C E R I G N O L ACO N N E C T I O N455th Bomb Group Association Newsletter

Fall, 2015 Editor: Craig Ward, 813 Peterstow Drive, Euless, Texas 76039phone: (817) 540-1068 email: aphp@tx.rr.com website: www.awardphp.com

Message from the President

ByNorman Crum

I'm happy once again tooffer a few words of introductionto this edition of the Cerignola

Connection.

In prior introductions, Ihave remembered the aircraftand the men who flew andmaintained them. I've alsoreferred to the countryside thathosted the airfields and facilities.

In this edition, I'd like toreflect upon the targets ... thereason why our country spent somuch blood and treasure on itsstrategic air forces.

Early in the war, theEighth Air Force initially focusedon enemy submarine pens andair fields along the French coast.The so-called Battle of the

Atlantic was in full swing and theAllies desperately needed all the

food, fuel, equipment andmunitions that could be shippedfrom west to east across thedangerous and deadly AtlanticOcean.

By the time the FifteenthAir Force was created in late1943, priorities had shifted toindustrial and economic targetsdeeper in continental Europe.The famous raids on Ploesti andother oil refineries were addedto missions in support of U.S.infantry landings at Anzio, Italy.

Enemy aircraft factoriesat Wiener Neustadt and otherlocations were attacked.

But many of the 1944missions of the 455th BombGroup focused on GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower'scontroversial Transportation

Plan that successfully cut-offNazi supplies andreinforcements from reachingthe battlefield on D-Day inNormandy. Bridges, railcenters, and railroad repairshops were all heavily bombedwith the goal of limiting Germanmovements toward the EnglishChannel.

Many high-ranking AirForce officers didn't wantstrategic bombers diverted fromtheir primary missions againstGerman industry, and only

In This Edition

Page 2 - Army Air Corps,or Army Air Forces?

Page 3 - Contributions

Page 4 - Editor’s bio

Page 5 - Dear Editor & Final Flt.

Page 6 - Victor Murray’s crew

Pages 7 & 8 - 70 years ago

Page 9 - Final Flight

Page 10 - Tower Locations

Pages 11-12 - Email Addresses

Pages 13-14 - Cerignola

Connection, from 1945

Page 15 - Greetings from Canadian WWII Historian

Pages 16-17 - The German Survivor

Pages 18-19 - Can You Help?

Pages 20-23 - The Great B17 vs. B24 Controversy

Back Page - Message from the 455th BG Assoc. Executive Director

reluctantly ceded temporarycontrol to General Eisenhowerafter he threatened to quit.

Did the plan work? By mid-June, 1944, the

German air ministry reported,"The raids have caused thebreakdown of all main lines.The coastal defenses havebeen cut off from interior supplybases. The situation threatensto have serious consequences.Large scale movement of troopsby rail is practically impossibleat the present time."

The Allies were pinned-down in Normandy for six longweeks after the landings onJune 6; it's an unpleasantthought to reflect on what mighthave happened to them ifEisenhower’s Transportation

Plan hadn't worked.My wife and I recently

visited the city of Lyon, France,and toured the former regionalheadquarters of the Gestapothere. As we entered, I noticedthat the building is near somemajor rail lines. While in themuseum we read about how, in1944, bombers from theFifteenth Air Force destroyedthe railroad facilities near theGestapo headquarters.

Besides destroying therail facilities, the raid ruined thebuilding itself, and surroundingneighborhoods, too.

My dad's flight recordsshow that he had flown a similarmission to Grenoble that sameday … all part of theTransportation Plan.

The museum displaymentioned the many dozens ofFrench civilians that were killedin the Lyon attack, a very sad

and lamentable fact. However, I remembered

reading of General Walter B.Smith's 1944 discussion withGeneral Pierre-Joseph Koenig,a representative of the FreeFrench government in Algeria,on the subject of possibleFrench casualties in theTransportation Plan.

General Smith reportedto Eisenhower, "To my surprise,Koenig takes a much more cold-blooded view than we do. Hisremark was, 'This is war. And itmust be expected that peoplewill be killed. We will take theanticipated losses to be rid ofthe Germans.'"

In this edition of theCerignola Connection, wepause once again to rememberand honor the brave young menwho flew, fought and maintainedthe bombers of the 455th BombGroup. We thank them for theirfaithful service, and are gratefulfor the freedoms they defended.

2

Tons of Bombs

Between 1939 and 1945,the Allies dropped 3.4 milliontons of bombs, an average of27,700 tons per month.

Should Army aviationin WWII be identified as theArmy Air Corps, or as theArmy Air Forces?

U.S. Army personnel havetraditionally been assigned tobranches. The Air Corps becamethe branch for Army aviation in1926. Then, in 1935, GeneralHeadquarters (GHQ) Air Force wascreated for operational aviationunits. This arrangement existed inthe period leading up to UnitedStates entry into WWII.

There were two aviationorganizations: the Air Corpsmanaged materiel and training,and GHQ Airforce had operationalunits.

The Army Air Forces (AAF)came into being on June 20, 1941.The AAF initially had twosubordinate organizations: the AirCorps, for training and materiel,and Air Force Combat Command(replacing GHQ Air Force) foroperational forces.

In the course of wartimeexpansion and reorganization, theAir Corps ceased to be anoperating organization. Allelements of Army aviation weremerged into the Army Air Forces.

The Army Air Forces thusreplaced the Air Corps as the Armyaviation arm and, for practicalpurposes, became an autonomousservice. All WWII Army aviationtraining and combat units were inthe AAF.

WWII Army Air Corpspersonnel had a strong sentimentalattachment to their branch. The AirCorps had an aura about it thatseemed to set it apart from otherArmy branches. Now, 70 yearslater, many WWII servicemen stillproudly identify themselves asveterans of the Air Corps. However-- although the Air Corps was theirbranch -- they actually served andfought in the Army Air Forces!

3

455TH BOMB GROUPASSOCIATION, INC.P.O. BOX 93095AUSTIN, TX. 78709-3095

PRESIDENTNorman CrumEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR /TREASURER Gregory E. Riggs Col. USAF (Ret.)P.O. Box 93095Austin, TX. 78709-3095SECRETARYTed TronoffPAST PRESIDENTRoderick W. ClarkeCol. USAF (Ret.)DIRECTORSJohn F. DavisCol. USAF (Ret.)Ormond H. BuffingtonT/Sgt. USAAFCarl Loiocano T/Sgt. USAAFCraig WardSon, Lt. J. T. WardEditor, Cerignola ConnectionREGISTERED AGENTJohn F. DavisCol. USAF (Ret.)ASSOCIATION HISTORIANJohn Rohrer

The 455th Bomb Group Association, Inc. would like to thank the following Association members for their

generous monetary contributions (cumulative listing):Taxi ($25-$99)

Loraine McGinnis, in memory of Joseph McGinnisGerald W. AdamsJohn Kay McBainVictor E. MurrayLloyd C. Kestner

W. Scott Lawing in memory of MSgt (Ret) Robert L. Denton (743)Joseph A. Abbondondelo

William E. Fredrickson in memory of Elwood (Freddie) FredricksonTakeoff ($100-$199)

L. Harvey HewittCharles V. VandorenFrancis G. Hosimer

Charles H. RosenbergElmo J. Henske

AnonymousRichard C. Skagenberg

Helen A. Worster, in memory of Lt. Col John R. WorsterDorothy Wood Cloud, in memory of T/Sgt Robert D. Cloud

Henry C. ParisWesley Fellowship Class in memory of MSgt (Ret) Robert L. Denton (743)

Bombs away ($200-$499)Francis G. Hosimer

Karen R. Schoene, in honor of Lt Col Horst R. SchoeneVirginia Corsello, in memory of 1 Lt Anthony (Tony) Corsello

Catherine Spewock, in honor of S/Sgt Andrew SpewockRobert W. Rohler, in honor of 1Lt Charles William (Bill) Rohler

Thomas E. BoydL. Harvey Hewitt

Mission complete ($500 or more)Mary E. Jureka, in honor of Col John F. JurekaNorman Crum, in memory of George W. Crum

Robert O. Foernsler, in memory of Capt Ed Soderstrom & crew

455TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H)Member Information

Name: __________________________________ Squadron: ___________

Spouse's Name: __________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________

City: ____________________ State: _____________ Zip Code: _______

Telephone: (_____) ___________________

E-Mail Address: ______________________________May we publish your e-mail address in the newsletter? _____Yes _____NoCurrent members may retain this form and use it to report a future change of address or other contactinformation. The form can also be given to anyone interested in membership. Please return completedforms to: 455th Bomb Group Association, P. O. Box 93095, Austin, Texas 78709-3095.

