Archie Maltbie was born in 1923 in Turlock, California. He had an ordinary life growing up in Turlock. He focused on picking crops in order to make money. He loved school and attended Turlock high school. The buildings are still there. He graduated at 17 years of age in June 1941. He was 18 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He and a buddy had been tobogganing at Long Barn and they were on their way home when the radio announcement said Pearl Harbor had been hit. Shocked when it happened, they were not surprised since the Japanese had been acting belligerent for some time. The two young men knew that they would be playing a role in the war. Maltbie wanted to enlist right away but his parents were against it. Millions of people were going into the service. His parents insisted that the military would call him when he was needed. He went to work for the Douglas Aircraft Company building SBD dive bombers for Navy. At 19 years old, he had not been called upon. Consequently, he decided to enlist in the air force since he had always wanted to fly. As a youngster, he had seen a Ford Trimotor [Annotator’s Note: The Ford Trimotor was a three engine airplane in production in the late 1920s and early 1930s] fly over delivering mail. Maltbie he knew he wanted to be up there running one of those machines one day. He was very fortunate that he was able to become a pilot.

Archie Maltbie was called up by the air force in January 1943. After going through the selection school in order to determine that he was qualified for pilot instructions, he began pilot training. He was sent to Maxwell, Alabama for preflight training. Afterward, he went to Dorr Field, Florida for primary flight training. He did his first solo flight there. Following primary, it was on to Montgomery, Alabama and Gunter Field for basic flight training. Next, Maltbie went to Marianna, Florida for advanced flight training. Graduating there, he got his wings in December in the class of 43K. He was given leave but there were no flights available from Florida to California. He took a train home so he had very little time to spend at home before he had to begin his trip back to base in Florida. Upon returning to Perry, Florida he made the transition into a single engine combat airplane, the P-47 [Annotator’s Note: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber]. There was no instructor provided. The pilots had to study the manual then get in and learn to fly the airplane. Completing that, two months later, Maltbie was sent to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. After being processed there, he boarded the Queen Mary in the port of New York. The ship could do 30 knots so she voyaged solo without a convoy. With that speed, there were reduced worries about submarines. Before reaching Scotland, there was a torpedo spotted and the ship made a quick turn and evaded the hit. An unsecured grand piano slid across the ballroom with the rapid change in direction of the vessel. It was a close call. The ship arrived at the Firth of Forth near Glasgow. There were no ports large enough to handle the Queen Mary so troops were put on lighters to bring them ashore. All the training had happened quickly. Maltbie was in Scotland in April [Annotator’s Note: April 1944].

Archie Maltbie arrived in Scotland and was taken to Thatcham. It was an indoctrination station to introduce troops to how to deal with the local population. It also instructed the new arrivals on some of the general things to be aware of in the theater. A ten minute lecture on exiting a P-47 [Annotator’s Note: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber] was taken very casually at the time. Later, when Maltbie had to bail out of his damaged fighter, he remembered everything the instructor had said. He exited his aircraft in the precise manner that he had been taught and did not get a scratch. Initially, the type of plane that would be assigned to Maltbie did not matter. In transition training for the P-47, he learned to love the aircraft. When he was given low level ground support missions, the plane could withstand severe enemy fire. The P-47 could absorb tremendous damage and still get home. One shot in the glycol on a P-51 [Annotator’s Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter] would bring a pilot down. After ten days at Thatcham, Ralph [Annotator’s Note: Ralph’s surname was not provided; however on the 388th Fighter Squadron roster there is a 1st Lieutenant Ralph F. Kling listed as living in Turlock, California.] and Maltbie were given the same orders to report to the 365th Fighter Group on the south coast of England at the Beaulieu Road airbase. Ralph was a kid from Hilmar, California which was seven miles from Turlock which was Maltbie’s hometown. They never met before but became fast friends in training. Ralph and Maltbie would continue to serve together from training through the duration of the war. That was a highly unusual situation. The two men would serve together at Beaulieu Road in April 1944.

