My 2 Years in the AAF World War II
Wayne E. Funkhouser
I was inducted into the U.S. Army at Ft. Sill, Okla. on Dec. 31, 1943 and for the next (almost) 2 years my life was dictated by Uncle Sam. Arriving at Ft. Sill we were herded together to an orientation. (Except for 1 of our bunch he was taken to hospital where he died that night) on the bus ride from Duncan to Ft. Sill I talked to him and could tell he was very sick I asked why he was on the bus going to army instead of in hospital in Duncan and he said when Uncle Sam called you had to go???"
We were billeted in tarpaper shacks in the temporary recruit’s center, that night it came the biggest snow that we had in years. When I awoke the entire barracks was covered in about 1 inch of drifted snow (came thru the cracks) including our cots, clothes and everything else. You can imagine how enthused I was being there, getting up at 4am in a snow covered barracks.
We spent most of the day getting our GI issues, clothes, mess gear, etc. The supply Sgt. gave me a pair of size 16 shoes. I of course protested and he advised if the army said my shoe size was 16 than that was what I wore, then they all laughed and gave me a size 9.
The second day of army life was spent on Guard Duty on 4 Hours off 8 hours my first tour was from 8 PM to midnight (2000 to 2400 hours.) We were told to halt anything that was moving and get Identification, of course that would be the time when all the drunks were trying to get back to their barracks in all that ice and snow made a very interesting 4 hours.
The 3rd day we began taking the test to determine what we were capable of doing if anything. The first results determined if you should take the next test or be sent to school that would educate you to about a 3rd grade level. (Only 1 in our group was sent to the school) the rest took the next test and so on until you failed to pass. Some how I guessed enough of the answers and pass all of them and qualify for either OCS or air cadet. I chose a/c and was sent to Sheppard Field, TX for further test and Basic training. But I get ahead of my Self. The most important thing that happened at Ft Sill was a visit of Ila; she came with the USO bunch from Duncan for the Sat. night dance at service club. We didn't get to do anything but hold hands and talk but it was the best time that I spent at Ft Sill.
After passing the Air Cadet physical and test we spent the next 6 weeks in regular Basic Training the usual pushups sidestraddle hop, duck walk and running.
After completion of Basic training we could get a pass to at least go to town. Ila came down and stayed one night. I was suppose to be at roll call next am at 5 o’clock that I missed and was called to orderly Room to explain why. I told the 1st Sgt. my wife was in town and stayed with her. He asked who was more important the army or my wife and my answer didn't please him when I said, "last night my wife was". I got KP duly that night in officer’s mess.
In March of 1944 we were transferred to Merced Army Airfield in Merced, Calif. It was a Basic Flight training school but we were of course not there to fly the BT13 because we hadn't even had Primary training.
We spent time learning about aircraft maintenance and other things about operations, until we were to be sent to a University for some education there and primary flight training. That didn't happen.
Each a.m. while at Merced we were called to formation at 8 am and marched to our class room they taught us the basics of army air force duties etc on 4.4.4.4 8 AM instead of marching to our class room we turned left and went to the chapel. Where with we were told by the commandant of cadets and the chaplain we were all eliminated from cadets without prejudice for of the Government. We would be reinstated as soon as space and so forth was available, unless we were in a R.T.U. Which was (Replacement Training Unit) for overseas crews.
Ila came to Merced and stayed a few days. We could only find a screened porch rent, but it was not bad had canvas awning on all the openings and we were happy to e together (Ila's mother kept Gary.)
In June of 44 was sent to Kingman AZ to Gunnery school and promoted to P.F.C.$4.00 a mo. raise. Finish Gunnery school early Sept. and shipped to Plant Park Fla. (Tampa) with a 30-day delay in Route.
A little side not how I can to be shopped to Tampa and eventually the 8th AF in Europe rather than Omaha NB and eventually to the Pacific.