Editor’s Note:Over the last 12 years, as

newsletter editor, I have had readers

occasionally ask questions about

my personal life, career

background, family, hobbies, etc.

In editing the CerignolaConnection, I have tried to make

sure the content is about the

veterans of the 455th BG, and not

about Craig Ward.

Yes, I have occasionally

featured comments about, and

pictures of, my father (Lt. J. T.

Ward, co-pilot, 740th squadron). He

is my greatest hero. Thanks for

allowing me that latitude!

Being involved with the

455th BG Association, Inc. has been

one of the special highlights of my

blessed life. I appreciate those who

have expressed an interest in

knowing a lttle about myself and my

wife in our earlier years.

Here, for what it’s worth, is a

short Craig Ward bio:

I am 60 years old, and mybeautiful wife Marsha is 64.

My dad, Lt. J.T. Ward,was a pilot in the 740th sq.,455th BG. Dad flew to N. Africafrom Langley, via Brazil, in Dec.,1943.

He received credit for 50missions with the Jack Seine(740) and Carlton Hansen (740)crews, among others.

Marsha's dad was also inItaly in 1944. He was in a big-gun artillery unit of the US Armythat fought their way up from thesouth of Italy to Rome, kickingthe Hun out of Italy, attremendous cost. I believe heserved under Gen. Patton atsome point.

Marsha and I both haveour Bachelor degrees. I went tothe University of Texas atArlington, and Marsha attendedTexas A & I.

I have commercial,

instrument, and multi-enginepilot certificates. One of myfondest memories was flying across-country trip in a Cessna172 with my dad in 1980. At thetime, he had not flown anyairplane since a B24 in 1944.We arrived at cruising altitude, &I took the Cessna off auto-pilot.Dad took over the controls, andhand-flew the plane better than Idid. 36 years later, and henever lost his ability to fly aplane. He remarked that flyingwas much more pleasant whenhe wasn't being shot at !

I currently own a smallcompany called Texas NETrans(www.texasnetrans.com). Weprovide non-emergencytransportation, in the DFW-area,for folks confined to wheelchairs(doctor visits, family gatherings,dialysis, etc.). Marsha works insales in a boutique in Ft. Worth.

My career, before TexasNetrans, was in corporate andcommercial aviation. I flew as acabin crewmember for theoriginal Braniff Airlines from1977 to 1982, and then went onto sell services on business jets(Learjets, Falcons, Gulfstreams,etc.). I sold jets, charter,maintenance, fuel, hangaring,management, etc. to privateaircraft owners.

The money was great,but the stress was killing me ! I got out of that racket in 2005. I have been in elder care sincethen. I took a big pay cut, but atleast that "killer stress" is nolonger an issue.

After my dad died in1986, I got interested in his warexperiences. I was only 31years old when he died, single,

and unattached. All I wanted todo, at the time, was chase girlsand ride motorcycles (I currentlyown and ride a Harley-DavidsonElectra Glide Ultra, and a classic1971 Honda CB750, 4-cylindermotorcycle).

I very much regret notasking dad about the war when Ihad the opportunity. My fatherwas, and IS, my greatest hero.

I joined the 455th BGAssociation, as an associatemember, about 16 years ago.Being a member of this greatorganization has been an honorand privilège.

In 2003, the previouseditor of the Cerignola

Connection, Tom Ramey,passed away. Mr. Ramey wasa fine man, and a wonderfulnewsletter editor.

It was requested that I bethe newsletter editor goingforward. I was also asked to bea member of the BGAssociation's board of directors.

The job of newslettereditor is a lot of work, but it is alabor of love. I have had manynice messages from theveterans who say kind thingsabout the content, and how theyenjoy each issue. I know itmeans a lot to them to have thiswritten "connection" to one ofthe most meaningful periods intheir lives. It is my honor tobe a small part of that.

I love America. And, Ilove the US military, withoutwhich there would BE noAmerica.

I have a special affectionfor my dad's Army comrades,the veterans of the 455th BG.

God bless you all !

4

World War II

World War II started onSept. 1, 1939, when Germanforces under Nazi leader AdolfHitler invaded Poland.

Britain demanded thatGermany withdraw, but Hitlerrefused, and the UnitedKingdom declared war, alongwith France, on Sept. 3, 1939.

When the UK declaredwar, Prime Minister NevilleChamberlain said he would fightinjustice and oppression causedby Hitler, adding, "His actionshows convincingly that there isno chance of expecting that thisman will ever give up hispractice of using force to gainhis will. He can only be stoppedby force."

World War II was themost destructive war in history.About 15 million soldiers, and 45million civilians, died during theconflict.

The Soviet Union lost themost people to the war, with anestimated 24 million dead.

The Axis Powersincluded Germany, Italy andJapan. The Allied Powersincluded countries like theSoviet Union, the U.S., China,Australia, Brazil, Canada, SouthAfrica, Greece and theNetherlands.

The Allies dropped 3.4million tons of bombs during thewar.

Hitler's nephew, William,fled Nazi Germany and endedup in the U.S., where he joinedthe Navy. After the war, hechanged his last name and livedin New York.

The war officially endedon Sept. 2, 1945, V-J Day, whenJapan signed surrenderdocuments to the U.S. on thebattleship USS Missouri inTokyo Bay.

President Harry STruman dedicated the victory tohis predecessor, PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt, who diedApril 12, 1945, weeks before thewar ended in Europe.

Dear Editor,I am a French author, and

WWII aviation historian.I have been collecting

USAAF photos for many years. I have recently acquired

some documents and photoswhich belonged to S/Sgt.Bernard Bloom, who wasassigned to the 743rd BS.

Please see the photo(below) showing the crew towhich he was assigned. Left to right : Lt. Snook (Pilot),Lt. Frost (Copilot), F/O Berman(Bombardier), F/O Reddy(Navigator) - Allen (Left waistgunner), Boudousquie (Tailgunner), Delgallo (Ball turretgunner), Bloom (Right waistgunner), Garland (Nosegunner), Betti (Engineer topturret gunner).

I would like to obtainsome information about thecombat missions flown byBernard Bloom and his crew.

Thank you.Best regards

Gregory Ponsgregpons@yahoo.fr

5

Final Flight

This is to inform you thatmy husband, Herb Simonpassed away. He was alsoknown as Herman Simon (743).

Herb frequently talkedabout his experience in theArmy Air Force.

He was a tail gunner on aB-24. Herb was wounded andreceived the Purple Heart andthe Air Medal.

Sincerely,Gladys L. Simonglad3348@bellsouth.netDelray Beach, FL

6

Photo courtesy of:Victor E. Murray (743)vemurray@cfl.rr.com

Seated, left to rightCapt. David Thayer, Squadron Commander / Pilot

1st Lt. Howard Helfer, Co-pilot1st Lt. Joe Gross, Navigator

1st Lt. Frank Randell, Bombardier

Standing, left to rightLeroy Catt, Ball Turret Gunner

Ben Owen, Tail GunnerVictor Murray, Radio OperatorDuane Bush, Waist GunnerDuane Vance, Waist Gunner

Robert Ingalls, Engineer, Top Turret Gunner

Fishing

The rain was pouring and there was a big puddle in front of the pub just outside the Air ForceBase. A ragged old Army Helicopter Pilot was standing near the edge with a fishing line in thepuddle.

A curious young Air Force fighter pilot came over to him and asked what he was doing."Fishing", the old broken down pilot simply said."Poor old fool", the Air Force officer thought and he invited the old aviator into the pub for a

drink.As he felt he should start some conversation while they were sipping their whiskey, the

haughty fighter pilot asked, "And how many have you caught today?"

"You are the eighth", the old Helicopter Pilot answered.

7

70 Years Ago

Seventy years ago, a B-29 Superfortress named theEnola Gay dropped an atomicbomb (named Little Boy) on theJapanese city of Hiroshima,killing upwards of 100,000people. The US demanded thenext day that Japanunconditionally surrender, orreceive more of thesebombings. No response wasreceived from Japan.

It took the atomicbombing of Nagasaki (approx.60,000 killed) three days later toconvince the Japanese emperorto stop the killing.

