My
dad *never*
talked
about
WWII.
Family,
friends
and I
have always
respected
the privacy
of he
and his
colleagues.
Since
we lost
him to
a stroke
in February
1998,
we have
been learning
more about
this facet
of his
life.
We have
great
respect
for our
veterans
and dedicate
this site
to all
the Liberators.
We won't
forget
you!
This
page
is
written
in
story
format
with
links
to
various
information.
If
you
click
on
*every*
link,
it
would
take
many
hours
to
read
and
view
all
the
features.
I
have
some
ideas
for
making
navigating
this
page
easier,
but
I'll
need
time.
Until
then,
I
suggest
you
scroll
through
the
*story*
to
get
a
feel
for
the
page
layout.
Note
the
photo
gallery
in
thumbnails
at
the
bottom
of
the
page.
Then,
read
the
story
and
return
to
this
page
for
more
scans
and
updates
from
the
White
family.
-vjw-
My
dad
was
a
B-25
Radio Operator/ Waist Gunner
in
the
57th
Bomb
Wing
of
the
12th
Army Air
Force in World War II.
He
flew
67
missions
out
of
Corsica
with
the
381st Bombardment
Squadron
of
the
310th
Bombardment
Group
in
1944.
George
Underwood
was
a
B-25
Top
Turret
Gunner
in
my
dad's
squadron.
Turns
out,
they've
flown
on
several
missions
together.
Click
here
for
a
brief
and
interesting
description
of
G.U.'s
WWII
adventures
Here are more links relating to the 57th Bomb Wing's
Airmen:
How
do you fly a B-25? The way the USAAF *tells*
you, of course. (Watching them start the engines
with fire extinguishers standing by, I thought of
the risks these boys & men were taking, even
before they left the ground)!
-
-
(requires Real Audio Player)
-
Dad's Crews 12th AAF, 57th BW, 310th BG,
381st Squadron,
a/c B-25J 43-27561
- Corsica 1944 -
Photo above: Po Valley, Italy 1944
310th BG, 381st Sqdn "F" Flight
#561 (43-27561) |
310th BG, 381st Sqdn #8 in Formation
#561 (43-27561) |
| May 1944 |
June 1944 |
P Elmer, R.F., 2nd Lt
CP Moyer, E.L., 2nd Lt
B Kremer T.F., 2nd Lt
R White, J.P. S/Sgt
G Scoiley, F.H. Sgt
TG Slentz, L.J Sgt |
P Taylor, L.A. (Lee) 2nd Lt
CP Moyer, E.L. 2nd Lt
B Kremer, T.F. 2nd Lt
R White, J.P. T/Sgt
G Woodley, F.H. (Fred) Sgt
TG Slentz, L.J Sgt |
P=Pilot,
CP=CoPilot, B=Bombardier, R=Radio Op/Waist Gunner,
G=Top Turret Gunner, TG=Tail Gunner
|
Source: May-44 - 310th BG Combat Roster
Courtesy of George Underwood |
Source: 22-Jun-44 Mission Roster
Courtesy of Dominique Taddei |
-
My
dad's
brothers
James
(Wizza),
Vincent (Vinnie), Edward
(Ebbie)
and
Francis
(Hustle)
also
served
during
WWII.
I'm
told
there
were
four
blue
stars
and
one
gold
star
hanging
in
the
front
window
at
East
47th
Street. Click the following link to a newspaper
article describing four of five White brothers:
Francis (not shown), also a
WWII vet, enlisted before the end of the war.
-
-
My
dad's older brother, Vincent
A. White, served in
the 322nd Squadron of the 8th Air Force's 91st
Bomb Group. He and his entire B-17 crew were
shot down during a raid on Anklam, Germany on October
9, 1943, the Saturday before what became known as
Black Thursday. Here's a link, provided by Dick
Cavanaugh (nephew of navigator Walter Cavanaugh),
describing my uncle Vinnie's crew:
-
-
Vinnie
was
a
community
leader
and
exemplary
citizen:
There's
a
tribute
to
him
in
stained
glass
at
St
Vincent
de
Paul
Church
on
47th
Street
in
Bayonne:
-
Here's
a
link
to
the
8th
Air
Force
Museum,
located
near
Savannah,
Georgia:
Here
are
some
B-17
pics
from
my
friend,
Terry,
whose
dad
was
in
the
Mighty
8th:
Here's
an
interview
with
my
Uncle
Ebbie
by
his
niece,
my
cousin,
Mary
Jane.
Thanks
MJ!
Scans
from
the
scrapbook
kept
by my
grandfather,
Simon F. White
(a.k.a.
Gramps
&
Pop
Si). Thanks,
Gramps!!
-
Dad's
Army
Air
Corps
Combat
Record:
Here's a Bayonne Times newspaper article about my dad when he was
21 years old:
Here's
a scan of my dad's Air Medal Citation. He was also awarded
one silver and one oak leaf cluster. Although he may
have received these medals, our family has never seen
them. Update: Mom sent away for and received most of
Dad's medals and citations in the winter of 2004.
Photos
from Corsica
(These
pics have
no labels,
some may
have been
taken
in Rome,
others
in the
USA).
Most of
the thumb-nails
below
are derived
from the
scans
in the
right
column
of the
following
table -
circa
1943 or
1944:
|
