Donald E. Casey served as a second lieutenant and navigator during World War 2. Prior to the breakout of war, Casey attended high school at a Jesuit boarding school in Wisconsin. The school was strict. He was at school when he heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He was sitting with his fellow classmates smoking and listening to the radio when the announcement came on. He was 17 at the time and he could not wait to turn 18 so he could be part of the fight. He imagined that it would be an exciting adventure. In the fall of 1942, he started college and when he turned 18 in November, he went down to the local recruiting station for the Army Air Corps. His father was a World War 1 [Annotator's Note: World War 1, global war originating in Europe; 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918] veteran and served as a training officer. His father told him to become an officer. Casey passed the courses and tests to become an officer and navigator. After he volunteered for service, he waited to be called up. In February 1943, he was told to report to Columbus, Ohio for training. The induction was “a zoo” because there were so many people. He finally received his number and paperwork, then boarded a train to San Antonio [Annotator’s Note: San Antonio, Texas]. When he arrived, he was sent to a classification center where he received uniforms and got a haircut. He was accepted into navigation school which he was happy about because the training was only six months long versus 15 months to become a pilot. Casey enjoyed basic training and already had military experience because he was in ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps] in high school. He was transferred to Houston [Annotator’s Note: Houston, Texas] for pre-flight navigation school. It was a lot of book learning. He then went to San Marcos, Texas and flew in an AT-7 [Annotator’s Note: Beechcraft AT-7 Navigator]. Casey never thought that flying was dangerous because he had an uncle who was an amateur pilot. His uncle took him on flights as a boy. He loved flying and that’s why he chose to join the Army Air Corps. He graduated on 23 October 1943. Casey received his wings and was given the rank of second lieutenant. His father attended his ceremony and because he was a lieutenant colonel, he was able to find out where Casey was going to be sent to for his first orders.

Donald E. Casey graduated from navigator school and earned the rank of second lieutenant. He was ordered to report to Pio, Texas, near Midlands, Texas to train on B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber]. He met his first crew at Rattlesnake Airfield [Annotator’s Note: Pyote Air Force Base]. The planes were war-ridden. While at the airfield, he trained with his crew and took gunnery training, which he found insufficient and did not prepare him for combat. In January 1943, his crew was sent to Carnie, Nebraska where they received a brand-new B-17 and began their journey overseas. When they reached New Hampshire, the plane had some mechanical issue which delayed their takeoff to Newfoundland [Annotator’s Note: Newfoundland, Canada]. They eventually made it to Newfoundland and then traveled on to Iceland. The weather was very cloudy which prevented him from accurately navigating. When there was a break in the clouds, he was able to find the North Star and then use the sextant equipment to help him navigate the course. When they flew over Greenland, he was able to get a beam from a radio tower and confirmed that he was on course and on time. His crew landed in Iceland during daylight. The next day, his crew flew the B-17 to Scotland. They boarded a train and headed to Stone, England for more training. Casey and his crew were finally sent orders to join their assigned group, which was 379th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in Kimbolton, England. They practiced flying formations. It was difficult navigating around England. The colonel on the base, Maurice Preston [Annotator’s Note: US Air Force General Maurice Arthur Preston], did not care for the young navigators.

Donald E. Casey served as a navigator for the 379th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in Kimbolton, England flying B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] during World War 2. The colonel, Maurice Preston [Annotator’s Note: US Air Force General Maurice Arthur Preston], on the base did not care for the young navigators. He was also very strenuous in training. Casey experienced more flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] than going up against German fighter pilots. The B-17 stood up to flak. [Annotator’s Note: Casey talks about the different equipment he wore throughout his missions.] On his first mission, his crew bombed an airfield in Dijon, France. They did not face any resistance. His second mission was to Brunswick [Annotator’s Note: also known as Braunschweig], Germany. The group was flying in close formation. He suddenly saw clouds of smoke and decided to avoid that area. After they completed the mission, they found out that they missed their target. The farther the missions went into Germany, the worse the flak became. He flew three missions to Berlin, the capital of Germany. He learned that the anti-aircraft guns were fired and reloaded in five seconds.

