US Army Air Forces

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Black, Jerome 100,000 Troops to the Vatican
Jerome Harold Black got a call from General Lee [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General John Clifford Hodges Lee...
Zamperini, Louis 1936 Berlin Olympics, Military Training and Bombing Wake Island
Louis Zamperini qualified for the 1936 Olympics and went to New York to compete with Don Lash [Annotator's Note: Donald...
Richard, Martin 1945 POW Death March
Martin Richard was taken to Gross Tychow, Poland [Annotator's Note: Stalag Luft IV, Gross Tychow, Pomerania, now...
Bueker, Robert 23rd Mission Sabotaged
Robert Bueker flew 23 missions [Annotator's Note: with the 454th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force]. [Annotator's Note...
Brown, Roscoe 24 March 1945 Mission to Berlin
[Annotator's Note: Dr. Roscoe Brown served in the USAAF as a fighter pilot in the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter...
Patterson, James 2nd Photo and Reconnaissance Mapping Squadron
James Patterson started flying missions to take photographs of the islands. [Annotator’s Note: Patterson talks about...
Aust, Abner 30 Years in the US Air Force
[Annotator's Note: Abner Aust stayed in the military after the end of World War 2.] The 36th Tactical Fighter Wing was...
Bradley, Aubrey 32 Successful Missions before Capture
Arriving in October 1944, Aubrey Bradley was assigned to the 401st Bombardment Group [Annotator's Note: 613th...
O'Brien, Ryan 35th Mission and Home
Ryan O'Brien returned to his same crew after being hospitalized for an injury in a crash. His 35th mission was his last...
Zamperini, Louis 47 Day Adrift, 18 Months of Torture and Being Born Again
They [Annotator's Note: Louis Zamperini, his pilot and their tail gunner] spent 47 days fighting off sharks, the...
Fronk, Wesley 48 Years of Service
After the war, Wesley Fronk was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley. A friend of his worked for the Vega...
Wolyn, Monroe 8th Air Force
Monroe S. Wolyn was impressed by the military power of the 8th Air Force. Wolyn’s plane was in the lead group [...
Brainard, William 90 Day March
After nine months in a prison, William White Brainard [Annotator's Note: who was serving as a radioman on a Boeing B-17...
Welch, Darrell A Blessed Life
A lot Darrell Welch's colleagues [Annotator’s Note: fellow fighter pilots] did not make it. Some wound up in prison...
Welch, Darrell A Career in the Air Force
Darrell Welch returned to the 4th Air Force in San Francisco [Annotator's Note: San Francisco, California], and was...
Loring, Bud A Career in the Army
Bud Loring retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel. After World War 2 he joined a National Guard unit. He had a...
Bala, Walter A Couple of Close Calls
During a mission, Walter Bala's plane was hit over the target. A shell came through the plane and knocked out his...
Dolsen, Francis "Frank" A Dangerous Mission
[Annotator’s Note: Francis Dolsen is listening to another veteran and the interviewer speaking. The interviewer...
Gomez, Hewitt A day in the Life of a Navigator
After missions they [Annotator's Note: Hewitt Brian Gomez and his fellow crewmen] would have a debriefing about the...
Butcher, Chester A Day of Crash Landing and Bouncing Betty
Chester J. Butcher [Annotator's Note: assigned to the 357th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force at...
Welch, Darrell A Deadly Game of Chicken
In England, Darrell Welch worked with the British. They told them the enemy was tough. The British had gotten Spitfires...
Kneflin, Charles A Family of Soldiers
Charles Kneflin was born in December 1923 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had a very nice childhood. His mother was a home...
Sacks, John A Few Eventful Missions
John Sacks' first mission was to Bremen, Germany to hit an oil refinery in that city. When they got over the target the...
Nacey, Ed A Good Life
[Annotator's Note: Edward Nacey retired from the US Air Force in August 1974.] In the service, all of your decisions...
Black, Jerome A Jew Meets Pope Pius XII
Jerome Harold Black traveled with Hollywood [Annotator's Note: Hollywood, California] people and got to know a bunch of...
Buckner, Jack A Lot of Attrition
Palermo, Messina and Sicily [Annotator's Note: all in Italy] were very severe targets for Jack Buckner due to the...
Geist, Lloyd A Love for Planes
Lloyd Geist was born in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] in July 1921. His family moved to Houma...
Carroll, Orville A Mechanic's Life on Guam
When Orville Carroll arrived at Northwest Field on Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands], the Marines had...
Cervantes, Enrique "Henry" A New Career
Enrique Cervantes was offered a promotion to continue his service in the United States Air Force, but by the time he...
Kinsey, Norman A New Mission
Norman Kinsey felt the operation he was in was not going anywhere. A call came out for a cadre to form a new...
Heilbrun, Herbert A Passion for Aviation
[Annotator's Note: Interview begins mid-conversation.] Herbert Heilbrun was waiting for his crew in Salt Lake City when...
Allen, George A Perfectly Designed Airplane
George Allen was sent to Lincoln, Nebraska to train on the Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombers with Combat...
Rolfson, Jack A Pilot’s Life
Jack Rolfson had a roommate who would find coal to warm their pot belly stove. He was a mathematician and was always...
Pale, Vincent A Real Italian American
[Annotator's Note: The interview begins with Vincent Pale showing the interviewer a shadow box containing the...
Horne, Floyd "Bud" A Tough Airplane
Floyd Horne says the B-26 [Annotator's Note: Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber] was a very tough airplane. He recalls...
Martin, William A Typical Day
If it was at night and he had to fly, William Martin would be awakened 30 minutes before. They would go and get their...

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