There are thousands ofpeople that are alive today(descendants of WWII veteransthat would have otherwise diedin the invasion of the Japanesehome islands), that would neverhave been born if the USA hadnot utilized the nukes. That isbecause the alternative tonuking Japan was an invasionof the Japanese homeland bythe Allied forces.

Estimates of casualties inthat potential invasion (bothAllied and Japanese killed andwounded) could have beenupwards of half a million !

Two atomic bombs overtwo Japanese cities savedhundreds of thousands of livesin the long run.

Thank God for thenuclear strike force veterans(Col. Paul Tibbets and his B-29comrades), and the scientists ofthe Manhattan Project. Theyhelped speed the end of themost destructive war inhistory ... 70 years ago.

70 Years Ago

8

70 Years Ago

March, 1945 brought some significant moments in World War II, as the Allies were back on theoffensive after recovering from the German Ardennes Offensive.

In the Pacific, the flag had been raised on Iwo Jima in late February, the fighting continued inMarch as the Marines secured the airfields that would launch missions to Japan as well as serving asemergency landing fields for B-29s that could not make it back to Tinian and Saipan.

In the Mediterranean, the 15th Air Force heavies continued their strategic campaign withemphasis on marshalling yards at Linz, Vienna, Regensburg, Weiner-Neustadt as well as targets inYugoslavia and Germany. Their mission was to choke the flow of men and material to Italy.

In central Europe, the 8th Air Force continued hitting targets in Germany. The 9th Air ForceTroop Carrier Groups prepared and carried out their mission in Operation Varsity that would deliverthe paratroops of the 17th Airborne Division and their drop across the Rhine River on 24 March.

The end was near for Nazi Germany and the airmen continued to do their job with aplomb. 2015 is the 70th anniversary of the German surrender (V-E Day) and Japanese surrender (V-J

Day), ending World War II. This year, on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, America once again thanks the veterans

of this war, along with the people who worked in the factories and secured the homefront. We remember and honor your bravery and sacrifice.

9

FINAL FLIGHTIt is with great sadness that I would like to inform you of the passing of my father, Robert William

Hardy (742), on May 15th 2015, at the age of 94. Robert served as the flight engineer for Lt. WilliamKing's crew, aboard the Cowtown Blonde in the 742nd bomb squadron.

After returning home from Italy, he married the love of his life, Wilma Marie Passeno. Together,they raised a family of 5 children in Detroit Michigan, and eventually had 9 grandchildren and 7 greatgrandchildren. Robert was a wonderful husband and father, and will be sorely missed by all who knewhim. Robert is back row, left in the photo below.

Sincerely,William Hardywhardy_1@charter.net

Dear Editor,Recently, at Selfridge Air National Guard base in Detroit Michigan, at 0500, a B-24 Liberator

made its last pickup of its Flight Engineer, Robert W. Hardy (742), who was 94 years of age. After 50missions in WWII, he returned home to Detroit, Michigan, his home town, and also the birthplace ofthe famous B24’s (the famous Willow Run factory). Willow Run built a bomber every every 63 minutes,24 hours a day, 7 days a week..

Robert was born on December 13, 1920, and passed away on May 15, 2015. To his children,he was the rock of the family. He was our Hero, the hand that helped destroy the evil Axis of Europe.Dad earned a Purple Heart and other war medals. His stories will live with each of us. Like mostveterans, he never retold the worst, but we knew they were there - sounds and sights to be forgotten,when he paused for a moment, with tear-filled eyes, and then he continued.

I was able to ride on a B24 flight this past Spring, in Scottsdale Az. and returned to Detroit totell dad. It indeed excited him that I kept my promise to sit in his jump seat and also the side gunnersseat, to see what many Army Air Corp’s crewmembers saw looking out the side openings with amachine gun in hand.

I keep in contact with our Yankee Air Museum (located in the old Willow Run plant), where theB24’s were built by so many of those Rosie the Riveter ladies in coveralls and red bandanas. We shallnot forget them, either.

Thank You.Robert J. Peters USNR (R), Navy Squadron VP93, Son-in-Law of Mr. HardyEmail: rjpvp93@gmail.com

Dear Editor,I am trying to compile a

list of the call signs / towernames for all of the groups thatwere part of the 15th AF in Italy.

I believe the 454th and455th BGs shared the tower atSan Giovanni, but I cannot findany references that give the callsign / tower name for the field.

If you or any of yourcolleagues with the 455th can fillin a gap or two in my list, itwould be greatly appreciated.

Shown at right >>>>>>>>is a list of the call signs / towernames that I have been able tofind. Feel free to post it, or passit around.

Sincerely,Marty UpchurchMarty_Upchurch@efiglobal.com

10

FIVE RULES TO REMEMBER IN LIFE

1. Money cannot buyhappiness, but it's morecomfortable to cry in a Cadillacthan on a bicycle.

2. Forgive your enemy,but remember the SOB’s name.

3. If you help someonewhen they are in trouble, theywill remember you when they'rein trouble again.

4. Many people are aliveonly because it's illegal to shootthem.

5. Alcohol does not solveany problems, but then neitherdoes voting for the Democrats.

Enola Gay & Bock’s Car

The Enola Gay became well-known for dropping the firstatomic bomb on Hiroshima, but few people know the name of theB-29 that bombed Nagasaki. It was Bock's Car, named after theplane's usual commander, Frederick Bock.

455th BG E-mail Roster

Harry W. Anderson (740)San Antonio,TX.pomganny@aol.com

Dave Bathie (assoc. 740) davidbathie@yahoo.com

Joel BeauvaisSon, Raymond Beauvais (741)jmb1958@att.net

1st. Lt. Thomas A. 'Tom' Bell840 Kimberly Ct.Lander, WY 82520tsalix@yahoo.com

Jack Blum (741) jblum15677@aol.com

Thomas Boydvbrewster@gmail.com

Ormond Buffington (741)obuffington@charter.net

Mario Capocefalo (Italy)mario.capocefalo@alice.it

Rod Clarke (743)Alexandria, VArory@his.com

Howard Cooper (740)howcoop@sdlifestyle.com

Robert D. (Bob) Collette (740)South Pasadena, Fl 33707dotybob@verizon .net

Bill & Joyce Crawfordprintsvs@earthlink.net <or>Westerner01@earthlink.net

Albert E. Cratch (741)fishn928@cox.net

Janet & Russell CrockerJanetcrockerfr@cs.com

Norman CrumPresident, 455th BG Assoc.Son of Cpt. George Crum (742)norman.crum@vpps.net

John Davis (741)Davisjfdavis@gmail.com

Jack Dekker (743) jdek457@att.net

Theodore Deppe (741)tdeppe@indiana.edu

Louise Defenbaugh YearoutGeorge Defenbaugh’s daughterteachrkidz@aol.com

John Devito (assoc.)jmdevito@verizon.net

Curtis (Curt) Diles, Jr. (740) cdiles@woh.rr.com

Paul H. Ditchett (742) vacationstogo@yahoo.com

William M. Doyle (742)wdoyle5184@bellsouth.net

Robert Emick (741)elbo2@earthlink.net

William E. FredricksonSon, Elwood Fredrickson (743)1521 Woodgate WayTallahassee, FL 32308wfredrickson@fsu.edu

Marc GaynesSon of Seymour Gaynes (743)Fortdearborn1@yahoo.com

Vervin “Gil” Gilson (741)gilmarner@aol.com

Ann GengeDaughter of Allen Durkee (743)fredfox263@yahoo.com

Lt. Col. R. J. Haney (743)haneyrj@comcast.net

Fred Hamilton T/Sgt (740)fastfreddy1881@att.net

L. Harvey Hewit (743) Haverford, PA.Lhhew@aol.com

Robert Hilgendorfserendipity@surry.net

Frank Hosimer (741)fghosr@suddenlink.net

Joe Kiernan (741)280 Middle Holland Rd, #719Holland PA 18966(215) 396-7905jokernan@comcast.net

Erling Kindem (742)erlingk@aol.com

Viliam Klabnikvkaquam@zoznam.sk

George L. Liddle (742) oljorge@mchsi.com

E.J. Ledbetter, Jr. (743)blrayman@gmail.com

John L. Larma (740) jnlarma@yahoo.com913-712-8773

Dan Masondanielboone@satx.rr.com

Mark L. MasonSon of Robert G. Mason (742)mlmason82@cox.net

11

Email addresses (cont.)

