Paul James Grubb was born in September 1920 in Riverside, California. His mother died when he was six months old. Before he was six years of age, his brother and sister died. His father became disgruntled with his orange grove and decided to move back to Tennessee where he grew up. He opened a grocery store and Grubb became a store attendant at a young age. He helped the customers with their purchases. That was his job through high school. He worked early then went to school and worked after class. The country was in turmoil during those years since Germany was threatening to take over everything. When Grubb graduated, he started at the University of Tennessee [Annotator's Note: in Knoxville, Tennessee]. Many young men were joining the service at the time. Grubb took his basic training and then was sent to Glendale, California to the Glendale Institution. There, young men were being trained for jobs such as riveting sheetmetal and learning about repairing airplanes. Graduating from there, he wanted to learn to be a pilot. Most of his fellow graduates moved on to ground crew jobs. Grubb found that he became nauseous when he flew so he did not pass the primary flight training at San Antonio cadet school [Annotator's Note: San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center in San Antonio, Texas]. He attended gunnery school at Harlingen, Texas [Annotator's Note: Harlingen Army Airfield, later Harlingen Air Force Base, in Harlingen, Texas] and would like to do it again if there was no war to worry about. He was next sent to Boise, Idaho where he experienced extreme cold during high altitude flight in the unheated B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber]. The crew wore heated suits, gloves and shoes to protect them. It was a shock to get used to the cold during the training missions at Boise. They were assigned to the 485th Bomb Group [Annotator's Note: 830th Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group, 55th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force]. The crew flew into South America via a cross-country route. The mosquitos were very bad in South America. The airmen needed nets to protect them while sleeping. They arrived at Fortaleza, Brazil. A ship had gone down at sea and Grubb's B-24 was chosen to perform search and rescue duty. He spotted a raft with survivors in it. It was the first time he cried. [Annotator's Note: Grubb pauses in remembrance of the emotion.] His plane flew next to Dakar. The bomber had a long range flight capability. Grubb flew over African jungles and spotted herds of animals like he had never seen. Their next stop was Algeria where the crew waited for the Allies to push the Germans and Italians back from Rome, Italy. After departing Sicily [Annotator's Note: Sicily, Italy], the B-24 flew into Italy and a farm area that had been prepared for them to have as a base. They settled down immediately.

Paul James Grubb was assigned to bombing runs over the Alps into France after a few days [Annotator's Note: he had arrived in Italy in June 1944 as a tail gunner on a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber in the 830th Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group, 55th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force]. The missions were milk runs [Annotator's Note: easy flights with little or no opposition] where they flew in at 8,000 to 10.000 feet and dropped their 2,000 pounds of ordnance and returned to base for supper. He liked those assignments but things changed after the Germans were forced up into France. The crew had the goal of making 50 missions [Annotator's Note: 15th Air Force bomber crews were allowed to return home after surviving 50 missions]. They soon had to fly against the Ploesti oilfields [Annotator's Note: around Ploiești, Romania]. It was the most dangerous objective, just behind the German roller bearing factories. He would ultimately fly five missions against Ploesti. His job as the tail gunner was to man his turret and to observe the damage done by the bomb run plus, if a bomber went down, he had to count the number of chutes that opened [Annotator's Note: the open parachutes were used to estimate the personnel survival rate of the unfortunate aircraft]. It was disturbing to see a B-24 fall from formation, particularly if there were friends onboard. It was not uncommon to see fewer than five parachutes open up [Annotator’s Note: a B-24 flew with a nominal crew of ten]. At 25,000 to 30,000 feet, the ship carried four 500 pound bombs. Grubb had to assess the success of hitting the target. Many times, the load missed the intended location. Grubb's faith in God has caused him to be troubled through subsequent years about the human toll those bombings caused. The four or five initial milk