I was given the choice to either go to Japan or be honorably discharged from the military. “While I was on leave, May 8, 19 45, VE Day happened. “I had completed 63 missions and was able to go on home leave,” Bill said. I made friendships that lasted for my entire life,” Bill said.Īfter clocking 300 combat hours, pilots were allowed a 30 day leave back to the U.S. We could count on each other and it was a tight group. “Not only was it our job to protect the bombers, but we also had a responsibility for each other. But, you had a better chance of shooting your target down the closer you got to them.”Įach mission could involve anywhere from 500 to 1,000 bombers with 300 to 500 fighter planes to protect them. 50 caliber guns that could shoot at a target 250 yards away. “We flew the P-51 Mustang which was a single engine, propeller driven fighter plane,” Bill said. Once the pilots were ready, a Jeep would then transport them to their planes. Once the briefing was completed, the pilots would go to the Ready Room to put on their flight suits and parachutes, and prepare for their missions. “The bombers’ targets were German war manufacturing facilities such as oil refineries, airfields and jet manufacturers.” “Our purpose was to escort the bombers to and from their mission,” Bill explained. Once the briefing officer entered the room, the shroud would be pulled and a Upon entering the mission room, the pilots would sit in front of a wall covered in a shroud. We would then be taken by Jeep to head to the briefing room to listen to what our mission was for the day.”
“I would get dressed, head to the latrine to wash up and then ate breakfast with the rest of the pilots. That’s how you knew it was mission day,” Bill said. “You could hear the B-17s starting their engines and warming up in the distance.
On mission day, Bill and the rest of the fighter pilots would awake around dawn to get prepared. heavy bombers used in World War II) that Bill and his fellow pilots were assigned to protect during their missions was only 5 miles away. The Bassingbourn airfield that housed the B-17 ’s (U.S. The airfield was carved out of a wheat field. Steeple Morden was a tiny village in England composed of about 400 people. He became a first lieutenant assigned to the 357th Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force and was stationed at Steeple Morden, England. Army Air Corp and trained to be a fighter pilot. We didn’t know about the concentration camps at the time.”īill joined the U.S. We also knew that Hitler was doing harm to the Jews and as a Jewish man, that really concerned me. “A war was going on and we were very concerned about Hitler, and then Japan bombeĭ Pearl Harbor. “I felt it was my patriotic duty to join,” Bill explained. At the time, Bill was only 18 years old and his mother reluctantly gave him permission to join. The Call to Joinīefore Bill decided to join the military and fight in World War II, he was living in Brooklyn, New York and working at Sperry Gyroscope Company. Recently, we spoke with a World War II fighter pilot who was kind enough to share some of his gripping stories.īill, a resident of Kendal on Hudson, told us about his time during the war and what a day in the life of a fighter pilot was like during those turbulent times. 3 Not actually in flight, such as one occurring by being struck by propeller.There are many interesting people enjoying retirement life at Kendal on Hudson, including Pulitzer Prize winners, accomplished authors, artists and more. These statistics are undergoing revisions and represent changes processed through March 1947. Ship's Company of Aircraft Carriers and Auxiliaries are not included. and Foreign Ashore and Aviation Squadrons and Units Afloat. 1 Aviation Personnel as defined in these data by the Records Division, to be all personnel classified and attached to Air Activities in Continental U.S. AVIATION PERSONNEL FATALITIES IN WORLD WAR II /1ĭEATHS PLANE CRASHES-OTHER THAN OPERATIONAL /2ĭEATHS IN AVIATION ACCIDENTS-OTHER THAN PLANE CRASHES /3ĭEATHS IN AVIATION ACCIDENTS NOT UNDER MILITARY JURISDICTION
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