Jack Trautman Lengsfield was born in January 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Despite the hardships of the Great Depression, his parents maintained a high standard of education and living for their children. In 1943, his brother enlisted in the Army Air Corps, and soon afterward, at the age of 17, Lengsfield got his parents' permission to follow his example. Shortly after his 18th birthday, he was called to Camp Beauregard [Annotator's Note: in Pineville, Louisiana], then transferred to Sheppard Field in Texas for basic training. While there, Lengsfield contracted scarletina and was in the hospital for four days. After testing, he qualified as a navigator, but was reassigned to gunnery school in Las Vegas. As an 18 year old, he found the gambling town very interesting. He trained as an aerial gunner on B-17Es [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber], a plane he said was interesting and challenging. After finishing, he transferred to Drew Field in Tampa, Florida, and was ultimately assigned to a crew among whose members, Lengsfield said, there was a bully and a snitch, which made relationships difficult.

The squadron [Annotator's Note: 840th Bombardment Squadron, 483rd Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force] traveled to Bangor, Maine, where Jack Lengsfield got into a scuffle with his company's snitch because of what Lengsfield considered a slur against his father. The informant reported Lengsfield, heightening the stress among the crew. They deployed in a new B-17G [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] to Marrakesh, French Morocco, then to Tunis, where, once again, Lengsfield "got completely out of order" with his adversary. When they arrived at the Foggia Base in San Severo, their introduction to war was to witness a man jump out of a crippled B-17 that was attempting to make a landing. It was early March Marfch 1945], and Lengsfield said his crew was immediately assigned a mission in Hungary. During their return, a friend of Lengsfield's threatened to throw the snitch out of the bomb bay. In the ensuing melee, someone hit the trailing antennae, releasing it, and the entire formation had to disperse. Lengsfield was among three members of the crew that were reassigned, and rather than joining another crew, he became a "volunteer" filling in where needed. He checked out as a togglier, allowing him to switch between the waist gun and the nose positions.

Early on 24 March [Annotator's Note: 24 March 1945], Jack Lengsfield was called into a briefing on what was to be the longest mission of the European war, roughly 11 dangerous hours, the bombing of Berlin. The assembled 15th Air Force crews were "groaning and moaning," according to Lengsfield, and were soon cracking nervous jokes about the various proposed landing alternatives. They were warned that Berlin was well protected, so the flak would be very heavy, and that they could expect to encounter at least 200 Me 262s [Annotator’s Note: German Messerschmitt Me 262 "Swallow" jet fighter aircraft]. Their target was a heavy tank factory, and they would be flying at a dangerous altitude for 88s [Annotator's Note: 88mm multi puropose artillery]. When they went to the flight line, the bombardier of Lengsfield's crew was intoxicated, but functioning. Lengsfield's position for the flight was in the waist. It was a clear day, and the Tuskegee Airmen [Annotator's Note: members of the all African-American 332nd Fighter Group, 15th Air Force] flew as escort, but the 262s were so prevalent they "looked like a flock of mosquitoes." Nevertheless, their aircraft was credited with destroying one and a half of the enemy fighters; all told, their group [Annotator's Note: 483rd Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force] downed seven planes and only lost one. Lengsfield said that although he can't account for it, he was "not perturbed" going into combat. He was ready to go every day, and was able to take the losses that happened around him in stride. He said that unlike infantrymen who saw guys blown up beside them, his work was more "impersonal." The concern with his responsibilities served as a distraction. Lengsfield considered the Luftwaffe [Annotator's Note: German Air Force] "very good gentlemen." If an airman was captured by the Luftwaffe he was treated like a king. But the ground forces were divided between the regular army and the SS [Annotator's Note: German paramilitary force]. If they were taken by the regular army, they were treated as a soldier; if an airman fell into the hands of the SS, he was killed. Lengsfield commented that the civilians in the target areas were understandably very vicious.

Jack Lengsfield says that although he thought about the moral implications of bombing cities, he had no qualms and those thoughts were never a deterrent for him. In considering his reaction to the bombing of Berlin, Lengsfield said he was "surprised and amazed," and not too anxious to go on a ten hour mission, but ready to go. Reflecting on the first time he came under fire, he recalled his first mission. One of his duties was to throw chaff, something like Christmas tinsel that mixed up the enemy's tracking system, out of a little window behind the ball turret. It was practice to give each member of the crew a little shot of whiskey during their debriefing after each flight. In reporting his experience, Lengsfield commented that while he was dumping the chaff he could hear the bombs exploding; for that he got the response: "You dumb S.O.B., that was the 88s exploding!" [Annotator's Note: German 88mm multi purpose artillery.] He was "balled out for 15 minutes," and made to realize that it would have been impossible to hear bombs exploding at 26,000 feet. Lengsfield described how, long after the event, he became acquainted with one of the Tuskegee P-51C Red Tail pilots [Annotator's Notes: by this stage in the war, the pilots of the all African-American 332nd Fighter Group, 15th Air Force were flying the North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] who destroyed a German Me 262 [Annotator's Note: German Messerschmitt Me 262 "Swallow" jet fighter aircraft] during the bombing of Berlin that Lengsfield had witnessed. Lengsfield believes the Tuskegee Airmen's place in history should be better recognized. Lengsfield is proud of his service in Europe. During his service overseas, he kept in constant correspondence with his family, and understood that they were going through great anxiety about his safety.

