all week. At the same time we received an unofficial report from our weather section that Paris was reporting a 500-foot ceiling, much better than ours. This was the green light we had been waiting for. Our-bags were already packed, so all we had to do was fire up the Norseman and head for Paris - finally we were on our way. Now, for a really astute pilot and navigator, some of the basic ingredients of a well planned flight would include such things as an altimeter setting (at Paris), an ADF homing device (known as a "bird dog") and hopefully much better weather than predicted. Obviously, there would be no air-to-ground communication due to the proximity of the fighting at the Battle of the Bulge. We had "none of the above," but for two intrepid young airmen, who bad survived German flak and fighters on 30 combat missions, this short jaunt would be a walk in the park. Why should we be concerned about such "insignificant items". as 3 navigation aids, when aJl we had to do was drop down over the Channel, pick up the highway at Dieppe, and follow it all the way to Paree. Oh, brother! Now, a little about the Norseman, the machine upon which our mission's destiny lay. I mentioned earlier that as a staff aircraft, we used it from time to time to fly to Scotland to replenish our supply of quality Scotch. It had six seats, as I recall, bad both slots and flaps with an engine, rated at around 600 horses, possibly more. A fairly high performance aircraft for that period. Incidentally, this was the same aircraft Glenn Miller, the bandleader, was in when he'd disappeared the week before. Finally, Bill and I got underway, topping out at about 2000 feet with the fog deck below us. Looking to the east, we could see what appeared to be a dark ribbon slicing through the fog. This was the English Channel, the first check point along our route. Seems for some meteorological reason or another, the fog phenomenon is not compatible with the water in the Channel. As we got closer, we could see that the fog bank had built up again on the other side of the Channel, pretty much giving us the same conditions we were leaving behind in England. No problem, as the French say "C'est la guerre," we'd just press on as planned. As mentioned earlier, the game plan was to drop down over the open Channel, proceed VFR to Dieppe, pick up the highway which went to Beauvais, then follow that all the way into Paris. At this point, everything seemed to be falling in place. When we started our penetration to get under the fog bank, J casually mentioned to Bill that at this time of year, it starts to get dark a bit earlier, and if we were to get to Paris before dark (it was now four P.M.), we'd have to kick this Norseman in the rear. You see, there were no lighting facilities avaiJable at either Orly or LeBourget. This didn't seem too much of a problem the Norseman was purrin' like a kitten and we were really moving. I also made another casual comment to Bill that prior to takeoff, our Wing Intelligence guy had informed me that in as much as we didn't have IFF (identification) code equipment on board, we couldn't return to England at night or we would take a chance on being shot down. This warranted a chuckle between us. What damn fool would trade a night at the Lido in Paris for a return to Picadilly Square in London? Little did we know then "what fools we mortals be?" As we coasted in on the east side of the

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4 Channel, Bill pointed out Dieppe straight ahead. He told me to maintain this heading and that we would pick up the highway on the other side of town. We were now cruising at about 500 feet off the ground, the fog deck just above us, with the sun at a low point in the west. I suddenly realized that the visibility was down to about one mile. Trying to maintain visibility with the highway was becoming more difficult. and with nightfall closing fast, our ability to distinguish any landmarks wouJd soon become impossible. Still unperturbed by this sudden turn of events, we held a short conference of about ten seconds and decided that the best plan of attack was to climb on top of the fog again and proceed to Paris using strictly DR (the old time and distance approach). This we did, and in another 45 minutes we could see what appeared to be a few ribbons of smoke coming through the fog deck where Paris should be. Electrical power to the city was at a minimum, so we couJdn't expect help in the way of beacons or other visual aids. Likewise, there were no control tower communications at either Orly or LeBourget. The main question was "what kind of ceiling do they have?" From the look of the fog-blanketed hills and valleys, a well-calculated guess would be almost Zero/Zero conditions. I told Bill to pick out the highest terrain elevation in the Paris area, and then I would descend to within 100 feet of that point. After that, we would re-evaluate our position. It was a ridiculous decision on my part, but blended in quite well with the planning of the entire mission up to this point. I started my descent through the 2000-ft. fog deck, and with about half flaps down was holding around 70 mph. Sooner than expected, Bill said, "Okay, level her out" As I leveled out, I looked out the side window and was more than startled to see a row of fence posts flying by. They couldn't have been more than a few feet below us. This was no time for "re-evaluation" with Bill. My thoughts were filled with a house, a tree, or a telephone pole possibly looming in our path. So, it was full power, flaps full, slots ope:n, and a prayer that said, "Not now, God not now!" As we shot through the fog bank at a 45 degree angle, I looked at Bill and said,'' What's the old cLiche, no old, bold pilots'?" We were about to find out. We again arrived back on top of the fog, having survived what could have been this moronic odyssey's premature conclusion. We mutually decided that Paris would not be our destination tonight. The alternative came in a hurry, as the sun was now setting and in no time it would be totally dark. I told Bill that we didn't have but about an hour of fuel remaining, so I felt it imperative that we head back to the Channel where I would attempt to set down on the beach. While this was the only option I could think of at the time, I have to confess I wasn't really comfortable with it. I'd previously flown three close support missions on D-Day, and had the opportunity to see the beaches at Normandy laced with mile after mile of steel landing craft obstacles. I was also aware that land mines had been heavily interspersed among these obstacles. So now, what had started out as a pleasant little jaunt to gay Paree for a few days, had turned into a game of Russian Roulette with the Germans. As we flew down the beach at about 300 feet, the landing lights on, it was obvious the Germans had done a thorough job of covering every square foot of available beach with one of those blasted obstacles. In spite of the "pucker factor" entering the picture, I felt comfortable with Bill sitting next to me scanning his maps. He was the perennial optimist, and sure enough. injust a few minutes he informed me that he had identified the shoreline and that if we proceeded up the beach a few more miles, he could locate the port at Dieppe. It was even more reassuring when he said he'd identified an air patch about a mile south of a little town outside Dieppe. The visibility was now far less than a mile and getting thicker by the minute. Bill said, "I see what kind of looks like a small white hangar." If it was in fact a hangar, there must be some sort of air patch close by. With that deduction to bolster our egos, I wheeled the bird to line up on what I could see of the white building, and set my approach speed at about 70 mph, not too fast. not too slow! I had put the landing lights on but because of the fog it was like having a white sheet in front of the windshield so quickly switched them off and told Bill to try and maintain some visual reference to the ground. When he announced that it looked like we had just come over a fence, I flicked on the lights and found myself looking up the rear ends of about 20 head of cattle, scattering them in all directions. So again, it was full power as we soared over the startled beasts and back up to about 200 feet. I glanced over at Bill and told him we were running low on fuel so I was definitely gonna put this bird on the ground on the next pass. This decision to finally land was about the only ,option left but when I looked for the white

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building, it was gone, completely obscured by the fog. I told Bill, like the song, "All or nothing at all," we're going in this time around and as I looked at him I could see he didn't have his seat belt fastened. I told him to buckle up or he might be sticking his head up the rear end of a cow. A little levity at that point couldn't hurt a damn thing. Flying blind at 200 feet on instruments is a challenge for any pilot who would like to retire in one piece, so I tried to recall from the basic instrument manual, that if I maintained a single needle width tum for a certain time I would eventually complete a full circle, coming out on my original heading. My only problem was, I couldn't remember how many minutes or seconds it took to make a 360 - what one helluva time to have a lapse of memory! So, when! thought I'd just about made a complete turn, hadn't occurred to me to check the compass, I told Bill to give me a shout when he thought we were about to touch down. Sooner than expected Bill yelled something like "Oh shucks!" only a bit more descriptive than that. I hit the light switch as I chopped the throttle, saw something in front, hit something, sensed an end over end motion, blacked out, and came to hanging upside down with my esteemed navigator hanging down, unconscious, in the same position. At this point in time I could easily have ended this ridiculous story by saying that the Norseman blew up, making it the last flight for both Bill and Bob. But in that I'm dedicating this to the memory of my good friend Bill, I feel compelled to press on to its conclusion. Now, as we both started regaining our senses, assuming we bad some originally, hanging upside down was confusing, as nothing seemed to be in its normal position. My immediate concern was to get the ignition switch off, turn off the landing lights and get the hell out of there before it blows. The smell of raw gasoline and a hot engine were the key ingredients to make this a possibility and one which had terminated the careers of many brave airmen. As Bill unbuckled his safety belt, dropped down on his head and began an.exit to the rear door, we heard what sounded like a chopping noise along with several voices with Scottish dialects, telling us to exit in a hurry as they were afraid the bird was going to explode. Being unable to locate either the ignition switch or light switch I released my safety belt dropped on my head and began a hasty exit to the rear on my hands and knees. It was then that I realized that we had hit something metal which went down the belly of the aircraft slicing it epen 5 like a can opener. As the fuel tanks were in the belly of the aircraft, they too, were cut open which was giving me a pretty healthy shower of gas as I crawled toward the rear door. Bill had already exited by the rear door, which had been chopped open by a group of Scottish soldiers who bad seen our approach and accident while they were nearby guarding a German POW camp. I crawled through the opening and immediately fell to my knees in the snow, overcome by the fumes, at which time two husky young soldiers grabbed me by both arms and dragged me over to where Bill was sitting, a safe distance they said, in case the crumpled remains of the Norseman should explode. The nausea we both felt because of the fume.-. diminished in a hurry as they banded us a tin cup about half full of Scotch. I upchugged the first mouthful but got my gastronomic plumbing back on track and quickly swallowed the remainder with no problem. We were more than pleased to hear they had removed our B-4 bags which would be lifesavers, as our flights suits were soaked with gas and we needed some sort of shower immediately, after which we could put on the clean, dry clothes that were in our flight bags. Now, the idea of taking a shower and putting on dry clothes sounded pretty basic, but we soon found out that the only living facilities around the camp were half dozen tents and any type of bathing was done out of a steel he1met! We had no choice; we had to get this gas off our bodies and in a hurry, before we wound up with some serious burns on our skin. Many years later as Bill and I recalled this string of events, this one in particular stands out, with both of us standing stark naked in a GI tent, temperatures around zero, a steel helmet full of cold water and we two proud airmen washing ourselves with a dirty rag. This could have made a classic cartoon by the noted WWII artist, Bill Mauldin with his Willie & Joe characters. Only this time it could have been the Bill and Bob episode! We finally got washed, such as it was, and into our dry clothes. But that wasn•t the end of our association with the Scots. It seems that during the Battle of the Bulge several high ranking German officers had been captured commandeering Allied staff aircraft such as ours, and were attempting to escape to the Allied side of the Offensive. Obviously, they sensed the Fat Lady had just sung, and the party was just about over for them. We were immediately placed in that category until proven otherwise. The usual name, rank, and serial

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6 number along with the tail number of the aircraft were now being transmitted to 8t' Air Force Headquarters for verification of our true status. Final)y, after about two hours of interrogation, 8th AF verified our status as a coupla dumb airmen who could now be released as harmless, and allowed to proceed on course with whatever plans they had prior to the accident. Obviously, any further travel with the Norseman was not in the picture, and while they had made an offer to drive us to Dieppe where we could chch a ferry back to England, neither of us, in spite of shivering in the cold of that unheated tent, was willing to cave in at this point and forego the purpose of our original mission. Our goal was to make Paris or bust! As Bill and I looked at each other, it was obvious we were both thinking the same thing We were dead tired and what we needed was some sort of "sack" where we could get some much needed "shut eye" before we launched into the next phase of our journey. At this point I posed one of the stupidest questions of my lifetime by asking, "By chance would you guys have a coupla extra cots we could crash on for a few hours?" If there was any sympathy for these two dummies it didn't show as some guy said, "whadd'ya think we're runnin' here - a hostel?" But in the same breath he said I could drive you down the road about a mile where a French family has recently moved back into a farm they owned prior to the German invasion of France back in 1940. He said they had a Chateau, which several Gennan officers had been occupying and it appeared to have several bedrooms. This sounded great to us as we grabbed our flight bags and followed this troop to a Jeep outside the tent. I asked him if we could take a little side trip back to the Norseman so I could try and ascertain what we had hit which caused the accident. It would also give me some back up information to give to the General so he wouldn't think I was a total damn fool! In observing the wreckage it was evident we had flown into one of several steel glider obstacles, heavy crossed steel beams, anchored in concrete, which the Germans Md placed on every available piece of pasture in France to block the landing of the Allied gliders. These were similar to those that hit the lower cylinder of the engine, knocking it off, and then proceeded to move dead center down the fuselage, passing between our feet on the aisle and literally slicing the belly of the aircraft and the fuel tanks as it went rearward like a giant scalpel. When it hit the lower cylinder of the engine, it essentially catapulted the Norseman into an end over end maneuver, flipping over at least three times, landing upside down with the tail pointing forward, leaving our bird a crumpled piece of metal The exploratory trip was worthwhile as it also showed us that the "white building" was in fact a small hangar with a grass landing strip beside it. Had we been SO yards further to the east, we would have probably hit the grass strip instead of that damn obstacle. Hindsight couldn't help us now so I told the driver to head for the Chateau where hopefully, we would find a warm room with a couple of beds. Very shortly we arrived at the Chateau which impressed both of us, as it was considerably larger than what we had expected. The driver went up to the door, previously informing us that he spoke fairly good French, wrapped on the door - we waited - be wrapped on the door again - we waited and about the time we figured the occupants were either not borne or afraid to open the door, it opened and a tall, lean man, probably in his sixties stepped outside and said something to the driver. They chatted for a few minutes and then the Frenchman waved for us to come in. The driver explained that he would be more than glad to help us. The driver also mentioned that the Frenchman spoke quite good English, which eased the tension we had about living in a home where we couldn't communicate. Things were now definitely starting to look up. Obviously, there was no electricity, as was evident with our host carrying what appeared to be a kerosene lantern. He escorted us into a large living room, which by our standards would be a combination fami]y room with a kitchen and a huge fireplace or hearth, probably a good six or eight feet wide. Smoldering in the hearth were several burned logs, obviously used for heat as well as light. About this time another lantern appeared from another room on the lower floor carried by an elderly lady, obviously the host's wife. As we looked upstairs a seconq light appeared carried by wbat we soon found out were the two daughters of the family. As the youngest of the girls placed a fresh log on the fire, the room lightened so we could all see each other and it was now time for introductions. Our host was very gracious and typical French as he told the family about our accident, gesturing quite vividly with his hands to make a point. He emphasized that we were American aviators and could sure use a bed and some food. Had l been able to speak French, I would have

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placed more emphasis on the food and bed side of the story. This part of our journey borders on the familiar joke about the traveling salesman and farmer's daughter, but I can assure you that in our condition such frivolous activity was not on our agenda. We did find out later that one daughter was sixteen and the other twenty-four, just in case you're interested. The time was now about midnight and as if by some magic a large spit was placed across the hearth with what loqk.ed like about a half dozen grouse or some similar bird, skewered and ready to roast. There was a crank on the end of the spit, which the younger of the two daughters turned very slowly over the next hour. We must've looked not only tired but hungry as well, as at the same time I noticed the mother and oldest daughter mixing up something that later turned out to be vegetable stew in a large bowl. As all of this was starting to talce place, we got our big surprise when our host informed us that he bad been a pilot in the French Air Force during World War l. He left for a moment and came back wearing a leather jacket, typical of the aviators during the WWI era. More like a half coat, it hung down between the hips and the knees with large pockets on either side. For sure, the old gent looked like he was ready to take on the Red Baron again. He then went over to a trap door just off the kitchen, raised it, going down a ladder with the lantern in hand. This was followed by some sort of ruckus in the celJar which was clarified when he suddenly appeared coming up the ladder with a bottle of cognac in one pocket and a bottle of brandy in the other. He informed us that he bad several bottles of prime brandy and cognac hidden under the floorboards of the cellar along with several bottles of choice wine, which the Germans had never found. No question, Bastille Day was about to begin! What transpired over the next two hours is a segment of our lives which produced memories that could only be captured on tape, which of course, we didn't have at that time. While we stuffed ourselves with some of the best food we'd eaten in a long time, our host enthralled us with stories of his life as a pilot in WWI. Much too frequently we would join him in a toast to one of the Allied dignitaries, such as Eisenhower, DeGaulle, Churchill or whomever came up which would require us, without hesitation, to immediately refill our glasses with that liquid treasure from the cellar. But of all those memories, this one stands out the most. Somewhere close to where we were 7 eating, drinking and singing was an upright piano, a little worn from German abuse but playable. So, without a cue from any member of the family, the youngest daughter went over to the piano, pulled out an old wooden bench, sat down and played the "Chattanooga Choo Choo"! That was the "piece de resistance" of the evening, something I'll never forget! And any time, any place I hear it played it reminds me of that very special night in December of 1944, with a very special family in a farmhouse in France. And I know that Bill thought of it in a very special way, also. We were now full of good food and good fellowship with a wonderful French family, and now feeling the effects of more cognac and brandy than we were used to. It was now time to hit the sack and we were more than ready. As to our plans for the coming day, we hadn't placed anything in motion at that time due to our immediate needs of getting some food and sleep. We did, however, remember that the Scottish soldier who had driven us over to the Chateau, had told us that a Jeep courier from the U.S. Army, made a daily run from Dieppe to Paris about noon each day going up the road which passes the farm house. As we went up the stairs to our room. this sounded like a good deal. We mentioned this to our host and told him to be sure and wake us in time. The bedrOQm they gave us was huge with what looked like a queen-size bed. Bill informed me it was a feather bed, as I-had never seen a mattress about 10 inches deep and as soft. As the room was still fairly cool, it appeared the "longjohns" would be the dress code for the evening. As to who slept on either the left or right side of the bed was not a point of contention - sleep was the name of the game. Our host awakened us about eleven in the morning, reminding us about the courier. And that breakfast was on the table. At which time he took us over to a dresser where our flight suits and long johns, which we had worn during the accident, were now clean and neatly folded. This was unbelievable, as the last time we had seen them they were gas-soaked and reeked of smoke from the bonfires outside the Scottish tents. He informed us that his wife and daughters had heated some water last night while we were asleep and laundered and folded them. When you can't speak French, how on earth can you thank this family for all their generous hospitality? We tried as we left that morning and from the expressions on their faces and with the help of our illustTious host w~o was

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8 wearing bis leather flying jacket, I'm sure they knew our thanks were genuine. It was now getting close to noon as we walked up that snow-covered road to the highway, which led to Paris. With bags in hand, we arrived at the junction, just as this Jeep came flying up the road. We gave him the well known "thumbs" in the direction of Paris as he came to a sliding stop in the snow just in front of us. This was a young, wild-eyed GI with a carbine slung (f,'er his back. As I look back on that trip from Dieppe to Paris with our driver wheeling hi~ J~p down that snow-covered, winding road at 60 miles per hour, I thought this had to be where the French Grand Prix was spawned. I asked him if it was necessary to go this fast on this slippery road. He said, "Hell yes, this whole area is alive with Krauts, so keep your weapons handy." He also informed us the "Krauts," as he caUed them, had shot up a medical convoy going to Dieppe the day before, killing a bunch of troops. The only time on the entire trip when he slowed down was when we hit a checkpoint at a road junction, which was blocked, by several Allied tanks. Our driver along with our ID supplied verification of who we were, and then we were cleared to move on. It must've been about four that afternoon when we pulled up in front of the Hotel Wagram, located down in the Place de La Concorde area. This was not the most pretentious hotel in Paris, but one that had been reserved for Allied emissaries on official business. We had stayed there before and were well aware of its amenities, such as they were. Some sad-eyed Frenchman checked us in at the ~k so we reminded him that the war was now going better than it had and that he should get a smile on his face. I don't believer our shabby, unshorn appearance did much to convey a feeling of confidence to him. As we headed for our room, he informed us that unfortunately there was only one of the boilers working in the :basement and bec1tuse of that malfunction the bot water would not be turned on until 5 o'clock. Neither of us were fazed by this bleak announcement as it was just par for the course in this chain of events for the whole trip. And again. it would not have been a major disaster if we had found the elevator broken and would have had to carry our bags up to the 5th floor. But fortunately, it was working and within a few minutes we were in our room. It was now about five minutes to five, the witching hour for the warm water, knowing quite well from our high school physics that any hot water starting at ground level would have cooled considerably by the time it reaches the top floor. Bill had won the toss as to who would take the first dip in the tub. At this point the water temperature was immaterial as nothing we could think of could ever match that cold bath in the steel helmet. While we were watching the hands of our watches along with the hot water tap at the same time► Bill presented a pr~position to. me that was too good to pass up. Very typical of Bill, in his cool, calm collected manner, he casually said, " Why don't we get cleaned up with whatever comes out of that tap, hot or cold, get something to eat, hit the sack early, get up and buy this loot for the troops back at Wing and then get the heck out of here before something else happens?" It seemed that for the first time a logical conclusion to this ridiculous two-day jaunt was finally making sense. It looked like the final chapter of the saga was finally going to take place. My concern now was to try and develop a plausible explanation for making this journey and the loss of the Norseman. Whether the General and Colonel Stewart would buy it was anyone's guess. With our bags loaded with the bounty for the troops back at Wing Headquarters, we booked a ride with a Troop Carrier "Gooney" back to London. It was then a train ride from there to Norwich where we got a staff car for the short ride back to Wing Headquarters. We arrived just as the guys were kicking off their Christmas party, such as it was. Most oftbe married guys were still suffering from the "wives syndrome," wishing they were borne with mom and the kids. The bachelors also displayed a rather "doom and gloom" attitude, wishing they were also some place other than dreary old England. However, after what Bill and I had just been through, tbe idea of a Christmas party looked pretty darn good to us! I tried to avoid the General but couldn't, so made it as brief and painless as possible, as I • feebly told him, "Sorry, General, that I busted the Norseman." His reply was something like this, " Don't worry about it, glad to see you and Bill are still alive. Drop by my office in the morning and we'll talk about it. 11 Little did I know at that time, there would be a lot more than a discussion about the Norseman. The conversations would focus on my returning to

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the States and going into B-29's, the new kid on the block now bombing the Japanese in the Pacific. EPILOGUE Finally, after five months at 2nd Combat Wing Headquarters, I departed "Jolly Ole England" around the middle of January 1945. It was a difficult decision, as I would be leaving a bunch of great guys at Wing, and also foregoing the opportunity for promotion to Major upon the completion of my tour. But frankly, the confinement and pressure of the Combat Wing operations was starting to get to me. A return to the States, along with whatever new challenges arose, appealed to this roaming instinct of the kid from Big Sky country. After a short leave at home, I reported to the Reassignment Center in California. There I received orders to B-29 combat crew training at MacDill Field, Tampa, Florida. This is exactly what I wanted, as I would now be going into combat against the Japanese in the best airborne weapon system the Army Air Corps had to offer. But, unfortunately, the dream faded in a hurry as the Japanese surrendered in August 1945 (following the "big bang" of an atomic bomb dropped by a B-29, no less!) Well, what about my good friend Bill Hall? We corresponded regularly, and in 1951 fate placed both Bill's family and mine together at Topeka, Kansas during the reactivation of Forbes AFB. We were to train B-29 crews for the Korean War. As families, we became very close, and for the next year enjoyed a great sociaJ relationship. This was broken up in the summer of 1952, when I was assigned to the newly implemented B-4 7 program. I believe Bill also moved that summer, taking an assignment at the Pentagon, where his overall experience could be better utilized. Bill retired somewhere about 1970 as a full Colonel, after a long and distinguished career with the Air Force. This was a very commendable achievement for a Radar Navigator. No question about it, had he been a pilot with his capabilities, Bill Hall could easily have been in the "star0 category. Those who knew him personally and professionally, make no bones about saying that "Bill was one of the best." Bill passed away a few years ago, after an uphill battle with cancer. I received a letter from him shortly before he died. .. same old Bill ... no regrets. He wanted to know if I'd heard ,the 9 "Chattanooga Choo Choo" recently. I choked when I read that, and as a tribute to him, decided that some day I would spin this crazy yarn about the trip we took to Paris in the Norseman. He left the best legacy any guy could leave. . . a lasting memory of a true friend and Patriot. Thanks for the ride Bill - it was fun! Robert Ottoman 304 Cardinal Circle Altus, OK 73521 I am interested in :finding anyone who remembers 1st Lt. Don Riley, 93BG/330Sq. stationed in Hardwick, England during the spring/swnmer of 1944. I am seeking this information for his wife (widow), Dolores. Any e-mail contacts/information will be forwarded on to her. Thank you all for your help now and your service then. I am so proud to be a product of your generation. My father was Capt. Burch with the 91BG/324Sq. also in England (Bassingboum) March- June 1944, KIA 6/20/44. Louise Burch Lippincott I am an amateur historian looking for any former AF officers or crew from the 93rd Bombardment Group (Squadrons 328th, 329th, and 330th) that flew out of Kadena, Okinawa in 1948. The 93rd became the first SAC Bomb Group to deploy in full strength to the Far East. I know this concerns an AF Group AFTER WWII, but maybe some of you vets from this web organix.ation's group later served in the 93rd BG in 1948? If anybody has ANY information or ideas about this matter or how I could better proceed, please e-mail me: mlovrno@hotmail.com Hi Cal, Received your e-mail. I want to thank you for your help on where to look for more information about my uncle Joe Avendano. My research has been kind of slow until now. I want you to know how much I appreciate your help and those of you who understood just how important it is to write this part of history down . Not just the history of events but also the history of those men who took up the callings of their day, in the fight for the freedoms we all experience. With heart felt thanks. Joe Duran Dogpatchraider@m.sn.com Hi, Just want to give you guys a "heads up." My name is Duncan Stewart. I'm the great nephew of

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10 the navigator of Hell's Wench, 1/Lt. George Reuter. I've started a website by the same name as my uncle's ship and since Hell's Wench was a famous aircraft belonging to the 93rd I have taken the liberty of adding your site as a link. My site is new (7th of May, this year) and I will be adding things as time goes by. The address is www.hellswench.theuglyamerican.com Don't be alarmed by the "ugly American" attached to the site name. I'm an expatriate living :in Bamberg, Germany and I have my own home site by that name. Hells Wench is attached as a sub domain. S!t>p by to pay a visit when you have a chance. I'm open for any advice you might have, criticisms or what not. Sincerely, Duncan Stewart P.S. my alternative e-mail address is hellswench@hotmail.com Unfortunately the ''Life" logo is cover:ing my uncle's picture and the crew he originally belonged to. I'm send:ing you a version of that same photo without the Life logo. His name is pasted in front ofhim. Perhaps you might be able to help me out. My Uncle's original crew was piloted and co-piloted by Lt's Murphy and Hurberty. Five members of that crew would fly with Addison Baker on "Hell's Wench." Any information on the Muiphy crew, aircraft name, nose art, individual biographies would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you run across any family members from the crew of Hells Wench, please direct them my way. Thanks, Duncan Cal I just wanted to say thank you for the information. I wrote Clay, ordered tbe book Ted's Travelling Circus and got the chance to talk with Cal Stewart. Cal knew of an enlisted man who had became a bombardier that was on the Ball Of Fire. It was very interesting talking with him. My question is, are the men that ar~ numbered on the cover of the life magazine on a list and their names to go with them? If so how do you get it? I am hoping a1;1d lobking foi:ward to seein~ a number and with that, my Uncle Ed Eichmans' name. Once again thank you. Dave Eichmann Menomonie, WI brooksy2@charter.net A Few Facts ... On December 13, 1943, chances for a flyer to finish his tour was 1 in 3. 1 of every 5 American Men killed in WWII was a bomber crew member in Europe. 1 in 6 personnel killed in WWII were pilots and crew members in the 8th AAF. More than half of A.AF crews and pilots killed in WWII were 8th AF. Of the 210,000 who actually flew in the 8th Air Force, 12.38% were killed. One-half of all USAAF casualties (World Wide) in World War II were men of the 8th Air Force. Compared to the other branches of service, the USA.AF sustained the heaviest loses in World War II. Thanks to Walter Sturdiva.n, 34th BG(H). Borrowed from The Eighth Air Force Historical Society :t:J'~wslett~r, Fall 2001. Query from the B-24 Web Board Looking for info about my great-uncle V:incent "Vint"Greathouse declared M.I.A. on July 9, 1943 ; plane went down over Libyan desert while bombing oil fields during WWII, 330th Bomb Sq., 93rd BG. Any info appreciated, also other web sites that might be useful. Vicky Withrow Thank you for your response regard:ing my great Uncle Vint. Does the book you mention go into any detail of his last flight ? I am desperately trying to find out information about my Mother's side oftbe family so I will have info to pass down to my children and grandchildren. My Dad was also in WWII but he doesn't like to talk about it very much and be doesn't understand why I find my family history so inter.est:ing. I guess remembering the horrors of war isn't his idea of a fun way to spend the afternoon. Thanks for any more help you can give me. My e-mail address is: vwithrow@semo.net Dear M'r. Davidson Today I received my copy of the BOFQE. I sat right down to read it as I usually do and was surprised and pleased to see the article by Ted Smith. I was very moved when I read the section about my late husband, Lee A. Stepp. It's very touching to know that others had the same admiration and respect as all bis family has bad. I am enclosing a check in hopes you can send me five more copies of the BOFQE spring edition for my family. If you do not have extra copies just keep the money to help pay for postage etc. Thanks, I do enjoy the newsletter. Mrs. Lee Stepp 405 Maple St. Shafter, CA 93263

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Folded Wings Chaplain James A. "Chappy" Burris Theodore E. Bowles George G. Everhart George E. Gibson Sheridan R. Smith Thomas W. Scott Dear Ca~ I am trying to locate anyone who may have known the crew of "The Flying Fool", B-24H, NC No.42-94991, 93rd BG, 409th BS shot-down near Falaise 13 August 1944 and. crashed in Alencon, . France. My uncle, 2nd Lt. William H. Bradford was the co-pilot and one of four KIA; six others takenPOW. I would like contact with anyone who may have flown on the same mission and saw or knows about the downing. Maybe BOFQE readers will have information to put me in contact with anyone who knew my uncle and crew or now know any of "The Flying Fool" crewmembers named below that were POWs or members of their family: KIA: 2nd Lt. Robert J. Andrino (pilot) 2nd Lt. • William H. Bradford (co-pilot) S/Sgt. Henry A. Hagler (engineer) Sgt. Joseph G. Lawrusztco (tail-gunner) POW: 2nd Lt. William J. Collins (navigator) 2nd Lt. Theodore T. Grzybowski (bombardier) Sgt Albert R. Gallaher (radio) Sgt Lester J. Bishop (waist-gunner) Sgt. Ted R. Ellinger (waist-gunner) Sgt. MartinH. Lavn.er (nose-gunner) Any information, photos of my uncle and crew or of "The Flying Fool", names and addresses of KIA family and of those men taken POW or their family would be greatly appreciated as well as anyone who could point me in the right direction who l should contact or where to look. The Information I now have was found in the 93rd history book "Ted's Travelling Circus" pages 368 and 369. Sincerely, Bill Bradford P.O.Box D-86100 Tamal, CA 94974 Dear Calvin, I recently returned from a trip to England. I visited the new Memorial Library, where I was extremely well taken care ofby Lesley Fleetwood and where I met Paul King. The next day, 26 May, Roger Fenton took me to Long Stratton and then to Hardwick, where we met with Nick Thrower and Paul Thrower, and, later, with David Woodrow and Maurice Hammond. Paul, Nick, Roger and others are constantly improving the museum. It's a 7 11 real pleasure to talk with David and Jean Woodrow. My wife and I had met them when we visited in 1994. We had hoped to return last November with the 2nd ADA but we both had health problems which made that impossible. Unfortunately, her doctor said she should not go this time. On Monday, 27 May, Roger Fenton and Colin Mann, both members of the Friends, took me to Cambridge American Cemetery. It was an honor to be asked to lay the wreath for the 93rd. I also had the pleasure of meeting David and Pearl Neale there. The Memorial Day service, conducted by USAF personnel from the 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath and the 100th Air Refueling Group, RAF Mildenhall, was very nice and there was a very large number in attendance. The "Missing Man" formation by the 48th F-16s, a flyover by 3 RAF Harriers and a 4-pass flyover by the Sally B, the B-17 that flies from Duxford, followed it. (I know, but the only flyable B-24 was in California at the time.) The following day I visited the museum at Duxford. I had asked in advance of my visit for a chance to have a close l09k at the B-24 restoration. It is progressing nicely. In fact, by the time you get this, it may be rolled out for movement to the American Air Museum. The Duxford conservation crew are certainly going to meet their objective to restore it so that, 50 years from now, people can look at it and see exactly what a B-24 was. I presume that everyone has heard that it will have the markings of the 392nd BG, 578th BS and the name Dugan. This is the result of a donation from a retired Colonel who is also a longtime "Friend of Duxford". I would like to urge everyone to do two things: First, if any of your children are interested, make them acquainted with the 2nd AD Heritage League. We'll need people to continue the work with the Memorial Library and the base memorials. Second, if you have any photos or other memorabilia from WWII that you don't know who to pass on to, consider giving it to the 93rd museum at Hardwick. Photos can be scanned and printed fairly inexpensively, much less than the old copy negative process. Lastly I apologize for being so far behind in my dues. Check is enclosed Charles D. Sill 808 Fernridge Court Modesto, CA 95351-4469 cdalsill@pacbell. net

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BallofFire BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol 10 No. 3 93rd Bomb Group Reunion, Colorado Springs, CO October 10 - 13, 2002 Report from Reunion Chairman, Harry Kelleher I am very happy to report that we are well over one hundred members, family and friends enrolled for the Reunion - and we have room for more to attend. Unfortunately, we still have the problem as of August 18, that ten people have paid their Activity Fee but have not called the hotel to reserve their room at Embassy Suites. Likewise, over twenty people have reserved their room but have not sent their $170 Activity Fee made out to the 93rd BG and mailed to Bob Fall 2002 McKeever. Yesterday, Embassy Suites informed me that four more rooms were booked since August 18 for a total of 5 5 rooms. We had used 60 rooms last year at the Savannah Reunion. In case you have mislaid your registration slip, we are repeating it here for you to fill out and mail. Al Asch has informed us that the Dedication Plaque and program at the Air Force Academy have been finalized. There will be a light buffet luncheon at the Academy as we will be having our Banquet dinner at the hotel. Take this opportunity to get together again. Our numbers are dwindling every year. The members of the 93rd Bomb Group are folding their wings too frequently these days. Looking forward to seeing you all, Harry Kelleher Call the Embassy Suites Hotel in Colorado Springs to make your own reservations Tel. 719-599-9100 ACTIVITY FEE $ 119 RR PERSON Ustsaeh, vmon in Yout:POlti .erinl "X" .. . . ... .. . ~-. . . Mail one diedc for all attend~ in your • -parfY payable to: 9~ Bo111b Gropn to: Mr. RobertMcKecver . 329 Rosewood Avenue Wlntd,a;-lt 60093 84?~20S em.ill: BridgeOove@aol.~ We will contact those in~ in the Football pme at a Im date. T'~ are $25 .per. Please add -~is to the Activity Fee at Jett arid put an· ''X0 after the names~fthose wbo are interested. We will attangc·a free box hmch per person.

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2 Tom's replica of the 93rd's formation plane World Warn Combat Tour By Tom Parry 1 came out of flying school with 229 hours of flying time and went directly into training in the left seat of a B24 heavy bomber (Liberator). After the war it often took some years in the right seat as copilot, before moving to the left seat as Aircraft Commander of a four-engine aircraft, but with a total of598 hours I went into combat over Europe in command of a crew. This was due not to any particular talent on my part but to the large number of empty left seats as vast numbers of bombers rolled off the production lines. Of course the Aircraft Commanders soon realized that they were there by Divine Right and looked upon copilots as a lesser breed who could be trusted with a landing only under ideal conditions. But they were also handy when the Aircraft Commander wanted a nap. When my class of student officers graduated the Army Air Force was rapidly filling all their authorized slots, so we were temporarily left in our old branch of service. I was an Infantry officer flying a bomber for the Army Air Corps and I remained one during the entire war. We wore the same uniform and insignia as the Air Corps but I did put an Infantry patch on my flying cap to confound everyone. Each time I reported to a new airfield as an Infantry officer there was great confusion and when I was due to be released from active duty after the war I was informed that the Air Corps would not legally release me. This upset me since the legality of my status never bothered anyone when they sent me into combat. While I was on terminal leave a new directive came down from on High allowing the Air Corps to rid itself of us misfits. Several years later, as a reserve Officer not on active duty, I was transferred to the new U.S. Air Force. The B24, developed by Consolidated Aircraft, was first flown in December 1939. The B 17 had come out four years earlier and it is interesting to note that, as a heavy bomber, it had a top speed in excess of our fighter planes. After the B24 went into mass production the Ford Motor Company turned out large numbers of them under contract for Consolidated. The B24 was 66 feet long with a wing span of 110 feet and was powered by four Pratt and Whitney 1200 HP radial, air-cooled engines. The fuel varied with the bomb load but 2800 gallons could be carried in self-sealing tanks in the wings, giving the pilot the feeling that he was seated inside a gas tank. With a full load it took off at 130 MPH if you were lucky, and climbed at 150 MPH. It cruised at 180 to 185 indicated but the true airspeed was higher depending upon altitude, load, etc. In the European Theater of Operations it normally carried a nine-man crew (four officers and five airmen) and was armed with eight 40-caliber machine guns. The bombardier fired twin guns in the nose turret, the top gunner and tail gunner fire:d twins and the waist gunners fire:d singles out the open windows on each side. The lower ball turret was removed in 8th Air Force planes since it did not offer enough firepower to compensate for the extra weight When I started flying combat all the B24s had drab camouflage paint but as the threat of German fighters and bombers over our airfields decreased the new planes were left unpainted. The paint added weight and drag but provided excellent background for the nose art accompanying the name of each plane. Most of the artists favored voluptuous women in various stages of undress to illustrate such names as SHOO-SHOO BABY or BELLE RINGER. Disney characters were big favorites and the B24 that I flew most often was MAULIN MALLARD with a picture of Donald Duck wielding a mallet. When we reported to the airfield at Topeka, Kansas to pick up a brand new B24 to fly to England, I asked if they normally issued them to Infantry officers. The usual flap ensued and I offered to stay there until the war ended, if necessary, while they settled the problem but I had to go anyway. I was required to sign a receipt for "1 each, B24 aircraft, 4 each stabilizer units". I supposed there was an outstanding mortgage on the stabilizer units or that the crews were selling them on the black market on the way over. During the overseas processing they had us place all our possessions including clothing on a

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long table where a sergeant rapidly separated them into three piles. All civilian clothing went into a footlocker to be shipped to our home address. Another pile of not too essential gear went into another footlocker to be forwarded to our overseas base. I never saw it again. The balance went into our B4 bags (government issue canvas suitcases) and a flight bag. It all happened so quickly that we didn't really know what we had with us until we unpacked in England. We then went to a briefing to learn whether the Germans, Italians or Japanese would have the privilege of shooting at us. The briefing officer stood up and said, "It's 9845 miles to Kunming, China" then he paused as everyone recovered and said "But you're going to England." After kicking the tires we flew the B24 to West Palm Beach where we were confined to base for a couple of days before heading south. I presume they were afraid that the Germans would do something desperate if they found out we were on our way over. We bad overnight stops in Trinidad and Belem before several days in Forteleza, Brazil awaiting favorable winds and weather over the south Atlantic. We had the name RUTHLESS RUTH (from the Edgar Paramoor poem about ''Ruthless Ruth, the maid uncouth" painted on the nose of our new toy) Navigational aids were poor so we had to fly a landfall on Africa to find Dakar. After overnight in Dakar we flew up through the Atlas mountains into Marrakech where unfavorable weather held us for several more days and we had our first in-depth taste of foreign life as we drank wine at the sidewalk cafes and stared back at the natives staring at us. The long flight around.Portugal and Spain offered the first chance of enemy action. The Germans occasionally sent long range fighters to intercept our planes off the coast of Spain, so we expected each cloud to disgorge a fighter, but none came and we landed safely at Valley, Wales. At the briefing before departure from Marrakech one of the pilots, flying an unarmed C4 7, asked what to do if he came under attack. He was told to blink his signal lamp at the German and hope he mistook it for gunfire. At Valley they took away RUTHLESS RUI'H for combat modification and we never saw her again. Our crew then went by train to Stone, England for assignment to a combat unit. We were totally unprepared for the blackout at night. Military vehicles were all over the roads with no lights except for a small slit in the headlight covers. 3 Natives can walk around a pitch-black city without too much difficulty but strangers are in bad shape. The first night in town was a great adventure and we were sure that we would never find our way back to the truck park after visiting a few pubs. Blackout curtains over the doors and windows made it difficult to find th.e pubs and the warm beer made the effort questionable. After surviving the blackout and beer we went by train to the west coast of Scotland and boarded a ship for Northern Ireland. At Cluntoe, on Lock Neagh, we received three weeks of specialized combat training during which time I dated a Irish girl in Belfast. A Kentucky friend introduced me to her and insisted that I would be foolish if I didn't take her back to Kentucky after the war. After finishing combat, I flew over to see her at least once a month until Iraida, my future wife, became somewhat jealous. On April 15, 1944, we reported to the 330th Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group at Hardwick, 11 miles due south of Norwich. The 93rd had earlier moved to North Africa and participated in the famous Ploesti raid (Romanian oil fields) during which they lost six planes and had two pilots receive Medals of Honor (posthumously). There were 14 B24 Bomb Groups in England, each at their own airfields clustered within 25 miles ofNorwich. These Groups made up the 2nd Air Division and there were two other Divisions of B 17s to the south enabling the 8th Air Force to mount 1000 plane raids against Germany. At Hardwick the 330th Squadron officers lived at a site about a mile from the airfie]d and the airmen lived in similar quarters some distance away. The quarters were purposely disbursed to present a less attractive target and although the airfield was occasionally strafed we were never bothered in quarters. The pilots lived in a single story two-room hut heated by coke burning stoves in the middle of the rooms. My memory is vague on this but I believe that from 10 to 1 S pilots slept on cots in the big room while the Commander and Operations officer shared the small room. The copilots, navigators and bombardiers lived together in other huts sleeping in double deck bunks. No sheets were available so we slept between rough Army blankets envying the veterans who had acquired sheets in London on one of those rare occasions when they were available. Most things, including food, were rationed in England until long after the war ended. Some of the old-timers had been issued bicycles but they were no longer available. Whenever one of the veterans went

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4 down there was a great race to see who would get his sheets and bicycle. When one of our crews crash landed behind our lines in France and we received word that they were being flown back, we stripped their beds and hid their belongings. When they arrived we told them all their things had been shipped home. When we first arrived very few crews had survived the required 25 missions and the average survival rate of a crew member was 15 missions. As our long-range fighters gained control of the air over most of our bomber formations our prospects improved. The first notice that the mission was on generally came between midnight and 4:00 AM as someone came through the but waking the pilots involved. We knew on the afternoon before that another mission was being planned but they were often canceled. We then stumbled over to the mess ball for watery scrambled, reconstituted dried eggs that could not be picked up with a fork and spam. With rumbling stomachs we then went by truck or bicycle to the briefing room for the good news as to our target and the number of fighters and flak batteries eagerly awaiting our arrival. After briefing we would (iraw the necessary flight gear and go to the assigned plane for preflight. The pilot of a new crew always flew his first mission as copilot of a seasoned combat crew. My first came on April 22 as copilot for Lt Hugh Malley. After an early morning briefing we waited most of the day for the weather to improve before finally taking off at 5:00 PM. We climbed to assigned altitude, got in formation, and crossed the English Channel for the railroad yards at Hamm, Germany. Some ME 109 fighters made one pass at our formation but they were in and gone before I realized what was happening. The predicted heavy flak over the target shook us up considerably but we dropped our bombs on target and took no hits on our plane. As we headed for home I felt great elation at having my first baptism of fire without any real problem. I had never seriously worried about being able to handle combat but in the back of my mind the nagging fear of the first time reaction was there. My elation was premature since the greatest danger lay ahead. As we crossed the Channel at dusk droves of ME4 l O and JU88 fighters took off to follow us home. They kept their lights off and easily followed us since we used our running lights to keep in formation. British coastal guns had been alerted for our low-level return and we coasted in with no problem. Shortly thereafter the British gunners spotted German fighters and opened fire shooting down at least one B24. You would have thought that the British bad done enough to us with their warm beer and Brussels sprouts without shooting down our planes. Unaware of the fighters we lined up for landing at eleven p.m. when I noticed what appeared to be sparks on the runway ahead. Someone shouted "bandits" on the radio and I realized that the sparks were bullets ricocheting off the runway from a :fighter on our tail. The runway lights went off as we touched down and all hell broke loose. Everyone on the ground and in the air seemed to be firing as tracers streaked the sky. We got the plane stopped on a concrete parking pad and I crawled across the concrete in the dark as fighters continued to strafe the field. I had the distinct impression that all of East Anglia was paved with concrete before I finally reached the edge and dived into a bole that may or may not have been there prior to my arrival Most of our B24s and those on neighboring fields were forced to fly around without lights as German fighters and our own ground guns fired in all directions. Thirteen B24s were lost including 5 in one pile on the runway at Seething Air Base. Much has been written about this particular raid and it was a wild introduction to combat for me. Even though the first mission was out of the way fear was there on all missions and except during emergencies the most came just before takeoff. In the air the pilot is so busy that there is little time to think of much besides handling the plane and the crew. While waiting in line for takeoff there was time to contemplate all the things awaiting you in the next few hours. Take off is the most critical part of any flight. And a heavy bomb load increased the sweat factor considerably. Once a precalculated speed was reached on the runway there was no way to stop on the remaining runway. So any emergency after that point, such as loss of power on one engine, would send you out through the boondocks with a suddenly lowered life expectancy. On one mission the plane ahead of mine Jost control, skidded down the runway, and caught fire. It exploded a1mo:st immediately blowing a bole in the runway and dropped a large piece of bomb casing next to my aircraft. That did not build confidence. Particularly when they filled the hole and sent me off to join the mission. After lift off propwash from the plane just ahead was a problem. If you did not respond quickly, or over responded, you could dig a wing tip

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into the ground and shorten the nuss1on considerably. Once you broke ground and got the gear up the plane seemed to fight gravity for a long time before getting enough altitude to free your mind for other fears. Then you could start worrying about colliding with one of the many other B24s flying in the clouds. The weather was generally bad forcing us to climb on instruments through 10,000 to 15,000 feet of solid clouds to get on top and join the formation. To help locate the correct formation each Group bad a stripped-down war-weary B24 painted in loud colors and patterns which was used only as an assembly plane. The 93rd had "Ball of Fire", with black, white and yellow stripes. The assembly ship took off :first, set up a race track pattern above the clouds, and led until the formation was in place before dropping away and returning to base. I always felt that a great psychological blow could be struck by sending a complete formation of wildly painted assembly ships over Germany at low level. The Germans would never have figured it out. Breaking out on top of the clouds was always a great relief until you saw all the bombers milling about in what appeared to be mass confusion. On such occasions I seriously questioned my decision to take up flying. In the infantry you don't have far to fall if hit but in the air on a mission you have to fall about 4 miles with 6000 pounds of bombs for company. The longest missions, eight hours or more, to bomb Munich or Berlin were miserable and the shortest, 3½ hours to France, were called "milk runs." The climb over the field to born.bing altitude and then the let down through the clouds upon return took more time. After an hour or so on oxygen the mask pressure on your face often became almost unbearable, and brought thundering headaches. We bad electrically heated sui;ts, gloves and boots but invariably one boot or glove would malfunction. So most pilots wore unheate.d gloves and boots even though the temperature at altitude could drop to 30 degrees below zero and result in frostbite. If you wore heavy sheepskin-lined boots you had to place your regulq.r leather boots nearby, tied together by their shoelaces, to pick up before bailout. The theory was that your loose fitting flight boots would come off when the para~hute opened and your walking boots would be available after landing. Most B24 pilots didn't worry much about this since there was little chance to get out 5 unless they were blown out by explosion. Backpack parachutes left little space to get between the pilot and copilot's seats and by the time you squeezed through the disabled plane it would most likely be in a spin. Centrifugal force would make any further movement impossible. If the B24 were on fire, as it usually was after a serious hit, it would generally explode after about 3 turns in a spin. We used to watch the B 17s spin all the way down but seldom saw a B24 last that long. If the plane didn't explode, trapped crew members still alive had 3 or 4 minutes to think about it before impact. Radio silence was supposed to be observed in the air but it was occasionally broken. Several times when we were returning from a long mission completely drained a voice would come on the air saying, "Are you tired, worn-out run down? Try Lydia Pinkbam's compound" ( a well advertised tonic some years earlier). He would go on at some length as to all the tonic could cure and no one was ever able to identify the culprit. I don't think they trie.d too bard because it did revive spirits that badly needed comic relief. On other occasions after we had made more than one pass over the target, generally due to cloud cover or poor navigation, critical comments regarding the mission commander were aired. One I recall was, "Is the old bastard going to keep us here all day?". We carried E and E kits, escape and evasion, issued before each mission containing maps printed on silk, gold coins, currency of countries being flown over, compasses atld printed offers of reward if we were delivered to US custody. One compass was a gold collar button with a small dot on one side. Place.d on a smooth surface, the button would tum until the dot indicated north. We also carrie.d several passport-sized photos to aid the French underground people in furnishing forge.d passports. In the event of a successful bailout we were supposed to bury our parachute, leave the immediate area, travel only at night and hope to walk out of Germany or contact friendly natives outside of Germany. Friendly natives were the ones not chasing you with clubs and pitchforks. We wore regulation wool uniform shirts and pants under heavy flying clothes. So we certainly could not remain inconspicuous among the natives. The French underground managed to get many downed airmen across the Pyrenees into Spain where they still had to elude the Phalangist police. German fighters would select certain groups in the long bomber stream and concentrate on them. We were told that they selected groups with loose

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6 formations so this gave us great incentive to keep that wing tucked in tight. Our Group Commander often accompanied us part way and would fly his P47 fighter in between any loose element and then offer loud caustic comments to the element leader after the mission. The Germans announced their attention to concentrate on the hundredth bomb group (B 17 s) and after suffering heavy losses the group became known as the bloody hundredth. They flew ninety less missions than our 93rd group and lost 89 more bombers. Nothing is more fearsome than an enemy fighter coming at you head OD with his guns blioking. You don't see how he can miss and one of those shells is homing on a spot right between your eyes. Unfortunately my nose gunner never seemed to locate the attacking plane until it passed by. As far as I know the closest any of them came was when they knocked out my number 3 engine. We occasionally saw the contrails of German jet fighters far above us but they never engaged our group on any of my missions. Hitler probably could have gained air superiority if he bad pushed the production of jets since he bad none ready for combat. In our earlier missions the flak was light except in the target areas. A few flak batteries would pick us up as we crossed the coast and track us along visually. As the bursts got closer we could take slight evasive action but once on the bomb run into the target we had to hold a straight course over many flak batteries for several minutes. When the Germans started using radar and greatly increased the siu of their shells it was no longer safe above the clouds and bursts near the plane could be heard as well as seen. On June 13, we went after a bridge at Vannes, France, and the formation leader took us directly over a 91 gun flak battery at Lorient. We were in haze at 23,000 feet when they opened up on us. I saw an entire bomb load go by on my left just as a gunner reported that the plane on my right wing bad exploded. Two of the three planes in my element had taken direct hits and exploded. Incredibly at least two of the four pilots were blown free and drifted unconscious to the ground according to word that reached us later. Forty years later I received a letter from the son of an enlisted crew member who died that day. His investigation revealed that the two enlisted gunners parachuted to safety but all other crewmen perished (8 officers and 8 enlisted). Berlin, usually referred to as big B was the most heavily defended target and starting a bomb run there into what appeared to be a solid wall of flak tended to bring on a bad case of fear. The sharp thuds as flak fragments ripped into our plane sounded as if someone had punctured a drum. When I heard that sound 24 years later in Viet Nam, my crew refused to believe that we had been hit at 4000 feet by ground fire. A 50 caliber slug was found in our gas tank after landing. A close friend of mine had flak come up through the cockpit cutting off his foot and killing the copilot There was an extra pilot on board but they couldn't get the copilot's body out of the seat for some time so my friend bad to work the rudder pedal with his ankle bone. The bombardier in the lead plane of each group generally controlled the bomb drop for the entire formation. He actually took control of the plane through his bomb site and the other bombardiers dropped when his bombs went out. If the target was forecast to be covered by clouds we were Jed by radar equipped planes from a special squadron. Formation flying is very tiring and long hours of it takes a pilot nearly to the limit of physical endurance. Most of it is in the handling of the four throttles and just about the time you get the power set just right the leader changes power or starts a turn and you start all over again. The planes on the outside of the turn have to add power quickly to keep up and those on the inside have to cut power to keep from overrunning the leader. The extreme outside plane may be pulling full power while the inside one is nearing a stall. The leader of a large formation must make vary shallow, precise turns and power changes and a poor formation leader can wear the other pilots out in a hurry. Tight formation is essential on the bomb run to concentrate the bombs on the target. Away from the target it provides concentrated firepower on attacking fighters. On one particular mission we were briefed to make an immediate left turn after the bomb drop to avoid flak batteries off to the right. I was leading the low left squadron as the group leader turned right and since unknown fighters seemed Jess of a threat than known flak I took our squadron left while the other two went right. They were badly shot up and we encountered DO opposition. We rejoined after the turn and I expected all hell to break loose after landing. The group leader must have realized his mistake and decided not to compound it by reporting the formation split. I never heard a word about it from anyone. My plane was damaged by flak or fighter bullets on 7 missions with 7 hits the most on any one mission. As the danger of fighter attacks

