Gentlemen, thank you for your service. I salute you.
Richard Dinning 351st BG 510th BS B-17 Pilot. 30+ missions.
Dick talked about his wartime experience as a B-17 pilot and spoke of the realization of what he had gotten into; "For me it happened on my first combat mission. We had passed the IP and were on our bomb run. Black puffs began appearing around the airplane. It was flak. Of course I had heard about it. I had seen pictures of it. But now I was in it. I could see it, hear it, and feel it thump against the airplane. I had a cold, frightening realization. The enemy was trying to kill me." Dick travels with us as we take the bombers around the country. He can usually be found in close formation with the B-17 while flying "The Bug".
Lefty was hit in the shoulder by a piece of flak on his 7th mission. He told me it "was no big deal". His Purple Heart citation states that when he was hit he was in the bombardier seat and the flak knocked him back to the navigators station. Lefty, "although bleeding severely and in intense pain", got back into his seat and dropped his bombs on time with the lead airplane. His "no big deal" comment is common among the WWII veterans I've talked to. It's always "I was just doing my job". Luckily for us they were there "doing their job". In the early forties the "job" was saving the world.
Isaac "Newton" Phillips 454th BG B-24 Engineer/Top Turret
He was the most scared when another B24 nearly collided with them from above.
Francis J. Drab 43rd BG B-24 Armorer/Gunner
Arnold Schonberg 491st BG B-24 Pilot
Arnold's B-24 was severely damaged while flying a resupply mission to the airborne troops in operation Market Garden. They flew in below 300 feet to drop supplies and the ground fire was murderous. Arnold told me he actually saw someone throw a rock at them as they flew by! He was able to make it back to England even though the propellor had come off the number 4 engine. As they were in the landing pattern at a RAF field the right wing caught fire and more pieces were falling from the airplane. Upon landing the right main gear collapsed due in part to the flat tire on that side. His crew was unhurt. There is a picture of his airplane at the 8th Air Force museum in Savannah, GA.
Al Yano and Walter G. Gates 449th BG B-24 Waist Gunners (same plane)
Al and Walter were shot down in a B-24. The airplane was spinning out of control and they were pinned in the waist section unable to get out. Finally one of the wings failed and the airplane rolled over and Al and Walter "floated" out through a waist window and were able to open their parachutes. They were taken POW and spent the remainder of the war in Stalag Luft IV.
Frank Mann 90th BG B-24 Pilot 58 missions.
Longest mission was out of Biak with a midnight takeoff and landing at 5:35PM that afternoon...17 hours 35 minutes.
Henry Moisan 301st BG B-17 Ball Gunner 35 missions
On 12 of his missions he did not get credit due to returning to base before reaching the target, usually from being shot-up too badly to make it to the target. Twice in 4 days he had missions to Regensburg