Donald E. Casey served as a navigator for the 379th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in Kimbolton, England flying B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] during World War 2. While flying through flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire], it was not bumpy or loud. He flew a total of 200 hours during his time in Europe. The Americans had the best equipment, including the Norden bombsight, and flew during the day while the British flew at night. Casey’s targets were military targets that included marshaling yards, airfields, factories, and oil refineries. During his time off, he went to London [Annotator’s Note: London, England]. On his 13th mission on 13 May 1944, his target was an oil refinery in Poland. As they neared their target area, the P-51s [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] had turned back, so Casey and his squadron were all alone. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 0:54:55.000.] Within minutes, German fighters surrounded Casey’s squadron. His plane lost its gas tank and was forced to shut down an engine. Casey thought he was going to die because they were sitting ducks for the German fighters. All of a sudden, P-38 [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft] planes came to the rescue and were able to support them back to the base. Casey admitted that he had lost a bit of confidence after that mission and was shaken up. From that day on, he wore his parachute during the entirety of his mission.

Donald E. Casey served as a navigator for the 379th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in Kimbolton, England flying B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] during World War 2. After a scary mission over Poland, he was given a pass [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] to London [Annotator’s Note: London, England]. The mission shook up the whole crew and they were all affected greatly by it. Casey’s 24th mission was his most memorable. The mission was to test a device on a German airfield. Casey was assigned as lead navigator even though he had not had previous training in that role. Casey, not knowing exactly what to do, made some mistakes, but hit the target and made it back to base. He was promoted to deputy lead navigator for taking the role of lead navigator without any training. He was assigned to a new crew. His original pilot, Lou, flew five missions without a navigator. It drove Lou crazy and he needed psychiatric help later on in life. On Casey’s 28th mission, he flew with a pilot named Steve King.

Donald E. Casey served as deputy lead navigator for the 379th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in Kimbolton, England flying B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] during World War 2. [Annotator’s Note: In June 1944,] Casey flew his 28th mission with pilot Steve King to Hamburg, Germany to bomb a synthetic oil refinery. Casey did not have the greatest feeling about the mission. He thought, “How many times can I do this before its my time to be shot down?” While flying on the bombing course, his plane was hit by flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] in the rear wing and the right engine caught fire. King gave the immediate order to bail out because he knew that the plane was done. The co-pilot was the first to exit the plane. Casey dropped out of the nose hatch and began to fall through the air with his back to the ground. He waited to open his parachute right away because he was told that the enemy would be able to see him coming from miles away. Casey’s co-pilot opened his parachute too early and was shot to death by the enemy on his way to the ground. Two other guys were beaten to death by German civilians when they landed in Hamburg. When Casey finally opened his parachute and landed south of Hamburg in the suburbs near a military hospital, he hid his parachute. His pilot was caught by local farmers and they were going to hang him, but German soldiers intervened and saved his life. Casey hid in some bushes, and a few minutes later, German soldiers found and arrested him. Casey was scared, but alive, so he had reason to hope. He was taken to an air raid shelter for a short time and then driven into the city. He was taken to a stockade and interrogated by German soldiers.

Donald E. Casey was captured by German soldiers [Annotator’s Note: after his Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber was shot down over Hamburg, Germany in June 1944]. He was put on a train and sent to Frankfurt, Germany. He was put in a solitary confinement cell with a mattress and pillow and kept for three days. He was then taken into an office where a German officer had Casey’s briefcase from the plane sitting on the desk. The officer interrogated Casey and he told the officer the address to his parents’ home. He later learned that the Germans sent a letter telling his parents he was a prisoner of war. He thinks it helped his parents to know that he was still alive. After the interrogation, Casey was sent back to his cell for another night and then marched a mile with other prisoners to a temporary camp for air prisoners. He had only one shoe at the time. He then boarded a train to Stalag Luft III [annotator’s Note: in Sagan, Lower Silesia, now Zagan, Poland]. At the camp, the prisoners had a fire stove to heat up their rooms, and wide open spaces. Overall, the camp was comfortable which was probably because it was an airmen officers’ prisoner camp. There were two layers of barbed wire fence around the camp. There were about 10,000 officers in the camp, and they were put into five different sections. He roomed with 11 to 13 men in the barracks and they slept on four triple-decker bunks. He was considered a late comer because there were airmen there that had been there for a long time. It was agreed that the 14 men in his barracks would split their food and the supplies that they received from the Red Cross [Annotator's Note: Red Cross, an international non-profit humanitarian organization]. The Germans gave them soup, horse meat, kohlrabi turnips, and potatoes. He was comfortable in June 1944. He mostly stayed in his room and spent time getting to know his fellow bunkmates. The prisoners shared their stories of how they came to the prison. Many of them were wounded before being sent to the camp. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 1:50:22.000.]

