Help me find out more about my Dad.

[Jeff]

A couple weeks ago I posted a photo of a ribbon that belonged to my Great Grandfather. At the same time I came across a few possession that belonged to my dad.  I've had this small box marked Air Medal since my dad died, but I've known of its existence all of my life in his desk drawer.  I know very little of my Dad's war experiences, and some things I am just beginning to learn. In this box are some medals, but there is also a little statuette that I always thought was Mary. I do remember Dad saying when I was young that while he was flying missions over Germany out of England a woman had given it to him after he had had some sort of meeting with her. He told me her name, and I heard him mention her name a few times, but never let it register in my memory who she was. I tired to remember a couple weeks ago when coming upon the box again, but couldn't. This morning I awoke from a dream and had the name. Her name was Clare Boothe Luce. http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/luce-cla.htm

Until this morning, I had no idea who Clare Boothe Luce was. I googled her and found all sorts of things out about her.  What I wish now was that I would have had enough sense to ask my dad more questions while he was alive about everything and anything.  After taking a picture of the small figure, which I always thought was pewter or something, I found after looking at it blown up that it had either been plated or painted gold. Clearly this object had been important enough that my dad had either carried it, or handled it to the point of its loosing of its paint. I also learned, that it is not Mary. Who it may represent, I do not have a clue, and that's what I am asking for help with.  You can click on the photo of it to see a very large image where you can see that it was gold at one time plus whatever details are left. I am guessing that it is a lead figure, like the old lead toy soldiers they used to make.   Again, the only thing I do know is that my Dad met Clare Boothe Luce in England during world war 2 where he was a gunner, and she gave him this little statue that apparently must have meant a lot to him.

I really know nothing about the other medals either. There are more somewhere that I knew he had when I was a kid. Click on the statue for a pig photo

 


 

[jim king]

Do a search on.... American military service records WWII-------and the same goes for Canadian.

There are a lot of sites to help you.

Such as this  --------http://society.ezinemark.com/public-military-records-how-to-search-for-us-british-and-canadian-military-service-records-online-4de14040061.html

[JV]

I can't help you on the statuette.  The second photo is an aviation badge indicating that the person was a member of an air crew.  The 4th picture is a weapons qualification badge indicating level of achievement as Expert, Sharpshooter, or Marksman.

The Air Medal:

"Awarded to personnel who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Armed Forces of the United States, shall have distinguished himself/herself by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Awards may be made to recognize single acts of merit or heroism, or for meritorious service."

You can be proud of his service.

[Texas Ranger]

The statue is the classic Mary, Immaculate  Heart.  Or of Jesus, Sacred Heart.  Hard to tell with the loss of definition.

[Norm]

You sure can, anyone that flew those missions have my up most respect.

Did he fly in B-17's Jeff?

[jim king]

http://www.usamilitarymedals.com/army-army-medals-c-2069_1542.html

[DanG]

Jeff, that is the Air Medal that goes with the box.  It was awarded differently in WWII than in the Vietnam era.  It probably was awarded for some heroic deed or other significant act, such as shooting down an enemy plane.  IMHO, it was a more meaningful medal than it came to be in my time.  During Vietnam, they started awarding it for completing a certain number of missions, and I ended up with 23 of the things.  To me, that was a slap in the face of those predecessors of mine who earned theirs the hard way.  Downright embarrassing, really.   They shoulda come up with a "Meritorious Bus Driving" medal or something.

[Texas Ranger]

DanG, one of my college room mates spent 3 tours over there in the air, had a bunch of them as well, a star , too, you and he earned them.  Some of the REMF's probably didn't, perhaps, but flight crews did.

[wood monger]

Jeff, I think that figurine is Jesus.

[Jeff]

The statue is the classic Mary, Immaculate  Heart.  Or of Jesus, Sacred Heart.  Hard to tell with the loss of definition.

I Sure don't think so. Here is another large image of it

http://www.forestryforum.com/saint2.jpg

http://www.forestryforum.com/saint3.jpg

I think its a patron saint or something. I really dont believe it to be Mary or Christ, but I suppose its possible.

Did anyone read the Bio of Clare Boothe Luce?  She was first married to a Brokaw! Not one I ever heard of, but it seems to be to much of a coincidence. This must be why she was talking with my Dad.

[Jeff]

Furby has noticed what looks like a word on the back of the statue. picture 3

[wood monger]

Looks like it might say france. Is that DSR on base.

[Jeff]

I'm about positive on the DSR, and I think you may very well be right on the word France!    I don't know what this may tell us, but its pretty interesting.

[Bandmill Bandit]

The symbol on the chest of the figurine would lead me to look in an era much past Christ and Mary.

Joan of Arc comes to mind but the symbol isnt quite right for that. Need to find a place to match that symbol too or some one that is more knowledgeable then I am.

I am with Jeff on it being a patron saint. Question is which one?

Immaculate heart figurine may be right. loss of definition make it hard to tell.
 
links to currently available figurines I have found;
http://www.catholiccompany.com/immaculate-heart-statue-36-inch-p2007927/

Jeff is it possible that your dad was a member of one of the squadrons that the Tusgegee Airmen of WWII flew reconnaissance and defence for?

[Fla._Deadheader]

 That's not gold paint. It's Gilt, or Gilded Gold plating. It was very common on items shipped out of the New World, when the Spanish conquered the countries, and destroyed whole civilizations.

 It's common to find at Spanish Shipwreck locations, dating from the late 1500's, to after the late 1700's.

 It's some form of religious figure, and, could be French. Might have something to do with the woman's great grand parents, who would have lived in the 1800's ??

[fishpharmer]

Almost looks like the Statue of Liberty Lady without a crown.  Just a guess.
Your dad was a hero, for sure.

[jamesamd]

Sacred heart of Jesus,I had it tattooed on My right arm in 1974
http://www.catholiccompany.com/sacred-heart-jesus-heavenly-protector-statue-p2007710/
Jim

[fishpharmer]

Can I make a retraction?

Almost looks like the Statue of Liberty Lady without a crown.  Just a guess.

Now that I look at the photos on the large monitor, I think it does look like a Sacred Heart of Jesus miniature statue.
Looks like a heart between the hands.

[Jeff]

jamesamd, I think you are absolutely right!   I just wish I knew why and how dad might have been visiting with her and why she gave him the statue. Maybe she gave everyone she met one.  It could be like Tom was thinking while I was talking to him today. She was just somewhere where dad was and saw his last name on his flight suit or something, and since her first husband and her child was named Brokaw, she decided to talk to him. I still have thid feeling that it must been meaningful to him as he some how wore the plating off of that little statue.

I have related on the Forum before, how Dad had told god on one of his flights when they where they were really getting shot up, that if they made it back he would dedicate his life to him, which is what he did. He was a minister for over 40 years.  I know I have more material coming from my Dad's time in the service that is at my Oldest Sister's place. She said she was bringing it to me next time she came to visit.

