Today marks the 68th Anniversary of the
415th Bomb Squadron of the 98th Bomb Group.
Their mission: to bomb the Schwecht Oil
Refinery in Vienna. After successfully completing
their mission their B-24 Bomber suffered
heavy flak damage while over Yugoslavia.
After being hit in their #2 and #4 engines the
crew was forced to bail out, and with the help
of a small village and Marshall Tito's men,
the crew was able to walk back over the
Alps and into Split, Yugoslavia where they
traveled by boat across the Adriatic Sea
back to their base in Bari, Italy.
After the war my father and his fellow crew
members returned home to the States
where they married, raised a family and
began a career. They were the lucky ones.
Over 500,000 Army Air Corp men and
women died in air combat during WWII,
and with them went their untold stories
of heroism and acts of valor.
For over two years I have tried to relive
their story in this blog, and I will continue
to do so for as long as I can. For it is in
remembering them that we continue
to honor their devotion and commitment
to the service of their country.
May their story always live on in our
hearts for many, many years to come...
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