On June 1st, 1943, I became a buck private in the Army Ordnance Corps, Army of the United States, stationed at Aberdeen, Maryland and in July, was transferred to the Army Air Forces in Greensborough, No. Carolina. After preflight training as an Aviation Student at Michigan State College, East Lansing, Michigan, I was sent to San Antonio, Texas, where all Students were tested to determine their qualifications for pilot, bombardier or navigator. I qualified as an Aviation Cadet for all three positions and expressed a preference for pilot training.

However there was a long waiting list for pilot school and the Army directed that I, together with a bunch of other would-be pilots, go to Primary Navigation School at Ellington Air Force Base, near Houston, Texas. Then came Advanced Navigation School at San Marcos Air Force Base, near Austin, Texas. On July 30th, 1944, with silver Navigator's Wings and the shiny gold bars of a 2nd Lieutenant, I was ready for assignment to a bomber crew. I was sent to Avon Park, Florida, where I met the other guys who made up the crew of a B 17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber.

We trained together for 3 months and formed friendships that last to this day. Lt. George Patterson was Pilot with Lts. Don Young as Co-pilot and Leonard Lesch as Bombardier. Sgt. Bill Mawhorter was Flight Engineer-TopTurret Gunner, Sgt. Dave Saltman, Radioman, Sgt. Ralph Dickman, Waist Gunner, Sgt. John Appleford, Ball Turret Gunner and Sgt. Aubrey Rhoden as Tail Gunner. In November, 1944 we, together with 15,000 other assorted Army guys boarded the Queen Elizabeth and sailed for Europe. After 7 days at sea, we landed someplace in Scotland and were immediately sent by train to the 351st Bomb Group, near Polebrook, a very small English village about 75 miles north of London.

At that time in the war, the Allies had invaded the continent of Europe and the city of Paris had been liberated. The Royal Air Force and the US 8th Air Force were conducting 'round the clock high altitude bombing of industrial targets in Germany. The 8th AF bombed in the daytime and the RAF went in at night. The 8th Air Force had 3 Divisions of four engine, heavy bombers flying out of air bases in England.

To support the bombers on their long missions deep into the heartland of Germany, the 8th AF also had fighters with long range capabilities. These Little Friends as we called them, were the P-38 Lightning, the P-47 Thunderbolt and the P-51 Mustang. Their job was to distract and destroy the Bandits, the German fighters, the Messerschmidt ME 109 and the Focke-Wolfe FW 190.

The US 9th Air Force, for close-in support of the ground forces, operated with two engine medium bombers, the B-25 Mitchell, ( which bombed Tokyo in early 1942 ) and the B-26 Martin. They also had fighter-bomber versions of the P-38, P-47, and the P-51. The job of these fighter-bombers and the medium bombers was to bomb and strafe enemy tanks, trains, supply trucks and troop columns.

I took part in 11 combat bombing missions as described below. The other guys in the original crew averaged about 30 missions. I had less, because I was twice sent to radar bombardier training schools at another air base, while they were still flying combat missions.

The events leading up to our 1st mission are worth mentioning because it was an experience, out of the ordinary. The Battle of the Bulge was going on in Belgium. For a week or 10 days before Christmas 1944, the weather in England, northern France, Belgium, Germany, etc. had been very poor, with fog and rain - deplorable flying conditions. Consequently, the American ground troops, who were in the Bulge and were surrounded by the Germans ( we called them Krauts ), were getting no aerial support. They were running out of food and ammunition. It was a desperate situation.

A critical part of flying a mission occurred when a plane, loaded with bombs, took off to rendez-vous with its Squadron and Group. Planes took off before dawn, at 30 second intervals and disappeared into the always dark, rainy, or foggy winter sky. In a few minutes the sky was full of bombers, all trying to break through the cloud cover, avoid mid-air collisions and look for their Squadron Leaders who were shooting off twin flares of specified colors - perhaps it might be red-green or green yellow, etc. Once assembled, a Squadron would rendez-vous with its own Group.

The Group would then fly, in close formation, to a prescribed location to rendezvous with 2 other Groups to form a Combat Wing, all the while climbing for the proper altitude and being sure to be there at a precise time. It was not good to be too early or too late. There are no parking lots in the sky where planes can park and wait for their buddies to show up.

