Experiencing combat

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Raquepau, John First Kamikaze Attack
John "Jack" Raquepau and his group [Annotator's Note: Torpedo Squadron 51 (VT-51), Air Group 51] bombed Clark Field [...
Willett, Richard First Kill
Richard Willett does not recall exactly where they crossed the border into Germany. They had not been told they were...
Zarger, Edward First Kill and First Purple Heart
[Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Edward Zarger what he remembers about the first day he was shot at by a German...
Welch, Darrell First Kill in Iceland
Darrell Welch liked to say that he flew from England to North Africa and started a war. Rommel [Annotator's Note:...
Jones, Gerry First Mission
Gerry Jones' first mission was on Cape Gloucester [Annotator's Note: Cape Gloucester, New Britain, Papua New Guinea]....
Grabhorn, Edgar First Mission
Edgar A. Grabhorn was born in 1924 in Annapolis [Annotator's Note: Annapolis, Maryland]. The Depression [Annotator's...
Gust, Darrell First Mission
If the aviators saw a plane hit, they would count the parachutes that came out. According to Darrell D. Gust, if the...
Hood, George First Mission and Final Missions
George Hood flew bombing missions against Japanese residential sections of Tokyo. That was because the enemy had...
Kneflin, Charles First Mission from Guam
The first thing Charles Kneflin saw when he flew over Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands], were the biggest...
Bridger, Harley First Mission over Budapest and Mission Requirements
Harley Bridger and his crew lived in tents with six men each. They were fortunate with their engineer. Bridger felt the...
Van Huylenbrouck, Omer First Missions
Omer Van Huylenbrouck went on his first combat mission with a different crew. It was nothing exciting. [Annotator's...
Albright, William First Missions
The day before William Albright's second mission, two B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber...
Fili, William First Missions
The first couple of bombing missions William Fili was on were "milk runs" [Annotator's Note: slang term used by...
Bussel, Norman First Missions
Norman Bussel’s first mission was with an older, experienced crew. Lieutenant Hughes was the pilot and the crew were...
O'Brien, Ryan First Missions
The night Ryan O'Brien landed at Spinazzola [Annotator's Note: Spinazzola Airfield, Italy], a movie star was having a...
Riga, Jerome "Jerry" First Missions in Europe
Jerome "Jerry" Riga assisted with ground support for the infantry and tank divisions [Annotator's Note: as a Republic P...
Rans, Robert First Missions, Training and Ploesti
Robert Rans recalls that his first mission was to Messina, Sicily and he remembers being scared as he saw the wall of...
Wayne, William First Night on Iwo Jima
William Wayne had joined the Marine Corps with John Shepperly who got shot through the arm landing on Iwo Jima, Japan....
Edwards, Marvin First OSS Mission and Mosquitos
Marvin Raymond Edwards' [Annotator's Note: with the 856th Bombardment Squadron, 492nd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force...
Alspaugh, James First Real Combat
About the time of the "bridge too far" [Annotator's Note: nickname for Operation Market Garden, Netherlands, 17 to 25...
Reese, Lloyd First Run on Ploie?ti
First Lieutenant Lloyd Reese flew 11 missions as a bombardier on a B-24 for the 67th Bombardment Squadron, 44th...
Heath, David First Skirmish on Guadalcanal
David Heath made it ashore [Annotator's Note: Heath landed on Guadlacanal, Solomon Islands with Company C, 1st...
Beyer, Walter First Submarine Patrol
[Annotator's Note: The video is glitchy in this segment] Walter Louis Beyer served in the Pacific Theater in World War...
Fagerstrom, Stanley First Time in Combat
Stanley Fagerstrom was a corporal going into an outfit that was already established in combat. He was attached to...
Spinato, Angelo First Two Days of the Bulge
Angelo Joseph Spinato [Annotator's Note: with Company E, 4th Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th...
Lucas, Jack First Two Days on Iwo Jima
They [Annotator’s Note: Jacklyn Lucas and his fellow Marines of Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th...
Cauble, Raymond First Two Missions
Raymond Cauble's first mission was to a concentration camp in Yugoslavia. A general went with Cauble. They dropped...
Lochra, Albert First Two Missions
Albert Pultz Lochra, Jr.'s first mission [Annotator's Note: with the 351st Bombardment Squadron, 100th Bombardment...
Del Monte, Jack First Unit Assignment to War's End
Jack Albert Del Monte felt he had finally made it when he was assigned to the 191st Tank Battalion [Annotator's Note:...
Maynard, Mark First War Patrol
Mark Maynard [Annotator’s Note: aboard the USS Sturgeon (SS-187)] sailed from Pearl Harbor to Midway to top off fuel...
Dickinson, Robert First War Patrol Aboard USS Queenfish (SS-393)
Robert Dickinson boarded the newly commissioned USS Queenfish (SS-393) as a Seaman Second Class. It didn't seem like he...
Taylor, Robert Five Months on Guadalcanal
Robert Taylor arrived in Samoa in April 1942. The Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] campaign...
Bath, Garland Flag Raising on Suribachi
Garland Bath was on an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] near the battleship Tennessee [Annotator's Note: the...
Paynter, Don Flak and Mission Rates
[Annotator's Note: Donald Dean Paynter arrived England around the middle of June 1944]. They started training there. He...
Childs, Charles "Chuck" Flak Damage on every Mission
Charles Childs was told he would be leading the Group [Annotator's Note: 2nd Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force] soon....
Lorenzen, Angus Fleeing China and the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Angus Lorenzen grew up in China and was very privileged. His family had ten servants, a large home and a country club...

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