Frank MastroleoMasty419@aol.com

Dave Matheson (742) ihatebugs@cox.net

Mike McFadden (Assoc. 743)Son-in-Law of Austin Herrityb24_455thbg@yahoo.com

Jim MerrittSon of Lt. Jim Merritt (741)merritt66@verizon.net

Vic Murray (743) vemurray@CFL.RR.COM

Peter Payant (743) pbpayant@cox.net

Roland J Pepinvirpep4400@aol.com

Wesley Powell (740) wesjulia@gateway.net

Brenda RaymanDaughter, E.J. Ledbetter (743)blrayman@gmail.com

John RohrerSon of Carl Rohrer (740)jrohrer@spartacpa.com

Charles H. Rosenberg (741)chrose3@comcast.net.

Irving (Irv) Rubin (743)321-514-3445

Sid Schoengold (740) harsid123@netzero.com

Dr. Gary R. Schoene, son, Lt Col Horst R. Schoene (743)gschoene2001@yahoo.com

August R. “Gus” Seefluth (742) gseefluth@gmail.com

Sgt. John E. Skeltonwoodshed704@netzero.net

Michael SpewockSon of Andrew Spewock (743)spewocks@verizon.net

Charles E. Stark (740) carbchar@comcast.net

Ted StinerSon of Lt.Theodore Stiner (741)Ted.Stiner@gmail.com

Carl A. Stracka (Pilot, 743)1121 E. Moorpark Ave.Appleton, WI. 54911

Angelo Synodis (741)angiesynodis@charter.net

Julie SummerfieldDaughter of WalterSummerfield (743)r1649@mac.com

Ted Tronoff (742)TVTRONOFF@cs.com

Dr. Stanley Vogelfang (741) stanvog@aol.com

John R. Worster (742). haw72@aol.com

Craig Ward Editor, Cerignola Connection

Son of Lt. J. T. Ward (740) aphp@tx.rr.com

Leland L. Young (743)llyoung@netzero.net

Paul A. Young (741)pyoung04@tampabay.rr.com

12

AS I AGE, I REALIZE THAT:

1. I talk to myself, becausesometimes I need expert advice.2. Sometimes I roll my eyesout loud.3. I don't need angermanagement. I need people tostop pissing me off.4. My people skills are justfine. It's my tolerance of idiotsthat needs work.5. The biggest lie I tellmyself is "I don't need to writethat down, I'll remember it."6. When I was a child, Ithought nap time waspunishment. Now it's like a mini-vacation.7. The day the world runsout of wine is just too terrible tothink about.8. Even duct tape can't fixstupid, but it can muffle thesound!9. Wouldn't it be great if wecould put ourselves in the dryerfor ten minutes; come outwrinkle-free and three sizessmaller.10. If God wanted me totouch my toes, he would've putthem on my knees.11. When the kids text me"plz" which is shorter thanplease, I text back "no", which isshorter than "yes".12. At my age, "GettingLucky" means walking into aroom and remembering what Icame in there for.

Editor’s Note:

This is the third entry in a

series from the first CerignolaConnection newsletter, published at

the San Giovanni airbase in early

1945, before the war was even over!

As editor of this publication,

I usually try to make the spelling,

punctuation, and grammar of all

content as correct as possible. (My

English teacher at Haltom High

School would have had it no other

way!)

However, in this case, I will

include the text and flow of the

content, just as it appeared in the

publication in Italy in 1945 ... enjoy !

743rd BOMB SQUADRON By Sgt. Ray Perry

We wish to welcome ournew Execuive Officer, Capt.Paul Livingston, and trust he willlike it over here.

The winterizing program isalmost complete, everybody isall set for cold weather. We nowknow how the civilians feel withfuel rationing catching up on us.War sure is hell!

Our E.M. Club is about tobe enlarged and whencompleted will be the best in theGroup. Now furniture will beinstalled, so please fellows, takeit easy. Everybody enjoyed therecent gift to our Officers andwant them to know that it tastedswell. Multo gracias--weappreciate your generosity.

Another group of our menare going home after completingan excellent job over here. Lotsof luck fellows and hope youmake it in time for Christmas.Captain Richard Haney, TrainingOfficer, and one of our originalboys from Langley Field leaveswith this group.

Engineering has now

moved to a new location on theline. The way things areshaping up they should have afine set-up.

Our boys have beenlistening to Axis Sally but herrecords and chatter are gettingold. Sally, you'd better get a newline, but of course, we all realizeyou haven't much to talk aboutthese days. Perhaps you'dbetter lose your voice the wayHitler has.

We are glad to see thispaper take on a new lease of lifeand are confident that ye editorwill do a good job - he beingvery adept at digging up all thedirt. (Editor’s note: We resentthat - this is a family paper.)

Results of the ANNUALTURKEY SHOOT held 23November at our Skeet Range:

RATED OFFICERS: Lt.Williams of the 456th BG and LtDixon of the 43rd Service Grouptied for first place. Lt Williamswon the shoot-off..

GROUND OFFICERS:Won by Captain Callahan of the304th Wing. BRASS HATS;Colonel Russell of the 456th andColonel Boutz of the 459th tiedfor first place with ColonelRussell winning the shoot-off.

ENLISTED MENGUNNERS: Five-man tie forfirst with Sgts Barret andThomas of 456th, Fagan of459th, Taylor of 43rd SG andAlexander of 455th. Alexandersaved our noble warriors from awhitewashing on the homegrounds by finally winning thisevent.

Capt Trbovich, whostaged and produced thismammoth tournament, called

the final event off on account ofdarkness and confiscated thelast turkey.

WHO HAS THELONGEST SERVICE IN THEOUTFIT? We submit T/Sgt OlinVann, Ordinance Inspector, with16 years of Army life (and stillsane).

MYSTERIES: Who sentCaptain James Farrier thebrassiere all the way from theStates? Why do they call SgtRuss Granzow "Curly"? Is"Little Caesar" Gangi really astough as he sounds? WE MISSTHE MUSTACHIOS from theupper lips of Sgts Carrigan andSmith, the two big wheels fromS-2 (and lets have no cracksabout some of the spokes beingmissing).

Smitty's might passmuster back in Oklahomacollege circles but Irish Jack'sshrubbery was ferociousenough to scare the hell out ofthe Italian laborers. It evensurpassed the foliage thatCaptain Crowley, ex-741stNavigator, used to tie behind isears before eating.

CAPT PEDROGUERRERO AND HIS BOYS inPhoto certainly did a neat job onhis "Unit Citation" Cover. Weforgive them for beating us intothe chow line as all good artistsare proverbially hungry.

WANTED: Short, snappy,sarcastic items for the nextedition. See WTG in S-3

Col. Ambrosen's tour ofcombat duty is finish. Expectour CO, who’s been with ussince activation, will beStatesward-bound in the nearfuture.

13

Reports from combatmen who've been on DS in thenever-never land say that life inthe U.S. doesn't suffer bycomparison with life at dear oleSan Giovanni.

S/Sgt. Swede Anderson,former member of the modelcrew, says: "Life in the States isvery rough. Nothing to eat butbig thick steaks, nothing to drinkbut old American whiskey,nothing to date but prettyAmerican girls". Wonder howhe stood it.

If there's a record fortrapping mice, Sgt. "Red" Sybellclaims he has broken it. Ace forthe 455th in this department,he's put the blast on 37 rodentsin his tent, apparently a richhunting ground. He said, "Ididn't mind them chewing on mycigarettes, but when they ate anO'Henry bar, that was the laststraw !".

First, last and onlytestimony to the worth of C-rations came to the 742nd onthe Thanksgiving holiday.Approximately 50 percent of thepersonnel was smitten with acommon gastronomicdisturbance after theThanksgiving feast. Looks likethe foods of the Pilgrim Fathersare too rich for the GI stomachtrained on C-rations.

There's a touch ofsomething in the nude that Lt."Windy" Reynolds painted overthe bar of the Officer's club, butthere is room for debate on whatthat something is. "Taint what helearned in anatomy class, that'sa cinch. She looks positivelyeager !

Hot times these eves atthe Officer's Club have anadded feather. Capt Griffith,engineering chief, installedstoves in the club recently, andso far two have blown up !

A fair score, captain, afair score.

The first blow caught Lts.Brown, Eber and Kutz, all tooclose for comfort. Lt. Kutz cameoff with a severe case of singedeyebrows, and they weren'thelped much when the secondexplosion caught him, too. "I'llsit by my fireplace in my tent. Itmay not give much heat, but it'sa big morale builder", were thelieutenant's embittered words.