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decreased and the flak became bigger and more accurate I argued that the flak gunners on the ground loved the tight formations but of course the idea of a loose formation was heresy to the military mind. I suppose we were lucky not having to bomb from a cavalry configuration. We always had to be very careful of stragglers joining our formation. A single bomber left behind after experiencing difficulties was a prime target for fighters. So he tried to join later formations for protection. The Germans had patched up a few bombers that had gone down relatively intact and would send them up to join a formation. Once in place they would open fire at close range and drop quickly away. At the briefing for our first mission to Munich we were told to expect heavy flak in the target area. Yet when we dropped our bombs through the clouds we encountered no opposition but noticed heavy flak some miles off to the right. At the debriefing we were informed that the flak we saw was over Munich and we had bombed Augsburg. Several border towns in Switzerland were bombed due to faulty navigation. I suppose no city in Europe was safe as long as we were in the air. On rare occasions the entire bomber fleet was sent out on Maximum Effort Missions and every bomber capable of flying went along. They always came on short notice and would catch unprepared any unit on Standdown. If a group had taken unusual losses or needed a day off to celebrate the completion of 100 missions, they were granted a Standdown for the next day. It was the only time all the crews could unwind and be sure of adequate recovery time. A Max Effort came through on the morning after a big party celebrating a Standdown for our group forcing a :frantic roundup of crews and propping thetn in their seats. F ortuoately bad weather canceled the mission after much oxygen had been inhaled on the ground. Oxygen was supposed to cure a hangover. We bad known for some time that the invasion was getting close with the only question being as to the time and place. Finally on June 5 we went to a briefing at 11 :00 p.m. and found that we were to bomb the French beach while the invasion force was just a few hundred yards off shore. A long line of six ship elements was to form with each element leader flashing a Morse code letter in color to enable us to find our leader. After takeoff at 2:30 a.m. and breaking clear of the overcast we were confronted with a black sky full of bombers flashing letters. I never found my leader and 7 eventually pulled into an empty slot in one element as they headed in the direction of North Ireland to get the long lines in proper order. Although the beach was just a short distance from our base, three-and-a-half hours were allowed from takeoff until drop. When daylight came I found that our six-ship element had bombers from four different groups ( each group had different tail markings). My big problem was that if the leader was targeted inland instead of the beach I would be short of fuel. We crossed the channel at 15,000 feet, and occasional breaks in the clouds revealed hundreds of vessels below. We could see the flash of the big naval guns through the clouds as they bombarded the coast. Fortunately we dropped our 43 100 pound bombs on the beach and encountered only light flak and no fighters. No German fighters were up there because we had 36 squadrons of mustangs (P51 's) and Thunderbolts (P47's) patrolling the area. All of our fighters had invasion stripes (black and white stripes on the lower half of the fuselage) so they could be easily identified from the ground. The stripes bad been added the previous day. The entire mission, my 17th, lasted 6 ½ hours and since we were over enemy territory for a few minutes it was considered a milk run. I feh sorry for the ground troops and heard later that one of my college :friends died on the beach that morning. Ernie Pyle, probably the most famous war correspondent in Europe, wrote an account of what it was like on the ground as the bombers passed overhead to bomb just ahead of our :front lines in the march across France. His story was printed in the Stars and Stripes on August 11, 1944: "Our :front lines were marked by long stripes of colored cloth laid on the ground, and with colored smoke to guide our airmen during the mass bombing that preceded our breakout from the German ring that held us to the Normandy beachhead. The dive-bombers hit just right. We stood in the barnyard of the Freocb facrn aod waicbeo Jhem barrel nearly straight down out of the shy. They, were bombing about a half-mile ahead of where we stood. Everywhere you looked separate groups of planes were on their way down or on the way back up, or slanting over for fire, or circling, circling, circling over our heads waiting for their turn. The air was full of sharp and distinct sounds of crackling bombs, heavy rips of the planes machine guns, and the splitting screams of diving wings. And then a new sound gradually droned in our ears, the sound was deep and all encompassing with

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8 no notes in it. Just a gigantic far-away surge of doom. It was the heavies. They came directly behind us, and at first they were the merest dots in the sky. You could see clots of them against the far heavens, too tiny to count individually. They came on with terrible slowness. They came in flights of 12, three flights to a group. And in the groups, stretched out across the sky, they came in families of about 70 planes each. Maybe these gigantic waves were two miles apart, maybe they were ten miles, I don't know, but they came in constant procession, and I thought it would never end. What the Germans must have thought is beyond comprehension. I've never known a storm or a machine, or any resolve of man that had about it the aura of such ghastly relentlessness. You had the feeling that even had God appeared beseechingly before them in the sky with palms outward to persuade them back, they would not have had within them the power to turn from their irresistible course. I stood with a small group of men ranging from colonels to privates in back of some farmhouse. Slit trenches were all around the edges of the farmyard, and a dugout with a tin roof was nearby. But we were so fascinated by the spectacle overhead that it never occurred to us that we might need the foxholes. The first huge flight passed directly over our farmyard and others followed. We spread our feet and leaned back to look straight tip until our steel helmets fell off. Wed cup our fingers around our eyes like field glasses for a clearer view. And then the bombs came. They began ahead of us as a crackle of popcorn and almost instantly into a monstrous fury of noise that seemed surely to destroy all the world ahead of us. From then on for an hour and a half that had in it the agonies of centuries, the bombs came down. A wall of smoke and dust erected by them grew high in the sky. It filtered along the ground, back through our orchards. It sifted around us and into our noses. The bright day grew slowly dark from it. By now everything was an indescribable cauldron of sounds. Individual noises did not exist. The thundering of the motors in the sky and the roar of the bombs ahead filled all the space for noise on earth. Our own heavy artillery was crashing all around us, yet we could hardly hear it. The Germans began to shoot heavy, high ack-ack. Great black puffs of it by the score speckled the sky until it was hard to distinguish the smoke puffs from the planes. And then someone shouted that one of the planes was smoking. Yes, we could see it. A long, faint line of black smoke stretched straight for a mile behind one of them, and as we watched there was a gigantic sweep of flame over the plane from nose to tail. It disappeared in flame, and it slanted slowly down, banking around the sky in great wide curves, moving this way and that as rhythmically and graceful as a slow motion walrus. Then it suddenly seemed to change its mind and it swept upward, steeper and steeper and ever slower, until finally it seemed poised motionless on its own black pillar of smoke. And then just as slowly it turned over and dived for the earth, a folded spearhead on the straight black shaft of its own creation. And it disappeared behind the treetops. Before it was done, there were more cries of "There's another one smoking", and "There's a third one now ". Chutes came out of some of the planes. Out of some came no chutes at all. One of white silk caught on the tail of the plane. The men with binoculars could see him fighting to get loose until flames swept over him and a tiny black dot fell through space all alone. And all that time the great flat ceiling of the sky was roofed by all the others that didn't go down. Plowing their way forward as if there were no turmoil in the world. Nothing deviated them by the slightest. They stalked on slowly, and with the dreadful pall of sound, as though they were seeing only something at a great distance and nothing existed in between." to be continued Dear Cal, Can't believe you have put all of my '"Stupid" story in your quarterly but you have and for what it's worth I really do appreciate it. A far cry from the typical War story but it does add a little flavor for those who want to read about a guy who must've had noodles for brains. Although not a 93rd guy I was fortunate to have worked with two great reps from that famous Bomb Group, Gen. Timberlake and Bill Hall. No wonder you guys can brag about your accomplishments with such stellar members like those two. You are lucky Bob Ottoman Dear Cal, Lt/Col. USAF Retired 301 Cardinal N Altus, OK 73521 Does anyone remember the radio call signs for the tower at Hardwick and the squadrons?

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My memory says the tower was "Millfoil" and the 409th was ''Thrufare". Don't remember any of the other three squadrons. I'm not at all sure of the spelling of either of the above as I don't remember seeing them in print. Charles Sill Mr .Davidson, 808 Fernridge Court Modesto, CA 95351 The picture that appears on the 93rd's web site of the Marks crew is not correct. I'm attaching a picture of the Marks crew on the day they received their D.F.C., August 15, 1944. The man on the right end of the back row was my cousin Bill R. Story. (Ed: Correct picture now on the website) In spite of quite a bit ofresearch I still can't identify each man in the picture by name. Best Wishes, Frank Story Mr. Davidson, 407 Old Glory Road Maryville, Tennessee 37801 I wanted to take a moment and write to thank you very much for the past newsletters you were able to send me. I've really enjoyed reading them and it's done a great deal in opening up the history of the 93rd to me. Especially poignant are the letters from family members who are searching for information on loved ones. There has been a tremendous surge of this kind in the last few years and I think a renewing of wanting to understand what happened those years ago. These truly seem to be the days when the hearts of the children are being drawn to their fathers. I also was able to purchase a copy of "Ted's Traveling Circus" from Cal Stewart this summer and as you know that is a monumental work in itself. From the time I was in elementary school, I've been interested in WWII and especially the AAF. I devoured books throughout my school years and read broadly on the subject. Most of the time, I've conccmtrated on the human story side of things. This was most recently brought to the forefront when I happened to catch a showing of the documentary "A Wmg and a Prayer, The Saga of Utah Man". Shortly after I bad the very pleasant opportunity to twice visit Walt Stewart. From these encounters and after having read those past newsletters I've sort of adopted the 93rd as a focus point in my WWII interest. 9 I bad two uncles who served during the war. One was an infantryman and the other a warrant officer on an army dredge working the harbors in Britain and later Antwerp etc. My dad served in the I st Cav Division during the Korean War and I served 21 years in the army, both active and reserve. Even though my son won't be able to serve in the military when he grows up because of health problems I want him to grow up appreciating what all these people have done before him, many of them paying the ultimate sacrifice. Thanks again, Ca~ Steve Hall RD#2 Box 424H Rome, PA 18837 I am looking for any information on my father or his crew members, Thomas Joseph Jennings #AF16079258. I don't have any service dates. rm not having much luck getting bis military records. The squadron commander was Col. Fiegel ; he was in the aviation cadets class 431; commissioned 2nd Lt. 10-1-43; Inactive 12-45. That is all the information I have. He is listed in the roster/index in Cal Stewart's book on the 93rd. Thanks, Jan normjang@sprynet.com Ed:. If anyone recognizes any of these men contact me and I will forward the info to Jan as I do not have her mailing address. ,.- . - .. ---'--=-- - ... ------~· ._'~-------Jennings Crew Folded Wings Borgmann, Herbert C Breoah.an, John A Raymond J. Rossell

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' Excerpts from Philip Buffington's AAF cartler as penned to his -children 50 yean later. FROM: YOUR DAD SO years ago today, December 24,1944, I flew my 5th mission over Germany. I remember this particular mission very well for several reasons. The 8th Air Force had been grounded for 3 days December 20-22 because of very dense fog over the northeast coast of England. During this period, U.S. ground troops were pinned down by the Germans in a battle which was to become famous and was named "The Battle of the Bulge". They desperately needed our air support which we were not able to give because of the bad weather. On December 23rd the weather partly cleared and some missions were flown with a total of 592 aircraft reaching their targets. On the 24th the weather was clear over Germany and the order of the day was "everything that will fly". A total of 2046 B-l 7's and B-24's were dispatched and 1884 effectively bombed their targets. This proved to be the largest air strike operation of the War. Evidence of the great size of this mission is the fact that on average 700-900 aircraft were dispatched on almost a daily basis in 1944-1945. So this mission was more than twice the average. My Bomb Group had Ahrweiller as our target, a German communication center. As noted in my summary account of this mission, we encountered moderate flak with minor damage to our aircraft. Considering the clear weather conditions which made it easier for German gunners to z.ero in on t~ targets only two aircraft were reported missing. My aircraft, 0-628 F, was one of 150 aircraft which were damaged but considered repairable. Three aircraft were written off as non-repairable due to heavy flak damage. The other mission that I remember well is Mission No. 11 on January 17, 1945. My Group , the 93rd, was leading the 2nd Air Division that day and I was in the lead squadron flying in the 3rd left position off the lead aircraft. Our target was the Hamburg oil refineries and the weather was crystal clear. meaning heavy flak conditions since these refineries were well protected by many antiaircraft guns. My plane sustained heavy flak damage. many holes from flak shrapnel including a piece of flak that blew up an oxygen bottle located behind the bombardier and just below the pilot's feet. Fortunately there was no damage to the engines and we were able to return to our base. Unknown to us flak damage to the flaps prevented me from completely lowering the flaps on our landing approach and as the flaps were being lowered they broke the hydraulic lines which left us with very little braking power. So our landing was quite suspenseful particularly because the runway was only 6000 feet long. I arrived in England on October 13, 1944 (age 2 0) and celebrated my 21st birthday ( October 18th) at a Replacement Center at Stone. England. We arrived at our Air Base (Hardwick) on October 21st, just 3 days after my 21st birthday. My crew and I (and several thousand other military personnel) had traveled from Camp Kilmer, NJ to Prestwick, Scotland by ship. Our ship was the New Amsterdam. Because this was a fairly fast ship we were not escorted, depending upon our own speed to avoid the German U Boats. The ship changed course every 2-3 minutes as a means of discouraging torpedo attacks. They never did tell us how many persons were on the ship (probably 12,000) but officers were housed in staterooms with 21 men to a room (7-3 decker bunks). We never saw the enlisted men who were somewhere in the bowels of the ship. We were served two meals a day by Swedish waiters (which wasn't bad and we didn't need any ~ore food) and played cards most of our waking hours. The sea trip took 4 days. The 93rd Bomb Group to which I was assigned had a distinguished history. It was the first Bomb Group to reach the 8th Air Force with Liberator (B-24) bombers in September, 1942. The first Group mission was on October 9, 1942 and the last mission was on April 25,1945. The 93rd flew more missions than any other Group in tbe 8th Air Force, a total of396. This included 41 missions in North Africa. The 93rd participated in the famous raid on the Ploesti oil fields in Romania flying from bases in North Africa. This raid greatly reduced the supply of oil to the Germans and was certainly a factor in speeding up the Allied victory in Europe. Having arrived at Hardwick Air Base on October 21st, my first mission was on November 6, 1944. After 11 missions we were trained as a lead crew and flew our remaining 8 missions as

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lead or deputy lead/ When we weren't flying combat missions tllei!were other flying activities which kept us busy. One such activity was slow timing a new engine. New engines had to be broken in for a number ofhours so we would take off and fly around England with the new engine cut way back and rotating at a very low speed. Also, we might be called upon to fly to another base to pick up spare parts. I remember one such flight. The runway was made of perforated metal sort of like a chain link fence. No problem landing but my take-off was a thrill. Because of the metal perforations there was much greater drag on the tires and I had to use :full power to get off With full manifold pressure and RPM's we made it but with not much to spare! A little forewarning by my superiors would have helped. Between January 17th and March 21st we were being trained to be a lead crew. When a crew bad completed 30 missions they were sent back to the U.S. for rest and redeployment. (in early 1944 and prior I think it was 25 missions) If we had not been assigned to lead crew activity we would probably have completed 30 missions or we could have been shot down! Shortly after the end of the war in Europe in early May 1945, we flew a B-24 back to the U.S. with our final landing at Bradley Field in Westover, Massachusetts. En route we stoppecl at Valley, Wales; Iceland; Goose Bay, Labrador and Manchester, New Hampshire. The longest stretch was from Iceland to Goose Bay, about 13 hours all over the frigid North Atlantic. Fortunately we bad no problems in spite of severe head winds all the way. After some rest and recuperation I was sent to Sioux Falls, SD to wait for B-29 trainq:ig for the Pacific. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan ended the war in the Pacific in August 1945. I was discharged from the Air Force at Fort Devins, Massachusetts on September 13, 1945. Some 3800 Liberators were received by the 8th Air Force between September 1942 and May 1945. A total of 1099 were officially' listed Missing In Action and 36 as missing due to unknown causes. A total of 551 were written off in operational crashes or through battle damage, 221 destroyed in non-operational crashes or damaged beyond economical repair and 213 were scrapped because of age. Philip G. Buffington 210 Imperial Dr. Bloomington, IL 61701 11 Ed: If my calculator was correct that left 1680 planes that were :flown back to the states and scrapped along with a lot of new ones that never went overseas. What a pity that there are less than a dozen left in the world and only two :flyable .. Some questions have risen as to not being able to view the newsletter on our web site. Acrobat Reader, which is a free download, is the necessary software to bring up the newsletter page. Depending on the speed of your computer it may take a few minutes for the newsletter to appear. A hand will appear which lets you maneuver the page for easy access both up and down and side to side. At the bottom of the page there are several options you can use. Arrows let you toggle thru the pages and a percentage figure which can be changed to make the print larger for tired old eyes like mine. I normally use the 125% figure to check this page. There is a problem viewing the enlarged picture of the 461st sub depot group on the Pictures page. It works best when using Netscape as your browser. The web site can be accessed at: http://www.93rdbombardmentgroup.com Help for seniors in using computers is available at most horary's. Hard.copies will still be mailed to all members as long as possible. I am still looking for someone younger to take over as newsletter editor. Check your address label for a date to see if your membership is paid up. No date can mean you haven't paid in over two years. Cal Please let Al Asch know and be advised yourself that it is with deep regret that I cannot come to Colorado Springs to the 93rd gathering. I fell off the pickup while unloading hay at the farm. I will live, but a little Jess happily. IT HURTS! I was fortunate to Jand on a small layer of bay but I am grounded for a few weeks. 1 was very honored that you invited me to speak there. This would be a great way to tell the new 93rders about 93rds' great day in. August, 1943. I really hope you have a good convention in a very special place. Walt Stewart

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Ball ofFire BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 10, No. 4 Guests at dedication ceremoy 93rd Bomb Group Reunion October 10-13, 2002 Colorado Springs, CO Reported by Al Asch Memorial Plaque Dedication Ceremony On October 11, 2002 at 10:00AM we dedicated our Memorial Plaque at the United States Air Force Academy Honor Court. The plaque was on a stand next to our bronze model B-24 for the dedication and has since been installed on the wall adjacent to where the model stands. The inscription on the plaque: "IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GA VE THEIR LIVES AND DEDICATED TO THE OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN OF THE 93RD BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H) WHO SERVED SO VALIANTLY IN THE DEFENSE OF FREEDOM DURING WORLD WAR II. THEY DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES IN THE EUROPEAN THEATRE OF OPERATIONS SEPTEMBER 1942 UNTIL WAR'S END IN MAY 1945." The Winter, 2002 Academy staff gave us outstanding support for the work leading up to and during the ceremony. Academy Support We received a BETACAM SP Metal Tape of the ceremony. I had the tape converted into 20 copies of VCR tapes and is available for sale at $9.00 per copy, including postage and handling. The day was cJear and sunny during the ceremony giving us a good quality copy for a 50 minute tape. If you want a copy, send a check for $9.00 payable to: 93rd Bomb Group. Send your request to: Alfred Asch, 6205 Meadow Court, Rockville, Md 20852. My telephone number is: 301 881 1376. Make certain that you give me your full address where the tape can be sent and your telephone number. I will be using first class mail. Honor Guard wlth bronze B-24 ln background The Ceremony Air Force Captain Michael Brothers, Chief of Alumni Programs, acted as our monitor. The first activity was the Posting of Colors by the Academy (USAF A) Honor Guard. They

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2 marched past our B-24 model which brought a tear or two in the eyes of most of us to see the colors flying as in a salute to our B-24. The National Anthem was played by M/Sgt Mark Tsrael, USAF Band of the Rockies followed by the Invocation by Chaplain (Capt) Donald Levy, USAF Staff Chaplain. His words were well chosen for the occasion. Chaplain Levy first commented on the beautiful brjght sunny day and then indicated, that in an age and a continent away, many here did not have it so bright and sunny flying in the midst of Messerschmidtts and flak. We of the USAFA are pleased you veterans of WWII are here to share with us about what you did so that we can help commemorate this memorial and honor those who gave their lives. Invocation by Chaplin Donald Levy Col Robert D. Eskridge and Al Asch preside over the ceremony Welcome by Col Robert D. Eskridge, Vice CommandantofCadeu Colonel Eskridge told us about being in command of about 4,200 academy cadets, most between the ages of 18 and 20. He commented how smart the cadets are, polite and respectful and easy to manage. He gives them to the Dean periodically for their education and to the Director of Athletics for their exercise. He loves his job and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. The Colonel then said that the greatness of the 93rd cannot be measured in length of service. He cited the Ploesti raid as a historic event for the Air Force and two Medals of Honor were awarded. He said words such as integrity and self-sacrifice are instiHed in the cadets but that they came from us as we lived them every day during wwn. He spoke of commanding the 334th Fighter Squadron at Seymour-Johnson and how he insisted on the personnel wearing the group patch every Friday. The 334th had flown escort missions for us during WWII. He always reminded his men about their background and lineage and that they stand on the shoulders of greatness. His welcome made us all feel proud to be a part of the 93rd. Welco01ing address by Col Eskridge Vice Commandant of Cadets Introduction of Special Guests I introduced two special guests, Bob and Dorothy Cash and David and Jean Woodrow. Bob is the current Executive Vice President of our Second Air Division Association (2ADA). He was a lone survivor on a raid over Germany with the 492nd Bomb Group. He was picked up

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in the Channel by a German boat and suffered the rigors of POW camp. Dave and Jean flew from England to be with us on this memorable occasion. They own our WWII airbase, Hardwick, and farm a large part of the land. They have maintained several Quonset huts and other buildings to house a museum about the 93rd. They also built a banger which hangars 5 vintage aircraft, all airworthy. In the hangar is a large nicely designed board with the names of the 670 airmen we lost during the war. A runway also remains and our memorial plaque stands in the center of the complex as a reminder of the sacrifices made during WWII. 93rd Bomb Group History Our history was presented in two parts: Air Operations by Colonel Rollin C. Reineck and Ground Support by Harry A. Kelleher. The presentations were excellent which gave the audience of over 130 people a good understanding of our operations and the flying of combat missions made possible by the tireless work of our ground support personnel. Col. Rollin Reineck presenting history of the 93rd Air War Rollin and his wife Esther traveled all the way from Hawaii to be with us for the dedication. Rollin was one of the originaJ airmen in the 93rd, joining us at Barksdale in July, 1942 after school. He and his crew, JERK'S NATURAL, were the frrst to complete a combat tour as a crew on 5 April 1943, having 25 missions. He was then assigned to the Second Air Division as a staff navigator. Rollin was finally sent back to the States where he soon became restless and volunteered for overseas duty. He was assigned as staff navigator for a B-29 Wing in the Pacific Theater flying combat missions against Japan proper. After the war, Rollin completed pilot training and became an Air Force pilot. He remained in the Air Force as a career officer. He had several staff assignments in overseas commands, Air Force Headquarters and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Rollin retired December, 1970. His decorations include: Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with 5 OLC's, Commendation Medal with 1 OLC and several campaign ribbons with battle stars. Air Operations, World War II by Colonel Rollin Reineck Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Here at the Court of Honor of the Air Force Academy and in the presence of this beautiful bronze replica of our venerable and beloved B-24, I can't help but remember the first combat mission of the 93rd Bomb Group. It was 62 years ago, almost to the day, the 9th of October 1942 that 24 B-24's of the 93rd Bomb Group under the command of Colonel Ted Timberlake took off from our Alconbury base in England. The target that day was a locomotive manufacturing facility at Lille in German occupied France. We lost one airplane that day and five crewmen were killed on that mission. Some of the other planes in the formation sustained serious battle damage. I was there. I remember the mission as though it were yesterday. Although our bombing results were not as good as they could have been we learned from our experience and things improved as a resuJt. The 93rd Bomb Group, made up of four squadrons, the 328th, 329th, 330th and the 409th not only pioneered many of the high altitude bombing and combat techniques that later became S.O.P. in the 8th Air Force but also set the standard of excellence for other groups to follow. The 93rd Bomb Group became known as "Ted's Travelling Circus" because of the three trips made to North Africa to support the war effort by bombing Nazi targets in North Africa and Southern Europe, including the famous low Level raid against the Ploesti oil refineries in Rumania on I August 1943. Some of you here today flew on that mission known as "Tidal Wave." The 93rd Bomb Group flew more missions 3

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4 than any other heavy bombardment group during WWII whether it was the B-17, B-24 or the B-29. Whlle flying 396 missions and over 8,000 sorties, the Group dropped 38 miUion pounds of bombs on enemy targets in Europe and Africa. We lost only 100 aircraft and 670 airmen missing or killed to enemy action. Top level leadership, crew professionalism and total unit personnel support must be recognized for that outstanding ach.ievement. Our gunners were credited with 93 enemy fighters destroyed and 41 probably destroyed (probables). Two of the airman of our group, Major John L. Jerstad who was my pilot for most of my combat tour and Lt. Col. Addison E. Baker, my Squadron Commander, were posthumously awarded the nation's highest recognition for bravery, the Medal of Honor. Four others in the group were awarded the nation's second highest award for tbe recognition of bravery, tbe Distinguished Service Cross. The 93rd as a Group participated in 18 battle campaigns and received two Distinguished Unit Citations. Five outstanding officers of the 93rd rose to the rank of General. One of the original officers, a West Point graduate Lieutenant George Brown, 329th Squadron Commander, not only rose to the rank of general but became the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and subsequently he was appointed by the President of the United States to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the most senior billet in the military. General Brown held that position for four years until his retirement in July 1978. Today, we are here at the Air Force Academy to dedicate a 93rd Bombardment Group Memorial Plaque. This is in recognition of all those brave young airmen who gave the full measure of sacrifice in order to destroy the oppressive forces of Nazi Germany. It is also in recognition of all those brave, young airmen who faced the threat of death day after day and continued flying missions undaunted toward the goal of final victory and somehow they survived. Also tbe Memorial Plaque is in recognition of all the support personnel who worked so diligently through untold hardships, 25 hours a day, to insure that the 93rd Bomb Group could accomplish its mission and the crew members had every possible chance of surviving. Through their efforts, our flyers could put out their hand and touch the face of God. I am proud to have been a member of the 93rd Bombardment Group! I am proud to have served in the United States Air Force for 30 years! I am proud of our country and proud to be an American! God bless you and God bless America! Harry Kelleher Harry Kelleher, an original member of the 93rd, was an Armament/Ordnance man. As such be loaded and unloaded bombs on our B-24's, maintained bombing equipment on the aircraft, the Norden bombsight and the 50 calibre machine guns and their turrets. There's a story about Harry that has probably never been told. Harry and his crew without a doubt loaded and unloaded more bombs than anyone else or group of men during WWII or since for that matter. The 93rd flew 396 missions, more than any other bomb group. We had scrubbed missions, wh.icb required unloading and reloading, night and day, rain or shine. Our airplanes were always loaded on time for the missions. Harry volunteered to fly the low altitude Ploesti mission knowing fuU well the odds of returning were 50/50. The crew he was scheduled with did not return. He hitched a ride with Lou Brown of the 409th and returned with little damage and no casualties. Harry was the onJy ground support person I know with a DFC and Air Medal. He left the Air Force shortly after the war as a S/Sgt. Harry has been a big help to tbe 93rd in arranging all the logistics for our reunions, i.e., Savannah, GA and th.is one. He's been a big help to me for 93rd affairs; thank you Harry! Harry Kelleher presenting ground support activities In late August of 1942, the officers and men of the ground crew of the 93rd Bomb

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Group boarded the Queen Elizabeth on her maiden voyage as a troop carrier, transporting 18,000 service men to Great Britain. They arrived at Firth of Clyde in Scotland we1comed on a cloudy, rainy day by the Scottish people and the sound of the Scottish bagpipes. We were immediately sent to our first air base in Alconbury, England near Cambridge and for the next sixty days we were introduced to English rations and subsisted on mutton stew with brussel sprouts. The 93rd numbered 35 B-24's and about 350 airmen to fly them. There were approximately 1,600 men in the ground crews to service these men and their planes. Some of the functions of our ground crews: OPERA TIO NS STAFF--Planned the missions and selected the planes and crews MECHANICS--Kept the B-24's in safe flying condition and repaired damaged planes. ORDINANCE MEN--Maintained a "bomb dump" supply of 100 to 1,000 pound bombs in stock and transferred them onto bomb cradles in the early mornings to the planes for loading. OFFICE WORKERS--Maintained all the personnel records for payroll, leaves, insurance, etc. TECHNICAL SUPPORT--Maintained an inventory of equipment and spare parts for the airmen and the planes. COOKS, MOTOR POOL, CLERGY AND MEDIC MEN--Made their invaluable contribution to the daily needs of the servicemen. ARMORERS--Kept guns and gun turrets operable and were responsible for the loading of the bombs at 2:00 AM every morning before the daily raids. In fact, many Armorers transferred to combat crew duty like Jack Blazer who is here today with his family. For the Ploesti raid four Armorers of the 409th Bomb Squadron volunteered, as did Ray Weir, the Mechanics' Line Chief, and all but one, who became a prisoner of war, returned safely. Ray Weir's son, Fred, is here with us today. Ray Weir, riding in the cockpit took one of the best series of Ploesti photos showing Ploesti oil tanks exploding in the wall of flames which the B-24s had to fly through. Lew Brown, leading the last echelon of six planes, also flew through the flames. As I stand here today, I want you to look above me and to the right at this beautiful bronze B-24 sculpture. Poised in a climbing flight position, and visualize it with its huge 110 foot wing span and its four roaring Pratt Whitney engines zooming just fifty feet above the ground, 800 miles from its departure in Bengazi, Libya. Look at the building at the far end of this USAF Honor Court, which Colonel Eskridge informed me is just 50 feet high, the same height as the Ploesti Refinery tanks and buildings. Our planes barely zoomed above those tanks as we raced six across and dropped the bombs on refinery buildings and tanks. The German gunners with their 38's and 88's anti-aircraft guns were firing point blank at us. We saw them and their tracers, some of which missed us but many did not. As the planes completed the bombing run they made a left tum 15 or 20 miles out, which distance I pointed out to a snow covered point in the Rockies to the left of the Honor Court. Lt. Womble's plane, "Honky Tonk Gal", had been hit and made a perfect pancake landing in the fields. As we passed by them we could see the crew just starting to get out of the open waist window. Lt. Womble did get out on the wing but discovered bis foot was missing, still in the plane. It was after these detached service forays that the media adopted Cal Stewart's nickname for the 93d Bomb Group, calling it "Ted's Travelling Circus," a tribute to Col. Ted Timberlake and to the successful operations from remote areas. In early 1943, wrule the detached group was in North Africa, all the remaining 93rd personnel were moved from Alconbury to a new air base in Hardwick, Norwich. This area was within a 50 mile range across the English Channel from enemy occupied territory. In the space of two and one-half years, over 90% of the 396 missions were completed from the Hardwick Base. -In Hardwick, the air and ground crew personnel made great use of the new recreational facilities. An indoor basketball court was built, and a large area was leveled for football, track and baseball fields. These recreational facilities offered a necessary distraction between missions. "The Travelling Circus" excelled in the contests against the other Groups and was enthusiastically supported in all events. These fields provided the area for the celebration party of the 100th Mission which was filmed and televised by Walter Cronkite in his series, "Air Power." Almost every one of the original ground personnel would spend over two years and nine months overseas without a leave home. The air personnel and ground crew were mostly between 18 and 23 years of age, and coexisted with great respect for each other. They had a difficult and dangerous job to do and they did it well. This Plaque is being dedicated today to the 5

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6 memory of aU the men of the 93rd Bomb Group who served their country so valiantly in World War II. Col. K.O. Dessert and T/Sgt Ben Kuroki unveiline-olaaue -Unveiling---.-* The unveiling was performed by Colonel Kenneth 0. (KO) Dessert and T/Sgt Ben Kuroki. What better team could we have to represent the 93rd then to have a Squadron Commander, K.O. Dessert and one of his aerial gunners, T/Sgt Ben Kuroki, to perform the unveiling. T/Sgt Ben Kuroki. Colonel Dessert was Ben's Squadron Commander during W WII. Ben, a Japanese-American, worked with his father and brother on the family farm in Nebraska before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The day after the attack Ben and his brother enlisted in the Army Air Corps. They soon learned about prejudice and the misunderstanding that prevailed toward Japanese-Americans even though they were citizens of the United States. After completing basic training Ben was assigned to the 93rd at Barksdale in April, 1942 where he was immediately relegated to KP duty. He stuck it out and stayed close to the kitchen and barracks because of the feelings toward Japanese-Americans at that time. We noted that Ben wanted to become a good soldier and become one of us but we had problems getting approval to take him with us when the Group was transferred to Ft. Myers, Florida and again when we were sent overseas to England. But by this time Ben belonged and was assigned to Armament/Ordnance but he always wanted to fly combat. He worked at doing this by learning about the 50 calibre machine guns we had on the B-24. He went on aerial target practice every chance he had after we arrived in England. FinaUy Ben was accepted as a gunner in KO's squadron, the 409th, where he flew five more than the required number of25 missions. Ben was returned to the US and at his request was assigned to a B-29 group destined to fly bombing raids against Japan proper. After some training in B-29's, he was told that be could not go overseas with the group. It took a special exemption from Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, to permit Ben to accompany his group to the Pacific to fly combat against Japan. Ben flew a total of 58 missions and was the only Japanese-American to fly in combat against Japan proper. He received the following decorations: DFC with 2 OLC's, Air Medal with 6 OLC's and Campaign Ribbons with battle stars for both European and Pacific theaters. Colonel K. 0. Dessert Colonel Dessert is a graduate of West Point and after completing pilot training he joined the 93rd at Barksdale soon after the group was activated. He became commanding officer of the 409th Squadron and he whole heartily agreed soon after we were-flying combat for Ben to become an aerial gunner on one of his B-24 crews. The 409th was one of the squadrons to fly the low altitude bombing mission against Ploesti on 1 August 1943 and Ben was one of the gunners on KO's airplane. They came though without a "scratch". When Ben was ordered to the US, KO knew the difficulties be would encounter because of his race. As Squadron Commander, he wrote a letter for Ben dated 10 November 1943 which emphasized his contributions as an aerial gunner. One sentence of the letter is quoted: "His work has always been and will continue to be an inspiration to the men who have known him." KO had a distinguished career in the Air Force in both command and staff assignments. His decorations include: Silver Star, DFC, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, two unit citations, Battle campaign ribbons with battle stars and the French Croix De Guerrie.

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Col. Dessert andT/Sgt Kurok:i admiring plaque Gifting to the USAF Academy KO and Ben did the unveiling with the admiration of all of those present. Colonel Eskridge accepted the Memorial Plaque for the Academy. Before doing so Cal Davidson presented a letter addressed to the Academy Superintendent, Lt. Gen. John R. Dallager, with a $500.00 check from our Group for the welfare of the Academy cadets. Cal Davidson became a T/Sgt while completing 31 missions as a radio operator, flying number 30 on D-day. He became editor of our news letter, The Ball of Fire, from its originator, the late Paul Steichen, in the summer of 1996. Cal was instrumental in getting the 93rd Bomb Group website on the Internet and keeps it updated. He is also our Treasurer. His decorations include: DFC, Air Medal with 3 OLC's and European Theater Ribbon with 3 battle stars. Lt. Gen. John R. Dallager Superintendent USAF Academy, CO 80840-5001 Dear General Dallager, The membership of the 93rd Bombardment Group (H) Association deeply appreciate your giving us the opportunity to place a Memorial Plaque in the USAF A Honor Court in proximity to the B-24 bronze model. The members of the 93rd were major contributors for the bronze model and it is only fitting that our memorial plaque is near by. Our plaque is principally in memory of the 670 airmen who lost their lives in aerial combat over Europe during WWII to preserve our freedoms. We will always remember them. The enclosed check for $500.00 is from the membership of the 93rd for your unrestricted funds for the benefit of our Academy Cadets. We know you will make good use of these funds for p o grams to promote their welfare. Again, we thank you for the outstanding support we received from the Academy staff for the placement of our memorial and the dedication services of 11 October 2002. Sincerely, Alfred Asch, Colonel USAF, Ret VP 93rd Bombardment Group (H) Association Acceptance by Colonel Eskridge Colonel Eskridge told us that they would take good care of our memorial plaque, thanked us for the donation to the cadet welfare fund and said we not only provided the foundation for the Air Force but continue to support its future. He expressed a wish that we could meet some of the young cadets and would then conclude that the Air Force would continue to be in good hands. The B-24 Bronze Model AL Asch made a few comments about our B-24 model. The money collected, over $200,000, came exclusively from WWII veterans, their families and friends. There was not a single profit making organization that contributed although several were asked. This added special meaning to those of us who worked on the project Ninety people associated with the 93rd 7

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8 contributed, some very generously. Thirty eight different organizations are represented as contributors, mostly combat groups from aJI theaters of operation during WWII. At the end of the ceremony, the attendees crowded around the B-24 model and memorial plaque for their enjoyment and picture taking. We then had a short visit at the Visitor's Center followed by a nice luncheon at the Academy Officer's Club. Following the luncheon, most of the attendees enjoyed a sightseeing tour. Col. Reineck, Dave Woodrow, Col. Eskridge Jean Woodrow and Al Asch eniovin!! visitin!! Becky Brown and Mike McKeever admiring Col. Eskride:e's manv decorations The Banquet Program We provided our own entertainment after laving a delicious meal that was well served. The first speaker was Ben Kuroki. He told us a bit about his experiences with the prejudices and misunderstandings that existed after the attack against Pearl Harbor toward Japanese-Aroericaos, even tlrose who were outstanding American citizens. Ben thanked the 93rd members for accepting him in our organization back in 1942 and permitting him to be a gunner and fly combat with the group. Cal Stewart, our historian, wrote and had published a pamphlet about the life of Ben, with emphasis on his early years during WWII. As always, Cal did an outstanding piece of work. He titled it: "The Most Honorable Sad Saki, Ben Kuroki, All-American Forever". It is worth reading and is making it available to others. For example, Hearol Veteto of Texas informed me that he would be giving copies to school administrators where he had a great career in education before retiring. Hearol said that school children should read the paper to gain a better understanding about WWII and the patriotism that prevailed even in the face of discrimination. I sent two copies to our Air Force Academy for their Cadet library. I expect to make other distributions such as to newspapers, libraries and friends. You may

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have other ideas for making distrjbution. You can get copies from Cal Davidson, our BOF Editor. His name, address, phone number and Internet access code is on the back page of this issue of the BOF. Bob Cash, Executive Vice President of 2ADA Bob gave a short talk about the activities of the 2ADA, with emphasis on our Memorial Library in Norwich, England and the interest and support of the library by the British. He cited the great reception we received by the British at our reunion last fall in England. Bob received a great ovation when he told us that the Executive Committee of the 2ADA agreed to continue with reunions and other activities as long as possible, until "the last person is standing". It was great to have Bob and his wife, Dorothy, to help us celebrate our reunion, there was friendship everywhere. Thanks for coming, Bob and Dorothy. David Woodrow, 93rd Bomb Group Museum Caretaker. David and his wife, Jean traveled from Norfolk, England to help us celebrate the dedication of our memorial plaque. Dave entertained us at the banquet, telling us how he acquired Hardwick a short time after WWII. The obstacles he confronted in buying it and how he turned our wartime base into a farm. He told us of preserving several of tbe buildings for a 93rd Bomb Group museum and the interest it attracts by the public. Part of one of the runways remains and one can drive to one end and gaze its full length as if ready for takeoff on a bombing mission. Part of the story was about the new hangar with the five vintage aircraft and the Roll of Honor that bangs on the hangar wall. He also told us about the tie-in developing with the members of the 800 year old Topcroft church. Th.is, together with his son eventually taking over the farm will give us longevity for the 93rd museum. Dave and Jean added greatly to the success of our reunion and friendships abounded by their presence. Thank you, Dave and Jean. Our Business Meeting We had a short business meeting on the Saturday following our banquet. I agreed to carry on for one more year as the VP to the 2ADA. I handed out a draft set of BYLAWS that Henry Nykamp wrote for us and suggested we become more formalized in our organization along the lines of the bylaws. It was agreed that we should remain as we are, that things were working satisfactorily and that we were getting things done. The bylaws were very weU done and I will keep them for possible future use. Everyone wanted another 93 rd reunion, perhaps in the faU of next year, a few months away from the time of the 2ADA reunion to be held May of next year in the Chicago area. We will have to think of a good occasion to celebrate for selecting a time and place. A discussion of whether to have another reunion and starting a phaseout of our activities led to the objection of the younger generation present, led by Paul Steichen. He verbalized that he and others of his generation would in no way allow our work to end with our demise. He said they wanted to keep the memory of the 93rd Bomb Group alive after we are gone. He was applauded by the 93rd veterans and we immediately decided to make his generation voting members of our Association. Cal Davidson is in the process of doing this. We asked Paul if he would exercise leadership for his generation in working with us to develop procedures of complete integration and the transition of 93rd Association affairs to them. He accepted and I wiU soon be working with l' aul to ac<Wrnplish this. We agreed to increase the dues by $5.00 per year to help build up our reserves. The start of this will be determined by our Treasurer, Cal Davidson. Several projects were discussed as worth doing; up to $1,000 donations to each of the organizations: WWII Memorial, USAF Memorial, Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum at Savannah, GA and our museum at Hardwick. (Cal Davidson has informed me that we have sufficient funds to start these programs. I will be working with the staffs of the WWII and USAF Memorials for making the donations. Saturday Night Dimter Some enjoyed the Academy football game. The younger generation provided the after-dinner entertainment. Becky Brown introduced Dave Woodrow who told us a funny story about our airmen and their bicycles at Hardwick. He claimed we had all the bicycles of the area and that when we rode to town on them, we always ate an apple while riding. We threw our apple cores in the roadside ditch and some of them sprouted and grew into trees. Many of the trees are still there but the apples are bitter in taste because one has to go through a tree grafting process to raise good apples. There was one exception, one tree grows delicious apples. 9

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10 Dave picked a few to bring aJong for us but the airlines will not permit carrying fresh fruit from England to the United States. However, Kent Jacquith provided some of us with fresh apples he raised on bis apple farm in Washington State. Thanks, Kent, they were delicious. Don Morrison Don told us about the book he is putting together as a history of the 93rd. He has indeed collected a large number of pictures to tell the story of our group as a pictorial. We were pleased at the Jarge number and quaJity of the pictures he has collected and organized into notebooks. I believe it will be one of a kind when completed and perhaps the most comprehensive that anyone has ever done about a WWII bomb group. If you haven't sent Bob a picture of your airplane, crew or other activity, I suggest you do. His address is: 1375 Comet Road, Clinton, OH 33317. Kent Jacquith Kent started by telling about the great time he had attending our 2ADA reunfon in Norwich last fall. He thanked me for asking him to read a poem at the Topcroft church services on Base Day which was our last day at the reunion. Kent further emphasized that he as well as others wanted to keep the spirit andmemory of the 93rd alive as the veterans pass along. Kent has attended several of our reunions and has always participated in our activities. Fred Weir Fred Weir representing his family reminisced about his late father and mother and how pleased he was to represent them. He had complimentary comments about WWII veterans and urged upon the group to keep the history and memory of the 93rd alive. It was a great reunion for Naomi and me. We saw a lot of old friends and made new ones. We will be active in implementing projects and planning for the future of the 93rd. A thanks to all who helped make our reunion a success: The Academy Staff, Harry and Louise Kelleher, Cal Davidson, Cal and Peg Stewart, Bob and Mike McKeever, Rollin and Esther Reineck, Don Morrison, Bob and Dorothy Cash and David and Jean Woodrow. Best Wishes for the Holiday Season, Al and Naomi Asch Our Reunion was a great success. The Embassy Suites Hotel far surpassed our expectations. The outstanding accommodations, 'the delicious dinners, the luxurious garden setting of the whole hotel, the complimentary full breakfast buffet and the two hour manager's complimentary nightly cocktail reception, delighted everyone. The highlight of our Reunion was on Friday at the dedication of our 93rd MemoriaJ Plaque at the United States Air force Academy Honor Court at the base of the beautiful bronze B24 sculpture, poised in climbing-flight position. It was a clear, bright, sunny day and the beautiful Colorado Rockies surrounded the 40,000 acre campus of the Academy. The following day, Saturday, we had our business meeting in the morning at the hotel. After the meeting the buses took us to The Royal Gorge, Bridge and Park where we had lunch and enjoyed the facilities and breathtaking scenery of the area. On Saturday evening a number attended the undefeated Air Force Academy football game against Brigham Young Unjversity which the Academy won. On a sad note, one of our members, T/Sgt Ed Bernie Regan of San Gabriel, CA was taken ill and died Friday morning at tbe local hospital. I informed the members at the evening Banquet that apparently he had passed away at 11 :30 am that morning, the same time the Academy bugler was playing Taps at the end of the Dedication Ceremony. Bernie flew bis Jast mission with his buddies, the 93rd Bomb Group. One of the great changes we see is the larger number of our next generation, sons, daughters and their families attending our reunfons and really Qarticipating in helping us by volunteering in many ways. Sunday ended our Reunion and we all headed home after a fun filled four days and additional great memories. Harry Kelleher, Convention Chairman Folded Wings Robert F. Hanslik Charles T. Merrill George K. Hughe} Edward B. Regan Editor After starting this newsletter in my regular software program my printer advised me he could possibly make the pictures clearer if I used a different program and put it on a disc for him. It is true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks as I struggled to make the change halfway through the newsletter. I sure hope it was worth the frustration and effort! Best wishes for the Holiday season.

