Free Republic

Stuart Newman said flying in the B-17 was "a real thrill"Stuart Newman flew his last mission of World War II 67 years ago, in the spring of 1945. On Friday he returned to the skies, high above South Florida, in a vintage B-17. “It was a real thrill being up there, particularly with my son,” said Newman, 89. “Think about it, it’s 60, 65, 66 years since I actually flew this thing. And to be back here and relive those moments was something very, very special, I can tell you.” Andy Newman arranged for the flight for his dad through...

A CLOSE UP LOOK at a beautifully restored B-17 owned and operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association, "Aluminum Overcast" http://home.comcast.net/~szee1a/Al_overcast/Al_overcast.html

OSWEGO, Ill. -- A World War II bomber made what appeared to be an emergency landing in a cornfield on Monday, and all seven people on board escaped before it was consumed by fire, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. "The plane departed the airport, noted an emergency, and the pilot made what appears to be an emergency landing, after which the plane was consumed by fire," FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said in an e-mail. None of the passengers was injured. The accident occurred right after the plane, known as the "Liberty Belle," took off from the Aurora Municipal...

The "Liberty Belle," a B-17 Flying Fortress operated by the Liberty Foundation of Florida, was destroyed by fire after the crew made an emergency landing in a cornfield in Illinois about 10 a.m. Monday morning. All seven people on board escaped without injury, according to the NTSB, but the airplane was a total loss. The B-17 had taken off from Aurora Municipal Airport near Oswego, Ill., and the pilot reported a fire on board shortly after takeoff. Several residents reported seeing the plane flying low with smoke and flames coming from it. "[The pilot] attempted to make a return to...

OSWEGO, Ill. -- A B-17 bomber that dates to World War II crashed and burned in a cornfield outside Chicago on Monday as it was headed to Indiana. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said aviation officials believe the seven people on board the plane escaped uninjured.

A WWII bomber plane crashed and caught fire near Chicago Monday morning. No one was injured. Seven people were onboard the plane. Officials say they all walked away from the crash. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was at airport in Oswego, Illinois, to mark the 67th anniversary of D-Day. The bomber was grounded over the weekend due to mechanical problems and took off from Sugar Grove Airport at 9:30 a.m. The Daily Herald profiled the plane and D-Day event over the weekend. The restored B-17, called "Liberty Belle," is owned by Liberty Foundation. The plane was at Lunken Airport on...

> 6/23/2010 at 3:03 pm > Piggyback Hero > by Ralph Kinney Bennett > > Tomorrow morning they'll lay the remains of Glenn Rojohn to rest in > the Peace Lutheran Cemetery in the little town of Greenock, Pa., just > southeast of Pittsburgh. He was 81, and had been in the air > conditioning and plumbing business in nearby McKeesport. If you had > seen him on the street hewould probably have looked to you like so > many other graying, bespectacled old World War II veterans whose > names appear so often now on obituary pages. > >...

See WWII history

It is history in the making. The B-17 Flying Fortress, called the Sentimental Journey, has made its home at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport until Sunday. 7 News had the chance to go for a ride. The plane is a takeoff back in time, back in time to the World War II era, when veterans flew on the B-17 Sentimental Journey 65 years ago. WTRF cameras had the chance to see Glendale, Shadyside and Wheeling from high in the skies on this piece of sacred history.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- A B-17 bomber that lay in a New Guinea swamp for decades after being forced down during a World War II combat mission has been returned to the United States after years of salvage efforts. The forward fuselage of the so-called "Swamp Ghost" was displayed Friday at the Port of Long Beach in an emotional, patriotic ceremony attended by kin of some of the now-deceased aircrew.

Had it not been for ball bearings, Schweinfurt might have remained a small town in Bavaria and escaped the notice of history. However, it was there in 1883 that a local mechanic, Friedrich Fischer, invented the machine that made possible mass production of ball bearings. In 1906, his son founded the Kugelfischer firm, which became the cornerstone of the industry. World War II created a huge demand for ball bearings. The German aviation industry alone used 2.4 million of them a month. Production was concentrated in Schweinfurt, where five plants turned out nearly two-thirds of Germany’s ball bearings and roller...

The Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress,” perhaps the most readily recognized bomber of the World War II era, will be center stage for its 75th anniversary during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010, “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” on July 26-August 1 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. Only about 15 of the iconic aircraft remain airworthy anywhere in the world, including EAA’s renowned “Aluminum Overcast,” which brings aviation history to the public through its annual national tours. Potentially, at least four B-17s could be present at Oshkosh as the exact 75th-anniversary date of the B-17’s first flight on July 28, 1935, comes...

A few weeks ago, a small air show came to the local airport. It consisted of a P-51 Mustang, a B-24 Liberator and B-17 Flying Fortress. The show involved several flights up and down the cost over several days. I could hear the torque and grunt of the B-17’s four 1200 hp Wright Cyclone GR-1820-65 radial engines as it flew over my office. As I listened, I could not even imagine the sound when 115 of them filled the air on April 17, 1943 on the way for a raid on the Focke-Wulfe factory in Bremen, or on any other...

This Monday, while the VFW is holding its 10 a.m. Memorial Day ceremony at the Cody Prosser Veteran’s Memorial in Frazier Mountain Park, Gary and Lois Lee of Lockwood Valey will be remembering Gary's father, Lt. Bert Lee. Lee was in the first plane to be shot down in the surprise attack of December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor. He lived to tell the tale. The phone rang this spring with an amazing message for his family. The well-known turkey rancher and apple grower, who passed away in 2006, had many tales to share around the dinner table about fighting...

B-17 pilot Bill McAleb, who flew several combat missions over Germany during World War II, takes a nostalgic flight on the "Liberty Belle," a newly restored bomber, at Addison Airport. Video at link

Hello Veterans, I am doing research for a paper for class and would like to know if anyone can point me to any B17 veterans organizations in or around St. Louis Missouri. This paper needs to be based on teamwork in aviation and I thought I might be able to do it on teamwork in a B17. Thanks for your help.

A real ride back in time. One of my fellow passengers flew these in WW2. Click on the link for a few more pictures.

Hello Veterans, I am doing research on a b-17 bomber crew that flew out of Port Moresby during 1942 and 1943. I have many technical questions that need to be answered. I also need some very important personal viewpoint questions about your opinions of events during the campaigns there. I know that I should list all of the questions here but I really want to talk to people who were on the ground fighting there at that time. Thanks for your time, Jim Hines

FORT MYERS: Two historic World War II bombers will be landing in Fort Myers Monday. The planes will be open for public tours and even flights. A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy Bomber and a Consolidated B-24 Liberator Heavy Bomber will be at Page Field from January 29th – 31st. The B-17 Flying Fortress, one of the most recognizable bomber aircraft of WWII, is one of only nine in the nation that are still airworthy. The B-24, the most produced aircraft during WWII, is the only restored B-24 still in flying operation. The bombers are owned by the Collings Foundation,...

His story is something from an old black-and-white movie ­ a war hero rescues the American Chief of Staff during World War II, flies him to safety and lands in Casablanca. Here's the twist: the military recommends him for the Distinguished Flying Cross, but he doesn't actually receive the medal until 64 years later, in the mail. That's right. So much time passed, Thomas Roberts forgot that his old commanding officer, Gen. Paul Tibbets ­ who dropped the Hiroshima bomb ­ recommended him for one of the most prestigious medals in the Air Force. Only a few months ago, while...

Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times The remains of Henry F. Kortebein, of Queens; David J. Nelson, of Chicago; and Blake A. Treece Jr., of Marshall, Ark., are laid to rest Thursday. The original crew nicknamed her Chow-hound, painting the name on the big, cold nose above a cartoon dog lazing atop a cartoon bomb. It was the only thing cheery about the machine of destruction, and the bombs inside were real. Chow-hound was a B-17G Flying Fortress that flew many bombing missions in World War II, and the crew changed over the years. “She had a lot...

Two generations of female pilots embraced in the shade beneath a World War II bomber's wings Wednesday afternoon - those who had flown such aircraft when they were new, during the war, and one flying them now as living history exhibits. Flora Belle Reece and Ty Killen, former members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots corps during World War II, were on hand to greet the restored bombers from the Collings Foundation's "Wings of Freedom" tour as they arrived for a three-day stay at William J. Fox Airfield. "It's great to be back," Killen said. "For a real-life beauty like...