run flights were followed by the more serious tasks of flying into Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, France and Germany. Briefings would follow a four o'clock wake up and then the mission would begin. Vienna [Annotator's Note: Vienna, Austria] was a terrible target with antiaircraft guns. The waist gunners threw out the contents of sacks of tinsel to spread out a distraction for the gunners on the ground. It made the bombers harder to hit. Ships were lost off and on. Each mission would have losses. Life and food at the bomber base was relatively good. There were sports and movies to enjoy. Grubb always had compassion for the infantry on the ground in the trenches. Grubb personally never missed a meal and that was a neat thing for him. The run to Vienna was tough though. The ship was hit hard with Me-110s [Annotator's Note: German Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin engine heavy fighter aircraft] and ME-210s [Annotator's Note: German Messerschmitt Bf 210 twin engine heavy fighter aircraft] coming in at 11 o'clock [Annotator's Note: the bomber itself flew into the 12 o'clock position] with Grubb's B-24 flying just off the formation leader's left. They were the target of the incoming enemy fighters. Grubb could not get a fix on them in his turret but when they peeled off, they looked like bombers to him. His B-24 sustained over 300 hits from them. A two foot hole was blown between the waist and tail gunners. A bit faster in flight and Grubb's plane would have been lost. Instead, no one was hurt and one engine was lost while the plane had over 300 hits. It was a miracle that no one got hurt. [Annotator's Note: Grubb smiles.] Not all was serious during those times. Grubb wrote his future wife, Beverly, extensively during that time. He asked her to marry him after his 50th mission. His letters were censored because he was an enlisted man. Her letters to him were not. He was living a dangerous life but he was in love. Grubb's crew mates teased him and were anxious to hear that his future wife accepted his proposal. When her acceptance came, it was a big deal to the crew as well as Grubb. Grubb returned home quickly from Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy] after completing his 50th mission. He had sent out his flight jacket to have an Italian tailor sew onto it the insignia for the 50th bomb run. He did not retrieve his jacket and regrets that he does not have that to give to his children. The pilot on his bomber was Second Lieutenant Richard Craft. His son was named Richard after him. Despite repeated attempts to find his fellow crewmen, Grubb and his wife did not locate them. Grubb does not know if they survived or got shot down. The uncertainty is sad for him.

After Paul James Grubb returned home on a transport [Annotator's Note: after completing 50 missions in Europe as a tail gunner in a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber in the 830th Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group, 55th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force], he and Beverly [Annotator's Note: Grubb's finance, Beverly Matthews] were married. He was sent to Scott Field [Annotator's Note: now Scott Air Force Base in Saint Clair County, Illinois] for radio school. He was being prepared to fly in a B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] in the Pacific. He found learning Morse code to be interesting. Shortly after beginning his training, the war wound down. He was pulled from radio school and sent to California to battle brush fires in the mountains. He was at March Field [Annotator's Note: now March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California] when he was discharged. His wife was pregnant so the Army allowed them to travel home in a nice Pullman car. It was a good trip. His wife was pregnant with Rick [Annotator's Note: their first child]. Beverly was with him for about a year after the war. Grubb had little duty during those months. They returned to Knoxville, Tennessee and started in insurance and then moved to Georgia and went to work in real estate. Grubb's second child, Janny [Annotator's Note: Janet], was born in Tennessee like Rick. The couple's second daughter, Ollie [Annotator's Note: Olive], was born in Georgia. The Grubbs raised their family in Georgia. Their 65 year marriage has been a good one. Grubb's business was enjoyable during those years. Grubb has numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. He has been grateful for his life. It was hard coming back from the war, but he got it out of his mind and went to work building his life. He said nothing to his children about the war after his return. In fact, he is not even sure why he is talking about it now. [Annotator's Note: Grubb smiles.]

