Assigned to 511BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Flew on B-17 43-38694 'Big Ass Bird'. Had 28 missions over Germany.

One of his stories: "I was sitting on an ammo box when a piece of flak came through the floor making a hold about 6' long and 1' wide. It went into a long oxygen bottle, knocking the bottle over and hitting me in the head. I scrambled to the door to prepare to bail out, then looked back as the Engineer stuck his head through the radio room door to check on us. I ran back and hooked up oxygen and head phone and mike. When asked how I was, I could not talk. Bill Lewis, our Togglier had a piece of flak hit his helmet and spin it a quarter turn. the side protector of his helmet was over his eye and he was yelling that he was hit and blind. George, the Navigator, reached over and turned his helmet back and he quit hollering. We lost a lot of fuel and landed on a bombed-out strip in Lilly, France, spent the night, and got enough fuel to get back to England. There were 70 holes in the plane. We were sent on R & R."

 

Mission list:  Sterkrade,  Aschaffenburg,  Cologne,  Siegen,  Lutzkendorf, 
Lutzkendorf,  Dulmen,  Dresden,  Munster,  Nurenburg, Nurenburg,  Salzwedel,  Hamburg,  Munich,  Heilbronn, Chemnitz,  Schwabmunchen,  Chemnitz,  Essen,  Kassel, Hagen,  Bremen,  Lohne,  Oranienburg,  Jena, Plauen,  Vechta,  Berlin,  Halberstadt,  Oranienburg, Regensburg,  Dresden.

 

Awards: AM (3OLC), American Campaign, EAME (2BS), WWII Victory.