Our Combat Wing would then fly to the coast of England and rendezvous with rest of the 1st Division. On some missions, it was necessary for the 3 Divisions, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the entire 8th Air Force, to blend into formation. Pilots and navigators certainly had a difficult job to do. Timing was critical. The cruising and bombing altitude over Germany was usually 25,000 ft.

To set the scene: At that time in the war, it was customary in the 8th Air Force, for the flight crew of a B-17, before its first actual mission, to go on a simulated mission, i.e., the crew would go through all the motions of a crew who were actually going -briefing, rendez-vous etc., but their plane would not have a bomb load and they would abort the mission when they reached the coast of England. They would then return to base, while the rest of their Group would continue on to Germany to drop their bombs.

On Dec. 21, 1944, our crew, (Patterson's), went to early morning briefing with the whole Group. We followed all the procedures, assembled with our Squadron and in turn, with our Group, Wing and Division and flew to the coast of England. We then peeled off, aborted the mission and returned to our home base at Polebrook.

When we reached Polebrook, the air field was" socked in ". We flew at an altitude of 500 ft. and couldn't see a thing. Other American bomber bases nearby were also fogged in. We were eventually diverted to a British base at Bath, near Bristol, which is about 100 miles west of London. Later in the day, the rest of the planes from the 351st Group, who had completed their mission, were also diverted to Bath.

We stayed at Bath for 3 days. It was an uncomfortable experience. The British put up with us but they really didn't want to sell us things like cigarettes and candy. I guess they didn't have too much themselves. Incidentally, the cigarettes had a terrible taste, we hated them. Another problem was walking around all day, for 3 days in flying boots. It taught me a lesson. Thereafter on our missions, I always carried along in my flight bag, a carton of cigarettes and a pair of G1 shoes. I tied the laces of the shoes together, so that when we were subjected to anti-aircraft fire, I could sling them around my neck. If we had to bail out, I would have the shoes with me. Walking to avoid enemy capture, would be much easier with G. I. shoes than with flying boots.

On Dec. 23rd, we took off from Bath and returned to Polebrook. Once again, the airfield was" socked in ". We were able to land with some difficulty at Glatton, the base of the 457th Bomb Group which was in our own 94th Combat Wing. Shortly after we landed, the airfield was closed down because of poor visibility. I can recall being in the control tower with Lt. Patterson and listening to pilots who were still in the air screaming for a place to land because they were running out of fuel.

Patterson tried to arrange for truck transportation back to Polebrook, which was only 15 miles away but all trucks were" grounded "because the fog was so thick you couldn't even see across the street. It was too dangerous to drive. He doesn't remember this, but somehow Patterson got the Provost Marshall to "loan" us bicycles. Because of war time shortages of everything, especially "petrol ", bicycles were very popular in England. All military bases were well stocked with them and the PM had impounded a goodly supply which had been lost, strayed or stolen.

Picture ten young airmen, proud of their "Wings", mounted on bicycles, on a dark foggy nite, riding 15 miles back to Polebrook. There were no road signs, no street lights - how we ever found our way back home, I don't know. What a wild ride it was! I fell in mud puddles 3 times - but we laughed all the way.

What a relief- shave - shower - American chow and cigarettes and we were able to get those flying boots off ! I" hit the sack" at about 11:00 PM, feeling pretty cozy and ready for a nice long sleep.

SURPRISE ! About 2:00 AM, a sergeant tapped me on the shoulder, waking me up and saying, "You're flying today, lieutenant. "I replied, "We can't fly today, we don't have an airplane, it's 15 miles away." The sergeant confirmed that but added that we would be driven by truck over to our plane. Apparently the fog had lifted a bit.

It seems that the American GI’s at the Battle of the Bulge were having a real rough time. Air support, because of weather conditions, was at a minimum. The GI's were surrounded by the Krauts and were at the point of surrender. But with a break in the weather, the C-47 cargo planes would be able to able to drop them food, ammo and supplies. Fighter planes and medium bombers then could attack the surrounding German forces. The heavy bombers, while we were to attack targets deep inside Germany, all flew over the Bulge as moral support for the guys on the ground; then we flew on to our targets. That was the situation on Christmas Eve, 1944.

