DeQuindre McGlaun was born on a farm in Chattahoochee County, Georgia. He was the youngest of 12 children. They lived on the farm during the Depression [Annotator's Note: Great Depression; a global economic depression that lasted through the 1930s]. They had 640 acres of land. They grew peanuts, corn, and beans, and had cattle. His mother was a good cook, gardener, and seamstress. He was born in January 1919. Elementary school was a one-room schoolhouse. His father passed away when he was 11 years old. In 1936 he graduated from high school and went to college in Rome, Georgia. He earned a bachelor's degree in Industrial Arts. In 1940, he graduated college and joined the Army Air Corps.

DeQuindre McGlaun passed the military physical exam and then was sent to Fort Benning [Annotator's Note: Fort Benning, Georgia] in September 1940. He started training as a cadet in PT-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing-Stearman Model 75 Kaydet or PT-13 primary trainer aircraft]. He had about 10 hours of solo time. His civilian instructor passed him. He passed his first progress check, but he had a hard time passing the last progress check. He had a rough landing during the progress check. Afterward, he was told he could go to navigation school, or take a discharge and apply for bombardier school later. He decided to take the discharge and went to work. He worked with NYA [Annotator's Note: The National Youth Administration (NYA) provided work and education for young men and women between the ages of 16 and 21] one of Roosevelt's [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] programs during the Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. He went to Atlanta [Annotator's Note: Atlanta, Georgia] to sign up for the program. He was making furniture for the government. He majored in industrial arts in college, and he knew how to use all the equipment. He went into bombardier training in October 1941. He reenlisted on the 9th of November 1941. He was stationed in Montgomery, Alabama when Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] was attacked. He was going to ground school at the time. They were training as a class when they first learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Navy commander told them not to ask for certain planes to fly. The Navy commander was almost in tears on that day. After that, he went to Midland, Texas for a bombardier school. On the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, they got the evening off. He drove from Montgomery [Annotator's Note: Montgomery, Alabama] to Columbus [Annotator's Note: Columbus, Georgia]. He was in the first class to train at Midland in January 1942. They were flying in twin planes. One took pictures while the other dropped his bombs. He got the mumps [Annotator's Note: a viral disease] before graduation and was sick for 26 days. He did not graduate with his class. He graduated with one of the best scoring records for dropping bombs in class 42-8. His orders were to Florida where he flew B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber]. Then he got orders to go to Salt Lake City, Utah for reassignment. He rode a troop train to Salt Lake City. He was reassigned to Boise, Idaho. They were not welcome because they had more people than they knew what to do with. Then he was sent to Alamogordo, New Mexico. Alamogordo is known as the birthplace of the atomic bomb.

DeQuindre McGlaun was flying B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] that did not have windows. They had bags instead. They were practicing dropping bombs out where the atomic bomb was developed [Annotator's Note: in Alamogordo, New Mexico]. After he left Florida, he was floating around in different places. He had more experience than most of the graduates. After he left Alamogordo, he went to Colorado where he learned to fly B-24s [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber]. He wanted to get back into the B-17s. In November 1942, he went back to training in the B-17s. He was assigned to the 94th Bombardment Group [Annotator's Note: 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] in El Paso, Texas. He was assigned to a combat group. The 94th had already been developed with the pilots and commanders. He came in as a recruit. He was shot down over the North Sea [Annotator's Note: during the war]. His crew was killed in training in Colorado. They were headed to Topeka, Kansas to get a plane to head to England for combat. After he lost his pilot, he was being sent all around again. One bombardier did not want to fly in combat. McGlaun was asked if he wanted to take his place and he did. He was promoted to First Lieutenant. At first, they were supposed to fly to North Africa on their way to England, but the planes started to have issues. The plane he was on was a B-17 named the "Wolf Pack." They were in Oklahoma getting their engine changed. Their orders were changed to fly the northern route to England. They were snowed in at Presque Isle, Maine. McGlaun ran into Clark Gable [Annotator's Note: US Army Major William Clark Gable, American film actor], who was on his way to England for combat. He got him to sign his shorts order which is currency. He had four bills that fellow airmen signed their names to.

