I reported back to March Field on Nov 2nd 45. Next day my name was on list to move to Separation Center for discharge. Nov 5th 45 I was freed they gave me a ruptured disc, $300.00 separation pay a month reg pay and 3 months flight pay (the 3 mos flight pay I didn't really have coming). I haven’t been off the ground since we landed at Bradley Field but I didn't know how to graciously refuse it so!
I had a friend with a car all lined up waiting at the gate to take me to San Bernidino to catch the train home. For good.
While at Sheppard Field my bunk was next to a young boy barely 18 from Okla. He had never been away from home he told me ‘til he was drafted. He was a timid soul and seemed rather meek and cried himself to sleep every night for a long time. I could always hear him after I went to bed (It wasn't hard hearing them). I always tried to console him but didn't help much. His last name was Caplinger can't remember his first name. Anyway he shipped with all the rest of us to Merced Ca. I don't remember much about him while at Merced but on arrival in kingman for gunnery, he turned up again in same barrack as I (but didn't still by himself to sleep). He was on some orientation flight as I, and was sick almost the same time we left the ground. (This was his first flight in a B17) it was just a short time before we were bounding all over. Flight over the desert at low altitude was very rough. I looked over at Caplinger he was already vomiting and in a little while I think he actually turned green. When flight was over all the ones who were sick had to help clean the plan (I could hardly believe it but I and the flight Sgt. were the only 2 who weren't sick) Caps cleaned out the plane lag down in shade under the wing it was about 115o in sun the Sgt. told better make Cap to get up and help the rest clean up. He just said no * lay there the Sgt. threatened him with everything he could but Cap just said no. The Sgt. finally gave up and let him lie. Cap went to flight surgeon next a.m. and told him he could not and would not fly anymore. Another acquaintance Leland (first name) quit last time I saw them they were on KP at our mess hall. Speaking of mess halls we had the worst food at Kingman that was possible to cook. So many people complained the powers that be sent an inspecting General out to see for himself how bad it really was. Of course all the brass knew what day he would be there, so what do you know that night we had individual T Bone steaks, French fries, salad and desert. The general couldn't believe we were complaining about the food. That's just one of the many stupid things the A.F. thought we would swallow.
Plant Park Tampa Fla. Sept 1945
We had been in Tampa a few hours and wrote Ila to come down soon as possible, the evening she was to arrive I got restricted to quarters along with about 40 others because the Sgt. claims we did not sweep under our cots. I don't remember the exact time but I asked Thorp to meet her for me and see that she got to a hotel which of course he did. Our restriction started at 5 p.m. that was the time we were relieved of duty, about 6 p.m. the 1st Lt. in charge of our group happened to come by and asked what we were doing on post instead of in town with everyone else we explained to the best of our knowledge (of course only to our advantage) what happened he asked the whereabouts of the Sgt. of course he left at 5. The lt. told us to clear out of there and he would speak to the Sgt next day about staying in with the troops if he restricted us.
Ila was only there a few days we found another porch to rent paid a week in advance stayed 1 night and were told the a.m. we would ship out on the next a.m. We had 5 nights paid and asked the woman to return our unused rent which nearly all the landlords did for service people but she refused.
I left a piece of clothing there I don't remember what and told her I would have my buddy come get it the last day of our paid up rent and she better not rent the porch ‘til after that. I'm sure she complied.
Gulf Port Miss AAF 1st of Oct 1944When we arrived in Gulf Port we were all assigned quarters as a crew and all gunners on our crew were promoted to corporal a $12 raise which was a lot in those days. I also applied and was granted separate quarters and rations which allowed me I believe $50.00 per mo. but we still didn't have enough to actually live on. My pay as a corporal $66 per mo. less $30.00 on Ila and Gary allotment less $6.60 insurance left $29.40 per mo.
We finished R.T.U. in late Dec and were told to send all dependants home as we would be sipped very soon. Ila left on Bus for OKC on Dec 31 (I think) anyway she was stranded in a Bus station somewhere in La. on New Year's day of 1945 due to flooding of roads on ahead. Finally got to OKC on 3rd of Jan. After all that we didn't leave G. Port until Jan. 7 for Hunter Field Savannah Ga.
I forgot - Bill Howard was stationed in Washington Yakima I think. Gwen and kids were with him, there were lots of silver dollars in circulation in there she sent me one for Xmas 44 that was minted in 1921 my birth year. I still have the dollar to this day.
England. Late Jan 1945
The first thing we all noticed after we arrived at the airfield where the 381st Bomb Group was stationed was the entirely different attitude of most all personnel. The dress was very casual no spit and polish very little formality as to saluting etc. but a more serious nature. Also when we were assigned quarters there were a few girls in almost every barracks. We couldn't believe it, but soon became accustomed to seeing them. However about 5 or 6 weeks after we arrived we had barracks inspections which was really rare the Colonel came through our barracks there were only 2 girls, the barracks next to ours had 2 or 3 and so on around the site ‘til he got to the barracks know as Piccadilly Hotel (it was divided into rooms) there was a girl in every room and he hit the ceiling ran them all out came back through all the other barracks ran them all out it didn't last long they began coming back in just a few days.
