Well, it seems like Vicki was in good company with the April Fool’s Joke! I chuckled about that on the way to Memphis on Monday. This edition is going to be a slight departure from the normal format as I would like to tell why I took my personal days and went to Memphis.
My father passed away on December 2, 1967. I was 15 months old. Needless to say, anything I know about my dad is second hand information. In World War II Dad enlisted in the Army and was accepted in the Army Air Force (the USAF was not its own service as it is today). He was trained as a B-29 gunner and assigned to the 73rd Bomb Wing. This took him to the island of Saipan where his records show that he flew 32 bombing missions against Japan. For most of my life all I really knew about Dad’s war experiences came from what Mom told me, Dad’s journal and pictures and what I read in books.
Back in 2000 I talked to Mr. Bill Lind on the phone. He was the pilot and aircraft commander of Dad’s crew. We had some great conversations and I learned a lot. During Christmas Break of 2003 Jackie Swann stuck a section of the Clarksville newspaper in my door. They had interviewed a couple of WWII veterans and one was Mr. James Krantz. Mr. Krantz flew as a side gunner like Dad. Those of you who were getting this newsletter at that time will remember the story of him being blown through his window when his plane got hit and he dangled above Tokyo at 29,000 feet for 15 minutes while they were on their bomb run. He was secured to the plane by a harness he had made himself just days before. I don’t get to see Mr. and Mrs. Krantz as much as I’d like. They are both extraordinary people and my life is richer for knowing them.
I have corresponded with a few of Dad’s other crewmen but until this week Mr. Lind and Mr. Krantz have been the only living, breathing B-29 vets I have ever talked to. On Monday I went to Memphis to attend a reunion of the 73rd Bomb Wing. I came home Wednesday. What an incredible experience!
Mr. and Mrs. Krantz were there along with two of their daughters and they sort of adopted me. I also met lots of new and interesting people. I took my camera and a notebook (I left the video camera at home because I wanted to live the trip, not watch it through a viewfinder). I took a few pictures but never bothered to get out my pen and paper. It was so special to just sit and listen to these men swap stories, and I just didn’t want to break the spell.
I spent a lot of time in the memorabilia room. One of the first people I met was Bill Copeland. Bill is a very quiet, soft-spoken fellow--the kind of person who makes you feel you’ve met a genuine friend at the first handshake. He is not a WWII vet but does fly Fifi (the only airworthy B-29 in existence today). He knows that plane inside and out and told me a lot about its operation. Fifi is scheduled to come to Tullahoma next month and I hope to get down there to see the plane and meet up with Bill again.
Another fellow I met was Mr. Bill Agee. He was a gunner like my father. He spent a lot of time talking to me and answering my many questions about life as a gunner. Mr. Krantz also introduced me to Mr. Ray “Hap” Halloran whose plane was shot down on his fourth mission. It was quite a moving experience to sit across the table from him as he related his experiences as a POW.
I have read quite a bit about what these men went through in their service to our country in trying to find a way to get to know my dad. But hearing these stories from the men who lived through it has had a profound impact on me. I am at a loss for the words to describe it. These men may not be comfortable with the title of “hero” but they deserve it.
To give you a taste of what I heard this week I’ll leave you with some selected entries from my father’s journal.
Joe
December 3, 1944 [This was Dad’s first mission.]
We started out today and we bombed a town northwest of Tokyo. A good deal of flack and about seven fighter attacks. I claimed one damage and Hanks claimed another. We lost one plane by ditching. I am afraid the crew is lost also. [Dad confirmed their loss on December 12.]
December 20, 1944
We hit Tokyo at 2:00 a.m. and started fires in the shape of a “T.” Their search lights caught us for just a little time: anyway, long enough to scare us half to death.
January 3, 1945
We bombed Nagoya today. Take off was at 7:30 am. There were 12 planes but only 10 reached the target. Bombs away at 3:45 p.m. We were over land 1.5 hours and we had several fighters but little flack. All planes returned safe. We were in the air 13 hours, 55 minutes.
January 23, 1945
We went to Nagoya again today and to beat all we couldn’t drop our bombs because the racks were frozen up and had to wait until we got down to warmer weather to drop them.
January 27, 1945
We were supposed to go out on another one today but our ship was out. They sure did have a rough one. Their losses today were 75%. [Hap Halloran became a POW on this day. He was freed 8 months later.]
March 11, 1945 [Dad’s second fire raid mission.]
We went on another night raid to Nagoya. This was not near as rough as the other [on March 9]. We were picked up by lights but saw no flack. We lost an engine at landfall but we kept going. When we got back here [Saipan] the weather was bad. We had to land at Tinian [another island 3 miles away] and stayed there about 3 days.
March 18, 1945
We went back to Nagoya tonight. We lost another engine over the target and as we dropped our bombs another went out. We thought we were gone but made it okay. We were so late getting back everyone thought we went down and almost did.
April 21, 1945
We bombed another air field near Tachiarai on the island of Kyushu. We really hit it too. Fighters hit us after we dropped our bombs. I think we shot several down but was too busy to watch. We had No. 3 engine shot out and No. 1 [propeller] off.
April 24, 1945
We took off to bomb Tahikawa Airplane Engine Plant west of Tokyo. We went over at 10,000 feet. There was plenty of flack and a few bakas. There were some fighters. Take off: 2:30. Land: 16:55. [The baka bomb was a rocket powered guided missile launched from a Japanese bomber. The guidance system was a kamikaze pilot.]
May 23-24, 1945
We bombed Tokyo again. The lights picked us up several times but we were not hit. We hit the smoke and really got a ride. This was a really large raid. Take off: 21:23. Land 10:45. [Mr. Lind has told me these convection currents were so strong he couldn’t keep his feet on the rudder pedals. Keep in mind that among the Japanese civilians on the ground were POWs like Mr. Halloran.]
May 25-26, 1945
Our second straight on Tokyo. These were the largest fires yet. You could see them for 230 miles. There were plenty of lights but we were not picked up. Take off: 18:10. Bombs away: 0:57. Land: 7:40. [On a later daylight mission to Yokohama Dad reports the smoke rising to 19,000 feet.]
June 1, 1945
We were to carry fighters to Osaka but ran into bad weather and had to return. Lost 27 planes due to weather.
[Dad’s journal shows that he flew his last mission on June 10, 1945, but, like others who serve in times of war, he carried these experiences with him for the rest of his life.]