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Ed: The son of the following 93rd Vet would like to hear from anyone who remembers him. Glenister is one of the few men whose name does not appear in Cal Stewart's "Ted's Travelling Circus " Cal, Thanks for getting back to me so quickly regarding my father's service with the 93rd. I have some information I would like to send you to verify his service; including the list of 30 missions he flew with the circus. Anything you could do to see that his service is made a part of the circus record would be appreciated. Thanks. Brian bdglen@optonline.net HQ. TAC, Langley AFB, VA 22 Aug 58 A Tactical Air Command master sergeant, veteran of 130 combat missions in two wars but who claims he was "too smaU" for high school varsity sports has been named TAC's top airman for 1958. Master Sergeant James A. Glenister a wiry C-130 assistant line chief at Ardmore Air Force Base, Okla. was awarded the title, Outstanding Airman of TacticaJ Air Command for 1958, by a board of senfor officers at the command headquarters. He was picked from over 40,000 other airmen. In the final selections he represented the Ninth Air Force. Sergeant Glenister and his wife will be among honored guests of the Air Force Association at its 12th annual National Convention being held in Dallas, Tex. this year in September. With over 16 years of active Air Force service behind him. Sergeant Glenister recalls duty as a B-24 engineer gunner with the 93rd Heavy Bomber Group in World War II. His group operated out of bases in Africa and England. In a B-24 Liberator tabbed "Tupelo Lass" bougbt through War Bonds of Tupelo, Miss. Citizens. Glenister and bis crew made the longest mission for that time and that theater of the war, Bengasi, Libya to Weiner Neustadt, Austria roundtrip. In the attack on a munitions plant during this raid the "Tupelo Lass" suffered loss of an engine. On the return to Africa the crew made an emergency landing on the Isle of Malta. Io mid J 944 just prior to the invasion of Europe Sergeant Glenister vas assigned to the Pathfinder Forces specially equipped aircraft with radar navigation and bombing instruments which led bomber groups in bad weather. With the Pathfinders he rounded out a total of 30 missions. TAC's current Number One Airman prepared himself for World War II duty by graduating from California's Government contracted Civilian Flying School and the Air Force Gunnery School at Las Vegas, Nev. After the war Sergeant Glenister made a short Lived attempt to further his education at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. The lure was too much. He reentered the Air Force at Mitchell Air Force Base as a flight engineer. Before he could complete Flight Engineer School at Great Falls, Mont. be was on bis way to join the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) in Japan. Later he was assigned to the Third Bomb Wing. With the advent of Korean hostilities Glenister became a part of the famed "Mosquito Group" in the crew of a C-47. The Mosquitoes using chiefly T-6 single engine trainers were given much credit for winning the air war in Korea. Besides the pilot the T-6 carried an Army Artillery Observer. The two men would locate enemy targets, plant smoke markers and call in fighter aircraft. During this period the Sergeant added 100 aerial combat missions to his score. Back in the States again Sergeant Glenister attended a specialized engineering course at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, finishing with bonors. He was subsequently assigned to the 465th Troop Carrier Wing as a Maintenance Inspector and went with the outfit to France to open a new Air Base. Returned to this Country he picked up the assignment he presently holds, working with what he terms "a real good aircraft," in our 463d Troop Carrier Wing. For services in two wars, Sergeant Glenister has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and a host of service and theater ribbons. Hi Cal, Thought you'd like to bear that George Bridgeman and I had a great meeting last week, while he was visiting a daughter out here in Southern California. In the process, I came across that attached photo of Stepp's original crew. We did fly a good number of mission together, including some squadron leads. The co-pilot and the enlisted men are in the 93rd Bomb Group photo collection labeled "Stepp Crew." They had just returned from Berlin. Thanks for all of your help. Steve Schanes Greetings. I was accessing your "history of the 93rd BG and was sorrowful to see that my dad's name was not listed on the "roll of honor". He was captain of the B-24 "Iron Ass", 42-40769. His name was Richard (Dick) Ketchum. Any ideas why he's not listed? Thanks for your help. Teri (Ketchum) Reisser teri.kr@hotmail.com Ed: I emailed Teri that the "RoU of Honor" only lists those men KIA 11

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The Ball of Fire Quarterly Express 93rd BOMBARDMENT GROUP Calvin Davidson, Editor 48973 Plate Rd. Oberlin. OH 44074 Phone 440 -775-1787 k8qgc@aol.com FIRST CLASS MAIL BOFQE SUBSCRIPTION FORM Name: ______________ _ Address: ------------BOFQE Subscription@$! 5.00 per annum$ ___ _ Annual 93rd Membership @ $5.00 $ ___ _ Donation Total Please make checks payable to : 93rd Bomb Group Send checks to editor, address above. $ ___ _ $ ___ _ Wilmer Paine Jr. 2221 W. Sunset StilJwater, OK 74074 PLEA EA'~ r, FR 1/1/03 ,. I I 1.1, I I I l 111 I 111 I, I 11 I II I ,I, 1,1, 11 I, II, 1 I 111 I, I 111 I I I, 1 I ,I Adams, Lt. Col., Jim and Dot Asch, Col., Al and Naomi Barton, Bart and Betty Bazer, Edgar, Jack and Verna Berry, Sharon Bird, Dr. Luther and Bernice Bludworth, Wally and Norlin Razak Bisson, Joe Brown, Lew and Becky Brown, William Burr, Dennis and Anne Cadle, Jr., John Richard Cash, Robert and Dorothy Pres. 2nd Air Div Casper, Leroy and Billie Christensen, Warren and Ruth Comstock, Sandra Davidson, Cal and Ardith Johnson De!Guidice, Louis and Alberta Deselets, Gary and Deborah Dessert, Col., KO Duran, Joe and Phyllis Eveland, Thomas and Wendy 93rd Bomb Group Reunion Attendees Colorado Springs, CO. Friedman, Maj. Murray and Nancy Gaston, Don Geyer, Don Halker, Tom and Dottie Gros, William and Pat Hogan, J.R. (Dick) and Dorothy Jacquith, Kent Johnson, Mari and Bret Johnson, Col. George H Johnson, Robert and Marilyn Johnson, Wing and Terry JO Julian, John and Edna Close Kelleher, Harry and Louise Kuroki, T/SgtBen and Shige Landon, W. D. Lenhart, Burt Martin, Roy and Letitia Martin, Roy, Jr. and Elizabeth McKeever, Bob and "Mike" Messana, Louis Moore, David and Claire Morrison, Don and Lauren Palestri, Claire Parker, Joel and Karen Pisto, Robert Regan T/Sgt Edward Reineck; Rollin and Esther Roche, Col, John and Pat Sargent, Bill and Joanne Schwarzgruber, Joe Severson, John and Doug Shaefer, David Smith, Lloyd and Sarah Sparks, Robert Spencer, Donald and Mary Lou Spencer, Lee and Marian Stahl, Robert and Dottie Steichen, PauJ and Marissa Stewart, Carroll and Peggy Strombom, Fred and Inez Sullivan, Robert and Lisa Thompson, Glen Trousdale, Richard Veneck, Robert and Jeanne Veteto, Hearol and Maxine Wier,Fred Woodrow, David and Jean Zimmennan. Geraldine

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B.lftofJl'lf' Ball of Fire Quarterly Express Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 11, No. I 93rd BOMB GROUP REUNION NEW ORLEANS, HERE WE COME September 14,15,16,17, 2003 The famous hotel "The Pontchartrain " has agreed to host the 93rd Bomb Group's 2003 reunion. The hotel, New Orleans premier address for southern tradition and elegance, reigns as the City's Grand Dame of Hotels located in the Garden District. Shuttle service and public transportation to the French Quarter is available from the hotel. The Reunion will include a Grayline bus tour of the city, plus a paddlewheel jazz cruise on the Mississippi with lunch, and a visit to the famous newly-opened National DDay Museum. There wilJ be a free afternoon for members to visit the famous French Quarter. Continental break.fast and group dinners for the three days will be provided. For those arriving by plane at the New Orleans International Airport, shuttle service is available every 15 minutes at a charge of $10 per person to the hotel. There is very limited and costly parking downtown, but our hotel has waived the usual $16 per night for our members of the 93rd Bomb Group. The Pontchartrain is reserving 65 rooms for our group, the number used at Savannah and Colorado Springs. It is imperative that reservations be made before August 15, 2003, the cutoff date for the group rate. These group rates are extended three days prior and three days following the official dates of the meeting on a space and/or rate available basis. You must call l-800-777-6193 or 504-524-0581 for reservations and be sure to mention the World War II 93rd Bomb Group to receive the group rate. Individual guests must cancel 72 hours prior to arrival to avoid penalty of one night's Spring, 2003 room rate and tax. Individual credit cards will be charged one night's room and tax at the time the reservation is made. If reservation is cancelled before the required 72 hours, your credit card will be reimbursed. Reserve early--Now! Because of the famous location and timing we anticipate that more members will attend this year. The hotel will reserve additional rooms if registration is made before the August 15 cutoff date. You may be occupying a room formerly held by Charles Laughton, Mary Martin, Helen Hayes, Richard Burton, Rita Hayworth, , Frank Sinatra, Charles Boyer, Ethel Merman, Tom Cruise, Robert Goulet, and many others. Harry Kelleher Reunion Chairman Draft Bylaws by Alfred Asch, Group Vice Presidenl to the2ADA Following is a drafl of bylaws for the 93rd Bomb Group for your review and comments. These will be discussed at our Chicago convention wilh lhe 2ADA this June. Corrections will be made as needed and the final will be voted upon for implementation at the 93rd Bomb Group reunion in New Orleans this September. The principal reason for formabzing our organization is to have a structure in place for our younger generation to continue our activities after the 93rd veterans are no longer capable to function. Ar our last reunion at Colorado Springs last September, several members of the younger generation expressed a strong desire to continue 93rd Bomb Group programs and activities when we can no longer do so. We have started by making second and subsequent generations voting members of our organization and the bylaws define an organization that wi1J expand the management and transition of our activities to the younger generation. Some of you will recognize that the enclosed follows the bylaws Henry Nykamp developed for our organization last year. Without Henry's work, it

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2 would have been most difficult for me to start from "scratch". Thank you, Henry. 93RD BOMBARDMENT GROUP ASSOCIA TlON BYLAWS ARTICLE I • NAME The name of this organization shall be "93rd Bombardment Group Association, short title: 93rd Bomb Group. ARTICLE IT· PURPOSE The purpose of this organitation shall be: I. The offspring of the generation which fought in WWJJ have expressed a keen interest in carrying on the traditions and memories of the 93rd Bomb Group after the velerans of thal war have deceased. Action has been taken Lo make the new generation active and voting members of the 93rd Bomb Group. They will participate as full members in all activities of management, financial activities, planning and the holding of conventions and reunions. 2. The 93rd Bomb Group will continue to advocate and to support an adequate. effective and efficient Army. Navy including Marine Corps and Air Force at all times. 3. To perpetuate the friendships and memories of service together in the 93rd Bomb Group 4. To _suppon tinancially, and in any other way, the Mcmonal Trust of the 2ADA Memorial Library which is located with the Norwich Central Library, England. Other activities may be supported such as the Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage League Museum at Savannah, Georgia. ARTICLE 111 • MEMBERS I. Eligible voting members shall be those men and women, military and civilian, American or British, who at any time served with the 9Jrd Bomb Group during WWJJ. Further, the immediate family members of 93rd Bomb Group. both men and women and lineage for that and subsequent generations shall be voting members with the payment of dues. Voting members shall be at lease eighteen (18) years of age. 2. A nonvoting associate membership shall be available to ?n~ f:iends of associates of the 93rd Bomb Group, or to any 1nd1v1dual who, by virtue of association with the organizaLion demonstrates his interest in, and makes contributions of a literary, artistic, or historical nature to the perpetuation of Lhc 93rd Bomb Group. 3. All applications for memberships shall be addressed to: Treasurer, 93rd Bomb Group and must be accompanied by the annual dues. 4. Annual dues shall be announced in lhe BOFQE 2. Officer's term shall be for two (2) years from date of election at either the 2ADA annual convention or rhe 93rd Bomb Group reunion. ARTICLE IV • DUTIES OF OFFICERS I. PRESIDENT. Shall preside at all meeLings of the 93rd Bomb Group and aJJ Executive Commillee meetings. a. Shall appoint committees as he/she sees fit. b. In the event of a vacancy in any elected office, the president shall fill the vacancy by appointment. Such appointee shall scne until the next regular election. 2. EXECUTrvE VICE PRESIDENT. Shall support and assist lhe President in carrying out his duties and shall replace the President if he/she becomes unable 10 serve for any reason. 3. SECRETARYffREASURER. Shall keep the minutes of all regular and Executive Committee meetings and shall conduct the correspondence of the 93rd Bomb Group and perform such other duties as the President may require. a. TREASURER, shall receive all moneys due the 93rd Bomb Group, including membership dues and fees, and shall deposit all such moneys in the 93rd Bomb Group's name in a bank of his convenience. b. Shall, by check, disburse funds of the 93rd Bomb Group as needed for the routine operation of the 93rd Bomb Group. One such disbursement shall be the Group's news letter. The Ball of Fire. and the postage costs for mrulings of notices and like activi1y. c. No moneys may be expended in excess of $100.00 for activities outside the normal operating expenditures without the approval of the Executive Committee. d. Shall keep the membership list current and make it a,•ailable to the Editor of the Ball of Fire. e. Shall make an annual report to the membership of past year expenditures, current balance sheet information and membership totals. 4. ASSOCIATE SECRETARYrrREASURER. Shall assist the Secretary/ Treasurer in his duties and shall become the principle of this position if the elected officer becomes incapable of performing the duties of the office, for any reason. Also serves as back-up at bank(s) for 93rd Bomb Group bank account(s).5. BALL OF FJRE EOJTOR. Shall prepare, publish and distribute the Ball of Fire quarterly publication in a prompt and llmely manner. ~- Maint_ains and updates organizational and membership information on the 93rd Bomb Group's web site. making the information available 10 others over the internet. b. Provides the instructions 10 members for their storing archival information and organizes archival information abouL the 93rd Bomb Group for storage at an appropriate location. 6. ASSOCIATE EDITOR. Shall support the Ball of Fire Edhor in performing his duties and becomes the principle of this position if the elected officer becomes incapable of performing the duties .. 7. CONVENTIONS DIRECTOR. Shall nlTange for the scheduling, location selection, convention programs and entertainment.. hotel accommoda1ions, bus transportation, entering into eontrocts for convention services and work with the Secrctaryrrreasurer for the collection of convention funds from the membership attending. 8. ASSOCIATE CONVENTION DIRECTOR. Shall support the Director in all convention activities and shall become the principal of tJii~ position if the Director becomes unable 10 perform the duties for any re3.1,on. 9. HISTORIAN. Shall maintain historical records of the 93rd Bomb Group and author special articles for publication in the BOF or other appropriate media. 10. ASSOCIATE HlSTORlAN. Shall support the Historian, as required. and fills 1he position if the elected Historian becomes unable to perform his responsibilities for any reason. 11. VICE PRES.IDENT to the 2ADA. Shall represent the 93rd Bomb Group to the Executive Committee of the 2ADA and shall attend all the meeting of that committee as an active member. 12. ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDNET to the 2ADA. Shall act as a backup to the principal officer and anend 2AOA Executive Committee meetings if lhe principal is unable 10 allcnd for any reason. ARTICLE V • EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE I. Shall consist of all officers named in lhe above two Articles. Any person holding more than one office of the 93rd Bomb Group is entitled 10 only one vote. 2. Shall act on all matters it might properly find before it. 3. Shall meet yearly or at the call of the President. The meetings should be held in connection with conventions to avoid unnecessary travel. A majority of one-half of the committee members shall constitute a quorum.

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4. Shall manage the operation of the 93rd Bomb Group and oversee its financial affairs. 5. Shall not have the power to commit the 93rd Bomb Group beyond $1,000.00 for special items outside of normal operating requirements without the approval of the general membership. ARTICLE VII - SPECIAL COMMITTEES !. NOMINATING COMMlTIEE. Shall be appointed by the President to nominate persons to fill officer vacancies and 10 fill vacancies caused by lbe expiration of term of office. a. Shall consist of three active members in good standing of the 93rd Bomb Group, two being a veteran of WWll and one from the next generation. b. The chairman of the committee shall be appointed by the President. c. Nominee recommendations shall be made by the committee chairman to the Executive Committee for review and agreement before presenting them lo the full membership for voting into office. 2. CONVENTIONS COMMITTEE. Shall assist the Conventions Director in convention site selection and, as required. hotel selection. entertainment arrangements. bus transportation, costs and the collection of convention fees. a. The Convention Director shall be the chairman and the membership shall consist of two 93rd Bomb Group veterans and one second generation member. ARTICLE Vlli - MEETINGS b. Annual 93rd Bomb Group meetings other than 2ADA conventions shall be called only upon 90 days notice to all members. AU 93rd Bomb Group meetings shall be discussed at each convention for agreement about their occurrence. 2. ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR MEETINGS with the 93rd Bomb Group President presiding. a. Call meeting to order. b. Reading and approval of meetings of previous convention. c. Communications. including numbers of members and those lost and gained during the past year, major interfaces with other organizations and important news affecting the members of the 93rd Bomb Group. This report shall normally be given by the President. d. Report of financial information by the Secretaryrrreasurer. e. Report of the BOP Editor. f. Report of the 2ADA Group Vice President. g. Report of the Conventions Director. h. Repo1t of any committees. i. Old business. j. New Business k. Report of nominating committee and receiving nominations from the noor. 1. Election of officers. m. Adjournment. Each member shall be entitled to one vote on any matler presented. ARTICLE IX - PUBUCA TIONS 1. The 93rd Bomb Group shall publish "Ball of Fire Quarterly Express" as a means of keeping members informed of group activities and help in reuniting friends and crew mates. 2. The Editor shall be independent and able to call on anyone for information and advice. He is answerable to the direction of the Executive Committee for: (a.) producing the Ball of Fire on a quarterly basis and (b.) controlling and properly disposing of material submitted for publication. ARTICLE IX - AMENDING THE BYLAWS 3 l. Bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 majority of those members attending the 93rd Bomb Group meetings. ARTICLE X - GENERAL PROVISIONS I. The 93rd Bombardment Group Association of the Second Air Division Association. Inc. in the State of is a not-for-profit Veteran's Organization, Section 501 (c)(l 9) of the IRS Code EIN number Proposed Officer Positions President--InilialJy to be filled by a veteran of the 93rd. Executive Vice President--lnitially to be filled by a next generation member. Secretary/freasurer--lnitially to be filled by a veteran of the 93rd. Associate Secretary/freasurer--lnitially to be filled by a next generation member. (Back-up at bank(s) for 93rd bank accounts.) Editor of the BOF--lnitially to be filled by-a veteran of the 93rd. Associate Editor of the BOF--Initially to be filled by a next generation member. Conventions Director--lnitially to be filled by a veteran of the 93rd. Associate Conventions Director--Initially to be filled by a next generation member. Historian--Jnitially 10 be filled with veteran or the 93rd. Associate Historian--lnitially to be filled by a nex1 generation member. Cornmiuees Executive Committee--Made up of officers listed above. Nominating Committee--Three members, two 93rd veterans. one next generation member. Conventions Conunittee--Three members, two 93rd veterans, one next generation member. The commi11ee chairman is the Convention Director. Vice President to the Second Air Division Association (2ADA) Assistant Vice President--These two positions will continue to be filled by 93rd veterans to be acceptable to the2ADA. Folded Wings Charles F. Brannan Jesse C. Hall John R. Holdren John L. McGowen Melvin M. Morrison Girard Nefcy Hubert F. Radford George H. Sickels Joseph J. Tully Charles F. Zodrow Lawrence A. Williams Ed: If you are going to attend the 2ADA reunion in Chicago or 93'd BG reunion in New Orleans I suggest you bring a copy of the proposed bylaws with you. Please pay auention to Article lll- only those members are eligible to vote on payment of dues. The smaller print for the bylaw proposal was used to conserve space for the rest of the newsletter. Many of the emails 1 get from people asking for help do not include a mailing address. If you have any information that might help these people and do not have email capabilities please send the info to me and I will send it to them. Since las1 Feb. our website has received 4292 hits.

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4 93rd BG REUNION Sept.14-17, 2003 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA # ,"1: r,JJJJl!JJ:liili-• ..«r-- -, •. ' ACOMMODATIONS 2031 St Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA 70140 1-800-777-6193 Historic Location Traditional Hospj1~ity Hotel Complimentary Breakfast Nightly Hotel Dinner Group rate 3 days before and 3 days after Check in: 3:pm Check out: 12 noon $79 + 13% tax+ $1 Occupancy tax CALL HOTEL TO MAKE YOUR OWN RESERVATIONS ************************** cut across page and mail In activity fee: please print ACTIVITY FEE $170 PER PERSON List each person in your party ---- Full name: Your address, phone number and email address SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Sunday, Sept. 14 Arri val and Registration Hospitality Room Group dinner at Hotel Hospitality Room Monday, Sept. 15 Continental Breakfast City Bus Tour plus Paddleboat Jazz Cruise & Lunch 5 :0Opm Hospitality Room 7:00pm Group Banquet at Hotel Hospitality Room Tuesday, Sept 16 Continental Breakfast Group Business Meeting National DDay Museum Free afternoon at the French Quarter 5:00pm Hospitality Room 7:00pm Group dinner at Hotel Wednesday, Sept. 17 Continental Breakfast Departure Activity Fee Mail one check for all attendees in your party Payable to: 93rd Bomb Group to Mr Robe11 McKeever 329 Rosewood A venue Winnetka, IL 60093 847- 446- 0205 email: bridgedove@aol.com

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World War Il Combat Tour By Tom Parry, continued from the fall issue My crew was selected as a lead crew and as such could be in the lead or deputy lead of a formation of nine to 27 planes. The deputy lead flew on the leader's right wing and took over if anything happened to the leader. It's very difficult to maneuver in a formation of 27 planes. Since all turns and power changes must be so gradual and making a change in position in a long bomb line of formations requires great precision. If we came back for a landing under a low overcast, the low left planes were skimming the treetops and the high right ones were in and out of the clouds. Airfields in Ea<,;t Anglia were only a few miles apart and if you met another formation under the overcast it could be disastrous. On one such occasion, two B24s collided just in front of me and crashed with no chance of anyone getting out. Just after we were selected as a lead crew Axis Sally announced in her nightly broadcast lo England from Germany that the Luftwaffe fighters now planned to concentrate on the lead plane in each formation. She was always telling us that our wives and sweethearts back in the States were running around with rich draft dodgers and she loved to pass on the names of crew members recently captured or the name of our new squadron commander. Everyone listened because she played all the newest American bit tunes and they wanted to hear what she had to say. A few could not listen and would leave the room when she came on. Our bomb loads varied with the target, from 2000-pounders for deep penetration to 100-pound incendiaries. We might have 8 1000-pounders, 12 500-pounders, or 52 100-pounders. Most of the bombs had safety wires so they could not explode in llight and it was the Bombardier's duty to go to the bomb bay and pull the wires before we started the bomb run. If we had no radar ship along and the target was obscured by clouds we would drop on targets of opportunity on the return route. If no suitable targets were found we could dump in designated areas in the English Channel, North Sea or land with them if they were not too heavy. On one such mission as I returned with the bomb load crosswinds forced me to land on the short runway and I ran off the end without sinking in. We never bombed cities without specific targets of military or industrial value. Of course we knew that civilians were being killed as well 5 but the Germans had bombed London to destroy morale so it didn't bother me to retaliate. On the bomb run we were too busy maintaining close formation and a good bombing platform through the flak to have time to moralize. The only time in my life that I felt the satisfaction of having done everything I could possibly do was after a combat mission. Upon our return across the channel the leader of each formation had to decide whether to take the planes across the field at hjgh altitude or get in under the clouds. At altitude we would orbit over a radio beacon and the planes would peel off one at a time and descend on instruments. Some of the planes would be short of fuel or damaged with wounded aboard and the extra let down time would compound their problem. Coming in under the clouds brought the risk of collisions so it was a difficult decision. No matter what you did you always made somebody mad. A severely damaged bomber crew had to decide whether to bail out over the Continent and risk capture and death (crews were sometimes killed by irate civilians) or to tTy to make it across the Channel. Rescue ships were standing by to pick up crews in the event of ditching. But the B24 bad a tendency to break in two and sink immediately after hitting the water. My best friend ditched just off Lowestoft with a rescue ship watching but no one was recovered. Years later when Iraida and I would be visiting her family in Gorleston, we would always go down to Lowestoft and have dinner in a restaurant overlooking the sea and I would think of my friends out there at the bottom of the sea, probably stiU in their B24. Upon returning to the base all aircraft with wounded on board would fire a red flare on final approach to signal for an ambulance to meet them as engines were shut down. Each squadron had a flight surgeon assigned and his sole duty seemed to be to pronounce every crew member fit for flying the next mission. He professed complete ignorance of such problems as battle fatigue, head colds or hangovers. One evening in the club we tried to convince him to recommend more than 3 day passes for war weary crews and he promised to give it serious consideration. The next day he left on a 3 day pass. The navigators and bombardiers developed a routine to induce battle fatigue in new crew members before their first mission. They all lived together in one room huts so everyone joined in to welcome the new arrivals. After the lead navigator returned from a target briefing on the day prior to the mission, one of the other

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6 officers would nervously ask "Is it Berlin?" When the navigator properly refused to divulge the target the questions would get more frantic until he finally screamed "It's Berli.n, I know it is and I'm not going!" He would then grab his gun while others tried to restrain him. In the me1ee the gun would be fired into the ceiling leaving the newcomers in a state of nervous shock. The commander would then come mnning in threatening disciplinary action for everyone concerned. But of course no one knew anything except that they'd heard a shot from another hut. Once when the commander asked about the hole in the ceiling, they attributed it to mice. My navigator and bombardier worked out a routine to distract me during lulls in a mission. A few feet in front of the pilot's windshield there is a clear plastic astrodome, used by the navigator to take celestial shots and I looked directly over it while flying. They would take turns staring at me and all I could see was eyes, helmet and oxygen mask. Each claimed it was the other when I called on interphone. It was impossible to ignore the eyes staring directly at you and by alternating they could keep it up for long periods. The more I threatened the more they enjoyed it. My radio operator kept complaining that he couldn't see any of the action from his little windowless compartment. I agreed to let him leave his radio during a bomb nm and stick his head in the bomb bay to watch the bombs drop. Just after bombs away a piece of flak came in through the open bomb bay doors and ricocheted around the bomb bay, and at that moment he saw an the action be ever wanted to see. He never again mentioned leaving the protection of his compartment. All crew members were issued steel flak helmets and vests before each mission but few wore them because of the discomfort. Most everyone sat on the flak vests for obvious reasons. Some of our newer B24s had armor plate resembling a bathtub sitting on end to protect the pilot's seats and I could visualize a shell coming in from the front and bouncing around until I resembled a sieve. The plate also cut down on the exit between the seats making it almost impossible to get to a bail out exit without removing your parachute. My co-pilot declared that he would never wear the steel helmet and he didn't until the first flak on the first mission. I looked over and all I could see of him was the front of his helmet sticking out past the armor plate around the seat. Not one of my crew members was ever wounded although one of the waist gunners had a shell pass between his legs as he was firing at a fighter. On mission number eleven to Brunswick we had to make three passes at the target while an estimated seventy German fighters were being unpleasant. An oil line was shot out on my number three engine and we were unable to feather the propeller on the shut down engine. If a windmilling propeller cannot be feathered to stop it from turning it produces drag that makes control of the plane very difficult particularly in turns. Since there is no lubrication, there is a fire hazard. We got it back to the base without too much difficulty and then couldn't make sharp enough turns to hit the runway. The engine would eventually freeze from lack of lubrication, thereby stopping the prop, but would it happen before we ran out of fuel? After three unsuccessful passes at the runway the engine finally froze without catching fire and we were able to land. On the twenty-fifth mission we had a tire shot out over Berlin, but didn't realize it until we touched down. I was able to keep it under control on the runway until we slowed down enough to cut out across the grass and clear the runway for the planes landing behind me. It so happened that we were heading directly for the low control tower where the brass observed the landings from a balcony. They did not reaLize that we were under control, and as we approached the balcony emptied and officers were departing the area in great haste. After landing we usually stopped by the Red Cross van where girls passed out coffee and donuts and dutifully admired the heroes. Then to the intelligence debriefing where each crew member received a tranquilizing shot of ''Old Methuselah" bourbon before exaggerating bis achievements. If four German gunners attacked us the gunners saw fifteen or twenty. If one fighter was shot down every gunner in the squadron claimed him. The debriefers were particularly interested in the number of parachutes from any of our planes that went down. The type fighters attacking us, flak density in any particular area and any shlps in port or vehicle convoys on the roads. Such observations were passed to the navigator in flight so that he could mark the location on his map. If it was still light after return to quarters, Captain Geer (who unsuccessfully ditched off Lowestoft) and I would often cycle on the back roads off base to settle down. My cycle came from a friend who went down and had thoughtfully written the combination to his

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bicycle lock in small figures on the back of the lock. Our time off in the evenings was usually spent in the smalJ officers club writing letters, playing cards and gagging on the warm British beer. We could ride a truck into Norwich and spend a few hours pubbing before catching the truck back at ten p.m. The market square was packed with trucks from all the bases, and it took considerable talent to find your truck in the blackout. All the way back to the base you were exposed to the lies about successes with local girls. Occasiona11y there would be a party at the officers club and girls were trucked in from Norwich. The nicer girls in town did not usually climb into the trucks, and it sometimes took several days to get all the girls off the base after the party. I got three three-day passes during the combat tour and spent two in Cambridge and one in London. It's an unnatural feeling to be enjoying a show or dancing in some nightspot, and trying to forget for a short whjle that you will be back over Germany in a day or so. Always in the back of your mind is the thought that this might be your last show or dance. As a reminder there was often an ex-RAF pilot at a nearby table still in uniform with an arm or leg missing. In one restaurant at the next table was a RAF fighter with both anns missing being fed by his attractive female companion. It was sad to realize that he would soon be just a cripple in civilian clothes without the glamour of the uniform. Even though the risks of aerial combat were greater there were advantages to that type of :fighting. It's certainly cleaner and more comfortable since you return to quarters each night and don't see most of the casualties. There were empty beds the first night but personal possessions were quickJy taken away and replacements were in the beds the next night. Unless someone in your plane was hit you seldom saw Lhe wounded that made it back to base since they were sent to hospitals off base. With the pace so frantic there was little time for mourning. Some of the badly burned crewrnembers were not sent home until they could be patched up and made presentable to their families. Between skin grafts one wouJd occasionally return to the base to visit friends and that could be very disconcerting. I recall one eating across from me with food running across bis chin from a mouth that would not close. 1 think most flyers were more afraid of being trapped in a burning 7 plane than any other danger and a partially patched up fire victim was not what you cared to see. I was thankful that I was single as f watched the married officers writing to their wives. They agonized over every word since this could be the last one. After anyone went down his personal effects were carefully screened to make sure that nothing was sent home that could hurt his family. Lead crews were awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses upon completion of a combat tour, and each member received a promotion. I also picked up four Air Medals based upon the number of missions flown. It took twenty-three more years for me to receive my second and third DFCs in Viet Nam, and based on individual missions they came much easier than the one for thirty-three missions. My missions took four months with 190 combat flying hours. June 1944 was the most active month with fourteen missions including ten within sixteen days. Sixteen missions were against targets in France, fifteen in Germany and two in Belgium. During the two and a half years that the Second Air Division flew combat they lost 1,458 B24s with over 6,700 crew members killed. The 93rd Bomb Group flew more missions (396) than any other group and probably had lhe lowest loss rate ()40 planes). In contrast the I 00th Bomb Group flew 306 missions and lost 229 B 17s. This was probably the last of the glamorous gentleman's type ai.r wars. If a pilot survived until prison camp he usually got reasonable treatment from the Germans. They glorified the Luftwaffe and lo maintain that image gave better treatment to imprisoned flyers than to ground troops. In some instances when they shot down a well known pilot the victorious fighter unit would entertain him at dinner before sending him along to prison camp. The pi:isoners of the Japanese in the Pacific Theater had no such luck. It scares me to look back and realize that in fifteen months I went from the infantry to piloting our heaviest bombers over Germany and four months later had·completed my fighting and could return home. I chose to stay in England for another year, ferrying planes on the theory that it was stupid to go home when l could stay and fly all types of planes over much of Europe with no one shooting at me. Thomas Parry 27 Mt. Tom Ave. Holyoke, MA 01040

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8 After reading "HELLO DARKY'' by Ed Wanner (445th) it reminded me of a night of training for night missions. We were working off a British air field. John Hunt, our navigator, had never lost us during our entire tour. We were training in our plane which was one of the first planes to be equipped with the new "G Box", navigation equipment. Returning to our training base via the G Box, John announces we are here. My statement to him was "maybe, however I don't see the circle of lights". So back to the G Box, John turns us around and a new heading, same story second verse, no circle lights. After the third try, I decided to climb above the barrage balloon level and give "DARKY" a caJI. After several calls with no response, I tried another procedure. We flew a 360 degree circle, shot the colors of the day, hoping a search light would come on, not so. Flew another 360 degree circle twjce shot the colors of the day again. Shortly after that a search light came on and waived around and then laid on the ground , we followed the light, and another and another. AJI of a sudden about six or sevens lights came on waved around then lay on the ground and there was our air field. The lights went out we picked up the circle lights and made a normal landing. We were told the reason for the delay was bandits in the air. The all clear came at the end of our procedures. DARKY was there, he just had to be quiet. John never got us lost. Lew Browm At our different meetings over the past several years we would discuss the Ploesti raid of August I, 1943. Different people would ask me what was the name of my plane. I always answered that we never named our new plane. Even when I told them we bad never named our plane, they would insist that our plane was named " Queenie". Since my memory is not what it once was and for the sake of argument. I left it at "Queenie". But 1. would like to set the record straight. l quote from "Ploesti" page 112, " Lieutenant Colonel George Brown, in "Queenie" ... so the record stands that, Captain Llewellyn L. Brown and crew led the 409th Sqdn. high right in a B24 with no name. Lew Brown 614 N. Spruce St. Little Rock, AR 72205 Ed: Lew, it seems to me you should know whether it had a name or not!!! PLOESTI TIDAL WAVE 60TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION. WILL BE HELD FROM JULY 30 - AUGUST 3, 2003, IN SALT LAKE CITY. HOST HOTEL WILL BE THE BEST WESTERN PLAZA. ALL VETERANS WHO FLEW THIS MISSION ARE ASKED TO PARTICIPATE AND JOIN US IN THIS GRAND REUNION. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kent Jaquith, 760 Knight Hill Rd., Zillah, WA. 98953 (509) 865-2481, Email qajk@aol.com, or Blaine Duxbury, 524 Weston Hills Ct., Eagan MN. 55123 (651)-456-5372 bduxbury@countryhedglng.com . Mr. Davidson I just got off the phone with Charles Clague, who was the bombardier that flew with my dad. He has written a book about their origjnal crew with information from the journals of three of the crew members. It's caUed "Climbing High". I can hardly wait to read it. I understand there are some really nice pictures of my father in the book. I also was contacted by Joseph Balate's niece who saw the article you put in ''Bal I of Fire" I am so very grateful for your efforts on my behalf. There is one bit of information I have learned, my father was the co-pilot, Howard Mesnard was the pi lot. So I guess the crew picture is really not the Jennings crew as is slated in the picture I have. I don't know the protocols but I certainly wouldn't want anything done improperly. There are 3 original crew members left, I loo~ forward to contacting the other 2. Thanks again for all your help. Jan Gustafson Good morning .... This has been so exciting being able to finally get some information about my father. I'm having trouble sleeping! Apparently the crew spent some time with the 491 stBG also .. .The crew pilot was Herman Mitchell. I don't know where I got the idea it was Mesnard but was busy scribbling notes and think I mixed some information up. I'm thinking maybe the crew name should be changed on the picture I posted? Again, I can't thank you enough. J know it must be very sad to hear that someone else has passed away but at least there are those who realize the loss. I am in awe of what the Army Air Corps accomplished. It's too bad the world didn't learn anything. I was talking to my brother last night. He is a crew chief for the Idaho Air Guard (Apache helicopters) When he was in Viet Nam his

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helicopter group was called "The Circus" How weird is that. That is tbe first thing be has ever said about Viet Nam. I hope I can keep him tallcing. Best Regards, Jan Dear Cal, Some time back you sent my son-in-law, James Blaschke, some names of men who flew some missions with my brother, Leland H. W alzel. Leland was KIA on 6 March 1944 and I have been researching the men he flew with since last September. Through the help you provided, I have been able to contact two of the men who flew a few missions with him and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting them via telephone and e-mail. I have also made contact with several others and been truly blessed in each case. I just recently got a copy of "Ted's Travelling Circus" from Cal Stewart and found Dave Thompson, who was a good friend of Leland. I had been loolcing for him for a long time but not in the right place. When I found his latest address in the roster, which I understand you compiled, I was elated to be able to call him and have since received several documents about their time at Hardwick that help to fill in some of the blanks. You guys were the greatest and I appreciate so much your contribution to the preservation of our freedom. I was really dismayed that I missed meeting Dave in person this spring while I was in DC trying to do some research at Archives 11. We were staying in Falls Church and must not have been more that 10 miles or so from him but had no idea he was anywhere nearby. I have heard about the reunion and was fully intending to come but have a conflict in a 50 year reunion of my own that I feel I must attend. Does the 93rd have a reunion every year? I have been getting the Ball of Fire and know there was one at Hardwick last year that I would have loved to attend. I hope to be able in the not too distant future to visit Hardwick and also go to Belgium, where Leland is buried. My sister and sister-in-law have been there and have nothing but praise for the way the cemetery is kept. My question now is about patches. Are the different squadron patches available? My reason for contacting you was from reading an old posting where you were asking about getting some made and I wondered if you were successful. I do some woodcarving and am considering trying to make some relief carvings of the 330th and 409th patches. The images I have seen on a website are not really big enough or clear enough to be able to make a pattern of 9 and I am trying to come up with an idea of exactly bow they look. If you have some information I would appreciate hearing from you. I would probably be trying to make them about 12" in diameter to be used as a wall plaque. Thank you again for the help in locating several men and for any help you can give me concerning the patches. Vic Walzel Dear Cal. Thank you so much for the quick reply. I was glad to see the picture of Dave at the memorial tree. He said that the picture of the Lonesome Polecat that is on Leland's tribute site was of his crew but he didn't tell me which one he was. Leland flew several missions on the Polecat but not with Dave as pilot. We saw the memorial tree when we were in DC and were really impressed with Arlington Cemetery and all the adjoining sites. Very moving to see the changing of the guard and to see the gravesites of so many great Americans. I will contact Colin about the patches and hope to have some very shortly. I would really like to see the museum and want Dave to point out on the map he sent me of Hardwick where he and Leland lived. There is so much I would like to know about that tjme that I will have to wait to ask Leland in the hereafter. I was only nine when he was lost and as I read his letters there are things he said to me that are as clear today as they were th~o. He was a wonderful big brother and our family never was able to put all of that behind. I know that al I other families were affected in the same way and feel so terrible that there were so many who paid that supreme sacrifice and that the generations that have followed are totally ignorant of what their freedom cost. I will try to keep abreast of the reunion plans for the 2ADA as well as the 93rd and make a special effort to attend in the future. There are many left whom I would still like to personally thank for their service, truly the greatest generation. I will keep in touch with you. Have you seen Leland's tribute at: www.lelandwalzel.l50m.com? Vic Hi, Any info about T/Sgt 38181478 Mitchell W. Powell, KIA (over France?) 11th Feb 1944 would be very welcome. Name of plane? Details of his final op? Memories from old comrades. Anything at all. Many thanks, David Lister David.Thebar@tesco.net

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10 Cal. Many thanks. Even this piece of information is new to me. You may be curious as to why I am researching. My family and I recently returned from Normandy. While there we visited the US Military Cemetery at Omaha Beach and we were all very moved by the row upon row of crosses, placed for the servicemen who fell during D-Day and the actions that followed (and before in the case of USAAF). My boys and I decided we would each choose the name of a serviceman to remember. The idea was that we would find out as much as we could about the guy so we would keep the names alive as it were. Some people may think this morbid, but we thought it a Little something we could do and be proud doing it. Well, I decided to choose the name of an Oklahoman, (old roots) so I chose an Oklahoman by the name of Johnnie Rivas, who was with the 508th PIR. One of my boys chose T Sgt Powell of the 93rd Bomb Group and the other Lt Peak of the 381st Bomb. Group. Well, Cal, my sons are just boys, but our research is helping them to realize the sacrifice made by so many young men. We are also aware that the sacrifice was made b){;t.he survivors too. I know it's a long shot, but if any of your colleagues have memories or information about Mitchell Powell we would love to hear from them. Regards, David, Michael and Nathan Lister David.Thebar@tesco.net Mr. Davidson: My name is Steven Eli Schanes- (Was Eli (NMI) Schanes in 1944-45). I was Le-e R. "Jack" Stepp's navigator, coming to the 93rd in September, 1944. We trained as a crew in Tonopah, Nevada. I'm the unnamed navigator quoted in Ted Smith's words about Lee Stepp in the Spring 2002 issue. Blanch Stepp, Stepp's widow, sent me the issue. Please excuse my coming into this scene so late. (I'll write to Smith to thank him for the nice words about Stepp-- truly an amazing man.) About two years ago, at the urging of one of my daughters, I began to write my autobiography- and in the course of that, I came across my "ETO Diary"- and used it to bring back all those things that I had bidden away-most likely to protect my sanity. I'm attaching those stories, use them as you wish. Steven Schanes 6427 Elmhurst Drive San Diego, CA 92120 Dear Dan Morrison and Cal Davidson, My apologies for this unsolicited e-mail but I wonder if you can help with the following. Your e-mail addresses were supplied by Paul Thrower who sends his regards. I have just written a small article for 8th Air Force News on Captain Kenneth L. Gilbert who completed 75 missions as a pilot with the 409th BS, 93rd BG in 1944. As far as I can discover no other 8th AF B-24 pilot completed more combat missions. Gilbert wanted to return to the ETO after leave in the States to fly fighters. He may have returned to bombers, for one report says he flew another 17 missions but if this is true and with what unit as yet I have not been able to establish. However, Gilbert finally got to fighters post-war and was killed in England flying a P-51 in July 1945. My purpose in contacting you gentlemen is to ask if you know where I can obtain a photograph of Ken Gilbert that the Editor of the 8th AF News can use to accompany the article? All I have is a newspaper reproduction which will not reproduce very well. If you can help I wi11 be delighted to hear from you. Sincerely, Roger Freeman Ed: I sent Roger info on the Kenneth GiJbert VFW Post 4487 assuming they would have pictures of Ken. Cal, Thank you for responding so quickJy. I can only get 3/4 of the pt:int on paper, no matter how I reduce it and adjust it. And you're right, it is still pretty fuzzy. I would love you to send a copy to me. My address is: Deborah Cooper, 19 Dow Street, Somerville, MA 02144. She will be very excited. Is there is a way that I can get a copy of the original photo? I certainly would pay the cost. I'm going to show her what I was able to print. She said that her uncle is in the back row. Maybe she will recognize him from what I have. Do you mind if I contact you again to see about getting an original picture? Again, Thank you so much for your response. If you have suggestions of anyone I could contact to get pictures or more information, it would be a great surprise for everyone. Debby Cooper Hi, I am the daughter of Deborah Cooper you had sent the picture of the 328th Sqdn Ground Crew too. I was just a child when my uncle, Alfred Pezzella, was killed in the war. My sister

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was contacted and this person wanted to get in touch with any living relatives of Alfred. We were able to find some information about him and his crew but what we were never able to find out was what happened to his medals he had received. Any information you might have would be of interest to us. I would also like to thank you for the picture that you sent to Debby. Delores Torres Datorr513@aol.com Ed: Does anyone know who the medals for those KIA on the Ploesli raid might have been awarded too, if at all? Hi, I would like to ask you guys for help on the following. My father in law was part of the 409th squadron from March-April 1944, completing 30 missions. His name was Lt. Richard R. Catterlin, Navigator. Now deceased, be survived the war and continued his career in the Air Force retiring as a Colonel. I am searching for any of his former buddies who might have pictures or anecdotes from that time, so that a proper record is kept. Any help will be appreciated. Best regards, Capt. FG Ramirez PO Box 92, FC75 Dubai United Arab Enu rates Email: kiko@emirates.net.ae Dear Mr. Davidson, l cannot thank you enough for your kind reply regarding my father-in-law, I appreciate you taking the time to do so. Secondly, my most sincere apologies for having taken so long to reply in tum, it's been quite busy in this part of the world lately. I am forwarding to you the bombing missions' list to see if that sheds more light on the subject, perhaps you might know someone else on those nuss1ons. Once again, thanks so much for your land help. Capt. F. Ramirez PO Box 92, FC75 Dubai United Arab Emirates Dear Cal, I want to thank you for Dave Goldberg's address. I found his phone number along with John Keener through Switchboard. I had a long chat with both of them. It had been 57 years since we parted. I have enclosed a picture of the Blakewel1 crew. Harold Furlong 643 E. 305th St. Willowick, OH 44095-4861 11 Top- 1/r Charles Geary, Bomb; Peter Blakewell, P; David Goldgerg, Nav; 1/r John Keener, TG; Chester Bruzinski, WG: Harold Furlong, Eng; Lucian Mathieu. WG; John Pyler, NG; Robert Smith, R; Frank Kikalo CP missing Dear Calvin. I am searching for any information on my father, Eugene Hugh Boyle, Private 13045588 USAAF stationed at Hardwick 1942 to 1945 Norfolk, England. I am his daughter and I would like to have a photo of him as all were destroyed when my Mother died. My aunt says he was in the 93rd BG I would love to be associated with this association. Any help would be mucb appreciated. Kind Regards, Dear Cal, Wendy Ann Annison (nee Boyle) 9 Peddars way south, Ringstead, Huastanton. Norfolli, England PE36 SLF Please Find enclosed the fee requested to become a member of your BG association. Does the name B Lolafant or somethfog similar mean anything to you. That name is on my parents marriage certificate as a witness so I assume he was a friend of my father. Many thanks for your help. Wendy Annison . My father, Sterling (Mike) Carper, was I believe attached to the 409th Squadron. I know he was a crew member, tail gunner?, of Hell's Express that crashed killing most of the crew. He received the DFC and Air Medal but for what reasons I do not know. I am constructing a family memorial to him and would like any information from fe11ow members wbo may have known him. It would be most appreciated. Kelly Carper kjcarper@lewiston.kl2.id.us

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Vol. 11, No. 2 May 13, 2003 kU<tff.i~ Ball of Fire Quarterly Express Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Several important items have come up: Summer, 2003 1. For our 93rd BG Reunion to be held September 14 - 17, 2003 we have found it necessary to change the hotel in New Orleans. Those who have already made reservations at the Pontchartrain must call 504-524-0581 and must cancel their reservation and avoid penalty. 2. It is imperative that we get a "headcount" as soon as possible of those who are planning to attend the reunion, because the hotels require guarantees with financial penalties if we do not reach the number of rooms reserved and other commitments. All those planning on making the 93rd BG New Orleans Reunion are asked to please send in advance, for planning purposes, just the names and number of people in your party and mail or email them to me or to Cal Davidson. Also, we would like to hear from those who will not make it, especially those who have attended the Reunions at Savannah and Colorado Springs. Harry Kelleher 7925 SE Trenton Ave Hobe Sound, FL 33455 h1ke11@msn.com 772-546-1486 Cal Davidson 48973 Plate Road Oberlin, Ohio 44074 K80GC@ao1.com 440-775-1787 If possible, please make your reservations at the Drury Inn and Suites by July 31. The cut-off date is August 15, after which unreserved rooms will be made open to the public. The hotel reservations and activity fee will be handled as usual. Attendees will make their own hotel reservations, and the activity fee will remain the same at $170 and will be handled as before by filling out the Activity Form and mailing it to Robert McKeever. The new agenda and activity fee information is included in thls announcement. The new hotel is Drury Inn and Suites. The room rate will be $79.99 plus Tax and $1.00 Occupancy Tax, with the same rate two days before and two days after. Included will be a full hot buffet breakfast daily, and on Monday and Tuesday evenings there wiU be complimentary beverages from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. (The full hot buffet breakfast and the two evenings' complimentary beverages are an improvement over the Pontchartrain.) There will be a daily parking charge of $12 plus tax. The Drury Inn is new, built within the last five years. There are 156 rooms with standard, kingsize deluxe, and king suites, pool, spa, exercise room, 25" TV with HBO, CNN, and ESPN, and free high speed internet in all rooms. Our Reunion in September will be a very important one. We will lay the groundwork for the next generation of our sons, daughters, friends and other relatives who are willing to join us in continuing the memories and friendships of the 93rd Bomb Group as our numbers are decreasing year by year. Al Asch has already made great headway in starting the process, and will be announcing the progress at our Group business meeting on Tuesday, September 16. We are hoping for a really good turnout-let's do it while we can still enjoy the company of our good friends from long ago. Harry Kelleher

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2 93rd BG REUNION SEPT.14 -17, 2003 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA Accommodations DRURY INN & SUITES 820 Polydras St New Orleans, LA 70112 504-529-7800 Historic Elegance Complimentary Full Buffet Breakfast Nightly Hotel Dinner Group rate 2 days before and 2 days after Check in: 3:00pm Check out: 12 noon $79.99 +13% tax+ $1 Occupancy Tax CALL HOTEL TO MAKE YOUR OWN RESERV A TlON ******************* Cut across page and mail in activity fee: PRJNT; ACTIVITY FEE $170 PER PERSON Lisi each person in your party-Full Name: Your address and phone and email address SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Sunday, Sept. 14 Arrival and Registration Hospitality Room 7:00 pm Group Dinner at Hotel Hospjtality Room Monday, Sept. 15 Full Buffet Breakfast City Bus Tour plus Paddleboat Jazz Cruise & lunch 5:30 pm Complimentary Beverages 7:00 Group Banquet at Hotel Hospitality Room Tuesday, Sept 16 Full Buffet Breakfast Group Business Meeting National DD Museum Free Afternoon at French Quarter 5:30 pm Complimentary Beverages 7:00 Group Dinner at Hotel Hospitaljty Room Wednesday, Sept 17 Full Buffet Breakfast Departure ----------------------------ACTIVITY FEE for stay at DRURY INN Mail one check for all attendees in your party payable to: 93rd Bomb Group to Mr. Robert McKeever 329 Rosewood Avenue Winnetka, Ill 60093 84 7-446-0205 email: BridgeDove@aol.com

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Air Force & World War II Memorials by Alfred Asch Air Force Memorial. The Memorial will be located on the promontory, just southwest of the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. This new and final site is approximately 100 feet above the Pentagon and is located just off Intestate 395, a major gateway to D. C. This gives a spectacular view to Washington, D. C. and the memorial will be visible to hundreds of thousands of people entering and leaving our Nation's Capital on this Interstate. Because of the new location, a completely new design was indicated. The new design, which has been approved by all approval agencies, consists of three stainless steel spires soaring skyward from the promontory, the tallest one being 270 feet tall. The forms will capture the subtle grace and boldness of a space launch and the Air Force Thunderbirds' "Bomb Burst" maneuver. Between the bases of the spirals wiJl be a five pointed star. Circumscribing the star and rising nine feet into the air will be an Air Force Memorial Chamber of glass, bearing inscriptions and images. Off to one side will be a ·12-foot-tall Contemplation Chamber of cast glass with inscriptions. To the other side will be statues representing an honor guard. AJI wil1 stand amid a memorial park and parade ground on theed e of the Arlin on National Cemete . Construction is to start by September of this year with a completion date of September, 2006 to coincide with the 59th anniversary of the Air Force. Almost $33 million of the required $38 million has been contributed from aerospace industries and 140,000 individuals. A much 3 more detailed article will appear in the forthcoming Journal. Contributions can be made to: The Air Force Memorial Foundation, 150 l Lee Highway, Arlington, Va 22209-1198. The Air Force Memorial Foundation held a press conference on March 5, 2003 at the Sheraton Hotel next to the planned site. Dave Thompson (pilot of the Duchess) and I were invited and immediately after the conference we presented the 93rd's $1,000.00 check to the Foundation, Mr. Ross Perot Jr. of the Board of Trustees acce tin . Vr: Mr. Ross Perot Jr., Al Asch and Dave Thompson WorJd War Il Memorial. The construction work whkh started in September, 2001 is on schedule and the completion of our National WWil Memorial in the Spring of 2004 looks good. Senator Bob Dole said in his last report that it took too long to get to this point. More than nine years have passed since Congress authorized the memorial. We have lost close to four million WW1T vets in that time. We'll lose another half mil1ion before we dedicate the memorial. Let's recall that the memorial will honor the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the United States during WWil, the more than 400,000 who died and the millions who supported the war effort from the home front. More than $190 miJlion has been raised primarily by private contributions. I was informed that the American Battle Monuments Commission is no longer asking for donations and are discouraging people and organizations from sending them money. Thursday, May 27, 2004 through Sunday, May 30, 2004 are the dates for the dedication ceremonies. Many organizations within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area are sponsoring activities for the celebrations and dedication. Saturday, May 29, 2004 will be the main dedication, to be held at the memorial site, The National Mall. There have been estimates that some 200,000 will attend.

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4 The following information is listed for hotel accommodations and other activities: Hotel Accommodations ABMC bas been working closely with hoteliers in Washington DC and surrounding jurisdictions to i:nf orm them about the Dedication and the many number of honorees and guests attending the Dedication. You may reserve a room by: • Identifying a hotel and phoning the hotel direcU y. Please be sure to tell the Reservations Operator that you are a World War II honoree and ask to receive any special rate the hotel may be offering. • Contacting any of the Convention & Visitors Bureaus listed in this Fact Sheet. • Contacting your local travel agent. • Phoning the 800 number of your favorite hotel chain. • Checking an on-line travel service. Note: Travel agents, toU free reservations operators of hotel chains and on-line booking services may not be aware of special WWII Honoree rates hotels in DC and the National Capital Region may be offering. Hotel rates in Washington DC and the greater metropolitan area will vary significantly. There are a wide variety of cultural, historical and recreational attractions in Washington, DC and each of the jurisdictions in the metropolitan area. Most jurisdictions are easily accessible to the District of Columbia via public transportation. For hotel and general travel information, please contact one or all of the following Visitors Bureaus: W ashlngton, DC www.washington.org Washington DC Convention & Tourism Corporation 1212 New York Avenue, NW, Suite #600 Washington, DC 20005 Toll Free: 800-422-8644 Ext. 1945 Phone: 202-789-7000 Alexandria. Virginia www.funside.com Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association 421 King Streel, Suite 300 Alexandria, VA 22314 Toll Free: 800-296-1999 Phone: 703-838-4200 Arlington County, Virginia www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com Arlington Convention & Visitors Service 1100 North Glebe Road, Suite 1500 Arlington, VA 2220 l Toll free: 800-296-7996 Phone: 703-228-0873 Fairfax County, Virginia www.visitfairfax.org Fairfax County Convention & Visitors Bureau 8300 Boone Blvd., Suite #450 Vienna, VA 22182 Toll Free: 800-732-4732 Phone: 703-790-3329 Loudoun County, Virginia www.visilloudoun.org Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association 222 Catoctin Circle, S.E. Suite #I 100 Leesburg, VA 20175 Toll Free: 800-752-61 l 8 Phone: 703-77 J-7525 Montgomery County, Maryland www .cvbmonleo.com Montgomery County Conference & Visitors Bureau 11820 Parklawn Drive, Suite #380 Rockville, MD 20852 Toll Free: 877-789-6904 Phone: 301-428-9702 Prince George's County, Maryland WWW .goprincegeorgescounry .com Prince George's Co. Conference & Visitors Bureau 9200 Basil Coun, Suite #101 Largo, MD 20774 Toll Free: 888-925-8300 Phone: 30 I -925-8300 Staying Up to Date on the Latest Information Ca1lers are able to obtain information about the Dedication by -choosing from a menu of recorded messages. The World War D Memorial's toll free number is: 800-639-4992. When selecting the travel and hotel accommodations option on the WWII toll free number, the caUer is transferred to the Washington DC Convention & Tourism Corporation's toll free number (800-422-8644, Ext. 1945). You may contact the DC Convention & Tourism Corporation directly on their toll free number, or phone any of the DC metropolitan area Convention & Visitors Bureaus. Current information regarding dedication events is posted on the Memorial's website: www.wwiimemoriaJ.com (click on Dedication). There is very limited information at this time. Additional information will be posted thjs spring. Charter Members of the National World War Il Memorial Society will receive information in the May 2003 and November 2003 newsletters.

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r r 5 1-"l • r-----------------------------,.-----.,.. ARM¥ EXCHANGE S'ERV'IOE RATION· CARO ETOUSA ANY\rlHEtU.: Ill H:ll.SA 6£ER ✓ r J.l SOFT ORl~K ----------·-------•---··· B TOBACCO RATl~li ____ ,. ______ , ✓---.. •· I CAliCY RUIO~ ______ ; ________ ,:. ____ ~_ 8 C~WOY RCiL OR· ~U~ -1-----------~-- 8 C03K1£S ___ •• ·--·-··-··~ -- ✓-•• --------· •,e "1AtC!IES. 8001( <rl e-oj ---···-·-•-·•- '.8 ., 7 7 7 7 7 E~6,X t.'WC & ' !j 3 ~ 5 ~ S 8 !i 11 3 S 15 II 3 & e 11 3 e , i. 3 6 5 It 3 ~:R~ !_lfO.~ "eANJTS, II OZS ...... _ 9 ·-£Y£1lY FOOR Wl;(KS & ·'"'-.:V JJtCf:. frRUtT •------·-----~✓-8 SOAP, TOllEJ _______ 8 6 !I 2 '"fOCTli POWDER Oii !'I.STE _______ 8 8\>D(S, ~AZO!I ''•--• S SC>.\P, UO'NORY ----~.:. il G ii ~-Viii~ CRUM (:a ·s1 .. ell ------- e & -~ 2 • 'TULET, iiRJTIMG •··•----------- 8 EjjVHOl'-ES-'OR PORTfOi.10 ~------ & CLUN£.~S, Pl PE --------------- 8 8Ai0~RClHEF3, \l~fll$1 t2l ___ 8 A lot of people didn't believe we had ration cards while we were overseas. I thought this maybe of interest to our readers especially the younger generations. Dan Beightol 3808 Walnut Dr. Bedford, TX 76021 I was stunned to find my Bombardiers name, Lawrence A. Williams, name in the folded wings column of the Spring issue. That leaves me the last surviving Officer of our crew, a dubious honor. I wonder how many of our fine enlisted men are still around. Gordon Culham was our A/C Commander. Hi Cal, Carl Greenstein 6112 Mame Court Citrus Heights, CA 95621 Sorry I'm late with this renewal but it seems the older I get the better I forget. If I forget again send me a threatening letter! Dear Cal, Ed Dapkus 72 Grove St. WalLingford, CT 06492 I see by my address label I am in arrears, find check enclosed. It is great to see how many are now writing about their experiences and how many families are making an effort to learn about their former servicemen. Walt Hughes 36681 Cuenca Ct. Fremont, CA 94536 Cal. Tonight I talked to Rob Valli, whose relative was killed in World War Il. Rob saw the current issue of WW Il History magazine, which features my article on the air effort against Ploesti. He thought his relative died at Ploesti. However. Cal Stewart lists a John M. McDonough as the bombardier on Jerk's Natural when it went down on the Weiner-Neustadt mission on October l, 1943. Rob believes that his relative had already completed a combat tour with a group in England. He's not positive be was in the 93rd but volunteered for a second. Cal mentions that some of the crew members were near the end of their tour. Perhaps some of your original 93rd members may remember John McDonough and whether or not he went by Mike. Rob can be contacted at robvalli@yahoo.com. PS - If you've seen the article, you probably noticed that the captions under the pictures attribute the Ploesti low-level mission to the Fifteenth Air Force. That is the editor's mistake -the text makes it clear that the 15th came along after Ploesti. Sam McGowan Cal, 3727 Hill Family Lane Missouri City, TX 77459 I am trying to up date my uncles early military history with the 329th sq. in 1942. I wonder if there is a family contact for Chuck Merrill. I believe Joe Avendano Co-Piloted with him.