[Jeff]

I found this on-line. Real close. jamesamd, thank you for getting that tattoo.


 

[5quarter]

Jeff,

   That is a sacred heart of Jesus figure, although the rendering of the theme is grotesque. Notice the ribs on the chest and the heart displayed in the center. No fingers are visible because they are holding the ribcage open. at first I thought that the figure was pre-enlightenment period, possibly Italian or Russian in origin and that. DSR was probably Latin for something like Dominus______Regulus, but after seeing #3 photo, it is obviously French and definitely later period, maybe made for WWI soldiers.  it would seem given the time and circumstances, to be the most important gift your Dad could get. It may be that the figure was with one of Clares Loved ones during the war and it brought good luck. She may have thought it Just and fitting that another Brokaw have it.

Chet

[Jeff]

This is an example of Dad's squadron patch. The 600th Bombardment Squadron. The one pictured is not his, but I have his along with some other things my sister will be bringing me. I think there is a lot of paper work, so I am excited to get a chance to go through it.

 

[Jeff]

Furby found the term "Pocket shrine" and I am now sure that is what this was. It should have had a small case at one point.  He found this example, which I think is mighty close.
 

[fishpharmer]

Could the letters on the base be "OSB"
Possibly meaning Order of St. Benedict? 

[northwoods1]

My grandmother gave me this, it is also made of lead. I keep it sitting here on my desk.

[Bro. Noble]

Furby found the term
 

(Image hidden from quote, click to view.)

What's a Furby?

[Texas Ranger]

It be what it want to be.

[Magicman]

Furby may be silent, but is a real heavyweight when you get your butt in a sling.   

[SwampDonkey]

My guess is she was doing "Life" stories on soldiers and airmen to show the American people back home. And it didn't matter, I don't think, if the guy was an ace pilot or something. They wanted to bring stories from the front to the American people.

I don't know if the Imperial War Museum has anything that might be helpful.

http://collections.iwm.org.uk

[Slabs]

Jeff

Your dad earned that air medal the hard way, unlike those of us who served later.

My friend back home had to fly 25 missions over hostile territory in a B-24 to earn his.  He's the one who taught me real humility.

[Brad_bb]

Jeff, you do know that you can request your father's service record, right?
I think you can do it online.  I think they have most, some were destroyed in St. Louis where they were kept in paper form for many years.  I can't remember if they had a fire or if it was water damage there, but most are available.

[Jeff]

Last night we had dinner with my sisters in Mount Pleasant at IHOP. After dinner, by oldest sister Anne, told me to stick around that she had a bag of things for me that she had saved from Dad's filing cabinet.

Wow!  I have a lot of scanning to do. Some great things I never knew existed. All of my Dad's service records and many other things. Even the Wallet he carried at that time that still contains things like his mess hall meal punch card. I also found in the citations and a clipping from a newspaper that he had won the silver cluster but we don't have that medal. There is also some documentation from the pilot of his crew that tells how at first they thought my dad was most likely of the group to "crack up" due to my Sister Anne having been born the day of his first mission.  There is also a written log of all of the missions, where they were, and noteworthy events of those missions.  Photos taken from the bomber, photos of his flight crew and photos he took of London and Brussels and I think South Dakota. There are several old postcards from those areas as well.  It looks like he trained in Fort Custer and Las Vegas.

[Faron]

Wow!  Sounds like a treasure for sure, Jeff.   

[isawlogs]

 Glad to know you are finding out things of your dad, those documents are really interesting Have fun Jeff. 

[Magicman]

Jeff, I am so proud for you because it sounds like you truly opened a treasure chest.   

After what you have done for the past couple of weeks, you needed and deserved an uplifting event. 

[Mooney]

Some cool memorabilia Jeff!

Just months before my WW2 veteran grandfather died, I was about 13, and although he had never talked about his experiences before, I asked him if he wouldn't mind telling me what he could.

About 6 hours later.. .. We put away the Atlas, all his memorabilia, and photos. He passed away several months later. I learned that he was a radio operator in the Air Corp in China for about 2 years. He told me stories about going to get a haircut and shave from the local barbers with long, sharp straight razors. He also told me about flying over the 'Hump' between India and China, and that many planes were lost in that treacherous area. (Come to find out, my wife's grandfather was a missionary in that area during the 40's, and he had instructions from the US military to help downed pilots. He helped over 20 pilots make it back safely to India after crashing...  )

Also learned that my grandfather was later transferred to the Pacific island of Tinian, which was the base for the Enola Gay (the airplane that dropped the first A-bomb on Japan). He said that there was a part of the island no one he knew was allowed clearance to, where the planes for those bombs were. Being the radio operator, he was the first on the island to hear the news the war had ended.

I sure am grateful I had the chance to hear his story. You have a lot of great items to remember your father by!

[SwampDonkey]

Jeff,

It seems family members at times hold onto parents and grandparents things without other family members knowing the stuff exists. One of dad's sisters a year or so ago gave him a box of stuff of my grandparents. I think dad knew of the items and photos. But his sisters came to grandmother's house and collected a bunch of stuff after she passed away. I don't know or the circumstances, but they felt they wanted the things at the time. My father was the only one who looked after my grandparents in their senior years. But dad never said anything while things happened, good or bad, maybe he consented to a lot of things. Hard to know or remember after 30 years.

Glad your sister let you share a little more about your father. That's worth a lot, just to be able to know more about him. 

[Bill Gaiche]

What a pleasent suprise. Those are real treasures that can fufill many unknowns. bg

[CHARLIE]

Wow! Neat stuff to have.

[Bandmill Bandit]

deleted

[Jeff]

I spent some more time going through these things, and low and behold, I find a hand written account of what I was looking for in the very first post. 

Stacy typed it out for me so I could share it here. I'm hoping to get Jeremy over to type out the material I have from Dad's squadron pilot, describing his crew, and accounts of each mission flown. I could do it, but it would be slow. There is a madness to my method though. By having him Type this out, Jeremy is going to learn some things about his grandfather at the same time that he is not likely to forget.


The story of the Clare Boothe Luce visit to our plane before our Mission to Misberg, November 29, 1944

     As this story unfolds, we were out to our plane very early in the morning November 29, 1944. We were checking our equipment and getting ready to take off. I was in the plane that way assigned to Rogers' Crew. "The Ugly Duckling." I was looking for a roll of toilet tissue, which I had found, and was headed for a latrine across the ramp. I had just exited the plane when a jeep arrived and was parked in front of our plane.

