65th Anniversary of the United States Air Force.

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the United States Air Force. Originally part of the United States Army, it was called the Air Service. In 1926, it was renamed as the United States Army Air Corps.  The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was established in 1941 and the Air Corps was abolished.  Despite this, the Army Air Corps remained a branch of the Army throughout WWII until 1947, where The National Security Act of 1947 established the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the military.

From the 32nd Annual Reunion of the 464th BG (H)

A collection of speeches and stories shared at the 32nd Annual Reunion of the 464th BG in Dearborn, MI September 5 – 8th, 2012.

George Krynovich (778th Squadron)

Jonathan Drake (Oral Historian – Yankee Air Museum)

Lawrence “Larry” Deck (777th Squadron)

Edmund Aubrey (777th Squadron)

Al Parington (779th Squadron)

Wallace “Wally” Roberts (777th Squadron)

Stillman “Jake” Harding (778th Squadron)

Matthew Krynovich (Grandson of George Krynovich – 778th Squadron)

Matt Skillman (Grandson of Carl Will – 776th Squadron)

George Hubbard (778th Squadron)

The 32nd Annual Reunion of the 464th BG (H): Yankee Air Museum Visit

The 464th Bombardment Group held their 32nd annual reunion in Dearborn Michigan in 2012. They visited the Yankee Air Museum and the tour was narrated by guide, Jonathan Drake.

Here, Jonathan explains the Willow Run assembly plant and that they produced one B-24 Liberator every 55 minutes. (Video by Matt Skillman)

Jonathan talks about some WWI and WWII uniforms that were donated to the museum by a local Veteran’s family. (Video by Matt Skillman)

Jonathan shows the group a 1943 Stinson and about a Spad 13 restoration project at the museum. (Video by Matt Skillman)

Here, he talks about about a B-24 Liberator project that they are working on at the museum based on a Navy PB4Y. (Video by Matt Skillman)

Jonathan concludes by talking about the restoration of a side turret for their Navy PB4Y restoration project. (Video by Matt Skillman)

The 464th BG stops for a group photo after the tour of the Yankee Air Museum. (Video by Matt Skillman)

The 32nd Annual Reunion of the 464th BG (H)

Welcome to the 464th Bomb Group Reunion in Dearborn Michigan!

 Art Rawlings (778th Squadron) and Carl Will (776th Squadron) sharing their accounts of their time with the 464th.

 George Krynovich and Art Rawlings (Both of the 778th Squadron) talking about White Victor and Black Nan.

 George Krynovich and Art Rawlings (Both of the 778th Squadron) looking through some pictures.

 George Krynovich and Art Rawlings (Both of the 778th Squadron) and Carl Will (776th Squadron) explaining the call signs on the sides of their B-24 Liberators

 George Krynovich, George Hubbard and Art Rawlings (All of the 778th Squadron)

 Stillman Harding of the 778th Squadron, “Strictly From Hunger”

 Dan Colvin of the 776th Squadron

 The 464th Bomb Group in Dearborn Michigan 2012

WWII Veteran Gets Medals 67 Years After Service

(Reported by: Rick Pollo – Web Intern WKBN Youngstown)

On Tuesday, the American Legion Post 290 in Columbiana held a very special ceremony honoring a World War II veteran who waited 67 years for medals he earned in combat.

Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, who also is a former U.S. Air Force cadet, presented Carl E. Will, 88, with several medals of honor that Will never received. The Congressman also presented him with a flag that was flown over the nation’s capital in his honor.

During the war, Will served as a waistgunner on a B-24 Liberator called Little Lulu. He was part of the 464th Bombardment Group 776th Squadron in Pantanella, Italy.

Waistgunners had the job of operating the anti-aircraft guns stationed at the side openings of the plane. They often had to deal with temperatures of minus 40 degrees within the plane.

Will flew more than 50 missions in his B-24, enduring heavy flak during many of his bombing missions.

Will received the Purple Heart for being injured by a piece of flak on July 6, 1944, during a combat mission. After flying 50 missions, he was reassigned to fly the Hump, the supply route over the Himalayas. He served in both the European and Pacific campaigns during the war.