The 742nd grid squad,pursuing our victorious softballteam for sporting laurels, ishaving a solid and righteousseason, as the up-town catswould say. So far, wins havebeen scored over the 740th, the741st, and the 454th (bydefault), and a crucial tilt for theWing championship isscheduled soon. Capt Morrison,mentor of the local scrappers, iscracking down on training rulesand practice sessions, they say.

A word for the photo club.Nearing completion, the lab isalmost ready to operate. Planscall for negative developementand printing if paper isfurnished.

14

Famous People Who FlewCombat Missions in B-24

Liberators

ROBERT ALTMAN (B-24 Co-Pilot)Producer/Director/Screenwriter

LLOYD M. BENTSEN Jr. (B-24Pilot) - U.S. Senator, &Secretary of the Treasury

JAMES E. COUNSILMAN (B-24 Pilot) - Swimmer/Coach

WALTER MATTHAU (B-24Radio Operator/Gunner)Actor/Director/Producer

GEORGE McGOVERN (B-24Pilot) - United States Senator

JIMMY STEWART (B-24 Pilot)Actor

THOMAS J. WATSON, JR. (B-24 Pilot)President of IBM / U.S.Ambassador to Russia

JAMES C. WRIGHT, JR. (B-24Bombardier)Speaker of the House

LOUIS ZAMPERINI (B-24Bombardier)1936 Olympian / InspirationalSpeaker

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY Jr.(PB4Y Pilot)Brother: John F. Kennedy

TYRONE POWER (PB4Y Pilot)Actor

ROBERT STACK (PB4YGunnery Instructor) - Actor

Ace of Aces

The ace of all fighteraces of all nations is Germanfighter pilot Erich Hartmann("The Blond Knight") with 352kills.

Dear American Friends,I have finished the

manuscript for Amazing

American Airmen, and I am nowfocusing my energy on finding agood American publishingcompany.

This isn't an easy time forbook publishers, but I am hopingthat a company that specializesin military history will beinterested in the book. I have alist of some publishers, butplease don't hesitate to send methe name of a military-historypublisher you think might beinterested.

To get ready to send themanuscript to publishers, I re-read all the stories last month,and I must say I feel privilegedto have met so many Americanveterans.

When I started thinking ofwriting a book about Americanflyers, I wasn't sure how theywould feel about talking to anauthor who wasn't American. Myconcern was unfounded. Ifanything, I think being aCanadian has been an asset,perhaps because by beingCanadian, I reminded theveterans that Americans havefriends and allies in what is oftena difficult world.

A few weeks ago, Ireceived some very pleasantnews when I learned that theFlorida Writers Association hasdecided to include in a book it ispublishing a piece I wrote abouthow I managed to interviewSenator George McGovern.

Senator McGovern, 1972Democratic presidentialcandidate, survived severalordeals during World War II,

including one in which he landeda B-24 with 110 holes.

Again, being a Canadianmight have been helpful. I thinkMr. McGovern had particularlywarm feelings towardCanadians because his motherwas born in Toronto. Regardlessof whether Americans todayagree or disagree with thepositions Mr. McGovern took asa senator and presidentialcandidate, I thought allAmericans could agree that herisked his life for his countryduring the war.

No matter where I go, Ifind there are many people whoare interested in World War II.The age of the veterans may bea factor behind this interest.

Of course, the veteranswho are still with us are now intheir late 80s or 90s. Thisinterest was demonstratedrecently when Matthew Munson,a British businessman, paid$79,100 to fly from Hamilton,Ontario, to England in theCanadian Warplane HeritageMuseum's Lancaster bomber.

The museum is close tomy home in Waterloo, Ontario,but, alas, I couldn't match Mr.Munson's winning bid because Idon't have quite as much moneyas he has ... :)

I also wanted to mentionthat I received an interestingemail note a few months agofrom Brian Shaw, whose dadwas on the SS Anselm, theBritish troop ship my dad was onwhen it was torpedoed duringthe war. Brian sent me a copy ofhis father's war-time diary. Iwrote about my dad's ordeal onthe Anselm in my Canadian

book, which Brian had seen onthe internet. I couldn't help butwonder when I read Brian'semail note whether my dad andhis had known each other on theship.

I do know they were thelucky ones. They survived when254 of their comrades did not.

I have several speakingengagements set up for the fall,one of which will be a newexperience for me. I have beenasked to appear on a panel inVancouver that will discuss,How to Make Your Military

Characters Real.

What is unusual for meabout this discussion is that itwill be at a conference ofscience-fiction writers. I don'twrite science fiction, butapparently a lot of science-fiction writers are interested inmilitary matters.

Presumably, some of theresearch techniques I haveused to learn about World War IImight help fiction writers. I mustsay I did feel honored to receivethis invitation.

Cheers from Canada,Ian DarlingEmail:author@amazingairmen.com

15

György Debrody The Survivor

Courtesy: Author Csaba Becze

The photo above wastaken on the eastern Front inearly March, 1944, about the 5/2Squadron's pilots. TheHungarian pilots are, from left:Senior Aircraftsman SándorTanács (3 kills), Captain JózsefKovács (back), the Squadroncommander (4 kills), 2ndLtKálmán Szeverényi (7 kills),2ndLt György Debrody (26 kills),Sergeant János Mátyás (5 kills).This snap was made by aHungarian officer, Emil Terray.When I met with this kind elderlyman, I got this photo from him,and now this photo is in mycollection.

He was born in 1921 inLajoskomárom. Since his young

age he was a keen boy scout,and he was very interested inflying.

After his high schoolgraduation in 1939, hecontinued his studies at theHungarian Military FlyingAcademy in Kassa, andgraduated as a 2nd Lt. in June,1942. After his graduation,Debrody was relocated to the 5/IFighter Group's 5/2 FighterSquadron, and in December hewent to the Eastern Front. Atfirst he flew fighter-bombermissions, and didn't meet Sovietplanes, but this situationchanged the next summer.

During the battle of Kurskhe claimed 6 victories andbecame an ace.

On 25th September,1943 he had a dangerous affair.In that morning, he was downedby a Soviet Yak, 915 km behindthe enemy lines. Debrody had tomake an emergency landingnear a Soviet AA battery.

After an adventurousescape and evasion, hereached the German lines.

On 1st February, 1944his squadron had a fiercedogfight against five SovietGvIAP's La-5's. One La-5 hit his

plane, and the Messer's enginefailed.

Debrody had to make abelly-landing behind the enemylines! His best friend, 2nd Lt.Miklós Kenyeres, with 19 airvictories, downed Debrody'sattacker, and landed near thedead Messer on the snowy andicy unknown field. Some Sovietsoldiers were running towardsthe Messers, but Kenyeresmanaged to take off with somePPS machine-pistol hits in hisplane.

Two days later, Soviet AAfire downed Kenyeres' planebehind the enemy lines. He hadto bail out over a forest. Debrodywas desperately circling aroundhis parachute, but he was notable to help his friend.Kenyeres was taken POW.

From the 3th of April,1944, the American 15th AAFattacked Hungary, and theHungarian military highcommand ordered home someveteran fighter pilots, includingGyörgy Debrody and LászlóMolnár. At this time Debrody had173 combat missions, andclaimed 18 confirmed airvictories on the Eastern Front.Debrody was relocated to theHungarian 101/3 "Puma"Squadron based in Veszprém.

His first fight against theAmericans was on 14th June,1944. On that day theHungarian 101th "Puma" Groupattacked the 94th Squadron ofthe 14th FG. The Hungarianfighters downed 5 P-38's, whilethe Hungarians lost two planesand a pilot, Lt. Gyula Király.

16

In this fierce dogfight,Debrody downed 1st Lt LouisBenne's P-38J. The Americanpilot, who was an ace with 5kills, was wounded and had tobail out. Benne was taken POW.

Two days later, Debrodyclaimed another P-38J. Hisvictim was 2nd Lt George F.Loughmiller. The American'splane crashed near Kapoly, andthe pilot was killed.

On 2nd July, 1944,eighteen Hungarian and 80German fighters attackedAmerican planes overBudapest. After this fight,Debrody claimed a P-51D overPilisvörösvár. It was 1st LtGeorge Stanford, who had fourair victories. The American pilotwas taken POW.