3/24/2006 - TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- March 21 was a special day for one Airman. It was the day that he received his Purple Heart Medal. It was a proud day, and a long overdue one at that. Mr. Leo Bach received his medal after suffering injuries to his right leg and back after bailing out of his B-17 Flying Fortress nearly 62 years ago. Mr. Bach, then a 24-year-old first lieutenant bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Corps, was one of nine crewmembers on a bombing run destined for Cottbus, Germany, April 11, 1944. The crew...

If you've ever dreamed of sailing the skies in a World War II bomber, there may be no time like the present in Tucson. But it'll cost ya. Four vintage bombers will touch down in the city in April, offering rides at about $400 a pop. The events are sponsored by two nonprofit foundations that use the money to help keep the rare old warplanes running. The Old Pueblo has become a favorite stopover for such outfits because our warm-weather city has all the attributes they look for. "Tucson is a hot spot because it has so many retirees and...

Why is it taking so long to design, develop, produce, and deploy — in adequate numbers — a troop-transporting armored vehicle that would replace the up-armored Humvee in Iraq? I've been asked that question time and again, not by soldiers and Marines who ride in Humvees daily, but by fellow journalists, many of whom have logged time in Iraq or Afghanistan. One reporter said to me it was "criminal negligence" on the part of the White House and the Defense Department. Another referred to it as "the ultimate betrayal" of our soldiers. Despite their time in country, both reporters are...

No more Patriot Act means Operation Able Danger and 9/11 all over again. Don't let the sun set on the Patriot Act. Call your state senator at 202-225-3121. Freed Iraq. No thanks to Democrat oposition. Cowards cut and run. Marines never do. Stay the course. Peace with God. I believe in a time when Americans had guts. Maximum Effort. Abandon Iraq? NO! Thank you, FreeRepublic, for allowing me to post my work!

B-17 Visits Eau Claire Shaun Verbout The 'Flying Fortress' is going to be at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Eau Cliare until Wednesday. The public will be able to take ground tours and will even be able to a flight on the plane. Ground tours are available between 2-5pm and cost $10 for a family, $6 for adults, and $5 for students. If you would like to take a trip back in history, you can get a ride for $395. The fee is $355 for EAA members. Flights take place every 45 minutes between 9:30am and 1:15pm. For more...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Louis Hernandez and Vincent Radkiewicz met by chance two years ago, at an East Side pancake house. Hernandez had a postcard from Poland but couldn't read it. Radkiewicz, another customer, could - and did. The two struck up a conversation. Hernandez told Radkiewicz, a Polish native, that he was shot down over Poland during World War II. Radkiewicz, 66, who remembers the horrors of the war, realized he could do something to thank Hernandez, 83, for his sacrifice. So he did. Hernandez was a World War II pilot with the 452nd Bomber Group based in England. On June 21, 1944,...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. Welcome to "Warrior Wednesday" Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

5-28-04 I watched the wings of the jet plane touching the blue sky as we were flying across the Atlantic Ocean. You could say it was a trip back in time to June 6, 1944. On that day my dad, Stuart Watson, was lead pilot of his squad of 11 B17 bombers of the 381st bomb group 8th Air Force http://www.381st.org/ . As they spread out the 4 groups each with 44 planes on the final turn to the Normandy Omaha beach, Dog Red Sector, he could see all manors of craft below carrying men and machine for D-Day. The...

WWII raiders land Doolittle fliers back in Tucson for 62nd reunion It was a welcome befitting some of World War II's most famous aerial heroes. Four vintage B-25 bombers and a B-17 bomber thundered through Tucson's blue skies Wednesday to greet the last of the silver-haired Doolittle Tokyo Raiders as they arrived here for their 62nd annual reunion. The historic aircraft touched down with precious cargo: 80 silver goblets the Raiders received as a tribute from the citizens of Tucson in 1959, and which have been used ever since to commemorate their mission.

