Download or read book From Artillery to Air Corps The World War 2 Memoir of a Green Mountain Cannoneer Turned B 24 Radioman written by Paul Van Kavelaar and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2020-02-26 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The experiences of a young enlisted man in the Army 1936-45. The first half of the book covers the time period from 1936 through early 1944. As he describes his training, assignments and perceptions of various incidents, the reader sees how he was integrated into the military culture. The second half details his experiences as a prisoner of war after his B-24 Liberator was shot down over Germany. He was the plane's radio operator. He was a POW in four different camps from March 1944 through January 1945: Stalag Luft 8, Stalag Luft 4, Stalag Luft 17 and the POW camp at Moosberg. The book vividly depicts life at each of these sites and the transport from one to another. The book ends with the liberation by Patton's forces and the trip back to the United States. In addition to documents and news clippings there are some black and white pictures taken with a smuggled miniature camera of camp life and the camp's liberation. 55 photos, 5 news clippings, 3 documents.
Download or read book From Artillery to Air Corps written by Paul Van Kavelaar and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2012-02-10 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Merriam Press Military Monograph 81. Third Edition (February 2012). These are the experiences of a young enlisted man in the Army from 1936 through 1945. As a former military journalist, his writing style is quite descriptive. The first half of the book covers the time period from 1936 through early 1944. As he describes his training, assignments and perceptions of various incidents, the reader sees how he was integrated into the military culture. A number of anecdotes illustrate what the unwritten rules were at the time and the basis for some of the rhetoric then in use, e.g. terms such as "dogface" and "wolf." The second half of the book details his experiences as a prisoner of war after his B-24 Liberator was shot down over Germany. He was the plane's radio operator. He was a POW in four different camps from March 1944 through January 1945: Stalag Luft 8, Stalag Luft 4, Stalag Luft 17 and the POW camp at Moosberg. The book vividly depicts life at each of these sites and the transport from one to another. It includes numerous small details from these experiences such as the number of slats in the beds at the POW camps, the brands of cigarettes smoked, the fact that the time was denoted nautically, and so on. The book ends with the liberation by Patton's forces and the trip back to the United States. In addition to documents and news clippings there are some black and white pictures taken with a smuggled miniature camera of camp life and the camp's liberation. Contents: Dedication; Foreword; Chapter 1: Out of the Depression; Chapter 2: The Green Mountain Boys; Chapter 3: French .75s and Colt .45s; Chapter 4: Feeding the Hungry; Chapter 5: Backyard Soldiers; Chapter 6: Angel Island: Poison Welcome; Chapter 7: Problems in the Paradise of the Pacific; Chapter 8: The Word Has It That ...; Chapter 9: Impressive Army Maneuvers; Chapter 10: The Andrew Jackson; Chapter 11: The North Atlantic; Chapter 12: With the RAF; Chapter 13: Pine Tree; Chapter 14: The Pall Descends; Chapter 15: Calling "Darkie"; Chapter 16: All Kinds of Bugs; Chapter 17: Heidekrug Vacation; Chapter 18: The Red Cross and the Grey Wolves; Chapter 19: Night Lights and Night Lice; Chapter 20: The Battle Four; Chapter 21: Free at Last; Photographs and Documents; 55 B&W photos; 5 news clippings; 3 documents.
Download or read book From Artillery to Air Corps The World War II Memoir of a Green Mountain Cannone written by Paul F. Van Kavelaar and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Army Air Corps Branch Immaterial written by Colonel W. G. Bonvouloir and published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2022-08-01 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: W. G. Bonvouloir received greetings from the government in August 1941. He said to his wife, Nancy, "Don't worry. I'm thirty-six, married with three children, and I'm overweight. They won't take me." Surprise! They have raised the weight limit for thirty-six year olds. "You're in. Congratulations, Captain." So begins the saga of his WWII experience. He always maintained that "Those who stand and wait also serve." This exemplified our mom. She stood and waited and raised three young girls, served with the GI Joe wives and kept the home fires burning. Dad wasn't present physically, but he was always there. Mom made sure we knew that.
Download or read book Radioman for the Artillery written by Lawrence Worth Hatch and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Dangerous Assignment An Artillery Forward Observer In World War 2 written by William B. Hanford and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2020-02-04 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Merriam Press World War 2 Memoir. Corporal Bill Hanford had one of the US Army's most dangerous jobs in World War II: artillery forward observer (FO). Tasked with calling in heavy fire on the enemy, FOs accompanied infantrymen into combat, crawled into no-man's-land, and ascended observation posts like hills and ridges to find their targets. But beyond the usual perils of ground combat, FOs were specially targeted by the enemy because of their crucial role in directing artillery fire. Hanford spent much of his time fighting in the Vosges Mountains in eastern France and then in Germany in late 1944/early 1945. Rare memoir of a risky job performed by relatively few troops. Honest and observant narrative describes the good, bad, and ugly of the war. Originally published by Stackpole Books in 2008 and discontinued in 2015, this brand new edition from Merriam Press has a completely revised and improved design with additional photos. 23 photos.
