Posted on 06/18/2007 9:26:00 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
EL CAJON – It was more than 60 years ago, but Bill L. Disbrow remembers well the pride he felt when he was promoted to bomber pilot and entrusted with some of the most dangerous missions of World War II. “I was a co-pilot to start, but then I moaned so much they made me a pilot,” said Disbrow, 91, a Wildomar resident. He served in the 15th Air Force, and his mission was to blow up Romanian oil refineries that supplied the Germans.
He piloted a B-24 Liberator bomber, he said.
Disbrow was among thousands of veterans who attended the weekend's 13th Annual Wings Over Gillespie Air Show. The event, at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, featured mock battles, displays of rare aircraft and aerobatic performances. Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino sponsored the event.
This year's air show also marked the 50th anniversary of the Commemorative Air Force, a nonprofit group that works to preserve the history of military aviation. The CAF's San Diego Wing is known as Air Group One.
Steve Real, the air show chairman, said the goal of the Commemorative Air Force is to educate people about the importance of a strong military while honoring the present-day troops.
“A big lesson from history is that when we are weak, vulnerable or not vigilant, somebody will take advantage of that fact and attack us,” he said. “You have to have peace through strength.”
He said one popular exhibit is a restored P-51 Mustang, an agile, long-range fighter plane from World War II that would escort the bulky bombers from England to their German targets.
“That one had six .50-caliber machine guns,” he said. “It was very good in a dogfight.” Another crowd pleaser is the AD Skyraider, an aircraft from the Vietnam War that bombed the enemy's ground troops.
“Vietnam veterans will remember this as a really important plane,” he said.
Hundreds of people watched intently yesterday morning as the demonstrations began. Four T-34 Mentors flew in a formation known as “Missing Man” as the loudspeaker broadcast a bugle playing “Taps.”
Under tents draped with camouflage, vendors hawked posters of pin-up girls, model plane kits and embroidered military patches. The food was resolutely American: hot dogs and hamburgers, New York pretzels, Philly cheese steaks and “Texas Twister” punch drinks.
Disbrow, a volunteer, wore “suntans” – the summer khaki uniform of the Army Air Corps – and talked with visitors about what it was like to serve in World War II and the Korean War. “They don't teach this in school,” said Disbrow, who has 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. “I hope they learn what it was like to be patriotic.”
Santee resident Kevin Sheldon brought his children, 5-year-old Kyle and 9-year-old Brooke, because “they love seeing all the old airplanes,” he said.
Brooke's favorite plane was a North American F-86 F Sabre, a Korean War jet fighter that had a toothy shark's mouth painted on the nose.
Jeff Ring, a 30-year-old chiropractor from Lakeside, enjoyed checking out the exhibits.
“I like to hang out with the older veterans and listen to their stories,” he said.
Ring brought his father and grandfather, Robert Jr. and Robert Sr., to the air show as a treat for Father's Day.
The three men stopped and admired the gleaming aluminum of a P-51 Mustang named “Lady Alice,” with its four-blade propelleraround its red and yellow nose.
Robert Ring Sr., 78, said when he was young he dreamed of flying the P-51, but by the time he turned 18, World War II was over.
“I came close,” he said.
Naval Sea Cadet Corps Seaman Apprentice Aaron Sewell, 14, of Lakeside held the wheel of a 1947 Boeing C-97, while Daniel Mohr, 12, of Santee (left) and Navy League Cadet Corps Petty Officer Eric Wood, 13, of Santee reached for the instrument panels during a tour of the aircraft yesterday as part of the 13th annual Wings Over Gillespie Air Show in El Cajon.
“Often compared to its more famous partner, the Boeing B-17, the B-24 was a more modern design with a higher top speed, greater range and service ceiling yet it had a similar bombload and massive defensive armament. Nevertheless, popular opinion among aircrews and general staff tended to favor the B-17’s rugged qualities above all other considerations. Where the B-24 excelled over other contemporary World War II heavy bombers was in its versatility. Designed around a highly-efficient ‘Davis’ wing design, one of the B-24’s main virtues was a long operating range, which led to it also being used for other duties including maritime patrol (known as the PB4Y in US Navy service) and antisubmarine work, reconnaissance, tanker, cargo (where it was designated C-87 and C-109, and also developed into the Navy’s R2Y) and personnel transport. Winston Churchill used one as his own transport aircraft. One of the most valuable contributions to Allied victory was the use of the B-24 in combating the U-boat menace in the North Atlantic. When the ‘very-long-range’ Liberators were unleashed on the vulnerable submarines, a so-called ‘Atlantic Gap’ was ultimately closed, allowing Britain’s convoy lifeline to be maintained.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-24_Liberator
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