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6 I also have been in contact with William Hall's wife Irene. Sweet lady and she shared some memories her late husband had of my Uncle. She also told me that Lt. Col. R.H. Ottoman passed away the last time we spoke. Sure sorry to hear it. I had wrote to him around a year ago, he sent a letter back and forwarded my letter to Irene Hall. That was a very kind of him. Anyway, as you can tell rm stiJJ plugging away trying to gather information. Thanks again for alJ your help. Joe Duran 309 E. Santa Paula St. Santa Paula, CA 93060 Mr. Davidson, I am the project officer for the 330th Combat Training Squadron, 116th Air Control Wing Robins AFB, GA, USA and am currently working on telling a visual and narrative history of the 330th. Our unit was formerly known as the 93d Training Squadron, 93d Air Control Wing. The 93d Air Control Wing was a dfrect descendant of the 93.rd Bombardment Group and shares in its rich history. On 15 August 2002, prior to the 93d ACW deactivation and merger with the 116 Bomb Wing of the Georgia Air National Guard, the 93d TRS unit designation changed to the 330th Combat Training Squadron. By doing so, we now not only share in the history of the 93d Bombardment Group, but also more specifically in that of the 330th Bombardment Squadron. I have obtained some information from the USAF Museum, the 8th Air Force Museum, The National Archives and tbe USAF Historical Research Agency. While I have come across quite a bit of information in my research, most of it pertains to the 93d Bomb Group as a whole. Now I am trying to narrow down my search to that of the 330th Bomb Squadron. I have found a few websites that have some information regarding the 330th Bomb Squadron, however I found your website last night and really liked what I saw. What better organization to request assistance from than that of the 93d Bombardment Group to which the 330th Bomb Squadron belonged. I am hoping you can help me by providing me with information specific to the 330th. For example, I am looking for copies of photographs, newspaper clippings, maps, charts, letters from the crews, etc ... (preferably high-resolution scanned images) which will tell the story of the unit and its people. Any assistance or guidance you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your consideration. Respectfully, Lt Greg Malone PHILIP G. MALONE, JLt, USAF Asst. Flight Chief/ Project Officer 330th Combat Training Squadron Robins AFG, GA 31098 DSN 497-5416 Mr. Davidson, Thank you very much for taking the time to respond so quickly to my e-mail. I really appreciate all of the contact information you provided and I will definitely contact the gentleman you listed. Actually I have been working with the Wing History Office, a position now held by TSgt Mark Hyght and I obtained some really good information, to include photos, documents and newspaper clippings from his office. l am a firm believer in keeping history alive and I am continualJ.y amazed and humbled by what I learn as I move forward with this project. The dedication, determination and fortitude displayed by the men of the 93rd Bombardmem Group during WWII is awe-inspiring. Even though the 93d Air Control Wing has been deactivated, I can proudly state that I once belonged to the 93rd and that I am lucky enough to have been chosen as the project officer to keep the history alive. When I complete the project, there will be a daily visual reminder of the dedication and sacrifices made by not only the men of the 93rd Bombardment Group, but also those of their families. The words "Thank You" just don't seem to be enough to express-how much I appreciate and admire your service to our country. You, along with the other members of the 93rd are welcome to come visit us at any time. Respectfully, Lt Malone GREG MALONE, lLt, USAF Asst. Flight Chief 330th Combat Training Squadron Robins AFB, GA 31098 DSN 497-5416/COMM (478) 327-5416 Philip. malone@garobi. ang. at mil "JSTARS ..... Gateway to the Battlespace" Just wondering if anyone out there knew my dad. He was stationed at Hardwick with the 93rd bomb group, 461 st sub depot. He was an engine/prop spec on the B-24. He is in the picture of the B-24 on the 93rd BG web page. Peter C. Paras Deputy G2/Security 239-3607 DSN: 856-3607 email: parasp@riley.army.miJ

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r National WorJd War II Registry A World War II Registry of Remembrances is being created. It will contain individual listings of Americans who contributed to the war effort. Any U.S. citizen who helped win tbe war, whether a veteran or someone on the home front, is eligible for the Registry. There is no charge to enter a name in the Registry. The Registry is currently under development. When completed it will be available for viewing on the World War II Memorial website. It will also be available for viewing electronical1y on the grounds of the Memorial when the Memorial is dedicated. To enroll a member of America's WWII generation in the Registry, visit www.wwiimemorial.com (cljck on "WWD Registry"), or call (toll free) a WWII Memorial's Customer Service Associate on 800-639-4992, and ask that a Registration Form be mailed to you. Please note: The WWII Registry is an electronic document. Names will not be engraved on the Memorial Veterans History Project Motivated by a desire to honor our nation's war veterans for their service and to colJect their stories and experiences, the United States Congress created the Veterans History Project in October 2000. The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has been charged to collect and preserve audio and video-taped oral histories, along with documentary materials such as letters, diaries, maps, photographs, and home movies of America's war veterans and those who served in support of them. The Veterans History Project covers World War L World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. It includes alJ participants in those wars-men and women, civilian and military. A11 Americans are encouraged to participate. To receive a Project Information Kit, please contact: Veterans History Project American Folklife Center Library of Congress !OJ Independence Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20540-4615 Telephone: 202-707-4916 FAX: 202-252-2046 Message line: 888-371-5848 (toll free) email: vohp@loc.gov Website: www.loc.gov/folklife/vets With the 93rd BG September, 1944 by Steve (Eli) Scha11es 7 There were twelve of us to a Quonset but, the officers of three crews. Each hut had two wood stoves. England was cold. Somehow, I made friends with a little kitten. She would curl up against my neck each night and purr me to sleep. In Combat I kept a diary of my time with the 93rd Bomb Group. It is full of phrases that had special meaning at the time. Here, I wiU intersperse some diary notations with comments and stories. "Sept. 11, 1944." Took off from Cluntoe, Ireland, and landed at the 448th. Ate there and got a lift to the 93rd. Passed Justice on road. Saw adjutant- beard regulations. HemeJeski and Stepp called for me. Got mail- 29 letters plus Clarions and candy from Button. Went to see the boys. Shared some Haig & Haig and Cognac, which they picked up in France. They've been non-operational, luckily for me ... " Comment: Curtiss Justice was our radio operator, BiJI Hemeleski, our bombardier and Lee R. "Jack" Stepp, our pilot. "Clarions" were copies of the MontcJair State College student newspaper. "Button" was Iva Hemeleski, Bill's wife. "Told me about their first mission yesterday- to Augsberg. Hemeleski out of oxygen, back at 1300, prayers, flak from Strasbourg ... good job ... " Comment: During our training, Stepp had instituted an automatic "check-in" process. Every fifteen minutes, each crew member had to calJ in. On the bomb run at Augsberg, Hemeleski's oxygen tank had been punctured by flak. On the way home, when he did not check in, someone found him slumped over the bombsigbt. In order to save Bill's life, Stepp left the bomber formation and dropped down from 25,000 to I 3,000 feet. They flew home unescorted, from Germany, across occupied France, to England. On the way they flew near enough to Strasbourg to be fired upon. At 13,000 feet, a B-24 was an easy target. It was a long, very stressful flight, as they worried about German fighter planes. Usually, lone bombers were dead ducks. "CapL Novotny went down- co-pilot Rudnyk, both of hut 14. Piled their stuff up. I moved into their place." Comment: We had lost one plane-Novotny and his crew of nine boys. It was amazing how quickly we moved on. Some of the cots had mattresses- mine didn't. I would have to wait my turn.

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8 Gilbert has 60 missions, Waldrop, two. A bad day- the 409th lost two. And Bridgeman came back with bomb bays full of gas-Magdeburg." Comment: Captain Gilbert was a wild man. Somehow, he had stayed well beyond his required quota of 30 missions- with or without official permission. His two passions were flying and killing Germans. He would leave high-flying formations, dropping his B-24 to ground-level, and then have his gunners strafing anything and everything before pulling up to altitude again. Magdeburg was a tough target- a lot of flak. J.P. Waldrop was our co-pilot. Bridgeman was the pilot of another crew- a tall, thin guy. He and bis officers shared our Quonset hut. His plane could easily have exploded. "Sept. 12, 1944. Milk run- all back. Went to hear Miller's band. The Major was absent. Ray McKinley put on a good show. Gilbert-61." Everyone of our planes came back safely. Glen Miller's band was the one of the most popular in the United States. He had been given the rank of Major. The reason he wasn't there to perform- he was missing. Later we learned that his plane had been shot down and that he was presumed dead. Ray McKinley took over the band after the war. "Sept. 13, 1944. The crew, minus Hemeleski (on pass) and me, flew; but they were recalled past Paris. Quite a mess- contrails." Comment: A recall involved hundreds of airplanes. To return with bombs aboard couJd be a major problem. Most times, they were jettisoned in the English Channel. "Contrails" -meant that they saw high-flying German fighters approaching at a high level- the condensation produced by their wingtips left long white trails against the blue sky. The possibility of being attacked while the bomber formations were disorganized would be scary. "I went to Stooe with Werlin- also to Wharton. Some ride-buzzed Stone. Good food there- took along our mess officer to show him. Gee excellent, pilotage impossible. Alerted for tomorrow's mission." Comment: Wedin was another hot shot. I was able to navigate using "Gee" radio signal waves, but at the low level he liked to fly, I could not locate us using my maps. After we returned, I was told that I would be called earJy the folJowing morning for the navigator briefing for my first mission. Sleeping was not easy. "Sept. 15, 1944. Mission scrubbed. Stepp and I flew racetrack course- practice for lead-crew. Really messed it up- all my fault. Alerted again. Comment: I found that the tension involved in preparing for 011Sstons that were scrubbed was as wearing as the actual fLights. Notice that although he had only been there a short time, Stepp bad already been picked out for flight leadership. "Sept. 16, 1944. Mission scrubbed. Scheduled for milk run in the afternoon- a bridge in Holland. Canceled before we could take off- scrubbed at the last minute. StiJJ sweating out the first one. Alerted" Comment: British and American paratroops had been sent out, far ahead of our forces in France, to a place called Amheim in Holland. This whole misadventure later was recorded in a book and movie ca11ed "A Bridge Too Far". We were to bomb a bridge to cut off the Germans. They beat our troops there. "Sept. 17, I 944. Mission scrubbed. Stepp, Waldrop, Hammack (a bombardier) and I went out to practice bomb at Woodbridge. A small land, this one. Gilbert and five others practiced low-level flying. Breakthrough at Aachen. Football game. Sanders and officers lost to enlisted men of crew- sore legs. AJerted." Comment: The AlJjed troops in France had broken through the German lines and now it seemed that we were really going to win this war. "Sept. 18, 1944. Stood down. Gilbert and others carried supplies to Holland. SNAFU. Heuin missing- with Greenberg as navigator-His first mission. Gilbert- 62. They got hit by small arms fire and couldn't find dropping points- Amheim. - Hemeleski's a navigator. Rudgers is our bombardier. Alerted again. Flying low-level, right at the tree tops, if possible, Gilbert and the others were to drop supplies to those men who were now surrounded by the Germans. Our troops were in the forest and could not get out to signal where our guys should make their drops- so the packages were dropped in any open field. Our crews said that they could see the Germans running out and getting the packages. Gilbert came back to attack the Germans. It was a military disaster. It had turned out that since each airplane in a bomber squadron dropped ils bombs when the lead crew did, there was no need for a bombardier with every crew. However, every plane needed a navigator in case an emergency developed. Hemeleski took on a new assignment. Rudgers was an experienced bombardier of a crew that had flown their crippled airplane to Sweden, a neutral country. Somehow, he was back in England on flying duty. Whenever

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r .. r bombers flew to the northern parts of Germany, a number of them found it necessary to go on to Sweden, whether for real or imagined (manufactured) emergencies. Upon landing, those crews were "out of the war' and by the rules of war, they were not to be sent back into combat. We wondered what we would do if we were given that opportunity. "Sepl. 19. 1944. Up at 5:30. Briefed to go to Kassel. Flak and fighter trouble. Weather lousy. Mission scrubbed. "Sept. 21, 1944. No. 1- to Coblenz. Marshalling yards. A little flak. Sanders got some holes. No fighters- bombed PFF. All back-six hour mission. Formation turned away after run just in time for us. Pass pushed up a day. That back 'chute weighs too much! One tired lad, indeed. From now on it gives a chest pack." Comment: On my first mission, I had nothing to do except record where we bad been and what the weather was like. It was bard to believe that those puffs of black, exploding near us, were really dangerous. Marshalling yards are railroad assembly places. Good hits could tie up a lot of transportation. "Bombed PFF" means that we bombed through the clouds. Who knows what we hit? Another bomb group came at the target from a different angle just before we came in. Luckily they dropped their bombs and got out of our way. A back pack parachute was much safer than a chest pack. You wore it all the time, so that you had it if you had to bail out of the airplane. A chest pack sat on your desk and was hooked onto a chest harness when needed which might well be too late. It was cold- minus 55 to 60 degrees at high altitude. The bombers were not heated. We wore long underwear, flight clothes which were like overalls, and over that heavy, bulky flight pants, jacket and boots. On top of this went the parachute harness. Under my fur-lined gloves, I wore thin silk gloves- so that I could write without getting frost-bitten. Without them, it would be easy to lose fingers. We looked like Eskimos. Later on, the newer airplanes were equipped with electrical outlets into which we plugged our new heated suits. Then we didn't need the heavy outer clothes, making life much easier. "Sept. 22, 1944. Stepp and I went to London- a sweU room at the Savoy. Quite a thing- buttons, meal in room. Saw Piccadilly at night- amazing! Also got lost in dark on the way back. Meal good, with music, but liquor costs! Swell bed." 9 Comment: Tbe Savoy was the leading London Hotel. When Stepp and I first got into our room, I immediately lay down on one of the beds, while he went into the bathroom. Suddenly, I heard him shout, "Schanesl Get in here!" I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Stepp was standing just inside the doorway, pointing at a plumbing fixture I had never seen before. "What is that?" he shouted. "I don't know!" I repHed. Gingerly, we advanced on the thing. It looked like a toilet, but obviously it wasn't one. There were bandies. I turned one and a geyser shot up in the air. We both jumped back. "Let's not fool around with that thing," I said. "Good idea." said Stepp. It was some days later, through asking question very delicately, that we both first learned about bidets. "Sept. 23, 1944. Visited "Tower of London". Old fashioned guide in fifteenth century dress, very interesting .... Bought three books- I Believe, Apostles of Revolution, and Nothing Dies. Couldn't get Spengler- looked all over London. Saw "Arsenic and Old Lace" at night- very good ... Another expensive meal at night- wine, which we didn't drink. Had breakfast in bed! Sent my pants and shoes out to be pressed and shined respectively." "Sept. 24, 1994. Saw a Newsreel Movie. Stepp caught a bad cold, Read I Believe- very good, especially Pearl Buck. Came back to post." "Sept. 25, I 944. Sack time. The others, including Hemeleski, went to Coblenz. We missed the yards, evidently- or repair work is good there. Gilbert has 66- Hemeleski-two." Comment: We had bombed Coblenz through the clouds on my first mission. The odds of our bitting any assigned target, even as large as a railroad marshalling yard, were very small. Even on clear days, our accuracy was far from 100%. Anything in a given target city could have been hit- as could have anything in the outlying districts and farms. "Sept. 26, 1944. Supply crew- bomb trainer. Saw Norwich. They went to Hamm, today." Comment: We flew to a major depot and picked up cases of K-rations. On the way, Stepp and Rudgers practiced bombing runs. Norwich is the major city of East Anglia. It has some wonderful old buildings, including a castle. After returning, I "appropriated" some of the food supplies for our but, The K-rations included some excellent fruit bars and other items.

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"Sept. 27, 1944. Went to Kassel, PFF-But we cLidn't drop bombs since the lead ship didn't. Very sad. Looked for target of opportunity, but stayed away from any breaks in the clouds.- and brought them back! Stood with flak suit on for three hours- oof! 445th made a wrong turn -passed Kassel. Caught by 150 FW190s- only eight got back out of 36- with twenty dead on board Rough!" Comment: This was a bad day all around. For some reason, the lead pilot decided not bomb the target at the city of Kassel through the clouds. Jf we did not drop bombs at the assigned target, we were authorized to find other appropriate places-called "targets of opportunity". However, this normally required a clear view and since our leader did not want us exposed to flak, we stayed over clouds. Bringing the bombs back and landing with them was a tricky and scary business. Much more importantly, somehow. the 445th Bomber Group navigator got lost and so 36 airplanes flew beyond the target and outside of our fighter assistance. They were eaten alive by the German fighters- 24 crews totally lost and the other eight badly mauled. "Sept. 28. Kassel again- No. 3 for me. Waldrop bas ftve, crew four. Gilbert aborted and bombed Coblenz alone on three engines. We blasted the target- Hensbel & Son made AA and Tiger Tanks. Lots of flak and no mail- very tired. Alerted for tomorrow." Comment: It was an especially good feeling to hit a factory that was producing anti-aircraft guns. "Sept. 29. Swung compass- Rudgers and Stepp- and lots of sack tome. 49 Bombers Jost two days ago, 42 yesterday.H Comment: We had taken a new plane up to determine its compass deviations- my job. At the same time, Stepp and Rudgers were training for lead crew work. "Sept. 30. Went to Hamm- complete fighter cover. But whole group dropped on deputy lead- four minutes from the target- sad! Saw flak from Ruhr, Munster burning, rocket flak. Waldrop- Air medal, Gilbert- 69, Rudgers-13, crew -five, me- four. " Comment: The nose turret gunner of all but the lead plane, bad a toggle switch, which be was to hit when he saw the lead's bombs drop. For some reason, the deputy lead dropped its bombs early and all the nose turret gunners hit their toggle switches. If we were making a ground speed of 150 mph, four minutes meant that the bombs fell some 10 miles short of the target- a waste for us, and disaster for civilian locations below. The Ruhr was a major German industrial area- city after city. Munster was one of them. Oct. 1, L 944 Sheets from home, sack. letters and pay- $244. Alerted Comment: Fresh sheets were so fine. I'd think about the boys in the infantry. They bad no beds to come home to at night. Oct. 2. Back to Hamm- the whole Second Bomb Division. Terrific fighter cover- Bandits in the Area- I didn't see them. But PFF Snafued-came in on the wrong heading. Nobody knew what we bombed- most likely Munster. Bischoff got a hole the size of bis fist in the tail turret. Two boles in nose wheel door- one in radio compartment. Didn't hit anything down there. Flew in 815G (No nose turret) for third time. Assigned to the ship. Alerted. Crew- Air Meda] m1ss1on. Comment: Hundreds of B-24s, all going to Hamm. Obviously, the navigation was off and planes were beaded in the wrong direction. We beard that enemy fighters were there, but saw none. The flak was heavy. We missed the target- and any potential target. The Air Meda] was awarded upon the completion of five missions. Oct. 3. Went to Benz-Daimler Works at Gaggenau. Stayed at altitude four and a half hours- little flak. Hit target and woods nearby. Must have hit ammunition dump- lot of explosions. #6 for me, 71 for GiJbert, seven for crew. Not alerted, thank the Lord. Girl at Red Cross from Milburn. Comment: This was a long mission. This was the first time that I saw a physical reaction to our bombing explosions coming from a wooded area. Red Cross girls met us after every mission- handing out coffee. Milburn was a town right next to Maplewood, where I had once lived. It was good to talk with someone from home. Oct 4. Sack time. JP flew as co-pilot. Went to Hamburg- quite a messed up bombing run .. Alerted- and bad to go to target briefing at 2300. Alerted for Magdeburg- hard time sleeping. Comment: JP flew with a different crew. As some planes came in to bomb the target at Hamburg, others cut right in front of them- very dangerous. We rarely had target briefing at 11 PM before a morning flight. Magdeburg was known as a very tough target. Oct. 5. Different mission at briefing- much easier- scrubbed as we got into the trucks. Went to pre-briefing at night- For Plauen- way deep. Comment: The hot and cold briefings were wearing. Any deep mission into Germany meant no fighter protection. (to be continued)

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Dot and Floyd at Dayton dedication ceremony Floyd Mabee passed away after a rather long illness on 9 May 2003 in a hospital near his home in Port Richey, Florida. Many of us of the 93rd Bomb Group and other members of the Second Air Division Association remember Floyd for bis dedfoated work to help establish projects to preserve the memories of those who fought so gallantry in the Air War of World War Il, especially for those who made the supreme sacrifice with their lives in the cause of freedom. Floyd was a top turret gunner on the Shoot Luke crew with John Murphy as pilot during combat. He joined the 93rd at Barksdale in the spring of 1942 and the Group flew its first combat mission on October 9, 1942. His crew always seemed to fly the tough ones and on one of our trips to North Africa, Floyd flew the famous low altitude raid against the Ploesti oil industry on August 1, 1943 where we lost 45 out of 178 B-24's that day. He completed more than 35 missions, which was IO more than the 25 required to complete a combat tour. Floyd returned to the States in the summer of 1943 after, the Ploesti raid. He attained the grade of Master Sergeant, the highest grade for an enlisted man at that time. Floyd served as Vice President to the Second Air Division Association, representing the 93rd Bomb Group, 11 for a number of years. During his tenure, he was a strong supporter of the Association's efforts to build a Memorial Library at Norwich, England and he worked tireless hours to identify everyone of the 93rd who was killed in action to make the Division's Roll of Honor complete. He also supported the efforts by Dave and Jean Woodrow to install a large memorial marker at our Hardwick WWII airbase, and he supported the development of a very nice museum for the 93rd at Hardwick. Of significance, Floyd joined a few ex-93rders to help plead the case against the British Government from converting Hardwick to a massive "tip" site (American translation: garbage dump). The opposition prevailed and Hardwick is better than ever today as a memorial for the 93rd. Another project Floyd managed was the installation and dedication of a 93rd memorial plaque and the planting of a tree at the Air Force Museum at Dayton, Ohio. Floyd's decorations include: The Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster; Air Medal with one Silver and two Oak Leaf clusters; the Purple Heart; the Good Conduct Medal; and four Campaign Ribbons. Floyd will be sorely missed by everyone. He and Dottie were so supportive of all the activities of the 93rd Bomb Group and the Second Air Division Association. In addition to Dottie, Floyd is survived by his son, Harold. Dottie's address is: Mrs. Floyd Mabee 11524 Zimmerman Road Port llichey, Fl 34668 Folded Wings Donald L. Butterfield James J. Dunlay Joseph J. Forti Samuel F. Hall Paul Hood Floyd Mabee Darrell G. Peck Edward Perrin Raymond A. Thon Harold L. Wagner Felix Zerella Editors Comments I hope you don't find too many errors in this newsletter. In order to get this issue out to notify everyone about the change in our New Orleans reunion I rushed things as much as possible. On May 13 I had surgery on my left carotid artery and that complicated things for a few days. I am still a little sore but getting better day by day. I don't think I will make the 2ADA reunion but hope to see you next Sept. in New Orleans.

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r r R.UoCFIN • Ball of Fire Qliru1erly Express Newsletter of the 93rd'Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force. Hardwick, England VoL 11. No.X.f Fllll. 2003 Our Fall Reunion New Orleans Sept.14-Sept.17 There is still time to sign up for our reunion at New Orleans by simply sending $170 for each person to: Robert McKeever, 329 Rosewood Avenue, Winnetka. Ill 60093. Make check payable to: 93rd Bomb Group. Make your Drury Inn reservations by calling 504-529-7800. The daily room costs are $79.99 plus 13% tax for single or double. The $170.00 per person is a bargain. It covers three dinners, full Buffet breakfast, luncheon on river cruise, bus transportation including City tour and a visit to the D-Day Museum. After complimentary beverages in the evening, there will be delicious dinners and interesting entertainment. Transportation from the airport to the Drury Inn is excellent. Simply board an Airport Limousine and it will take you to the Drury. It acts as a shuttle and the cost per person is $13.00. This service is available for returning to the airport. One catches the service at a ticket counter near the main entrance door in the concourse. Parking at the Drury costs $12.00 per day. We understand parking is somewhat limited in that part of town. We are fortunate that Jed Stedman, who ]jves in the New Orleans area, is taking over the reunion activities where Harry Ke]]eher left off. Harry became quite ill and could not carry on. He bas been in and out of the hospital for several weeks but the latest word from Louise is that he is recovering and will soon be back home but will need continuous treatment for the foreseeable future. With the efforts of Jed, Cal Davidson, Bob and Mike McKeever and yours truly, things will move along as Harry had them planned. Louise Kelleher has provided all the written materia1 that we need to move forward. Thanks for her dedication. Naomi and I look forward to visiting New Orleans as we have never been there. It will also be great to see you all again. Al Asch A B-24 Model at the Smithsonian On March 17, the National Air and Space Museum took occupancy of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center's aviation hangar. On the same day, the first artifact, a Piper J-3 Cub, was moved in. Ultimately, nearly 100 percent of the Museum's collection will be on view, including the more than 200 aircraft and 135 space artifacts at the Udvar-Hazy Center, expected to open to the public December 15 this year. It will include every imaginable kind and type of aircraft, except our beloved B-24. We must get this corrected. B-24 flyers and organizations have been asking the Smithsonian to recognize the B-24 for years to no avail. Robert Henderson of the Robert Henderson Studios has suggested to me that we get this corrected by offering to place a bronze model of the B-24 at the new Udvar-Hazy Center, which is near the Dulles airport. Robert is the sculptor who did our B-24 model which stands in the Honor Court at the United States Air Force Academy. He has developed the following notice to be published in B-24 group newsletters. Quote: FINALLY, after years of "begging" the Smithsonian to recognize the LIBERA TOR as a distinctly honorable warbird, it's time to take the reins! We have recently spoken with personnel at the Air and Space Museum and are now preparing to GIVE the Smithsonian, at Dulles, the one and only B-24 they will ever have to represent our participation in America's history. SPRING 2004 IS OUR GOAL!

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2 The final gift will have YOUR name on it because you know how important our legacy is. The engraving below the monument will distinguish each name as to the level given. The memorial will be identical to the one at the United States Air Force Academy, a ]/6th scale bronze B-24 on a granite pedestal, 18' wingspan. GROUPS MEMORIAL , INC. OF THE AAF, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit corporation will accept monetary donations as well as the transfer of securities. BUT, until more specifics are available, we want to know how supportive YOU are. IT''S TIME TO MAKE A PLEDGE. WE MUST BE PROUDLY PLACED IN OUR NATION'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS MUSEUM - FINALLY! DON''T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY - IT''S OUR LAST! Hendereson: l-800-304-1738, or log on to: www.warbirdcentral.com. Send pledges to: GROUPS MEORIAL INC. OF THE AAF 816WATER STREET CANON CITY, CO 81212 ____ rd like to be a FOUNDER DONOR - I pledge $25,000 ____ rd like to be a LEADERSHIP DONOR- I pledge $10,000 ____ I'd like to be a PATRON DONOR- I pledge $5,000 ____ I'd like to be a FRIEND DONOR - I pledge $1,000. We already have one FOUNDER DONOR, THE CHILDREN OF WWil AVIATORS: UNQUOTE In telephone conversations with Robert Henderson, I have learned that if he can raise an additional $100,000, he will have enough funds to develop and install at the Smithsonian a B-24 bronze model identical to the one at the Air Force Academy. I strongly support this effort and personally plan to p16dge appreciated securities. Others of the 93rd have informed me they also support this effort. In making your pledge, be certain you indicate your Bomb Group. A1 Asch New Orleans schedule of events Sunday, Sept. 14 Arrival and Registration Hospitality Room 7:00PM Group Dinner at Hotel Orleans/Cumberland Room . Hospitaity Room Monday, Sept. 15 7:00-8:30AM Buffet Breakfast 8:45AM Board Bus for City Tour 11 :OOAM Paddle Boat and Luncheon 1 :30PM Board.Bus for Hotel 5:30PM Complim6ntary Beverages 7:15PM Group Banquet Across the Street at LePavillion Restaurant D-Day Museum Presentation.by Mr. Hugh Ambrose Vice President of Development for the National D-Day Museum Hospitality Room Tuesday, Sept. 16 7:00-9:00AM Buffet Breakfast 9:00AM Group Business Meeting in Orleans Room 10:30AM Board Bus for Visit to-National D-Day Museum 2:00PM Board Bus for Hotel, Snacks available at Museum, Free Afternoon 5:30PM Complimentary Beverages 7:00PM Group Dinner, Both in Hotel Orleans/Cumberland Room Film Presentation of Memorial Library Dedkation, Monitor: Paul Steichen Hospitality Room Wednesday,Sept. 17 7:00-9:00AM Buffet Breakfast: Departure Eli Schanes Diary, continued Oct. 8. Went to Coblenz again. My #7, Waldrop's twelfth. Sanders called in, two engines on fire, one put out. Co-pilot trouble-bailed crew out, we think. Last heard from near Liege. Oct. 9. Gilbert has 751 We drank to him. He has finished and has to make some speeches in London on Coca-cola program. Oct. 10. Big change - wheels turned. New bombardier and navigator, Hammack and Loutsch. Rudgers is off the crew. I'm pilotage navigator- nose turret. Comment: A lead crew had three navigators one for radar, called a Mickey Operator, one for dead reckoning and one for pilotage (seeing where we were). As the Pilotage Navigator (PN), I would be looking out at the whole world from the nose turret, with maps in my hand. No lead crew of the 93rd. had ever finished a tour of duty. We were in for a lot of training and practice missions. I found it bard mentally to go from many days of non-combat into combat and then out again. Stepp was convinced that Gennan fighters would not try to come through a tight bomber formation. So he and I developed a special technique aimed at keeping our planes in tight. We ran a series of tests and as a result, I was able to make a number of marks on my turret, which would indicate the position of the other bombers in our squadron relative to us. I would call off these readings to Stepp and he would

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r order the other planes to move into tight positions. As a result, in combat, the ten to twelve ships in our squadrons flew with their wingtips practically interlocking. It was bard flying but I am convinced that it saved us from German fighters. In the entire time I flew. I never saw an enemy plane. We saw their contrails up high above us, as they went up and down the bomber flight line, looking for easy targets. We were not one. My other function would be to get us out of the target area as soon as the bombs were away. The bombardier was actually steering the plane with his Norden Bombsight for about ten minutes going toward the target. During that time, the pilot and co-pilot just sat there, unable to interfere unless an emergency arose. However, they were in charge as soon as the bombardier called, Bombs Away! Since their windows were small and their view extremely limited, they were not in the best position to determine the safest way to get out of flak range. I was in that position. And so we practiced from my one word immediate command and then the others as we would be maneuvering, taking into account the slow way in which an entire squadron of B-24s could make any tum. This last part required a great deal of patience, especially since we knew that the German anti-aircraft gunners would be focusing on the lead plane. Oct. 1 J. Practice mission. Got eleven letters - about time. Fell off my bike- really scrapped up! Treacherous machfoe. Oct. 14-15. Practice missions. Oct. 16-19. Pass-London. Rudgers, Waldrop, Stepp and Schanes living at the Natural Rest Home. Magyar Club, Blue Lagoon. Henry DeBray. Comment: Rudgers took the three of us to the Magyar Club, a small nightclub for Hungarian Emigres, run by Dinah (pronounced Dee-nab), a short, dark-haired woman with flashing black eyes. She was delighted to see Rudgers again and wekomed his new friends. She asked no questions. The place was well-lit and crowded with Gls. The piano player kept leading us in such songs as Deep In The Heart of Texas. At one point in the evening, she accompanied me as I sang Dark Eyes in Russian. Later, I was standing near the bar, holding a beer, when there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to face an amazingly beautiful, young girl. She said, Oh, I thought you were (some name), Sorry. I introduced myself. She was Pamela, Dinah's daughter. She was about 5'4", very pretty, with a lovely, low 3 voice. We found a place to sit and we talked until closing. I felt very romantic as we said goodnight when Dinah closed the club. Rudgers found me and said, C' mon, we're going to Henry's place. The four of us piled into a cab to The Blue Lagoon. Henry (On-re) DeBray was French- a shortish stocky man- dark hair, small mustache, very smart dark suit, a flower buttonaire. Before be introduced me to Henry, Rudgers advised me not to touch the buttonaire. Henry's nice, but bis guys can play rough. Tbis was very different from the Magyar Club- dimly lit by blue light, much smoke, a three piece band, couples dancing slowly, strange-looking people, including a dwarf who seemed to be attracted to me. It was right out of the movies. Am I in the Casbah?, I asked anyone. About an hour after we got there, a fight broke out- someone getting too close to Henry DeBray. Three big bouncers appeared and a fight broke out. We threw money on the table and got out of there fast The next morning, I looked up Mr. Pettegrove, an English teacher at Montclair State, but now with the Voice of America, broadcasting to the various resistance groups on the European Continent. He took me to see Westminster Abbey. Sorry, I was not impressed. I also saw a movie, Dragon Seed, starring a Chinese Katherine Hepburn. This was all in sharp contrast with the previous night- different worlds. I again visited with Mr. Pettegrove the next day. Somehow, I met Phil Weil, a 1941 MSTC graduate. Tnat night, I went back to the Magyar Club just to see Pamela. She told me that she worked at the American Red Cross during the day and that I should call her when I next came to London. I promised. Oct. 20. Stepp and Bridgeman got their firsts. Comment: Pilots were always promoted to first lieutenant before the other officers of the crew, and rightly so. They bad so much more of the burden and responsibility. Oct. 21. Flew #8- as PN- in Missouri Sue-went to Hamm. Complete undercast- little flak-deputy lead. J P's 13m, Hemeleski's 11th. Oct. 22. Crew, except Kerr and me, received Air Medal. Rain and cold- another practice mission. Oct. 23. JP received the Air Medal- also Berg. Alerted for squadron lead tomorrow. Won five and a half pounds at cards. Oct. 24. Stood down. Beat Berg at ping-pong. Oct. 27, 28, 29, 30 Practice mission.

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4 Comment: On one of the above practice missions, just as we c1imbed through some clouds and reached the sunlight, a B-24, that had been skimming the cloud tops, came right over our nose. Since I was in the nose turret, I saw it as it flashed over us. On the intercom. I heard Stepp say to JP, "Did you see him?" "No and then not another word." Had we come up a second sooner, both crews would have just disappeared. Oct. 31. Gilbert's finished with speeches, left for home. Re-arranged hut and now have a mattress. Berg's a first. Alerted. "Nov. 1. Package from home- fruit cake. Made three pounds at cards, wrote six letters, sent out Christmas cards. Alerted." "Nov. 2. Led mission to Belefield- railroad viaduct. High right squadron. 96th Wing kept cutting through formation. We hit the primary-only one other squadron in the 2nd Bomber Division bombed it. Got 100% in 2000'- very good. Groups dropped everywhere from Hereford to Belefield. We went down railroad track and chased a train. Colvin flew as co-pilot-gave Stepp a bad time. I talked the entire mission- formation was perfect. Fighters at Merseberg, forty-one bombers and twenty-eight fighters lost. "Party at night- didn't go. But felt the results. Flares in the hut, stuff on the roof. Wallace will be getting it!" Comment: We led ten planes in one of three squadrons. Another bomber group flew a course that kept crossing ours, lots of work for our pilots. As we made our tum toward the target at Belefield, looking down, I could see a freight train moving directly in front of us. We came down the railroad tracks and our bombs reached the railroad bridge just as the freight train rud. All of our bombs fell within a raruus of 2,000 feet. I thought of that poor engineer. Our practice and our special technique had paid off. Our squadron flew as one plane, wings over-lapping, in formation. It was beautiful. Meanwhile, there was a massacre at Merseburg. While the Germans lost many fighters, our losses were not light, forty-one bomber crews, 410 good men. The guys went a little crazy that night. "Nov. 3. Package from home- Hershey's PJain. Got paid- $131. Lenhausen down in Channel. Seeds blew up. Alerted." "Nov. 4. To Minden- PFF Results-unobserved. Col. Barnard told Stepp he flew good formation- proud_ No. 10. Hemeski had 15." Comment: I'm not certain when the following occurred, since there is no notation in my diary. However: In addition to being the pilotage navigator, I was the nose gunner. This meant that, before take-off, I had to make sure that I had to wipe the dew from my turret and remove the covers of my two 50 caliber machine guns. The latter was most important, since the guns might explode if fired with the covers on. To do this, while the other crew members were doing their preliminary jobs including testing the engines, I would find a large ladder that rolled on four wheels, push it to the plane, climb up to the turret, wipe the turret and remove the gun covers. On this particular very early morning, I must have been late, because as I reached for the gun covers, the airplane began to move forward with all four engines roaring. I grabbed the two guns, wrapped my feet around the ladder, and began shouting- to no avail, of course. Slowly, and then more surely, we taxied. In the dark, we, the plane, the ladder and I rolled past the other planes being prepared for the mission. Finally, we came to the top of the runway and Stepp stopped the plane to make the last minute checks before take-off. I clambered down the ladder, pushed it along the length of the wing until it was clear and then shoved it away, ran under the wing to the bomb-bay and began banging on the bomb-bay doors. Somebody heard me for the bomb-bay doors opened and I pulled myself up onto the narrow walkway between the bombs. I squeezed my way up to the front, as the check list was completed and we took off. There was some handshaking but no questions were asked. When I later climbed into the turret, however, I did have a problem. The gun covers were still on. There was no way to remove them from inside the turret. We were to "test-fire" our guns while climbing into the bomber formation. Each gunner reported in tum as did I. "Nose guns OK," I said, but I kept my hands off the triggers the entire mission. "Nov. 7. This should teach me to keep a daily diary- Can't remember much at all. Hemeleski's brother-in-Jaw, Dave, came in at 0315 last night Bill flew and then saw him after the mission. Gave him a letter for the folks. Received a package of Hershey's Almond. Boyd's a first Lt." "Nov. 8. Pass. Stepp, Waldrop and Loutsch stayed at the Savoy. Richardson and I at the Jules. Ate at Savoy. Went to Magyar Club ... Made date with Pamela. Blue Lagoon-Elsa Graves, Joe .... Henry DeBray."

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r Comment: The Jules Hotel was much less expensive than the Savoy. The Magyar Club was now my place to visit. I saw Pamela and arranged for a real date in two days. And then again, a group of us went back to the Blue Lagoon. Henry DeBray was impressed with the fact that I came from New Jersey. Clearly be thought that meant that I had mob connections. He introduced me to Elsa Graves, a well-faded British female stage actress (who was being supported in an apartment by a US general) and Joe Something, an army supply sergeant who offered to help me smuggle some scotch back to our base. I played a part straight out of the movies." Nov. 9. Haircut- needed. Ate at Grosvenor House. Got four bottles of scotch - Henry DeBray. Saw 'Merry Widow' - JP, Rieb, Loutsch and I. Cast not good, play good. Nurses dance, with Hammack and Rich. acted in traditional American style-jitterbug .... " Comment: Grosvenor (pronounced 'Governor') House was a special restaurant for higher ranking officers. Somehow. we lower ranks were allowed in. As I sat eating breakfast, I was approached by a well-decorated major. "Lieutenant,• be said, "What outfit are you with?" I wore only my wings and bars. "The Eighth Air Force, sir." I replied. "Aren't you proud of the Eighth Air Force?" I hadn't thought about it that way nor could I think of any reason to be particularly "proud" of the Eighth but it was clear what my answer had to be. "Yes sir, I am." "Then you should be wearing the insignia of the Eighth Air Force!" And he walked off. Henry DeBray took me to a small, dusty book store. To the bespectacled proprietor, he said, "This is Joe's friend." The little man went in the back and brought out a brown paper covered package. He recited some exorbitant price, wmch I paid. I thanked Henry and brought the scotch back to my room at the JuJes Hotel. That afternoon, four of us saw the operetta, "The Merry Widow". In the British theatres, you could eat at your seat, with the food being brought by the ushers. It was very elegant and the music was good. When Richardson and I returned to the Jules Hotel, the lady in charge caught us. She was very excited: We were needed to help in an emergency. A British school of nurses bad scheduled a dance to which a British army unit had been invited. Unfortunately, the army unit had a change in plans and now the nurses bad no one to dance with. The dance bad already started. Could we please help out? In the lobby, we found my 5 bombardier, Hammack and one more GI. We grabbed a cab and went to some large building. Walking in, we saw a huge dance ball, a completely empty dance floor, a band on a stage, playing, and along one long wall about fifty young nurses sitting in folding chairs. "Let each man do his duty," one of us said. We walked to the nearest end of the line of chairs and asked those four nurses to dance. As the rest watched, we danced a very strange feeling. When the number ended, we escorted our companions to their chairs and took the next four. By this time, I no longer gave a damn about appearances the dance number was a good fast one and we jitterbugged. Just about as this number ended, reinforcements began to arrive. This was most fortunate, since I had no idea of how the four of us would ever get to those last girls. "Nov. 10. Shopped with Loutsche. Saw "Hail the Conquering Hero" - very good. Took Pamela to "Blithe Spirit"- excellent. Magyar Club, dance, home, date." Comment: This was a truly wonderful day. I bought some good books, including Spinoza's Philosophy. The afternoon movie was good. But the evening was pure romantic magic. Pamela: She was seventeen, about 5'4", large dark eyes, dark hair, lovely face, low melodious laughing voice, a trim figure. She enjoyed everything. After the play, we went back to the Magyar Club, where we danced. When Dinah closed the place, I walked Pamela home, hand in hand. We sang songs and danced under the gas lamp lights. "Nov. 11. Armistice Day- Remembrance Day- popp.ies. Took all day to get back. Ate at Red Cross, Norwich. Five guys moved into hut-very crowded - Smith, Porter, and Weisert. Two from the 446th- Bungay- Locker and Marx." "Nov. 12- 17. (Excerpts) Hemeleski has nineteen .. Boyd went to hospital ... Paint came -changing color of the hut.... Smith, Porter and Weisert moved out. Other two from 446th-Fulmer and Camp, moved in. Stepp, Bridgeman. and Richardson began painting hut. Flew cross country at night in 241T, going to name her "NICKIE". Hut is now baby-blue. Bauman-engine feathered- bailed crew- crashed ... Candy from Uncle Saul, cookies from home. Picture of Belefield on front page of "Target Victory." Crew's but is pink, blue, red and green. Reading Hitler's Generals- good. Also, A World I Never Made by Farrell- same old stuff. Reading the New Testament." Comment: We finally were able to name our own plane. Nickie was Stepp's girl friend.

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6 "Nov 18 to Dec.10, 1944. Two missions-to Munster (Wing lead when GH went out- real teamwork, Farwell on Mickey) and Bingen (contrails and prop-wash) squadron lead. Makes twelve. Crew has thirteen. Hemeleski- twenty-three. Boyd, fifteen, JP- sixteen, Fu1mer-twenty-eight- two to go." Comment: Three bomb groups flying together made a "Wing"-90 to 108 planes. On one mission, the 93rd was the lead group of the wing. We were leading one of our group's three squadrons. However, when our group lead had to abort, we took over both the group and wing lead. There was great cooperation as the necessary mid-air adjustments were made. I had the job of pointing out the target for the bombardier, all the planes dropping their bombs with us. "Nov. 18 to December 10 (continued). On pass to London, took Pamela to see 'Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?'- risque British play- and "Fantasia"- as good as in 1941- her fourteenth time. Ate in Junior Officers' Mess-first steak in Britain. Evenings at Magyar Club with Dinah, Freida (piano) Loutscb ... Bad News: The deaths of Ben Jagiello and Chic Sale- both lsts in Italy, and Tony Galioto (B-24 in California). Russ Reed is MIA-Merseberg,." Comment: My dates with Pamela were just like being at home, light and romantic. She answered the telephone at the London American Red Cross office, rolling her "r's". She had a limited formal education. For example, although she had seen Fantasia many times, she had no idea of the size of dinosaurs - picturing them about the size of dogs. Ben Jagiello and Charles "Chic" Sale were Montclair State schoolmates. Ben was a wonderful athlete, had a twin brother, Matt. Chic Sale was the close friend of my Big Brother, Sonny Hoehl. Tony Galioto was a fellow Social Studies major classmate. Russell Reed, missing in action, was a B-17 pilot and a very close Montclair State friend. "Nov. 18 to Dec. 10 (con't.) Hemelesk.i's a papa. The crew finished a bottle of "Four Roses" oa the occasion. Sent money to Hill for anniversary and Christmas present .. Went to Coblenz again. My #7, Waldrop's twelfth. Sanders called in with two engines on fire, one put out. Co-pilot trouble- crew bailed out, we think. Last beard from near Liege. "Dec, 11. To Hanau- low left Sq.- visual lead without Farwell- In 714U. Langford was command pilot- made second run. Open bomb-bays overhead for forty-five minutes. We sweated blood." Comment: We made our bomb run, but for some reason, the group command pilot, decided not to drop our bombs, but to go around a second time. This meant a great deal of flying, going all the way back to where the thirty B-24s first started our bomb run and coming back in toward the target. As we made our first turn, a B-24 bomber squadron came flying right over us, with their bomb-bay doors open- meaning that they were on their bomb run. As we turned, they turned, staying right on top of us. I was looking directly up into a bomb-bay, perhaps 25 feet above me, with those huge bombs hanging right there: four 500 pound bombs. Of course, I bad seen 500 pound bombs before, but never from their under-side. We were on radio silence, so there was no way for the two squadrons to communicate. In fact, we had no idea of whether they even knew that we were directly below them. No matter which way we turned, they turned. I could feel myself perspiring. The outside temperature was minus 55 degrees, but I turned off my heater control. Except for the roar of the four engines, an was silence-broken only by our own automatic crew fifteen-minute check-in sequence. Beginning with the rear gunner, each of us checked-in on the intercom. Bischoff began the sequence three separate times before our two squadrons separated- so it was at least an unbelievable thirty-plus minutes. Finally, they went their way and we continued to the target. There was not a sound on the intercom. "Dec. 11 (con't.) On the way back, we hit Karlsruhe- lots of flak. Kept turning toward the left. Loutscbe: "Wh}' those bastards are shooting at us!" No. 4 engine went out over France. We left ... " Comment: For reasons that could only make no sense, as we were retumjng home, the lead navigator brought our bomb group right over a major city- Karlsruhe- and the flak was heavy. The thirty, bulky B-24s kept turning left. making a huge slow circle, staying in the line of fire. Our No. 4 engine was hit and Stepp feathered the propeller. We stayed in formation for a while and then Stepp called down to me. "We're losing too much fuel to make the English Channel. Find us a safe place to land." We were over France. I looked at my maps, there was Paris, recently liberated!. "How about Paris?" I asked over the intercom. "Roger," Stepp said. I gave him the heading. Stepp dropped our plane out of the formation and we were on our own. The crew went wild, cheering, kidding each other about how it was in Paris. Someone sang a French-type song. We flew over the city. Now the problem was to find a landing field. Suddenly, a P-47

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appeared, wagging its wings- meaning, "folJow me". He led us to an airbase. We landed and as Stepp parked the plane, a truck pulled up. "You guys want a lift into town?" We piled into the truck and rode into ..... Brussels. As we left the truck, Stepp calJed: "Schanesll!!" He had his hands on his hips. I waJked over and stood in front of him. He looked down at me. Stepp: "You told me we were going to Paris!" Schanes: "I know." Stepp: "We flew over the G-D City!!!" Scbanes: "I know." Stepp: "Paris bas the Eiffel Tower!!!" Scbanes: (Tbinking quickly) "I thought they took it down for the war!". He was big and fast, but I was faster. After a one-block chase, he gave up. "Dec. 11 (con't.) ... landed near Brussels with aid of P-47. Went into Brussels- biUeted at the Hotel Venois. Shoes went out nose-wheel door- good old Loutscbe! Went around in flying clothes and boots. Traded all our money in. Went out with Bischoff and Kirk- lost Kirk-Cognac. Canadians, Marie, Louise, open doors-"Les Americains ! " Lots of running around. Dance in boots .... No. 13 for me." Comment: Despite the fact that we were in flying c1othes and boots, a good time was had by aJI. My two years of high school French finalJy came in bandy. I was in great demand and completely forgiven. "Dec. 12. V-1 exploded nearby. Went back by B-24 with 17 crew. They were unhappy-didn't go for banana boats. Ricci has 24." Comment: The Germans were sending V -1 buzz-bombs. They were bombs with jet engines on top. When the engine ran out of fuel, the bomb would come on down. Whenever we beard the loud putt-putt sound, we would listen for it to pass over. If there suddenly was silence, we knew it was corning down- time to pray. A B-17 crew flew in the B-24 taking us home. They were very "uncomfortable" with the way the B-24 flew, calJing it a "banana boat". With its big wing, the B-17 was much easier to get off the ground and far more stable in flight than a B-24. "Dec. 13. Alerted, mission scrubbed." "Dec. 14. "Air-recognition test. Nine wrong out of fifteen- realJy hot." Comment: We were tested on our ability to identify friendly and enemy fighters. I failed badly. My feeling was that if any fighter- friend or foe- pointed its nose at us, I would fire. "Dec. 30. My folks' 25th wedding anniversary- and Dad says he still loves Mom. Death of Byron 7 Kirk reported is false. Russ Reed is a PW- very good." Comment: On December 131'\ the Germans launched the Ardenoes Offensive. The weather over Europe was so bad that alJ Allied aircraft were grounded for ten days. In that time, the Germans recaptured a great deaJ of territory-pushing toward the ports of Belgium. They took many prisoners. We had no idea of how bad things were. Each day we would be alerted for a mission, get into our ships, taxi out to the runway, sit in the fog and wait for the weather to break. We sat out there for hours and then returned to park the planes and get trucked back to our huts. It was a gloomy frustrating time. "WeU, on Dec. 20, with the German offensive and the fog- Marx took off and crashed 1000 yards from the runway. The plane blew up, two of the bombs went. Took a row of trees. We lost Marx, Locker, Fulmer, and Camp. So fast. The shock is still felt. Fulmer had so much and Camp was a grand guy. "pappy" Marx- that hurts. Fulmer had two to go. What a feeling! The boys slept poorly the first few nights." Comment: For some reason, the narrow B-24 wing had even less "lift" in the fog. We had only known those four guys for five weeks, but when you live with a person day and night, you get very close, fast. That morning, an officer drove up to our hut in a Jeep. Very briefly, he told us what had happened. He was there to take the other two pilots in our hut. Stepp and Bridgeman, out to the crash. I never asked what they saw or what they ·had to do. Severa] years ago, someone showed me a photo in one of those WWII history books- of "a B-24 of the 93rd Bomb Group that crashed on December 20, 1944." I said, "I knew those boys," and felt like crying all over again. "We finally got off. Went to Ahrwiler on the 24th-most planes ever put up. 93"' put up 55. I could count 350 at one time. I hit the toggle switch-deputy lead- two ships dropped on us and we hit a rnarshalJing yard. Forts came through on bomb run- Bridgeman almost had it. Lead never dropped- headed for Cob]enz, crew disagreed, and so squadron came home loaded. Forty minutes of flak." Comment: After eleven days, the weather broke. The sky was full of bombers. While our group normally put up from 30 to 36 planes, this time 55 took off. We flew as a squadron second lead plane. At my right elbow, there was a toggle switch for dropping bombs, which was to be used in planes that were not in lead positions. The nose gunner was to hit the switch when he