He earned seven medals and several badges for his service, including the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Purple Heart Medal, the Air Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, European-Africa-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. But he never received any awards other than his Purple Heart.

He was honorably discharged in 1945.

In 1973, there was a fire in the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis that destroyed about 80 percent of the documentation of any Army or Air Force member who served during WWII. Because of this, Will was never able to receive any of his medals or even have documentation that he ever served his country.

The only proof of his service was from the discharge papers he had on him.

Several attempts were made to retrieve his records from the NPRC, but each time they said that there were no records listed for the veteran.

“My interest in his history inspired me to dig deeper,” said Will’s grandson, Matt Skillman, who organized Tuesday’s ceremony. “Through social media, I met many people who recommended that I contact my local congressman. I contacted Bill Johnson and he was very willing to contact the NPRC on my behalf.  We got a letter back saying the same thing, that the fire had wiped out my grandfather’s records. I did, however, get a form that listed all of the awards that he was entitled to.”

“I just really wanted to make it a point that he gets these medals and his paperwork saying that he had served during his lifetime. It just really meant a lot to the family,” Skillman said.

Johnson, who helped Will get his medals, said he was very happy and honored to be able to present Will with the long-overdue recognition.

“We had to go through the process of reconstructing his service records and going back through some archives and finding the information so that Carl could get the medals that he so much deserved,” Johnson said.

Will had no knowledge of what was to unfold prior to the ceremony.

“He has no idea that this is happening, so it’s going to be a bit of a surprise,” said Johnson. “He does not know that I’m here. He doesn’t know that we have this great display of his military history in what’s called a shadowbox. It’s a pretty awesome trophy that he can look at and remember the sacrifice that he made.”

During his speech, Johnson expressed his personal gratitude for the sacrifice Will gave for his country.

“Your service during World War II was both brave and selfless. You should be justifiably proud of your accomplishment. Your dedication exemplifies the very core values of the United States Air Force: Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all that you do,” said Johnson.

Will stood speechless with tears of joy rolling down his face as he proudly accepted his awards.

“It’s absolutely priceless to see the look on his face, to see how happy he is,” Skillman said.

He also was presented a certificate honoring his 50 years of membership with the American Legion by Post 290 Commander Nick Simpson.

“Unbelievable, I tell you. I can’t understand it. They are all a great bunch of people,” Will said.

Video here: http://www.wkbn.com/content/news/local/story/WWII-Veteran-Gets-Medals-67-Years-After-Service/szLZ9GUJWEKmn8ZGiXLK8Q.cspx

An Afternoon with a WWII Veteran at the Ohio Veteran’s Memorial Park

I got to spend an afternoon at the Ohio Veteran’s Memorial Park with my Grandfather, a decorated WWII Veteran.  Before sitting down to dinner at the 356th Fighter Group Restaurant in North Canton, we took some time to walk through this amazing Memorial Park in Clinton Ohio.

(Video from www.ovmp.org)

Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Wall

(Photo Credit: Matt Skillman)

One of the most amazing sites at this Memorial Park in Clinton Ohio is the Ohio Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Wall.  An amazing 125 foot long black granite wall on which is engraved with the names of 3,094 men and 1 woman, from Ohio, who lost their lives in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.  This memorial wall is the largest freestanding monument in the USA.

The Ohio Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Wall

(Photo Credit: Matt Skillman)

Emblazoned at the top of the wall is the phrase “Lest We Forget” in shining gold letters. The Ohio Veterans’ Memorial Park “has undertaken the task to help insure that our veterans will always be remembered for the heroism and bravery.”

On the back of this wall you will find several engraved panels displaying all of the wars that have had soldiers from the state of Ohio, beginning with the War of 1812 up to the current war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Standing watch over the wall is the seven foot tall granite Gold Star Mother statue.  In her arms she holds the folded flag of the United States of America.  The statute is “dedicated to all of the mothers and families who have lost a child that was serving our country during both peacetime and war.”