For the 8th Air Force, it was an" M E ", a Maximum Effort. Every air plane that could fly was put up in support of the ground forces. A Bomb Group put up from 18 to 36 planes for a normal mission. For an "M E "they put up 48. On this date the 351st put up 52 B-17's. Because of the weather conditions noted above, the 351st Bomb Group had planes scattered all over England and they flew with other Groups. As a result they bombed an assortment of targets. The 351st Bomb Group history log states that the following targets were attacked by our bombers - Biblis -Kaiserlautern - Koblenz - Merzhausen - Geissen and Frankfort / Main. On a normal mission, all the planes in a Bomb Group attack the same target. My notes show that our plane went with the 457^th Bomb Group to bomb an airfield at Merzhausen. The mission was confusing to say the least and we had our first taste of seeing" flak "- anti-aircraft fire.

After the mission, when we reached England, we separated from the 457th BG and returned to Polebrook. SURPRISE ! The airfield was" socked in "again. This time we were diverted to an American field near Cambridge, about 50 miles north of London. Of course, they weren't expecting us and they didn't have suitable sleeping quarters for us. I was given one skimpy blanket and was assigned a bed in an abandoned barracks. I recall Sgt Mawhorter being with me. I was never so cold and damp as I was that nite. I slept in my flying clothes, in an unheated metal Quonset Hut, with a concrete floor - like sleeping in an abandoned warehouse. I didn't sleep all nite; just lay there and shivered.

I went to Mass the next day, Christmas. Once again it was in a Quonset Hut and I got the last seat to be had. It was right next to a red hot, pot-bellied stove. After a freezing nite, now I was roasting. Finally, later that afternoon, we were able to take off and land at Polebrook.

Shortly after we landed, the Squadron Navigator approached me and told me that I was going to "Mickey" school. "Mickey" was a Secret code name, originally Mickey Mouse, given to the radar equipment installed on a plane, which was used for bombing when weather conditions were such that visual bombing was not possible. I was to become a Radar Bombardier, more commonly called a Mickey Operator, (M. O.).

This was my 1st mission as a Mickey Operator. Planes equipped with the '' Mickey" radar flew only as a lead, or a deputy lead plane, in a squadron or a group. The radar antenna was housed in a radome which replaced the ball turret on the under side of the aircraft. Inside the radome was an antenna and a dish for sending and receiving radar signals. The dish rotated once every 2 1/2 seconds. The Mickey Operator's receiving set was located adjacent to the radioman's station, which was immediately aft of the bomb bay.

On this date, the 351st B G was originally scheduled to bomb a bridge over the Rhine river at Wesel, Germany. However this was covered by clouds up to 28,000 ft. and the secondary target, a fuel depot at Dulmen, near Munster, was bombed instead.

Our plane flew deputy lead in a force of 6 planes which were loaded with "chaff" instead of bombs. "Chaff" are strips of aluminum foil (like the stuff used to decorate Christmas trees), which can be very easily detected by radar. When dropped from an airplane, it fouls up the enemy's radar and makes it difficult for them to spot a bomber force.

Our force of 6 planes accompanied our Wing and Division, just as if we were carrying a bomb load. However, at a point about 100 miles from the target, our small force peeled off from the other Groups and flew in a different direction. As we did, the bomb bay doors were opened and we dropped the" chaff ". Enemy radar must have seen a lot of confusing blips on their screens. When the main force returned to base, they reported no fighters and no flak. Perhaps our diversionary tactics were a success.

Flying time was 6 1/2 hours.

The target was locomotive shops at Kassel. The IP (Initial Point), the start of the bomb run, was 40 miles to the north. We went in on the northern route via the Zuider Zee, Zwolle, Osnabruck and Hanover. We came out on the southern route via Fuida, Geissen, Frankfurt and Koblenz.

Flew lead of the low squadron, with Lt. Robinson, pilot, Lt. Hall, bombardier, Lt. Allen, navigator. Flak was intense at target but we were lucky and were untouched. Our Group lead plane, with Lt. Col. Carraway as Air Commander, feathered #3 engine when it got hit. The Group behind us got hit hard and 3 planes were seen to go down - one was in flames.

My Mickey set was very bad with a lot of interference. Bombs fell 1 1/2 miles west of target. Flying time was 7 hours.

