Download or read book B 17 Bomber Crew Diary written by Edward J. Giering and published by . This book was released on 1985-01-01 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Memories from the Out House Mouse written by and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2002 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The following are the combined personal diaries of the last World War II combat flight crew of the Boeing B-17-F Flying Fortress named "Out House Mouse". Each of these diaries has been transcribed from the original or from a first generation copy of the original provided to me by the crewmember or his immediate family. My father was 1Lt. E.J. ("Joe") Harvey, the pilot on this crew and it was the transcription of his diary that began this project. Lt. Harvey's notes were hand-printed in block capital letters and an effort has been made to retain that personality in this transcription. For each combat mission, Lt.Harvey also included carefully cut and folded newspaper accounts, which have also been transcribed and where possible, the source newspaper identified. An effort has been made to duplicate the newsprint type, column size and position as much as possible to retain the look of his original diary. From his diary, I learned the names of the other members of his crew and their hometown at that time. Using that information, I've been able to locate all the members of the crew or their family. Six others have provided me with copies of their diary for which I am most grateful and I have included transcriptions of these diaries in this combined record. Because Lt. Harvey provided an entry for every day, even when not flying, and because his diary covers the greatest period of time, from the first of January through the middle of June 1945, his diary provides the date stamp and serves as the basis for all of the other records. This combined chronological record includes the seven available records of all 9 members of this last combat crew of the "Out House Mouse". Thus, this record includes the diary of 2Lt. Phil Darby, the co-pilot, provided by Mr. Darby; the diary of 2Lt. Marty Raber, the bombardier who actually sent me his original diary and his scrapbook for my use in preparing this book; the diary of 2Lt. Paul Katz, the navigator for the crew, provided by his wife, Joan Katz; the diary of S/Sgt Niel C. Jorgenson, the crew's flight engineer, which has been provided by his daughter, Ms. Susan Lunt who also provided the computer scans of the photographs of the flight crew and their signatures at the beginning of this book. The remaining records are the "Mission Sheets" of the ball turret gunner, S/Sgt George H. Odenwaller and the diary of the tail-gunner S/Sgt Walter M. Limberger. Both of these gentlemen provided me with a hand-written reproduction of their diary. The last record of course is that of Lt. Harvey from which all of this has grown. Following the entries of the pilot and co-pilot, the entries from the other five diaries are arranged in a nose-to-tail order of that crewmember's position aboard the "Out House Mouse". Each of these records is separated from the others by a break line (----) with each contributing member identified. In addition, the individual contributions also use a different type font. A sincere effort has been made to replicate the handwriting and format the diarist used in each of the original records. For example, while most of the diary authors established a format for reporting the specific important facts of their missions and recorded these facts in hand-printed letters, Paul Katz wrote his diary in long-hand using a narrative style and addressed it to his wife, Joan. Consequently, for Lt. Katz, I chose a script font to replicate the transcription of his diary. "Mission days" are preceded by a small pilot's wing prior to the diary date and conclude with the transcription of the newspaper account (or accounts) that Lt. Harvey had so carefully cut, folded, and pasted into his diary. Photographs from these articles have been electronically scanned and reproduced here.

Download or read book The Year I Can t Forget written by James E. O'Connor and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crew that flew 35 missions over northern Europe during World War II. The diary covers the period Dec. 25, 1943-Dec. 10, 1944. Final entries on Sept. 20, 1995 and Sept. 15, 1999 celebrate the fiftieth and fifty-fourth anniversaries of the surviving crew members at New Melleray Abbey, Dubuque County, Iowa.

Download or read book Adventures Under Fire written by Albert C. Henke and published by Leathers Publishing. This book was released on 2007-11 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Friendly and Enemy Skies written by Robert "Bob." Armstrong and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book American Bomber Crewman 1941 45 written by Gregory Fremont-Barnes and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-06-20 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gregory Fremont-Barnes examines the lives of the American Bomber Crewmen of the Eighth Air Force, 'The Mighty Eighth', who manned, maintained and repaired the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and the B-24 Liberators that flew from the airfields of England. He highlights the physical and psychological strain placed on these men, who required brute strength to control the aircraft on long bombing missions and extraordinary endurance to fly for hours at 20,000 feet at temperatures below freezing in unpressurised cabins. In addition to this, with Luftwaffe fighters and anti-aircraft fire to contend with, it required incredible skill and some luck to return from a mission unscathed. This book is a fitting tribute to these often uncelebrated heroes who took the war deep into the Third Reich, as well as a fascinating historical account of their experiences.