At the camp where Donald E. Casey was being kept [Annotator’s Note: Casey’s Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber was shot down over Hamburg, Germany in June 1944, and he was subsequently captured and taken to Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Lower Silesia (now Zagan, Poland) as a prisoner of war], there was an open space full of tree stumps. The German guards gave the prisoners a tree stump removal device, so they would remove them and use the wood for firewood. [Annotator’s Note: Interviewee asked to search for a name in a book at 1:52:12.000.] Casey’s roommates became lifelong friends because of their experiences and time in the camp. His roommate from Michigan came to the prison after his plane was shot down. He landed in Belgium, was wounded, and taken to a hospital. A German soldier threatened the American airman that he was going to take him to the civilians who would murder him. Somehow, Casey’s roommate talked the German soldier out of it and was eventually take to Stalag Luft III. Another roommate, Fergie from Mississippi, was a very positive guy throughout the whole experience. Another roommate, Lee Hamicker [Annotator’s Note: phonetic spelling], was a cartoonist for Disney. When Casey arrived at the camp, he was given new shoes, gym shorts, and a wool coat. Prisoners received Red Cross [Annotator's Note: Red Cross, an international non-profit humanitarian organization] parcels frequently, and had books to read, instruments to play, and other activities to keep them occupied. Casey took to playing the accordion to pass the time. Everything was fine up until September 1944 when their rations were cut in half. The prisoners received daily reports from a secret radio that was assembled and de-assembled everyday so that the German guards would not find it. The prisoners who had college degrees often taught classes in their subjects to other prisoners.

Donald E. Casey [Annotator’s Note: whose Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber was shot down over Hamburg, Germany in June 1944, and who was captured and taken to Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Lower Silesia (now Zagan, Poland) as a prisoner of war] saw the conditions in the camp worsen because their Red Cross rations were cut in half by September 1944. On top of that, the German guards began poking holes in the cans which would shorten the life of food preservation. As winter came on, the prisoners knew that they were not prepared for the cold weather. Casey had grown during this time and outgrew his shoes. The prisoners also became worried when they heard news of the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. Casey remarked about the “Great Escape” [Annotator’s Note: In March 1944, several allied Prisoners of War attempted to escape from the camp by digging tunnels. Few successfully escaped, while many others did not.] which happened at the camp three months before he arrived. He talked about some of the real players that escaped the camp. Casey remembered the assassination attempt on Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] and how soon after, the German guards changed their greetings to the prisoners with the Hitler salute rather than the German salute. As the Russians came closer to the prison camp, the German guards prepared the prisoners to move out of the camp for a march.

Donald E. Casey [Annotator’s Note: whose Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber was shot down over Hamburg, Germany in June 1944, and who was captured and taken to Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Lower Silesia (now Zagan, Poland) as a prisoner of war] remained in the camp until late January 1945 when he and the rest of the prisoners were forced to march 50 miles to Stalag VII-A [Annotator’s Note: in Moosburg, Bavaria, Germany] in a blizzard and subzero temperatures. Casey had prepared for the march as much as he could with the materials he had, but his feet were giving him a terrible time. He sat down, but with the help of his fellow friends, he rose and began walking again. After about 15 miles, the group rested in a church for a couple of hours. They began marching again until they reached a barn to rest again. While there, Casey removed his shoes and put on a pair of fleeced lined slippers his mother had sent him. The prisoners reached a small town called Muskau in eastern Germany. They entered a factory, removed their clothes, and rested for two nights. Casey and the other prisoners marched another 10 miles before reaching a railway station. They were then loaded into freight cars that carried them the rest of the way to Moosburg [Annotator’s Note: Moosburg, Germany], arriving in February 1945. The prison camp was overcrowded with at least 100,000 prisoners for a camp that was built for only 40,000. They were forced to sleep in tents for the first two weeks before being moved into barracks that were in awful condition. There were not enough bunks, so Casey had to sleep on the hard floor for about a month. The barracks were infested with fleas and were not insulated, so it was freezing. The prisoners no longer received parcels from the Red Cross [Annotator's Note: Red Cross, an international non-profit humanitarian organization], so food became scarce. The Germans served the prisoners potatoes and soup that they called “the green death.” They also received bread that was made from sawdust. Eating became a preoccupation because there was nothing else to do at the camp.