DeQuindre McGlaun crossed the Atlantic and landed in Scotland before flying to England where he joined the 8th Air Force [Annotator's Note: 333rd Bombardment Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force]. They had four ground squadrons and three squadrons in the air. At the time 21 planes flew in the squadron for a combat mission. The tail end was not the position they wanted to fly in because the German fighters would go right through there. When he flew in North Africa, they lost one plane and it was in the tail end position. When he first got to England the Wolf Pack [Annotator's Note: the name of his Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] crew flew out of two different airfields. They joined groups that had already been in combat. The first combat missions had been flown on 17 August 1942. When he got to the base, he was watching how the men reacted to flying in combat. McGlaun told the others he would drop the bombs and then worry about the other things that were going on around him. They did not have good living quarters there. They tried not to talk to the guys who had more experience. He landed in England on 13 April and on 13 May [Annotator's Note: 1943] the 94th flew their first mission. They went to the officer's club at night to get drinks.

DeQuindre McGlaun flew his first mission [Annotator's Note: with 333rd Bombardment Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] to a German airbase in France. They had 16 planes over the target. It was a short mission over the channel [Annotator's Note: English Channel]. They did not have any fighters go with them. They did not lose any planes. The first mission was on 13 May 1943. The second mission was the next day on 14 May [Annotator's Note: 14 May 1943] to Belgium. They ran into a lot of German fighters on this mission and his plane was hit . The radio operator was hit in the hand. They took some flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] damage and fighter damage that day. McGlaun had to use the 50-caliber gun [Annotator's Note: Browning ANM2 .50 caliber machine gun]. He burned up the gun the day he was shot down [Annotator's Note: 13 June 1943]. He had 15 pieces of shrapnel in his leg that is all still there. His job was to drop the bombs and then get behind the 50-caliber gun. He flew in a B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber]. His third mission was to Laurent, France [Annotator's Note: Saint-Laurent-du-Var, France] to hit a German submarine base. They had a lot of fighters attack them and received a lot of anti-aircraft fire. They lost one plane on that mission. They had to do evasive action once the flak started. A 50-caliber shell came through the window, causing the plastic to get in his nose. On his first six missions, he had to follow the lead bombardier. When he became the lead bombardier, he was given maps to show where the target was. He could see exactly what the landscape was as well as the buildings. They would wake up at 3 AM or 4 AM to fly a mission. They would get real eggs for breakfast those days. Then they would go to their briefings. Most of the time they would drop 500-pound bombs. On one mission he led into Germany they carried two 500-pound incendiary bombs. They dropped near the Baltic Sea at 23 thousand feet. The 94th got credit for the most destruction of the buildings. McGlaun received the Distinguished Flying Cross [Annotator's Note: the Distinguished Flying Cross, or DFC, is awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight] for this mission. His pilot, Captain Kirk [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Forces Captain Howard N. Kirk], did not get the credit he deserved.

DeQuindre McGlaun [Annotator's Note: with the 333rd Bombardment Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] did not lose a lot of planes on the mission he was shot down. On 13 June [Annotator's Note: 1943] he flew a mission to bomb a German submarine base. They had flown their first mission as leads to Bremen, Germany. Their temporary base was in Earls Croome, England. All planes available were to fly the mission. McGlaun was worried about the mission. They had not been notified the night before if they would be flying on it. The 94th Group lost seven aircraft on the mission. A tail gunner was picked up by a woman in Denmark. All the men that were shot down became prisoners of war. On McGlaun's return off the coast of Holland, they were intercepted by German fighters. One fighter stayed on their plane with head-on attacks. They were hit by a 20-caliber shells. McGlaun was firing his 50-caliber gun [Annotator's Note: Browning ANM2 .50 caliber machine gun]. He felt blood soaking into his boot. He applied a tourniquet above his knee. The plane was leaking hydraulic fluid. He went into the radio room and squatted down with the other gunners. They flew for another ten minutes before they hit the water. He immediately got out of the hatch and onto a wing to deploy the life rafts. He climbed into one of the rafts as it was still filling with air. The plane did not stay afloat for long. They floated in the waters of the North Sea for about two hours before they were saved by the British. McGlaun was so cold they put him below deck. He made it back to England and spent the night in the hospital. Then he was sent to a regional hospital.

