In their own words...

[bobbysocks]

William Blystone

DR: What did you do before the war?


WB: I graduated from High School in 1940, loafed until I was 18 years old then went into coal mines working
with my father. War was declared Dec 8 1941 and I enlisted in army on 16 Dec 1941.

DR: Would you give me some bio information on your war years?

WB: I was in the 78th Fighter Group, 82nd Fighter Squadron from early 1942 until we lost our P38s to North Africa in early 1943. I transferred to a Fighter Training Squadron crewing P-47s. I joined the 82nd at North Island Naval Station in San Diego, CA after attending aircraft maintenance school in Keesler Field, MS. and Lockheed factory school in Burbank,CA.. I was an aircraft mechanic. The Group left California in late 1942 and after a troop train ride across the US we boarded the Queen Elizabeth and with 15,000 other troops we sailed for England arriving around 27 Nov. 1942. We went To Goxhill Airfield near Grimsby and with our P-38s practiced escort duty with a local B17 Bomber Group. Our planes were then sent with pilots into North Africa and we were without planes for a short while. Some of us mechanics were sent to RAF schools for various training. I was at a Mobile oxygen producing school for a month but never saw another mobile unit during my entire time in England. We got P-47s then and after a short time the Group was sent to a new station at Duxford, near Cambridge. I transferred to a fighter training squadron at Atcham airfield near Shrewsbury, where we gave training in P-47s to new pilots, mainly the Eagle Squadron pilots who were transferring from the RAF to the American 8th Air Force. I was there a year or so and then went back to Goxhill crewing P38s again in the training outfit. After a few months our outfit was sent to Leiston Airfield to the 357th Fighter Group where we worked on P51 Mustangs. I was in the 362nd Fighter Squadron as a crew chief. I went into Germany with the Group after the war ended in Europe and pulled occupation duty for about 7 months during which time I got the job of crewing a C-47 Gooney Bird for a couple months flying as engineer. I left the unit in March 1946 and was discharged from the service and went back to my home in Pennsylvania. I had been away from home from December 1941 until March 1946 and hadn't seen my parents during that time. That’s about it.

DR: Do you remember the names of the planes and the pilots whose planes you worked on? If so, could you tell me the names of the planes
and the pilots of those planes?

WB: Sorry, the only plane I had for a spell was named for my wife, Jessie.
The others were just numbers mostly and some were War Weary aircraft
that were used after completing their combat and were given to us in the
training units to use for training pilots. Many still had the names that were on
them when they were in combat and we didn't change that. I had a couple
regular pilots then, but can't remember their names. I had numerous new pilots that flew training flights in A/C I crewed, but I don't remember their names. After all that was over 55 years ago and I'm now 78 years old.

DR: Did "Jessie" have the same name on both sides of the plane, or just a name on the right? Do you remember the tail numbers, or did they remove all numbers and just leave the "WW" on the vertical stabilizers?
WB: The name “Jessie” was on both sides of the plane. I had another that I remember now called “Snake
Eyes”. It had a pair of dice with 1 dot on each to make a total of 2, which was snake eyes if you tossed the dice. I didn't play dice, but used to watch a few of the other guys losing their money. We got paid once a month and usually had some plans to go to town if we could and spend some of it. After getting into a crap game, many changed their mind about going to town because they lost all their money and would have to borrow, or wait until the next payday. The War Weary aircraft still retained their original names and numbers, at least the serial numbers if I remember correctly and most still had their D-Day markings of white and black bands on the fuselage and wings if they lasted that long.

DR: I am a bit confused. I thought you were a crew chief, responsible for the maintenance of the planes. Did you also fly, or did you train the new pilots on the functioning of the plane? You say you had your own plane
and I thought only pilots had their own plane. Like I said, I am a bit confused and I could use some clarification.