     To my surprise and concern, the driver of the jeep asked for Sargent Brokaw. I was ushered out to the jeep where a man climbed out and helped a lady, dressed in a very expensive fur coat, out of the jeep. I recognized Col. Hunter our Base Commander. Quickly, taking the toilet tissue in my left hand, I proceeded to give my best salute to Col. Hunter. He put me at ease and proceeded to introduce the lady as Congresswoman from Connecticut, Mrs. Clare Boothe Luce; famous playwright, author and public official.

     Mrs. Luce was very kind and gracious to me. I did not know anything about her. She told me about herself and why she was there on the field. They were there to implement a program to rotate the Ground Troops. I learned her first husband was George Tuttle Brokaw who she divorced in 1929. She told me all about my family background. She told me when and where my grandparents, Abraham and Sarah Brokaw, moved from New York State to Michigan. She informed me that our ancestral information had been complied to that date and that there was only one clan of Brokaw's.

    Mrs. Luce told me that she had seen my name on the roster that morning and decided to come out to the plane to meet me. She reached in her purse and took out what she said was her good-luck piece and gave it to me. It was a statue of Saint Christopher, which I still have.

     I was very fearful that morning that the Lady was a Red Cross volunteer that had come to inform me that one of my three brothers in service had been lost in action. It was a great relief to know that this was not the case.

     My crew sure gave me the celebrity treatment for awhile; but I was innocent. I didn't realize who she was or even who I was, but the great story and honor she gave me to share with my friends and family since that day, has a;ways been appreciated. I have always been grateful to our great Commander Col. Hunter for making this story possible in my life.

With appreciation,

X - S. Sgt. Raymond C. Brokaw398 Bomb Group601 Squadron8th Air Force

[Magicman]

Reading that brought tears to my eyes.  Wow Jeff, that is awesome, and in time you were destined to have your later questions answered.  And then they were answered by your own Father.  How great is that     

[Raider Bill]

I just typed a sort of rambling post in the Pearl harbor thread that I meant to go here. Oh well...

Bottom line we sometimes don't realize what our Parents did or how they were when young. When my Dad passed I had to go through all his "stuff" and was amazed. I actually found letters between my mother and him while he was in China during WW2 before they even had met, turned out they had been pen pals which is how they got together after the war. Had it not been for that apparently I would have been from Wisconsin where Dad planned to move to after the war.

I'm glad for you Jeff, enjoy!!!!

[Den Socling]

One clan of Brokaws? You and Tom cousins?

[Jeff]

Yes. I Don't trust him though. He had beady eyes. 

[Raider Bill]

Jeff, any idea where in New York State your Dad was writing about? We have a Tuttle from there on the FF. Maybe you are related....

[Den Socling]

It's a small world.

[customsawyer]

Great story.

[Chuck White]

Great story Jeff!

If you were to contact "probably" a Veterans Affairs office, they could steer you in the right direction and you could get free replacements for all of the medals, ribbons and pins that your father received while he was in the military!

That way, you would have all of them.

You may have to go to the Personnel Office at a military base, but I think you can do it through the V.A.! 

[Jeff]

The wallet is pretty neat to have. It's a more tangible thing than photos or documents.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 
 

 

[doctorb]

It's a superb story and the stuff that ties a bow around a family and its history.  I really, really enjoyed this thread and the pics too.  WOW!

[isawlogs]

  I can't find the correct word to express what I am feeling for you at this time. I am very glad that you shared this with us and that you found what it was that you where looking for and that it was your dad that gave you the answer to your quest. If you where close I would give you a hug     

[OneWithWood]

Jeff, that is too cool 

When my father passed I came into posession of a copy of the log book of the ship he served on in WWII.  Pretty boring reading as everything is terse and to the point.  Such as 'spotted enemy plane, shot down same.'  No mention of individuals except for disciplinary actions.  To my surprise dad was not listed 

I think it is great you have such a connection to your father before he settled down.

[Jeff]

I can't wait to share the mission account stuff, Dad is mentioned in that.

Here are a few photos I found out of the norm. Dad actually took a photo of a Log. ??  Who knows?   Also a photo of his brother Art on a motorcycle at the old farm with dad beside him. I think Dad was home from training before leaving for over seas. (No Sargent stripes)They all have  military stamps on the back about being okay'ed by the censors, so it must have been on his camera, and developed to be sent home with his other photos.  I've just taken photos of photos for this, as my scanner is bugging out for some reason.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

[ellmoe]

Way cool, Jeff! Congrads on your find!
Mark

[sawguy21]

Absolutely fascinating story. 

[thecfarm]

Nice story Jeff. Not many war stories from My Father. He never saw any action. He trained the men to go to war. The only story that got repeated was the women that came from Italy looking for him. This was back in 1945 probably and we live out in the woods. Was surprised she found the place. She got sent back home.

[SwampDonkey]

Tough love eh?

[stumpy]

When I first started reading this post, I googled her and went to wikipedia.  it mentions that after she divorced George Brokaw, he remarried and when he died, his second wife married Henry Fonda.  I know, it's not real relevant to your story, but I thought it was interesting.

[Tom L]

great stuff! must make you very proud



thanks for sharing.

[Jeff]

Stacy started typing out some of the material. The following is from a packet of papers that Dad got from the Navigator on his crew, Lt. Robert J. Beckley, who had made his diary entries available to the other crew members. I'll not include it all, but exerts. The first is an Introduction of the crew. I'll post that, and then as we get them typed out, the accounts of the 35 missions they flew.

Introduction

The reason I kept a record of my tour of duty in the European Theater of Operations was not motivated by any desire to later publish my experiences in the form of a book, but rather for my own personal recollections of what I had seen and felt about it at the time.

So that I would achieve this objective, I recorded these raids immediately after landing from each successive mission so that the information would be as concise as possible. Occasionally, additional notes were added when further results and developments were established a few days later but, with that exception, nothing has been added or taken away from the accounts of these missions as originally recorded. Only minor grammatical, spelling and format changes have been made. It is, otherwise, identical to the original.

After receiving my commission as a second lieutenant and Navigator’s Wings at Selman Field, LA, April 8, 1944, I was shipped to Lincoln, Nebraska and, from there, to Rapid City, South Dakota to meet my crew.

Living, eating and flying with my crew for a few weeks at the Overseas Combat Training Area proved to me we didn’t have a weak link in the crew, which is more than often the case. Besides being a good bunch of kids, they all knew their jobs. I say kids, without authority, for I was the youngest officer on our ship.

Lynn R. Rogers was our pilot. He was just the man for the job. “Rog” was 24, not married, conscientious and neither smoked or drank. Rog’s home was a farm in Lebanon, Indiana. Both he and our co-pilot, “Brownie,” were commissioned as flight officers, but I could never see why.