Some of the things I do remember are the morning we were to fly.
When we had a mission we would be awakened any time from 2:30 AM on (I say awakened that is if you were asleep) when the Jeep from operations our site we would always hear it before it reached our street, when we were on stand down they could drive an army through our site and we would never know it.
The routine after we were awake was to walk up to mess hall (a short distance) drink a cup or two of their coffee which was so strong it just plopped into your cup, eat a bad of wooden eggs and then board trucks for orientation.
On the trip from mess hall to flight line there seldom was a word spoken by anyone. Each truck hauled members of 2 crews (not the officers) about 12 to 14 cigarettes glowing in the dark. It was extremely different on return (if we hadn't lost a plane) everyone talking and smoking on way back to mess hall and bunks hoping to have a letter from home.
We were not given any food nor drink to take on a mission but did give us a little box of concentrated candy about 16 pieces 1/2 inch sq. each wrapped in paper, different flavors, at first we really liked it, was very good but in a short time you could hardly stand the sight of it much less eat any. Then we understood why there were so many little kids at fences when the crews came back in P.M. They were there to get the candy that we brought back we all threw the candy over the fence and watched the scramble for it. I guess that was about all the sweets the kids got.
The two things remember most except for the close calls our own crews had, was on returning from 1 mission I don't recall where we had been. We flying in bomber stream at about 25000 feet when we noticed a lone B17 flying off our left wing just out of gun range. We were not in any flak and hadn't seen any for awhile when suddenly we saw 3 or 4 burst behind the lone 17 they were tracking him with flak. About the 8th to 10th burst they hit him and we only saw 3 or 4 chutes. We never knew who he was. We reported it a t interrogation but never found out any thing about it. We thought it might have been a captured B17 (The Germans had a few) that didn't know where his own flak guns were.
Sometimes the Germans try to fly into our formation in a captured 17 and shoot down a few of us, so we were always wary of any loner trying to tack on, we always had all our guns trained on any plane that turned his nose into us. Weather friend or foe until we knew for certain who he was.
The standard procedure for flying a combat mission was always the same. Each squadron took off according to the position they were to fly in the group. We gathered by elements either over England or the Channel then into groups and on in to the bomber stream all the way to target and back. We were routed as best as possible around the known flak batteries. We could take evasive action as a group anytime to avoid in flak until such time we reached the I.P. (Initial Point) after that I.P. you flew straight and level in order for the Bombardier to set up his sight before reaching the point of release. The enemy knew this of course that we were not going to try to evade and would put up a barrage in front of us. They knew we were going to fly straight on them. After a mission or two I learned not to look froward (we didn't have to be on alert for fighters) and see all those flak burst that we were obviously headed for and know you were not going to turn aside. It looked sometimes to be utterly impossible to get there but we did.
Another incident I remember well was the time we got separated from group and flew back mostly alone. When we landed at our base there was half dozen jeeps and cars around our hard stand and a lot of Brass. We thought we were probably celebrates we were not. A lone B17 had shot down a British Bomber in the general area where we had been and some one had reported seeing a triangle L plane in the vicinity D our tail marking for the 381st. They loaded us all up for integration room and had an officer to stay and check our guns of course they had to let us off the hook because every gun in our plane was clean. No one had fired a shot but we were a little nervous for awhile. They gave us all an extra shot of bourbon that day at the integration room.
That's all I remember.
One more thing we all claim not to be supertious, but everyone wore the same clothes on every mission that we wore on 1st one. We didn't fly #13 mission, but did 12A.
Dick Berger always wore an old mechanics cap that he had for ages. On a mission to Northern Germany that we were to fly up over North Sea over Holland and an to target, about an hour into our flight Dick became aware he didn't have his cap, he almost gave up the ghost then and there. He was really worried something bad would happen. We were just in sight of coast and received orders to abort and return to Base. I think that he was the happiest person I had ever seen like he had received a reprieve from hanging but we still didn't think we were supertious.
From inside the ball you cannot see any part of the airplane except the lower propeller arc there was sort of a compass with lighted outline of an airplane in front of me that I could see at all times and would tell me in what direction I was facing in relation to the plane. Every now and then I would turn the guns forward to see the propeller arc just to make sure the ball was still attached to the plane. Sometimes I wasn't sure. Anyway once when our Liberty Belle was in the hanger for maintenance we had to fly another airplane. I always got in ball almost the same time we hit Bomber stream. This time I got in buckled up and pulled back on control to roll guns up and the ball just fell instead of roll down under control. I thought it had fallen from the plane. The waist gunner noticed the sudden movement and called on intercom to ask what happened boy was I relieved to hear a voice. I told what happened, the pilot came on intercom yelling get him out of that damn thing. I tried the control again to get the ball to move jerkily back to the position I could get out, of course I had to fly the waist position the rest of trip, was the first and only time I wasn't in the ball when flak was flying. The flak was pretty heavy over target and there I was without protection except one little piece of a flak suit and a helmet I got up against the piece of armor plate that was beneath each waist gun and sat on the helmet felt as if I was a clay pigeon in that high looking waist, made me wish I was in that little ball (sort of). Later Dick told me he just blended into the armor plate when the flak started.