WB: I was a mechanic crew chief, however I also was on flying status as engineer on the C47 we had assigned to the 357th Group when we were in the Occupation airforce in Germany late 1945 into 1946. I was only on flight status for a short while and got off of it shortly before the C47 was taken over by another crew chief, which was fortunate for me as the plane crashed into a mountain and all aboard were killed later on. In early 1943 until Feb. 1944, I was in the 495th Fighter Training group at Atcham Airfield near Shrewsbury, England. I crewed P-47 Thunderbolts there and as the planes were used for training and had no assigned pilots, the crew chiefs could name their own planes as they wished, if the CO concurred. In Feb. 1944, I was assigned to the 496th Fighter Training Group, 554th Fighter Training Squadron at Goxhill near Grimsby, England. I then crewed P-38s again and as it was a training base, we could name our own planes, as they were not assigned to any pilot. I named my P-38 “SlipStream Sally” and it was featured in my hometown paper in Pennsylvania along with a write up about me. In Dec. 1944, our unit left Goxhill and was attached to the 362nd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group, at Leiston, England to crew P-51s. We were given the War Weary aircraft that were deemed no longer combat ready by the group, for use in training new pilots that were assigned to the group. These planes had seen better days, but we kept them flying. They still had their names that were given to them by their pilots and crew chiefs, but there was a big WW painted on the vertical stabilizers so they could be seen as training aircraft. This training unit I was in was called “Clobber College” and had write ups in the Stars and Stripes and Yank magazine, military publications put out by the army. We had a logo of a duck on crutches with a bandaged head as our unit identification. Our group gave training to many of the newly assigned pilots that later went into combat with the regular squadrons. We were assigned instead of attached to the 362nd I think in April 1945 and I was with them when we were assigned to Germany until I went Stateside for discharge. In Germany I can't remember any assigned pilots to the aircraft. I know the planes I worked on there were flown by various pilots and we could name the planes we were assigned as we saw fit. I hope this straightens some things out for you. Many crew chiefs named their planes back then, although assigned pilots had first choice.

DR: You mentioned the “Clobber College”, could you tell me more about the function of that group and what your day to day routine involved?
WB: At Clobber College all we did was work from daylight until nightfall, unless we had a flight in the air, or we had to work at night to do some extra maintenance to get a plane flyable.

DR: What did you men do to train the pilots in the "Clobber College"?
WB: Our men only maintained the aircraft at Clobber College. The pilots using our planes were already assigned to units in the 357th Group and the squadrons were the ones who actually did the transition training. We didn't have pilots assigned to the Clobber College although we did have an officer assigned as Maintenance officer. I can't remember his name.

DR: Did you have any other functions with the 357th Fighter Group?
WB: Only as a mechanic, although I had a crew putting all the P51s in storage at Neubiberg, in early 1946. Pilots and mechanics were few and far between shortly after we went to Germany; everybody except some of us diehards had gone home.

DR: To whom did you report?
WB: I reported to my CO, Major Carson, or to the first sergeant of the 362nd, to which we were attached

DR: Do you remember the A-20’s flown at the “Clobber College” to tow targets? Could you give any details
about them?
WB: I never saw any A-20s at Leiston. Did I miss something? They may have flown from another field.

DR: You say you do not remember the names of the planes you worked on, other than “Jessie”. Do you remember any of the numbers?
WB: I don't remember any a/c numbers.

DR: According to my understanding, you worked with the P38, P47 and P51 in the various Fighter Groups you belonged to, could you tell me how the 3 compared to work on?
WB: The P38 was the hardest to work on, as it had two engines and lots of exhaust turbo supercharger problems at times. The P47 was the easiest and P-51 in between. None were too hard to maintain.

DR: Were any models of the P51 harder to work on than the others?
WB: I think all the P51 models were the same to work on by the plane mechanics. Maybe some radio and armament problems were different.

DR: How did weather impact your job?
WB: We worked in all kinds of weather, but of course when the planes didn't fly we could also get some rest. Winter was hardest, as the cold affected the oil and also the feel of the airplane itself. I think it liked warmer weather as much as we did.

DR: Did you ever come under fire, while you were with the 357th?
WB: Never came under fire with the 357th, but was in a few air raids during the 1943-44 period. In London, or some of its suburbs, where we usually went when we had some time off for a few days, which was few and far between.

DR: You met your wife, (who served on an English AAA unit), while serving at Leiston. How did that take place?
WB: Met Jessie one night at a pub. We were all playing 21, a form of Black Jack for pennies. There wasn't much to do around Leiston in the evenings.


DR: Do you recall any funny, or memorable incidents while serving with the 357th FG?
WB: Saw Otto Jenkins buzz the field on his final mission and crash the plane. He was too low.

footnote: my dad talked about this. Otto bragged he was going buzz the field like they had never seen before. that he did...unfortunately he spread his plane and himself in 3/4 of a mile swath of pieces and flames. BS

DR: What do you remember of D-Day and what were you doing on that day?


WB: On D-Day 1944, I was still in Goxhill crewing “Slip Stream Sally”. All we did was put on the D-Day markings of white and black stripes on the planes, or rather our maintenance unit did,I didn't. Our planes as far as I know, didn't participate in the battles that day.