Paul James Grubb was part of the air war in support of the fierce ground fighting in the Alps before the German forces were pushed back. The Allies had the advantage of stronger air power. Italy had surrendered and Mussolini [Annotator's Note: Italian fascist dictator Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini; also known as il Duce] had committed suicide so the war was winding down there. Things seemed to ease up for Grubb. He would trade his ration of cigarettes from the Army for foodstuffs from the local population. There was no church for the servicemen except for the local ones. It was interesting attending those services. Before the crew of the bombers departed for a mission, they were given a briefing. Ploesti [Annotator's Note: oilfields around Ploiești, Romania] was the most feared target other than the ball bearing plants in Germany. Grubb was in the 15th Air Force [Annotator's Note: 830th Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group, 55th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force]. The 8th Air Force raided those ball bearing plants in Germany. The 15th only went slightly into Germany compared to the 8th. The 8th flew 25 missions versus the requirement of 50 missions for the 15th [Annotator's Note: bomber crews in the 15th Air Force were allowed to return home after surviving 50 missions]. Except for about a dozen targets, most of those flown against by the 15th were less fierce than those attacked by the 8th. There were ten crewmen on the B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber]. Six of those men were gunners including Grubb as the tail gunner. Grubb's best friend was the ball turret gunner on the bottom of the ship. There were two waist gunners. One of the waist gunners was also the engineer who had to arm the bombs before they were released over target. The two waist gunners also had to open the bomb bay doors at 25,000 to 30,000 feet. They probably felt like they were freezing to death. Grubb's turret was in the rear of the ship. It was an engineering feat. Grubb lashed himself in. There were many casualties in that position because of the difficulty of getting out of an injured bomber. He has had the opportunity to show his son Rick [Annotator's Note: his first child] his position in the bomber at an airshow. With the mission starting early in the morning and returning at dusk, the crew brought their lunch with them. When they flew on a mission and were shot up pretty badly, they seriously considered flying to Switzerland and ending the war there [Annotator's Note: Switzerland was one of the few neutral countries that remained in Europe during the war]. The crew ultimately decided to return to base. The information received back at the base was that Grubb's B-24 was hit badly and that the only casualty was the tail gunner. It was nice to be famous for a bit. [Annotator's Note: Grubb laughs since he was the tail gunner and actually his crew had sustained no casualties despite the heavy damage to their ship.] Antiaircraft fire was feared on the flights. The sound was horrendous. [Annotator's Note: Grubb simulates the sound of the concussion and takes a brief break after remembering the feeling.] About 300 total planes were sent over on Grubb's first Ploesti raid. His formation had 35 to 50 bombers in it. Each Liberator had four 500 pound bombs in the bomb bay. Thousands of tons of bombs fell on the target. There was fierce antiaircraft fire from below. To destroy Ploesti would shorten the war [Annotator's Note: the oil supplied by the Ploesti oilfields was vital to fuel the Axis war machine]. Ploesti was an important target as a result. Grubb had to observe the bombers in his formation that were shot down and the number of chutes [Annotator's Note: parachutes] that opened. He rarely saw more than four or five leave a stricken plane. The B-24 in distress was a hard ship to exit [Annotator's Note: as the tail gunner, he had to check bomb damage below and observe bombers that were downed and how many of the ten man crew parachuted out of the lost aircraft]. It was a troubling thing to see so few survivors when the planes were shot down. His assessment of his first bombing run over Ploesti was that it was effective. Each group of aircraft had specific targets to hit. He felt his group was effective. The P-38 [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-38 Lightening fighter aircraft] and P-51 [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] escorts protected them. [Annotator's Note: Grubb smiles.] The first had the impressive fusillade while the second was faster. They were beautiful to see above them at higher altitudes waiting to protect them from the German ME 110s [Annotator's Note: German Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin engine heavy fighter aircraft] and 210s [Annotator's Note: German Messerschmitt Bf 210 twin engine heavy fighter aircraft]. Those enemy fighters perhaps performed better than the American escorts. The German fighters would pick up the bomber formation close to the target. The American flyers had long missions that lasted eight to 12 hours. Some targets had little antiaircraft guns so they were milk runs [Annotator's Note: slang term used by American airmen to describe an easy combat mission]. Out of Grubb's 50 missions, perhaps 12 were enjoyable milk runs. His first mission over Ploesti was about his fifth mission and his baptism of fire. Rumors circulated that Ploesti would be the mission target and Grubb had hopes not to be on the first run over the target, but his squadron was. Grubb's crew flew over Romania, France and eastern Germany against various targets. The officers and enlisted men received different preflight briefings. Officers would then brief their crew on the type target they would attack so the enlisted men knew what they would be facing. All the missions were the same despite different targets. The bombers intended to destroy as much as possible. Sometimes there would be enemy fighter opposition and sometimes not.