DeQuindre McGlaun [Annotator's Note: with the 333rd Bombardment Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] rejoined his crew on 28 July [Annotator's Note: 28 July 1943 after being shot down on 13 June 1943 as he describes in Segment 06 "Shot Down" of this interview series]. He just made rank as captain. Sometimes they were briefed the night before a mission and knew if they would be flying in the lead. He still goes to reunions every year. He and his co-pilot were the best of friends. Losing his navigator was the greatest loss he experienced during the whole war. He shot his 50-caliber gun [Annotator's Note: Browning ANM2 .50 caliber machine gun] at the Germans in Kiel, Germany. The fighters came from the coast of Holland. When he got hit, he was still firing his gun. He felt a sting on his leg, and he saw blood going down into his boot. While he was in the life raft, he got the fishing tackle stuff out and asked if anyone wanted to fish. The water was freezing. They were picked up by boats right before dark. He never once thought he would not survive. When he next went to fly, he thought he lost his nerve. They flew a mission 100 miles out from Berlin [Annotator's Note: Berlin, Germany]. It was their new commanding officer's first mission. They lost 10 planes on the way to Kiel. They were over enemy territory when they got the recall to go back to England. This mission had him scared because it was his first mission after being shot down. After Kiel, they only had 11 planes over the target that day. The next day he flew another mission to Warnemünde, Germany to bomb a large aircraft factory. They were going to drop incendiary bombs instead of the regular demolition bombs. They set many buildings on fire. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross [Annotator's Note: the Distinguished Flying Cross, or DFC, is awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight] for this mission. Captain Kirk [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Forces Captain Howard N. Kirk] did not get the credit he deserved. They were bombing from 23,000 feet.

DeQuindre McGlaun [Annotator's Note: with the 333rd Bombardment Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] went on a shuttle mission [Annotator's Note: 17 August 1943]. His crew was supposed to lead on a Regensburg [Annotator's Note: Regensburg, Germany] mission, but they led a mission back from North Africa. Many of the planes were not able to fly back. They had to load and take care of the planes by hand when they were in North Africa because the war had moved on. They were going to fly over the Alps [Annotator's Note: a mountain range in Europe] from Regensburg and land in French Algeria. The 94th Bomb Group had 29 planes flying the mission. They lost one plane, the tail end plane. It was shot down by an enemy fighter. They had to make a second pass over the target. After they bombed the target, they headed for the Alps. They experienced flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] in Italy. There were 376 B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] flying the mission. Out of the 376, there were 128 planes lost flying to Regensburg. Six planes were ditched in the Mediterranean [Annotator's Note: Mediterranean Sea]. There was a delay in the take-off because there was foggy weather. They lost 60 planes out of both missions that day. The 94th Bomb Group avoided the fighters and there was little anti-aircraft fire. McGlaun saw one plane ditch in front of him due to low fuel. They made it to Algeria. The natives were begging them for money. They went out to an oasis in the desert to get a bath. Some of them got drunk on cheap wine and shot off flares. They had 19 of the 21 planes in their squadron when they landed. Only 12 planes were able to fly the mission back to England.

eQuindre McGlaun [Annotator's Note: with the 333rd Bombardment Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] was glad to get back to his living quarters in England [Annotator's Note: after completing a mission he describes in Segment 08, "North Africa" of this interview series]. Some men were still in North Africa. He was rooming with his original navigator. After one mission McGlaun started to itch and he had to get some blue ointment to take care of body lice. One mission was to fly to a ball-bearing factory in Paris [Annotator's Note: Paris, France]. The crews that flew to Regensburg [Annotator's Note: Regensburg, Germany] got the Presidential Unit Citation [Annotator's Note: The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941]. A mission to Stuttgart [Annotator's Note: Stuttgart, Germany] had a bit of a mix-up happen. McGlaun cannot remember if they hit the target or not. They got attacked by fighters. The 94th Bomb Group was fortunate and did not lose any planes. The German fighters were lining up on the group ahead and below them. This was his 17th mission. His 18th mission was to Paris, France to bomb a ball-bearing factory. It was late in the afternoon when they flew into France. He could see the group ahead of them had already dropped bombs on the target. They flew at a low altitude on the mission to Marienberg [Annotator's Note: Marienberg, Germany]. They had 18 planes over the target. On another mission, they flew across the Baltic Sea. There was a smokescreen put up over the small towns on the Baltic Sea. The only fighter attack they experienced was when they went over Kiel [Annotator's Note: Kiel, Germany]. There were no fighters over the target and no flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire]. They got letters of commendation from Churchill [Annotator's Note: Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill; Prime Minister, United Kingdom, 1940 to 1945] and the head of the air force for the job they did at Marienberg. Marienberg was his 20th combat mission. He got his fourth Air Medal [Annotator's Note: US Armed Forces medal for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while in aerial flight] on that mission. He earned two Distinguished Flying Cross [Annotator's Note: the Distinguished Flying Cross, or DFC, is awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight] medals and a Purple Heart [Annotator's Note: the Purple Heart Medal is an award bestowed upon a United States service member who has been wounded as a result of combat actions against an armed enemy]. Their next mission on 5 December [Annotator's Note: 5 December 1943] was to Bordeaux [Annotator's Note: Bordeaux, France] to hit a submarine base. They lost three planes to fighters over France. They did not hit the target. They dropped their bombs over the water.

