WWII 8th Air Force - 493rd Bomber Group - 860th Squadron
A Pilot's Story

Military Life Begins

March 28, 1943 - This story begins from information provided by the scrapbook.

The last days as a civilian before Dad went to his first training assignment in Omaha, Nebraska. Creighton University.

July 1943 - Santa Ana, California Pre-flight training
29 Palms, California Primary Training Graduated January 8, 1944
Lemore, California Basic Training
Marfa, Texas Advanced Training Graduated May 23, 1944

The following is from the Diary account

January 2, 1945 Sleeper Train from Lincoln, Nebraska going East to meet ship for overseas.
January 8, 1945 On board ship "Il de France" bound for European Theater.
January 17, 1945 Disembarked ship that docked Garisck, Scotland, took train to Stone, England.
January 22, 1945 Took Train to Ipswitch, England.
February 15, 1945 First Combat Mission, Cottbus, Germany.

INDEX & CONTENTS

Months of Training

Debach - Our main Base in England

Short History of the 493rd Bomb Group

493rd Bomb Group Missions

The B-17 Bomber

Upgraded B-17 Bomber last version

Jokes of the time

Pinups of the WWII War Years

Pinups & Swimsuits of the stars 20's - 50's

Movies During the WWII War Years

Books can be ordered that tell more about WWII, the Bombers, Bases and Crews. Two of the finest books describing air battles of the Eighth Air Force were written by navigators.

The Fall of Fortresses - Bendiner, Elmer, 1980, The Fall of Fortresses, Putnam' s Sons, New York, 258 p. Crosby, Harry H., 1993. Bendiner tells of the early days of the Eighth when "things were really rough", including the difficult attacks on the ball-bearing factories at Schweinfurt, Germany.

The Mighty Eighth: Freeman, Roger A., 1970, A History of the U. S. 8th Army Air Force, Doubleday, New York, 311 p. Freeman, Roger A., 1984,

One Last Look by Philip Kaplan and Rex Alan Smith Abbeville Press Publishers , New York. 1983

The Greatest Generation of Silver Wings by Don Ward, The memorial press 2004

Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer by Brian D. O'Neill - McGraw Hill 1999

A Wing and a Prayer, Harper Paperbacks, New York, 398 p. We owe thanks to the English historian, Freeman, for the most readable descriptions of the Eighth Air Force in action. His books describe not only the battles of the Eighth but give a marvelous description of the complex organization.

The Mighty Eighth War Manual, Motorbooks International (first published in 1984 by Jane's Publishing Co. Ltd.), 320 p. For those doing research on a family member or relative that participated in WWII.

NOTE- I found in my research that there were several sources and websites that can provide more detail among those I have listed a few below:

www.archives.gov/ - The US Government Archives Site. Numerous refrences

www.nga.gov/pdf/ww2.pdf - National Archives US Government site.

www.archives.gov/research/ww2/electronic-records-ww2-era.html - National Archives Another US Government Site

www.archives.gov/research/ww2/electronic-records.html - National Archives US Government Site

www.worldwar-2.net/links/links-index.htm

http://members.aol.com/dadswar/ - Site Created by Son of War Veteran

www.familychronicle.com/WWII_03.html - A Researcher site with lots of information.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/1942/home.html - A Time line

www.loc.gov/vets/wwii-biographies.html - A Veterans biographies site

http://marina.fortunecity.com/reach/77/wwwlink.html - A WWII Research aid site

Contents Main Page Brief History of 493rd 493rd Combat Missions
B-17 "Flying Fortress Page 1" B-17 "Flying Fortress Page 2" B-17 Checklist Jokes of the time
Movies during WWII Pinups of WWII Era More Pinups of WWII
Pinups Korea and Viet Nam Pinups and Swimsuits 20's - 60's Pinups and Celebrities 50's - Now