Orland D. Brown, 23 years of age, our co-pilot was always seen with a grin on his face as though he had pulled a practical joke on one of us, and he usually had. “Brownie” had wanted to be a fighter pilot, but didn’t show his disappointment in the way he flew our big bird, the B-17. Rog and Brownie worked together in flying the ship in such a coordinated manner you would have thought they were born with silver throttles in their mouths. Brownie got a big kick out of riding our bombardier “Reb,” for he was the most sensitive of us. Brownie married his girl from home while in training and they planned to make Salina, Kansas their home after the war.

“Reb,” Robert N. Rebillot, 23 years of age, our bombardier, was the butt of all of our jokes. As I said before, he was sensitive but could take anything we put to him, and he threw it right back at us. He always put up a front that he was a dumb foundry worker who somehow got through bombardier’s school. But he was much more educated than the impression of himself he put forth. The subject we gave him the hardest time about was his girl back home in Canton, Ohio. She began going out with a sailor when we were shipped overseas, and Reb’s relatives gave him a play-by-play account.

Edward “Cookie” Cook, 19 years of age, our engineer, was a sharp boy. Whenever we needed anything Cookie knew how to get it, or he knew somebody who could get it for him. He didn’t have to walk more than a block in London to run into one of his buddies walking down the street.

Cookie gained the respect of the entire crew for his complete knowledge of our ship. It was a good feeling to have someone in the crew who could be counted on in any emergency to improvise repairs, and Cookie substantiated that feeling for us. Cook married his girl at home in Madison, Wisconsin when he returned to the States.

Our radio operator, Bruno “Buzz” Bongiani, although only 24 years of age, was called the “old man” by many of the enlisted men. Buzz was usually quite serious and very conscientious about his work. He was of Italian descent and spoke that language fluently. Buzz was a confirmed bachelor so he spent his passes in London looking for spaghetti houses serving Italian wines.

Billie Clack was the keeper of the lower greenhouse, the lower ball turret. On the ground Billy was sort of a shy kid, but he seemed to be in his element in the air. He was our best gunner and as good a radio operator as “Buzz.” Billy hailed from Detroit, Texas, was married, but divorced his wife after his return from overseas.

Dave Lawler, our right waist gunner, was a person not easily understood. Dave was a likeable kid and knew his job, but he never talked about himself so we never really knew how he felt. Dave was shot down after the rest of us had completed our tours of duty, and no further word was heard of him. [David F. Lawler, shot down on mission to Neumunster, Germany 4/13/1945 as part of the E.J. Martinek crew, POW at Oflag 10C Lubeck Schleswig, source NARA]

Ray Brokaw, our left gunner, was the man on our crew we expected to crack up under combat conditions. We all had a constant premonition that each mission we flew would be our last, to a certain extent. Ray was extremely affected by this fear. His wife had a baby the day we arrived overseas, so that may have accounted for this feeling to which he was subject.

Our tail gunner, Robert “Hatch” Hatcher was the character of the crew. We had a hard time making him wear shoes. He knew his turret and guns inside out, but he was the laziest man in five counties, and his home folks in Chattahoochie, Florida were noted for the same characteristic. “Hatch” slept from the time we took off, so I made it a part of my routine to call him over the interphone about the time we reached enemy territory in order to wake him up.


That was the crew of the “Cloudbuster” and, with due respect to those crews before and after us, I cannot but feel that our crew was the best *DanG crew that flew over Germany.

 

  

  

 

[Jeff]

Mission 1.
Munich, July 31, 1944
8 hours 35 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 10 five-hundred pound general purpose bombs.

We were really broken in the hard way for combat missions. There was a lot of flak over Munich, and to hit the target, we had to barge right through the middle of it. Over the target tail-gunner Hatcher’s oxygen hose became unfastened and he passed out for about ten minutes. He thought sure that he had been hit when he came to. Upon landing we looked over our battle damage and counted thirty-five flak holes in the ship, two of them through the astrodome over my head. The ship was taken to the sub-depot for major repairs. We were lucky that we all got by this first one in one piece.

[Chuck White]

One word pretty-well sums up your story Jeff!


P R I D E

[Jeff]

Mission 2:
Saarbrucken, August 3, 1944:
6 hours 25 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 12 five-hundred pound GP purpose bombs.

The flak was pretty accurate, but luckily we got through without any damage to the ship. Harry Cowen was hit in his right hand by a piece of flak on this mission and was taken to the hospital upon landing. The next day, on a raid to Merseberg, his crew was hit at the target and they turned toward Sweden. Nothing more was heard from them, but I saw Castro Christmas, 1947. He told me that after Harry’s ship was hit they bailed out over Germany. Four of them landed within the walls of a concentration camp and the rest were captured within 24 hours.

McArthur’s ship suffered a direct hit and blew up after dropping their bombs.

[Jeff]

Mission 3:
Dollbergen, August 5, 1944
6 hours 25 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 20 two-hundred fifty pound GP bombs.

This is the kind of raid we all have sweet dreams about. There wasn’t a bit of flak over the target and the closest it ever got was about twenty miles to the left as we reached the initial point. The target was a He 111 Engine factory.

[SwampDonkey]

Hey, Jeff I watched some old footage from the World at War documentary from the 70's. I have the whole series on DVD. Some of the fly boys in the US and Britain were interviewed and they said to be within 4-6 miles of a target was good when flying at night and not much to aid the process. And the gunners in London, or where ever that were being bombed, said there wasn't much chance of hitting much up there, but it gave the city dwellers a little something to keep the morale up.

[Jeff]

Mission 4: Caen
August 8, 1944:
5 hours flying time.
Bomb load 30 two-hundred sixty pound fragmentation bombs.

Short, but not sweet. On this raid we were to lay down a bomb pattern just ahead of the English lines at 11:15 in coordination with a British push at 11:30. Because of a malfunction of bomb racks on a previous mission to St. Lo, in which General McNair was killed, some bombs were dropped short and landed in the midst of our own lines. To assure there was no repetition of such a thing, our bomb run was right over the Jerry lines. This way, in case our bombs were short or long, they would still land among German troops. This strategy sounds quite sound but it also let us in for heavy flak all the way from the IP to the target, fourteen miles straight of hell. They threw everything up at us but the kitchen sink and, I swear, the British must have helped load the guns since it came up so thick and fast.

Our group of a 36 ship formation came back with 31. “Ike” Cassuto bailed out over the lines, as did the rest of his crew. Eight of them got back to the base about a week later. We had the least battle damage of any ship in our group with eight holes. This was the roughest mission that our group has flown for flak and casualties.

Mission 5:
Brest, August 11, 1944
5 hours 15 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 12 five-hundred pound GP bombs.

We swooped in over the peninsula, dropped our bombs and headed back for home. We were only over enemy territory for twenty minutes and the flak from the target was meager. Our target was the Jerry barracks of the remaining German forces attempting to hold the city of Brest

Mission 6: Rouen
August 13, 1944:
5 hours 30 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 6 one-thousand pound GP bombs.