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8 saw the lead plane's bombs drop. Since we were a lead plane, the toggle switch should have been tied down securely. It wasn't. As we came down the bomb run, I leaned against it, and Hammack. our bombardier, shouted, in surprise, "There go the bombs!" Two other planes dropped with us and, as we looked down, we could see the hits on a railroad marsbal]ing yard-not bad work. Right after that, a B-17 squadron flew directly under us, one of them almost hitting Bridgeman's plane. Then our leader did not drop his bombs. We stayed with the formation, as all the bomb bays doors were closed and the squadron headed for the secondary target, at Coblenz. For some reason, the lead crew ducked the target and decided to bring the plane back, fully loaded. The only worthwhile thing in whole day was my elbow's work. "On Christmas, we went to a small railroad bend. Got forty-three minutes of flak. Flew high right lead. Got blast in nose- plexiglass scratched Hammack- flak ended up in bombsight. Hammack: "I'll get that sonofabitch if it's the last thing I do!" Hits were excellent-made us feel good to do something for the boys. These four gun batteries at each little town can be damn accurate when they can see you." Comment: When we returned, we celebrated Christmas by opening all of the sealed fruit cakes. Everyone who had ever lived in Hut 14 in 1944 had sent home for fruit cakes, to be eaten at Christmas. By now, there was quite a stack. Many of the cakes were soaked in rum and as we ate/drank them, we toasted those who had gone before, including names we had never heard of and some "unknowns". "Dec. 26-29. Pass. Saw "Private Lives" by Noel Coward with Pamela. Met Dick "GI Supper Club" Dudley. Visited AFN (Armed Forces Network) the next day. Met Johnny Kerr-"Duffle Bag", John Brosis- sports, Lois-announcer, and Monahan- "Off the Record". Put in a request for boys in hut. .. Bought out PX for the boys. Met !51 Lt. Reese, missed Schwartz." Comment: In my diary, there is no notation of the following: After I brought Pamela home from the play, she said, "I have something to tell you." What she told me was that during the time that I knew her, she had been in love with an American bombardier, had become pregnant by him and had had an abortion. Now they were to be married on January 20th• After the war, she would be moving to Atlanta with him. She hoped that I could attend the wedding. I wished her well, but I felt so na'ive and stupid. Johnny Kerr went on to become a very famous baseball commentator. "Dec. 30 to January, 19, 1945. Tactical bombing continued.• Comment: The Army had set up three powerful signal towers on the perimeter of the Ardennes Offensive. Installed in each of our planes was a small box with green and red lights. When we flew in the Ardennes area we were free to bomb any target as Jong as the green light was on. For accuracy, we flew at 10,000 feet, scary when we were used to being at 25,000- made us much easier targets. "Flew with Stepp to bridge on Rhine, a fighter bait mission, flew down length of Germany with loads of fighters. Didn't see a burst of flak." Comment: This mission bad two purposes: One, to attract German fighters, so that our fighters could knock them down. We were the bait, a nice feeling, and two to destroy a certain bridge over the Rhine. This was the last remaining railroad bridge carrying supplies to the German Ardennes Offensive. It was located atRemagen. The Bridge at Remagen. is the story of how I won World War II, at least in Europe. I have written this up separately. (See Story) Suffice to say here that we were briefed early in the morning for a long run down the Rhine ending at that bridge. We led nine other bombers straight down the river flying at 10,000 feet or even lower. No flak. I picked up the target, pointed it out to the bombardier, and he did the rest. The hits were excellent, the bridge was destroyed, Just one problem- tt was the wrong bridge. I didn't remember anyone telling me about an autobahn bridge about l 00 yards upstream from the railroad bridge. It was now gone and the railroad bridge remained standing. The net result of this misadventure was that that bridge remained as the only bridge across the Rhine when our troops chased the Germans back into Germany. Shortly after enough of our guys had crossed the bridge it collapsed. We finally got it. The evening of our return from that mission, there was a special commendation award ceremony for our excellent work. The next day, when the "strike" photos revealed the truth, the commendations were rescinded. Bas-tog-ne is a separate story of how I didn't kill our boys in the 101st Airborne at Bastogne. Suffice to say here that the town of Bastogne was in the "Green Light" area- one of the many "targets of opportunity" for us to bomb. We djd not know that American troops were there, surrounded by the Germans. Flying at 10,000 feet, looking for targets, I selected the

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town for our squadron. We did begin our bomb run, but then I saw a less formidable-looking town and we went there instead. To be continued Sir, Here is the test message we discussed. I am organizing the service at the crash site for Captain Robert H. Shannon and his crew as well as their passengers which included LTG Andrews for Memorial Day. Any information on the aircraft and crew of B24D (41-23728) Hot Stuff would be greatly appreciated. The sole survivor was the tail gunner, we are trying also to find out what happened to him. I will be happy to send you information on the service. Thank you for your help and I look forward to hearing from you. Major Brett Hartnett Assistant Operations Officer 56th Rescue Squadron United States Air Forces Europe Keflavik, Iceland Ed: I sent Major Harnett the info he requested but never received a copy he promised of the ceremony. Thank you in advance for your assistance. I'm trying to find out information regarding the death of my 2nd cousin in WWII. His name was Edward T. Dunne and he was a co-pilot (I believe) in the 409th Squadron attached to the 93rd BG. The Veteran's Information Center in St. Louis is of NO help. I don't know his crew or plane assignment, only his rank, serial number, approximate date of death (11/5/44) and his place of burial in England. A deceased relative told me years ago that Lt. Dunne was returning from a mission in a damaged aircraft. The crew was ordered to bail out prior or so I was told. Lt. Dunne too bad a chance to save himself but chose to remain with the pilot to try to land the shlp. It crashed before reaching the field. If there is any information I can learn about this story, I'd be very appreciative to talk to or correspond with someone about it. Mark W. Kugel Dear Mr. Davidson, Tel: (949) 225-2075 Fax: (949) 272-4624 Thank you for responding back to me and with the information in both of your e-mails. I never knew many facts or details of what happened on Lt. Dunne's last day until now. The only fact I was told about the crash was that the pilot (Bauman) knew innocents on the ground would be killed if they jumped so he and Dunne 9 stayed aboard to try to bring the bomber down away from civilian housing and take their chances. I will correspond to Mr. Minister and Mr. Melmood for their recollections of Lt. Dunne and the flight. Thank you again very much for your assistance and for putting on the uniform to defend our country. Mark W. Kugel Hello, I have come across your email address by posting questions on armyairforces.com. Some responses have pointed me in your direction. I have recently acquired many letters written from my grandfather to my grandmother in 1944-1945. My grandfather's name was Clayton M. Lebben, he was a B-24 waist gunner in the 328th Bombing Squadron. (deceased 1984) Within one of the letters, I came across a list of the crew. Perhaps you can Jet me know if any of the following are current ( or past) members of your association. Albert B. McKinney Youngstown, OH Engineer- Lester K. Headlee from Dilliner, PA Tail gunner-Robert E. Hagen from Ruth, NV Navigator-David A. Adamec from Cleveland, OH Co-Pilot- Robert E. Querry from Boise, ID PUot-Edward L. Stromdahl from Duluth, MN Nose Gunner- Francis Soreghan from Ames, IA Radio/Gunner- Jack R. Rickey from St. Paul, MN Thank you very much. I would greatly appreciate any info ybu can provide. Sincerely, Michael Cosman Algonquin.IL mcosman0 l@yahoo.com Hello, I'm trying to find any info I can regarding a PFC E.V.Sumbeck who was with the 93rd Bomb Group (Heavy), at Hardwick, Norfolk England, 1944. Any assistance or links would be much appreciated. Thanks, Phil Evans Wyphilip@aol.com Cal, 'I recently managed to purchase the complete set of the IMP ACT classified magazines that were put out by the Army Air Forces during the war. (I got them at a local antique store for $35.00!) I learned something new from them. Whlle I have long been aware of the daring low-level fragmentation bomb raids in the Southwest Pacific, I didn't realize

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10 that not only were A-20s, B-25s and fighters used in this role, but so were B-24s. One of the articles describes a low-altitude attack on a Japanese airfield in New Guinea by a combined force that included a couple of squadrons of Liberators. Sam McGowan I met a vet by the name of Lou Bates that was a radio operator and RCM operator. Said be flew 30 missions in Germany. He said be was not assigned to a specific crew. Flew in plane by the name of Sleepy Time Gal (42-95095) (B24H25FO) that crashed in Scotland and has recently been recovered. He had a piece of the plane that Morrison had sent to him. He remembered Myron Smith a co-pilot that he had flown with and has passed on but did not remember any one else. Anyone out there have any information on this guy? I would love to send him some snail mail showing him what enjoyment he would get if he would go on-line. He is a proud fellow. Karen Sparks julesl@chartermi.net Dear Sir, Thank you for the great web site. I am trying to find information on Harry Cassel Jr. He is a friends' grandfather. I have no idea what his job was. All I have is his M3 knife & scabbard with his name and other info carved into it. Perhaps he was a 'crew' member and carried the knife in case be was forced down somewhere. He was killed in a mid air comsion while his aircraft was getting into formation on March 29, 1944. I found an eyewitness account on one web site and that was a fantastic find. rm trying to find the name of the aircraft he flew. If there are any pictures of it or the crew and if any one might have known him. Tom Saker tsaker@comcast.net Hi. My name is Ricky Toney. I have acquired a document grouping that pertains to a member of the 93BG, 329th squadron. The items were discovered at an estate sale that must have been family of Capt. Ralph McBride, 0-435962. He is listed on the website's honor role as a Lt. but on my paperwork he is a Captain and pilot. On one of the documents that I have he has written out the members of his crew and their positions. There are 8 names, and aJI are listed on the honor roll also, with the exception of S/Sgt. RaJph C. Ward. (Does the honor roll only list KIA?) If so, then maybe S/Sgt. Ward survived. There is a Western Union telegraph reporting Capt. McBride as MIA. I believe that his plane may have been lost in the August I st mission on Ploesti. There are some documenls listing awards such as the DFC for missions previous to Aug. They are from a Captain Ward Goodale. There are also 3 letters from a Chaplain, James Burris. He must have been corresponding with Capt. McBride's mother. There is also a newspaper clipping that has a photo of McBride in his helmet & goggles, reporting him MJA. Also there are estate settlement documents from the government. All some very interesting & historic documents. I would be interested to find out some detailed info on Capt. McBride, and his crew. I would appreciate anything that you could fmd out. Thanks, Ricky ww2collector@hotmai I .com Dear Cal, Just discovered I'm in arrears for my dues and enclose check. Also I really appreciate the printing of Harry Tower's V-mail art. One of my most prized possessions is a portrait he painted of me in J 944. He was· our Radio Op. on Roger Skyjei's crew whom no one seems to have ever heard. Harry passed last year and that leaves only three of us left, Gordon Kiefert and Dick GaJvin both of Wisconsin. Hope to enjoy many more issues of the BOFQE. Your efforts bring much enjoyment to us. Howard Jones 532 Bedon Road Walterboro, SC 29488-8264 I received the German Tranlation of Horst Webers book of our Aircrft crash during WWII by Mrs Koerner and was very pleased with it - I called her yesterday evening, and had a wonderful conversation with her. She answered the telephone and recognized my name right away and seemed very pleased that 1 caJled her. We must have talked for more than 30 minutes. I found out that she had friend's and relative's in both Portland, OR. and Vancover,

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r r WA. She was quite interested in just what part of that area I lived in. I plan to write her also. I do not know how much dues are so I will just send you a check and you can credit my account. Thanks very much for hooking me up with Mrs Koener. One last thing, I was looking in my Computer Hard Drive last night and found several letters from Paul Steichen Sr. written years ago. The Co-Pilot of his crew Peterson flew as our Co-Pilot the day we got shot down. Paul had mentioned that Peterson had a premonition that he would not come home from the War. Paul tried to help me locate bis wife, so I could contact her, but wasn't able to find her. I have later found out that she has passed away but I have located Peterson's 89 year old brother who lives in Wisconsin and we communicate. Paul Bergman Ed: Horst Weber had written a book containing several 8'h AF crashes and had included Paul's story. Horst sent Paul a copy but all in Gennan. I had a friend get a translation for Paul. My dad was Sgt. Micheal Reardon. He was in a B24J Liberator shot down by flak on his first mission. His plane is mentioned on the 93rd bombardment group web site. He told me he was the top turret gunner and that his plane bad its entire nose shot off by flak. My 14 year old son and I are interested in knowing about his plane, his crew, nose art, anything we can. Any information would be helpful. Thanks Pat Reardon 6550 Fannin Suite 2435 Houston, Texas 77030 The Newport. Daily News August 2, 1945 LOCAL AIR HERO DIES IN CRASH IN ENGLAND Middletown Ace was Training for Fighter Pilot Prior to action Against Japs. Captain Kenneth L. Gilbert, army air forces, 22, much decorated air hero of the present war and credited by the War Department with setting a record in piloting bombers over German held Europe, while a member of the 8th Air Force, was killed in an airplane crash in England July 17, according to a te1egrarn received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leo A. Gilbert of Prospect A venue, MiddJetdwn, RI. 11 Captain Gilbert, who was born in this city, had compiled a remarkable record in his bomber, "Missouri Sue", which lie brought back to its base after every mission. He flew 75 consecutive combat missions at his own request. Fliers are almost invariably grounded after 50 successive missions. He had a grand total of 92 combat missions, and took part in six air sea rescues. Winner of four Distinguished Flying Crosses, 12 Military medals, a Silver Star and a Croix de Guerre, in addition to other honors, Captain Gilbert had recently transferred from piloting a bomber to becoming a combat pilot. Although he could have rested on his laurels, he expressed a desire to stay in action. He told his parents that he wanted to become a combat pilot because, in case of mishap, it would be himself alone, who would be involved and not any members of his crew. An unusual part of bis bomber record is that no one of the 62 members of ms crews was ever wounded or injured. Captain Gilbert, who returned here for a visit several months ago, returned to England on V-E Day. At that time the Associated Press carried an article about him expressing his disappointment that lie was unable to continue in action against the Germans. He put in for fighter pilots, was accepted, and was in training prior to going into action against Japan when his fatal accident occurred. His physical condition, carefully checked by army medical officers during his bombing experiences, was regarded as exceptional. one of his major performances was 39 combat missions in 41 days. The usual practice is for bombers to make a combat flight about once every five days. During bis record run, he used three crews. Captain Gilbert was a graduate of Rogers High School. His family lived in this city, Jamestown and MiddJetown. Besides his parents, lie leaves two brothers, Captain Lionel G. GiJbert, with the army intelligence now in Hamburg, Germany, and Staff Sergeant Lloyd S. Gilbert, with the 5th Air Force at Fort Riley, Kansas, after spending 31 months in Hew Guinea. Ed: As Ken Gilbert is mentioned several times in Schanes diary I thought it appropriate to print this article now. Folded Wings Theodore Helweg Carmine P. Spina

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Ball of Fire Quarterly Express Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 11, No. 4 Winter, 2003 Fernley Smith & Al Asch, Our new 93rd BG Association President confers with Al I am honored to have been chosen the President of the famed 93rd Bomb Group Association and to foilow Colonel Al Asch wbo has so ably led our group for these many years. Al has graciously agreed to continue as secretary of OUT association for which I am most grateful. I am particularly pleased that Cal Davidson, CaJ Stewart, and Harry Kelleher have also agreed to continue in their important posts. This makes my job a lot easier. As we begin this New Year, 1 view our first priority to insure a successful reunion in Dayton in July of next year. This work is already underway with Harry Kelleher and his new associate, Don Morrison, a~sisted by Bob Stahl. It is their intention to, very early io tbe process. contact attendees to determine your interests and the best plan to insure a high level of participation in our Dayton 2004 reunion. Our other equally importanL priorities include first and foremost the rapid inclusion of new associates and second-generation attendees into the main stream of OUT organizational activities, and to solicit their input as to the priorities they see as we go forward together under OUT new organizational by-laws and structure. Added to this are Cal Stewart's priority plans for achieving the results we seek lo obtain for the political and official support for a fuller recognition of Ben Kuroki's deserved honor for his service under such trying circumstances. Finally AJ Asch working with others has proposed, and we have approved, a major effort to secure recognition of the B-24 at the National Air & Space facility: Udvar-Hazy Center located near the Dulles International Airport. To that end we have committed to push for a duplicate memorial to the one now at the Air Force Academy; we plan to use funds from our Bomb Group as well as other Bomb Groups and individuals and to enlist Bob Henderson, myself, Al and others to accomplish this goal. As you can see we have a most ambitious calendar in 2004, but with the wisdom of our seniors and the help of our new associates, it is a task to he savored as we begin our "new year• together. With the continual support of our members, I am confident we will succeed. Sincerely, Fernley G. Smith

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REUNION 2003 We had a great reunion, thanks to those who planned it and implemented the plans. Most of you know by now that Harry Kelleher and his lovely wife, Louise, worked hard in the planning stages, then Harry became too iJl to carry on. Louise developed and sent some of us the plans that were quite complete for the reunion. They were a. life saver, especially for me. Then, Jed Stedman who lives in the New Orleans area took over and did an outstanding job of implementing the plans. After just one telephone call with Jed, my mind was at ease and I knew that there would be no detail overlooked by him. He was always, there during the reunion to handle any "glitches" that might arise. Bob and Mike McKeever and Cal Davidson also stand out for doing their parts of implementing the plans." I am happy to report that Harry is on his way to a full-recovery! THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING: MY JOB EASY!' D-Day" Museum Presentation by Mr. Hugh Ambrose The presentation by Mr. Ambrose was outstanding. He directs The National D-Day Museum Foundation's local, regional and national development and activities. He is responsible for all contributed revenues in the Museum including the annual and capital campaigns, planned giving, endowment, corporate, foundation, and governmental grants, special events and memberships. During my introduction of Mr. Ambrose, I complemented his father, the late Doctor Stephen D. Ambrose, for authoring the book "The Wild Blue". It is one of the few books that tells the story about the B-24 and a B-24 Bomb Group. (Much has been written about that other WWII bomber.) It is particularly meaningful to me, as it is about the 455th Bomb Group flying with the 15th Air Force located in Italy during WWII. I flew with the 455th after I left the 93rd in the summer of 1943. Mr. Ambrose told us about General Eisenhower encouraging bis father to write WWII history which he did. Doctor Ambrose soon learnt the people to write about were those on the front lines getting shot at as opposed to planning and other support staffs. General Eisenhower told Dr. Ambrose that having the Higgin's landing craft was the reason we won the war. The landing craft was manufactured in New Orleans, thus the main reason for the D--Day Museum located there. Mr. Higgins saw the need and purchased all the mahogany lumber in the United States and Canada in anticipation of a government contract which was forthcoming. His first boats were manufactured in the streets of New Orleans until production facilities could be built. He hired all genders and races and treated them alike with equal pay for equal work and it was successful. Black's and whites, men and women worked side-by-side to meet work schedules. Higgins met his production schedules in time for the D-Day invasion and the landings in the Pacific. Noted Americans, including the President and .a past President, have supported the-D-Day Museum to expand and encompass the entire scope of World War II in all theaters of battle, plus the home front whkh the staff is undertaking. The museum opened to International acclaim on June 6, 2000. Since then, hundreds of thousands have passed through the doors The Visit to the D-Day Museum We first received a briefing about the Museum and the best way to go through it to see everything. It is well done and does tell the story of WWII through large siz.e pictures and their captions. There are a number of special movie booths and one main theater for movies about the war. Of major interest is a display about the 93rd Bomb Group featuring the Ploesti low altitude raid. It's the only display of air power l noted in the museum. There are a few things that can be done to improve the display and, hopefully, we can get it done by working with the Museum staff. I will start thls process. City Tour and Paddle Boat Luncheon The city tour was of interest and we had an excellent tour guide. New Orleans bas an old, old history and our guide was well versed and skilled into tying it in with what we were seeing. We spent some time in one of the cemeteries and of interest, burials are all above ground in tombs because of the high water table in the area. The paddle boat luncheon trip was enjoyed by au. There was plenty of room on the boat and the food was acceptable. The weather was good, making the viewing of the delta most enjoyable. VCR showing of the Memorial Library dedication Joe Dzenowagis sent me a VCR tape that included the dedication ceremonies and other activities for the Memorial Library opening two

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r years ago. He did this as a courtesy to the 93rd although the tape needs a bit more work before it is released for showing and sale. It. ran for more than an hour but we all enjoyed it. The dedication ceremonies were well done and a1J the pomp and pageantry by the English were displayed. There were great pictures of the Memorial Library located in the Forum, the city library, and of the old, old cathedral where the Roll of Honor was blessed. The Roll contains some 6,700 names of our men killed in action, bound in an impressive book which will always remain in our Memorial Library. The 93rd was featured at least once in the film while we were, at our WWII air base, Hardwick. Several 93rd people were interviewed and shown individually which we all enjoyed. I believe the availability of the tape will be announced in the 2ADA Journal when editing has been completed by Joe and his family. Joe and his family have provided an outstanding service to the 2ADA in covering special events and producing tapes of the activities. They are indeed most talented and their work is of the highest professional quality. Thanks to Joe and his family. Reunion Time Several people commented to me that we could have spent another day for the reunion. We had a good hotel, the Drury, with good service and very clean. We didn't have enough time to visit and renew old friendships and make new ones. For example, I did not have the opportunity to "hangar fly" with Lou Brown this time and l certainly missed that. I appreciate you alJ helping me with Naomi, getting her around to the right places on time and being patient for the time getting on and off the bus and through the door ways. When we arrived home, we faced the threat of hurricane Isabel. She hit the next day in all her fury and we did not have power for a week. That put us out of business for our writing and doing most everything else. We did some cooking over our gas fireplace. Naomi and I thank alJ of you for the courtesies and considerations you have shown us over the past years and we wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A MOST PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR! Minutes of Business Meeting The meeting was called to order and monitored by Al Asch. 1. Cal Davidson gave a report on the finances of our 93rd Bomb Group, giving us expenditure information and the cash balance which was $12.907.00. His report was approved by the members. 2. The bylaws which had been reviewed before by the membership were approved with small changes as fo!Jows: the Secretary and Treasurer's positions are now separate and an Audit, Committee was added, providing for an audit of the Treasurer's accounts once a year. 3. Officer positions defined in the Bylaws were filled by parliamentary procedures and each nominee was voted into office by the membership. a. President. Fernley Smith, Address: 17109 E. Grande Blvd., Unit #IO, Fountain. HilJs, AZ 85268. b. Executive Vice President. Paul Steichen, Address: 1615 Birdhaven Way, Pittsburg, CA 94565. c. Secretary. Alfred (Al) Asch, Address: 6205 Meadow Court, Rockville, MD 20852. Al was appointed Secretary as no one at the meeting would accept the position. A] will serve until a Secretary is duly elected or another one appointed. d. Associate Secretary. Sandy Comstock, Address:362C Durham Rd, Madison, CT 06443 e. Treasurer. Calvin (Cal) Davidson, Address: 48973 Plate Rd, Oberlin, OH 44074 f. Associate Treasurer. Joseph A. Duran, Address: 309 E. Santa Paula St, Santa Paula, CA 93060. g. Editor of Ball of Fire (BOF) Calvin (Cal) Davidson .. Address: 48973 Plate Rd, Oberlin, 0844074. h. Associate Editor of BOF. Becky (Brown) Estes, Address:1620 Blair St, Little Rock, AR 72207 i. Conventions Director. Harry A. Kelleher, Address: 7925, Trenton Ave, Hobe Sound, Fl 33455. There may be a committee appointed by the President to assist Harry in the planning and implementation of convention activities. j. Associate Conventions Director. Donald (Don) K. Morrison, Address: 1375 W Comet Rd, Clinton, OH 44216 k. Historian. Carroll (Cal) Stewart, Address: 7150 Holmes Park Rd #323, Lincoln, NE 68506. 1. Associate Historian. Donald K. Morrison, Address: 1375 W Comet Rd, Clinton, OH 44216. m. Vice Pres. To the 2ADA Alfred (Al) Asch Address: 6205 Meadow Court, Rockville, MD 20852 n. Assistant Vice President to the Second Air Division Association (2ADA) John L. Lee, Address: 801 Sunnybrook Ln, Melbourne, FL 32940.

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3. B-24 Bronze Model at the Smithsonian. The members voted to commit $5000.00 to the sculptor, Robert Henderson, to build and install a model at the Smithsonian. It is to be at its new facility near DuUes Airport to be opened this December 15. Sculptor Henderson plans to work with the Smithsonian after that date to gain approval of the project and start working on it. Planning is that the model can be installed and dedicated during the year 2004. 4. The members voted to give, Cal Stewart $2,500.00 to help defray the costs of deveJoping a documentary for Ben Kuroki. Ben faced many obstacles and prejudices to become a gunner with the 93rd because he was a Japanese-American. He overcame this and flew more missions than the required amount, includjng the Ploesti raid, to show his patriotism. Following more than a tour of combat with the 93rd, he flew as a gunner in B-29's over Japan, his native country. Cal believes once the documentary is completed and shown publicly, it will give a great deal of publicity to the 93rd Bomb Group. 5. Reunion in 2004. The membership voted to have a stand alone reunion during August, 2004 at Dayton, OH with the USAF Air Museum as the feature attraction. 6. Wrap-up. All-in-all, the attendees expressed the reunion was quite good and well done. There were 72 paid attendees plus a few invited guests. The veterans were pleased at the large attendance by the younger generation who participated in all the activities, including the business affairs. WE NEED MONEY! You can do simple arithmetic by using the commitments for funds shown above and see that our treasury will be depleted of funds. As my "Swan Song" I, AJ Asch, ask that you donate as much as you can to help build up our reserves again to a respectable level. Make your checks payable to: 93rd Bomb Group, % Cal Davidson 48973 Plate Rd, Oberlin, OH 44074.THANK YOU! ..:. ._,Jt!J , ~ -Naomi and Al Asch Ed: The picture of Al and Naomi was taken at our Savannah reunion. It has been a pleasure to work with Al during his tenure as Vice President to the 2ADA for our association and then as President of our 93rd Association. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for the many projects he worked so hard on. To recap it started with tbe dedication of a 93rd plaque and tree planting at Arlington cemetery in October 1997. Al wrote the Book of Remembrance for the dedication of the B-24 bronze model at the Air Force Academy in September, 1998. He worked tirelessly with the 2ADA committee on the funding and placement of names on the plaque that adorns the base of the model. During thjs same ti.me be was working on the 93rd's display case at the 8th Air Force museum in Savannah, which was put on display in 1999. In April, 200 l Al helped with the arrangements for our first 93rd, Bomb Group only, reunion in Savannah to dedicate the Timberlake bust and a Memorial Plaque at the museum. Harry Kelleher made all hotel and banquet arrangements. In November, 2001 many of us traveled back to England for the dedication of the new 2ADA Memorial Library. This included a trip back to the old airbase at Hardwick and once again Al making the arrangements with David Woodrow for our day at the base. October, 2002 found the 93rd reunion in Colorado Springs to dedicate a Memorial Plaque on a memorial wall near the Bronze B-24. Al made all arrangements with the academy and Harry finding lodging and banquet facilities. The report on the October 2003 New Orleans reunion has already been covered. Many thanks to Al and Naomi for their dedication and thoughtfulness. PLOESTI 60TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION Planned and hosted by Kent Jaquith and Blaine Duxbury The reunion was held in Salt Lake City, from July 30 through August 3rd, at the Best Western Plaza Hotel. Wednesday July 30th was early registration day, with a get together welcome buffet that evening, where we were given a History of the American Flag by members of the VFW. It was well done and very educational. There was a huge hospitaJity room set up with many tri-fold display boards with pictures of crews, B-24s and Ploesti. They were great topics of discussions. Cal Stewart provided a large map of the Ploesti Area thal he used for his book "Ploesti". It was displayed on a large board with overlays,

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showing the different bomb group routes, crash sites and details pertaining to input by veterans, and sorti reports. It was put together by Bill Whitney, a renowned Ploesti historian from Ogden Utah. The hospitality room was well stocked throughout the reunion, with edibles and drinkables of all kinds. There were 20 eight foot round tables with chairs for attendees for visiting, and 20 plus 8 foot by 30 inch tables for displays. Thursday, July 31st registration continued with seminars, buffets, and veterans who set up some of tbeiI collectibles in the memorabilia room, where several authors peddled there books. On Thursday evening, we walked across the street where we were guests of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, hearing them sing several pieces. They did a special presentation of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" for our group. It was outstancling, and was the highlight for several attendees. Friday August 1st, the group boarded buses for a tour of Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, about 45 minutes away. We visited the museum where they are restoring a B-24D model. It was a great time for taking pictures of veterans beside the B-24.Back on the busses for a short ride to the Officers Club, where a great lunch was prepared for us. After lunch, we walked across the parking lot and bad an outstanding memorial service at the Base Chapel. We had the presentation of the colors by the base honor guard, followed by the singing of the national Anthem by Kelly Collins, the grand daughter of Roy Martin. We had prepared a special video to start the program. which was colorized, with radial engines sounds accompanying the B-24s, and was narrated by Blaine Duxbury. This was a great presentation outJining the mission. This was followed by veterans from each participating Bomb Group who spoke about the mission, including a member from the Ploesti POW Group. GeneraJ Sullivan, the Base Commander spoke, followed by one of the Base Chaplains. The Air Force videoed the service and a tape will be available for those who want one. Sunday, August 3rd was the going away breakfast buffet. At that time over 100 door prizes were given out to lucky winners. Everyone enjoyed the reunion. Both Blaine and I received many letters and cards thanking us for putting on the reunion. It was a labor of love for both of us, and we were well rewarded by its success. We had a lot of help from attendees, historians and the Air Force, which all combined to make the reunion one of the best. Many of the We then exited the Chapel, and finished the service outside, where we were given a 21 gun salute by the rifle squad, followed by an F-16 Missing Man Formation fly-over, and ending with the playing of Taps. It was a very moving service. On the way back to the hotel, the busses took us by an Oil Refinery, on the North side of Salt Lake. We finished the day with a western style barbeque buffet runner. Saturday, August 2nd, was a full day of Seminars and discussions on the mission, and more time for just plain visiting. Saturday evening, we had our big banquet, which we held at the W yndbam Hotel across the street, as we ran out of room at the Best Western. We had a fantastic swing time band, that provided some great 40's swing-time music for us. It was provided at a No-Cost for us. The band leader told me what he could provide, and when I asked him what it would cost, he said NO CHARGE. I asked him why, and he said "It was pay back time". Bill NicboUs was the band leader, providing some exceptional innovations with the music, as well as coming up with ideas on the printed banquet program, which he helped put together. On each cable was a bottle of white and red wine with a special commemorative label representing each individual Bomb Group, including one for the POWs. It was very well accepted by everyone. Also there was a table center piece with a profile of a B-24 on an outJine of a bomb, which represented a B-24 that flew the missions from each respective bomb Group. It was given away to a lucky person at each table. There was a special place mat at each seat showing six colored pictures of B-24s over the target, and showing 178 smaJl B-24s in profile, representing the number of B-24s planned to fly the mission. A lot of picture taking was done at the banquet, with all of the veterans lined up at the front of the bandstand for a group picture. A plaque was presented lo Cal Stewart by Pete Frizzell, a renowned historian, for Cals participation and famous "Ploesti" book that inspired so many of us over the years. attendees said that it was the most outstanding reunion they have ever attended. This was also expressed by Dick Butler, president of the Second Afr Division. Here are 93rd'ers who attended. Luther and Bernice Bird, Lew Brown and daughter Becky Brown, Jane Cotugno, Roy Martin's daughter Jennifer, Jessica and Kelly Collins, Roy Martin's grand daughters, Joe and Phyllis Duran, John Emmons, Bill Hubbard, John and Fern Lockhart,

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Marjorie Locky, Ken and Patricia McFarland, Chick Meseke, Robert McKeever, Patrick McKeever, Cecilo Preciado, Packy and Pat Roche, Walter and Ruth Stewart, Cal and Peg Stewart, Fred Weir, Dick and Portia Wilkinson, Kent Jaquith, Jared Wallace, (Kent's number one helper) There are probably a couple that I left out. All total there were 85 veterans, including flight and ground crew, and a total of 300 people who came to the reunion, including relatives of veterans, historians and authors. I, as weU as many other 93rd'ers missed the presence of Harry and Louise Kelleher. I sent Harry some things from the reunion and wished him well. I hope to see him at the next 93rd reunion. Get well H .760-251-5126. Walt Stewart, Packy Roche and Dick Wilkinson Cal, I got my BOFQE and just noticed that I owe some money so I am putting it in the mail today. I had been so busy that I had fallen behind on reading the stories and I found one that was in the 328th at same time that I was so I may try to contact him (Tom Parry) email him if I can get his address. Do you have a list of email contacts? I am still working at the museum here and we have a big reunion coming in Oct. 7 to 12 called gathering of eagles, lots of SAC people are expected, think there is any interest from the old 93rd guys? Would it be useful to put our website address in the Express anytime? It is http://www.elite.net/castle-air a good chance to look at our B-24 and many others. I enjoy reading your newsletter and appreciate bow much work it is putting it out. thanks, Ed Nacey Dear Cal, Back in July you put a posting for me in the newsletter for the 93rd regarding Leo Bates. As a follow-up I received a letter from Leo informing me I had my facts wrong. So I would appreciate it if you would please put the following in your next newsletter. This is an apology to Myron Smith (Smitty) regarding the email message about Leo Bates that was posted in the recent 93rd newsletter (approx. July or Aug. 2003). I understand Smitty looked in the mirror and is in fact alive and well. I had my facts wrong; I am truly sorry and hope you forgive my failing mind. Karen Sparks julesl@chartermi.net Dear Sir, I live not far from Hardwick, in fact during the war my father made friends with a 330th BS ground crew man. last week I was walking around the old airfield and came across about 20 or so spent German 7 .92mm buUet cases dated 1939 near the old firing buns, I can only assume that someone had a captured weapon. I was wondering if any of your readers can recall any body using a German weapon for target practice on the butts. very best regards, Shaun Hindle shaun.hindle@btinternet.com An interview with Col. Edward J. Timberlake, Jr. By Albert H. Newman "Newsweek" War Correspondent COLONEL Edward J. Timberlake, Jr. and bis boys have been back from Africa for some time now, as various battered industrial communities in Germany and Occupied France can testify to their sorrow. But you can bet your fur-lined boots that the inhabitants of Southern Italy and Sicily were glad to see his B-24's go. For Colonel Ted and bis Travelling Circus have made life bard and dying easy for the foe in two theaters of war. In little over six months of operations these star performers and their high-flying Libs dropped more than two million pounds of high explosive on the enemy. Their losses amounted to seven planes, as against a bag of 39 shot down, 25 probables and 38 damaged. Col. Ted's group base, which occupies many square miles of flat English countryside, is run with a quiet efficiency. Air and ground personnel work together like a smooth machine to put the most planes over the target and drop the most bombs in the best places in the least time. But the focal points of all this activity and don't you ever forget it, brother! - is a small comer office in the long, low, grimly camouflaged headquarters building. The floor is innocent of carpeting. Two chairs, an iron stove and a desk form the furnishings - those and a rack where Colonel Ted's files are stowed in battered gasoline cans scavenged from the Libyan Desert during the group's campaign there.

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In the corner stands a brand new German Mauser from the same dead battlefield. The Colonel picks up the gun and works the action. "Bought it from a Wog (Egyptian native)," he says. "Damned good gun. I'm going to cut it down and shoot deer with it after the war's over." It was March 28, 1942, that Ted's traveling troupe was first formed - at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. "We had no bombardiers or navigators," recounts the Colonel. "Fifty per cent of our pilots had had six weeks' instruction in heavy bombers. The remainder had been out of advanced school two weeks to a month. We got our enlisted men at the end of April and the remainder of our officer strength in June. "We were assigned Liberators at Barksdale. I was pleased; I already thought the B-24 was tops as a plane. It turned out to be so far different from anything we'd flown that we didn't plumb its possibilities for a couple of months. A Consolidated test pilot showed us some of the tricks ... "From Barksdale we went to Ft. Myers, Fla. It was hotter than heU there. And one thing showed up - these Liberators could be maintained under the worst possible conditions. Sand and beat didn't seem to hurt them a bit. We pulled about 180 patrol flights, sank one sub and possibly another. It was the Florida thunderstorm season and any doubts we may have had as to the strength of the Liberator's wing were dispelled then and there. "At our staging area in New England we received all new planes and the boys were mighty proud of them. Then we took off for England in September. The first two squadrons flew over in formation, experiencing excellent weather. They landed at the destination within a spread of half an hour. The third squadron ran into instrument weather and separated. One plane was lost. "Our first three weeks were spent learning RAF navigational methods and pro-cedure, as well as brushing up on formation work. We had had a lot of swell individual training but hadn't had enough planes before to fJy in big formations. Their first Lille raid broke the boys in right. It made them realize how tough things were. I was flying the Teggie Ann ( Flagship of the group, named for the young daughter of Col. Keith K. Compton of St. Joseph, Mo.). We escaped with-out a scratch. But we lost one plane, from which we saw several chutes descend. "After that we started working on the sub pens down in Biscay. And that's where we felt the airplane come into its own because we had all the range in the world and could sneak up on the target from any side. We got pretty good and worked together as a group. The boys realized that our salvation was really getting into that formation close. In eight or nine operations down there we didn't lose a single plane as a direct result of enemy action. "Meanwhile one of our squadrons had been detached for coastal patrol work from the south of England to the coast of Spain. They were clearing the way for the North African invasion, though of course we didn't know it at the time. "In early December we were ordered to Africa. Oran was the first stop. Two squadrons went down intact, flying formation all the way. The third came in individually on a short, poorly lighted runway in bad weather at an airport surrounded by hi1Js. It was against one of those hills that we lost fourteen men and one ship -including Ox Johnson, the pilot, and Dick Scott. our group intelligence officer. "Shortly after we arrived, it started to pour. In spite of rain and mud we pulled two missions there. The ftrst had all the earmarks of a good one. But one flight making an extra bombing run over Bizerte got hit by a dozen Focke-Wulfs. And one plane was shot up pretty badly; its gas line was hit. But pilot Lieut. John Roche of Davenport, Iowa, managed to get back to Algiers, where all the engines went dead. So he had to make a dead-stick landing with a heavy four-engined plane - a feat l previously thought almost impossible. "l wouldn't try it myself, but Roche handled his Lib nicely and set her down okay. He would have got away with it on a good field. But there was a gully down the middle of this one which broke: the nose wheel and so she nosed down and broke her back. Next day over Bizerte was better. The boys were attacked by fifteen Focke-Wulfs and they gave them their fir.st experience of concentrated nose attacks. But our pilots flew tightly and as a result there was only one bullet hole through one vertical fin. This showed the boys better than my lectures that formation flying was the stuff. because the day before they had spread and got into some trouble. "At 12:01 a.m. on the seventeenth of December we took off in moonlight for our new base south of Tobruk, and swapped the endless mud of Oran for the everlasting sand of the Libyan Desert. We were all on our own out there and started immediately to bomb objectives as far as 920 airline miles away - most of the time by circuitous routes. That's when we really got down to business. First they put us on night missions to Tunis and Bizerte.

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"Those results were fair. We hit the target area but sacrificed some of our precision. So in tbe last few days of December we went back to daylight raicting. And from then to the 25th of January we put up twelve planes every other day in bombardments of Tunis, Sousse, Sfax and Tripoli. Hardly one raid fell below the rating of good. "Then they started letting us hit targets in Sicily and Ita1y. Our first time out on one of these we went with two other groups, which turned back because of weather. Our lead plane a1so had to return because of engine trouble. But our deputy leader, Lieut. David S. Thayer of Houston, Texas, led them down through the clouds over the target. And then something happened to Thayer's oxygen supply and he passed out. The leadership devolved on his copilot, Lieut. Leland J. Rath of Almond, Wisc. Rath took them in on the bombing run. Both of those boys ctid one hell of a fine job that day, and I was mighty proud of them. "Our first raid on Naples was a dilly. After that particular job an Italian communique came out admitting "most extensive damage." Then on Feb. 7 we had another near-perfect mission over Messina. There were very few wasted bombs on that one. Capt. Potts led the first flight and Capt. Joe Tate of St. Augustine, Fla., the second, for which they won DFC's. You must consider that our trips down there averaged many hours. We timed them so that the planes were back on the line at 11 p.m. There they were bombed and serviced immediately, checked lightly, and had their guns cleaned. Then off they'd go again the next day. Sometimes we'd fly hundreds of pounds heavier than I'd thought we'd ever dare fly. We bad no trouble at all with the planes. And there were only three maintenance men for each of them. It wasn't until we got back here that any one of those ships had even thought of seeing the inside of a hangar. "They shot us to Oran about the 25th of February and we ran into zero-zero there with no possibility of the fog blowing away, and no airport on the north coast open. That's when we sweat! I thought I could see twelve airplanes and crews from my mighty fine group written off right there. But a couple of transport pilots in a DC-3 saved the day. They had heard us on the radio, found us circling, and led us into Oran. The trip back from there was pretty easy. After we got back here, they gave us ten days to clean up ourselves and our airplanes, and we certainly needed it. It also gave the kids a week off. "Then we got back into the swing of things with a few practice missions. Tbe first real raid was the one that Capt. John Jerstad of Racine, Wis., led over Vegesack -which wasn't bad for the first ti me." Here your correspondent is impelled to note that it was this raid, perhaps more than any other, which prompted Maj. Gen. Ira C. Eaker of the Eighth Air Force here to say that the experimental period of daylight bombing in this theater was over, that the planes and men that had pioneered it had proven themselves. "That deal was the first," the Colonel added, "that started to puU our boys off combat when they started hitting the number of missions and operational hours which mectical authorities agree is all they should have at one dose." Colonel Ted wa1ked to a window and looked out moodily at the English landscape. [t was a grey day and a high wind was ripping tiles off the buildings on the post and I knew damn wen what Colonel Ted was thinking, that his group was breaking up, that new faces soon would replace the old familiar ones around the rough board tables of the combat mess, and that more thjngs could happen in one short year than anybody would believe. So I asked him what be thought of bis boys now that they were prematurely old men from the standpoint of experience in air fighting. "They sure as hell have grown up a lot," said Colonel Ted. "They're a lot more serious about the whole thing than they were. They're awfully damned careful about taking care of their stuff. When you stop to consider that we were fonned only a little over 365 days ago and that many have now filled up their operational time, you realize that it's a hell of a Lot for a young kid. But I think they can fly an airplane a Joi better than us old timers." Then I asked him what he thought of the Liberator after living with her and flying her and fighting Junkers and Focke-Wulfs and Messerschmicts and Macchis with her for six months. "Personally," said Colonel Ted, weighing his words carefully, "I think it's the finest heavy bomber made anywhere in the world. It's one tough airplane. It's got a lot of heart in it. 111 take it over any other bomber for any kind of work. We need every one we get. "Ed: Reprinted from the Convair Journal "Plane Ta1k" Sept. 1943 Dear Mr. Davidson, I have the following open research items for my book on the 93rd Bomb Group. I want lo make it as correct as possible. Hopefully, some of the veterans

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of the 93rd can shed some light on the following items. Mystery 93rd BG aircraft Here is my list of 93rd BG Aircraft that I have not been able to identify with a serial #. I am looking for anything that pertains to these planes. If anybody has any photos, diary entries or recollection of these planes, 1 would like to hear from them. I can send copies of any aircraft that a veteran would Uke to see to help in the identification. "Jo Jo's SpeciaJ Delivery" This is a D Model and appears to be in England "Bathtub Bessie" This is an Olive drab D model that made an emergency landing in North Africa in 1943. The aircraft carried the banle letter K and was most likely assigned to the 330th BS. "AU American" This is a NMF aircraft that bas the 328 BS patch painted under the pilot's window. It also has the yellow and Black checkerboard on the nose. The photo I have is a double exposure and the other image is a Mountain view with one crewman. My guess is this photo was taken during the trip home in 1945. "Barbara" This is an OD aircraft with a Emerson nose turret Only the name appears on the nose. "Fart Sack Time" It was an Olive drab aircraft and was possibly assigned to the 328th. I would like to talk with anyone who recalls thjs plane. "Barfly" This aircraft was assigned to the 409th. Based on group markings and background I believe it was attached to the 93rd BG in the spring of 1944. BarFly was an Olive Drab aircraft with an A-6 nose turret. "Lucille" This aircraft was assigned to the 409th and was attached to the 93rd BG in the spring of 1944. LuciJle" was a bare metal aircraft and was active on June 6, L944 "O-Day", based on a photo album note. IL may have also Down with the 328th. This plane was named after Joe Giordano's sister. "Frances Ann" This aircraft was assigned to the 409th and was also operational during the spring of 1944. "Frances Ann" was an Olive Drab aircraft with a nose turret and was named for Man Garofalo's sister. Vince (Vincenzo) Jimmy" Crimando was a possible crew chief. One photo states it was Joe's ship and all of the others st.ate Crimando. There is a photo in Matt Garofalo album that shows "Bensinger" painted under the engineer's window. On the back of the photo, is a note that states it was "Frances Ann". I have contacted Mrs. Bensinger, since he has passed away, but she does not recall any detaHs. I am looking for anyone who flew with Nolan Bensinger of Terre Haute, IN "What a Sack" This was a (NMF) natural metal finish with an Emerson Nose turret. The plane was with the 93rd BG form July 1944 to end of the war. It has yellow engine cowlings. "Sterile Errol" This aircraft is an Olive Drab and was heavily damaged by enemy fire. It was assigned to the 330th (AG) BS. "Exterminator (Old Bolts) "This is an Olive Drab aircraft with a nose turret. I am not sure if this aircraft was assigned to the 93rd BG or was possibly a loaner. "Caldo ... "Trus js a Natural metal finish with an Emerson nose turret. The photos show the name being applied. My guess is Caldonia. I can not tell for sure since the art work was not complete at the time of the photo. It was in a 330th BS veterans collection and he appears in one of the photos. Submarine Patrol aircraft I have several photos of aircraft that appear to be old submarine patrol aircraft. Since I have found photos of these planes in many 93rd BG collections J am assuming that they were transferred to the 93rd BG or stopped in during their transfer. They are as follows: Submission, Junior Miss, Fifinella, The Zoot Snorter and LuLu? Miscellaneous B-24's that may have been assigned to the 93rd BG The following aircraft were found in 93rd BG veteran's collection. I am not sure if they were assigned to the group however. I have a photo of a plane with a mouth painted on the nose and the word "Gypsies". It is a natural metal plane. "Luftwaffe's lament" This is an Olive drab aircraft with a nose turret. "Gorgeous Hu~y" This is a D model aircraft with the name and a girl painted on the side of the plane. It was in a photo aJbum of a 328th Ground crewman. 1t is possible tbat he was at a different base during tbe war. " Lady Luck girl without a name" This is an OD aircraft that was in two 93rd BG veterans collection. The figure is a girl with 8 balls on the bra and The four suits of card on her skirt. "Zippo" This is an Olive drab aircraft and has a woman painted on the right side of the nose. 1t was found in a 93rd BG footage reel. "Hanger Queen" This is an Olive drab with a nose turret. The art work shows a woman sitting down with the name beside her. There is a crown on top of the Queen. Thank yt>u very much for any help you can give me in identifying these aircraft. Donald K. Morrison 1375 West Comet Rd Clinton, OH 44216 email dkm@raex.com phone (330) 882-2536 To 93rd Bomb Group Members: For some time now we bave been experiencing a substantial number of members who have neglected, for whatever reasons, to send in their annual subscription renewal fee of 15 dollars. In recent years we have overlooked this failure, and have as an act of group support, continued to mail the Ball of Fire to all members. Unfortunately, as a result we have too few members paying and too many who are not. This condition, along with ever increasing costs leaves us unable to continue this practice. Therefore after a thorough review by the officers we have decided that effective June 30th we

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shall only mail to those whose dues & subscription fees are current for 2004. Because we want more than ever to keep you informed and involved in our next generation plans and activities we hope you will promptly make the effort to send your dues to Cal Davidson, so that by June 30th we can report to you that this problem bas been solved. Sincerely, The Officers Dear Cal Cal it is with a heavy heart I'm writing to tell you, Nick Thrower, Paul's brother has passed away. Nick died on the 6th of November. Nick had been fighting cancer for some time and will be sorely missed. He had been with the 93rd museum from the start and was one of our guidLng lights. He was a gentle sole and we will greatly miss him. yours, Colin Mann 19 Becclesgate Dereham Norfolk NR 19 2BB England Folded Wings Gerald R. Ahlquist Luther C. Cox Samuel McGowan Gene Alvord Harold W. Feichter Oscar Street NEW ORLEANS Convention Attendees Adams, J runes and Dorothy Asch, Al and Naomi Brown, Lew and daughter Becky Estes Brown, William and Leota Comstock, Sandy Cadle, John DeJGuidice, Louis and Alberta Davidson, Ca] and Ardith Johnson Doerner, Bill and Josephine Durand, Joe and Cecilo Guddal, James and Corinne Hayes, Henry Lee, John and Betty Lenhart, Burton McGinty, Julie (Steichen) McKeever, Bob and Madeline and son Mike McLean, George Marx, John and Rayann Flaningham, J obn and Christine Fletcher, Bubba and Sarah Ann Geyer, Don Graves, Charles and Jane Morrison, Don and Violet Neumann, Clarence and Mary Ann Riddick. Faye Roche, John, Pat, Trish, John Jr. Chris and Stephanie Mayne Schwarzgruber, Joe Stahl, Bob and Dorothy Stedman, Jed Steichen, Paul and Mariss Steichen, Ted Stewart, Cal and Peg Swaim. Vernon Smith, FernJey and Jeannie Trousdale, Richard Veteto, Hearol and Maxine Wa1zel, Vic and Mary Wier, Fred Yamamato, Mary (Steichen) Zearfoss, Sam and Josephine 2004 REUNION, DAYTON, omo The dates are set for next years' reunion. Arrival & Registration will be on August 19th Thursday, Hospitality, Cocktails, Dinner. Events already planned are all day at the museum including lunch on Friday 20th. A Very Special Event with a Glen Miller Band Concert at the museum at 7:00pm Saturday the 21st. Planned departure date is Monday August 23rd Much more in the planning stage final details will be sent in a special mailing in January and in the next issue of The Ball of Fire including banquet plans and other events. Fernley Smith Gentleman: My name is David L Youngblood. I am Army retired and the nephew of TSG Alfred I. Windle AS# 17030885. I am doing research on his service with the 409th Sqd of the 93d BG from the summer of 1942 until his crew were shot down over English channel March 3 J, 1943. They were returning from a raid over Rotterdam shipyards when jumped by 30 German fighters. The pilot was Lt. Bill F. Williams, My uncle Alfred was the Engineer. I have award orders for the DFC, for 25 missions, AM for 100 hours against the enemy in the Middle East Theater. Two OLC AM for ten separate missions over enemy occupied Europe. One OLC for distruction of one enemy airplane. Did the crew complete 25 missions or 35 missions? Was the JO separate missions while TOY to North Africa 7 Dec 42 until 20 Feb 43, additional missions or part of the 25 missions? Are there any relatives, friends with your organization who I could talk with? I have some info I could share and looking for more. Thanks so much in advance. My email is DL Yblood@hotmail.com , Snail mail is Dave Youngblood, 44 E. Washington St, Palatine, IL 60067. Best regards and happy holidays; Dave