At this point in time, Lt. Patterson's crew was assigned as a lead crew and I was fortunate enough to be assigned as their Mickey Operator. Lt Don Young who had been Pat's co-pilot since our training days in the States, was now promoted to 1st pilot and had his own crew. Since the ball turret was replaced by the radar dome on lead planes, Sgt. John Appleford our Ball Turret Gunner was assigned to another crew. Thereafter, Patterson had several different co-pilots. Roy Phelps was the new navigator - my old job.

With Capt Ben Nay riding in the co-pilots seat and acting as Aircraft Commander, we flew as the lead plane of the high squadron on a northern route over the North Sea. We were supposed to turn right (south) to the continent, avoiding the island of Helogoland and miss the flak areas located there. However, the Groups ahead of us did not make timely turns and we were forced to swing wide to the left to stay in formation. I could see the problem quite clearly on my Mickey set, since I could see radar images as far as 50 miles ahead of us on our course heading. I called Pat on the intercom to alert him but he said there was nothing he could do but stay in formation. We were exposed to a lot flak that we were supposed to miss.

We continued flying south along side Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven and on to Bremen. My Mickey set was pretty good and my bombs away fix was accurate. Our bombs hit a built-up area in the city. The flak at Bremen was moderate.

Flying time - 6 1/2 hours.

Breakfast - 2:00 AM - TI. 2:45 - Briefing, 3:45. Went in over the Zuider Zee, saw Osnabruck, Bremen and Hanover, and on to the target. Patterson's crew again flew the High Squadron Lead with Captain Nay as Air Commander.

Our crew saw two planes go down, one was completely in flames. Three 'chutes were seen to open and another B-17 was seen heading for Russian-held Poland. The Group reported seeing a few jet-powered enemy fighters, but the formation was not attacked. Only 7 planes in our Group were damaged and these only slightly. Our plane had one flak hole between #3 and #4 engines. We saw heavy flak on the way to and all around the city of Berlin.

As was customary on all missions, after bombs away, the squadron formations would spread out, dive to gain air speed and get the hell outta there. There was no danger from enemy fighters (bandits) while we were in a flak area. Then after we were out of the flak area, the squadron would tighten up the formation and head for home.

The mission was 8 1/2 hours long - about 5 1/2 hours on oxygen. We were pooped and low on gas. Bombing was by radar.

Breakfast 3:15 - TI 3:45 - briefing 4:45. Went in over Belgium via Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels and Arnheim. Target was visual. It was Lesch's (our bombardier) first run and he did a swell job. We flew High Squadron Lead and Group photos showed that the Low and High Squadron bomb patterns fell on the MPI, covering the five main target buildings starting fires in two of them. Flak was moderate but the Low Squadron caught it all A bombardier was slightly wounded.

Mickey set was good but there was some interference. I took 2400 pictures with a new type camera designed to take radar type photos. The return trip was via the Zuider Zee. I flew with Patterson's crew with Lt. Huff flew as our co-pilot. The Group was led by Lt. Col. Stewart.

Time was 5 1/2 hours.

Breakfast and briefing were early morning as usual. On all missions the Catholic guys went into an adjacent room, after breakfast, where the Padre, ( Catholic Chaplain ) gave us Communion and the Last Rites.

Our target was an airfield near Vechta. We were in support of an Allied drive over the Rhine River. We went in over Belgium, Antwerp, Brussels and on into Germany. The target was near Dummer Lake. My Mickey set had to be tuned three times but I was able to call off distances to the target by means of relative bearings on Dummer Lake which showed up nicely on radar.

The weather was very clear and the bombing was visual. Lesch, our bombardier, had a problem because the target was obscured by smoke and he had to drop on the smoke. Bomb photos showed that 65 % of the bombs landed in the target area.

Three squadrons of the 351st BG flew on this mission which was led by Major Gorham. We saw no flak. It was a milk run.

Time was 6 hours.

Breakfast at 2:00 - briefing at 3:30 - take off at 6:30. Patterson's crew flew as lead plane of the Low Squadron. Captain Gaylord was the Group leader. The weather was bad and the Group had trouble assembling over the high clouds.

The route was by way of Cologne, Coblenz, Kassel, Brunswick, Madgeburg and Brandenburg. The return route was the same. Had some trouble with reception on the Mickey set. Flak at the target damaged 6 of the planes of the 351st BG. One plane from another group was seen to spin out. It was not identified.