Five days later, hedowned a B-17G nearMegyercs, assisted by EnsignAndrás Huszár. On 27th July,1944 he downed a B-24 nearMór. This B-24 Liberator, theRaleigh H, (SN: 42-94993, 15thAir Force, 455th Bomb Group,742nd Squadron) with a crew ofeleven, was shot down onapproach to their target, south ofBudapest, Hungary. It crashedin a forest near Mor, Hungary,west of Budapest.

Ten of the elevenAmerican crew members died inthe fiery crash.

Later, the Hungarianfighters concentrated theirforces against the Red Army,because the Soviet forcesappeared near the Hungarianborder. On 1st November, 1944,Debrody was promoted to 1st Lt.

Three days later, hisSquadron leader, Captain

József Bejczy (5 confirmed kills)was killed by Soviet AA fire, andDebrody was promoted to thenew Squadron leader.

On the 5th of November,1944, the last big "Puma"grouped sortie against the 15thAF took place. During thiscombat mission Debrodyclaimed one B-24 (451st BG)shot down.

On 16th November, 1944he took off on his last combatmission as a squadroncommander. The 101/3.Squadron attacked SE ofJászberény some La-5's of the5th Vozdushnaja Armija (5thSoviet Air Army), and Debrodydowned one Lavochkin.

Later, he made a frontalattack against a Soviet Yak-9,north of Nagykáta. His shots hitthe Soviet plane, and the Yakexploded, but meanwhile someof the Yak's bullet hit Debrody'sMesser.

The Hungarian pilot got aserious wound. A 20-mm shellpunched his stomach, butdespite his terrible wound, hemade a successful emergencylanding near Hatvan. Thedoctors saved his life, but it washis last (203rd) combat mission.

Later, he was awardedwith the Tiszti Arany VitézségiÉrem (Officers’ Gold Medal ForBravery), the highest Hungarianmilitary decoration.

After the war, heimmigrated to Spain with hisfriend, Miklós Kenyeres, andlater to Canada, and finally tothe USA.

In 1967, doctors operatedon him again, and eliminatedfrom his body, near his spine, a

Soviet bullet. It was a "souvenir"from his last combat.

He passed away in 1982,and was buried in Cortland, NewYork.

Editor’s Note:

This article was forwarded

to me by a loyal reader and valuable

contributor to the CerignolaConnection.

I share his serious concern

that an enemy fighter, who is

responsible for the deaths of

dozens of brave American airmen in

WWII, was allowed to enter the USA

after the war, and was allowed to

live out the remainder of his life in

our great republic.

As editor of this publication,

I sometimes take a risk of including

stories of military personnel or

combat action that might be

regarded as inappropriate by some

readers.

Inclusion of stories about

enemy military personnel and their

wartime experiences is not meant to

glamorize these enemy combatants.

However, as a student of

history, I am very interested in

studying and presenting the

wartime experiences of veterans of

all sides of a conflict.

Enemies of the civilized

world have, and will in the future,

continue to commit atrocities and

carnage in the name of their

country, religion, or for whatever

twisted reasoning they can think of.

Human conflict will always

be a fascinating topic. Studying

and presenting stories of warriors

carrying out their duties, whether

friend or foe, will continue to be my

avocation.

Your comments are always

welcomed and respected.

17

Can You Help?Dear Editor,

I am trying to retrace theparticulars regarding a pilot inthe 455th Bomb Group. I myselfam a Vietnam Vet as part of theVF-143 World Famous Pukin

Dogs F4 squadron, and I amjust now trying to re-connectwith my old squadron mates.

My interest is in Robert A.Gulbranson, who was a pilot inthe 743rd Squadron. I believethat he must have been myfather's cousin, nephew of myGrandmother, Cora Gulbranson.

I have a picture of RobertGulbranson in uniform with hisflight wings on, that always satin my Grandmother's livingroom. It was my childhoodunderstanding that he was killedin WWII.

I have a newspaperclipping (no date) that hisparents received the air medalin his honor, and that he wasshot down July 27th, 1944 whileon a mission over Budapest,Hungary.

He had been in Europeonly one month.

I saw reference to that inthe Cerignola Connection

online, saying that he was onmission # 85. However, afterfurther search through theCerignola Connection, I foundan article in the fall 2008 editionby Capt. Bill Loffer, going intogreat detail that Gulbranson'splane had been badly shot up onMission # 84, and then onMission # 85, he was shot down,but managed to parachute tosafety. He eventually made itback to Italy, and was sent backto the states.

That part was totallynews to me, and I don't recallanything from my childhoodsaying that he ever made ithome alive.

I am not sure if I just didnot get the facts straight, or ifsome other details were lostover time.

So, I guess my questionis: where might I go to further fillout details on what actuallyhappened?

I find the search for theinfo fascinating. Unfortunately,my father, a WWII submariner,passed away in 2008, so I haveno one else to check my story.Any help would be appreciated.

Yours in good health,Dave Murdockfotobug2@gmail.com

Can You Help? ResponseHello, Dave,

Dave Ungemach here.I’ve attached a copy of theMissing Aircrew Report (MACR)in case you haven’t seen it.

Unfortunately, it doesn’thave much detail, but it showsthat all of the crew weredeclared dead (DED), meaningthat the bodies were neverrecovered, but there wassufficient evidence that the crewwas killed.

At some point, theirremains were recovered andreturned to the US for burial:

Gulbranson, Robert A 2nd LtFt Scott National Cemetery, KS.

Patrick, Robert K 2nd LtFt Scott National Cemetery, KS.

Vocial, William O 2nd LtFt Scott National Cemetery, KS.

Cox Jr., Robert F S/SgtFt Scott National Cemetery, KS.

Barnett, Paul E SgtLorraine American CemeteryFrance

Broers, Donald J SgtFt Scott National Cemetery, KS.

Costello, Martin J SgtClymer Center Cemetery NY.

Hall, Melvin SgtGolden Gate National Cemetery

Taaffe, John M SgtFt Scott National Cemetery, KS.

Here is the grave location for2nd Lt Gulbranson:http://gravelocator.cem.va.go

v/index.html?cemetery=N893

The aircraft they were inwas named MISSION BELLE.

Another thing to check isthe Individual DeceasedPersonnel File (IDPF), alsocalled a 293 File. Below areinstructions for obtaining the filefrom the armyairforces website(http://www.armyairforces.com/ResearchHelp.aspx):

If the veteran you are

researching was Killed in Action

you will definitely want to obtain

this file. This file documents the

activities of the Graves

Registration Command and the

Army to locate, identify, and

provide a final resting place for

the deceased.

18

US Army Human Resources

Command

1600 Spearhead Division

Avenue, Dept 107

Fort Knox KY 40122

or via email (preferred):

hrc.foia@conus.army.mil

The requester should cite

the Freedom of Information Act

(FOIA) and provide when known

full name of the individual,

service number, and date of

death (or whether the death was

during WWII, Korea, or

Vietnam).

"We provide electronic copies of

the IDPF in most instances in

order to save money on

reproduction and mailing. We do

not charge for our service since

the files are important links to

the past and may aid in

genealogical research. We scan

every file we retrieve from

Archives so as to have a readily

available copy for immediate

release to a subsequent

requester."

These are usuallyextremely detailed, andsometimes graphic, but it shouldanswer many of your questions.Wait times vary, but last I heardthey were responding withinweeks instead of months(sometimes even years!).

Warm Regards,Dave UngemachWarner Robins, GAdavetw1@cox.net

Dear Dave Ungemach,I got up early this

morning to review your email.Simply amazed at the detail thatyou have provided to me.

Last week, all I had was aphotograph of Lt. Gulbransonand a newspaper clipping. I ameager to follow up on all of yourleads.

You do an amazing jobon tracking all of this down. Iimagine that you must get manyrequests for information, so Ireally appreciate your taking thetime to handle each request withsuch attention to detail.

It feels really good tohonor our fallen heroes byknowing all I can about them. Ithank you for making thispossible.

Yours in good health,Dave MurdockFotobug2@gmail.comSharpsburg Ga

19

Kamikaze

The Japanese Kamikaze

("divine wind") tactic wassuggested on October 19, 1944,by Vice-Admiral Onishi in anattempt to balance thetechnological advantage ofinvading American forces.

Though the numbers aredisputed, approximately 2,800kamikaze pilots died. They sunk34 U.S. ships, damaged 368,killed 4,900 sailors, andwounded 4,800.