Download or read book Artilleryman written by John T. Varano and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2010-07-13 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My story covers almost three years of my life when I was an artilleryman in the European Theater. The news of the day was so important and ghastly, so far-reaching and complex, so uncommon and courageous, that there can never be enough history books written to describe and explain the events of WWII. This is a personal history, however, and I was a young soldier, one who wrote letters and kept journals and planned to write about it. But then, after the war, it became too difficult, and I rarely even spoke of it. Half a century later, as a father, husband, and grandfather, I finally retired from running my own business, and realized now I had the time and must use it. With books, maps, and random notes scattered around me, I proved to be a most disorganized writer. One evening, in the midst of the media coverage of the 50th Anniversary of World War II, my daughter, Norma, called me. She was crying. She had just watched a television documentary about the war and it included footage of my Division, the 90th Infantry, Pattons Third Army.
Download or read book Grasshopper Pilot written by Julian William Cummings and published by Kent State University Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During World War II the ability of American ground forces to advance in the face of fierce resistance was largely dependent on the precision of artillery barrages. Aerial observation was frequently the only effective means to locate enemy targets. For this mission the Army air corps used prewar light civilian airplanes (usually reconfigured Piper Cubs) known as Grasshoppers for their ability to take off from and land in tight places like dirt roads, grass fields, and ships. In addition to pinpointing enemy artillery, these aircraft were often assigned other missions - medical evacuations, reporting on enemy troop movements, and reconnaissance - often armed only with handguns. Julian W. Cummings began flying lightweight Piper Cubs as a young man and was recruited for the experimental and high-risk aerial reconnaissance unit of the U.S. Army's Third Infantry Division. In this memoir he chronicles his daring missions from first flights in the North African campaign through the end of the war. He flew 485 missions in both theaters, and for his extraordinary bravery in Sicily he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. these courageous men played in combat and adds valuable information to an understudied dimension of the war.
Download or read book Flying Without Wings written by Sallie Guy and published by Dog Ear Publishing. This book was released on 2008 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the extraordinary story of a poor Tennessee farm boy growing up during the depression of the 1930's who longed to be a pilot. His dream was realized when he enlisted in January 1941 as an aviation cadet and, despite being terminated from the basic training program in a disciplinary action, he ended up as a liaison pilot instead as a "flying sergeant." In New Guinea he flew observation in an unarmed piper cub for the 218th heavy Field Artillery Battalion, earning the Silver Star, the Soldier's Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and promotion to second Lieutenant. With the ingenious help of his flight surgeon friend, he was transferred to the 43rd Bombardment Group, the 65th Bombardment Squadron of the Fifth Air Force. He flew 32 missions in B-24 four engine bombers without regular pilot's wings, a feat unequaled in World War II. When Lieutenant Guy was sent home with injuries in December 1944, his superior officers in New Guinea notified Lieutenant General Henry (Hap) Arnold, Commandant of the United States Air Force, about his remarkable story. General Arnold summoned Guy to the Pentagon to have his wings pinned on him by an aide. Guy stayed in the US Air Force for a total of 26 1/2 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, with chief command pilot's wings. Throughout his career he "bucked the system," defying colonels and generals when he thought he was right, and they were wrong. I have told his story from boyhood to retirement, recounting experiences that appear unbelievable. With World War II veterans dying by the thousands on a daily basis, I felt it was important to tell my husband's unique story while he is still alive, depending upon taped interviews, personal recollections, and his official military records. Dr. Milton Gusack, a flight surgeon with the 43rd Bomb Group, commented: "I loved the book. It is classic Kelly, showing he was a combination of guts, capability, loyalty and stubbornness. This story is a truthful revelation about warfare and how the American spirit was able to survive the most horrible experiences and still maintain a sense of humor." Dr. Ken Wolf, Murray State University history professor said: "Kelly made me think of Forest Gump: Placed in unusual situations, he was unphased by meeting celebrities and persisted in achieving the impossible." Even back in 1958, a writer for the Olmsted AFB newsletter in Pennsylvania wrote a feature about Kelly in the war. Hal L. Eustace, chief of Advertising and Publicity, sent a copy of the story to Tinker AFB where Kelly had been stationed, with a letter stating: "This is one of the most unusual stories that I ever ran across in the service."
Download or read book Unless Victory Comes written by Gene Garrison and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2007-11-06 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A vivid, boots-on-the-ground memoir of World War II by an infantryman in General Patton’s army, from the Battle of the Bulge to Germany’s defeat On December 19, 1944, Gene Garrison turned nineteen. He spent his birthday in a muddy foxhole, listening to the cries of wounded comrades while exploding artillery shells sent shrapnel raining down on him and the enemy prepared to attack. It was his first day in combat. Unless Victory Comes recounts Garrison's journey as he was transformed from a fresh-faced kid from the farmlands of Ohio into a hardened soldier fighting for survival. From his baptism under fire, to the bitter fighting in the frozen Ardennes forest during Hitler’s last desperate push, to the end of the war on the Czechoslovakian border, Gene Garrison witnessed the war from the ground up. This is the story of one young man, far from home, surrounded by strangers, facing death yet never losing hope that he would live to see his family again.