Download or read book Dead Engine Kids written by John J. Briol and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Daddy s Diary written by Helen Walkup Cairns and published by . This book was released on 2021-10-22 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lt. Edwin "Snake" Walkup's diary, edited by his daughter, Helen Walkup Cairns, provides insight into the life of a B-17 bomber crew during 1944 and thus is a valuable primary source.Vivian Rogers-Price, Ph.D.Research Center DirectorNational Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air ForceFlying mostly B-17 bombers from England during WWII, the U.S. Army Air Force lost more than 33,000 aircraft, including bombers and fighters, with more casualties than the U.S. foot soldiers beneath their wings! Edwin "Snake" Walkup was a B-17 pilot with the 8th Air Force. His detailed diary has become a book. "Daddy's Diary," by his daughter Helen, is a story of those times. The events and emotions between missions provide a unique perspective on a pilot's service during the war, while helping us better understand those who served heroically in the air war over Germany during WWII.Bill FrederickMayor of Orlando, FL 1980-1992 and contributor to the WWII Museum in New Orleans of his Army Jeep Collection

Download or read book The B 17 Flying Fortress written by Steve Birdsall and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Shot Down written by Steve Snyder and published by Sea Breeze Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2015 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shot Down is about author Steve Snyder¿s father, Howard Snyder, the ten man crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth, and the unique experiences of each man after their plane was knocked out of the sky by German fighters over the French/Belgium border on February 8, 1944. Some men died. Some were captured and became prisoners of war. Some evaded the Germans for awhile but were betrayed, captured, and shot. Some men evaded capture and were missing in action for seven months. The stories are all different and are all remarkable. Through personal letters, oral and written accounts, military records, and interviews ¿ all from people who took part of the events that happened 70 years ago, the stories of the crewmen come alive. Further enhancing their stories are more than 200 time period photographs of the people who were involved and the places where the events took place. Even before the dramatic battle in the air and the subsequent harrowing events on the ground, the story is informative, insightful, and captivating. Prior to the fateful event on February 8, the book covers the men¿s training, their journey to England, life while stationed there, and numerous combat missions. Everything is centered around the 306th Bomb Group stationed at Thurleigh, England of which the crew of the Susan Ruth was a part. To add background and context, many historical facts about the war are entwined throughout the book so that the reader has a feel for and understanding of what was occurring on a broader scale. Thus, it is a fascinating account about brave individuals, featuring pilot Howard Snyder, set within the compelling events of the war in Europe. You will be given an insider¿s seat to the drama surrounding a remarkable group of young airmen and the courageous Belgian people who risked their lives to help them.

Download or read book The Boys in the B 17 written by T/Sgt James Lee Hutchinson EdS and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2011-11-23 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author in flight gear after photo twelfth mission second Air Medal (age nineteen) He still wears lucky Air Cadet ring! Hutch's third book contains short stories of boys on B-17 Flying Fortress crews in deadly missions with the Eighth Air Force in World War II and stories of his own teenage combat experiences as radio/gunner on twenty missions with the Mighty Eighth. Teenagers enlisted or were drafted, trained and went into combat before they could legally vote or buy a drink. They volunteered to fly in the Army's Air Cadet Program and became a part of the greatest air armada in the world. Most of the gunners on a bomber crew were teenagers and the average age of officers was twenty-four. Veterans' memoirs and diaries give amazing reports of fighter attacks, flak damage and those who survived being shot down out to become Prisoners of War. These youngsters manned the planes that bombed and destroyed Germanys military and war industry. The price of victory was high, with an extreme loss of aircrews and planes. Eighth Air Force losses were among the highest of any military unit. Like the author, teenagers who survived to tell the stories of those great air battles are now in their mid-eighties and rapidly passing into history. See previous books "Through These Eyes" and "Bombs Away!" See a free DVD at http://video.smithville.net/?p=17 for interviews of the author with actual WW II combat film footage.

Download or read book The Forbidden Diary written by John Lawrence Stewart and published by McGraw-Hill Companies. This book was released on 1998 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A nineteen-year-old navigator with the illustrious 8th Air Force during World War II ... kept a private journal of each of his 31 missions, along with maps he routinely gathered in briefings."--Jacket.

Download or read book Shadow written by Neil Hunter Raiford and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2018-08-22 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the poignant and exciting story of a statistical anomaly, a B-24 bomber crew that completed 50 combat missions in World War II. This crew was part of the famous 450th Bomb Group, which was nicknamed the "Cottontails" because of their white rudders. As part of the 15th Army Air Force, they flew strategic bombing missions out of Manduria, Italy (in the heel of the boot) and struck strategic targets which were out of the reach of the 8th Army Air Force bases in England. The group lost 1,505 airmen in only a year and a half--the equivalent of losing their effective flying strength three times over. The book's title comes from the crew's bomber, Shadow, which in turn was named for the pilot's black cocker spaniel that flew with them on training missions. Based on interviews with the surviving crewmembers and their families as well as extant archival source material, the book details the childhood, training and post-war life of each of its 13 principal characters. Chapter One is a discussion of each man's boyhood years and Chapter Two provides details of the training that each received. In Chapter Three, the original crew of ten (Crew #4-N-33) was formed in Clovis, New Mexico. An assignment for training in Clovis and in B-24s meant that the crew had been designated for heavy bombardment. Chapter Four includes a description of the four main objectives for the crew, one of which was to participate in POINTBLANK, the Combined Bomber Offensive, which called for the destruction of German fighter aircraft plants, ball bearing plants, oil refineries, rubber plants, munitions factories, sub pens and bases. Details of the structural components of most missions are provided in Chapter Five. The crew completes its first missions in Chapter Six. In Chapter Seven, "Shadow" completes its last after taking enemy fire, and Chapter Eight introduces a new plane, Sleepy Time Gal. The book's Epilogue contains information about the post-war lives of the crew.