Words of WisdomFrom a Retired Person

1. I'm not saying let's go kill allthe stupid people. I'm justsaying let's remove all thewarning labels and let theproblem work itself out. 2. I changed my car horn togunshot sounds. People moveout of the way much faster now. 3. You can tell a lot about awoman's mood just by herhands. If they are holding agun, she's probably pissed. 4. Gone are the days when girlscooked like their mothers. Now,they drink like their fathers. 5. You know that tingly littlefeeling you get when you reallylike someone you've just met?That's common sense leavingyour body. 6. I don't like making plans forthe day. Because then the word"premeditated" gets thrownaround in the courtroom. 7. I didn't make it to the gymtoday. That makes 1,500 days ina row. 8. I decided to change callingthe bathroom the John andrenamed it the Jim. I feel somuch better saying I went to theJim this morning. 9. To: paranoid people whocheck behind shower curtainsfor murderers. If you find one,what's your plan? 10. Everyone has a right to bestupid. Politicians just abusethe privilege.

The Great B-17 vs. B-24 Controversy

Permission to use the followingarticle in the Cerignola Connection

was given, courtesy of the author:Tom Philo17502 SW Kimmel Ct. Beaverton, Oregon 97007-6877.

Yes, each plane is good -but very different in designphilosophy, and how they cameabout.

The QuestionWhich is better? The

B-17 Flying Fortress, designedby Boeing, or the ConsolidatedB-24 Liberator?

This question oftencomes up at meetings,discussion boards, and otherlocations, where aircraft-oriented people gather and talkabout history, tactics, and flyingcharacteristics of planes.

Each plane is different,but considering all theHollywood movies ever madeabout air combat during theSecond World War, the B-17 isthe most well-known. This is dueto many fortuitous happeningsfor the Boeing aircraft:

It was the first well-knownbomber in combat, in thePhilippines.

The Memphis Belle

movie, made in 1943, had onlyB-17s in it.

The only deep offensivemethod to hit Germany was withthe heavy bomber, and thatmeant the B-17. Military politicsensured that the message wasalways in the public news.

Not until mid-1943 did

enough B-24s get to the UK tofly missions (and the first dozenor so flown were diversions dueto 'teething problems' that allplanes go through).

Not until the August 1,1943 Tidalwave, low-levelPloesti oil refinery mission didB-24s get any real press.

However, it was notsustained. There were notmany press corps personnel inAfrica.

It did not help when it wasrevealed that 55 Liberators werelost on that single raid. Thelocation of the future 15th AirForce combat operations, Africa,also was not very good ... thepress corps did not like theprimitive conditions.

The happier the presswas, the better the press reportswere. Based on their reports,the press did not like Africamuch.

Background about"Common Knowledge"

When you consider thatalmost EVERY Hollywoodmovie ever has the B-17 as thestar (one exception is Sole

Survivor, with Richard Basehart,based upon the Lady Be Good

B-24 discovered in Libya in1956), the Flying Fortress is themost well-known World War IIbomber to the worldwide public.

The movie 12 O'Clock

High" (based upon Col.Armstrong's management stylewhen he took over the 306th on4 Jan 1943, with the actualhistory almost written verbatimas it occurred into the movieduring the inspection by GeneralEaker), and the TV show of the

same name, add in theMemphis Belle 1943 movie, andthe 1992 movie version,publicity has made the 12,726Boeing B-17s that wereproduced (6,981 By Boeingitself, 5,745 by VEGA &Douglas), much more wellknown than the 18,188 B-24sthat were produced.

The press corps inEngland also got off to a badstart with B-24s. The teethingproblems were well-known, andso the flying press-peoplewanted to fly on an aircraft thathad less operational problems... so most went on B-17s.

It did not help that the firstfew times that a non-militaryWar Correspondent flew in a B-24 Group to targets which werealso being visited by B-17s, theB-24 they were in was shotdown and they were killed orcaptured. Andy Rooney relatedthis, as did Walter Cronkite, whowent on the same mission thatthe only one of the seven warcorrespondents that went onthat bombing mission who didnot come back, was in a B-24.

This ties into the theprivate / public nature of thepress. Each reporter had to beapproved. The military onlywanted so many, so that theirstories were easier to censor.

If a press person had achoice of going to England, withbeer, women, high levelcommand ranks to talk with, andeasy access to the men fighting,or going to a dusty desert wherethere is none of that, and at theend of the supply chain, theynaturally choose England.

20

The local military pressperson did a lot of work to letpeople know what was going on- but all THEIR articles were atthe mercy of the private firms topublish, and centered aroundthe individuals. Most of theirstories ended up in the localpapers.

Also, the military peoplehad the disadvantage of onlyseeing their bit of the world.They were not allowed to roamand talk to many differentgroups.

The PlanesDifferent planes can be

designed for the same purpose,but with different philosophies.Look at the number of differentfighters produced (over 150different types by all sides).

All had the samepurpose, which was to shootdown enemy planes.

Heavy bombers are lessnumerous in number of designscreated in Germany, Russia,France, England and the USA.But all show the same designtraits (except the Avro Lancaster

and Boeing B-29 Superfortress).

B-17 & B-24 Design GoalsCompletely different

planes designed for the samepurpose, but with differentdesign philosophies.

A B-24 flew faster,farther, longer, and with a 3-tonlarger load than the B-17 evercould. If a B-17 tried to fly as faras a B-24, then they lost 1/2 oftheir bomb bay, for the extrabomb bay fuel tank).

The B-17The B-17 was developed

out of the first world war, and themilitary theory developed fromGermany's use of the 4 enginedGotha bombers. It was stated bythe leading air war theorists inthe world, Lord Trenchard inBritain, and Gen. Giulio Douhetof Italy, and believed by all, thatthe heavy bomber wouldalways get through, and wouldbe able to destroy the enemyfactories, cities, and people, andwould bring any war to a quickconclusion. The H.G. Wellsmovie Things to Come, iscentered around this premise.

Boeing company cameup with a design, using 1932technology, to take a 1 1/2 tonbomb load over 400 miles to atarget and return. The extremedistance was necessitated bythe oceans around the USA.

Other nations neverthought of designs with this typeof range (except Russia). Thebombers were being built to flyout and sink enemy ships beforethey could get close to the USA.

The B-17 design teamthen had to use a wing thatwould lift a LOT of weight onwhat horsepower available.That meant a thick wing thatgenerates a LOT of lift, but thetop speed is sacrificed for thatlift. This was of no concern sincethey would be flying from theprotection of the mainland so itdid not matter.

Not enough enemyfighters could be around fromenemy carriers and the original11.50 caliber guns would easilydefend off a plane attacking withjust four .30 caliber machine

guns that fighters had on themat the start of the design.

The B-17 wing is a pre-war era design and is THICK forheavy lift efficiency. The powerof the engines available dictatedthis thick wing design. The wingis a lot like those found on C-152Cessna. And like that wing, youcannot get a lot of speed due tothe heavy drag it causes.

B-17s flew at 155indicated in formation while B-24s flew at 165 indicated.

The B-17 also wasdesigned during an era when airracing and aircraft design wasrapidly evolving. One mainfeature of most every air racingplane during the 1930s (andprivate planes, too) was they allhad rounded wings. Part of thiswas the handling characteristicsthat a round-edged wingprovides, but just by theirfunction they also LOOKGOOD.

The B-17 flew first onJuly 28, 1935.

The B-24A Two Week Design

The Davis WingEarly in January, 1939,

Fleet called designer Frank W.Fink into his office and told himthey had decided to build abetter bomber than the BoeingB-17. They informed Fink thathe was to be project engineerfor the new design and that awooden mockup was to beready in two weeks.

When Fink asked whatthe new bomber looked like, hewas told that this was to be acompletely new project, and thedesign hadn't even reached the

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basic drawing stage. He wasthen given a quick description ofthe new bomber. He would usethe Model 31's Davis wing, itstwin tail, four engine nacellesfrom the PBY Catalina and hewould design a new fuselagewith two bomb bays, each aslarge as the bomb bay of the B-17.

He had 14 days to createthe mock up, while Fleet andLaddon went to Washington tosell the new bomber to the U.S.Army.Source:

http://www.fourays.org/features_20

05/great_combat_aircraft/b_24/b24_

1.htm

December 28, 1939 wasthe first flight for the B-24prototype. And you thought the90 days to design and build a P-51 from drawing to first flightwas fast.