Download or read book Victory Road written by Robert C Baldridge and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-02 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Victory Road is the story of a determined young soldier in an artillery battalion of the famous 9th Infantry Division of the U.S. First Army. The author accurately and compellingly describes a soldier's experiences in Army basic training, being shipped overseas to England in December 1943 on the ocean liner Queen Mary, further training in England, crossing the English Channel to Utah Beach in Normandy on D-Day+4, and then fighting the German forces for almost a year while living in the field during all four seasons. He explains how an artillery battalion functions, how it supports in battle the division's infantry regiments and in a fashion that brings to life what real combat action is all about. Baldridge earned a battlefield commission to second lieutenant and was awarded a Bronze Star medal for the part he played as an artillery forward observer up front with the infantry in all of the many major battles that the First Army fought. He also ties in his experiences with what was going on at the same time with the larger picture at higher levels of command on up to SHAEF. The author concludes with stories of his occupation duties near Munich, and personal observations of his about the Germans at that time. Finally, going back home "on points" in January 1946 after missing three Christmas's there while overseas in four countries. What adds even more to this book is his recounting of his family's experiences during those wartime years. His father, a World War I artillery captain in 1918 in France and later a U.S. Congressman and lawyer in Nebraska, was instrumental in helping to get Congress to pass the 1940 Selective Service Act-the "Draft"-and then joined the Army Air Forces. His brother, Malcolm, was also an artilleryman and forward observer, serving as a first lieutenant with the 27th Infantry Division during the final battles against Japan on Okinawa. 177 photos, 3 illustrations, 6 maps, 30 documents. A Merriam Press World War II Memoir.
Download or read book Letters Home written by Nan Snow and published by University of Arkansas Press. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This World War II memoir recounts the life of Floyd Hughes Davis as he trains as a member of a B-17 aircraft, his boming missions over Germany, and explores the mysterious circumstances around the loss of his entire crew.
Download or read book A True Flyer Memories of a World War II Air Apache written by Senath Rankin and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2015-04-28 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Memoir of WWII B-25 pilot Jay Moore, member of the 345th Bomb Group, known as the Air Apaches. The book chronicles the first twenty-four years of his life (1921-45) from growing up on a farm in Biggsville, Illinois, through the deprivations of the 1930's Depression, to his combat duty in the South Pacific. A True Flyer combines Moore's oral history, photos, and excerpts from his diary and love letters into a funny, colorful, sometimes brash narrative. Enjoy the military aviation history of WWII flyers: from his solo in the Boeing PT-17 "Stearman" biplane, advanced training in the T-6 "Texan," and North American B-25 "Mitchell" bomber on bases in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina. This second edition contains new photographs and a memorial to the author.
Download or read book The Cannoneers written by W. Stanford Smith and published by . This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Wonder of It All written by Howard L. Carlson and published by . This book was released on 2005-09 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author tells of his role with the 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion in World War II in desert training, combat in Africa and Sicily, training in England for the invasion of Normandy, landing on Omaha Beach and the campaign through France and Europe, ending in Czechoslovakia.
Download or read book An Airman s Odyssey written by C. Alan Foreman and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2005-04-14 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Airman's Odyssey tells the World War II experience of Staff Sergeant Charles R. Batdorf. At the start of the war, Batdorf was just an eighteen-year old kid from rural Pennsylvania. However, like many other young men in America during the initial months of the war, he didn't wait for his country to call—he volunteered for military service. Yearning to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps and eager to see combat, he requested duty as an aerial gunner. His training led to an assignment as a B-17 waist gunner and ultimately into combat in the skies over Europe. The action and adventure he sought soon turned to a fight for survival in a prisoner of war camp after he and his crew were shot down and captured during a raid on Berlin. He endured life as a POW for over a year before liberation in late April 1945.
Download or read book Above the Thunder written by Raymond C. Kerns and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Illustrations -- A Note on the Language -- Preface and Acknowledgments -- Introduction: The Heroic Liaison Pilots of World War II and the Amazing Piper Cub L-4 -- Prologue -- 1 The Pineapple Soldier -- 2 Ninety-Day Wonders and Fair-Haired Boys -- 3 Kauai to Fortification Point -- 4 Tornado Task Force -- 5 Luzon: Lingayen to the Hills -- 6 Over the Hills to Baguio -- 7 Sashaying Around Up North -- Epilogue -- Appendix: History and Specifications of the J-3 Piper Cub -- Notes -- Further Reading -- Index.