DeQuindre McGlaun [Annotator's Note: with the 333rd Bombardment Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] got passes to London [Annotator's Note: London, England] fairly often. He had a girlfriend in London. Her family was poor. Sometimes they would go to the Red Cross club. The pilot he flew B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] with in Florida was in the Red Cross club the first time he went. The pilot had been shot down in the Alps and was saved by the French underground. Sometimes he would go see the movies. He went to stage shows. There were blackouts at night, and they would run into the Piccadilly commandos [Annotator's Note: Piccadilly commandos were British army Second World War slang for prostitutes and loose women]. He stayed away from them. They would take extra flights around England. His pilot could fly the B-17 like a fighter pilot. They buzzed the beach and the English started firing shells at them. They would go to the Wash which is a bay, and they would have gunnery practice up there. He would not want to be a pilot pulling the target with some of the gunners they had.

Some of DeQuindre McGlaun's crew [Annotator's Note: with the 333rd Bombardment Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] had already finished their missions before his last mission. On 24 December 1943 they flew Captain Kirk's [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Forces Captain Howard N. Kirk] last mission. On 4 January 1944, McGlaun flew his own last mission. His two commanding officers were the pilot and co-pilot on his last mission. They were not flying at a high altitude. The flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] was thick. There was a difference between 105 [Annotator's Note: 10.5 cm FlaK 38, German antiaircraft artillery gun] and 88mm flak [Annotator's Note: German 88mm multi-purpose artillery]. The 88 could not get up high and be accurate. The 105 put up big black puffs of smoke. He thought his last mission would be the last of him. They made it back without losing any aircraft. When he got back, they met him and took his picture. His friend Jasper [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] met him after his 25th mission to have their picture taken together. He met up with his friends after the war at the reunions. He wrote an article about being the last man standing because some of his friends have passed away. He took a train to Liverpool [Annotator's Note: Liverpool, England] and waited several days for a ship back to the United States. The officers had staterooms and the GIs [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] had to stay in wards below deck. One night, McGlaun had to stand to watch for submarines because he was an officer. It was cold and the deck was iced over. It took them five days to get back to the coast of New York City [Annotator's Note: New York, New York]. The Statue of Liberty was a beautiful sight when they came up the Hudson River. They landed in New York City and stayed the night in Brooklyn [Annotator's Note: Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs in New York, New York]. Then they got orders to head to North Carolina. They rode a train overnight. They stopped in Washington, DC, and boarded another train. When they got to North Carolina, McGlaun got two weeks' vacation and he went home to get married on 12 January 1944. Then he got orders to go to Miami Beach [Annotator's Note: Miami Beach, Florida] for rest and recuperation. He and his wife, Marie, rode a train to Miami. They stayed there for a week. Then he had to go back to Midland, Texas where he took a navigation course. He trained until the end of the war. His daughter was born on VJ-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945]. He had orders to get discharged. He wanted to get out. He worked at Fort Benning [Annotator's Note: Fort Benning, Georgia]. He opened a hobby shop for returning GIs. He worked there for about seven months and then sold it. Then he was offered a teaching position at a high school in Columbus [Annotator's Note: Columbus, Georgia]. He taught shop in schools until he retired in 1979.

DeQuindre McGlaun [Annotator's Note: with the 333rd Bombardment Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] was more afraid of the flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] than the fighters. He also would see planes run together. One-sixth of the planes that were lost were not combat-related. He saw many planes run into each other. He saw planes get attacked by fighters. B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] bailing out over the North Sea frightened him. He had to put it out of his mind because he had a job to do. The worst loss for him was losing his friend Spanky [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling]. His group had their first reunion in Las Vegas [Annotator's Note: Las Vegas, Nevada] in 1975. He made a lot of friends at the reunions and met some old friends too. They would have a memorial service and a flag service at every reunion. There was a pictorial history of the planes that were flown by the 94th Bomb Group and what happened to them. His plane was flown back to the United States. He could not believe that. He went to the plane graveyard in Arizona [Annotator's Note: at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona] and saw his plane.