When there were indications that both German fronts were collapsing, Jack Lengsfield knew the war would soon be over. He said there were misconceptions about the bombing of Dresden right at the end; people think it was disgraceful to wipe out all the cultural aspects of the fine old city, but in actuality, German Propaganda Minister Goebbels claimed that Dresden was an open city so it wouldn't be bombed then the Germans moved a million troops in from the West right into the city center, and their advance had to be halted. Lengsfield's 26th and last mission was the bombing of Linz on 24 April [Annotator's Note: 24 April 1945]. By that time, many of the squadron [Annotator's Note: 840th Bombardment Squadron, 483rd Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force] members were sick or cracking up, and refused to fly. The mission was expected to be easy, and Lengsfield took his position as left waist gunner. During their approach flight, Lengsfield reported to the pilot that, through a crack in his oxygen mask, he smelled smoke. There was an electrical fire in the radio room that had to be snuffed. Next he had to report a black B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] flying too close and out of formation; it turned out to be a captured drone that two P-51 [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] escort fighters quickly intercepted and shot down. Then he spied black clouds, and knew it would be a "bad deal." As their plane began its bomb run, it was rocked by flak, and Lengsfield could tell by the light shining through holes in the body of the plane that it was taking a lot of hits. As they commenced their return to base, a terrible groan from the pilot alerted the crew that he had been severely wounded. A large projectile had severed his thighbone. The copilot took control, and although they still had all four engines, the plane was vibrating badly because it was taking in air in so many places. They made an alternate landing at a hospital base in Bari, Italy. The pilot was taken out of a side window, in shock and heavily dosed with morphine. After many hours and two failed attempts, it proved impossible to take their gravely wounded plane back to home base, so the crew had to substitute transportation. Three weeks later hostilities in Europe ceased.

Jack Lengsfield remembers that he didn't know of the existence of Pearl Harbor until he heard the radio announcement about the Japanese attack. His father had served in the infantry in the First World 1, and was a dedicated patriot. Lengsfield said the family was "stunned," and his father was furious. They drove to the Japanese consulate's New Orleans office, where they were burning papers, and his father explained to the then 14 year old Lengsfield what was happening. Lengsfield recalled that at the end of his service in Europe, he took a three day furlough to Naples with a couple of other "hell raisers." While they were posing for a photograph on the steps of the post office, the "Reds" blew up the back of the building; the American then soldiers stole a truck to return to their base at Foggia. Lengsfield admits that there was a certain amount of guilt, more apparent then than now, but still existing, over his survival. Otherwise, his experiences in the armed forces during World War 2 helped him immensely during his later life. He took advantage of the G.I. Bill to attend Tulane University in New Orleans, and he feels that piece of legislation provided the education behind many of the successful professionals and businesses of today.

Jack Lengsfield flew home on a B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-14 Liberator heavy bomber] which he says was considered "sacrilege." By way of the Azores, they landed at Camp Miles Standish in Massachusetts, then he traveled by train to Camp Shelby [Annotator's Note: in Hattiesburg, Mississippi] and home. Feeling like he hadn't finished what he had started, he put in for training on B-29s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] in hopes of participating in the bombing missions over Japan. His brother, who was flying P-51s [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft], and father pulled some strings, much to Lengsfield's annoyance, and had him transferred out of the Air Force to the Service Forces, and soon the war with Japan was ended. According to Lengsfield, what most people don't know is that Japan's surrender didn't happen with the dropping of the atomic bombs; it occurred only after the United States flew an armada of a thousand planes over Tokyo. Lengsfield did not find it difficult to return to civilian life; he had athletic pursuits as a diversion, but he did think it best that he quit drinking alcohol. He feels it important for young people to know about the events of the war, and he helps a local school with its educational program on the subject. Lengsfield also believes in the importance of The National WWII Museum's mission, because of what it means to the veterans, the country's youth, and the city of New Orleans. Lengsfield feels his war experience was instrumental in shaping him into a staunch, moral, decent guy, and that it gives fiber and energy to his every decision. His message for future Americans: God bless America; may it always portray its greatest attributes all over the world. Remember its freedoms and the liberty that our flag represents.