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It has been the priviledge of a lifetime to be legion brothers with two B-17 drivers.

One flew some missions before being shot down over France. He spent a year making his way through the German lines to the Allied lines. Then the Army air corp decided to make him a trainer.

He wrote a book about his ww2 career from start to finish. He flew a refurbished B-17 in a traveling ww2 aircraft show...along with Jack Rousch.

He passed this past year.

The other..a local native who still is healthy enough to snatch up one his grown sons if he needs to...got shot down over France..made his way back to friendly lines...got another plane and went back at it....4 or 5 times in a viscious cycle of badass. No one is sure exact details...because he refuses to say himself. He is pissed they named a local overpass in his honor because “IT’s a DAMN WASTE OF F’in tax money”.

His sons heard of his “actions” in Europe from pilots, ground crew, and others who served with their dad..and visited over the years. His “actions” are quietly shared legend at the Legion...very quietly.

I built a model of the Memphis Bell at age 8....I’ve always wanted to meet an actual B-17 pilot....all respect to Pappy Boyington and his F-4U corsairs. The last few years have granted me this wish....and I treasure every moment I spent with both.

For B-17 fans: (I posted something like this a couple of years back, and its worth posting again on a thread like this.)

At age 18, my second cousin (my dad’s cousin) was a B-17 flight engineer, shot down near Kiel in October ‘43. His plane was named “Deacon’s Sinners.” He barely made it out when the wing was blown off, with the parachute hanging on by a single hook. Spent 18 months as POW, finally to be liberated by Patton’s 3rd army after 18 day forced march at the close of the war. He published his book several years ago. The book is absolutely and amazingly incredible, so inspiring, and so full of minute details about what it was like in the hour by hour experiences of doing a B-17 mission and what they went through. Reading the book, you feel like you are actually there with him. Stories of camaraderie, Yankee spirit, survival as POW. On the net, if you search, there is a published interview or two that is equally as riveting as the book.

I have the privilege of talking to him now and then. Don’t know if its proper to mention his book by name on this forum, but will say am proud to share the same last name with him and his book could be easily looked up if anyone was interested.

Theo Matheny

Good stuff. I’ve got a book by a pilot that I bought at the bookstore at Seaside, FL when we were there in July. He was there signing books, and quite liked that I recognized it was a G model in the picture on the cover.

He had an awesome cane someone had made for him made of brazed together .50 cal brass.

Haven’t read it yet, it’s still on the reading stack.