I had met and become close friends with Charles Thorp while in Merced (We were in the same flight) we both knew David Bradley and were pretty good buddies. David was the type who always knew everything that happened on that was about to happen. One day soon after we finished gunnery. I met Dave in the P.X. He called me to one side and said we were going to be shipped out (our whole class) to either Omaha or Tampa which did I prefer? I said Tampa (he also preferred Tampa) and asked me where I thought Thorp would like I said Tampa. Knowing Dave I didn't doubt but what he knew someone on the panel that assigned us to our next station, sure enough Thorp and I were assigned to Tampa along with several other close friends of ours and David's that had been in Merced together. His wife (Dave's was secretary to the Major in charge of transfers) so he just gave her a list that wanted Tampa. Apparently the Major accepted the list as all the ones I remember were transferred to Tampa.
Plant Park Fla - We lived in the State Fair Grounds buildings. Thorp and I were in the "Horse Barns". There we were assigned to the crew that would train together in R.T.U. (that finishes any chance of returning to cadets). We were only in Tampa for 2 or 3 weeks but Ila got to come down for a few days before we shipped out to Gulf Port Miss. A.A.F. She rode a bus with several other wives to Gulf Port and arrived there the same day I did. We found a bedroom in an old Southern Mansion right on the Gulf. A Mr. Greygarde owned the place was a true Southern Gentleman. He treated us like family. We lived on Fig Newtons and milk for Breakfast (still dislike Fig Newtons) did mostly without for lunch and ate dinner at a Restaurant down town where you could get a half dozen fried oysters, fries and salad for 75c or 1/2 doz. fried shrimp, fries and salad for 90c. We usually went to dinner with Art and Evelyn Schuerman a 2nd Lt. and his wife, who also had a bedroom at Greygarde's.
They (Art and E) had lots of fun nearly every night. (Our room adjoined the bathroom) giving Evelyn a douche she usually wond up having to have another after he finished giving her the 1st one.
We trained as a combat crew while in Gulf Port. Our crew consisted of 1st Lt. Henry A. Castille "pilot" he came from Beaux Bridge La. A real Cajun had a definite accent spoke only French the 1st 15 years of his life. 2nd Lt. George W. Guilfeyle from Ohio. He was Rose Mary Cloony's uncle except we didn't know anything about her at the time. He was always telling us about his niece that some day we would be hearing about her singing, he also talked about her sister Betty but R.M. was his favorite subject. Sure enough she made it.
We were in Reno NV in 1986 visiting Gary W. F. and Rose Mary was playing at MGM Grand one Sunday p.m. I decided to try to phone her figuring it would not do any good, anyway I called the hotel told the operator my name and what I wanted that Rose Mary's uncle had been co pilot on our B17 crew during war she all she could do was ring her room which she did and a man answered I explained the whole deal and he said R.M. wasn’t in right then but would tell her I called and took my # which I figured was a way of getting rid of me, however just as we were ready to hang up he said wait, wait she just walked in. So I again explained and we spent almost 45 mins. Going over the entire time we had flown together, I had not had contact with him since the war but took his phone # and talked to him several times after that.
I told R. M. about all the times her uncle and mentioned someday we would hear about his niece and she said, "Well, I can tell you that I have a nephew George Cloony you will hear about some day." Back to the crew 2nd Lt. Herbert D. Seidell navigator from Michigan. Cpl. Hadley Ervin from Palo Alto Ca flight engr. Cpl. Alton T. Linder S.C. Radio Op. Cpl. Edwin R. Walthall togeleer (Bomb dropper) from VA, Myself Lower Ball Gunner, Richard E. Berger - from Mich. waist Dunner and best buddy, Author P. Thorp N.Y. NY tail gunner.
After completing RTA we were transferred to Savannah, Georgia to be assigned an aircraft and further orders.
We arrived in Savannah about the 7th of Jan 45 stayed a few days, was assigned a new B17G which we took on a 6 hour flight to check all instruments etc. then about 1-8-45 we left for destination unknown but we guessed we were headed for England and the 8th Air force since we knew we would stop over night in Bangor Maine. However, it turned out to be longer than overnight. First in came a big snowstorm and froze everything to delay us a day or two. Then our navigator Sidell who was the quietest most gentleperson you could know got drunk and had an argument with MP's and delayed us 4 more days. After that we took off for Newfoundland (Gander) we were in Gander 3 days due to the big blizzard but took off the late evening, I don't remember the date but we headed east and opened our sealed orders after we were in the air to discover our destination which turned out to be Valley Wales. I believe it was about 14 hours flight anyway at daylight the next a.m. I looked down at that solid Ice floe of the North Atlantic and wish I was some place else.