Archie Maltbie’s first mission from England was against a French railroad bridge. Several pilots missed the bridge but managed to hit an adjacent munitions factory. The bridge was also knocked out. They never knew what their next mission would be until the briefing. It could be close ground support of troops or hitting a railroad marshalling field or an airfield or other priority targets. A pilot could be assigned to fly reconnaissance for troops or protect them from enemy armor or artillery. An enemy roadblock that was obstructing the advance of a friendly battalion might be the objective. It was a joy to have a different assignment virtually all the time. The first missions flown from Beaulieu Road were to soften up enemy positions in preparation for the invasion of Normandy [Annotator’s Note: on 6 June 1944]. Targets were key airfields, bridges and troop concentrations. Targets were not only in Normandy but further up the French coast around Dunkirk. Attacks outside Normandy were meant to fool the enemy regarding the exact location of the forthcoming Allied landing to liberate Europe. It was becoming obvious that D-Day was getting closer although the exact date was not known. When white stripes were painted on their planes [Annotator’s Note: to facilitate better identification of the Allied planes by gunners on ships below, three white stripes were painted on friendly aircraft wings and fuselages] on 5 June, it was clear the invasion was imminent. While based in England, there was little contact with the local population. He was too busy to leave the base. When he reached France, he would have leave in London on occasion. Most English civilians were cordial, but some of the British service people thought the Americans were oversexed and overpaid. The morning of the D-Day invasion began with a briefing at about three a.m. The assignment was to clear Omaha Beach of opposition. Following that, targeting of enemy gun emplacements and potential reinforcement routes for the Germans were the next priority. The P-47s took off from a 5,000 foot former RAF runway at Beaulieu Road so they could carry a 1,000 pound bomb under each wing plus a 260 gallon belly tank under the fuselage. When that ordnance was dropped on an enemy gun position, only a giant crater remained. The fighter-bombers almost took the tops off trees at the end of the runway since they carried such a heavy load at takeoff. There was German flak over the beaches but only one enemy plane was spotted that day. The pilots were used to flak so they knew how to handle the incoming fire. After the planes made their run over Omaha Beach to clear it, they made another pass at about 500 feet when the troop landings began. Maltbie could spot the havoc and death being brought on by the invasion. He saw the blood in the water and the destruction of people and equipment. The flyers were ready to do anything possible to help the troops below. There was little the pilots could do against the massive reinforced emplacements the Germans had on the cliffs above the beaches.

Archie Maltbie and his outfit [Annotator's Note: the 388th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter Group] began flying missions off French soil three weeks after the Normandy invasion. By 27 June 1944, the combat engineers had prepared a 3,000 foot strip out of a pasture. Pierced steel planking covered the ground and they set up a runway and base. These forward bases resulted in the pilots living similar to the GIs. The airmen moved every few weeks as the troops advanced across France and Europe. Most of the bases were either former French or German bases. The degree of destruction at each one determined the comfort level for the pilots. Every three to five weeks they would move. There were a total of nine bases for the outfit across France, Belgium and Germany. There were three parties: A, B, and C parties. The A party would be sent out ahead to prepare the next base. B party was the fighter group itself and C party was the clean-up group. After the A party had the next location readied, B party would depart the old base and fly its assigned mission and then fly into the new base afterward. C party would move gear from the prior base to the new base. Maltbie was assigned to the 388th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter Group, known as the Hell Hawks. His plane was named the Princess Jones for his wife. There was a high casualty rate among the group of fighter-bomber pilots. Of the table of organization requirement for the squadron to have 25 pilots, 18 were killed in action during the war. That was largely due to the repeated assignments for low level close troop support. The pilots realized that was particularly dangerous work but the P-47 [Annotator's Note: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber] was a rugged plane that allowed many pilots to successfully return home after being damaged. The German pilots were good. The P-47 had an edge on the Messerschmitt Bf-109 but the Focke Wulf Fw-190 was a more formidable foe. Late in the war, the Germans introduced the jet Me-262. Upon first sight of the jet, Maltbie was curious as to where the propeller was located. The American pilots had not been told anything about jets at that point. In the role of close air support for ground operations, the pilots would have a pilot on the ground that would have call letters to identify him to them. Coordinated attacks could be managed for the ground troops in that manner. A target would be identified with a signal flare and the fighter-bombers were tasked to take out the enemy. Targets could be armored vehicles or roadblocks or other obstructions. Maltbie never had the role of ground coordinator. To him, it seemed that pilots who were over-stressed by their flying assignments were given a time to rest by performing these type ground roles for two or three weeks. The fighter-bomber bases stayed as close to the front lines as possible to extend their range into enemy territory. To catch an enemy convoy was a real exciting time. The planes would line up and strafe the vehicles to destroy them. Whatever was asked of the pilots, they would do. They felt that they had relatives and friends below and wanted to help them.

Archie Maltbie found the flying in the Battle of the Bulge to be some of the toughest work of his fighter career. Visibility was very limited. Support of the ground operations surrounding Bastone was nearly impossible. Flying with instruments was very basic. It was not like it is today. There was thick fog and losses resulted from the limited visibility. Taking off and flying above the cloud cover only to drop down at the target location than return home above the cover and land by dropping down below the clouds was all problematic. Around Christmas time, there was a Major Brooking leading the squadron. He led the flight into a valley after he dropped below the clouds. He spotted a column of armor and called his men in and attacked the enemy. They called in more reinforcements and obliterated the German column. After the clouds cleared, it was like shooting ducks. The fighter-bombers were taking out troops and vehicles. At this point, there was a definite shift in the war. When the Allies crossed the Remagen Bridge and the 365th [Annotator's Note: 365th Fighter Group] became based in Aachen, it was apparent how the war was going to end. The 365th was the first group to fly off German soil. Aachen was destroyed. There nothing but rubble. The runway had been damaged and needed repair with temporary steel covers. The mud was so bad that planks had to be put down to transit from one location to the next.