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r BaU of Fire BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Vol. 12, No. 1 Dear fellow members, When we began this year one of our major goals was to expand the involvement of our second generation officers in the important work of our 93rd bomb group association. I am pleased to report that these efforts are well underway. An excellent example of this is our 2004 Dayton reunion plans. A program which due to Harry Kelleher' s medical needs has been handled most ably by Don Morrison our associate convention director. Don working with Harry, Ca1 Davidson and Bob Stahl has put together an outstanding four-day program on a tight budget and some very special featured options and facilities. He will then be helped by Joe Duran our associate treasurer who along with his lovely wife have agreed to manage the reunion funds. Thus giving the McKeever's a welcome rest from these chores for which they were so successful. In addition to these events you will be seeing an updated web site being handled by Ca1 Davidson and his second generation helper Sam McGowan in the months ahead Finally John Lee is dedicated to the goa1 of developing increased second generation members working with myself and Paul Steichen on further expanding their enjoyable participation as we look to our 2005 decisions in Dayton. The campaign to achieve special recognition for Ben Kuroki is well under way with Ca1 Stewart's enthusiastic support. We have presented to the White House our compeJling case for consideration of awarding Ben the Presidential Medal of Honor. By a letter of 12/22/03 we were advised that the proposal was under review. To date we have had no further response however as we already know these things take time. A confirmed effort is underway to support this and a revised publication on Ben's story will be available from Cal Stewart in March. Sprine. 2004 Io our next issue I will be reporting to you on some important items on our business meeting agenda to be held during Saturday of our Dayton reunion. John Lee will also have his report to all of us on his first meeting of the Second Air Division in PhHadelphia in May, 2004 The Dayton reunion is turning out to be a great four day get-together and an excellent chance for you to enjoy old friendships and to see some new and unusual sites. Enjoy a wonderful Glenn Mi11er concert and a more leisurely four-day schedule. Bob Stahl has graciously agreed to say grace at our many gatherings in Dayton. We are looking forward to seeing you and your loved ones in Dayton. sincerely, Fernley Smith Dear Fernley, Really, nothing has changed as far as the National Air and Space Museum goes. They very much want CASH ONLY and continue to spout very insulting rhetoric (seeking the elusive 824 with specific markings & hist0ry). Our only chance, as l spoke of before. would be for the membership to call, writ.e or e-mail their congressional representatives, etc. to pressure this museum to recognize what all of you did. I sense that they will try to wait until your generation leaves us and then cash in your bequests. If we sound annoyed, we most certainly are. NASM personnel have made ii a habit to disregard the 824 totally while 'milking' the WW1J heroes who flew and crewed this great machine. However, we are not quitting! Sincerely, Cheryl and Robert Henderson Dear Cheryl Henderson: After discussing the issue with the leadership of our museum. I have to decline your generous offer of a B-24 sculpture for the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Because of its size, the sculpture would have to be displayed outdoors. At present, we have no plans for outdoor sculpture at either the new facility or the National Air and Space Museum on the Mall. As you may be aware. we hope to eventually acquire an original B-24 for display at the Udvar-Razy Center. We believe that such an aircraft would serve as the best of all possible monuments to the brave men who flew the Liberators. We do appreciate you kind offer and thank you for thinking of the National Air and Space Museum. Tom D. Crouch Senior Curator, Aeronautics

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93RD Bomb Group Reunion August 19-23, 2004 Da on Ohio Accommodations The Double Tree by Hilton 11 S~mth Ludlow St Dayton, Ohio 45402 1 937 461 4700 This hotel is located in the heart of downtown Dayton. Newly renovated, the historic hotel is convenient to Dayton, entertainment district and shopping. The hotel bas complimentary valet parking and shuttle bus to/from the Dayton Airport. Check in 3 :00 pm Check out 12:00 noon The room rate is $69.00 plus tax for 1 to 4 guests. Group rate applies 2 days before and after CALL THE HOTEL TO MAKE YOUR OWN RESERVATIONS **************** Activity Fee is $175 per person List each person in your party--- Full Name Your address, phone number and email address. Schedule of Events Thursday,Auqust19 Arrive and Registration Hospitality Room Reception Dinner at the Hotel Hospitality Room Friday, August 20 Continental Breakfast USAF Museum (lunch at Museum) Dinner at USAF Museum @ 7:00pm Dinner setting is under the planes Saturday, August 21 Continental Breakfast Relax, visit in the Hospitality room or go sight seeing at the: Christmas Year Round Shoppe and Restaurant Carillon Historical Park Wright Flyer m Citizen Motorcar Packard Museum Dinner at the Hotel Air Force Band of Flight "A Glenn Miller Tribute" Concert at Museum @ 7:30pm Sunday, August 22 Continental Breakfast Paddleboat Cruise on the Ohio River, enjoy live Dixieland Jazz and an endless buffet of brunchtime favorites. Dinner at Hotel Monday, August 23 Continental Breakfast Departure Activity Fee for stav at Double Tree Mail one check for all attendees in you party payable to: 93rd Bomb Group and send to Joe Duran 309 E. Santa Paula St. Santa Paula, CA 93060 805-525-4681 email: dogpatchraider@msn.com

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r r Recognition of Ben Kuroki's Service Efforts to enhance official U.S. recognition of Ben Kuroki's fabled military career are in a holding pattern, according to Fernley Smith of Fountain Hills, Ariz., president of the 93rd Bombardment Group Association. Smith reports there was a correspondence ex.change with The White House in December 2003, but no word since. Carroll "Cal" Stewart of Lincoln, Nebr., had forwarded a computer print-out of the soon-to-be-published 28-page booklet. The Most Honorable Son Ben Kuroki. A cover letter requested consideration for the Presidential Medal of Freedom to be presented to the 409th Squadron's Japanese American boy from Nebraska, who fought against all odds in 1942 to gain a slot on Jake Epting's crew. On the first of three short-term 1943 North Africa deployments, Epting's crew was downed in Spanish Moracco. Unarmed on the lam, Kuroki's escape was foiled by gunfire. He was flown to Spain in a tri-motor German Junkers 52 for internment in Spain, and managed to get back to England to resume combat. When Ted's Travelling Circus (93rd) was hurried to North Africa a second time, Ben flew the historic, unescorted low-level Ploesti mission, considered a near-suicide effort, as top-turret gunner on Squadron Commander K. 0. Dessert's crew. Of nine 409th bombers dispatched on the famous attack against Hitler's principal gas station, only two returned to the Libya base (Bengazi) that night Ben was aboard for The Circus' third beckoning to North Africa - the assault on the Luftwaffe's principal Messerschmitt factory at Wiener Neustadt, outside Vienna. Back in England resuming Eighth Air Force operations against Nazi hot spots, Ben refused to quit. He'd earned theater retirement, the Distinguished Flying Cross with cluster and entitlement to go "home." On his fifth volunteer mission above quota, a chunk of flak over Munster demolished his tail-turret. Ben was unhurt. Returning to the States, Kuroki was nationally acclaimed a hero. The War Department caused him to tour barbed wire compounds holding "relocated" West Coast Nisei. Kuroki made the rounds helping recruit for Japanese American units that would win undying Army fame in Italy a year later. Ben was a key to turning the tide against West Coast hostility toward his people when he spoke to the prestigious Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Commonwealth bad beard every president since Abraham Lincoln. Hearst papers carried front page accounts of his speech alongside coverage of the Bataan Death March. His resourcefulness and persistence enabled the technical sergeant to overcome War Department regulations forbidding Nisei to fight in the Pacific air war. Ben won and flew 28 missions in B-29s including fire-bombing. No one doubted what his fate might have been if shot down. Almost every combatant on his Tinian base, except Ben, received a DFC. The band played. Ben sat alone in the barracks. An alcohol-fueled GI came storming into the barracks one night, declaring "Tojo and Ben are goddamn Japs." Ben's retort," Tojo may be, not Ben Kuroki." Assailed by a knife, Ben was floored, hospitalized and had to take a slow boat to San Francisco. His crew flew back. He disdained the speech circuit even though during the New York Herald-Tribune's famous forum, he sat on the platform between Generals Marshall and Wainwright. The proceedings were broadcast nationally. Ben's remarks were published in Reader's Digest. In three years, Ben earned a bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of Nebraska, went heavily into debt buying a county seat decrepit weekly newspaper housed in a downtown basement, got flooded, and sold. For 10 years he owned and operated a successful weekly at Williamston, Mich., won "best editorial of the year" award from the Michigan Press Association. He retired after serving successively as reporter, Sunday editor and news editor of a Scripps paper at Ventura, Calif. Ben, 87, now resides in Camarillo, Calif.. with his wife, Shig. They have three daughters, graduates of the University of California system. Stewart says the Nebraska Printing Center, Lincoln, will forward immediately a half-dozen copies of the just-published Kuroki booklet to The White House and, hopefully, follow up later in the month with a phone call to a senior aide. Smith has taken the position that enhancement of Kuroki's status "well beyond" the DFC is the 93rd association's primary objective for 2004. Correspondence faltered last faJJ when Roy G. Martin of Cotulla, Texas. suffered a stroke. He was the 93rd's awards and decoration chairman. Femley's long-ill wife died in early March a few hours after entering a hospital. For the time being, the Presidential Medal of Preedom remains the principal objective, as set forth in the December 3 conveyance to The

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White House. (Kurok.i feels be doesn't qualify for the Medal of Honor.) The just published booklet mentions, in order, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit. Smith: "Kuroki's incredible combat record in disparate zones under four Air Forces , the 8th, 12th, 9th and 20th lends itself perfectly, it seems to me, to White House recognition, through military-civilian considerations, of the Distinguished Service Medal." Stewart, who was the 93rd's public relations "officer" as a corporal and sergeant, later lieutenant, says the Kuroki enhancement effort now is in need of expressions of support, formal or informal, in helpful quarters, particularly Washington. News from your editor As reported in the last newsletter all those whose subscription dues are in arrears will be dropped from our mailing list on June 1, 2004. Your mailing label should show a date of 6/1/04 or later. If there is no date it means you have not paid any dues in several years. I have 731 names on my mailing list and over half of these are delinquent. If you feel I am in error on your subscription please Jet me know. In responding to the letter sent asking for pledges towards the B-24 project at the National Air and Space Museum several members sent checks along with their pledges. Because of the Museums rejection of this project I will refund or redirect these monies soon after this newsletter bas been mailed. I received 24 checks totaling $2700 dollars. You could redirect these pledges toward the $2500 our Group pledged to help produce a TV documentary on Ben Kuroki's Air Force service or towards the Air Force Memorial. WiU these 24 people please contact me about the disposition of their monies. It is imperative that all those who intend to go to the Dayton reunion make their reservations early at the Double Tree Hotel. According to comments from our members we are expecting a large turnout this year. We have to keep the Double Tree Hotel informed so enough rooms can be reserved to accommodate our group. Reservations can be canceled if an illness or a conflict arises so please make your reservations now. We would like all Hotel reservations made by June 1 so we can give you a report in the summer newsletter Our sympathy and prayers to Fernley Smith and family in the loss of his wife. The 93rd Bomb Group1s Final Mission When the 93rd Bomb Group went with the 2nd Air Division in 1995 to Norwich, England to celebrate the 50th anniversary of VE Day, many thought this trip would be the veteran's' final mission. When we went to Norwich in 2001 for the library dedication, many thought this trip was the final mission. Next year being the 60th anniversary of VE Day, I'm sure many of us will go to England to celebrate with our British friends. That will be the 93rd Bomb Group's third final mission. How many final missions can one bomb group have? To me, the 93rd Bomb Group's real final mission is not a single trip but rather the continuation of the legacy created by our veterans during WWII and the mruntaining of the projects started after the war, such as the memorial library, the Hardwick base and our yearly reunions. Right now. we are blessed with outstanding leadership from our veterans and a strong desire from the next generation to keep the circus traveling. The 93rd's many other assets include the Ball of Fire by Cal Davidson, Ted's Travelling Circus by Cal Stewart, our website, many books and films on the 93rd BG and its history, the Hardwick base and museum - thanks to David and Jean Woodrow, and our many English friends like David Hastings, Pearl and David Neale. We also have a great crew of veterans and wives and a history of good leadership. So, see you in Dayton! Bring the family! Our final mfasion is already underway. • Paul Steichen Greetings from the 93rd. I am seeking some of you who are willing to share your memories and stories that will make interesting reading for the Journal. As you know it is published quarterly and I write a column for the publication. In my first article I mentioned some of my recollections and received calls from members who lived near me as a result. I'm looking forward to the reunion in Dayton, Ohio in August and seeing many of you there. I am also attending a meeting of the 2nd Air Division Association, May 24-30. As a member of the Executive Committee I would appreciate any input from individuals who feel that certain issues should be addressed at that time. You may email me at JLeeJ922@aol.com John Lee, 801 Sunnybrook Lo Melbourne, FL 32940-7817

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r Calvin Davidson 93rd Bomb Group 48973 Plate Rd Oberlin OH 44074-9619 Dear Calvin Davidson, AIR FORCE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION The purpose of this letter is twofold: first to give you a progress report on getting Your Air Force Memorial built; and second, to ask for your continuing support in raising the final funds necessary to complete construction. Since I last wrote to you; the Air Force Memorial design has been approved at the 100% level and our architect is nearly finished with the final set of construction drawings. The Department of Defense is in the process of relocating the occupants of the old Navy, annex building now on the memorial site. In the latter half of this year, the building will be demolished and the site readied for our memorial groundbreaking. Last, but not least, after an extensive selection process, with six well-known construction firms competing, 1 am pleased to report that we bave selected Centex Construction to provide pre-construction services for the Air Force Memorial. Bottom line: we are on track for breaking ground this September and beginning the two-year construction cycle for, your Air Force Memorial! Now let me tum to our continuing fundraising efforts. The last time we exchanged letters, I stated that we were $5 million short of our $38 million fundraising goal. I am pleased to report that we are now only $4 million short. Please know that all of you have played an integral role in making this memorial dream come true. We are extremely grateful for your support and leadership in this historic project. Without you, we would not even be close to achieving our fund resigning goals. Yet, the fact remains that we are still $4 million short of our goal, and I must still ask for your continued support. So how can you continue to help? You can help in two ways. First, we need your help in encouraging all of our active duty, retired personnel and Air Force associated civilians to become Air Force Memorial Charter Sponsors. . While we receive wonderful support from tbe Air Force for our memorial, tbe fact remains that we are not an Air Force organization. We are an independent, non-profit organization designated by Congress to build the Air Force Memorial. As such, and for obvious privacy and security reasons, we simply cannot go to the Air Force and ask for the names and addresses of all Air Force active duty, retirees and civilians. The other alternative is to buy commercial mailing lists and comb through them for likely contributors. But, sending out prospective mailings is costly and a very inefficient use oftbe dollars you, l and others have contributed to our cause. However, if we could somehow do this in a very efficient way, the payoff in attracting additional supporters is tremendous. For example, if we could recruit just 10% of the 644,000 Air Force retirees and the 325,000 active duty and 165,000 civilian personnel wbo are not charter sponsors, we'd more than double our memorial's number of supporters. And this is where you can help: Enclosed with this letter are three postcards bearing a reproduction of the artist's rendering of our memorial that I sent you last springy. Please take a few moments to: l. Identify three Air Force frjends or others whom you can count on to support the Air Force Memorial Foundation. 2. On each card, write a short note asking these people to consider making a contribution to our memorial. 3. Please address, stamp and mail your three postcards as soon as possible. 4. Then, so we can keep track of the full potential of thls effort, please return the enclosed Mailing Confirmation in tbe enclosed postage-paid envelope. Asking your friends to help is one of the best hopes we have to quickly and fully fund construction. After all, you're a member of the Air Force family and you know, better than anyone, who shares our hopes and dreams for this historic project. Toe second way you can help is to again make a special

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Cal, Would you have any addresses of ground crew members of the 329th BS? My friend was Lt Roy Harms killed 8-1-43 and I have never found anyone that knew him except Charlie Merrill. I want to see if any of the ground crew remembers him. LeRoy Paulin Hello: 565 Washington St Grafton, WI 53024-1839 I am attempting to locate anyone that knew Lt. John W. Pryor, pilot of Hell's Express a B24 with the 93rd BG/ 409 Sq. Lt Pryor was killed in an air crash. I was attempting to locate someone that might have known him or might have a picture of him in uniform. He was not apparently with the 409th long prior to his death (3 months). He flew the southern route to England on March 30th, 1943 and crashed on June 26th 1943. Below is the infonnation that I have been able to locate concerning his aircraft and the crash. Lt John Watts Pryor, Texarkana, Ark, was the pilot of "Hell's Express". This AC was enroute to Benghazi from Hardwick to participate in the famous Jow-level raid on Ploesti. The departure was delayed for 18 hours because of mechanical problems. The AC crashed 195 miles from Hardwick enroute to Portreath, the first leg. All engines apparently cut out. While attempting a crash-landing, the AC struck a tree near Moreton-in-Marah, Gloucestershire, England and burned. There were 14 aboard and nine were killed instantly. Four crewmen survived. This infonnation comes from "Ted's Travelling Circus" by Cal Stewart via an email from Mr. Vic Walzel to me. I am a retired police captain here in Texarkana and came across the originaJ news clipping many years ago and saved it After 911, I came out of retirement and started working at the regional airport here in Texarkana. I found this news clipping again by chance and learned that Lt. Pryor originally learned to fly here in Texarkana at the airport through the Texarkana Junior College Program prior to WWIL They have some history at the airport on the early aviation programs and I decided to do research on Lt. Pryor. I had the clipping and the information on Lt. Pryor framed and it now hangs in the airport terminal. I am donating the framed info to the airport. Working out there I have seen many people stop and read the information and they have made many good comments on it with all that's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan now days. I was hoping to add a picture in uniform of Lt. Pryor with the info and a picture of the planes nose art I have learned from several web sites that there probably is not a photo of Hell's Express, but I keep hoping. Maybe one day! Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Phone: 870-772-1249 or emaiJ wmoore@vidnet.net DearCaJ, Bill Moore 1101 East 35m St. Texarkana, AR 71854 Thank you for the assistance and your reply. rm sure you receive a lot of time consuming inquiries. I will try to take a digital image of the items of Lt. Pryor's I have framed and email them to you. Some one else might like to have them for thefr 93rd items. Bill Moore Dear Mr. Davidson, My story goes back to November, 1943. My husband, Robert A. Hill, was on a mission out of England. After dropping their bombs the plane was heavily damaged. A large hole in the nose, the electricaJ system not working and unable to transfer gasoline they looked for a place to land. Seeing some planes on the ground they decided to land on the snow hoping it was not enemy territory. It turned out to be Orebro, Sweden. A young boy, Arne Svensson, on ms way home from school saw the damaged plane land and took pictures of the plane and crew without being caught. He has become quite a historian for Sweden When Bob and I were invited back to Sweden many years later we looked up this little boy who was now an elderly retired person. He was kind enough to send me the enclosed newspaper clipping about the incident 60 years later. We have kept in touch with Ame Svensson every Christmas since we found him at the Sweden reunion many years ago. If you can find someone to translate the newspaper article it may be interesting to some of your readers. I do not know whether any of the crew of "War Baby" is still living. Bob passed away in I 989. I am proud to be a member of the 93rd Bomb Group. I am sorry I have been unable to attend any of the reunions but I am fortunate to occasionally attend the Florida Chapter of the USAF Historical Society. Patricia T. HiU 200 S. Banana Blvd. #2413 Cocoa Beach, FL 32932 Ed: I hope to have translation of this article ready for the next issue.

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Dear sir, I hope you can assist me with the following. I am a researcher of Naval hfatory of WW2. Once I received a deactivated .50 bullet from an acquaintance. I still have it in my possession, and want to make a small exhibit of it. I was thinking of attaching it to a piece of wood, with a description. The bullet should have come from a B-24J of 330 Sq., which crashed on February 6, 1945, near Akersloot, the Netherlands. The goal of the raid in which the aircraft should have been Magdeburg, the name of the plane was Little Lee. Since I can find nothing on both plane and raid, I was wondering if you could give me any info on this. Thanking you in advance, Best regards from the Netherlands, Maurice Laarman Dear Cal, Enclosed is my check for dues and a donation to any one of the worthy projects including the documentary for Ben Kuroki. I was navigator on one of the original crew with Jake Epting as piJot. Ben joined our crew as a replacement for our tail gunner, Ed Bates, who froze some fingers while trying to fix his guns at 20,000 ft. Epting took a vote of all crew members and it was unanimous to have Ben join our crew. Ben was a great crew member and flew with us on the Ploesti mission of Augustl, 1943. I enjoy the BOFQE more than any other newsletter I receive. Thanks for keeping it going. Ed Weir Dear Cal, I've never written you folks but years ago I did attend a reunion near Columbus, Ohio and would like to introduce myself again. My name is George (Tkacbuk) Tachuk and I'm the twin brother of John Tkachuk who was killed in Action 12/20/43, 60 years ago yesterday. He was with the 93rd Bomb Group, 329th Squadron, 2nd Air Div USAAF. I'm active in the American Legion Post 451 and when the Post erected a new Flag Pole I got involved. Enclosed are two photos of the Dedication honoring ALL MILITARY PERSONNEL IN ALL WARS. Would you like to include this info in your next publication? I would also like to hear from anyone who many have been with him. I have very little infonnation on him for he was in service from some time in July of 42 and KIA December 20, 1943. When I write ST Louis they say the records were destroyed by fire. Due to business I official changed my name to Tachuk and P/C on the plaque is Past Commander. I served with the 83rd Infantry Division of Ohio and was the Cadre 1st Sgt. With the 75th Inf. Div. In the Ardennes Dear Cal, George Tachuk 19892 Hilliard Blvd Rocky River, Ohio 44116-2556 440-333-5578 Hope you have recovered completely from the carotid surgery and are back to normal - as much as one can be at this age. Nancy and I shall not attend the Sept. reunion so will not see you there but we'll be with all of you jn spirit. My purpose in writing concerns an item in the Fall 2002 issue of the BOFQE. I refer to the statement in the Oct. l O entry of Eli Schanes' diary; specifically, the underlined sentence, "No lead crew of the 93rd·had ever finished a tour of duty." I do not know the basis for that statement but it is incorrect! We have met and you may recall that I was on a lead crew. The following information documents the fact that at least one lead crew of the 93rd did complete a combat tour before Stepp's crew started its missions. Most of the information that follows was extracted. from my :diary. Lt Litwiller's crew arrived at Hardwick on 7 Feb. 1944 from the Combat Crew Replacement Center at Cheddiogton, I was the navigator. We were assigned to the 330th Squadron. Our first mission was to Gotha on 22 Feb.1944. After our 14th mission, we were made a lead crew and moved to the 389th Bomb Group at Hethel on 6 April 1944 where we were assigned to the 564th Squadron as a pathfinder, (PFF) crew. We learned that this unit was made up of selected lead crews from 2nd Air Division Bomb Groups. At the time there was an acute

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r shortage of H2X radar units and radar maintenance technicians. Second Air Division's temporary solution was to centralize all the.H2X equipped B-24s, radar maintenance personnel, and PFF crews at one location, the 564th Squadron al Hethel. From there the crews flew lead positions with all other 2AD groups. As was the case with each PFF crew, two additional officers were added, a pilotage navigator and an H2X(Mickey) operator bringing the crew total to twelve. After two weeks of special training, we received a check ride and were considered to be operational. I completed my tour on 28 June 1944. By this time sufficient H2X equipment and radar maintenance personnel had become available for distribution to all Groups. Col. Barnard decided that Capt Litwiller and I would return to the 93rd ,and train new PFF crews for 90 days after which time we would be returned to the states. LitwiJler went home at the end of Sept. 1944. Having met my bride-to-be in Sept. I remained at Hardwick until the war ended. I knew some of the officers mentioned in Schanes' diary, Stepp, Langford, and Gilbert. Feel free to send this to Schanes, put it in the BOFQE, or both. Keep well - Sincere Best Wishes Robert A. Jacobs 7106 Patriots Colony Drive Williamsburg, VA 23188 I would like to talk with anyone who knew my uncle Grady Glenn Hunt. He was with 93BG, 409BS and was KIA 12/22/43 on a mission to Osnabruc~ Germany. Also his name is missing on the Roll of Honor but all other crew members are there. Some one said his crew is listed on pg 264, 265 of Teds Travelling Circus. Any help welcomed. dbunt5@alltel.net Dear Cal, I was reading the paper "Ball of Fire " from the 93rd BG . I get these papers from Dutbiel ( Dutch ) Borcherding from the 328th BS. For 11 years be and his wife Delores bas visited us in Holland. He was crashed at the 30th of January 1944 betweeo Nijkerk and Bunschoten in the middle of Holland. We had visited the crash site and we show them all the tourist places of Holland. Until now we have a very good contact I am also a member off the SGLO or Air War Study Group in The Netherlands We have a great expertise of crashes in WW II in Holland. Our website is: http://www.airwar39-45.ni. We have about 300 members and we are working very close with the Dutch Air force. I am also a member of Keep Them Rolling. The Dutch Historical Military Vehicle Conservation Group. I have a Dodge WC-51 Weapons carrier from 1942. The car is in 100% condition. It has the markings of the 93rd BG, 328th BS. Behind the window I have the name off "Teds Travelling Circus," Hardwick Station 104. Now I am still busy with the nickname of the B-24J from Dutch Borcherding. The nickname was: The Pistol Packing Momma. Is it possible that I can be a member (junior) of your paper, so you can send the Ball of Fire to me. Please let me know if this is possible. Next month I will send you pictures of my Dodge and maybe you can put them in your very interesting Ball of Fire. We never forget what you Americans did for us to Liberate Holland. On the 5th of May we have in Holland , Liberation day. We are driving then with a lot of WW II vehicles. This year 35 Americans are visiting Nijkerk. On every truck is the Stars and Stripes flying, to remember you and them. Most greetings from Holland, Jaap Vermeer Kareldoormanstraat 3 3861 GA , Nijkerk The Netherlands Bombs A way .. oops sorry Boise City Town folks to Celebrate Night B-17 missed Target, by Ellen Knickmeyer A/P OKLAHOMA CITY -At the time, it wasn't funny. Older Boise City residents can recall the terror of those 30 post-midnight minutes during World War II as their town square was pounded by bombs. But thjngs look a little brighter 50 years later, and now the city is planning a bang-up party in honor of the day it got on the map, because a B-17 navigator misread one. "Not everybody gets bombed." said lawyer Stan

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Manske, who helped organize Sunday's celebration. "Not that way." Residents of the far west Panhandle town clan to unveil a 10 foot statue of a bomb buried nose first in a crater, constructed by the boys from the local body shop. It will mark the July 5, 1943, shelling of the court-house square by a B-17 crew-on a training run from Dalhart, Texas. The misguided crew, minus its crestfallen navigator, became one of the wars most decorated, and was chosen to lead an 800 plane daylight raid on Berlin the next year. Most of its members survived the war, one even married a Boise City girl. All declined invitations to participate, although the radio operator; H. G. Goerringer taped a greeting for the crowds. "They've got a record that's an incredible war record,• Manske said. I could understand why they wouldn't't want to be remembered for bombing the city. They want to be remembered for the good stuff. I would too. It was an honest mistake on the part of the Navigator, who mistook the four street lights around the Cimarron County Courthouse for the X of a bombing range 20 miles away in Conlen, Texas. He directed the bomber on six patterns around the courthouse, dropping a bomb packed with 100 pounds of sand and explosives each time. The J 200 townspeople were shaken out of their beds at about 12:30a.m. by a whistle and a bang. Bomb after bomb, five in all, landed within 93 feet of the courthouse. One nit just feet away from underground tanks at a service station. Another fell 34 feet from an apartment complex full of people. The driver of a munitions truck parked on the square darted from a cafe and quickly drove his rig away. Another trucker, at the wheel of a gasoline tanker came within feet of going to the truck stop in the sky when the third bomb landed. "At about the same time the sheriff got through to the base in Dalhart. whkh alerted the B-17 to its mistake, an electric company worker pulled the plug on the town to black. out the lights on the courthouse square, Manske, n said. A sixth bomb apparently already in the chute, fell far from the square as the plane flew away. No one was injured and no property was destroyed, but the town had dimples. "Mortifying" and "horrible," the text un-derneath tire doomsday-size headlines in the Boise City News read that week. The base commander came the next day to begin the apologies and reprimands that would lead to the navigator losing his job and the rest of the crew being shipped straight off to war. The mayor turned the tide of public opinion in Boise City with a speech that reminded people the offenders were men in their teens and early 20's called upon to hit a target at night from five miles in the air. He said that they ought to get a medal for their accuracy and the town's thanks for not taking out the courthouse. "The memorial is really, hopefully, a reminder of the power of motivation," Manske said. Here is this crew: they screw up and then they go out and prove to the world they're the best crew in the world. Everyone makes mistakes. B-24 U.S. Postal Stamp Dear Dr. Noelke, Government postal services around the world use their nation's postal stamps to honor some aspect of their history. and the United States Postal Service is no exception. It is with this honor in mind that I add my voice to request the issuance of a U.S. postage stamp honoring a great aircraft of the Second World War, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. This stamp would honor those hundreds of thousands of crewmen who served on these ·aircraft, and the thousands who gave the ultimate sacrifice while in service to their country. I have two family members who flew in this proud ship in World War II. My cousin, S/Sgt. Glenn Darr, served with the 9th Army Air Force, 98th Bomb Group, 415th Bomb Squadron in Bennina, Libya, as a tail gunner on "The Cornhusker". The entire aircrew was killed in action off the coast of Greece, returning from the infamous low level raid over the Ploesti oil refineries in Rumania on August 1, 1943. Another cousin, S/Sgt Virgil Chase, completed 50 missions as a ball turret gunner on "Gremlin's Delight", serving in the 15th Army Air Force, 449th Bomb Group, 719th Bomb Squadron, in Grotagglia, Italy. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator holds a special place in the history of American aviation. The B-24 Liberator was built for war at a time when the United States desperately needed the most advanced combat bomber

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r aircraft that it could produce. She fulfilled every mission she was asked to do, including some she was never designed to do. She was, and still is, the most mass-produced American aircraft in history, and remains the most produced multi-engine aircraft in the world. The B-24 Liberator is truly one of the great aircraft in American history, with well over one million Americans having some direct invo]vement with her during World War II. That generation is leaving us at an ever increasing rate so time is of the essence. I speak for my family members and myself, and respectfully request that you give this matter your full and immediate consideration. Tom Stevens 18566 Chatsworth St. Northridge, Ca 91326 I received this E-mail from the Arizona Association of Industry News line, that recounts a story in a Canadian Newspaper about "America - The Good Neighbor" and thought it was important to share with you. I know many of us are deeply distressed with the events of September 11, 2001. However, this article will hopefully strengthen each of our conviction and resolve that we have a great Country, and what America has done for the good of the world. This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing. America: The Good Neighbor Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record: "This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on aU the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured :in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it. When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, wannongering Americans. I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DClO? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once, but several times and safe]y home again. You talk about scandals and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here. When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke. I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbors have faced it alone and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those." Stand proud, America! Folded Wings Alex Eriov Murray Greilf Tom Parry Robert Boutain Charles Richardson Raymond Schneider

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Ball of Fire Vol.12 No.2 Summer, 1004 BALL OF FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England Presidents Message Our Dayton Reunion is now just 10 weeks away, so if you haven't made your reservations for this years outstanding program (see details in this issue) there is still time. With our reunfon near at hand I would also ask your help in expanding the participation of our second generation and their family members in our reunjons. It is a great time for a family get together, some of our families have scheduled their own family reunions around our reunion. It is the continued involvement of our next generation that is a vitaJ component for sustaining a yjable 93rd Bomb Group Association into the years ahead. There will be a special meeting of the membership at 9:00AM on Saturday for which we will need your participation to deal with a number of important matters: ie the time and place of our next reunion. nominations from t~e floor to fill vacancies that have occurred this year. The election of officers for 2005 and some open discussion items which cover our relationship with the Second Air Division, the Heritaoe Foundation and the 8th ,Ajr Force Q . Historical Society as well as other items introduced by our members. Our efforts to obtain for Ben Kuroki the recognition he so richly deserves are beginning to bear fruit. Our latest success includes a letter from George Bush Sr. to The Chairman of ~e Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Myers, which recommends a review by the Army's Awards and Decorations office and in which Gen. Myers concurred. This was followed by letters from myself to Gen. Schoomaker, The Chief of Staff of the Army, requesting his assistance in expeditino the Army's Review in order that a decision ~an be made in a timely fashion while Ben is available to receive such a decision personally. A similar letter to Senator McCain Pres. Fernley Bud Smith bas already received a response. Our goal is to get Ben considered for the Distinguished Service Medal. We shal I keep you up to date on our progress. For those of you who haven't renewed your membership we are giving you one last chance to remain on our mailing list for the Ball of Fire. We really need your participation in our group for the good of all, so please send your renewal NOW. Check for the words Renewal Due on your address label. Finally I have asked for an opportunity to great all those attending by setting aside on Thursday evening a President's Reception from 6:00 to 6:30 including a drink of your choice.

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More Reunion News A better than ever Hospitality room will allow you plenty of time for relaxed gathering and a wide range of video's and music. It is also a special opportunity for you to bring along your own special memorabiJia to share with your fellow members and guests. I am bringing a video which shows the total production steps in building a 8-24 of over one million parts every hour at the Willow Run plant in Michigan. For those not familiar with the Hilton Doubletree you will be pleased with the accommodations and the added convenience of the free shuttle service from the airport. Just pick up the courtesy phone upon your arrival and request service. You will also be able to enjoy swimming as there is an indoor pool available by elevator in the hotel. Friday is our day at the U.S. Air Force miUtary aviation museum which bolds the largest number of aircraft in the world, 300 aircraft and missiles. Lunch at the museum is for you to handle at the cafeteria. Our dinner at the museum will be held among the planes and we wiJI have the museum to ourselves that evening after dinner to browse and take pictures. Immediately after dinner we will have a series of special prize drawings inducting a Corgi precision cast B-24 Model and some unique clocks and other items aU donated to our 93rd Bomb Group members. We have arranged for an early bus and a later one for your convenience in returning to the hotel. For your special attraction activities during Saturday's free time try one of these: A full scale look alike of the Wright Brothers first mass produced 1911 Model B aircraft is available for you to take a Test ride between 9-2 PM at the Wright Brothers Airport. For the less daring among us how about a visit to the Packard Museum or a trip to the Carillon Historical Park to look over the Wright Flyer m replica of the original flown at Kitty Hawk. For the Shoppers there is the Webster Street Market where you can explore the showcase of antiques and a wide variety of crafts and imports provided by over J 00 vendors in a Classic 191 I building with 14 ft, wide aisles, handicap accessible and air conditioned. And of course The Christmas Year Round Shoppe and Restaurant. Saturday night we shall return to the Air Force Museum Hangar for a concert of Glen Miller music which should bring back memories of the concert of Sept 12, 1944 at the Hardwick hangar. Glenn Miller's handpicked American Band of the AEF swings into "Chattanooga Choo Choo" in a packed Hardwick Hangar Visit The Webster Street Market Located at 32 Webster Street and just next to the Second Street Public Market, the Webster Street Market brings old market charm with a new world twist to the Market District. With over 100 Vendors displaying anything from antiques to furniture to wine, the Webster Street Market offers you the chance to, find that special something vou've been looking for. Or just spend the day enjoying the ambience of our air conditioned early 1900's building. Originally constructed in 1911 by Requarth Lumber as the inbound warehouse for the Cincinnati Hamilton & Dayton Railroad, the 45' x 360' building at 32 Webster Street has seen a lot of history in Dayton. Look on a couple of the walls in the building and you will see the high waler marks from the 1913 Flood. The timber frame construction of this antique building is almost I 00 year's old and the wood is made of solid 45 foot long pine beams Shopping at the Webster Street Market is easy with wide fourteen-foot aisles, air conditioning, handicap accessible, and plenty of free parking. Our vendors have tons of beautiful antiques, artwork, International items, flowers, ironwork with new items arriving every day. While visiting be sure to stop in the east halJ and take a walk down memory lane and look at over 20 different pictures from Dayton's history. Pictures showing Downtown Dayton in its glory years, the Wright Brothers, and the Great Flood of 1913 will give the young and the old time to reflect about our city's history The second floor of The Webster Street Market is just for the antique collector. Over JOO showcases of antiques are available for you to browse through at your leisure. The second floor is easily accessible with our newly installed elevator to make your shopping experience easier.

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r r r Rennion Schedule Thursday, August 19 HospitaJity room open at 2:00 (open 9 AM to 11 PM except when reunion event is going on) Check in I to 5:30 President Reception 6:00 to 6:30 Welcome Dinner at 6:30 to 8:00 Officer meeting 8:00 toTBD Friday, August 20 Breakfast Board Bus for Museum 8:45 Leave at 9:00 USAF Museum (lunch al Museum on your own) Board Bus for Hotel 1 :45 Leave at 2:00 Board Bus for Museum 5: 15 Leave at 5:30 Requested B-24 viewing access. 6:00 to 7:00 Dinner al USAF Museum @ 7:00 approx. to 8:30 Drawing to be held at Dinner Tour the museum as desired 8:30 to 9:45 Board Bus for Hotel 8:45 & 9:45 Leave at 9:00 & J 0:00 Saturday, August 21 Breakfast Open day to relax and visit in the Hospitality room or sight see. Hospitality room open 9AM to 6:00 PM Member meeting 9:00 to I 0:30 Target of Opportunity Christmas Year Round Shoppe and Restaurant www.bellfair.com Carillon Historical Park Wright Flyer m www.carillopark.com Citizen Motorcar Packard Museum (Restored Packard Dealership) Webster Street Market www.websterstreetmarlcet.com Dinner at the Hotel 4:45 to 6:15 Board Bus for Museum 6: 15 Leave al 6:30 Glenn Miller Concert at Museum @ 7:30 to 9:30 Board Bus for Hotel 9:45 Leave at 10:00 Sunday, August 22 Breakfast Board Bus for Boat 9:45 Leave at 10:00 Paddle wheel boat on the Ohio River (lunch buffet on boat) Web page for boat www.bbriverboats.com Board Bus for Hotel 2: 15 Leave at 2:30 Arrive at Hotel at 3:45 estimated Dinner ( guest Speaker) at Hotel 6:30 to ????? PROGRESS REPORT AIR FORCE'MEMORIAL By: Al Asch, 93rd Bomb Group This information was obtained through a telephone conversation yesterday with Colonel Pete Lindquist, Vice President of Operation for the Air_ Force MemoriaJ Foundation. The key to measunng the progress for the development and construction of our Air Force Memorial is that-ground breaking will take place this September 15. Invitations wiU go out this July but admissions and seating will be on a first-come-first-serve basis. The ceremony will be 30 to 45 minutes in length with an Air Force fly-over, music and a few words from dignitary. Completion date is planned for mid 2006 with dedication in September of that year. The Foundation staff has been very busy with the detailed planning-with the Centex Corporation to complete the final requirements and specifications for the bidding and contracting with the selection of the prime and-sub contractors this summer. The Department of Defense (DOD) is on schedule for their work in site preparation. There is only $3 to $4 million dollars remajning to be collected to have the full amount for the project cost of some $35 million. The Foundation staff is in the process of developing the program to receive donations for the shortage. The Listing at the site for the large sponsors such as the 2ADA with its $25,000 is part of the design work. The staff visualizes the names of these organizations chiseled in a smooth granite slab and arranged in pylons near the visitor's reception and seating area. In this connection, individuaJ donors that give at least $10,000 will aJso receive permanent recognition at the site. One can donate cash or negotiable securities by directing your stock broker for the transfer to the Air Force Foundation account they have with Smith Barney, 105 l Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036. Contact at Smith Barney is: Julie McIntire, Tele: 202 861 5078. The Air Force Foundation account number with Smith Barney is: 179-41366-12-190. The transfer code from your brokerage firm to Smith Barney is: OTC #0418. If you should transfer securities to this account.

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make .certain that you notify: Air Force Memorial Foundation by E-Mail afmf.@airforcememoral.com or by regular mail to: Air Force Memorial Foundation; 1501 Lee Highway; Arlington, VA 22209-1198. Cbecks should be mailed to this address as well payable to the Foundation. If you have problems, call Colonel-Pete Lindquist of the Foundation: 703 247 5859. The Foundation has completed its web site and the data base is up to date. They are asking for our input of text and images where some of the best will be used as inscriptions on the granite walls at the site. I suggested that a very short item about the Ploesti raid would qualify. Colonel Lindquist agreed it would receive a careful review. Cal Stewart, co-author of the book Ploesti has agreed to develop material for the web site. Also, the first mission flown by the 93rd as part of the 8th AF would be compelling enough in making history and featuring the B-24. All individuals are invited to submit items by the web site: www.airf.orcememorial.org. If they are not used at the site, I believe they will remain, in the data base for retrieval by anyone having access to the internet. WWII MEMORIAL DEDICATION The WWil Memorial staff has sent me tickets for special seating at the dedication ceremony. May 29th with an invitation to visit the reception tent. I will be representing the 2ADA and the 93rd to the ex.tent that association and group organizations can be recognized. Al Asch Calvin, This is a difficult note to write, but my Dad, Raymond Schneider, passed away Dec 12, 2003. Every time 1 have started this note, I end up in tears. I want to let you know how proud he was to be part of the 93rd. As a little girl growing up, he didn't talk often but when he did, it was always with such pride in the men and planes of the 93rd. Over the years, I heard many stories of the 93rd and personal ones of being in England. When my husband and I were able to take him on the VE trip, so much came to life for me. My Dad was always on the go during that trip, laughing, telling stories, talking to the wee hours of the morning and then up again at the crack of dawn. Although he was a terrific and loving father and husband, this trip showed me another side ... as a young man ... I felt I like I met the man my Mom married. It was wonderful. We went back with the 93rd when the library opened but Dad's heart was not good. We were still able to do a few things we had not managed to squeeze into our first trip, like a trip to Wales. My Dad had wanted to hear a men's choir. Believe it or not, on the train to Wales, we met a gentleman who had been hurt in the Falklands War. He happened to be Welch and he knew of a choir in the town. When we got there, he kindly arranged to have them sing one night as a special perfonnance to us. Afterwards, we and the entire choir went to the pub and talked until late in the njght. The next day. he took us on a driving trip of ·the country side. It was some of the most beautiful areas we have ever seen. Everywhere my Dad went, he seemed to draw in people, and make everyone smile and feel good as they moved on. I don't know what information you need for the Ball of Fire but would appreciate it if you let me know so we can place his name among folded wings. I would also like to ask how to subscribe to the Ball of fire. My Dad would always send me his copy, usually with a little note about some article or the individual who wrote one. I would like to keep in touch with the 93 in some small way. Best regards, Guys, Karen A. Schneider Strategic Alliance Manager IBM Life Sciences email: kasch@us.ibm.com I just got my fr~e copies of the most recent issue of WW II History magazine, which contains an article I wrote about the Eighth Bomber Command. Every single one of the pictures they used to illustrate it is of a B-17 ! ! ! ! ! ! I'm not going to tell you to write and complain about it, but I wouldn't blame you if you did! Sam McGowan Dear Cal The ball of fire brings back memories of forming over the North Sea, as a co-pilot on Frank Eiben's crew. So much bad weather, fields of flak, but our bird made all 35 missions without any injuries. Vern Harriman Dear Cal, Thanks for all the information in the newsletter. The letter from Robert Jacobs, spring issue, brings back memories of the 564th squadron at Hethel, 389 BG.

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I was the operations officer of the Pathfinder squadron during its five months, 10 April 1944 to 17 August 1944. The lead crews were trained and dispatched from Hethel to lead bomb groups of the Second Air Division. Before the Pathfinder crew's training, including myself, we were based at 482nd Bomb Group 814th Bomb Squadron at Alconbury and flew nine missions. Oo 20 August 1944 the 564 Squadron reverted to a line operations as 564 Bomb Group and I became the squadron commander. I was born in Newark and lived in Canal-Winchester until Dec. 1941. While at Ohio State University I got a private Pilots license in the CPT program during the summer of 1941. Howard R. Hinchman Dear Cal, I see by the address label on my BOFQE that I need to play a little catchup on my subscription. At one time the original Ball of Fire was assigned to our crew but we never did fly a mission in it. At this time there are three crew members still sucking air, myself, Harry Ahlborn Engineer and Hal BiUyeu Navigator. Cal Stewart in his "Ted's Travelling Circus" has our last flight listed on page 94. I hope to be in physical shape to attend the August reunion in Dayton. Kent Jaquith with dropped by on his way soutb to California about six weeks ago. I knew Kent was co-hosting the Ploesti 60th but wasn't able to make it. I still wasn't on flying status when the group went to Africa but got on a replacement crew and went to Algeria to join them. But while they were flying north we were flying south. So we bad to tum around and go home. Kindest regards, Bud Wurm I am seeking information regarding Staff Sgt George Lawrence Parsons, army serial number 11045036. He was a member of the 409th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bombing Group in England in WWII. He was killed June 26, 1943 in a plane crash. I am his nephew, Paul A. Parsons. My mailing address is Box 319, 20 Undermountain Road, Salisbury, CT. 06068. Thank you for any information you can provide. Pau] A. Parsons Cal, Could you please add the following to your next newsletter (or let me know the best way to find info)? "Please ask if anyone in the 93rd remembers my father, Duane A. McCallum. His first mission was 29 May 44 (Tutow) and final mission was 25 July 44 (St. Lo area). He can't make it to the Dayton, Ohio, reunion. However I, his daughter. am interested in knowing more about him and the guys he was with during the war years flying mjssions in their B-24. Thanks, (mccalma@cox.net)" Marlene McCallum 128 Pergola Irvine, CA 92612 Hi Cal, 1 was so very pleased to read Robert Jacobs' letter in the spring, 2004 BOFQE, correcting my statement about lead crews and finishing tours. It's nice to know that someone else of the 93rd lead crews made it. I am certainly prepared to retract my statement and will do so, except for one quibble. Jacobs says that after their 14th mission, his crew was moved to the 389th Bomb Group, where, it seems they completed their tour. So, when they finished, they were not in the 93rd. Actually, my congratulations to Jacobs. Most likely we did meet, since we were both at Hardwick at the same time- September, '44-March, '45. Had I known of his achievement at that time, it certainly would have given me a greater degree of survival hope. All the best... ........... Steve Schanes Dear Sir My name is Greg Dortch and I am doing some research for some friends of a Father that served in the 93rd "BG, 409th BS. His name is T/Sgt Harold E. Nicholas #15080670. 1 understand that be flew over 60 missions and had been shot down and evaded or rescued several times. I did not see his name listed in the Ro11 of Honor. Please help me find anyone that might have known Harold "Nie" Nicholas or any information that you might have on him would be greatly appreciated. The famjly would like to get as much information a,; possible stating that up to his death a few years ago he would never talk about his experiences in WWII, or say very little about it. Thank you and my Kindest Regards, Greg Dortch On July 25, 1944 I flew my 27th combat mission in a B-24 bomber with the 93rd Bomb Group out of Hardwick Base in East Anglia, England .. The mission was in support of American ground forces south of St. Lo, France. The mission was a large scale bombing operation to make it possible for ground forces to get off the

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beachhead and break through the hedgerows to attack the defending German forces. The British forces were to make a major move through the German defenses at Caen and combine with the American forces to trap the German forces The briefing before takeoff covered the weather, German air defenses, planned route, target location and aim points on a road to be marked by smoke. Due to the proximity of American ground forces, crews were directed to leave bomb switches off until the last minute to avoid accidental release of bombs. On large formation bomb missions the lead aircraft bombardier is responsible for the target and when the lead aircraft releases bombs, the rest of the formation drops at the same time. Since the axis of attack was perpendicular to the road it was emphasized to guard against bombing short. On trus mission the weather allowed the leader to drop bombs visually through the bombsight and our aircraft dropped simultaneously. There was only light flak and no fighters so it seemed a relatively easy short mission. When we returned to our base in England we were told at debriefing there had been problems but details were not known at that time. Several weeks later it became known that there had been a tragic loss of American ground forces on this mission. The report indicated trus was due to wind blowing the smoke marking the target area and causing bombs to be dropped short. Many Americans were lost including General McNair. This was a high risk close air support operation but the need to break through the German lines apparentJy warranted it. Despite this tragic Joss the strategic value of this major operation succeeded in trapping large German forces at Falaise in France. Unfortunately the British forces fa.iled to close the gap and some German forces escaped through what was caUed the Falaise Gap ... If this operation had been completely successful it could have shortened the war significantly. Four days after this mission my crew was scheduled for more missions to Germany and there was no further thought about the St. Lo mission. Many years later, after retirement, I wondered about the tragic mission at St. Lo. l did some research and found much information and controversy on that tragic day on July 25, 1944. The dangers involved in operating heavy strategic bombers in support of ground forces have often been debated. One analysis of the St. Lo mission, which was called operation Cobra at the time, indicated it was poorly planned, badly executed and had some serious command errors. There were equipment problems, lead bombardier errors and accidental releases in lhe formation during the operation. The mission was a tragedy because communication between the top ground and air leaders was confused and badly coordinated. There was disagreement on the proper axis of attack and the proximity of the ground forces to the bomb line. The air leaders were aware of the dangers with heavy aircraft at altitude and recommended at least 3000 yards behind the bomb line. General Bradley wanted ground forces closer so they could quickly exploit the breakthrough. A compromise was agreed to bomb no closer that 1450 yards .. The air leadership had strong feelings that the Cobra bombing was questionable and dangerous because of the restricted bombing zone and proximity of ground forces. After the mission General Bradley ordered an investigation. The investigation found that the plan had been agreed on but some ground and air forces were not properly informed. Thus the communication and coordination problems, typical of the "fog of war", again caused another friendly fire tragedy. General Eisenhower commented that perfection in the employment of new tactics such as close support carpet bombing is attainable through the process of trial and error and these regrettable losses were part of the inevitable price of experience. In February, 2003 I found a book called Brave Men by Ernie Pyle. He was a famous correspondent during the Second World War and went through many major battles, always with the infantry. I was most interested to team that he was on the ground during the tragic bombing at St Lo. Mr. Pyle noted that July 25, 1944 was the day we began an historic surge out of our confined Normandy spaces and began fighting a war across the whole expanse of France Ernie Pyle's "I was there" comments help to bring another perspective to what it is Like on the ground when bombs are falling all around you. He described the experience as follows: "the main road running crosswise in front of us was their bomb ]jne ... only on the far side of the road ... everyone in the area had been given strictest instructions to be in foxholes, for high level bombers can and do quite excusably make mistakes. I compromised and picked a farmyard about 500 yards back of the kickoff line, our front Lines were marked by long strips of colored cloth laid on the ground and with colored smoke to guide our airmen during the mass bombing. "I stood with a little group of men ranging from colonels to privates back of the stone farmhouse, the first flight passed directly

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overhead and others foJlowed, for an hour and a half, .the bombs came down. It is possible to become so enthralled by some of the spectacles of war that a man is momentarily captivated away from his own danger. That's what happened to our little group as we stood watching the mighty bombing. But that benign state didn't last long, as we watched there crept into our consciousness a realization that the windrow of exploding bombs were easing back toward us, we were horrified by the suspicion that those machines high in the sky and completely detached from us were aiming their bombs at the smoke line on the ground and a gentle breeze was drifting the smoke line back over us. An indescribably kind of panic came over us and then it was bombs by the hundreds hurtling through the air above us. The bombs were already crashing around us but at last the sound died down and we looked at each other in total disbelief. GradualJy we left the foxholes and came out to see what the sky had in store for us." "The bombs again were falling where they were intended, a mile or so aJ,ead. It was not until three days later back at camp that I learned General McNair and many American soldiers had been killed in this same bombing. The leading company of our battalion was to spearhead the attack forty minutes after our heavy bombing ceased. They had been hit directly by our bombs and had heavy casualties and yet Company B attacked and within an hour had advanced 800 yards through German territory and were stiU going." "I'm sure that back in England that night other men-bomber crews-almost wept in ll1e awful knowledge that they had killed our own American troops. After the bitterness came the sober remembrance that the Air Force was the strong right arm in front of us." Ernie Pyle was with the American forces in North Africa. Sicily, Italy and on D Day in June 6. 1944. While he was in Europe his friend General Bradley urged him to go home. He did for a short time but soon he was headed back to cover the action in the Pacific. On April 18, 1945, 2 weeks after his 45th birthday he was killed by a sniper on the island of Jwo Shima, near Okinawa He is buried in the Punchbowl Military Cemetery in Hawaii. Through many battles Ernie Pyle lived with and wrote about the infantry soldiers. He won the PuJitzer Prize as America's best loved war correspondent. EdNacey 795 Juniper Ave Atwater, CA 95301 Hello, I prepare a book on the crews fallen in France, January 7, 1944. The 93rd Bomb Group Jost 3 8-24 this day there: the "Ole King Cole" pilot- David M Richardson the 42-7614 - pilot James E. Carnahan and the "On the Ball" - pilot Charles W. Walters. It is possible for you to help me in my research intended to honour the American aviators who fought for our Freedom. I seek information, testimonies and photographs concerning this raid, in particular concerning the plane of Richardson, who is mentioned as being interned in Switzerland, and sometimes indicated like being landed in Germany with all his crew POW. I thank you much for your assistance. Christian Dieppedalle 16 route de Chaingy Hi all, 45380 La Chape11e St Mesrnin France I would like to share with you the stories told by Ken McFarland about his wartime experiences. l will not add a lot to his Ploesti story because he has documented that so well. But the stories of his experiences prior to Tidal-Wave explain a lot about his remarkable return flight back to Africa after the bombs were dropped. The stories start from before the war and end after Tidal-Wave and tell a lot about the character and personality of this wonderful man, and somewhat about others involved in Tidal Wave. The stories also reflect how, as his father told him after he returned home after Ploesti, he had changed. • PREFACE Bear in mind they are HIS stories, related and often repeated (but usually with new details and insights) over many afternoon cocktails with my wife Sue and his wife Patti. Also bear in mind they are a compilation of many stories told by him but recorded in writing by me later but shortly after consuming those same beverages. So there may be inaccuracies on my part. Because"he related his tales as they came to mind, there was no particular order to them Therefore, I am often uncertain about the chronology of some of the events related. Also, sometimes a repeated story might differ in a detail here or there. Often I have been able to confirm details, often not. I wiU try to point out where details vary to see if others can provide a new perspective to ascertain the true facts. I get the impression some of you are "historians" and as such you are aware of contradictions and