In late April 1945, Donald E. Casey [Annotator’s Note: whose Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber was shot down over Hamburg, Germany in June 1944, and who was captured and taken to Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Lower Silesia (now Zagan, Poland) as a prisoner of war, and then marched to Stalag VII-A in Moosburg, Germany] and his fellow prisoners were liberated by General Patton’s [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] 3rd Army. There was a battle between the Germans and the Third Army, so many of the prisoners hid during the gun fighting. Casey hid in the kitchen until the firing ceased. The American tanks knocked down the fence and the prisoners knew that they have been liberated. Three days later, Patton arrived at the camp riding in a jeep asking the prisoners if they had enough to eat. Casey collected some German souvenirs while he waited to be shipped out. He did not want to take any chances by leaving the base, but a couple of his friends made a trip to Paris [Annotator’s Note: Paris, France] and won money at the horse races [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 2:48:08.000.]

Donald E. Casey [Annotator’s Note: liberated from Stalag VII-A in Moosburg, Germany on 29 April l1945] had been a prisoner of war. He spoke about a fellow prison mate named “Fergie” Ferguson. He was captured in early 1943 and was considered an “early bird” to many prisoners. Fergie told Casey that the 50-day march to Stalag VII-A was the worst part of his prisoner experience. A couple of his friends made a trip to Paris [Annotator’s Note: Paris, France] and won money at the horse races. Casey and his fellow liberated prison mates were taken to a German airbase and were flown via C-47 [Annotator's Note: Douglas C-47 Skytrain cargo aircraft] to Camp Lucky Strike in Le Havre, France [Annotator's Note: one of the transit and rehabilitation camps in France named after popular cigarette brands] and then to a rehabilitation camp. There was a German airman who was captured by the Russians and remained a prisoner until the 1950s. Americans made bad deals with the Russians and should have been more demanding of them. Casey’s feet were damaged due to the conditions of being a prisoner and they had to be treated. While at the rehabilitation camp in Le Havre, they were given lots of food, new clothes, and hot showers. Casey boarded a troop ship and sailed for America. Since the war was still on with Japan, the ship zig-zagged [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver] back to New Jersey. After 13 days, the ship docked in New Jersey.

After being a prisoner of war in Germany, Donald E. Casey returned to the United States and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder [Annotator's Note: post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event either experienced or witnessed] for most of his adult life. He also referred many of his former prison mates to seek help for their post traumatic stress disorder. He blames the death of his co-pilot for the disorder. Despite his disorder, he was able to go to school and become a lawyer. He received decorations for his service and for being a prisoner of war.

After being a prisoner of war in Germany, Donald E. Casey returned to the United States and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder [Annotator's Note: post traumatic stress disorder; a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event either experienced or witnessed] for most of his adult life. Airmen risked their lives and many of them cracked up during their service. He believes that in order to fight in war, people have to be young. Everyone was afraid of his squadron’s colonel. He reflects on the decisions of some of the superiors during World War 2.

Donald Lee Casey believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations. He wrote a book about his service experience in World War 2. He does not regret a day of his experience and is proud of what he has done. He wanted to fly and wanted to get into combat, and wanted to survive. He wants to tell future generations to be proud of America, despite its faults because it is the best country in the world. He asks people to look at what Americans have accomplished and created for the rest of the world. He asked the future generation to contribute and be productive.