Download or read book Through Blue Skies to Hell written by Edward M. Sion and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2008-03-19 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A “surprisingly revealing” look at air combat, combining a WWII bombardier’s journal with a present-day perspective (Aviation News). This comprehensive look at air war over Europe during the climactic year of World War II combines firsthand experience with expert analysis. The centerpiece is a mission-by-mission diary of 1st Lt. Richard R. Ayesh, bombardier on a B-17 Flying Fortress, who flew with the 100th Bombardment Group, 13th Combat Wing of the 8th Air Force—the legendary “Bloody 100th.” He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Croix de Guerre, and Air Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, among others. This book follows Ayesh’s progress from his youth during the Great Depression in Wichita, Kansas, which was rapidly becoming the air capital of the nation, to his arrival in England as a lieutenant in a bomber crew assigned to assault the Third Reich. The author provides a look at the principles of American daylight strategic bombing, while relaying the overall military situation on the ground and in the air just after D-Day. Covering all aspects of air war in a clear, concise, yet nontechnical manner, the book covers such topics as photo-reconnaissance, munitions and bomb types, aircraft characteristics, fighter and bomber tactics, bomber formations, strategic target selection, radars, countermeasures and counter-counter measures. The unaltered diary of Lt. Ayesh is presented mission-by-mission, punctuated by tragedy and heroism, with explanations and commentary of the significance of events and actions described en route. The result is one of the most frank and exciting works on the air war over Europe to date. After Lt. Ayesh is followed on his perilous return home in U-boat infested waters, the book assesses the effectiveness of US strategy in ultimately paralyzing the Nazi war machine. Finally, the complex moral issues raised by area and city bombing are explored, with twenty-first century implications.

Download or read book Ww Ii We Were There written by T/Sgt. James Lee Hutchinson EdS and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2022-12-08 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WW II books of 50 or more stories of boys on B-17 Flying Fortress crews, flying deadly missions with the Eighth Air Force in World War II. His writing is based on his teenage combat experiences as a B-17 radio/gunner on twenty combat missions with the 490th Bomb group, diaries and interviews of veterans of various bomb groups. Teenagers who volunteered to fly were trained and went into combat before they could legally vote or buy a drink. They signed up for the Army’s Air Cadet Program and became a part of the greatest air armada in the world. Any of the gunners on a bomber crew were teenagers and twenty-four was the average age of pilots, bombardiers and navigators. Veterans’ diaries give amazing reports of fighter attacks, flak damage and being shot down to become Prisoners of War. They were the youngsters who flew daylight bombing missions in the Mighty Eighth and destroyed Germany’s military and war industry.

Download or read book JG 26 Luftwaffe Fighter Squadron War Diary 1939 42 written by Donald Caldwell and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2012 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Day-by-day account of a German fighter squadron, one of only two Luftwaffe units to spend the entire war in the West *Covers the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain, the Dieppe raid, and more *JG 26 was known as "The Abbeville Boys" and seen by the Allies as an elite squadron *Unit flew Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Focke-Wulf Fw 190s AUTHOR: Donald Caldwell has spent more than twenty -five years researching aviation history. ILLUSTRATIONS: 75 b/w photographs

Download or read book Through These Eyes written by T/Sgt. James Lee Hutchinson, Ed.S. and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2005-10-05 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the story of Eighth Air Force bombing missions leaving England to blast targets in Hitler's Third Reich in 1944–45. Each clear day, the skies filled with hundreds of B17 Flying Fortress bombers and their escorts crossing the English Channel toward enemy targets protected by anti-aircraft batteries and German fighters waiting to attack the heavy bombers. The skies over the target were filled with black flak appearing to be so thick you could walk on it! The exploding shells filled the space with flying chunks of iron as bombers started their bomb run on the target. We often could hear the flak pelting our plance like a "buckshot" on a tin roof. This flak would often strike a vital part of the plane or wound a member of the crew! Our waist gunner was wounded on our tenth mission!Some missions we could count hundreds of holes in our plane after we landed safely in England! Bombers receiving a direct hit were blown out of the sky and another ten man aircrew was lost. Planes severely damaged had to drop out of formation and face enemy fighters alone unless some of our P-51 or P-47 escort fighters protected them. Bombers disabled or on fire had no choice but to order the crews to bail out. Airmen who survived the parachute jump were captured and placed into German prisoner of war camps (POW). They were classified as "missing in action". Forty-eight photos, some sixty years old are included in this 350 page book to illustrate the story of the author's childhood in the Great Depression through the great air war of World War II. A description of each mission from a sixty year old diary is included. I think you will enjoy the story of a teenage Radio-Gunner's experiences in the Mighty Eighth Air Force.