Our navigator did a good job and brought us up to the Coast of Wales to Valley. A base has been there before. We landed and were relieved of our new airplane (the new ones were for old crews) and shipped out by train the next day for Great Yeldon and the 381st Bomb Group and were assigned to 532nd Squadron and Liberty Belle. Also a B 17 S but had done several missions.
We flew a few practice missions over England with an experienced combat pilot and our pilot flew co-pilot, our co-pilot flew with a different experience combat pilot. We were given a pep talk by the base commander and assured us we were in the best group of the 8th and only suffered 50% casualties which of course thrilled us to the very heart of our bottoms. But it was a good group due in part and the commander’s insistence on close and I mean close formation in order to discourage enemy fighters and it worked.
Mission # 1 Huls(?), Germany March 8, 1945. Target was a Railroad Marshalling yard. We didn't know for sure if we hit the target as the weather of 10/10 meant solid clouds covered the area. We had light flak and no fighters so we thought this was going to be easy. We were wrong.
Mission # 2 Kassel, Germany March 9, 1945 Target Locomotive Works. Weather -- Visual no clouds over target area. Meant a different tale. Flak was very heavy and very accurate. The 17 in front of us take 2 direct hits and went down. Part of plane hit our #2 engine cutting all lines so we had to feather it. Bomb Bay door from the doomed plane hit right above our right waist gunner position and ripped a big gash went on hit our vertical stabilizer and tore off part of it. (We were still flying with an experienced pilot and our pilot as co-pilot. I thought it was time to get out of there and said so over inter phone. The experienced pilot came on yelling don't get excited, keep your head, be calm all the time yelling his head off. Our own pilot interrupted him and told him to have some of his own address.) Anyway the damage done to our plan slowed us down quite a bit and we lost our Group but tacked on to others as they came up to us and made it all back to ban. We counted 12 flak holes in our plane, including one in the Plexiglas of the ball turret. I found the piece of flak and kept it for a while but lost it somehow. I thank goodness that was the only piece that even came in side the ball.
Mission #3 Sinsen, Germany March 10, 1945 Target Marshalling Yards Weather 10/10. Flak was inaccurate due to clouds due to bomb range malfunction. We could not drop our bomb. Returned to base and landed fully loaded.
Mission #4 Bremen, Germany March 11, 1945 Target Sub Marine Pens and Docks. Weather 10/10 Flak heavy and not accurate. Couldn’t see target for clouds.
Mission #5 Dillonburg, Germany March 12, 1945. Target Marshalling Railroad Yards. Weather 10/10 No flak (a milk run).
Three day pass to London
Truck took us to Dhelmsford (23 miles) where we could catch a train to London (this was pretty early A.M.) (I think it was Paaddington Station).
We decided to catch the tube (Subway) to Picadilly circus, we all boarded the first train cause they all eventually went to P.C. if not direct, we thought we all boarded after the train pulled out. We discovered the tail gunner Art Thorp was not with us. We thought we had seen the last of him ‘til we got back to base since this was one of the world's biggest cities and we knew nothing about anything except head of Rainbow Corner and Picadilly Circus. We arrived at Picadilly and decided to wait around for a while just in case Art showed up. On the very next train there he was grinning like a possum.
We had a good time on our pass we all got rooms at the Strand Palace Hotel right in Picadilly, they had a rather descent restaurant but no rooms with bath that we ask for the clerk said all you Yanks are alike want room with bath and a woman.
We went to a stage show "Strike it again" featuring who was billed as "Bob Hope of England". He was pretty good but we thought they were wax dummies cause they were not allowed to move while naked after they donned g-strings they could move about.
We took several guided tours walking and bus saw many interesting things including Madam Tussand wax works, very like dummies. At the bottom of stairs going up to second floor was a guide dressed in uniform. Art Thorp went up and ask a question -- no answer. He asked again and then discovered it was a wax figure. At the next level was another uniformed guide. Art walked directly in front of him and right in his face and ask something the guy pointed up the steps and said right up those steps sir. We all laughed of course at Art's reaction.
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