We called “bombs away” on a Seine River bridge to hamper the German retreat in the sector. The flak wasn’t heavy, but they had our range with every burst. No battle damage, luck is still with us. This was our Air Medal mission so we called ourselves Junior Birdmen when we got back to base.

Mission 7: Leipzig
August 16, 1944:
8 hours flying time.
Bomb load 10, five-hundred pound incendiary bombs

This time we went out to hit the Delitzsch Aircraft Depot and, from later reports, we did a good job of it. The barrage at the target was light and our ship got through it without a scratch. Fighters hit the 41st Group behind us
knocking down seven ships.

[Jeff]

Mission 8: Essen
August 26, 1944:
6 hours 30 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 10 five-hundred pound incendiary bombs

We really sweated this mission out. Making two runs on targets, on different targets, getting flak at each, opening and closing the bomb bay doors three times and, still, we dropped no bombs. On the way back the Lead Bombardier was still looking for a target of last resort so we toured the Holland coast looking for something, but finally turned for home with the bombs. The mission was accredited.


Mission 9: Berlin
August 27, 1944:
6 hours 30 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 10, five-hundred pound RDX special high explosive general purpose bombs.

We got up north of Kiel over the North Sea and the weather was piling up over the continent in the form of high cumulus clouds up to 30,000 ft. After five, wide 360 degree turns over the North Sea we were given orders to turn for home.

The mission was accredited for one of our ships received slight battle damage from flak over the small island of Heligoland.

[Jeff]

Mission 10: Kiel
August 30, 1944
8 hours flying time.
Bomb load 10, five-hundred pound general purpose bombs.

Because of the solid under cast we dropped our bombs PFF on the marshalling yards of Kiel. The flak barrage put up to us was heavy, but inaccurate. Our ship got back without a hit, but Week’s ship was shot up so that a fire started and two men bailed out before the pilot could warn them that the fire was not serious. The fire was put out and the rest of the crew got back. The two men bailed out near the coast of Denmark, but no further report was heard of them.

Addendum to: Lt. Robert J. Beckley's Diary of his Mission 10 to Kiel, Germany Marshalling Yards, 30 August 1944

I have obtained information from Ralph Hall by phone on April 25, 2004 concerning events that occurred on this mission that took place almost sixty years ago. I want to clarify any misconceptions that were inadvertently stated in my diary. Ralph Hall was the tail gunner on the B-17 in question that sustained the flak damage that resulted in a fire that was eventually extinguished. Our crew, pilot Rogers, observed and reported that two crew members had parachuted from Week's aircraft (actually McCarty was the pilot and Week's the copilot). That observation was made during a stressful period and most probably not accurate. I believe this is so because Ralph Hall, the tail gunner on that aircraft, informed me that Darrell Argubright, their navigator was the only member of that crew that jumped. Ralph also reported that Darrell perished in the Baltic Sea. His body washed ashore five weeks later on the island of Alborne and was buried there with military honors in a Danish churchyard.

[Holmes]

  It is amazing and wonderful that you have all this written information about your dad in WWII.  Thank you for sharing it. It's a great read.  Holmes

[Jeff]

  

  

  

 

[snowstorm]

interesting read. several yrs back i was in europe for 2 weeks. my bil was in the af. we went to a place in holland that had what was left of an old fort made of sandstone. the mine tunnels were used by the good guys to hide from the germans. there were small tunnels barely big enought to crawl thu to some as big as a small house. the gi's had drawn pictures on the walls with charcoal and carved the picture frame into the sandstone. lots of names and adresses of gi's. all done durning the war. it was a guided tour but he only spoke dutch. no idear what he was saying.      as much as the french dislike us there was quite a display in the luve thanking the usa.   and yes i did see the mona lisa

[stumpy]

Jeff, Thanks for sharing that.  I have been trying to find details about my fathers actions during the war.  Specifically about the Purple heart he was awarded.  Unfortunately, the only source I have is the military and I hit a dead end on that.  You're lucky to have archives to cherish.  You should be very proud.  It's guys like our fathers that made it possible for us to live in freedom.

[Bandmill Bandit]

Mission 4: Caen
August 8, 1944:
5 hours flying time.
Bomb load 30 two-hundred sixty pound fragmentation bombs.

Short, but not sweet. On this raid we were to lay down a bomb pattern just ahead of the English lines at 11:15 in coordination with a British push at 11:30. Because of a malfunction of bomb racks on a previous mission to St. Lo, in which General McNair was killed, some bombs were dropped short and landed in the midst of our own lines. To assure there was no repetition of such a thing, our bomb run was right over the Jerry lines. This way, in case our bombs were short or long, they would still land among German troops. This strategy sounds quite sound but it also let us in for heavy flak all the way from the IP to the target, fourteen miles straight of hell. They threw everything up at us but the kitchen sink and, I swear, the British must have helped load the guns since it came up so thick and fast.

Is it possible that this General McNair was General Theodore McNair?

Our group of a 36 ship formation came back with 31. “Ike” Cassuto bailed out over the lines, as did the rest of his crew. Eight of them got back to the base about a week later. We had the least battle damage of any ship in our group with eight holes. This was the roughest mission that our group has flown for flak and casualties.



Mission 7: Leipzig
August 16, 1944:
8 hours flying time.
Bomb load 10, five-hundred pound incendiary bombs

This time we went out to hit the Delitzsch Aircraft Depot and, from later reports, we did a good job of it. The barrage at the target was light and our ship got through it without a scratch. Fighters hit the 41st Group behind us
knocking down seven ships.

My Uncle, who was stationed as a guard at this aircraft depot died on duty on Aug 16, 1944. I will check with my mom and see if she still has the pictures of the depot after the bombing. There was nothing left from what the pictures show and there were very few of the german soldiers that survived. My mom doesn't remember for sure but she thinks it was about 5 or 6 that survived. My Opa was an aircraft mechanic  at that depot as well but he was not at the depot when the raid occurred.  My cousin lives in Leipzig. I will see if I can get her to go take a picture of the memorial to the men that died in that raid.

The following Memorial Plague on the war memorial in the cemetery where my Opa is buried in not far from Leipzig. Most of the names on that Plague died in the raid. And Jeff this is not to take away anything from your dads valor and courage to do what he and so many others did to end that horrible war. I hold nothing against the soldiers that did their part to put and end to it all but this does make it personal. My moms side of family was a major part of the under ground over there during that war and that is what ultimately cost my opa his life.   

 

[Jeff]

Mission 11:
Ludwigshafen, September 5, 1944:
9 hours 30 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 6, one-thousand lb general purpose bombs.

Our target was the Faben Chemical Works. Smoke billowed up to 25,000 ft as we pulled away from the bomb run. We only picked up a couple of holes for the flak was off to the right a bit.

