Scott Colmer Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 (edited) A few years back my wife's grandfather, Kemo was in a veteran's home. He served in Vietnam and got three purple hearts and two bronze stars among other decorations. He was pretty much a bad A@@. One day Cliff was sitting at Kemo's table. Cliff was 90. We started talking and it turned out he was a B-17 tail gunner who flew over Normandy on D-day. The next time I was there I had some pictures he had taken from the plane. Some were during combat. What did he say about it? It was the most terrifying thing he had ever experienced. The plane was constantly getting shot up with flack and bullets. At one point the pilot radioed back to him and told him to go to the middle of the plane to patch up the belly gunner who had been shot. The bay doors were open at the time. He insisted he was not brave, because he really did not feel he had a choice to do any of the things he did. He said he would not wish combat on anyone. All those puffs of smoke are flack. In formation Dropping a payload The crew. I do not know which one is cliff. He was tall and slim at 90. I think he is the one sitting on the left. He passed away a couple years after I met him. He will always be missed. Edited June 6, 2019 by Scott Colmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 The airplanes in your pics are B-17s. Most of them seem to be G models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Colmer Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 Thanks for the correction Snake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vamach1 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Snake45 said: The airplanes in your pics are B-17s. Most of them seem to be G models. Not sure how many pictures were being taken that day with all the chaos. Photo's with the G's are probably more plentiful as it got safer later in hte war (you had a much better chance of surviving 25-30 missions) than before the P-51 escorts. My father flew in late 44 and early 45 over mostly Germany and was based in England. I found mission records at the National Archives but finding pictures is very hard given that thousands of B-17's were made. Anyway, here is Captain Turner and his crew training in Texas. Whenever I think I am having a bad day I think I should not be complaining at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SfanGoch Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Screaming Eagles lead the way. They had a rendezvous with destiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Great pictures. Those men of D Day changed the world for for the best.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicgas Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Very very cool. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 (edited) When men were Men, willing to face death in order to preserve ideas and ideals that are often either taken for granted or outright ridiculed today. I wonder what they would think now... Edited June 7, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTrucker Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Growing up we had neighbors who were WWII Veterans and of course being kid never understood why they always changed the subject when one of us would ask about the war. That was until 1971 then I found the answer to that. After I was home I found that they were one of the best things that I had going as they now opened up to me and helped me get past my experiences. Over the last 2 decades I made regular visits to the Veteran's Home because I knew some there and I met and befriended many more over the years. It was hard watching as the faded away taking all they could tell us along with them. I went out today and was playing poker with three One Korean War Vet and two WWII Vets. The 92 year old cleaned me out I came home without my pennies! We were watching some of the doings on the TV as we played and Bill says " I always thought I would go back one day but I waited too long." His health was too bad for him to make the trip if he could now. One of the others asked him why he would want to go back there for and he quickly responded with a straight face "wanted to go back and see if I could find my leg!" it just got quiet all around us as he looked from face to face and then opened up with a laugh so loud it brought the nurses and one doctor in to see what was going on! I only wish we could see this kind of fortitude and strength in today's young people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Colmer Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 Great story, Johnny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted June 14, 2019 Share Posted June 14, 2019 On 6/6/2019 at 2:53 PM, Scott Colmer said: A few years back my wife's grandfather, Kemo was in a veteran's home. He served in Vietnam and got three purple hearts and two bronze stars among other decorations. He was pretty much a bad A@@. One day Cliff was sitting at Kemo's table. Cliff was 90. We started talking and it turned out he was a B-17 tail gunner who flew over Normandy on D-day. The next time I was there I had some pictures he had taken from the plane. Some were during combat. What did he say about it? It was the most terrifying thing he had ever experienced. The plane was constantly getting shot up with flack and bullets. At one point the pilot radioed back to him and told him to go to the middle of the plane to patch up the belly gunner who had been shot. The bay doors were open at the time. He insisted he was not brave, because he really did not feel he had a choice to do any of the things he did. He said he would not wish combat on anyone. The crew. I do not know which one is cliff. He was tall and slim at 90. I think he is the one sitting on the left. He passed away a couple years after I met him. He will always be missed. I got into my library to see what I could find out about the above. The B-17 dropping bombs--the only one I could identify from these pics--seem to be from the 457th Bomb Group. I have no information on what they did on D-Day, but in all the 8th Air Force flew nearly 2400 heavy bomber sorties on D-Day (B-17 and B-24), with most apparently targeted for "transportation targets" in the areas behind the beachhead. I assume "transportation targets" would include roads, bridges, and rail lines that could be used to bring up German reinforcements. Only one heavy bomber--a B-24--was lost to enemy action that day, though at least two other B-24s collided in midair. I would guess that the lower picture was made during training in the States. I've never seen an operational 8th AF B-17 carrying four large numbers on the nose like that, but those markings wouldn't be uncommon for a stateside training unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunajammer Posted June 14, 2019 Share Posted June 14, 2019 On 6/6/2019 at 4:40 PM, SfanGoch said: The gentleman in the middle of this photo, Bill Hayes, (chin on Ike's thumb) is from my hometown, Fargo, ND. Lived here before and long after the war, and nobody knew that was him until around the 50th anniversary of D-Day. But these men (my father included) never blew their own horn or insisted on being entitled. To read Bill's account of this photo and what happened to him afterward, there's a cool article HERE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYLIBUD Posted June 14, 2019 Share Posted June 14, 2019 100% HEROES....Great photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuces Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 Yep! The greatest generation of the era.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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