DR: What functions did the C47 you were an engineer on, perform?
WB: The C47 we had was used mostly for liquor runs and trips to various places for rest and relaxation. We flew to France, London, and Brussels and down to the Riviera. I quit crewing the plane before it crashed in the Alps in October 1945, while on a trip to the seashore near Nice, France. Most of the passengers were officers and I think 3 Red Cross ladies, as well as the plane crew. The plane wasn't found for a few days, as it was buried in the snow when it hit the mountain.

DR: What type of training for your position did you have and do you feel you were well prepared for your functions?
WB: I went to airplane mechanic school at Keesler Field, Mississippi and then to Lockheed factory school at Burbank, CA., before reporting to North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego to join the 82nd Fighter Squadron. They started me off right away as an assistant crew chief and I made Corporal in July 1942 as I remember. I started to crew my own planes, then after we lost the P-38s to North Africa in early 1943, I went to a training squadron at Atcham

DR: Looking back, how do you view your WWII experience now?

WB: The best years of my life were those 4 years during the war. Much better than working in the coal mines. I saw service after that until 1966, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer. Served in Germany for 6 years
after the war period, many places Stateside and only one year in Vietnam, in 1963-64. That's about it.

[bobbysocks]

Dr Thomas Tredici regarding his WWII experiences

I was born and raised in Monessen Pennsylvania about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh. Like most of the lads there, even if you went to college, you had to do your stint in the steel mill, nearly every on in town worked at the Pittsburgh Steel Company at one time or another.

In the early days of the War, the spring of 1942, the draft was in force for 21 year olds and above. As the War progressed, they had to change the rules to accept 18 year olds to compensate for the heavy losses in Europe. With that change, I applied for the Army Air Corps (AAC) with aspirations to be an aviation cadet. Back then, the AAC required a written test. Thank goodness for good old Monessen High School because according to the sergeant who administered the test, I did well. Despite this, he said go home, and wait until you hear from us. Well, having passed the test, I went home and spent a very happy Christmas of 1942 with my family, all of whom were quite proud.

In early January of 1943, I received a letter instructing me to report for duty at the Pittsburgh post office! The letter said don't bring anything except your shaving kit. I went to Pittsburgh and boarded a train bound for Florida, or so I thought. Having a good grasp of geography (again gleaned from good old Monessen High School) I realized we were not heading south but west! Apparently, the trains took whatever route was available. One night we stopped in the Kansas City rail yard. The next morning I was awakened to the sound of mooing, so I looked outside and saw we were parked next to a cattle train in the rail yard!

Finally we headed south towards Florida. I remember standing outside between the cars as we passed through a great swamp in Florida. The track was raised about 3 feet above the water and you could see nothing but swamp as far as you could see. This was in January 1943.

Our destination was Miami Beach. When we got there we found out they had no barracks of any kind. What they had a lot of were hotels, so we actually stayed in a hotel for our 8-week basic training in Miami. We aviation cadets were in hotels, but the OCS candidates stayed in better hotels. During this time, we learned that Clark Gable was also training in Miami Beach so we went in search of him, but we quickly found out he was out of our reach. His class was in the Rony Plaza Hotel.

One thing we did was to destroy a premiere golf course. This was due to the very thin soil underlain by sand, so with thousands of men marching all the time, we made minced meat of the grass and we ended up marching in sand.

Surprisingly, there was really not much to do but train and stay in the hotel. Another clever idea in being at this time was the College Training Detachment (CTD). There was very low enrollment in colleges, due to the war. As a result, the colleges had the space and the classrooms, which was just what the Army Air Corps needed. I went to Wittenberg College in Springfield, Ohio and was assigned to a large house that had been a fraternity house. We did a lot of PT (physical training), but no sports were allowed. At the time, being 19, none of us understood why we could not participate in sports. Looking back, it is clear that they did it to prevent injuries that might have an impact on a pilot's ability to fly in adverse conditions of combat. Anyway, this arrangement really was pretty neat because it was just like going to college, but on an accelerated schedule. We studied math, geography, and a lot of meteorology, which was to become very important to us as pilots. I stayed there about four months but before I could take my final exams, my orders arrived and I was sent to a "Classification" center. This was set up (San Antonio for Eastern Training Command) and Santa Anna California for the West) to give thorough medical and psychological examinations to determine if you were fit to receive training to be a pilot. One test was a 78 rpm phonograph record (if anyone does not know what this is, ask your grandparents!) with a small opening, about a ½". They would rotate the record at varying speeds and see if you could follow the hole and insert a probe at the appropriate time. After all was said and done, the testing resulted in a high percentage of accurate projections as to who would complete pilot training successfully; the actual percentage was over 90% accurate! The results helped classify you for a pilot, navigator, or flight engineer, training according to your results on the test, hence the name "Classification" Center.