Mission 12:
Ludwigshafen
September 8, 1944:
9 hours 20 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 6, one-thousand pound GP bombs.

Back again to bomb the chemical works. Major Daily lead us on two runs over the target which cost us two ships that we shouldn’t have lost. Those of us who hadn’t yet learned to pray learned quick. This is a hard way to make a man a Christian, but it’s a sure way. This was the kind of flak that looked thick enough to walk on. Jack Sauer was killed instantly by a piece of flak on the second run over the target. Johnson’s crew had the rest of us sweating him out for he left the formation and didn’t return to the base. A couple of days later we heard that he was having a great time in Paris after crash-landing on the outskirts.

Mission 13: Stuttgart
September 10, 1944:
7 hours 45 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 12, five-hundred pound GP bombs.

We bombed an aircraft parts plant in the north side of Stuttgart. The flak was damned accurate. Cookie remarked that they all must have master sergeants on the flak guns. One of our ships just ahead of us blew up with a direct hit. Our damage was only a couple of holes. I had expected to see much more because when part of a burst hit us it sounded as if someone had thrown a handful of gravel at the bottom of our ship. That burst gave us a lift of about fifteen feet. We had our crew picture taken after this mission.

Mission 14: Brux ,Czechoslovakia
September 12, 1944:
9 hours flying time.
Bomb load 10, five-hundred pound GP bombs.

Our target was the biggest Nazi oil refinery outside the borders of Germany, but it appeared as though the primary purpose of the mission was not to bomb the oil refinery, that was only secondary. To us, it seemed that the object of the mission was to bring up the Luftwaffe for the route took us way up along the North Sea’s coast and then inland on a course straight to Berlin. Thinking we were going to bomb Berlin, the German fighters came up and hit the group ahead of us. They passed us up for we were holding a good tight formation. Every time they made a pass we saw a B-17 spin down. We came within three miles of Berlin, then turned off to head for our target at Brux. The fighters then left us and we encountered only mediocre flak over our target.

[ellmoe]

Very interesting, Jeff. Look at the ages, just "kids"!
Mark

[Bill Gaiche]

Jeff this has to make your heart thump with great pride. How great to have this information to share with family and friends. Its vert intresting to me. Thanks for sharing. bg

[Jeff]

Mission 15: Merseberg:
September 13, 1944:
8 hours flying time.
Bomb load 10, five-hundred pound general purpose bombs.

We hit at another oil plant in Germany. We would call it a milk run compared to the last few. At interrogation we were told the purpose of incessant bombings of German oil refineries. Our previous attacks have done such damaging effects that production had been decreased to less than half of that before our attacks. The German Air Force was closely conserving the oil that they had, sending the Luftwaffe up only to protect vital targets.


Mission 16. Hamm:
September 19, 1944
6 hours flying time.
Bomb load 12, five-hundred pound GP bombs and 2 one-hundred pound IB.

According to later reports we did a good job and laid a good bomb pattern on the marshalling yards. The target was clear, but the flak was only mediocre and inaccurate. “Buzz” passed out for a few minutes when his oxygen hose had clogged up.

Mission 17: Kassel
September 22, 1944
7 hours 30 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 6, five-hundred pound GP bombs and 6, five-hundred pound IB.

Our target was the Tiger Tank Works (a pre-war Ford plant). No results were observed because of solid cloud coverage. There was heavy flak, but we got through untouched. The lead navigator was off course at the IP and took us over the town of Frankfurt.


Mission 18. Frankfurt:
September 25, 1944
7 hours flying time.
Bomb load 12, five-hundred pound GP bombs.

The marshalling yards of the west side of the town was our target. The flak was meager, but flak wasn’t our big scare this time. The high squadron slid over us at the target and their train of bombs came so close to our right wing that I could see them fall between my line of sight and our wing tip.

Mission 19:
Cologne, September 27, 1944
6 hours 30 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 10 five-hundred pound GP bombs.

Cologne is pretty well defended with flak batteries, but surprisingly little was thrown up at us as we dropped our bombs on the Ford industrial plant on the north side of town. About twenty minutes away from target on the way home I got a slight touch of anoxia when the diaphragm of my oxygen regulator stuck. I knew something was wrong for I could tell I was breathing the outside colder air. I tried to find out what it was, but after a minute or so at 25,000 ft without oxygen, I wasn’t thinking too clearly. I did switch over to emergency oxygen though. I got Reb’s attention and he soon saw the trouble and fixed it up for me. Reb and I can and do help each other a lot up there in the nose.

Mission 20:
Magdenburg September 28, 1944
8 hours 15 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 10 five-hundred pound GP bombs.

At the IP we ran into a little flak when the lead ship turned on to the bomb run just a little late; not much flak, but it would have been heavy had we run on a couple more minutes. As it was, it kept off our left wing as we made the turn to the right. Our engineer “Cookie” had to crank down the bomb bays when Reb found a mechanical failure in throwing the bomb bay switch. We dropped on the marshalling yards with light but accurate flak popping around us. When we got out of it “Cookie” attempted to kick out the two hundred pounders. One of them fell out all right, but the other caught on the bomb bay door. In cranking down the door to roll it out, the crank caught his leg and pinned it against the side. Reb turned off the powered door in time so all “Cookie” got out of it was a wrenched knee.

Just about that time we spotted one of our ships on fire off to our left. We pulled away to give them room for they were likely to blow up at any time. The crew of the ship swung out of the formation and the crew began to bail out. The first two that pulled their cords right away saw their chutes blossom. After about three more minutes seven others jumped at intervals of about thirty seconds. These seven all delayed their jumps to an altitude that was warmer, where there also is sufficient oxygen to prevent passing out. Reb saw two of these chutes, but I didn’t see any before they plunged into the clouds at about 18,000 ft. They jumped from 24,000 ft. The pilot then was the only man left in the ship. He tried to maneuver the ship to fan out the flame eating away his right wing, but the fire just kept spreading. He then decided to leave the ship, a very wise decision because the ship blew up a few minutes later. The whole thing was a beautiful, terrible sight. Most of them will probably be prisoners of war of the Nazis, but possibly a few of them were able to evade capture and are hiking the 80 or so miles toward our lines tonight.

Quite a few of our crews over here have walked back from Germany with the aid of our escape kits.

[thecfarm]

Fascinating reading and history too.

[Jeff]

Mission 21: Munster
September 30, 1944:
6 hours 45 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 12 five-hundred pound GP bombs

On our course over Eindhoven and Arnhem we were expecting fighter interception to be protecting that area, but none were ready to pounce on us. Coming in on the run to drop our bombs on the Marshalling Yards we thought, for a while, we had caught the flak gunners napping but, just before bombs away, they opened up on us. We should know by now that they never stay very far from their guns. The barrage was pretty accurate, but we got through without a hit. On the way home we were surprised with flak at the coast from New Amsterdam.