From the first mission to the last there was never a doubt in my mind that we would make it there and come back home. In reality I know that we could go down but my mind just could not accept that happening. The whole thing was more like attending a movie and this was not really happening to me. Which helped a great deal in keeping my sanity. Some people couldn't cope and ended up in flak house with nerves shot to pieces.
At last VE day arrived all our crew still in tact for that we were very thankful all we had to do now was prepare for departure to good old U.S.A.
Writing this as another after thought
We ate at least half our meals in our Barracks that we prepared ourselves. We had about 15 or 20 cases of K rations we had stolen out of the B17 we flew to Europe (it was loaded with a couple 100 or so for use on the Continent but we thought it a good idea to keep some for ourselves. We had quite a time getting those cases to the 381st. We each carried 2 cans in our B4 bags. Anyway there was good food in most of the cans and we bought fresh eggs all time from a farmer who lived close to our base. He was not supposed to sell them to us because everything was rationed. He was supposed to take them to the distribution center to sell there. They of course would collect ration stamps from the buyers, but we offered him a drink of scotch each time he delivered them. We also took bread, butter and anything else we could carry in a sack or pocket from the mess hall. So we ate pretty well. We ate lots of toast, hamburger K rations and eggs also there was a can of good cheese in every individual box (the was I believe 24 individual rations in each case). The old Col. Hall didn't much like our cooking arrangements but never stopped us.
There was an announcement over the speakers that covered the base that the Red Cross ladies would be on our field with their doughnut making machine that was mounted in a van like vehicle that opened on the side to serve donuts. We decided to go since it was located at our mess hall, only short walk and get a few for our launder, we got in line and waited for days it seemed when we finally got to the window they gave us each 1-little scrawny donut, (I never did like the red cross) they took all the ingredients from our mess hall to make the things we thought after waiting so long we could have had at least 2 but cause if everyone had been given 2 we would have been in line ‘til after the war.
We had always heard and in fact knew you could quit flying if you were so inclined. In the 1st place if you didn't want to fly the rest of the crew didn't want you either because you wanted someone you could rely on to be there when you needed them. Anyway I expected entered everyone's head after 2 or 3 or 4 missions. That maybe you would just quit. If you did this would bust you back to KP. PVT put you on KP or other permanent detail, most of time in your old squadron.
There were several ex-gunners in our old mess hall as KPs. So after thinking about quitting for a while you discovered it took more guts to quit than it did to keep flying and I was short so kept on flying. Mostly I would picture myself as serving those wooden eggs to my former crewmembers as they prepared to go and that would be impossible to face.
I am not giving these pages a number because it would serve no purpose as this is just rambling about anyway.
While I was stationed in Kingman, AZ Ila came out to stay awhile. We could not find a room for us in a home so nothing left to do except hotel, not a very big hotel and only one I knew of in town. We went there and was told they had no rooms left but if we couldn’t find anything else we could have a cot and sleep in hall what we did the first night .The next day we got a room for $4.00 a day which was out of reason for what I made. We usually paid $4.00 a week. Anyway she stayed 4 nights and still couldn't find a weekly room so had to go back to City which was a big disappointment to both of us but did not get off duty ‘til 6 PM and had to report next am at 5 so we didn't to be together much anyway.
Our bunks, mattress etc. were all from British supply (no sheets) the mattress was three (3) pads (we called biscuits) they were stuffed with straws and sticks, they issued along with mattress a sack big enough to hold the 3 biscuits. The sack was made of course canvas also 2 wool blankets made (I think from unprocessed wool with little steel wood thrown in. So if you put your biscuits in mattress sack you had to sleep next to blanket, which you couldn’t do, so we slept in the sack and it was a little better than the blanket. However after a long mission you really didn't notice it much. About once a week we would throw our sack in the shower and soak it awhile. Our shower consisted of walls made of tile brick no roof and most of the time didn't have hot water. So you see the sack needed to soak awhile and so did we when the water was hot. About the half the time we took a bath in our helmet.
I had never heard of a saluting detail until we arrived in Plant Park, but found out soon there was such. Charles Thorp and I decided about the third day there that we would go into town and eat dinner (I don't know what made us think we could afford it but went anyway.) We had a nice meal and left the restaurant to look around a little. We noticed a shave tail standing by to left side of building next to ours. We ignored him and went on by standing around the corner out of view were 2 MPs just waiting for us not to salute the Lt. and we obliged. They asked for our pass took our names and said we would be notified when to report for 3 days of K.P., which was standard punishment for failing to salute an officer. A few days passed we were not called up, we wondered why not. David Bradley who got us on shipping list to Tampa in first place showed up at our bunks. Hey he said, I see you guys were caught by a saluting detail. We asked how he happened to know not that it surprised us that he knew. His wife had gone to work for provost marshall and David had given her the names of all our group and if any of our names showed up on a list for anything to take care that they were deleted.
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