Having passed my pilot classification, I went to Ryan Aeronautical School in Tucson, Arizona. This was a private flying school to teach basic flying skills. They had a Ryan PT-22 as their primary trainer. The PT-22 was a low wing monoplane with reinforcing struts above and below the wing. This was originally designed to be a racer; our versions were modified to an open two-place cockpit. It was quite maneuverable, but they changed the engine from an inverted in-line engine to an air-cooled rotary engine. Except for being underpowered, you could do aerobatics quite easily. It was also very durable, and almost impossible to damage. One interesting fact was you could predict when a stall would occur by listening to the sound the wire struts made as they vibrated.

I went on to Basic Flight Training at Minter Field, Bakersfield, California. Here we flew the BT-13 Vultee aircraft. We flew in a simulator for instrument flying. This was a Link Trainer. Successful training here allowed you to go on to Advance Flight Training.

Advanced Training for me began at Pecos Army Air Field in Pecos, Texas. I will never forget the smell of rotting cantaloupes when we went into town. We discovered that the staked rail cars were filled with cantaloupes, but they were not in cartons, but stacked on top of each other. As a result, the fruit on the bottom was crushed which dripped juice all over.

Our training was done in a Cessna UC78; a twin engine aircraft built especially for the AAC. We flew with 4 on board, the instructor and 3 trainees. Surprisingly, it was built of wood! We ended up calling it the "Bamboo Bomber". The AAC ended up replacing it as the glue could not stand the high temperatures during the day and the cold at night. It was 110 degrees in the day and 45 degrees at night. Even so, I never saw any crashes.

We flew all over west Texas. You could see the McDonald observatory from 100 miles away! The sky was absolutely clear so you could always get your bearings by looking for that silver dome. At night it was a different story. With the blackout, the only lights we could see were the cowboy fires and the "light line" used by the airlines for navigating. These rotating beacons were placed every 10 miles in the flight line between major cities along which the airlines flew. You could see as many as 4 or 5 beacons at one time so you could find your way using the rotating beacons.

Another navigation aid that we used was the radio range.
After this training I went to Yuma Army Air Field in Arizona for B-17 training. We also formed up as a crew for the first time and trained as a crew for here on. Training included all the crew, practice bombs were dropped; emergency evacuation drills (for bailouts) and many, many take-offs and landings. Take-0ffs were done at Max power with full "loads" to simulate what we would have to do when loaded with fuel, bombs, and ammunition. Bombing practice used sand in the bombs with powder to mark the place it hit.

My crew got orders to go to Lincoln Nebraska to get our own B-17 and fly to Europe! But when we arrived in Lincoln, there was a revision of plans and we were told we were not getting a plane, so we stayed in camp waiting for orders. It was November 1944 and it was cold! The only place that was warm on the base were the showers. We lived in tarpaper shacks with one pot-bellied stove for heat. So we waited until told to board a train for Fort Tauton Mass (near Boston) to be issued our flying gear (including a 45 cal pistol which we never had until then.)

From there, we boarded the IL de France, which was a luxury ship making some of its last runs. We had many troops on board from all branches. All I ate for 5 days was Butternut cookies. During our crossing, which we made alone and unescorted, I barely slept due to the constant drumming of the engines (this ship was quite fast, but old and made lots of noise). The ship zigzagged the entire way which slowed the crossing considerably. This was done to evade German submarines. Our landing was at Glasgow Scotland. I still remember the pitch of the train whistle in England and Scotland.

We were promptly moved to our base at Glatton where I was assigned to the 457th BG-Heavy, 751st Squadron, 1st Bomb Division of the 8th Air Force. There were 12 planes in our squadron. Many times our entire squadron would fly raids by the 8th AF to some target in Germany. Especially when there were 1,000 plane missions. We flew in formations, typically low at about 28,000 feet, medium at 30,000 feet and high at 32,000. If you were assigned to the high squadron, you could be above the flak, which was the safest place to be.