Mission 22:
Nurnberg, October 3, 1944
9 hours flying time.
Bomb load 5 one-thousand pound GP bombs.

This was a long haul before we dropped our thousand pounders. Before assembly I flew the ship about a half hour getting a little practice. We headed in over the primary target just about on time, but due to a malfunction of the lead ships bombing equipment we waded through the flak without dropping our bombs.

We sweated out further orders to see if we would 360 degrees and come in again, but the orders came through from the lead ship that we’d hit the last resort target, an airfield. It was unusual to be dropping our bombs then with no flak around. Our bombs hit the intersection of the three runways. On the way home the Jerries began popping flak around us as we passed over the battle line between Metz and Nancy and, although they had our altitude dead and our ground speed to the knot, they were a bit off to the right of our group so that we could look out our right window and see the successive burst explode in the same relative spot. We had to get back from this one because our seven day leave for Scotland starts tomorrow.


Mission 23:
Cologne, October 15, 1944:
7 hours 5 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 14 two-hundred fifty pound GP bombs and 4 five-hundred pound IB.

Back from our seven day pass we got back in the swing on quite a mission. Our target was the marshalling yards in the center of the city of Cologne.

Just after taking off my G-box started smoking, but I shut off the current in time to prevent any damage. We were fired on heavily at the target and our ship caught its share of flak, but none of us were hit, that is, hit hard. Ray Brokaw, our waist gunner, was scared to look at his leg when a piece of flak tore through his trouser leg. Luckily, the piece was pretty well spent for it only left him a little bruise on his leg.

Past the target we thought our worries were over, but the lead navigator was lost and took us over Frankfurt where they threw everything at us. We also blundered over Ludwigshafen, but for some reason or other, we didn’t draw any fire. On the way home we caught more flak over the lines in the vicinity of Trier.

When we landed we looked around the ship for battle damage and didn’t have to look far. There were about a dozen holes in the ship and we picked out four pieces of flak that hadn’t gone all the way through. One piece resembling part of an inch pipe about an inch and a half long had come through the waist and went down through the floor boards leaving a hole five inches in diameter.

[Jeff]

Mission: 24
Brunswick, October 22, 1944:
8 hours flying time.
Bomb load 6 five-hundred pound GP bombs and 6 five-hundred pound IB.

Weather was our only real worry today. We were briefed to expect fighter opposition at two points en route, but we weren’t disappointed when the prediction failed to materialize. We really had P-51 and P-47 cover though. Billy Clark counted 66 of our fighters in sight at one time. The flak over the target was light and although our route skirted many flak areas, the only fire we drew was at the target due to good lead navigation.

Back over England our base was socked in with fog so after some wandering, we landed at Bassingbourne where our trucks were waiting to take us home.

Mission 25:
Munster, October 26, 1944
5 hours 15 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 6 five-hundred pound GP bombs and 6 five-hundred IB.

Lots of weather today, 10/10 ths cloud coverage through the entire mission. Luckily, on return there was one hole and it happened to be over our field. This mission was short and we hit no flak. We were first over the target and the flak started coming up after we were turning away. The main IP was the marshalling yards of the town.

Mission 26
Munster, October 28, 1944:
7 hours flying time.
Bomb load 12 five-hundred pound GP bombs.

Back again to the marshalling yards of Munster. Clouds formed by a cold front were predicted to be at bombing altitude over the target so we were briefed to drop the load from beneath the clouds at 23,000 ft. which didn’t turn out to be too wise. To get beneath the clouds we had to drop to 22,000 ft. which isn’t a long way up from the flak guns. The flak was rough. Over the target we saw a ship ahead of us in the haze go into a steep dive when its tail assembly was blown off by a direct hit. Dale Brown’s ship was hit so his crew bailed out 15 miles south of Munster. One other ship was unaccounted for made three ships of our group lost in this raid. We also caught flak in and out over Tessel Island at the Dutch coast, and also at a point ten miles north of the target. We were *DanG lucky to get through it all without a hit. Fighters were reported in the area, but we never saw them.

No. 27
Merseberg [Merseburg], November 2, 1944
7 hours 20 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 18 two-hundred and fifty pound GP bombs.

Our target was an oil refinery near Merseburg. Coming up to the target we had no opposition either by fighters or flak, but as soon as we turned off the IP we saw we were in for a rough time. Bandits (enemy fighters) were then reported in the area and we didn’t wait long to see them.

The target was well defended and the flak was heavy. The sky was black with stale and fresh puffs for we were the seventeenth group over the target. The fighters held off till we were almost through the flak (we were in it about fifteen minutes getting a few non-damaging hits) then they swarmed in on us.

Just about that time our hydraulic system was hit and the fluid drained out (damage caused by flak). The four fighters came at us from five o’clock high so I couldn’t see them come in. Just then I heard a heavy, dull thud and a little pain in my right hand when a small caliber high explosive shell (13.7 mm) penetrated the right side of the ship near the co-pilot seat and grazed the back of my hand. The shell started a fire at Brownie’s feet. Reb grabbed the extinguisher in the nose and Brownie took the one in the pilot’s compartment and quickly they put it out before it did any damage. Then Reb checked and saw that the fighters weren’t making another pass so he got the first aid kit, poured sulfanilamide on my wound and bandaged it up with a compress.

I kept watching the compass and recording entries in the log with my left hand for about a half hour, then we were out of immediate danger and Reb got back and took over the log. We caught light flak at another point on the way home, but got through it all right. We decided to leave the formation to land at a special air strip long enough (4700 ft.) to be able to roll to a stop since our brakes were of no use with the hydraulic system shot away. When we hit the English coast we notified our wing ships and headed south along the coast to the strip and picked it up easily enough. Rog made a pretty landing and we got out of the ship thankful to be back after that one. I was later awarded the Purple Heart.

[Jeff]

This next mission will have quite a bit of significance in what I have to post later. I've had only a very small amount of knowledge about the story surrounding this mission before this week, but what I did know, I had referenced 10 years ago in a topic that we usually bring up just before Christmas. The Days Before Christmas


Mission 28:
Merseberg November 21, 1944:
Flying time 9 hours 30 minutes.
Bomb load 10 five-hundred pound GP bombs.

Back at the Merseberg marshalling yards again. On the way to the target we encountered light flak from New Amsterdam at the Holland coast and from Osnabruck in Germany. About twenty minutes before the IP we ran into a warm front scattering the low squadron (our squadron) all the way to hell and back. Although we could see only about fifty feet in the clouds, Rog managed to follow our squadron lead till we broke out of it about twenty minutes later. Another B-17 joined us a few minutes later and our three ship element started to head back across Germany towards home for we couldn’t locate our group to go in on the target with them.