One of most beautiful areas of the park is The POW/MIA Reflection Pond and Eternal Flame.  Dedicated on November 13th, 2010, it is located to the right of The Ohio Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Wall.

The POW/MIA Reflection Pond

(Photo Credit: Matt Skillman)

“This monument is made up of a large sitting area that will be surrounded by benches, a four tier waterfall, a walkway, a fifty foot wide pond, a black granite POW/MIA monument, an inverted Vietnam War helmet with the eternal flame and a cast steel POW/MIA seal generously donated by Rolling Thunder, and the black granite backing wall (installation date to be announced).”

My Grandfather, Carl Will at the POW/MIA Reflection Pond

(Photo Credit: Matt Skillman)

We were also very happy to present my Grandfather with a personalized brick within the Air Force walkway.  His son (my late uncle) served in the Army during the Vietnam War.  At my Grandfather’s request, their bricks have been placed alongside each other.  It was an honor to spend the afternoon with my Grandfather and ask him about his experiences in Europe and the Pacific.  My grandfather mentioned that he would like to visit Pantanella Italy and the memorial to his old plane’s crash site in the Czech Republic.  I told him that if he was up to make the flight to Europe, then I would join him.

My Grandfather and Uncle honored.

(Photo Credit: Matt Skillman)

We were very impressed with the Ohio Veterans’ Memorial Park.  It is within a very beautiful and serene setting in Clinton Ohio.  The kind people that run the Memorial Park have a great vision for the future of the Park and I look forward to returning in the future to see all of the addition of the granite wall behind the POW/MIA Reflection Pond.  To visit their site, check out www.ovmp.org.

Source: Ohio Veterans’ Memorial Park (www.ovmp.org)

 

68th Anniversary of the Crash of B-24 “Little Lulu”

The B-24H 42-52479 “Little Lulu” (“Red J”) from the 776th BS, piloted by 2nd Lt. John H. James was shot down on August 24, 1944 after successful bombing of the David Fanto refinery in Pardubice, Czech Republic. On the way home, the ship was attacked by Uffz. Willi Reschke of I./JG 302. Sixty years later Mr. Reschke wrote: “I selected a B-24 and closed in on it from the rear with a clear height advantage. I opened fire, primarily aiming to disable the tail gunner, streaming his bursts towards me. My second burst hit the inboard port engine which immediately started to burn. At that moment my engine had been hit by several rounds, so I had to break my attack.”  The bomber was then finished by Fw. Hubert Engst of II.(Sturm)/JG 300. Engst’s plane was severely hit too and he had to bail out.

Radio operator Sgt John F. D’Amore was the only survivor of Little Lulu. Lt. James and other eight men perished in their plane
when it crashed about two hundred yards north of the village of Vlcice, Czech Republic. (Source: Jiri Sasek)

 

 

 

 

Little LuLu (42-52479) crash Site at Vlcice. (Photo from Jiri Sasek)

Little LuLu (42-52479) crash Site at Vlcice. (Photo from Jiri Sasek)

Little LuLu (42-52479) crash Site at Vlcice. (Photo from Jiri Sasek)

Little LuLu (42-52479) crash Site at Vlcice. (Photo from Jiri Sasek)

The 464th BG (H): 69 Years Later

August 1, 1943:  A very memorable date for the US Army Air Corps, for which five Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded.  It was on this day that the 9th AF carried out “Operation Tidal Wave”.  This mission was a daylight bombing raid on the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania.  These oil refineries produced a third of the petroleum needed to supply the Nazi war efforts.  The plan was to sent 178 B-24 Liberators on a 2400 mile roundtrip journey towards the oil refineries of Ploesti.  Flying at an altitude of 1800 feet, the intent was to fly under the Nazi radar, avoid antiaircraft fire and hit the enemy’s oil supply with accurate bombing.  Unfortunately the mission was plagued with technical and communication problems.  Several of the Liberators had technical trouble and either crashed after taking off or had to return.  The remainder of the formation was split up due to miscommunication because of radio silence. This error caused some of the Liberators to head towards Bucharest, the headquarters of the German air force command. .  By the time that their heading was corrected, it was already to late.  The Germans were alerted and the element of surprise was lost.  As the formation approached Ploesti, the first wave of Liberators attacked from the most heavily protected  direction.  The second wave of bombers had to endure the onslaught of delayed action bombs, flak and small arms.  Although loses during “Operation Tidal Wave” were heavy, by the end of the attack, 40% of the oil-producing capacity of Ploesti was destroyed.  Within six months, Nazi slave labor had repaired the damage inflicted by the raid, and Ploesti was back to normal capacity.