The US Army, aftergetting a look at the B-17, andwith the chances of war in Chinaand Europe likely, looked at thebomb load, the distance totargets in Germany, Japan, Italy,that would have to be hit to fulfillthe theory of air victory, hadasked the aviation industry for aplane that could carry evenmore bombs and fly farther thanwhat the B-17 could achieve.

The design team chose awing, the Davis Wing, that isthinner when compared to theB-17, but generates more lift.However, the plane is heavier,and the plane has to fly faster toachieve takeoff speed.However, the Davis wing on theLiberator creates an altitudedesign limit. By using theefficient wing, it limited its highaltitude ceiling, since it used the

same horsepower as theFortress. Thus, with a combatload, it could not get to the samealtitude as a B-17. The pre-warthick B-17 wing is more liftefficient at a slower speed inthinner air.

Formation SpeedsTen MPH does not seem

like much of a difference, but atALTITDUE, that 10 MPH cantranslate into an extra 10 to 30MPH TRUE airspeed difference.Thus, they get there faster andare subject to less time over theenemy territory, making themsafer.

155 MPH indicated at21,000' at 55 degrees belowequals a true airspeed of 205MPH over the ground. Going at165 MPH comes out to 220MPH ground speed. So the B-24s are flying 15 MPH fasterthan a B-17 at the same altitude.

The 10 MPH difference information cruise is the mainreason why they never flew inthe same combat formation.They tried it in 1943 and it wasjust too difficult. This is why afterinitial tries at flying in mixedformations they stopped it.

This often meant the B-24s could take off later, fly thesame distance to bomb a target,and were already on the groundbefore the 17s ever got back tothe English shore.

FunctionalityThe B-24 design is very

war functional. It gives what thepre-war planners wanted: in along-range, heavy-load bomber.This functionality does come ata price. The bigger the plane,

the heavier it is, and to saveweight, you design to just thespecs. No extra parts, sinceevery part is more weight.

The thinner wing by 1930design standards means a lessstrong wing. There is less needto cross-brace, and you needthinner material to achieve thesame stress goals. The B-17,being a thicker wing, neededmore, stronger material tosupport the wing, and thus hadto be designed stronger. So, incombat, this helped the B-17.

The Loss RateAll loss rates are

misleading. The B-26 Marauderhad the lowest loss rate in theETO, but they SELDOM wentmore than 120 miles behind thefront line, and thus were almostnever intercepted. One time,they were jumped by anorganized Gruppe of Fw-190s(around 40 FWs), and they lost26 out of 36 aircraft, in 20minutes. This was during theBattle of the Bulge.

As a percentage bymission, there is almost nodifference in the loss ratebetween B-24s and B-17s in thesame timeframe. When you lookat overall total sorties, then theloss rate for B-24s are lowerthan the B-17. This occurs sincefrom 1944 onwards there weretwice as many B-24s flying thanB-17s, and so the sheernumbers skew the overall WW IIETO percentage downwards.

100 B-24s fly and theylose 3 a/c so there is a 3% lossrate. 50 B-17s fly and they lose3, then it is 6% loss rate. This isone of the normal problems

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when looking at percentagesreported based on the numbersof aircraft engaged

The B-24 really startedarriving en-masse in the springand summer of 1944. By then,most of the problems with the B-24 had been corrected, butsome design problems wouldalways remain. Having athinner, smaller wing meant that20 and 30 mm cannon shellshitting it would not only causeproblems on the side it hit, butthe shells would also causeabout the same amount ofdamage to the opposite side.

It also meant that a fewshells in the smaller wing crosssection would cause the wing tofail faster than the much longerchord, and thicker, B-17 wing.

Other areas of the plane,being bigger and with twinrudders, meant that the B-24could take some hits and not beaffected, pretty much like the B-17.

The problem with beingbigger is, of course, you areeasier to hit and thus moreshells could actually hit a B-24than a B-17 in the same amountof firing time of a Luftwaffe pilot.

SummaryThe two U.S. heavy

bombers of World War II thatflew in the 8th, 11th, 5th, and15th Air Forces were designedyears apart, using differentaeronautical ideas, because ofcompetition to get militarycontracts. All were influenced bythe ideas of the 1920s and early1930s, that the "Bomber wouldget through" on its own withoutescort due to massed defensive

firepower carried by them. The airpower proponents

also expected that they couldtarget industries and cripple theenemy’s war effort thoughprecision strikes on key targets(enemy aircraft plants, railtransportation, electric, fuel,some key industries ... thinkSchweinfurt ... and general warproduction factories), enough todisrupt the whole economy thatit would make them unable towage war.

The B-17 Flying Fortress

and B-24 Liberator bothaccomplished these same tasksin the same manner, and at thesame level of efficiency.

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Tracers

It was a common practiceon fighter planes to load every5th round with a tracer round toaid in aiming.

This was a big mistake. Tracers had different

ballistics so (at long range) ifyour tracers were hitting thetarget 80% of your rounds weremissing.

Worse yet, tracersinstantly told your enemy hewas under fire and from whichdirection.

Worst of all was thepractice of loading a string oftracers at the end of the belt totell you that you were out ofammo. This was definitely notsomething you wanted to tell theenemy.

Units that stopped usingtracers saw their success ratenearly double, and their lossrate go down.

Tragic Losses

According to the AAFStatistical Digest, in less thanfour years (December 1941-August 1945), the US Army AirForces lost 14,903 pilots,aircrew and assorted personnel,plus 13,873 airplanes ... insidethe continental United States!

They were the result of52,651 aircraft accidents (6,039involving fatalities) in 45months.

The numbers average1,170 aircraft accidents permonth---- nearly 40 a day. (Lessthan one accident in fourresulted in totally destroyedaircraft, however.)

Almost 1,000 Armyplanes disappeared en routefrom the US to foreign climes.But an eye-watering 43,581aircraft were lost overseasincluding 22,948 on combatmissions (18,418 against theWestern Axis) and 20,633attributed to non-combat causesoverseas.

In a single 376 plane raidin August 1943, 60 B-17s wereshot down. That was a 16percent loss rate and meant 600empty bunks in England. In1942-43, it was statisticallyimpossible for bomber crews tocomplete a 25-mission tour inEurope .

Pacific theatre losseswere far less (4,530 in combat),owing to smaller forcescommitted. The worst B-29mission, against Tokyo on May25, 1945, cost 26Superfortresses, 5.6 percent ofthe 464 dispatched from theMarianas.

A Message from the 455th Bomb Group Association’s Executive Director, Greg Riggs

Several of the 15th Air Force heavy bombardment groups met in Kansas City from September24-27, 2015 for another joint reunion. Tom Boyd and Ormond Buffington led the charge for the 455thwith a total entourage of 17. Ormond took the reunion sweepstakes with an amazing 15 familymembers in attendance! Total attendance for all groups was about 250.

There will be another joint reunion in Dallas from October 13-16, 2016. Look for details in thespring edition of the Cerignola Connection. Participating bomb groups will include: 451st, 454th,455th, 461st, 465th, 484th, and 485th.

We currently have 305 people on our mailing list. 180 of those are listed as surviving veterans;however, we continue to discover that many of our listed veterans have passed away and we were notnotified. Several of our veterans are currently MIA, and they will be dropped from the mailing list if thisedition of the Cerignola Connection comes back undeliverable. I always wait for two consecutiveissues to come back as undeliverable because several times a newsletter marked as undeliverablehas been a post office error. 92 of those on our mailing list are widows of men who were life membersat the time of their final flight. The rest are other family members, plus a few special categoryrecipients of our newsletter.

The 455th Bomb Group Association is projected to have a total of $3,964 at the end of our fiscalyear (31 October). The Cerignola Connection continues to cost in the neighborhood of $2,200 a yearto print, mail, and pay for forwarded and returned copies which were not deliverable. Beyond that, ournext biggest regular expense is $132 for annual rental of our post office box, up $4 from last year.Other miscellaneous expenses typically total less that $100 a year.

We've picked up one more member paying dues annually. If you are one of the four memberswho pays your Association dues annually, don't forget that dues for 2016 are due by December 31,2015.

I've enjoyed another six months in a free country. Thanks for your part in making that possible!

Good Point

Adolph Hitler visits a lunatic asylum, where the patients all dutifully perform the Germansalute. Suddenly, Hitler sees one man whose arm is not raised. "Why don't you greet me the sameway as everyone else ?", Hitler hisses at the man.

The man answers: "Mein Führer, I'm an orderly. I'm not crazy!"

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