Our #3 engine cut out on the way home out of gas so Brownie feathered it, drained the gas from the other engines to #3, but wasn’t able to un-feather it again for use so, with that handicap and the heavy bomb load we were still carrying, our gas supply was quickly being used up. Genung’s ship was having trouble too, so about thirty miles northeast of Paris, our two ships headed for an emergency landing field outside of Brussels and Hunt’s ship continued on back to the base.

Although the thermometer needle bent around the top at 50 degrees C as we were flying back across Germany at 29,000 ft we all worked up a sweat on the lookout for enemy fighters who wouldn’t have much trouble with our three Forts racing for home without chaperons. We spotted ten P-38’s, but they didn’t see us for they didn’t join us for support. The way I figured out the fuel consumption we had about ten minutes flying time left when we hit the runway at Brussels. We stayed over three days in Brussels because of the weather and had a great time, but that’s not a combat story. The morning of the 24th our ship was gassed up and we came back to our base flying contact all the way back under a 500 ft. ceiling.

[pineywoods]

Jeff, those logs are priceless. Just for your information, there is an airworthy B17 based in Oshkosh Wisconsin. Belongs to the Experimental Aircraft Association, I am a member.

[Jeff]

Mission 29: Misberg
November 26, 1944
Flying time 7 hours 45 minutes.
Bomb load 12 five-hundred pound RDX bombs.

At briefing the target sounded too much like to be comfortable. Misberg is a small town near Hannover and our main IP was a distillation plant in the center of the town. Coming up to the IP we spotted four 109’s maneuvering to come in on us from behind, but the lone P-51 scattered them for us and ran them away.

The flak at the target was heavy. We got through it with three non-damaging hits. Bandits were reported waiting for us on our route home so we paralleled course back about 30 miles south to avoid them and take our chances with the flak areas. We hit light flak passing Osnabruck and at a point south of Zwolle. Armor’s ship was hit at the target destroying practically all of his instruments, but made it back to England and landed at a fighter base. On the way back from the target we saw fighters scrambling about fifteen miles off our right wing and saw seven of them spin down. We sweated our fighter attacks all the way back for they were reported all around us but weren’t disappointed when they didn’t show up for us.

No. 30. Strasberg:
November 27, 1944:
7 hours 30 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 10 five-hundred pound GP bombs and 2 five-hundred pound IB.

This target was a marshalling yards of a town seven miles southeast of Strasberg. Two days ago our troops pushed into Strasberg so the purpose of this mission was to hamper the Jerry retreat in that sector.

A few bandits were reported in the target area, but we never saw any of them. The flak at the target was light for a pleasant change. We left the town one big bonfire. The cloud coverage was only about two-tenths so as we turned off the target and turned towards home we could clearly see the results of our bombs. We don’t have to hit that one again. The name of the small town was Offenburg.

Mission 31: Misburg
November 29, 1944:
7 hours 20 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 12 five-hundred pound GP bombs.

Cloud coverage obscured our primary target at Dollbergen so we hit the PFF target, the marshalling yards at Misberg. The flak was not as rough as it was a few days before when we hit the same main IP. We were briefed to expect heavy fighter opposition, but the Luftwaffe never came up. Coming back, I never saw the sky so filled with our heavies. There were about 500 of our bombers within sight as we crossed the Dutch coast.

[Jeff]

I'm not in understanding yet about how dad's missions finished up. All of the paper work I see, including the fist picture at the bottom of this post, credit him 35 missions.  In an article in the paper written about him well after the war, I think it states 27 missions.  With this last one I am posting, the number attributed to him by his Pilot is 26. Not sure if that counts this one or not.

Mission 32: Soest
December 4, 1944:
8 hours 45 minutes flying time.
Bomb load 10 five hundred pound GP bombs and 2 five hundred pound IB.

The target was the marshalling yards of a small town about forty miles west of Kassel. There was complete cloud coverage over the target so we bombed by GH.

There was no flak encountered by our group throughout the entire mission, and the Luftwaffe didn’t show their noses, so we had our first milk run in quite a while. The crew finished up on this mission and though I’m glad for their sake, that they’re going home, I know I’m losing a good crew. Missions to date Rogers - 35; Brown - 35; Rebillot - 35; Cook - 35; Bongiani - 35; Clack - 30; Hatcher - 30; Brokaw - 26; Lawler - 21.

CLICK


Another interesting thing to add to not only my knowledge, but now my Sister Lynda's.  She sent me a message today. after looking at all of this information, that she had never saw before either.  What she discovered was, who her namesake was.  Dad had only told her, that she was named after someone he was in the service with, and that is why he spelled her name with a "Y" Lynda, instead of Linda.  She now knows after reading this, that it was his Pilot.  Lynn Rogers.

Pretty Cool.

[Jeff]

As I mentioned, the 28th mission was key to the rest of Dad's story.

A Life Based on Promise
By Lori Qualls
Midland Daily News accent writer
1984

A young Ray Brokaw, drafted in 1944 by the U.S. Air Corp to serve in World War II, promised Gad a lifetime of service if his life would be spared.

It was, and Brokaw kept his promise.

Forty years later and back in Michigan, Brokaw-- Now the Rev. Brokaw-- and his wife Zula, are retiring this month after 39 years of pastoral work served at several area Churches of God.

"I promised God when I was overseas if He allowed me to come home and see my only daughter, I would serve him the rest of my life" Brokaw said in an interview at his home in North Bradley last week.

But the minister can recall one moment back in 1944 when he didn't think he was going to make the trip back to the United States alive.

IT WAS Nov. 21, 1944 and Brokaw was flying a mission to bomb oil refineries in Mershburg Germany. “Usually fliers would have feelings that this was the mission when they weren't coming back and they pretty much came true” he recalled. “I had that feeling that day”

Their squadron was attacked, and as Brokaw, flying in the middle of the formation, saw pieces of broken U.S. Aircraft fall within his sight, he reached for a Bible his sister Lena (Link about Lena) had given him. “It seemed to open itself to Psalms 91” he recalled, close to tears at the memory, I couldn't believe what I was reading.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
 
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
 
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Brokaw's plane reached safety that day and on every other day and every other bombing mission he flew.

“After reading Psalms,  I had complete assurance I was going to be all right. When a book opens up to a message like that... you know that god is talking to you and that's why I've tried to keep my promise to serve him these years.”

The article goes on to list the different churches and groups that dad worked with and tell about his 39 years of service with Dow Chemical as well.

[sawguy21]

Those of us that have not seen combat cannot begin to fathom what these people endured. Thanks Jeff,

[Ron Scott]

A great personal documentary, Priceless!

[customsawyer]

Sounds like you come from some good stock. You have every right to be proud of his service.

[SwampDonkey]

I'll say. Gave a lot of himself over the years, that's for sure.