Paul James Grubb experienced his worse raid over Vienna [Annotator's Note: Vienna, Austria]. His only wound resulted from burns from his flight suit warming system. It was nice being in the Air Force because his fear resulted only from not knowing when you might be hit while on a mission. Targets were military related such as factories and railroad yards. Targets, as well as the approach and angle of attack on them, were planned. The goal was to fool the Germans on where the bombers were coming from. Radical changes in flight were not uncommon. Over 300 holes in the ship resulted from the Vienna run and yet not a single person was injured. Grubb feels he has been fortunate through his life. All of his missions stand out except the six to ten milk runs [Annotator's Note: slang term used by American airmen to describe an easy combat mission] where he did not see flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] or enemy fighters. The Germans had been hard hit and their defenses suffered. There were three times his aircraft had to fall out of formation and return to base. When his ship was loaned to another squadron's crew, it was shot down. The name on the nose of the new ship remained "The Nudist Kay" [Annotator's Note: name spelling uncertain] just as it had been before. No picture was painted on it until the next crew took over the ship. It went down also. The third ship with that name went down in January 1945. The German fighters had to oppose bomber formations from both England and Italy. That thinned out their defensive capability. Groups were up in the air from somewhere every day. Escorting aircraft often accompanied the Liberators [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber]. Grubb was stationed in Venosa, Italy. The B-24 flew into Southern France, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Germany. The aircraft crewmen were separated from the ground crews [Annotator's Note: ground crews maintained and modified the B-24s]. The ground crews had voyaged to Italy in small groups in multiple transports. Axis Sally [Annotator's Note: Rita Luisa Zucca] welcomed the 485th Bombardment Group [Annotator's Note: Grubb was a member of the 830th Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group, 55th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force] by telling them they would not survive Germany's defenses. She also told them the 831st's [Annotator's Note: 831st Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group, 55th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force] ground crew had been lost when its transport ship was torpedoed en route to Italy. About 200 men were lost before even reaching the war. Grubb's squadron did not lose 200 men fighting. The loss of that ground crew shook up the bomber crewmen. Grubb gives Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] credit for being a fierce warrior. All Grubb's later missions were about the same. Breakfast was in the morning, then get to the ship and the flight with little fighter opposition but sometimes flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire]. Out of 50 missions, only three or four had flak. Many objectives were small targets. In Germany and France, the targets were more difficult but the worse job was flying over Vienna and Ploesti [Annotator's Note: oilfields around Ploiești, Romania]. Grubb received an Air Medal [Annotator's Note: US Armed Forces medal for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while in aerial flight] with two clusters [Annotator's Note: each cluster indicates a subsequent award of the medal. His crew received some of the few Distinguished Flying Crosses [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] awarded for their Vienna bomb run. The crew was surprised that they received the Distinguished Flying Crosses.

Paul James Grubb became a better person through his wartime experiences. He was glad to be alive because there was good reason not to be. His whole life was centered around his wife whom he loved dearly. She has been his sweetheart for life. He loves his children but loves her more. [Annotator's Note: Grubb seeks and receives validation from his daughter Janny, Janet, who is present at the interview.] The real estate business has been good for him. He sold houses with his license. He sold at least 100 houses per year at 100 dollars each but made much better money when he became a broker. He partnered with someone and got into the hotel business with three hotels. Beverly [Annotator's Note: his wife] was a good manager who kept everyone together. World War 2 made the country better and stronger. Grubb never voted for Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] because Grubb was a stanch Republican. Roosevelt did a good job in the war. Grubb felt the country was on the right track at that time. He no longer feels that way. The world changed with the war but after peace existed for a while, people went back to their routine and memory of the war disappeared. The country came to realize that Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] would have dominated the world if he had the opportunity. England held the world together until the Americans got into the war. Grubb loves and respects the English. He does not have similar feelings for the French. America had sufficient power to help win the war. The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] is great. Grubb has attended the National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C, and had a memorable time. It was nice that was done for the World War 2 veterans.