Assigned to 12TCS, 60TCG, 8AF [later 12AF] USAAF. Transferred to 94TCS, 439TCG, 9AF USAAF.

Involved in the airborne invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Normandy and Southern France. Failed to Return (FTR) glider tow mission to Groesbeck, Holland. Hit by flak, glider released, A/C put down in successful forced landing Schouwen Island, Holland. Crew then came under enemy fire and were captured. Prisoner of War (POW). 18-Sep-44. MACR 9838.



Awards: DSC, DFC, AM (3OLC), Croix de Guerre, POW, WWII Victory, EAME (Silver plus 4 x Bronze Star).



DSC Citation:

"First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Joseph Albert Beck, II, United States Army Air Forces, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Member of the Crew of a Troop Transport Airplane of the 60th Troop Carrier Group, 12th Air Force, in action against enemy forces on 8-Nov-42. The personal courage and zealous devotion to duty displayed by First Lieutenant Beck on this occasion have upheld the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 12th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces."



Post war: Worked for 19 yrs in South America in Uruguay, Venezuela and Argentina for a series of companies including Coca Cola, US Steel Corp and H B Maynard Co. Returned to Pittsburgh in 1966, working for the K K Porter Company Inc., then joined Keystone Metal Company 1971, to manage its plant in Newark, N.J. Moved to Westfield, N.J. and finally retired from Keystone in 1985.



Here is his WWII story in his own words:

'I graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh in June 1940 and joined the US Army in September and went to flying school in Tuscaloosa Alabama. I received my wings in May 1941 and was assigned to a transport squadron at Middletown Air Depot in Pennsylvania flying C-33's and C-39's. These were the military version of the DC-2. The Army Air Corps had 7 Depots with 2 Transport Squadrons at each.'



'When the Army began airborne training in 1941, planes were sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for a few weeks at a time to drop the trainees. The United States did not have a separate Air Force until after the war.'



'After Pearl Harbor, the decision was made to form the Troop Carrier Command and a number of pilots from the transport squadrons were transferred to form the nucleus of the new Squadrons and Groups.'



'In early spring of 1942, I was sent to Westover Field in Massachusetts and joined the 12th Squadron of the 60th Group. This Group was sent to England and was the first tactical Air Corps unit sent there. One battalion of paratroopers was sent by ship. We weren't sure what we were going to do but I was sent to Ringway Airfield for a month to adapt British airborne equipment to the C-47 which they were going to get. The 60th Group went to Aldermaston and spent a few months getting accustomed to England.'



'Thirty-five planes of the 60th Group and these paratroopers took part in the invasion of North Africa flying from fields in Cornwall at night to attack two French fields south east of Oran at daybreak. I was shot down later that afternoon by Vichy French fighters.'



'A month later, a number of our more senior pilots were sent back to the States to join the nuclei of the new Groups which were being formed.'



'In December 1942, a number of officers of the 60th Group were sent back to the States to be a cadre for the large training program for new Troop Carrier Groups. The 439th was one of the new groups. In March of 1944, General Williams was appointed commander of the new Ninth Air Force Troop Carrier Command in England and left Algiers with his staff to go up and assume command. I was offered leave to go home but I said that I would prefer to have command of a tactical squadron if one were available.'



'One of my friends from the 12th Squadron who had gone back in 1942 had been the first commander of the 94th and had been lost in the South Atlantic in a storm when leading the squadron over to England. I was given command of that squadron and joined them at their base in Balderton.'



'We shortly moved down to a new field at Upottery, just below Taunton. Before moving to Upottery, I had to get acquainted with my new squadron. We did a lot of formation flying by squadrons. One of the interesting sights in the higher land which was, I think, to the west, was a small lake which had what looked like a copy of a Roman Galley anchored in it. I never asked about it but always thought it must have been some wealthy man's folly or maybe left over from a movie.'



'Close to Balderton was an RAF field which was a 4-engine transition school. They were using retired bombers - Stirlings, I think, as trainers. I was leading my squadron back to Balderton one day at about 3,000 feet when we slowly overtook a Stirling just a little to our right and about 1000 feet lower. I was watching him when his left outboard engine began to trail smoke. A minute or so later he just rolled over to the left and dove straight into the ground. Sudden death!'



'Another day, we saw a recovery unit with a problem. The Stirling had a large, very long fuselage. The recovery unit had one of these and was trying to maneuver it through a nearby village when they got it cross ways in the village square.'



'The people of Balderton were very nice and organized a dance at the base for the officers. The Group was new to England and English ways didn't really know how to handle themselves. I had been in England long enough to feel at home and tried to get my crews organized to operate in small groups but even with some of the British elders' organizing circles it didn't go too well, which was a shame as they had made a real effort. When the dance was over and the ladies were getting into trucks to go home I even apologized to several loads for the shyness of the Yanks.'



'From Upottery, I carried paratroopers into Normandy in the invasion. We then moved to Orbetello in Italy and I carried paratroopers and then towed a glider into Southern France. Back to England, where we carried fuel and supplies to [General] Patton. We had just moved an advance echelon into a field in France when we were called back to Balderton for the invasion of Holland.'



'I towed a glider the first day, September 17, 1944, and I was the lead plane of the center column towing a glider again on the second day when I was hit by anti-aircraft as I crossed the coast of Schouen Island and had to belly in just in front of a pill box. My co-pilot was killed by a mortar shell and the crew chief was wounded by a bullet.'



'In one of the coincidences of war, this co-pilot (not my regular one) came from the same small town in Iowa as had my radio man who was killed on November 8, 1942 almost two years before! (I visited both families after the war.)'



'The squad from the pill box came out and got me and my navigator. That night we were evacuated to the mainland and I ended up in the interrogation center at Frankfort-am-Main.

I spent a month in solitary before they sent me to Stalag Luft 3 at Sagan.'