My first mission was in November 1944, and my last mission was early May 1945. Our crew got one break for about a week and went to a "flak house" near London. This was a mansion that the AAC leased to use as a place for R&R for the bomber crews. It had everything from huge grounds with stables, archery range, bicycles, good food, and a bath tub! Plus they had a staff waiting on us. I remember hearing the V-2 rockets fly over us as they descended on London; it was an unmistakable sound.

Interestingly enough, we did not have fighter escorts the entire way on our longer missions to places like Poland. When the fighters had exhausted their fuel, I could see their extra fuel tanks tumbling off and we knew they were leaving and then we would be on our own.

I completed 18 missions before the War ended in May 1945. Remember, that we had to fly 25 missions to complete a tour, but with a loss rate of 4% per mission, it was nearly impossible to complete an entire tour.

While flying as "lead co-pilot" I flew with crews other than my own on three missions. (The "Lead co-pilot" flew with new crews to break them in.) After three of these missions, I gladly returned to my own crew. I can tell you that not all crews were the same, and I was never comfortable except with my own crew that I trained with and knew well.

Dr. Tredici: BITS and PIECES::

Glatton Field

457th BG (Heavy), 1st Bomb Div, 8th AF.
4 Squadrons, I was in the 751st
12 planes in our squadron

Even though we did not refuel in flight, we carried out very long missions. We would fly into Poland or Czechoslovakia then on the return flight land at a field controlled by the Air Corps in France, refuel, and fly back to Glatton in the UK.

We had Fighter escorts but they did not stay with us on our longer missions. You could see the P-51's glistening in the sky around us, and while they were there, we never had any German fighters attack. Then as our fighters ran low of gas, they would drop their wing tanks and we knew they were leaving soon.

During my tour, German fighters were a lesser threat than the flak, which was enough. The Germans would throw up intense flak directly in our path as we approached the drop point. They filled the sky and we had no choice but to fly right into it to reach the target. Neither the German fighter aircraft nor our own fighters would ever fly into that; but we had to do it to accomplish the mission and that is where we lost our bombers.

After the War, we re-fitted our B-17 by putting plywood decking over the bomb bays, then loaded up with our personal gear (our 10-man crew) along with 10 other flyers. We flew back to the U.S. in stages so we could refuel in Scotland, in Iceland, at Blue E West 1 Greenland, then we landed in Chickopee Falls Connecticut where we left the plane. I got orders for B-29 training, but before going to training I got leave for 1 month in June. On my return from leave, I went to Sioux Falls Army Airfield in South Dakota and waited for my orders. Before any orders arrived, I heard about the atomic bombs and the War in Japan ended, thank God. The biggest problem then was what to do with all the people at the base. I was sent to Randolph Field, Texas. By Christmas of 1945 I was back home with my family: boy was my mother happy.

I entered college at Washington and Jefferson College Washington, PA. Then on to medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. I went on to become an Ophthalmologist. I continue to work today (2004! (editor's emphasis)) for the U.S. Air Force in the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine in San Antonio, TX. During my career, my branch helped numerous pilots to retain their flying status through the use of new technologies to maintain their vision. I have written papers on what we have done for our fliers; we have salvaged many pilots who would otherwise have been grounded. It might have been as simple as contact lenses. As technology grew, we used intra-ocular lenses with a nearly 100% success rate. This allowed these pilots to fly in every aircraft and in every situation, including combat. Given that each pilot costs $4,000,000 to train, we saved the Air Force significant funds. I am quite proud of my branches accomplishments, as well as my service to the U.S. Air Force.

I have thought about "heroes" and decided that the real heroes of the war were the ones who did their job every day. Somebody had to get the job done in a steady, reliable fashion or we would never finish. Thus the little things could really become big. For instance, if a ground crew member did not check tires properly, there could be a flat tire on takeoff, which could result in a disaster and an incomplete mission etc.

Webmaster: What would you like the younger generations to remember or learn about WWII?

In WWII I saw the country come together as never before or since. Like oxen pulling a plow; if they were facing opposite directions, the field would never get plowed. But pulling together, the job got done in good time. I think WWII was the pinnacle of our Country working together, and I am proud to have been a part of it.
Today much is made of the term "diversity". Well we also had people from many backgrounds, Italian, Polish, Jewish, etc but when the time came to get the job done, we were all Americans on the same team, with the same goals. If we are going to get anywhere, we have to remember that lesson.

Where were you when Pearl Harbor was attacked?
Dr. Tredici: I was in my back yard in Monessen, PA.