Feb 19, 2004 9:35 am US/Central PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) Six decades after his B-17 crash-landed in France, William Sheaves made amends by giving the Air Force an exquisitely detailed flying replica he built. "Sixty-some years ago, I broke one of your airplanes," Sheaves told Peterson Air Force Base commander Brig. Gen. Duane Deal on Tuesday. "Here's a replacement." Sheaves was the flight engineer aboard the B-17 that was shot down in 1943. Using plans from Boeing Co., which built the workhorse bomber, he built a radio-controlled model with a 10-foot wingspan. Like the original, his model is...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. Welcome to "Warrior Wednesday" Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different...

WWII veteran tells his story By Jim WashingtonStaff writer A frightened World War II tail gunner jumps from his airplane as flames engulf it. Photo by Stephanie Bruce Maurice Braswell, a former judge who lives in Fayetteville, wrote a book about his experiences in World War II. He survives the fall into enemy territory, finds an Allied sympathizer and organizes an escape. Instead of escaping, he is captured and thrown into a POW camp. There, he meets a European princess who becomes a lifelong friend. Mark Walter Braswell could hardly believe the events he was reading about. "It read like...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. Welcome to "Warrior Wednesday" Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different...

<p>Glenn Rojohn never thought of himself as a hero, but he might have pulled off one of the most amazing flying feats in military history.</p> <p>The McKeesport native crash-landed two B-17 bombers that became stuck together -- his on top -- after flying a bombing mission over Germany on New Year's Eve 1944. He was awarded the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart.</p>

<p>Diplomatic relations between the United States and France may be strained because of the war in Iraq, but at least one American is being treated like a hero by the small French village of Feternes.</p> <p>This week the villagers will honor Middleborough resident Robert A. Price, whom French Resistance fighters rescued from the Germans 59 years ago during World War II after his plane crash-landed nearby.</p>

<p>July 3, 2003 -- THE nation this week end celebrates the 227th anniversary of its founding, and once again young Americans are in harm's way in foreign lands.</p> <p>Therein lies a tale - and an opportunity to visit history.</p> <p>But first, some numbers.</p>

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...

WASHINGTON -- ''I put the men on the ship,'' the diary read, ''and so had a direct part in sealing their fate. Also, I was at the scene of the crash and saw the mangled bodies, killed while flying at 200 miles per hour. Terrible.'' Robert Cutler always knew his father nursed a searing memory from his time in Australia during World War II. But his father never spoke of it, beyond a few indirect references. ''Always sit in the back of the plane,'' he would warn his son, and, darkly, ''I don't trust military maintenance.'' The son never pressed....

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood...

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. Welcome to "Warrior Wednesday" Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different veteran each Wednesday. The "ordinary" Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine who participated in the events in our Country's history. We hope to present events as seen through their eyes. To give you a glimpse into the life of those who sacrificed for all of us -...

Francis Hoad. On Jan. 11, 1944, a young first lieutenant helped land a battle-damaged B-17 Flying Fortress on a small rural airfield near Cambridge, England. Almost 60 years later, Francis Hoad, 80, was recognized for his heroic efforts during a ceremony here Nov. 22 when U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe and U.S. Congressman Frank Lucas presented him with the Distinguished Flying Cross. "We are here to honor an American hero," Inhofe told the standing-room-only crowd gathered at the base auditorium. "That was our first raid that we ever went on, we were pretty green," said Hoad, reliving the day. After...

Ball Turret Bill Bill Ellett is a small man, white of beard and hair, with a tenor voice turned raspy from endless autumns of barking directions at high school marching bands. After 39 years as a band director, teacher and musician, he enjoys a relaxed retirement, tends to his yard above the Sweetwater Valley in El Cajon, and revels in telling tales of his six grandchildren, and the successes of his three children: the hydrologist son in Tucson; the violinist daughter with the Colorado Symphony in Boulder; the finance grad daughter who works in purchasing for her alma mater, SDSU....

When Bill Haskins enrolled in Cretin High School, an all-male military school, he had no idea that he would be spending most of his life relating to the military. He had spent some summers on his cousin’s farm, and he had dreams of attending the University of Minnesota and becoming a county agent.Then Pearl Harbor happened! Some of his classmates signed up to form platoons in the Army and Marines. Bill had been accepted at the University, but his father, a master machinist for St. Paul schools, advised him to get a trade, so he enrolled in St. Paul Vocational...