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inaccur.:tcies in published and oral accounts. I am aware that as soon as something is written, it may become part of the historical record, therefore I am doing my best to accurately reflect what Ken has said. We should all seek the truth. One thing I should point out at the start is, the McFarland branch of my wife's family is noted for their ability to "embelJish" a story. I can attest to the validity of this ability because it was apparent in my mother-in-law, Ken's sister. It is also apparent in my wife, my daughter and my young granddaughters. It was also apparent Ken and his other nieces are also good at embellishing stories. But I have also learned that their embellishments do not include "untruths". The "McFarland's" seem to have the ability to embellish their stories with enough details to make them amusing and interesting! I did not inherit such ability and I am sure those of you who have heard him teU bis stories will agree I do not do them justice. Compared to the way Ken would tel1 the stories, my accounts will be dull. Those of you who have recorded him and or heard him will agree. But here is my first attempt: Prior to the War, after Ken had graduated from high school, he got a job on a merchant marine ship. He worked his way up the west coast from San Francisco and stopped off in Juneau, Alaska. I am not sure what Ken did in Juneau, or how long he was there, but he was running out of money before he cou Id return home on the next ship out. Ken had played the saxophone in dance bands. It was that era, you know and I have the impression he was a pretty good sax player. He certainly knew and loved Big Band music. Ken called the local musician's union to see if he could get a "gig". He asked if anyone needed a sax player. A couple of hours later he received a phone call in his hotel room. "Can you play drums? If so, we need a drummer." "Yes I can", said he, having never played drums before but desperately needing the money. Ken played drums for one of the local dance bands at a dance that evening. He said they were pleased after the gig and told him they would welcome him back as their drummer! And he had earned enough money to tide him over until his ship sailed. Ken related a story that occurred after he was in England as a pilot with the 93rdBG that I think shows the same self-assuredness. At a meeting with the pilots, they were asked if anyone in the room knew how to fly a B-17 because there was one on base that needed to be ferried back to its home base. Ken was apparently bored (I think this happened while he was still a "Spare" pilot for the 93rd BG, 409th Sq) and raised his hand. One other guy also raised bis band. They were selected to ferry the B-17. On their way to the plane they confessed to each other that neither had ever been in one, let alone flown a B-17 ! What's more, they didn't even know how to start its' engines. Being resourceful kids, they told the nearest ground crew that they needed to attend a meeting, but as soon as they got back, they needed the engines warmed up so they could take off immediately. They left, had a cup of coffee, and when they returned the engines were running and warmed up. The other guy said "I'll take off, you land it." Ken said their flight was uneventful and the B-17 was easy to fly. I have related these two anecdotes together because I see a connection. For one, they are two stories where he confesses to fibbing. For another, on his last mission, on bis return flight from Ploesti, he again decides he is capable of doing something he had never done before. Ken, and many others like him, were products of the Dust Bowl era and the Great Depression. Supreme self-confidence, self-reliance and resourcefulness along with the ability to adapt to the situation shaped their characters and personalities. However, I think Ken went off to t>.tar not fully understanding what he was to experience; he had never been shot at. He was still a kid who had self-confidence and thought as long as he could control the situation he would be OK.. Future tales will show a change in his attitude. So ends my telling of McFarland HIS story#l Although they are related better when he tells them, I hope you found this interesting. (Much) more to come. If others have heard these stories, are there details 1 missed? Future stories will include others who participated in Tidal Wave. Ken left us demonstrating the same self-assuredness. He knew he would not live long, but told me he was not afraid of what lay ahead. Once again, he took charge and made the decision it was time to let nature take its' course. It was an emotional last few weeks, but he felt the love of his friends and family. We will miss you Ken, by Dale Melin

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This story relates bow Ken came to be a pilot, with an .interesting Tidal Wave connection: Ken was attending San Jose State College in San Jose, CA when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941. I attended San Jose State twenty years later and from his description of the old Victorian house he lived in, we could have roomed in the same house. Anyway, he knew he would have to join the Army. He could wait and be drafted. He says one of his roommates, Jerry, already had a pilot's license and had a discussion with him about the advisability of being a pilot rather than a soldier being shot at in a muddy fox_bole on some battlefield. Ken said he agreed, but didn't think bis eyesight was good enough for him to qualify as a pilot. They had been told that carrots were good for one's eyesight so they bought a case of carrot juice and Ken drank it for a month. Terrible taste, said he. When he checked in for his physical he bad drunk so much his skin had turned yellow. The doctors thought he had jaundice and were going to flunk him. After he explained to them about d1e carrot juice, they allowed as how anyone who wanted to fly that bad should get their chance. He had already passed his eye test, but he had another problem. He didn't respond to their tests of his reflexes. They told him they couldn't pass anyone with no reflexes. They tried a number of things, the last of wh.ich was to scrape the ball of his foot with a sharp object. Ken says it hurt so much it brought tears to his eyes and he curled his toes. "That's good enough," they said and passed him. Ken said they were desperate for pilots and would take anybody. He was in flight training as a cadet within a week and be and his roommate separated ways. I asked Keo one time if he ever saw his roommate again, meaning the one who talked him into joining the Army Air Corp. He said "Yes." and related a new story. Shortly after the 93rd BG arrived in Benghazi to begin desert practice for Ploesti they beard the 376th BG had arrived. Ken was asked by his commander to go out and find them. He said he drove out into the desert in a jeep, topped a low rise, and saw something off in lhe distance in the sand. As he approached, he saw a large pile of duffel bags and other luggage that bad been dropped off in the middle of the desert. It was the luggage of the 376th. On top of the pi le was a man who was guarding it from the (locals). He recognized the man as Jerry, his former roommate! Ken says he was embarrassed because he didn't remember his name right away. Tbey talked for a while before Ken departed. When Ken related the story, he remembered his roommate's name. When I got home, I checked in my copy of "Black Sunday" and there he was listed in the 376th! Jerome P. DuFour, pilot of CHUM-V (KITIY QUICK), who flew left wing to Compton's plane, TEGGIE ANN! They both survived Ploesti. Small world, isn't it. Has anyone else heard that story? Are there any stories about DuFour? By the way, Ken recorded his "story" for the National Archives·. The vets get one hour to teU their story. Ken shared a copy with me. There is SO MUCH MORE TO TELL! One hour is not nearly enough! The carrot juice story is in his recording, but not the curly toes or the chance meeting with his old roommate in the desert. So ends McFarland HIS story#2 More to come, hope you find this interesting, Keo was so much better at telling stories!. Dale Melin This time I relate an incident from Ken's early flight scbool and end with his landing of "Liberty Lad" after Ploesti, his 32nd and last combat mission. When he related these stories, I perceived an eerie connection! When Keo started his flight training, it was so early in the War that he was taught in a private flight scbool near Oxnard, CA because the Army didn't have enough trained instructors. His private instructor was a man named Sprague. At key points in their training they were supposed to be tested by a military instructor. After less than IO hours training, Ken was given his first fiigbt test by 2nd Lt. Delaney in a PT-13 Stearman biplane trainer. These were double seated with archaic communications; a tube to yell in between them. Ken was asked to do a maneuver which he named but I can never remember. It consists of a power-on stall, double spin to the right and come out of the stall. He succeeded, sort of, but after stalling he pushed the stick forward too fast and flipped the plane upside down. In doing so he caused Delaney's head to contact the dash with some force. Ken says Delaney was furious! Even though Keo pulled the plane out of the spin, Delaney flunked him and wouldn't even let him land the plane. He said something like, "You'IJ probably Jock the brakes and tlip the plane and kill us both!"

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Ken was obviously worried about flunking out at this point! The next day he was up flying solo, practicing for his re-test. He had just completed one maneuver when he noticed oil all over his windshield. He looked down at his oil gage and watched it drop suddeoJy to zero. He said he turned off his engine and he was scared shltless. He was at 5000 ft altitude, looked around and picked out one of the nearby airfields to land on. He glided his plane in and made a dead-stick landing. Up to this point he had not been trained in a dead-stick landing, but obviously understood the basic principles of flying a plane! • I can imagine the conversation between Spraque and Delaney, who had been observing from the ground. Anyway, Ken said they had fire trucks, jeeps and an ambulance rolling beside him as he landed. They had expected him to crash. He didn't crash but made a smooth landing. It turned out that the oil plug had not been lock-wired and had vibrated out, releasing the oil. Sprague and Delaney were obviously favorably impressed, not ooJy with the landing, but that he had sense enough to shut off the engine rather than ruin it. After two weeks, Ken asked Sprague when he was going to be tested again. Sprague told him he had passed the test with his dead-stick landing; I think Delaney didn't want Sprague to tell him right away because of his sore noggin. Ken says he was never tested again; he went through six months of training without another test. On his final day, he was due to be tested when they called everyone in and promoted them. He was graduated in Group "G" with 16 others. They were flown to Mac om in Florida in a United Airlines DC-3 where they were all assigned to the 93rd bomb group as "spare" pilots. Each of the four squadrons had four men assigned as spares, Ken to the 409th. I think it is noteworthy that on Ken's last mission, Ploesti, There are eerie similarities. Ken was bringing his crippled plane back on two engines and fuel was very low. He said be purposely kept the plane at around 2000 foot aJtitude as apposed to the normal approach at l 000 feet. He said just as he got lined up with the runway, the two engines ran out of fuel and this time he gJided in and made a dead-stick landing with a B-24. It was night, dark, no instruments, hydraulics or lights. His flight engineer held a flashlight on the airspeed indicator, the only indicator still working because it didn't rely on electricity. By flashlight, Ken kept an eye on his airspeed and glided in and landed and without brakes rolled for over a mile. Again there were fire trucks, ambulances and jeeps rolling along beside him! The descriptions of the fire trucks, jeeps and ambulances are what I find eerily similar. Ken admitted to fear with every mission he flew. Some men are paralyzed by fear, others are stimulated and seem to have a keen focus on what needs to be done to survive. I think Ken was a prime example of the latter! So ends McFarland HIS story#3. Dale Melin About Historical Inaccuracies After I drafted the McFarland HIS story#3, I got to wondering. We all know there are "inaccuracies'' in the printed record and sometimes in the oral tales. I talked with another retired colonel who warned me to not believe everything I bear when these guys tell their war stories. I have heard Ken's stories often enough to be convinced the events happened as told, but there were occasional variations in minor details. Ken had supplied me with the article in the April 1967 issue of SAGA magazine, "Last Plane Back from Ploesti", by Arturo F Gonzalez Jr. Ken had told me it is essentiaUy a re-teUing of the article in the February 1960 issue of Argosy magazine which was co-authored by him, but the Saga article is less complete and has errors. He had told his story to Arturo over a number of bar sessions, with Arturo writing and he was reviewing it. In 1960, Ken was still in the Air Force, and maybe concerned about politics, about saying the wrong things. A couple of things written in the Saga article are examples of that. Al Salton has provided me with a copy of the Argosy article. It is interesting that they each have things not mentioned in the other, and they both have things Ken admitled are not "vaJid". I will point these out in subsequent emails, but suffice it to say, everything written in the articles is not true. Ken apparently made sure what was written would not have an affect on his AF career. I suspect this happens often in "historical" accounts and presents difficulties for those of you who are historians. I re-read the Saga article concerning the approach to his landing after Ploesti. I quote "The fLight engineer, Brown, reaches above McFarland and fires off the Very flare gun, popping a couple of red streaks into the dark Libyan sky." Sounds a lot better than my writing doesn't it? But (Johnnie) Brown isn't listed as the flight engineer in "Black Sunday"!

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He had come along as an observer. The flight engineer was John Hayes, if you believe "Black Sunday". I can see how such errors occur if Ken spoke of "Johnnie", meaning Hayes, and didn't get the opportunity to proof-read the articles. I would have to say that there is at least one glaring error in each that tells me that Ken could not have proof-read either article. By the time I noticed the Brown vs. Hayes discrepancy it was too late to ask Ken to clarify it. Maybe the "Black Sunday" Listing is wrong. Is there a way to clear this up? (Update: I received information after I posted this that "Black Sunday" was wrong, that Johnnie Brown was the top gunner on this mission, not an observer.) Continuing, "McFarland makes his shallow turn into the final approach at 2000 feet using just a bit of flaps." That matches what Ken (AKA Mac during the War) has told me, but it doesn't mention in the article that normal approach is at 1000 feet. "Then liberty Lad finally goes to pieces. All the instrument Lights go out, and McFarland finds himself sitting in absolute darkness tryfog to baby his crippled bird in." Again, sounds a lot more exciting than anything I write, but why doesn't it say the engines went dead because they ran out of fuel as Ken has told me and mentioned on bis Archives tape? As I understand it, the generators are dependent on the engines. No engines, no electricity. That makes sense. But neither article says he ran out of fuel. Why the different accounts supposedly from Ken's memory? It makes me wonder. For one, I find it hard to believe that BOTH engines would run out of fuel at exactly the same time. Ken was impressed with his flight engineer, but I don't think he was that good at balancing the fuel load. (Update: I received feedback that it was possible to balance the loads.) For another, the previous four or five hours he and his co-piJot had bad to use fu]l right rudder to keep the plane flying straight because they only bad power on one side of the plane. I would think jt would be damn near impossible to land a plane under such conditions. I think with power on, as he slowed to land they would have had to adjust the rudder, not just hold it full to the floor. Their legs were nearly exhausted; his co-pilot, Podgurski, was unable to walk and had to be helped off the plane after they landed. The fact that Ken maintained 2000 feet altitude rather than a thousand tells me he anticipated landing in a powerless g]jde. AJ Salton provided me with a copy of an interview with Ted Timberlake in which Ted mentions that John Roche made a dead-stick landing of bis B-24 in the 93rd's first North Africa tour. Ken and John (Packy) Roche were drinking budclies and I am sure Ken was aware of his dead-stick landing. I wonder. Did he just shut the engines off after lining up with the runway? He told me after the engines stopped, they no longer had to bold full right rudder and could let up on it. Was this bis plan? He knew he could glide it in, all he had to do was maintain airspeed at 120 mph. Would it be a crazy thing to do? Crazy Like a fox! I am not a pilot, but I think. it would be the easiest thing to do under the circumstances. Those of you who have piloted a B-24, what do you think? ( I got feedback from Robert Stemfels of the 98th BG that basically said 1 was foolish to think he could make a dead-stick landing with a B-24, but I believe Ken!) Ken's stories to be continued in next BOFQE Ted's Traveling Circus 93rd Bomb Group lian:lwtck, EJllllaod Ed: Dutch Borcherding has several magnets, the approximate size. and duplicating the above picture, to give away. He was looking for someone to take them to Dayton but so far I have been unable to contact him by phone. If I succeed in getting them sent to me we will include them in the hand outs at registration. I watched the WWII ceremony with great interest and only hope that our Air Force Memorial is completed in time for us to enjoy it. In order to get as accurate account as possible for the DoubleTree Hotel and plan for meals, buses etc. please have your reservations made and Activity Fee paid by July 1. Hotel reservations can be canceled and refunds will be made if you are unable to attend the reunion. I hope to see you all there. Folded Wings Richard E. Adkins Stanley J. Berriman Kenneth O. Dessert Evan Jones Albert L. Lee Kenton McFarland

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Ball of Fire Vol. 12 No. 3 Fall,2004 BALL Of FIRE QUARTERLY EXPRESS Newsletter of the 93rd Bombardment Group 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, Hardwick, England President's Message Congratulations to everyone for making our Dayton reunion such a real success. While there were many memorable moments, the most vivid for me took place at the Glen Miller concert. Our group was introduced to the crowd by the director who asked us to stand and the asked us to turn around only to see the entire audience of 1.000 or more aU standing and applauding our airmen. I got a little teary eyed that night and so ctid a lot of others. As we celebrated the active and successful participation of our younger members we should all be very pleased and proud of their contribution to our reunion and the future of the 93rd. I am pleased to report that the formal submission of the award review application on behalf of Ben Kuroki has been completed and has been provided to John McCain's office for forwarcting to the Anny's Military Awards Branch in Alexandria, VA, along with detailed endorsements by Lt. CoJ. Ed Weir, Richard Wilkinson and supporting documents by Cal Stewart, Gen. Myers- Chairman Joint Chief of Staff and George Bush Sr. Our business meeting focused on a number of important changes for the future of the 93rd. A series of steps are to be taken to expand and revitalize our web page as we broaden our efforts to reach the computer generation. Our exec. V. P., Paul Steichen, has agreed to head up this effort working with Sam McGowan and other associates. In addition we plan to spruce up the Ball of Fire and add a woman's section to give the attention so well deserved by the Ladies of our 93rd Bomb Group family. Phyllis Duran will become the Associate Editor under Cal Davidson to develop this important new feature. In regard to the Ball of Fire I would ask that each of our members purchase a subscription to the BOF for a younger family member. I have ordered one for my grandson, it is a great investment in the future of the 93rd. We are pleased that Bob Stahl our active Chaplain at our Dayton reunion has agreed to fiJI the Chaplains' role for the corning year and to seek out an associate as wel I. In reviewing our response to "Folded Wings" it was decided to design a spedal 93rd card to be used for such occasions and Phyllis Dw·an with help from Joannie will get this underway this year. It was also decided by our members that we should develop a clarified and closer working relationship with the Hardwick museum in the coming year. I have also asked that Peter Asch, John Lee and Don Morrison together develop a formalized arrangement and a priority of items that we could begin to support towards accomplishing this goal. Tbe membership agreed to provide an initial $1,000 in support after a proper proposal from our team. It was also suggested by AJ Asch and approved by the membership that we donate $1,000 in support of the library at Norwich. Based on John Lee's report on the 2nd Air Division Executive Council Meeting and a presentation at our meeting by Edward Zobac of the heritage League. We are encouraged at Zobac's favorable impression of the 93rd's orderly transfer to the next generation as a possible role model for the 2nd Air Division. We have therefore agreed to formally invite the heritage League President and members to our future reunions. We are continuing our full integration of (__

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2 the next generation into our management team. Sandy Comstock has assumed the role of secretary taking Al Asch's place. Don Morrison has assumed the role of historian for Cal Stewart and Phyllis Duran will assist Cal Davidson with the Bal] of Fire. In that regard I have asked Paul Steichen Jr. to begin relieving me of certain tasks in the coming year. It is my firm belief that to mruntain the viability of our 93rc1 BG Assoc. a working combination of our SENIOR AIRMEN TALENTS and our second generation members is a winning combination. The proof of that was clearly demonstrated by tl1e smoothly run reunion with 170 attendees which came off very well indeed in Dayton. During the meeting after much discussion and several votes our next reunion choices were reduced by the members to two from which Don Morrison our active conveoti.on director with the help of others will make a final recommendation. The two choices are Washington D.C. and San Diego, CA. We will have more to report in the next issue of the BOF. Finally, because 2005 is the 60th Anniversary of VE Day a number of our members are planning an informal gathering in England the 1st week of May 2005, to include a visit to Norwich and Hardwick. If interested please contact either Paul Steichen Jr. at: 1615 Birdhaven Way, Pittsburg, CA 94565-4277 E-mail paulsteichen@comcasl.net or John Lee at: 930 Preston Trail, Melbourne, FL 32940-7817 E-mail - jleel922@aol.com We will want to firm this trip up by the end of the year so please let us know if you' re interested. Thanks to all of you for your support. Fernley Smith Minutes of Business Meeting August 21, 2004 Dayton, Ohio The meeting was called to order 9: 15 am by Fernley Smith 1. Reunion for next year, consideration to school year, location and cost. A show of hands for each location. l. Washington DC, WWII Memorial 17, 2. Seattle, Washington 15, 3. San Diego/Queen Mary 28 Convention Committee wiJl review the timing and block of time. The ground brealdng of the Air Force Memorial in Washington, DC will be this Sept. but completion date may not be in our block of time for next years reunion. 2. Expansion of Web Page: Paul Steichen wilJ head up a Committee. The cost per year is $400.00. Some of the suggestions were: Poster contests, Reunion photos, download the BaH of Fire, bio's of all members of Ted's Travelling Circus and story boards to name a few 3. Becky (Brown) Estes with regret, resigned as Associate Editor of BOF but would like to still be an active volunteer. when needed. From the floor, Peter Asch and Kent Jaquith stated they would help with the BOP. 4. A Womens section was discussed and Phyllis Duran will become Assoc. Editor for that series of stories. 5. Folded Wings: It was suggested that a special sympathy card be made from the 93rd to be sent to represent us. Further discussion will follow. 6. Treasurer Report: Cal Davidson: Present Balance $20,707.77 Treasurer report was accepted 7. Non For Profit Status is being worked on 8. Don Morrison spoke to Members regarding the Hardwick Museum, England. He would like to set up a committee to see what their needs would be and for a Wish List from tbe Museum so we as a group become more involved. A vote was taken by hands and passed. A motion from the floor to keep in reserve $1,000.00 until the committee gives repert was passed. 9. John Lee, VP to Second Air Division Assoc (2ADA), represented the 93rd BG at the Philadelphia, Pa Convention. John read a report which included the Memorial Library tn Norwich in which the 93rd donated 3 books. The concerns are for the future. There are less than 4000 veterans and by 2010 the total may be 1500. Who wi.11 be responsible for the Library funds, how does the Heritage League fix our needs and the Fullbright Librarian who represents the 2ADA at Norw.ich be funded. The 93rd has a say on all this. A motion from the floor to donate $1000.00 in support of the Library was passed. 10. Edward Zobac, Treasure of the Heritage League was at our reunion as a guest with his wife. We asked him if be would say a few words about the Heritage League. The League is for wives, children, grandchildren and anyone

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related to a WWil veteran. The support to tbe Library at Norwich and the 8th Air Force Museum are some of the projects. The Heritage League is the future and more members are needed to get involved .. Our membership of tbe 93rd will be inviting the League to our next reunion. I J . Status on Ben Kuroki : After many letters, the Chief of Staff of the Army will have all proper paperwork and hopefully sometime next year a medal will be honored to Ben. Still in pending status. 12. Membership asked Bob Stahl to be our Chaplin for the next year until a nominee can be voted into office. Membership asked Don Morrison to become Historian in place of Cal Stewart until a nominee can be voted into office. Don Morrison has been asked by membership to be Convention Director until a nominee can be voted into office. Kent Jaquith has volunteered to be on the Convention Committee MEETING ADJOURNED 11 :20 AM Summary of the 93rd BG Reunion This year's reunion was held August 19 to 23, 2004, in Dayton, Ohio. The number of attendees at the reunion was 171, the hjghest attendance yet! A good time was had by all. Some of the highlights included the trip to the Air Force Museum, where the veterans and their family were even given the opportunity to skinny through the B-24 D for a remjniscent walk through. Many of the vets were surprised how the plane had "shrunk" since the war! We bad a wonderful dinner that evening in the Modern Aircraft Hanger and listened to John Stewart read excerpts from his father's diary and heard some great stories. During the reunion there was a large display of photos, wartime posters, films and artifacts of the 93rd BG. The artifacts consisted of aircraft wreckage of two 93rd planes. The largest piece was the starboard side fuselage insignia. It is 5 foot by 7 fool and included the forward edge of the waist window. On Saturday, we had a Jove]y time at the Glenn Miller Tribute concert. What a wonderful surprise when the audience of over 2,000 stood and gave our group a standing ovation after they 3 announced us. What a wonderful tribute that was! On our last full day of activities, we took a PaddJeboat ride on the Ohio River. The weather was beautiful and the food was delicious. We folJowed the cruise with a very nice banquet at the hotel where Col. Lynch of the USAF gave an interesting presentation on the B-1 bomber and how modem day war compares to wars past. Many great door prizes were given away, and a good time was had by all. Thanks to all who helped make this year's reunion a huge success. Special thanks to Phyllis and Joe Duran, Cal Davidson, Bob Stahl, Fernley Smith and Kent Jaquith. J began working on this reunion with Harry Kelleher's superb guidance and assistance. Unfortunately, Harry became very ill in the fal] of 2003 and was unable to continue. He passed away on June 6, 2004, but I know his spirit wao; with us. I am grateful to have worked with him for the short time that I did. His footsteps were hard ones to follow but I think we would have made him proud. Plans are underway for the 5th 93rd Bomb Group reunion. It will be held in San Diego in 2005. Additional ioformation will follow in the next newsletter. If you live in the area and would like to help, please contact me. We have a great group of people working on it, to make it even better than this year. Hope to see you there!! Sincerely, Don Moa:ison, Reunion Chairman 1375 West Comet Rd Clinton, OH 44216 email dkm@raex.com phone (330) 882-2536 Ed: My personal thanks to all those who made our Dayton reunion so successful, especiaUy the Duran's and Don Morrison. A special thank you goes to the Bill Nueman's who won the 50/50 drawing held on our cruise and donated their winnings back to the 93rd BG Assoc. and Kent Jaquith for all the great prizes. The following obituary on Harry Kelleher was not available when our last newsletter went to press. With Don Morrison's comments in the above article on Harry's participation in previous reunions I thought it might be appropriate to print it belatedly here in this issue.

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4 Harry A. Kelleher Harry A. Kelleher, 84, died June 6, 2004 at The Hospice Residence of Martin & St. Lucie, Stuart. He and his lovely wife, Louise, were well known and liked throughout the 93rd Bomb Group Association. We wiU always remember the outstanding work Harry did for all of us in arranging for the hotels. food. transportation, entertainment and other logistics for our reunions the past several years. There were three in all but the Jast one we had in New Orleans could not be completed nor attended by Harry and Louise because of his serious illness. Nevertheless, his planning was quite complete and published by Louise so that others could use it to make all the arrangements for the great reunion we had at New Orleans. Harry, an original member of the 93rd at Barksdale Field, was an Armament/Ordnance man during World War II (WWII). To arrive in England and serve his war years with the 8th Air Force, he boarded the Queen Mary in August, 1942 along with some 1,600 officers and men for our ground support of the 35 B-124's and 350 airmen who flew them. There's a story about Harry that shou1d be told. Harry and his crews without a doubt loaded and unloaded more bombs than anyone else or group of men during WWII or since. Our group flew 396 combat missions, more than any other heavy bomb group be it B-17, B-24 or B-29. We had scheduled missions but some were scrubbed which required unloading and reloading, night and day, rain or shine. Our B-24's were always loaded on time for the missions. On one of our assignments in North Africa, Harry volunteered to fly the low altitude Ploesti Romania mission against oil refineries as a gunner, .knowing full welJ the odds of returning were 50/50. This was August 1, 1943. The crew he was scheduled with did not return. He hitched a ride with Lou Brown of the 409th squadron and returned with little damage and no casualties. Harry was the only ground support person I know with a Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. He left the Air Force shortly after the war as a Staff Sergeant. Harry was born in Jersey City, NJ and spent most of his years in the New England State of Massachusetts and from there, to Robe Sound, FL, for 18 years of retirement. He worked for Royal Insurance Co. of Boston for 38 years. During that time, he was very active in civic affairs for Medfield , Mass. He was chairman of the Board of Selectmen and represented Medfield on the Metropolit~ ~rea Planning Council of Massachusetts. The cmzens of Medfield were saddened by tl1e loss of Harry and some had kind remarks about his memory. e.g.: "He was a very good Selectman, very decisive, very honest, very-open and he was a Selectman before we had a town administrator." Harry was a member of St. Christopher Catholic Church of Hobe Sound. Survivors include bis wife of 54 years, Louise D. Kelleher; six sons: Dr. Michael Kelleher of Shrewsbury. Brian Kelleher of San Jose, Calif., Kevin Kelleher of Wilmington, Del., Paul Kelleher of Los AJtos, Calif., Peter Kelleher of Mount Pleasant. S.C. and James Kelleher of PaJo Alto, Calif.; four granddaughters; seven grandsons and three great grandsons. Our deepest sympathies go out to Louis and the Kelleher Family. Harry will be sorely missed by alJ of us. By Al Asch on behalf of the 93rd Bomb Group Association. Historian's Comer Greetings from the 93rd BG Historian! As part of my ongoing research into the ~aily activities of the group, I have developed a hst of issues that I am currently working on. If you can provide any recollection of events, photos or paperwork, l would greatly appreciate it. If you have an item that you wou1d like me to T

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investigate, drop me a note. "Trip Back Home" I am looking for any records for the group at the end of the war, The items that would be helpful are flight orders (back to the USA) and transfer paperwork for the boat ride borne. I am also looking for photos taken during this time period. "Closing of Hardwick, 1945" We are looking for any information regarding the locations where aircraft pieces and equipment were buried at the end of the war. There are stories that djscuss photograpmc equipment, 50 Cal. machine guns and aircraft wreckage being buried on the base during May to June 1945. There are several photos of the aircraft scrap yard but it is difficult to determine it's location on the base. We believe that the scrap airplane parts were buried very near the scrap yard. This would be a great find to recover for the 93rd BG museum. "Bonnie Lee" As I understand, this plane was named after Crew Chief Ray Bader's daughter. We also understand that Capt. O'MalJey' s crew flew this plane for some of their missions. (April 8, 1944 to July 25, 1944) This information was provided by Al Alves. "Ground Crew and Line Chiefs" I am looking for any ground crew and especially the line chiefs. Based on past reunions the ground crews was very attached to their planes and have a wealth of photos and information. If you were a ground crewman, I would really like to talk with you. "Nose Art Artist" I am looking for anyone who painted any names or nose art onto 93rd BG aircraft. I would like to document the artist of these special and wonderful works of art. I have heard about a man who had a nickname of "Frenchie". His last name maybe something like Smyth or Smythe. I do not have a first name or hometown to help locate him. Based on the story, he was a Frenchman who was stranded in the USA at the beginning of the war. He then made bis way into the USAAF as a ground crewman. The story also goes on, that after France was liberated, he went to find bis family and was able to locate them. I have a 328th ground crew 5 photo that shows a man with the name of Smyth. Therefore, my guess is "Frenchie" was assigned to the 328th. Jojo's II crew "Jo Jos's Special Delivery II I have a photo of a crew in front of this aircraft. It is not Jo Jo #1, based on the men identified in the Jo Jo #I photo, this crew was lost on the Ploesti mission. I would like to talk with anyone who recalls the Harold Jarvis or Ralph McBride's crew. ''Photo Research" As always, I would like to hear from any veterans or family members who have photos of the 93rd BG. I have borrowed many photo albums and they are always returned. I make copy negatives for Jong-term storage. The modem prints are Jogged and filed in photos albums and the originals are returned unharmed. I have found al least one major find in every album that I have borrowed. Sometimes, every page is a treasure. Please help me documenl and preserve this history! Any information is greatly appreciated! ! Donald K. Morrison, 93rd BG Historian 1375 West Comet Rd Clinton, OH 44216 email dk:m@raex.com phone (330) 882-2536 To the ladies of the 93rd, At our last membership meeting in Dayton it was suggested that we start a women's corner in our Ball of Fire Quarterly Express. J am

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6 looking forward to interacting with all of you so we can get this new endeavor started. I'm sure many of you have so much you can share with the rest of us. I have never been a military wife but my younger sister has. So I'm aware of some of the unique challenges and the life a military family lives. Personally I think it takes a very specia1 breed of ladies and my hat is off to you all. You too are an important part of our history and I am so excited to be working with you a11. Our Veterans are our HEROES and we love and appreciate all they have done and sacrificed to protect our freedoms. Yet there are our unsung heroes as well, those who have never been in harms way. Never stood on the front lines with a weapon in hand, yet they have their own challenges. They are the mothers, wives and sweethearts who wait, pray and manage to keep the home front fires burning until their loved ones are able to come home. If you have any ideas or suggestion please feel free to contact me at: My best to all, Phyllis Duran 309 East Santa Paula St., Santa Paula CA 93060 (805)525-4681 dogpatchraider@msn.com Progress Report on the Air Force Memorial By Alfred (Al) Asch On 15 September 2004, Dave Thompson, his son Jeff and I, all of the 93rd, attended groundbreaking ceremonies for our Air Force Memorial at the invitation of the Air Force Memorial Foundation. A flyover was planned but had to be cancelled because of rain and low ceilings. The B-24 was one of the aircraft scheduled. This national memorial, which is expected to be completed in two years, wilJ be built adjacent to the Arlington National Cemetery and in an area known as the Navy Annex which is just a short cListance from the Pentagon. The actual site will be on a hill where the three stainless steel spires, the ta1Jest one 270 feet, may be seen from most locations in the Washington DC area. The total monumental structure is to honor the selfless contributions of the airmen who distinguished themselves in the Air Force and a sculptural representation of the tremendous achievement of American air and space power. The Air Force Memoria1 Foundation has raised $38.5 mi 11 ion and hopes to raise an additiona1 $3 million to complete the memoria1. The program devoted a page entitled "Sponsorship Recognition" which included recognition of the Second Air Division Association and the B-24 Groups Memorial of the Army Air Forces. Each of these organizations donated $25,000 and their names with be etched in the final structure of the memoria1. There is still time for one to make a contribution by sending it to the: Air Force Memorial Foundation, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, Va 22209; web site number: www.airforcememoria1.org. The ceremonies were well done. Major Genera] (Rat) Edward F. Grillo, Jr., President, Air Force Memoria1 Foundation was the Master of Ceremonies. Mr. H. R. Perot, Jr., Chairman of the Foundation summarized the history of the memorial as follows: "The Air Force Memorial began as the brain child of several leaders within the Air Force Association, later joined by leaders in the Air Force Sergeants Association. The project was formally launched in 1992 with the incorporation of our foundation. This journey has been both challenging and heartening. Our resolve has been strengthened as we look forward to that day when the powerful, graceful James logo Freed design will be completed on this magnificent site provided by the Department of- Defense". Other notables included Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Gerald R. Murray; Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, General John P. Jumper; Secretary of the Air Force. The Honorable James G. Roche; Congressman, Virginia 8th District, The Honorable James P. Nora.n; Senior Senator, the State of Alaska., The Honorabl.e Ted Stevens. There was some good natured humor about the objections raised by the Marine Corps of our original site selection which had delayed the project for some two years. Secretary ofthe Air Force, James Roche best described the memoria1: "The memorial.will be inspiring against the backdrop of our "Capital City's landscape, evoking aviation images such as a space launch or the Thunderbirds 'bomb burst' aerial rnaneu ver. The project bas good support from Congress, the Arlington National Cemetery,

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Arlington County and the Department of Defense. For example, the Arlington County of Virginia plans to provide several access roads and the Arlington National Cemetary logistical support before and after construction. Indeed, we can all be proud of this memorial as finally taking its place with the other monuments of our sister services. Following the ceremonies, Dave and I met Mr. Perot at the reception. He remembered us from the time we delivered the checks and thanked us again for the contributions of the Second Air Division Association and the B-24 Groups Memorial of the Army Air Forces. He said the donations came at a time when they were needed most Dear Cal: "Ted's Travelling Circus" is a great book and I have enjoyed the familiar and unfamiliar immensely. However, I have searched diligently through the book and am keenly disappointed that my name appears in only two places -- the index and the roster of 93rd members. The reference to page 66 by my name is for David Alexander. (Ed: As I did the roster & page numbers this was my error) In "The Tree", Chapter 14, I was the co-pilot of the crew of "Big Job" and am not mentioned at all. "Yank" reporter Sgt James Dugan apparently got his story from Oscar Street, because the details of the event concerning me, Rasmussen, Renk and McDermott are all screwed up. A better version can be found in "Mediterranean Sweep" by Major Richard Thruelsen and Lt Elliott Arnold. I submit the following to set the record straight. On the night return from the July 9, I 943 raid on Comiso Airdrome in Sicily, we were unsure of when "Big Job" crossed the African coast and the time for us to begin looking for the single line of flare pots marking the landing field at Benghazi. The radio beacon was a command transmitter with perhaps a ten mne range and it gave an unreliable signal. By the time the navigator, Milo Rasmussen gave up trying to get a celestial fix, the plane was too far inland to pick up any signal from the beacon. Unsure of our position, Pilot McKelvey set up maximum cruise control to conserve gas, and ordered Radio Operator McDermott to send out an SOS. A DF station responded with a bearing which we 7 took up. with no idea of how far we were from the coast. We were worried that we might overfly the coast and have to bail oat over water. We were all prepared for bailout and as the red fuel warning lights came on, McKelvey ordered "Bailout" and began to feather the fuel-starved engines as they failed. He was feathering the last engine and trimming "Big Job" for a straight ahead glide as I left the cockpit to bailout the bombbay at 6000 feet. It was 2:40 the morning ofJuly 10, 1943. My chute opened with a jerk and as I floated down, my flashlight showed only a black void. I was unprepared for landing and hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. My only injury was a small cut on my left knee. Stumbling over the chunks of lava rock, I found McDermott. He, too, had hit hard, but was uninjured. The going was so rough, we wrapped up in our chutes and waited ciJI morning to pick our way out of the jumble of black lava rocks. Surveying our position, we were surrounded by low hills of jagged lava rock that sloped down to a thin crust of lava cinders which broke through with every footstep to reveal the sand beneath. A perfect picture of Hell. Nearby was a dry lake bed extending into the distance. (We later learned that Lt Stewart had proposed landing on the lake bed pick us up. But since the ground party was already on the way, the "brass" decided the threat of losing a plane was too great a risk to take. Since our bearing from the DF station was toward northeast, McDermott and I continued in that direction. We found the wreckage of the airplane and a note left by pilot F/0 McKelvey and engineer T/Sgt Greathouse. They had survived the bailout without injury and were proceeding northerly. McDermott and I followed their tracks for a time, but when we reached a cameJ trail heading in a westerly direction, their tracks turned down the trail. MacDermott and I discussed following them, but since "northeast" was impressed on our minds, we struck out over the trackJess desert. We were suffering severely from the beat and thirst. It was already difficult to hold on to a thought, so before we wouJd lie down to rest in the shade of an overhanging rock or crevice, we would draw an arrow in the sand to remind us of our direction. On Sunday July 11, probably 20 miles from

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8 our bailout point, McDermott spotted something white on the top of a low hill. We were making our way toward it when the most beautiful sight appeared - a B-24 from the 93rd! The "Jersey Bounce" ,swooped over and dropped a bag of supplies between us to make sure we saw the others. McDermott and I scooped it up and carried it to the parachute canopy draped over the rocks. There we found Rasmussen and Renk. On bailout, Rasmussen suffered a back injury, barely able to move and Renk had a gaping hole in hjs thigh. That first drop provided food, water and first aid. Since lhe airplane now found us, we decided to stay together. It was obvious that the coast was not "just over the next bill" and we were all too exhausted to travel any further. Planes from the 93rd would come over almost every day and drop supplies and first aid kits. The first aid kits provided sulfa for Renk's wound and was a god-send, but the morphine we left alone. The supply planes would snap the parachute harness around a S-gallon can of water and throw the chute out on a static line. However, the can was not tied in securely and nearly every can popped out of the harness when the chute opened. It was heartbreaking to see the can hit the desert and explode in a spray, leaving only a damp hole. As consequence, we were always short of water. Our days were spent trying to beat the blazing heat reaching 130 degrees, praying to God with promises we hoped we could keep and scrambling to rescue what water might have survived the drop. Notes dropped with the supplies gave encouragement that rescue was on the way and the latest progress of the war. One day a British twin engine bomber buzzed us, wheeled around and precisely dropped a bundle of canteens to hit just below the crest of the hill to break the fall and roll to the bottom barely scratched. We drank well that day. One day, an Arab on a camel passed within a mile of our camp. We decided not to hail him as we had no arms for protection and that we could wait for lhe rescue team. Each time a plane came over to drop supplies, they would scour the surrounding terrain for any sign of the two crewmen still unaccounted for without success. When the rescue party came in, they, too searched, and found only a parachute and mae west whose positions had been marked by supply planes. On July 19th, the tenth day of our "desert experience", a British Army patrol composed of British officers and Sudanese troops rolled over the hill to pick up our party of four. A detachment had been sent to pick up the other party (Street and Magee). They soon joined us. On our way back to the desert patrol base camp we came to an Arab family camp consisting of a couple of tents, camels and goats. The women and children peered cautiously from behind the wall curtains. The father and his sons came out to greet us with solemn handshakes all around. With a sign and a word, Father sent a youngster scurrying back to the tent, who soon reappeared with a bowl. Father tipped the bowl to his lips and took a sip, then passed it to the British Captain who sipped and ceremoniously passed it to his lieutenant, who passed it to me. I came face-to-face with a bowl of fermented goat's milk. Minding protocol, I also sipped and passed it to Rasmussen. rm not sure he observed protocol, but quickly passed it on. I thought it wasn't bad -- like strong yogurt. As it got to the sons, they drank deeply and sent the empty bowl back to the tent. The desert patrol base camp was simply a gathering of trucks around the fire where they were preparing supper of bully (comed)-beef and onions cooked in olive oil. The captain remarked he bad been on desert patrol for seven years and supper was always bully-beef and onions. "Tired of it?" "No, it kind of provides a bit of stability in our duty. Something we can depend on." Next day, on our way to a prepared landing ground, we passed by a Miles Master airplane lhat had been used to help chart a course through tbe rough terrain. It had cracked up on landing and would be abandoned. The "prepared landing ground" was simply a section of the Libyan Desert cleared of rocks, where a British Wellington bomber was waiting for us. We said "thanks" and "good-bye'' to our desert patrol and boarded the plane for the flight to the hospital. All of those rescued, except myself, were "rearin' to go" back to the squadron after a few days in the hospital. I had suffered burns to my esophagus from over-chlorinated water and could not swallow solid food and had to stay in the hospital a full ten days. On my return to· the 330th Squadron, everyth1ng was abuzz with plans for the

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r super-secret "big rrnssion". Because Major Potts and the flight surgeon would not clear me for flying, I watched the planes take off for Ploesti. Probably saved my life. But that is another story. Crew of "Big Job": F/0 William W. McKelvey Pilot 2nd Lt Berl F. Alexander Co-pilot 2nd LL Oscar Street Bombardier 2nd Lt Milo Rasmussen Navigator T/Sgt Thomas F. McDermott Radio S/Sgt Elmer Renk Top Turret S/Sgt Royce Magee Waist Gunner Sgt Dale WiJson Waist Gunner T/Sgt Vincent L. Greathouse Engineer Sgt John Gomez Tail Gunner Bert F. Alexander, Major USAF Ret 7037 Hwy 26 Mokelumne Hill, CA 95245 Dear Cal, Enclosed is check for renewal of my Ball of Frre subscription and donation. 1 have enjoyed, for these many years, receiving the publication and wonder if any of my old crew members may still be around. I arrived at Hardwick in January, '45, and left in May '45. We flew our own aircraft back to Bradley Field, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and the crew disbanded at that time. Our first aircraft was "K" King, the only B-24 still in the camouflage paint in the squadron. After some six missions we acqufred our own plane, and named it 'Roy's Boys', and painted the nose a black and red checkerboard pattern. Roy Olsen, Yonkers NY was my pilot, 'Pete' Peterson, Minnesota co-pilot, 'Dubbe' Wynn, Virginia nose gunner, myself 'Buzz' Bertolino, Tilinois navigator, BiU Huerstel, fHgbt engineer, 'Pop' Fowler, Massachusetts, radio operator, Harold Fisb, Pennsylvania, waist gunner, Warren MHliken, Pennsylvania, waist gunner, Mark Saurber, Hamilton, Ohio, tail gunner, and our ball turret gunner whose name escapes me. I believe Bill Huerstel remained on active duty, and became a pilot. In 1972 I visited the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library at Norwich and donated my navigator flight logs, VE day issue of Yank Magazine and clippings from the Stars and Stripes for each of the missions we flew while assigned to the 328th Squadron. My arrival wac; 9 timely for I also had an original squadron patch which I donated and there was question at the time as to the design of the patch. I currently serve as a Docent at the Pima Air and Space Museum here in Tucson, where we have a completely restored B-24 under roof, which the museum acquired from India in 1969. A crew from Davis Monthan AFB went to India and flew the plane (which was flying on costal patrol duty in India) to Davis Monthan. Some four years for restoration were required and if any of the subscribers want to see the 'real thing' be sure to visit us at Hangar 3, here in Tucson, Newsletter Editor, Clement "Buss" Bertolino 1735 S. Jones Blvd. J 13 Tucson, AZ 85713 I would like to note that we are looking for speakers for the Company Grade Officer Council. We are interested in hearing the stories from tbe guys who were there, in action. Anyone interested in such an opportunity and who is able to be in Dayton should send me a letter. William Freemantle, 2Lt, USAF AFRIJMLLP 2230 Tenth Street Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7817 My grandfather, Alfred Midgley, was a tail gunner on 250505 (Gremlin's Roost) shot down on 6 February 1945. I have a crew picture and much documentation I am willing to share. I am also always doing research all inquiries and information are welcome. David Speer HdspeerlII@aol.com Mr. Davidson, Unfortunately he was killed during one of the rrnssions. His name was Fain Doyal. He's like a hero to my dad. He has a couple of pictures of him with other crew members in front of one of the planes. I believe he was shot down. I did get in touch with the author of the book and he is sending me a copy to hopefully give my dad for father's day. My dad wants to find out as much as he can, he was just a boy when he died. l am ignorant when it comes to these things but did the bomb groups have different names? I think he was with the 8th, if that makes any sense. Thanks, Andrea

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10 Thank you for aJI your help and insight. I know my father is going to love the book. I cannot wait to receive it . Mr Stewart is signing it personally to him, so that will be very special Thanks again, mitchl1z999@wmconnect.com Hello, My Grandfather, S/Sgt. Edward James Miller was part of the 328th Bomb. Squad./93rd Group and was shot down on April l, 1944 in the "Judith Lynn". I've just recently come into this information and I'm trying to pull together as much information as I can. My father has some info, but it is just very basic. In a perfect world, I'd love to find someone who knew him. I'm wondering if you can post this inquiry in your newsletter. Most Sincerely, James Simon 1140 Edison Avenue Bronx, NY 10461 jarnes.simon2@verizon.net As some of you know, for the past few months I've been writing the book review column for WW II History magazine, which means I get a lot of books to read and review. Lately, I've been privileged to read a few that I think would be of interest to some of those on these lists. Keepers of the Flame - This book is due for publication in a few weeks. The author, Ned Handy, was a flight engineer in the 466th Bomb Group who was shot down over Germany in the spring of 1944 and finished the war in Stalag 17. It's a very interesting account of the author's experiences, both in the POW camp - where he supervised the digging of two tunnels and was closely associated with the one POW who actually escaped and made it to freedom - and of his experiences before he was shot down. Lost in Tibet - This one is due out in September. It's about a C-87 crew who became gravely off-course on a flight back to Jorhat, lndia from China in November 1943. They ran out of fuel and bailed out, expecting to find that they were near their base. Instead, they were deep inside Tibet! Although they were intiaJly scattered along the sides of a mountain, the four-man crew and a hitch-hiker who was with them made contact with Tibetans who took them to the Forbidden City of Lasha, where they were some of the first white men to ever set foot inside the city. (They were in the first dozen or so and were the first Americans.) The authors, who have spent a lot of time trekking in Tibet, have done a good job relating the story of how the five young Americans made their way across some 400 miles of mountainous ten-ain to rejoin their unit in India. The Last Mission of Bomber 31 - Another new release, rhis is the •aory of the air war al the top of the world. Most people - including ME! -aren't aware that Eleventh Air Force B-24 and B-25 crews and US Navy PV-1 Ventura crews began attacks on the Kurile Islands, which were part of the Japanese home islands. in the summer of 1943, missions that continued until the end of the war. Although the book was inspired by the 1962 discovery of the wreckage of a PV-1 on a mountainside on the Kamchitka Peninsula, it relates the full story of the Aleutian Campaign and of the role played by the Army and Navy air crews. Pappy Gunn - This book by my friend Nat Gunn, who is the son of the famous Pappy Gunn about his father, has FINALLY been released! I talked to Nat yesterday and he told me it's finally out. Nat did a good job of researching his father's military career - he spent 20 years in the Navy in the 20s and 30s then was impressed into the Army Air Corps in the Philippines immediately after the Japanese attacks. He uncovered some very interesting facts and stories about his dad - including one about how Pappy took out a barge with a 75-MM cannon while coming out of a SpHt-S ! That one is in an official mission report written by another B-25 AC. Nat has put up a web site at http://www.pappygunn.net/ from which autographed copies can be ordered. Flight to Everywhere - This is not a new book and it's not in print, although one can find it on used book sites such as hup://www.abe.com/. I just happened to read it again recently and thought I'd mention it. In the summer of 1943 TIMF/LIFE photographer Ivan Dmitri was commissioned by the Air Transport Command to fly through the command's system to gather material for a book. He left New York in June and made his way through the A TC system to Brazil and on to Africa then to lndia and China, before returning by way of the Middle East.