Weather on return was very bad. Time was 9 hours.

Breakfast at 2:00 - take off at 5:15. Route to target was by way of London, Brussels, Coblenz, Fuida and Eisenach. The primary visual target was Muesburg but there was 100% cloud cover, so we proceded to the secondary target which was the railroad marshalling yards at Halle. It was bombed by radar and the results were good. The flak was very heavy and just after bombs away, our plane got hit. It sounded like buck shot on a tin roof. After landing we found 6 flak holes in our plane.

Our return trip was by way of Kassel where we experienced some flak unnecessarily because we were off course but were forced to stay in formation. We also passed Geissen, Coblenz, Brussels and London. The weather continued to be bad. My Mickey set was not too good. My AFC kicked out and I had to operate manually over 23,000 ft.

Time was 8 1/2 hours.

Briefing was at 3:00 but take off was delayed 3 hours because of bad weather. We entered Germany north of the Ruhr Valley and saw extensive damage from previous bomb raids on cities such as Emmerich, Munster and Hamm. We bombed the railroad marshalling yards at Luneburg which is just south of Hamburg.

We, Patterson's crew, flew as deputy to the Group Lead whose Air Commander was Lt. Col. Stewart and his Mickey Operator was Lt. Grondin. The target was partially obscured by clouds and bombing was by radar. Bomb photos showed that our bombs fell on and around the briefed target. Results were considered very good.

Flak was light and one our planes was hit but with only minor damage. The weather on our return to England was very poor and our let down was by instrument.

Time was 8 hours.

TI was at 5:00 - briefing at 6:00. Take off was again delayed 3 hours because of bad weather. Our route was by way of London, Calais, Verdun, Strasburg and Lake Constance.

We again flew deputy to the Group Lead ( Major Geiger ). Bombing was visual by the Lead Bombardier, Lt. Hall. Bomb photos showed that our bombs made a direct hit on the target, the airfields at Furstenfeldbruck which is just outside of Munich in the Bavarian Alps.

The weather was beautiful and visibility was unlimited. However, as a Mickey Operator, I could see nothing outside the airplane. I had no window and my Mickey set was behind a curtained area so that light would not dim out my radar screen. But because of the good visibility, my services as a Mickey Operator were not needed so I strapped an oxygen bottle to my leg and went back to the waist. I stayed there, alongside our Waist Gunner, Sgt. Dickman, throughout the bomb run. We had a beautiful view of the sun shining on the snow on the Alps. But at the same time we saw the brown clouds of flak - it was very heavy.

Our return route was by way of Augsburg, Stuttgart, Karlsrhue, Mannheim, Ludwigshaven and the French coast. It was a pretty rough mission but I had Mickey set #079 which was the best one I had ever had.

This was my longest mission, over 9 hours and it was also my last. I was once again sent to radar school for advanced radar bomb training. This new version was called Eagle. I was in Eagle school May 9, V E Day. The war was over.

I returned to Polebrook and expected to be returned to CONUS (Continental United States), but the military brass decided that we who were trained in Eagle, should be held over to help make an Eagle map of Europe, i.e., a map which would look like the radar images we saw when we looked into our radar ( Eagle ) screen. So all Eagle Operators were assigned to the 96th Bomb Group at Snetterton Heath in Norfolk, about 20 miles SE of Norwich. Since Eagle was new, there weren't too many of us.

The Eagle mapping plan fell apart however, probably because so many of the brass were re-assigned to CONUS and because the Japs surrendered on VJ Day, Aug. 14. By then, Patterson's crew had flown back to the States, as had so many others. After that, the point system took over and military personnel were returned to CONUS and returned to civilian status based on their length of service and the dependents they might have - like a wife, children or other relatives. Since I was single, with no dependents, I had to wait a while.

In Nov. 1945, I was transferred to the 9th Air Force in Germany to be part of the Army of Occupation. Before I went into service, I had completed a 4 year Machinist Apprentice program, so the Army put me in charge of the machine repair shop at the Kassel Air Depot. Strangely, my third bombing mission had been a trip to Kassel. While assigned to the Air Depot, I saw many buildings in the city that had been reduced to rubble by British and American bombs.

Finally, In July 1946, I was returned to the CONUS and was separated from service as a Captain, AUS, ( Army of the United States ).