tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365858055267871677.post2865794950505993297..comments2024-03-28T20:56:13.340-04:00Comments on The Feral Irishman: "It is funny you mentioned that Irish" (Bombers)Irishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09772405362867585844noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365858055267871677.post-4466798030884641622018-05-11T21:05:25.385-04:002018-05-11T21:05:25.385-04:00I know about veterans who "didn't talk ab...I know about veterans who "didn't talk about the war". My granddaddy on my daddy's side was that way. He landed at Omaha Beach. I did manage to pry a few stories out of him, but was fortunate to have known a man who was ten years his younger that served with him and was on the same landing craft, etc.<br /><br />There is a lot of information out there if you are lucky enough to find it. You have a good headstart with the squadron number, bomb group, and commanding officer. The serial number and name of the plane will help too.<br /><br />I did not know about "Under Siege". I did know that much of "USS Indianapolis" Men of Courage" was filmed on board the USS Alabama. That is a good movie and a great story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis:_Men_of_Courage<br /><br />I'd be more than happy to hear of any finding you come across.<br /><br />Kindest regards, <br /><br />Jeffery<br /><br /><br />Jeffery in Alabamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17335332266715975717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365858055267871677.post-37945914898141948342018-05-11T02:02:00.434-04:002018-05-11T02:02:00.434-04:00Jeffery,
Sorry, My dad passed away in 1973, and h...Jeffery,<br /><br />Sorry, My dad passed away in 1973, and he never talked of the war. What I know I learned from the three guys still alive in 2006. His ball turret crewman, James Starner, wrote on someone's blog (another ball turret gunner) asking for info about my father. I discovered his question one day, when I put in a search for any info about my father. <br /><br />Jim filled me in on some of what took place during their time together, and gave me the addresses for the other two, Dave Gabriel and Julian Smiley. I spoke to Jim on the phone, and exchanged letters. Dave Gabriel wrote to me after our initial phone conversation, and Julian just wrote. I never thought to ask about the name. I joined the 490th Bomb Group* which maintained records of their members and anyone else that they knew had flown or worked for/with the group. I think I've got the tail numbers listed in the info I got from them. If so, I'll do a search and get back to you with what I find out, if anything. <br /><br />*He was in the 849th Squadron of the 490th Bomb Group, where Col. Bostrom was his Squadron Commander.<br /><br />By the way, my b-i-l was a Batteryman on the USS Piper during the war. Towards the end of the war with Japan, they patrolled the shallow Japan Sea up until Japan surrendered. He passed away in 2006. <br /><br />You probably already know this, but I was told the Alabama was used in the filming of "Under Siege", one of Steven Seagal's movies (one of the better ones, made before he got fat).Reg Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14099612693763932005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365858055267871677.post-18777647901005411622018-05-10T03:52:07.765-04:002018-05-10T03:52:07.765-04:00Thanks for sharing Reg T. What was the name of you...Thanks for sharing Reg T. What was the name of your father's plane? Is is marked today on display as it was when your daddy flew it during the war? By the way, the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is well worth seeing. I believe the name of the submarine there is the USS Drum. JefferyJeffery in Alabamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17335332266715975717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365858055267871677.post-36583939555564151112018-05-09T23:44:45.458-04:002018-05-09T23:44:45.458-04:00An incredible story. The ball turret gunners were ...An incredible story. The ball turret gunners were named correctly, as they were (IMHO) the most vulnerable crewman.<br /><br />In Mobile, AL there is an outdoor museum down at the waterfront where the USS Alabama battleship is tied to a dock, along with one of our WWII diesel subs (old age - can't recall which one). They also had an SR-71, along with other planes. Their B-17 is parked right next to a B-52 (my father flew both). By itself, the B-17 looks like a big airplane. Next to that B-52, it looks like a Piper Cub, but with four engines. Movement in the B-17 was a bit tricky, as every bit of its fuselage was crammed with necessary equipment. IIRC, to go from the waist past the radio "room" and up into the cockpit (and down into the bombardier's space) you had to almost crawl in a couple of spots.<br /><br />Thanks for these posts, Irish. That was - and still is - indeed a magnificent aircraft. It brought my dad and his entire crew safely through their part of the war, with no serious injuries, even when he had to land his plane on a very short metal airstrip in Holland (a British fighter airstrip forward-placed toward the end of the war) due to the loss of two engines to flak. Reg Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14099612693763932005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365858055267871677.post-67869949396988770752018-05-09T23:16:44.564-04:002018-05-09T23:16:44.564-04:00My father was a B-17 pilot flying out of Eye, Engl...My father was a B-17 pilot flying out of Eye, England during '44 and '45. He flew several missions right after the war ended, taking food to starving folks in Belgium (called a "chowhound run") and also ferrying a group of French POWs from Yugoslavia (where they had been used as slave labor by the Germans) back to France. He was asked to do this because he spoke French, being one generation away from his French-Canadian roots.<br /><br />The photo that I use when I comment is an actual photo of him and his crew next to their B-17 in England. Reg Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14099612693763932005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365858055267871677.post-21624131989515246332018-05-09T11:58:28.076-04:002018-05-09T11:58:28.076-04:00The B-17 - not only one of the most beautiful and ...The B-17 - not only one of the most beautiful and iconic aircraft to grace the sky, but also one of the toughest .jerseygirlangiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14983352033551716100noreply@blogger.com