In August 1944, Archie Maltbie had a mission against a bridge across the Seine River. Fragments of German units were attempting to escape from the Falaise Gap by crossing the bridge. Maltbie’s fighter-bomber squadron [Annotator's Note: the 388th Fighter Squadron] was sent to that location. While they could not locate the pontoon bridges that were their objectives, they did spot motor transport below. The squadron leader sent Maltbie and his wingman down to check out the vehicles. When Maltbie did so, he observed enemy ambulances so the Americans did not attack the vehicles. At the same time, the flight above came under attack by Messerschmitts. Maltbie returned to the flight to get into the action. He lined up on the third of three Me-109s and looked for his wingman. He was not there. Simultaneously, Maltbie looked below and spotted two more enemy 109s. Knowing that the best defense is a good offense, Maltbie attacked the second of the two below. He lined up and fired on the German plane and it blew up. Debris chunks flew back and hit Maltbie’s aircraft. The American fighter caught fire. Maltbie could not extinguish it despite multiple attempts. He bailed out and seconds later, his airplane blew up. Maltbie landed in a clearing in a forest. If he would have hung up in a tree, he would have been captured. After hiding his parachute, he found a path and ran down it until he was exhausted. Locating a grouping of rocks, he rested for about an hour. At that time, a few Germans with a dog came up the same path that Maltbie had just exited. The American pilot felt he would be discovered by the dog but fortunately he was not. Maltbie waited until dark and proceeded west using his compass. Moving into the forest, he had encounters with wild boars. There was even a fight between the animals which Maltbie avoided by climbing a tree. After the pigs left, he continued west until he left the forest. He followed a hedgerow until he spotted a farm. He saw a young lady peeling potatoes. Maltbie introduced himself using phrases out of a book in his escape kit. The girl knew some English and told Maltbie to hide in the hedgerow and she would talk to her mother. When she returned, she indicated that they would help if Maltbie gave them his weapon and uniform in exchange for some clothes that had belonged to the deceased father/husband. The Frenchman had been taken early in the war as slave labor. He had died in Germany and the two females hated the Germans. The Frenchman’s pants were six inches too short as was the coat and shirt. Maltbie took on the identity of a Basque who could not speak French or German. That was his cover. He was given ration stamps and other pieces of identification to blend in. The Germans could not speak Basque so when there was an encounter with two Germans, the enemy soldiers disregarded the disguised Maltbie. One German held a Lugr [Annotator's Note: German P-08 Luger pistol] on the two women and the other went into the kitchen and took some bread and butter without regard to Maltbie eating at the table. The women laughed later and said the Germans must have been in bad shape since they had never done that before. Eventually, Maltbie got back to his unit and convinced them that he should not be sent home but allowed to continue operations. The base was then at Juvincourt near Reims, France. Maltbie had bailed out 19 August [Annotator's Note: 19 August 1944] and returned to his group on 28 August. He immediately flew to Ninth Air Force headquarters to stop the MIA [Annotator’s Note: Missing in Action] report from going to his parents. General Vandenberg had just taken over the Ninth [Annotator’s Note: General Hoyt S. Vandenberg commanded the Ninth Air Force] and wanted to talk to Maltbie. After their chat, Maltbie told the general that he was attempting to stop the MIA report. Vandenberg got on the telephone and verified that the report was stopped. Maltbie was happy about that.

Archie Maltbie flew one of his last missions of the war against a very large German ammunition dump. There was a huge explosion and debris traveled up to 8,000 feet. There was a POW [Annotator’s Note: Prisoner of War] camp nearby and subsequent reports from some of the inmates indicated that major explosions continued for a week. That had been a significant German ammo dump. That was a memorable mission. On the same mission an airfield and barges were hit making it all the more memorable. Maltbie flew a mission on 8 May [Annotator’s Note: 8 May 1945, the day the war in Europe ended] against enemy armor. A few days after the war, he led a mission against Prague because there were reports of jets operating out of there. When Maltbie’s aircraft experienced mechanical problems, he had to turn over lead of the mission to another pilot and return to base. No jets were found operating on the mission. When the war ended, Maltbie was based at Fritzlar, Germany. It was the second of the two German bases, the first being Aachen. Fritzlar was a nice German base that had not sustained much damage. Being a high point outfit, Maltbie expected to return home quickly. He was taken by rail over a three week period to Antwerp. There was significant damages to European rail system so the trip took extra time. The return to the United States was aboard the Victory Ship William and Mary. There was bad weather causing changes of course and much seasickness. It took ten days to return while to cross initially on the Queen Mary had only taken three days. The ship returned to Boston. The men were treated to fresh milk with their first meal upon return to the states. Maltbie was discharged in January 1946 and returned to California. He had no problem adjusting to civilian life but he had married in England and it took nine months to reunite with his wife. They communicated but it was tough until they were back together. Maltbie was proud of saving the lives of Allied troops on the ground. He prays to God that the young men of today never have to face a war of that dimension again.