Also on August 1, 1943, the 464th Bombardment Group was activated in Wendover Field, Utah.  As part of the 15th AF, the group arrived at its base in Pocatello Idaho on October 2, 1943.  By March 9, 1944, the first aircraft and crew arrived at Oudna.  After some training there, the group flew to their temporary base at Gioia del Cole Italy in April of 1944.  Their first combat mission occurred by the end of that April with the Marshaling Yards at Castel Maggiore being their first combat target.  It was on June 1, 1944 that the 464th BG moved to their permanent base at Pantanella Italy.  Eight months after “Operation Tidal Wave”, the Allied forces were ready to attack Ploesti again, this time from the newly added bases in Italy.  The new attempt was a single raid at a larger scale at a higher altitude and with fighter cover part of the way in.  The daylight bombing raids on Ploesti was full of flak and smoke. Over 2000 smoke pots helped mask the bombers’ targets, making accurate bombing almost impossible.  The 464th pressed on continued to play an important role in several oil refinery bombings, ultimately slowing down the Nazi war machine.   Such bombings also include the Concordia Vega refinery on May 18, 1944, the oil refinery at Vienna on July 8, 1944, and the Paradubice oil refinery on August 24, 1944.  The 464th BG sometimes assisted in support of Allied Forces and interdictory operations, such as the “Operation Dragoon” invasion of Southern France in August of 1944.  They also assisted the advance of Russian troops in southeastern Europe by bombing railroad centers in March of 1945.  The 464th BG assisted the advance of the US 5th and British 8th Army in northern Italy in April of 1945 by bombing enemy supply lines.  The lineage of the 464th Bombardment Group (Heavy) is listed below.

• Constituted as 464th Bombardment Group (Heavy) On 19 May 1943

Activated on 1 August 1943

Inactivated on 31 July 1945

• Established as 464th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on 16 December 1952

Activated on 1 February 1953

Redesignated as 464th Troop Carrier Wing, Assault on 16 December 1958

Redesignated as 464th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on 8 January 1964

Redesignated as 464th Troop Carrier Wing, on 1 March 1966

Redesignated as 464th Tactical Airlift Wing on 1 May 1967

Inactivated on 31 August 1971

A Tribute to the Brave Men of the 464th BG (H)

All too often we take freedom and valor for granted.  Growing up, my grandfather never talked about his service in World War II.  All I ever knew is that he was in a plane during the war.  It wasn’t until I sat down and just simply asked, that I was blown away by his sacrifice and service.  He was enlisted in November of 1942 and was honorably discharged in August of 1945.  During those 3 years, he was a waist gunner for the B-24 “Little LuLu” (42-52479), pictured above.  He was part of the first crew to fly that aircraft, and after flying 50 missions he and his crew were reassigned.  My grandfather had been reassigned to fly supplies over the Hump as part of the Air Transport Command.  During this time, the second crew to fly “Little LuLu” was shot down over on August 24, 1944 during a bombing run targeting oil refineries in Czechoslovakia.    My general interest in my grandfather’s history has connected me with people throughout the country and even throughout the world.  It is so reassuring to find others out that that share the same passion to keep history and the legacies of these brave men alive.  I wanted to create a way to share his memories along with stories of others who know those who have served in the 464th Bombardment Group.  I know that it is impossible to ever fully express enough gratitude to these men who so selflessly sacrificed, but I hope that this helps us honor their valor and keeps their memories alive for future generations.

We’re launching this site as a tribute to the brave men of the 464th Bombardment Group (H) in Pantenella, Italy. The 776th, 777th, 778th and 779th Bombardment Squadrons.