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r r Scotland and Greenland. Dmitri happened to be in Benghazi, Libya when the IX Bomber Command - supplemented by three Eighth Air Force groups - flew the famous low-level mission on the Ploesti oil fields. This is a very important book for that alone, because his narrative reveals what it was really like among the senior officers as well as the crews who made it back from the mission. He tells how that the day after Ploesti, General Ent told Lt. CoJ. Sam Nero, the IX BC maintenance officer, that he wanted l 50 B-24s io commission ASAP for the upcoming raid on Weiner-Neustad. Nero told him he got could get 120, but Ent said, "No, we need 150". Dmitri accompanied Nero around as he did the leg work to get the airplanes, thanks, 11 in large mea,;ure to the delivery of new engines and other parts aboard ATC C-87's. This book is a literal treasure of photographs, most in color of airplanes, crews, maintenance personnel, etc. taken all over the world, including several around Benghasi at the IX BC bases. There are dozens of pictures of B-24s and C-87s, as well as B-25s, P-38s and other types (but not a SINGLE picture of a B-17!) If you've read this book, read it again. If you haven't, check the used book sellers to fmd a copy. I think I got mine from someone on eBay a few years back. Sam McGowan 3727 Hill Family Lane Missouri City, TX 77459 Following is a list of attendees at the Dayton Reunion ASCH. ALFRED ASCH.NAOMI ASCH, PETER BATES.LEO BA TES, NORMA BROWN.LEW ESTES. BECKY BEISCHEL, JOE BROWN. WILLIAM CADLE.JOHN CADLE. RICHARD CADLE, ANNEMARIE COLLINS, CLlFORD MRS. COLLINS DAV£DSON, CAL JOHNSON, ARDITH DOERNER. BILL DOERNER. JOSEPHINE AND DAUGHTER DELGUIDICE, LOUIS DELGUIDICE, ALBERTA COMSTOCK. SANDY DUGAN, BILL DURAN.JOE DURAN, PHYLLIS DUXBURY, BLAINE FERRARO, Wlll.lAM FERRARO, ANTIA FERRARO. BILLY FLANINGAM. JOHN FLANINGAM, CHRISTINE FLETCHER, WYNDHAM FLETCHER, SARAH FRAGNITO, FRANK FRIDELL JOHNNY ALDERMAN. BETTY GASTON.DON GASTON. HELEN SCHAFER. DA VrD SCHAFER, JUDY GAYER,DON GRAVEN. THOMAS ORA VEN, BEITYLOU GRIGG,CARL BAXTER, TOMMY SPANGLER, DALE GROS,BILL GlJDDAL, JIM GUDDAI- CORINNE HARRIS.SAM LEVINE, PAUL LEVINE, JORDAN LEVINE, ELISSA LEVINE, JANET HUFF, ORVAL RUFF. LISA HUFF. GEORGE HUFF, DONNA JAQUITH, KENT JOHNSON, GEORGE JOHNSON, GEORGE JR. JOHNSON. JENNIFER JOHNSON, ROBERT JOHNSON, MARILYN WAITERS. HELEN KOZNARCK. MARK KOZNARCK, JEAN KOZNARCK. WILL KOZNARCK. LAURA KOZNARCK. ANNE LEAGUE, MILES BRUNSON, JOSEPH Wll.LlON, WILLIAM LEE,JOHN LEE,BETIY LENHERT. BURTON MARX,JOHN MARX, RAYANN MCKEEVER, ROBERT MCKEEVER. MADELINE MORRISON, DON MORRISON, LORI MORRISON, MEGAN MORRISON. DONNIE MORRISON, MELVIN MORRISON. KATHLEEN MORRISON, VI. SNYDER, DEBBIE NEIDENTHAL, KENNETH NEIDENTHAL, JO ANN NEIDENTHAL, BETSY NEIDENTHAL. GARY NEIDENTHAL. RANDY NEIDENTHAL. WALLY NEUMANN, BOL NEUMANN, MARY ANN NYKAMP, HE!NRY NYKAMP, BEA TRJCE ROCHE. JOHN (PACKY) ROCHE.PAT ROCHE, JOHN JR. ROCHE. JOHN III MAYNE. TRISHA MAYNE. CHRISTOPHER MAYNE, STEPHINE ROURE. JOSEPH HUNT, EILEEN SAND, ED PREVILLB SAND, GRETCHEN PREVIlLE, BRUCE SARGENT, aru. SCHWARZGURBER. JOSEPH SCOTT.JOHN SCOTT,MARY SM 1TH. FERNLEY MATULA, JOAN SMITH, LLOYD SMITH, SARAH SILL, CHARLES SPENCER, DON SPENCER, MARYLOU STAHL, ROBERT ST AHL, DOTTIE STEICHEN, PAUL STEICHEN, MARISSA STEICHEN. TED STEICHEN, GIRARD YAMAMOTO. MARY YAMAMOTO. RYAN STEW ART. CAL STEW ART. PEG STEWART, JOHN HATH.GARY STROMBOM, FRED STRONBOM, !NEZ GRANZOW. KRISTEN GRANZOW, CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN. JOHN SULLIVAN, BEE SELLERS, JAMES SELLERS. PEGGY SELLERS, MICHAEL SWAIM. VERN THOMPSON. DAVID THOMPSON, JEFFREY TODD.CARL TODD, JOANNE JAFFEE. DON JAFFEE. LINDA TROUSDALE. RICHARD VETETO,HEAROL VET.ETO. MAXINE VETETO. ALISA VETETO.GERALD VANGSNESS. ELMER V ANGSNESS, NELLIE JEAN V ANGNESS, GARY WARNER.MARYANN PEARCE, KAREN WEl.SAND, ARTHUR WELSAND, SHERYL HARDER, ED WESTRUM, JOHN WESTRUM, CLEO WIER.FRED ZOBAC,ED ZOBAC. ROSE BEE.RS, JAMES LONOLOTf, RICK HEIGEL, JONA THAN

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Vol.12 No. 4 .. " ~~ ' .': .t 1::· ~- .... ,_, Presidents Message I hope you and those dear to you had a safe and bappy holiday and are already working toward those New Year resolutions we aU make! Joannie Matula, my companion at recent reunions, and I were married on October 9th of this past year. She and I are planning to "retire" to our new home located on Lake Chapala., near Guadalajara, Mexico. We will be joining over 9000 other Americans already residing in the area, mostly concentrated in the town of Ajijic, founded jn 1619 by the Spaniards. We will provide you all wjth the necessary address and phone number when we are fully established in our home. Our efforts to acquire the Distinguished Service Medal for our most honorable Ben Kuroki have recently been supported by Major General Ramsey Potts, former pilot and squadron commander/deputy group commander of the 93rd. A letter was sent December 22nd to the Army's Human Resources Command on Ben's behalf, a copy of said letter is included elsewhere in this issue. Our reunion team, under the expert supervision of Don Morrison, is hard at work with the San Diego reunion details, wbich is being developed for your inspection in the Spring Issue of the Ball of Fire. They have narrowed the dates down to 4 days either in late September or early October, so keep those numbers in mind when making plans on your 2005 agenda. Paul Steichen has also put together a group of more than 20 of our members who will be attending the 60th anniversary celebration of "VE Day," at Norwich, England. Joannie and I plan to attend and we hope to provide photos of this wonderful gathering. It's not too late to join us, just get in touch with Paul for the event, scheduled from May 3rd to the 8th, 2005, and it will be hosted by our British friends of the 93rd. Should be full of fun and memories. Stay well and we hope to see you in San Diego if not sooner! FernJey Winter, 2004 Hello Fellow Travelers of the 93rd, I would like to give you an update on our VE Day plans. As of now, we know our hotel (The Swall.ow Nelson) and the time of our stay (May3rd arrive, May 8th depart). The daily schedule of events in Norwich will take awhile to develop. I can tell you that we will visit Duxford American Air Museum, We will lay a wreath at Maddingly Cemetery, visit the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library and spend time at Hardwick seeing the runway, museum and main area by the 93rd memorial. We will spend as much time as possible with our British friends. If they are having a special VE Day event, I'll try to get us invited. So, our schedule will be a little fluid for awhile. We will do some sightseeing and have free time for personal pursuits. We have 20 rooms set aside for us and that should be enough for the people who have shown interest in going. You can cancel up to 28 days beforehand. The rooms are on the 1st come, 1st served basis so, make your reservations ASAP. • Everyone should make their own air travel plans. For most of us that wilJ mean flying into London and taking the underground from Heathrow to Victoria Station and transferring lo the train for a 2 hour ride to Norwich. Once in Norwich, the hotel is very handy. If this connection looks like a problem for you, contact me and we will see if we can have someone meet you al Heathrow. Another possibility is to buddy up with another 93rder for the trip from US. Our biggest asset for having a great trip is our British friends, (The Friends of the Second Air Division Memorial). I have been working with Colin Mano and look forward to seeing them in May. E-mail me if you have any questions Paul Steichen 1615 Birdhaven Way Pittsburg, CA 94565-4277 Tele 925-709-7285 paulsteichen@comcastnet

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2 Department of the Army Human Resources Command 200 Stovall Street Alexandria., Va. 22332-0400 Attn: Col. Tracey Tinsley-Nicholson, Chief, Personnel-Service Support Div. Dear Colonel Nicholson: Reference: Technical Sergeant Ben Kuroki 4505-34=0547 U.S. Army Air Force, 1942-45 22 December 2004 I am told I may be the only surviving pilot-squadron commander-deputy group commander, .93rd Bomb Group(H), whose services spanned Sergeant Kuroki's most extraordinary career with us (1942-43). The lengths to which he extended himself to gain combat status anal fight Axis powers in Northwest Europe, Northwest Africa, Balkans (Low-level Ploesti) and, later, from Tinian in the Central Pacific, are unequalled in World War Il Army Air Force annals. Sergeant Kurok.i was from a prejudfoe-free Midwest potato farm. He enlisted promptly after Pearl Harbor, fought to go overseas with our Group, self-trained as a gunner in our B-24 Liberators, and constantly begged hard for action and found it. While temporarily based in Libya, Ploesti was his 24th mission. He. insisted on carrying on until he had finished 30 missions (five more than the prescribed 25). He was a solid and influential morale factor in those parlous early-war days because he was. Nisei, modest and determined to gain revenge for December 7, 1941 . Between his Hitler and Tojo wars and with no formal training in elocution, he was ordered by Washington to make public relations speeches. Historic were his remarks before San Francisco's famed Commonwealth Club. That event proved highly effective in turning the scale of hostile West Coast anti-Japanese American attitudes. His was a singular journey in B-29s. Secretary of State Henry Stinson ordere<lSergeant Kuroki to be exempted from War Department policy that restricted those of Japanese heredity from combat in the sky over Japan. He accumulated 28 missions against his ancestral land before a barracks mate, under alcohol influence, nearly scalped him. Sergeant Kuroki was hospitalized when war ended. For a uniformed U.S. airman, who could not be assured of a New York hotel room or enter a California barber shop because of his Oriental background, yet wore air gunner wings and battle ribbons, he-deserves significantly more than the. Distinguished Flying Cross (two clusters) earned more than. three score years ago. His wartime crusade against Axis enemies and his 59th mission-combating glaring prejudice in both military and civil life-merit the Distinguished Service Medal. Kuroki, a fearless soldier and a now-retired daily newspaper editor, is one of the finest examples of love of country I have known. He helped pioneer Heavy and Very Heavy high-level bombing in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during periods when the loss ratios were almost intolerable. l nominate Technical Sergeant Ben Kuroki for the Distinguished Service Medal. Sincerely, Ramsay D. Potts Major General USAF (Ret)

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Ben, Lincoln's John R. Doyle, a WWII Navy pilot, passed the Ben Kurok:i booklet to Houston's George Bush the Elder, also a WWil Navy pilot. Both were shot down at sea. They'd also known each other at Yale. Bush the Elder moved the Most Honorable Son material along to Rkhard B. Myers, chairman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A facsimile of the Myers acknowledgement to George the Elder is attached. George the Elder appended a personal note to Doyle: "We're there, almost. The momentum (?) seems to be tilting toward a possible military enhancement whereas the 93rd Bomb Group (H) Association's primary nomination, in correspondence with The White House, pertained to the military/civilian Presidential Medal of Freedom However, the 93rd association would be highly appreciative if Ben Kuroki might be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star or Legion of Merit. We know we're in The White House at least once and we're in the Pentagon. We're keeping our fingers crossed. We're at the stage of needing your input on waiver of privacy, enlistment and, discharge dates, numbers, notarized signature, etc., in case such data is needed. Fernley Smith and I will be working with you. From here we're considering asking Nebraska's governor to contact California's governor in re The Presidential Medal of Freedom. (We know the Nebraska governor; his first job out of law college was with an O'Neill firm). rm asking Smith to consider writing The White House, or Bush's campaign manager, to renew the Medal of Freedom proposal, noting 1) Ben's home address is in California a state with a high concentration of Japanese Americans, 2) Memorial Day, Flag Day and July Fourth are approaching, 3) extending a formal invitation for the President to be the honor guest at the 93rd's annual reunion (17-21 August 2004) at Wright-Patterson, etc. etc. Best, Cal Stewart P.S.: Our Foreword author, Emil Reutzel, is also a Navy man. Go Navy! The Honorable George Bush Post Office Box 79798 Houston, TX 77279-9798 Dear Mr. Bush, Thank you for the Jetter regarding Mr. Ben KurokL His story is most interesting and warrants a review. His actions exhibit the finest qualities of the Japanese-Americans who served in support of our great Nation during World War Il. Because the awards and decorations are under the purview of the respective Service, the appropriate Military Department is responsible for reviewing award inquiries. A copy of your letter has been forwarded to the Army for its assessment. All other pertinent documentation should be included in Mr. Kuroki's military record: Your continued interest in and concern for our Armed Forces and veterans are very much appreciated. With best wishes, Sincerely, RICHARD B. MYERS Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dear Cal: Thanks for the copy of your latest Ball Of Fire Quarterly Express. Enjoyed reading some of the items. In contrast to some of the other 8th AF groups the 93rd still appears to have a thriving veterans association. Seeing the Ball of Fire heading, I wonder if in your next issue you can run the following. Not important. but I'd like to know if anyone has the answer. In The Mighty Eighth I had an artist paint up profiles of Assembly Ships from each of the 2nd AD groups. During the war I saw all except one, and that was the 93rd BG original Ball of Fire. There were several black and white photos of the aircraft showing it painted in bands of three colors. I wrote to several 93rd veterans asking if they could recall what these colors were. One veteran was emphatic that they were black, white and yellow, so these were the colors the used on the profile that appeared in the book. However, a few years later I came by color photography that showed Ball of Fire parked at Hardwick. The true colors were red, white and a pale blue-grey. The profile was corrected to these colors in later editions of The Mighty Eighth. I think my veteran informant was remembering the paintwork on the replacement Assembly Ship for Ball of Fire which had broad bands of yellow. Still later I came across an official communication to the British Air Ministry that described all Assembly Ships flying at the time (spring 1944) and the 93rd's was given as narrow red and broad white bands. Looking at the color image again I then realized that the light blue-grey band was in fact a white over-painting of another darker color. So, when originally painted up Ball of Fire had equal

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4 width bands of red, wbite and an unknown color. At some time during the winter of 1943-44 the unknown color was painted over white for an unknown reason. My question is, does anyone know what this color was and why it was over-painted white? Cheers, Roger Freeman Dear Cal, My brother and I would like to thank Al Asch, Bill Gros and many others that told their stories about the first bomb run over Lille. Our father Orval Dwayne Huff (AKA Oscar) had very little to say during our growing years about his life in the USAAF. I also need to thank. Kent Jaquith for the certificate and for calling the wrong Orval Huff about the up corning reunion. At the time he thought he was calling my father. My dad past away in Jan 2004 after a short fight with cancer. Thanks to Phyllis and Joe Duran for all the history info and patch and to Cal Stewart for spending his time writing such a wonderful book. Dad was only mentioned a few times due to the fact he spent most of his career in Sagan prison camp. The most memorable moment of the reunion was when the crowd stood and applauded for aJI of you for the decades of service to this country. Why decades ? After my fathers passing my mother and I were talking about the time he spent in WWII. She said the war never stopped. It continued in his nightmares till the day he died. Now I can look back and understand why dad yelled and screamed in his sleep. Only the wife and children of these brave men truly know the horrors they went through. In the spring our plans are to visit the small town of Guillers France. This is where the Ball of Fire Jr. was shot down on April 16, 1943. Dead kept in contact with the farmer whose field he landed in. We are hoping to bring back some of the wreckage and dad's flight coat and pants that are located in a small museum .. In closing I would like to ask each and every one of you (yes this does mean you) to please tell your story or better yet WRITE IT DOWN. Orval Huff Jr. and George Huff I am looking for information about my gr.:mdfather James Louis Baker From Osceola Pa. He was part of the 329th Bombardment Squadron 93rd bombardment group. His serial number was 33 024 497. his MOS was ammunition NCO 505. My father has aJways told that he was a middle waist gunner on a B-17 but the research I have done tells me that there were no B-l7's in the 93rd. Any information would be helpful. The information that I have given you is directly from his Honorable discharge paper. I have the original If you need any information just let me know. I also have two pictures of his from the service. One of whjch is a B-24 with a Jot of people standing on it small picture and I have a larger one of his from McDill Airfield, Fla. If you would like copies I would send one along. There maybe someone who could recognize some people and bring back some memories. Any help would be great. God Bless. Dear Sir Ryan W. Baker 5125 Upper Holley Road Holley, NY 14470 pharmie@rochester.rr.com On the 13th June 1945 while in transit back to the USA a B24 crashed close to Garloch in the Scottish Highland. It was a B24H sin 42-95095 "Sleepy time Gal" of the 93rd BG. Next year it will be 60 years since the accident and with the help of a friend and the local ATC Sqdn. where he is a instructor we are trying to get information on the aircraft. I have visited the site and got a copy of the accident report, there is also a good write up of what was thought to have happened and aU the crew and passengers at the local museum but nothing about the air.craft. This we would like to put right and add this to the museums file while the A TC are hoping to make a model and maybe plot more of the wreckage. So if you can help or point me in to some one who can I wiU be most grateful. I have visited the 93rd museum and e-mailed the curator with out success Hi Ivan, Yours faithfully, Ivan Potter Imp-20@supanet.com I am the 93rd BG Historian and I am a grandson of a 93rd BG Gunner. My grandfather (S/Sgt Melvin Morrison) flew his last mission on Sept 26, 1944 on 42-95095. This started my search for the nose art and any photos of it. It was at that time, I contacted the 44th BG( group that was flying it home to USA) and the Shuttleworths. The Shuttleworths are a father and son team who have researched the wreckage, worked with the families of the men kiUed and erected the plaques. I asked about any

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photos and was told there were none that existe.d. That is were my work really picke.d up. Until I started researching her, no one knew what her name was or had any photos. There was a rumor of a local man who visite.d the crash that remembers a girl's name or painting on the plane. However, the memory had fade.d. I have visited the crash site twice (March 2002 and May 2004). Since I had the mission reports for the 93rd, I assemble.d the complete lfat of every crewman who flew her. To make a long story short, I found several crewmen or their relatives to document the name of "Sleepy Time Gal". This proof is letters, diary, flight jackets and photos. Since this time, I now have several photos of her. They are: Right side of the nose showing name and ground crew, 3 photos of the left side ( no name) Bomb marking missions is visible left side (10 o'clock) taxiing around base Right side ( 2 o'clock low) landing with gear down. The serial #, Radio call letter and BS code are clearly visible. ( No name) I am working with the Shuttleworth's to document in book form the total history of the plane, combat crew ( 93rd BG), Final crew, and the crash. I can, however, send you a booklet with copies of the combat flight records for all of her missions and photos of the plane. This should give you a record for your museum. I can send it as a scan attached to an email and/or printe.d book.let. I am currently working on finding anyone who worked on the cleanup of the wreckage. I have started with the US group. Do you have any information on the British group? By the way, where do you live? Donald K. Morrison Hello, My name is Bjoem Mueller. I'm a German researcher for the story about the Gotha mission on February 24, I 944. On my search I found that the 93th BG lost one aircraft on this mission. I'm looking for information about crew of the pilot Case 409th BS and the aircraft B-24 42-100236. Around my hometown, Brotterode, many planes came down on this day. Now I'm trying to locate some of the crash places and the story of their crews. I should like to thank you for spending time and help. Greetings from Gennany, Bjoem Mueller Ed: These are samples of the many requests I get from Holland, Belgium, Germany, France, etc. 5 Sir, My name is Rhea Hambright. My uncle was 2nd Lt. Rhea A.T. Hambright. He was shot down on Dec.l, 43 in the Southwind, a B24D. rve talked to the 2 remaining crewmen that were on that fJjght BOTH were replacements and did not know any of the crew. I would like to find out more about your reuni.on. If you know of anyone that might have known my uncle, I would love to hear from them. Thank you for your time and reply. Bettyrhe@wt.net HeJlo, Mr. Davidson, My name is Jim Root, and I have starte.d to investigate my father's military life during WW II. His name was Major Kenneth W. Root, Jr. from Cooperstown, NY. I am the youngest of his 6 children. I have a lot of stories from my Mom, V-mail, photos and memorabilia from his 3 years with the 93rd, 409th. My Mom is still alive at age 84, but my Dad died at age 51 in 1968, when I was 11. I came across the website on airfields from the ArmyAirforces.com website. Very nice pies and information I Also, I see from the 93rdbombardmentgroup.com website that you are the editor of the newsletter. I would like to subscribe, and get old copies as well. I came across a lot of names, crews, plane numbers, etc .. .in my fathers maintenance log books, and also many pictures of the 409th and Hardwick! Were you in the 409th? Did you know and work with my father? I would love to hear any stories, see any pies-you might have of my Dad, or talk to you about life at Hardwick and the missions you were on! Also, can you "direct me'' or guide me to any other surviving members of the 93rd, 409th and/or any other information I can use to begin my journey? Newsletters of the 409th, reunions, etc ... ? When is the next reunion? Is there a complete list of all of the members of the 409th over the 3 years? The honor roll shows those killed, but what about surviving members? My dad was in charge of maintenance in the 461 st Sub-Depot of the 409th. He was not a pilot or crew. I am anxious to learn all I can, as I never got a chance to talk to my Dad about the war before he died in L 968. I do have all of his v-mail letters he wrote home to my mom and family. I can basicaIJy recreate his war life through his letters!! I live in HolJand, Michigan after growing up in upstate NY on a farm my Dad bad after tbe

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6 war. Then I went to college at University of Arkansas (where Cecil Cogburn taught Mechanical Engineering - did you know him??) I am trying to put together my Dads war Life story, for all of my family to pass on to all of our children, etc. Do you happen to know who has the original photo, or where I could get a good copy or digital image of the photo of the 93rd all perched on top of and all around the B24 in Hardwick, that is on the website? That is really cool, and of course I would like to see if my Dad is in the photo! Do you know the one am talking about? Any help would be appreciated, and please feel free to call me if you get a chance! Sincerely, Jim Root JameDavidRoot@aol.com 616-399-5990 Bob Stahl presents a copy of "Ted's Travelling Circus to Brumback Library director John Carr Van Wert native donates book Van Wert native Bob Stahl presents a copy of the book, "Ted's Traveling Circus," to Brumback Library Director John Carr. The book is a cliary of sorts of the 93rd Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Force. and their service in World War 11 between the years 1042 to 1945, Stahl served as a bombardier and navigator for the bomb group Stahl completed 21 bombing missions with the 93rd Bomb Group. "This book was written by CarroJJ (Cal) Stewart, one of the members of the 93rd. I got the book so we preserve some of the history of WWII io Vao Wert," Stahl said. Stahl is featured on pages 490 and 481 in the book. "Mr. Stewart's work is a wonderful history of the 93rd bombardment group and a welcome addition to the library collection. We appreciate Mr. Stahl's gift," said Carr. Hi Cal, Looking through the BOFQE, I saw a note about Don Morrison having had a bunch of caps made for the reunion and that there were still some available. I couldn't tell from the message who has them now, you or Don. If you will let me know, I would like to purcha<;e one. Another unrelated thought came to me that I don't believe I ever relayed to you. My brother, Leland, had a pilot by the name of Truett K. Bullock. He flew more missions with Bullock than any other pilot. I searched for a long time trying to locate Bullock and heard that he had died after completing his tour with the 93rd while flying some sort of secret mission. After a lengthy time, I received an e-mail from a young man in Sweden about BuUock. He had been hil<ing in some forest and came upon a memorial site where a C-87 bad crashed during a clandestine mission of some sort. Bullock was the pilot!!!! There were six other men with him at the time and a1J were ki11ed. I don't know if you ever knew Bullock but thought I would pass it on. Sorry I missed the reunion but had too many things going on this year. My wife and I are planning on going to England to visit Hardwick and on to Belgium to visit Ardennes Cemetery where Leland is buried. I see there is a group planning to go to England in early May. Maybe we will try to join that group. Regards, Vic Walzel What is the story behind the change in the 328th Sqdn. Logo

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8 Ed: In keeping with starting a woman~ page, Phyllis Duran sent me the infomiation on this story. These letters are an exact reprint from the January 14, 1945 Ladies Home Journal. Bill, Dee and Dianne By Elizabeth Jamesway BILL RUECKERT, command pilot of a B-24 in England was killed in a crash on May 1. 1944. His wife, Dee Rueckert heard the news on May eighteenth. Dee had spent those eighteen days fixing up the little apartment in St George, Staten Island, that Bill wanted her and the children to have and wondering whether Bill bad begun to get more letters from her. He'd gone overseas in March. She had written at least a hundred letters since then sometimes she wrote three times a day but Bill had got only eight so far and it made him unhappy. They were both 23 years old, Bill almost twenty-four. People didn't usually believe they'd been married so long, because they were so much in love. Dee finished fixing the apartment finally on the afternoon of May 18th. She'd had both the children down there with her: Billy, who was two and a half and Dianne, who was just a half without the two. They were still living with Dee's family out at Castleton Comers. two or three miles away, but Bill wanted Dee to have her own place. He was very fond of her family, but be liked to think of her in their own home, waiting for him to come back. They bad never had a home with any permanence to it, though they'd had a whole year in one place at Watertown, before Bill transferred to the Air Corps. He'd had to be away a lot though; he'd had to walk twenty-two miles from a bivouac to get home for their second wedding anniversary. They had some furniture that had been in storage since they left Watertown. Dee got it out for the new little apartment, thinking the chairs weren't new when she got them, would have to be done over where the cocker spaniel had scratched so, in their mad scramble to get up in Bill's lap. The other furnishings, well, there was the glass candlesticks they'd bought when Bill was stationed at Santa Ana, California, to take the curse off a particularly hideous table in the place they'd rented near there. They carried them everywhere after that and when the candlesticks were in place, in a new apartment in California or New Mexico, Bill and Dee knew it was home. And there was the saber that Bill's college class had presented him with when he graduated, he was cadet major and president of the Cavalry Officers Club. There was Dee's baby grand piano. There was the pink bassinet Dee had trimmed for Dianne, Billy's high chair and there were all BiU's letters, and the telegrams he'd sent that began "Dearest--Dearest, orders received, come tomorrow-fly to California -wire me the train, the hotel ------" There were the anniversary cards Bill bought-"they had enough anniversaries to last twenty-five years": for the day, for instance, they intended to elope, and didn't. There were the albums of pictures of Dee and Bill and Billy and Dianne and the dogs and the car Bill gave Dee one birthday. They were all there in the apartment Dee left them there and drove the children back to their grandparents. The house was empty when she got there. Her mother was working in New York and wouldn't be home till six-thirty or seven. Dee found some clothes in a basket ready to be hung out on the Line. She started to put them up. While she was doing this, a car drove up and a man got out and started up the walk, She came around the comer of the house to see what he wanted. She's little and blonde, and she lost thirty-two pounds after Dianne was born. She doesn't look frail, exactly, but she does look as if a strong wind could pick her right up, whirl her away. The man must have thought so. "Mrs. Rueckert?" he asked. "Yes," said Dee. Will you come into the house?" Dee had just about time to think it was funny for him to ask her to come into her own mother's house. Then he held out the telegram to her. She looked at it. It had two red stars on it. She didn't have to open it, She knew what it said.

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What she didn't know, the man told her. He'd taken it down himself. It said Lieutenant Rueckert was killed in action in England May first That's still almost all Dee knows. The adjutant general wrote her, of course and she's beard that Bill is to be awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. But she has had very few details. The navigator who was Bill's best friend was injured in the crash and it was some weeks before she heard anything from him. He and the copilot, too, were both too shocked by Bill's death to write very coherently at first. The chap-lain wrote to tell Dee that Bill had had a military funeral with all honors, and the navigator promised to send her a picture of the green as soon as he could. When Dee heard about the funeral she was willing to believe Bill was dead. She hadn't been, up to then. He had had one crash and walked out of it with a few bandages. He's dead now, and Dee knows it with her head. She's being very sensible about subletting the apartment and selling the piano and looking for a job. Her mother adores the children and is anxious to stop working herself and look after them for Dee. But everything else about Dee goes right on as if Bill were still alive. He's the biggest thing in her life. Except for the children and they aren't realJy separate from the feeling about Bill--he's the on1y thing in Dee's life. They had five years together, one year at being in love and knowing they were always going to be together, and four for the "always.'' They met at the University of 111inois on a blind date, on April 29 1939. It was the Zeta Psi spring formal. If they clidn't fall in love then, Dee doesn't know for suce when they did. All the silJy things that happened that night Dee remembers, of course. The car bringing the gang to pick up the girls broke down and they were two hours late. Someone else bad ordered the flowers Bill brought Dee and they were just pure mangy. Neither of them said anything until after they had been dancing awhile, when Bill said he was very pleased with his date and asked if she were. "He was everything I ever wanted," says Dee, "You can't imagine how sweet he was. I was always so proud to be his wife," Well, they were very young, and Bill was working his way through coUege and looking forward to getting a law degree. He read a lot; not just his work, but other things too-things Dee hadn't been sure people really did read like Shakespeare and 9 Marcel Proust. He was quiet He liked to listen to people and analyze them from what they said. But he liked to dance too. He was, weU, as far as Dee was concerned, and it was she who told me about him, he was perfect, They didn't have anything to get married on, and it was not very clear when they would, so they waited a year. They couldn't wait any longer. They didn't expect to be able to set up housekeeping right away and they knew they couldn't. Dee was anxious indeed to take some home economics courses. at Mary Washington CoUege, in Virginia. But they had to have the bond holding them together. They had to know they belonged to each other for always: their always that was four years long. They eloped in June, 1940 from Bill's family's house in Moline. They eloped on Monday morning in the family car on a nice warm June day. Dee had come down after the end of the semester to visit It was the day after Bill's birthday. They went over to DeWitt, Iowa, to get married; and when .they got there, they couldn't. There was no one to issue a license. So they went on to Clinton. Having to go to Clinton made it a pretty tight fit. They had to be back by noon to go on a picnic with the family. But they managed. They got married at the courthouse, with people they'd never seen before for witnesses, and the clerk didn't believe they were old enough. Dee was worried about that, but perfectly happy until she looked down and saw that Bill had got. dressed very nicely for their wedding, all but his feet He still had sneakers on. Then they were out and driving home and it was all a litde incredible-like and unlike every other day they'd lived, and they were worried about getting back on time. And Dee had lo take off her lovely new bat made of pink rose petals and hide it so no one would suspect they'd been doing anything spedal. They had seventeen dollars and the next week Dee met her mother in St. Louis, and went home to Staten Island. Dee got out to see Bill once on her birthday in November. The rest of the time she went to Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg and learned how to take care of Bill and the children they wanted. During the summer he managed to hitchhike to New York after R.O.T.C. camp ended. After that they were apart for six months. Dee's mother knew they were married. She rather suspects Bill's mother knew too. But to everyone else, Bill was Dee's boy friend. He was on the debating team of the university and Dee managed to hear him when the team was in

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Chicago and the debate was broadcast. Her father liked his voice. In January of 1941 they stopped playing at being married. Dee, with her brand new home economics knowledge, went out to make a home for Bill while be finished at the university. He had found one room, with a little porch, six blocks from the campus for an incredible two doJLars a week. Dee cooked on a two-burner electric stove with no heat control at an. She took some courses that term and they'd study to-gether after dinner, or sit on the porch and pretend it was a pent-house terrace. That was 1941, and Bill graduated that June. He was a cadet major and a lieutenant in the reserve There wasn't any doubt about what his immecliate future was going to be. They told him he had about six weeks before his orders would come through. So Dee and Bill came east to Staten Island and settled down with her folks. He got a temporary job with the Bethlehem Steel plant on the island, to fill in. And all that summer the Germans pushed deeper into Russia, past Kiev and Odessa and almost to Moscow. It got a bit harder to get gas-the stations closed at seven in the evening. The Balkans were overrun and there was a second battle going on in North Africa. Dee and Bill were dancing to Only Forever, to All the Things Yoo Are, the sweet, sentimental tunes that were their favorites, being no sweeter than their love. And the boys were going. The Army was getting bigger and bigger, and a lot of girls like Dee, when it was late and there was no more dancing-Dee, who was waiting for December now and Billy's arrival-were beginning to get used to the idea of going on alone. But Dee was very lucky. She says she was: "We were very lucky. We had so much. Much more than some people get in alJ their lives." At any rate, Bill was sent to Watertown, New York and was there for a whole year. Dee found a tremendous seven room apartment, the whole first floor of an old mans.ion. She scoured the town for furniture, the bed cost five doUars, and Bill scraped it and painted it, while she made a beautifu1 blue satin cover. Brny was born there on the coldest day of the year. Bill had just drawn $22,000 to pay off his men when Dee's mother, who had come up from New York, phoned to say the baby was on the way. Bill paid out the $22,000 in thirty minutes, and lit out for town in a jeep. His first words to Dee were, "Hey, you know, a jeep will go eighty!" Bill's name changed when BiUy was born-he became "Rook," so they wouldn't get mixed up. In the Army they calJed him Square John. His commission was in the cavalry, but the cavalry didn't seem to be doing a great deal in this war, so he applied for transfer to the Air Corps, and was accepted. Theo Dee began to move. First Tennessee. Thea Santa Ana, then Tucson, where they rented a whole ranch because they could get nothing else. Then Lemoore, California; Stockton, California; and Albuquerque. Dianne was born there. Bill was able to be with Dee there until a month before Dianne arrived. He went to El Paso then, and Dee was frantic, because she was pretty sure it was his last stop before he went overseas. Her mother came out to be with her again, and although Dee had a pretty bad time with Dianne four transfusions-she insisted on getting down to Bill. Her mother drove her down. TIME was getting so short now! Those last two months, after Dianne was born and before Bill was shipped, she'd wake up at night and lie listening to Bill breathe, telling herself that he was alive-he was so alive that he couldn't ever die. Then he left and she came home to her family with the babies. Well, he did die, at not quite twenty-four. They'd bad a lot, of course. They had the two children, first a boy, then a girl, and right off so that they could grow up with Dee, and There it is, you see. Now there are just the children and Dee to grow up together. And alJ the other things. The house they were going to build. They had a two-family house picked out they were going to buy, when Bill came back.The rent from the other half wouJd help household expenses very nicely. And Bill would get his job at Bethlehem Steel back and go to law school in New York nights till he got his degree and began to practice, and was enormously successful an they were rich and could build-the house that Dee has all the plans for now. What's the end of the story?. 11,ere isn't any end. There are Dee's plans-she's had a good training in home economics. What she'd, really like would be a job on a newspaper or magazine or in an advertising office where the fashion training her home-economics work gave her would be useful. She wants to work because she will need the money, of course, and to fi II her life too. Luckily, she need not worry about leaving the children with strangers. Bill, too, would approve of her arrangement to have her mother look, after them while she works. Both the children were to go to the Uni-versity of Illinois-Billy was to pick out his own

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r profession. It would be nice if it were law, like his father's-the one his father never had. And Dianne was to get married, be as happy and lucky as Dee. Whatever Dee can do to make that happen, she will do. And after a while, some of it wi L1 begin to make sense and be really important, even down in the hurt, shocked places where Bi11's constant love used to be. Dee is very young and she has a lot of life ahead of ber, probably a very full and interesting life. Right now there is only one thing she can see in the future that could hurt her any more than she bas been hurt. That would be a peace al the end of the war that wou Id betray Bill's death and her loss. If Bill died for nothing, if Billy is going to grow up to face the same situation that took Bill and killed him before he was twenty-four- then there will be nothi.ng for Dee to believe in. The Desert Training Center, California I December 1942 To my boy on his first birthday, This eventful year you have quickly grown from an infant into one grand little boy and I'm certainly proud of you, Billy. It is time that you and I should be getting well acquainted, because we have some years of grand companionship to look forward to. I can't begin lo tell you, boy, how sorry I am that I can't be with you on thls day to help you celebrate-this is really one of the biggest days of your life. But your Uncle Sam (I'll tell you much about him later) is io a terrible pickle, and he has a lot of jobs to be done. I'm doing my best to help him out way out here in California. Even though I'm a whole continent away and writing in an anny tent by candle-light, my thoughts are all yours this day. Your birthday present is a War Bond enclosed in this letter. You may think its a fine thing to give a young man of your age--it isn't even a new biJJ that you can crumple up, toss around. and have fun with! But it is yours, boy, to do with whatever you like. I may as well let you in on a secret right now --1 reaIJy plan to give you quite a few presents like this one. I want you to learn what to do with this stuff we men call money. If I am the kind of Dad a fine guy like you deserves, you will soon know how to use it wisely. While I am away, you are the man of the family, you know; so take good care of that wonderful mother of yours. I'll bet that you have fallen pretty much in love with her already (it 11 certainly didn't take me long when I first met her). Remember though, that since I saw her first, my claims have a considerable prio.rity over yours but I'm well satisfied that she can return both your Jove and mine in ample quanti-ties. We're going to have an easy time smoothing over difficulties, aren't we. young fellow? WeU, boy, I'll close this first letter to you with two wishes-one for a happy birthday to you, and the other that we may celebrate all the many more to come together, you, your mother and I. Your Dad Ed: The young Billy in this story is our own BilJ Sargent. On May 1, 1944 Bill Rueckert's plane crashed on take-off and my crew was next in line to go. The radio operator on Rueckert's plane was Sheldon Sheinfine and his bunk was next to mine. So that morning is still etched in my memory. Eli Schanes Diary Continued "Flew two missions with Bridgeman and crew- finished them up. First, to Neunkirchen- I flew as a standard navigator (not in the nose turret), standing behind Berg, the bombardier. Something had gone wrong earlier io forming our squadron, so we went in on the target alone. I could see the puffs of flak on both sides as they tracked us. After the bombs were away and we turned to get out of there, Berg remained crouched over his bombsight. I nudged him and he fell over. I disconnected his oxygen hose and plugged my oxygen hose into his mask. Over the intercom, I explained what had happened. The engineer came down with an emergency oxygen canister for me. After he came to, Berg could not remember making the bomb run and dropping the bombs. "On the second, to Coblenz - I stayed on the flight deck the full mission. Berg navigated. Lots of sack time. Bridgeman finished up, with four of crew "Flew next two with Row. Went to bridge at Worms- good result'>. We landed at Swan:ington, British base. Good meal, bed, party- but Hardwick sent a truck and we came back at night, cold and hungry. Had mid-night meal. Supply crew came the next morning." Comment: We took some hits in our hydraulic lines, resulting in no pressure for the brakes.

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12 Our airfield runway was too short for this type of emergency. However, there was a very, very long runway at Swanington, so we landed there and rolled for miles until we stopped. There was a hotel there with a fine restaurant, a dance floor and a band playing. Unfortunately, our command sent a truck for us and we were back home, feeling miserable. The next day, we flew in some supplies and I was able to move a few K-ration cartons to our hut. "Next to Ruhland- other side of Dresden. Plan "B" was Berlin. Of thirty-three ships, eight didn't get off, and ten aborted- very poor. Colonel Robertson and Schluter cracked up on take-off- forgot flaps. Took another ship and met us over the Zuider Zee, where we formed. Stepp ended up as lead and we flew J -3. Mission took nine hours. Hit Lauta alumfoum works- intense, accurate flak. Got a Jot of hits-hail on the roof. Schluter got two black eyes- co-pilot hurt, bombsight blew up. Kirk just missed getting hit. Holes in wings and waist." "Simpson, first mission- lost engine, salvoed, landed at Lille. Newell flew with Hastrieter-Schmoller's co-pilot- no news- MIA. Simpson, Newall, Larson and Gloss moved into hut late December. First mission was Ruhland- Newell missing." "On the long mission, we saw Czechoslovakia and the Alps. Some saw Berlin. I wasn't looking." Comment: This was my longest mission. Only 15 of 33 planes actually made the full trip. The assigned lead pilot, a Colonel, forgot to use flaps on take-off (reminding me of my days as a pilot-trainee) and crashed. Furious, he commandeered another airplane, took off, and caught up with us. As a result, Stepp's crew became the lead, and we flew right alongside them. We went far beyond any fighter cover protection and I think that we missed the target. A lonely, long ride in and a longer, more lonely, and frustrated ride back. Newell had just moved into our hut and now he was gone. "Makes 21 for me. Stepp- 20. Waldrop-25. Was twenty-one on the seventh, as usuaJ. Became a first as of December 18. Waldrop and Loustche got theirs at the same time. Ricci came to visiL- 29 and still a second. Schwartz-seventeen missions and still. a second." Comment: I became a L st Lieutenant on December 18th and 21 years of age on January 7th. "Hemeleski and Berg went to the Herman Goering Steel Works at Brunswick. Berg finished (flak suit- courtesy of Schanes). Hemeleski has 31." "Dick Glattley's missing in action in Italy." Comment: Dick was a very close friend at Montclair State. "Searles crackup- some hurt- Searles sent home." "Group went to Hamburg. Major Floore went on to Sweden." "Received canned chicken from Mrs. Adkins and an Oak Leaf Cluster to the Air MedaJ from Uncle Sam." ''Russians launched offensive- look Warsaw, Crakow, and Lodz in three days." "Each week we go out wood hunting- coaJ lasts three days. Get it from bomb dump- or from the ruined trees around Marx's wrecked ship." "Pamela gets married tomorrow- a bombardier." Nothing much until the twenty-third. To Heilbron- temperature- minus 60 degrees. Went on pass on the twenty-third, with Larson, Simpson, and Gloss- stayed at Batts Club- good beds ... Met Berg on third day- saw Jean Arthur and Lee Bowman in ? Bought many records-especially MiJler. Back for two days. Came back at 0215, mission at 0330- briefed for Kiel-scrubbed. Next day- Dortmund- aborted for gas leak- looked simple. Schluter- deputy lead- got hit- five chutes- exploded. Lost Boyd, Wallace, and Collier. Schmoller is MlA. It was visual-Boyd's twentieth." Comment: On a clear day, those gunners could really see us. After a while, the loss of buddies became commonplace-almost ignored. Otherwise (?) .. .Some guys just stayed drunk aJI the time. "Flak shack with Stepp and the boys. Had a grand time." Comment: We were given a 10-day-vacation to an estate in the south of England: Comb House, Semly, Dorset. We lived in a huge mansion over looking vast gardens and grounds. I have no idea wby this type of break was called 'flak shack'- perhaps because it was such a complete break from combat flying. "Red Cross girls- Sally, Barbara. Sunny (Astrid-refugee). Archery, skeet, five meals a day. Saw "Saratoga Trunk and Gary Cooper and Theresa Wright in a good one. Volley ball. WRENs at dance. Read Apostles of Revolution and began Armed Forces Institute course in Contemporary International Politics. In London, we visited Madame Tussaudes (Sp?) and "Henry V" with Laurence OHvier. Saw "Uncle Harry". Met Cole of the "Fighting 68" at the flak shack. Met Ricci in London- has thirty-one- is a first. Barre has thirty. Took ten days. Got forty-two letters-two packages from home. Three new men in hut- TulJy, Smith, and Amstutz. Same beds, same talk."

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r "Went to Magdeburg .... Simpson got fighters- seven 190s. Gunner hit. Lark got rid of bombs, lying in bomb-bay. Good job on Sezny's part- engineer with forty-five missions. Landed with no hydralics. Five for them. Twenty-one for Row, Chewning, twenty-four for Ward, twenty-two for me. "Feb. 11 to Feb. 25, 1945. To Magdeburg- aborted inside Germany- made a "Gee" run on Meppen .... Tired- flew a practice mission the night before." Comment: I was the navigator of a non-lead plane. Our plane developed some problem, so we returned across Germany alone. The ground was totally obscured, but I used the "Gee" indications on my cathode tube screen and we bombed on my command- through the clouds, hopefully hitting something at Meppen. "Magdeburg- with Stepp, group lead. Received grand compliments. Stepp called to gm AAF by major to experiment on B-24s. Wants to finish crew up first Can fly only wing or division leads." Comment: The detail of this mission bas stayed with me the rest of my life. Flying in the nose turret of the lead plane, it was my function to call out the new heading just as soon as the bombardier called, "Bombs away!" My choices were fairly simple-basically, to head for wherever the flak was the lightest. As we made the bomb run, the flak was heaviest ahead and left. At "Bombs away!", I pressed the button on my mike and said, "LefW. To tum a group of thirty B-24s effectively, the lead plane banked only slightly- the planes at the outer edges of the formation banked much more steeply. It was a slow process and I could say nothing until we all leveled out. Now the tlak was much closer, since we had turned toward it. I pressed my button and said "Left!" Up went the right wing, and now we were moving directly into the midst of the black puffs of flak. I could feel the explosions and then our left Plexiglas window was blown away. I thought to myself, "He's not listening. We're gonna get killed!" "Left!!", I said it with much more emphasis this time. "We're going left!" Stepp could hear my annoyance. I stopped looking out and instead I looked very carefully at my hands. Which one did I eat with? Ah! My right hand made a scooping gesture. Pressing the button, "Now right." My voice was steady, cool- as if I had everything under control. Up with our left wing, thirty B-24s turned away from the flak and came home safely. When we landed some hours later, several guys came running over to our ship 13 Birkenmeier m1ssmg in Italy. Seymour's engaged." Comment: Birkenmeier was a navigation school classmate. Seymour Lubman was my cousin. In the Anny, he lived in New Jersey and was stationed in New York City. with all kinds of great words. I do remember "fantastic" being said several times. All that I could think of was: "They don't know and I'm not gonna tell them." My inability to tell right from left has remained with me. Stepp had now been selected for only special and very infrequent flights- I would no longer be flying with him. My goal now became to fly with side crews as often as possible to get this thing over with. "Row was stood down for two days. I tried to fly with Gaston. Hemeleski went with me.-recalled, salvoed all bombs in Channel." This mission took a long time to get going- just a lot of flying around to get into formation. Hemeleski and I decided to make ourselves comfortable. We lay down in the nose compartmeal To do this, we had to rearrange our intercom, heater and oxygen lines- r had rus and he had mine. We fell asleep. SuddeaJy over the intercom came the news that the mission had been cancelled and that we were to dump our bombs into the English Channel. The bomb-bay doors were being opened as the pilot spoke. There was very little time before we would be back over England. We tried to get up and found that we were weeged in. Then, after much squirming to get on our knees, we had to unplug and then re-attach the various wires and hoses. In the midst of this, we both went into laughing fits. Finally, Hemeleski got over to his bombsight and did the necessary. lt would have been very sad for both of us, had he not made it. "Back with Row. Went to Osnabruk-little flak." "Recalled on way to Numberg- way inside Belgium- contrai Is." Comment: "Contrails" meant German fighters. On one mission, in the distance, I saw the pattern made by a new German plane. We thought that it was a rocket ship of some kind, but I think it was one of their early jets. If developed earlier, the jet would have created havoc for our fighters and certainly for us. "Again, Numberg- hit on No. 3 fuel cell at lines and in No. 3 engine at target. Hit lead crew's smoke bomb- almost bailed out. Feathered No.3- left formation at lines and came borne alone. Landed with little hydra1ics-flares."

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14 Comment: Nurnberg was tough, with many accurate anti-aircraft batteries. We were hit long before we made the bomb run and then again as we dropped our bombs. Right after that second hit, our nose compartment was filled with thick smoke. I grabbed my chest parachute and clipped onto the hooks in my flight straps. Our way out would be through the nose wheel opening- there was an emergency handle to lower the wheel. We wouJd have to edge ourselves past the wheel and then drop. Also, we had been cautioned not to open the parachute immediately- otherwise the draft of the plane would pull us back, collapsing the parachute. The basic idea was to get out of the airplane before it went into any kind of maneuver that would make getting out impossible- such as a spin, dive, fup, or explosion- all of which meant that there was little time to waste. I reached for the handle, when a voice said, "It's just the smoke bomb- no problem." I relaxed, unhooked the parachute, and then sweated out the lonely flight home. We had lost braking power- when we reached our airbase, the engineer sent up "distress" flares, so that the ground emergency crews would be ready. However, we landed nicely. The lead plane always dropped a smoke bomb with its bomb load, to show planes in the rear where to drop. If there was any kind of wind, the smoke would move, therefore completely unhelpful. Sometimes, this could be dangerous, especially when the bombing was close to our own troops. I heard of instances when planes, dropping on smoke which had blown backwards, actually bombed our men. "Next to Seigen- a long trip inside Germany- little flak- all went well." "Then came the 10,000 ft. raid in Central Germany- divided in three squares. We fiUed the middle one. Went to Kreisen. Saw a lot of targets- no flak. Fighter pilot bailed out- hid in woods. P-51s took care of flak batteries and trains. A good time was had by aU. 'Smoking on the bomb-run.'" Comment: The 8th Air Force put on a show of force, flying low over a "softn area of Germany, selecting any target. Our fighter escorts were everywhere. There were no German planes. Our bombardier was so relaxed that he smoked a cigar on the bomb run. "Misburg- oil near Hanover- loads of flak. Maddock's crew bailed out near the Zuider Zee." "Got my last lead and mission with Stringer. Went to Ascheffenberg- flew in waist Good oil hits in yards- smoke to 10,000. Two ships hit at front lines. Came home alone- tired-wore flak suit a long time." Comment: I flew as the navigator, but J knew the route well enough to fly in the waist of the ship, rather than in the nose. I wanted to see what it was like to be a waist gunner- and learned that standing in an armored flak suit for hours was exhausting. The mission was a success, but we bad Jost two more crews. I bad finished my 30 required missions, but the bed was all that I wanted. "DONE! Sent cable home." Comment: The next day, I sent the foJJowing cable home: "The firm of Schanes, Schanes & Schanes announces the completion of one European tour of duty. Raise my right hand." My father was at the candy store when the phone message came from Western Union, saying that a telegram was waiting at our home. It had never occurred to me that the War Department used telegrams to inform parents of the death of their sons. ("General Eisenhower regrets to inform you ..... ") I don't know what went through his mind as he opened my message- how deep his despair and then how incomprehensible the words at first. He must have been in a state of shock- this coming after months and months of worry. I do know that when I had met with my parents in Reno in June, 1944, his hair was black and that when I came home in April, 1955, be was completely white. "Hemeleski- thirty-three, Ward- thirty, JP- twenty-seven, Crew- twenty-one. Stepp led to Berlin- not much accurate flak. Kerr and JP broke fuel line- got Tokio gas- saved the day. Kerr in for DFC." Comment: The B-24 carried extra fuel in its wings. On the way back from Berlin, Stepp's fuel line from the wings froze. When be had worked at building B-24s some years previously, he had suggested that the emergency bomb release rod be the same diameter as the fuel line, for just such an emergency. Kerr and JP broke the frozen line, stuck in the bomb release rod, and the gas flowed. Kerr received the Distinguished Flying Cross. "Stepp got his tracks. Good man." Comment: Captain Lee R. "Jack" Stepp was a giant compared to the rest of us. He was a natural-born leader, made for emergency. There is no doubt in my mind that I owed my Life to him- as did a good many others. Over the years, he and I stayed in touch. We saw each other several times before he died in 1998. On one mission, as we came down the bomb run, the pilot of another B-24 broke radio silence, asking Stepp for advice. His bomb-bay doors would not open and he was afraid lo lei the bombs drop through the closed doors. Stepp told him of a special way to open the doors manually and all went well. Many, many years

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r later, that pilot wrote to Stepp, thanking him. I had heard that radio conversation and responded for Stepp, who was no longer well Stepp was structured internally. As an example, on any evening, I could make money by betting newcomers to our hut that I could predict Stepp's next words. After the bet was made, I would write on a piece of paper: "No thanks, I've just brushed my teeth." Then I would call out: "Hey, Stepp, would you like some candy?" And he, without looking up from his book. would say, "No thanks, I've just brushed my teeth." "Hershey was MIA- walked out." Comment: Les Hershey was one of my special navigation school friends. Shot-down, he found American troops. "Russ' first card came borne- all is well." Comment: Russell Reed was a POW and endured great hardship. He returned to Montclair State. After graduation, he taught Chemistry, went to Korea, and then flew with Eastern Airlines until he retired. As I write this, he and his wife Millie, live outside of Seattle. We have stayed very close. "Waldrop finished, also Bischoff. Hemeleski came home same time I did." "Farwell blew up over Munster." "Collier rescued by allied troops- coming home. "Schwartz crashed on continent- last mission- ?" "Ricci finished- whole crew did- came home." Comment: I later learned that Maury Schwartz was safe. Altogether, I was able to account for the survival of about 12 of our 30 navigation school class. One, Halstead, received the Purple Heart. Jack Stepp finished his tour of duty some time later. "Saw Pamela- happily married." Comment: On my last visit to London, I called Pamela at the American Red Cross, just to say goodbye. She told me that she had sometlung for me, so we got together at the Magyar Club that evening. She handed me a large envelop containing two big photographs- one of her in her wedding gown, the other of the marriage scene. She had been married by a priest in a Greek Orthodox Church ceremony. I recognized a number of the people in attendance: Dinah, her mother, Freda, the piano-player and some of the Magyar Club girls. The bridegroom was in US Army Air Corps uniform as was the best man. What struck me the most was that there was Henry DeBray- he had escorted Pamela down the aisle- and there was Elsa Graves, the well-faded former actress, as maid of honor. I had no idea that Pamela knew either one of them. These people had their own world and understanding-almost like a coven. It was beyond my 15 understanding. I gave up trying. Two other memories of the 93rd remain: (1) Returning from bombing missions, when we had descended low enough so that oxygen was not needed, I would open a K-Ration box, remove and unwrap the candy bar, and, while munching, I would laugh- a laugh of satisfaction that I had done something for the right of the world; (2) Our huts had loud speakers, over which came music and information. One morning, as I lay sleeping, there came the beautiful voice of Peggy Lee singing "Where Or When". She made the "wh" sound as it does in "whistle". For one moment, I thought that perhaps I had not made it back and this was an angel. 1 was ready. We were the first lead crew of the 93rd Bomb Group ever to finish and I was on my way home. Ed: Schanes Diary is a continuation from the Fall, 1943 newsletter. All spelling errors etc. are Scbanes "An Emotional Gauntlet" Stuart Wright of London bas written "AN EMOTIONAL GAUNTLET," the story of a WWII B-24 crew which will be released very soon. The University of Wisconsin Press has sent me a supply of promotion flyers. I plan to see that they are available at the upcoming reunion of the 453rd Bomb Group Assocjation to be held in Kalamazoo, October 8 - 11, 2004. Since Stuart at1d I have been corresponding via e-mail for some time, I volunteered to forward copies to some of the editors we have on our 453rd BG Newsletter mailing list I know Stuart would appreciate it if you would make mention of his book in a future pub-lication. Of course, there is no obligation to do so. Ed: Cost of this book is $35 plus $4.50 S/H Order fro,: The University of WisconsinPress c/o Chicago Ditribution Center 11030 S. Langley Ave. Chicago, IL 60628 Phone (773) 702-7000 M-F, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.Central Time Folded Wings Morris L. Hoover Orval D. Huff Frederick M. Johnson