NEWS LETTERVol. 11, No. 3 SECOND AIR DIVISION ASSOCIATION September 1973

624 TURN OUT FOR 26th REUNION $1705.00 RAISED FOR

MEMORIAL FUND AND BOOKS

The beautiful Air Force Academy

We dreamed about 600 attending. Wehoped for 400. We would have settledfor 300. But the hardy Second Air Di-vision members turned out in force forthis special occasion at the Air ForceAcademy and when the final tally wasin 624 members, wives, offspring and as-sorted guests made this the greatest re-union we have every enjoyed.Tom Eaton, Vice Chairman Board of

Governors of the Memorial Trust, andson David traveled all the way fromNorwich to be with us for our first re-union at the Academy. He brought withhim, in addition to thoughtful gifts, thegood wishes of the people of Norwichand the other members of the Board ofGovernors.

Col. Goodman G. Griffin and hislovely wife Bobbie tore themselves awayfrom their Hawaiian paradise to samplethe rarified atmosphere of beautifulColorado and to greet the many friendsthey had made at previous reunions.

Joe Ramirez and George Dong extri-cated themselves from their plush padsin California to join with their buddiesof the 467th BG in reminiscing aboutthe exploits of their favorite plane,

"Witchcraft". Joe brought along a beau-tiful wooden model of the plane andwas gracious enough to allow us to dis-play it at the head table on the night ofour banquet.

They came from everywhere. Thewind swept plains of Texas, the friendlySouth, the rugged Northwest and thebucolic Northeast. If I were a gamblingman I would be willing to bet that everyState in the Union was represented.

Highlight of the runion was, withoutquestion, our Memorial Service at theAir Force Academy Chapel. It wasplanned as a simple ceremony whereTom Eaton would present to the Associ-ation a copy of our Book of Remem-brances listing the 6,032 names of ourcomrads who were killed in action.

It was planned that way but it turnedout quite differently. The setting, andthe ceremony itself, was so moving therewasn't a dry eye in the Chapel. Sittingthere high up in the mountains with theclouds drifting by at eye level there wasa certain serenity that could not be cap-tured anyplace else. It was fitting forthe occasion but devastating on the

(Continued on page 4)

Our drive this past year to raise fundsfor the Memorial Fund and neededbooks for the library resulted in a whop-ping total of $1705. It showed how oneand two dollar donations can really addup.

$1288.00 was raised as a result ofour appeal with an additional $417.00donated at the reunion. $917.00 of thisamount was sent to England in the careof Tom Eaton to be used throughoutthe year for the purchase of books forthe American Room. The remaining$788.00 will be used to establish aMemorial Fund on this side of the At-lantic. The money will be used to pur-chase American Securities and the Fundwill be administered by the presentBoard of Governors.

We are hoping that this small start isbut the beginning and that future yearswill see it grow through the generosityof our members, and of their generositythere is no doubt.

Our thanks to all of you.

NORWICH 1975

Plans are already well under wayfor a return trip to Norwich inMay of 1975. In order to facilitatethese plans it is necessary for us toask for a $25.00 deposit from allwho plan to make the trip. Thesedeposits will be non-returnableexcept for extenuating circum-stances and should be sent toCharles (Joe) Warth, 5709 Walker-ton Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45238.So if your planning to go pleasesend your deposit to Joe as soonas possible. If you missed 1972don't miss this one — you'll neverforgive yourself.

Second Air Division AssociationEighth Air Force

OFFICERS

President WILLIAM G. ROBERTIEP.O. Drawer B, Ipswich, Mass. 01938

Vice President WILLIAM L. BROOKS350 Norton St., Boulder, Colorado 80302

Vice PresidentMembership EVELYN COHEN

404 Atrium Apts., 2555 Welsh Rd.Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19114

Secretary RAYMOND E. STRONG320 Burlage Circle, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514

Treasurer DEAN E. MOYER549 East Main St., Evans City, Pa. 16033

GROUP VICE PRESIDENTS

Headquarters DEAN E. MOYER549 East Main St., Evans City, Pa. 16033

44th BG CHARLES J. WARTH5709 Walkerton Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio 4523893rd BG GLENN A. TESSMER

63 Brewster Rd., Sudbury, Mass. 01776389th BG ALBERT A. KOPP

914 Joy Ave., Rapid City, S.D. 57701448th BG KENNETH ENGELBRECHT

204 S. Archie Ave., Granville, III. 61326458th BG FRED J. VACEK186 Millbridge Road, Riverside, III. 60546

466th BG OR. JOHN JACOBOWITZLincoln at Millard, Three Rivers, Mich. 49093467th BG RAYMOND A. BETCHER366 Reitman Ct , Rochester, Mich. 48063

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Just prior to leaving for this years re-union at Colorado Springs I spent sometime reminiscing about the many events,pertaining to the Association, of 1972and 1973.

It had been a fun-filled year in spiteof the many problems. During this time,as President, I had the opportunity towork with many dedicated people — of-ficers of the Association and non-offi-cers.

To name only a few. Evelyn Cohenwho never, when I called her, ran awayand hid simply because she knew I hadto be calling with a problem. DeanMoyer who never groaned and moanedwhen he had to write checks but did socheerfully in the belief that moneyspent to advance the Association had tobe money well spent. The mini-reunionChairmen who responded to my requestthat they head up a reunion of theirparticular Group with out-right enthusi-asm.

The membership had grown to over1300 and the turn-out at this years re-union promised to be in the vicinity of600 plus. I was satisfied, I was happyand I was quite content to step asideand let somebody else enjoy the honor— and it is an honor — of being Presi-dent of the 2nd Air Division Associa-tion.

It was not to be.As your newly elected President for

1973 - 1974 I want to thank all of youfor this additional honor. It means thatI will have to work that much harderthis coming year to justify the trust youhave placed in my hands, but I wouldbe less than honest if I didn't say that Iwelcome the opportunity.

I was actually departing the scene, orso I thought, with the job only half

LOG OF THE LIBERATORS

by

SteveBirdsall

Nothing gives the Newsletter greaterpleasure than to be able to announcethat a book written by one of its mem-bers has been published and can be seenon bookstore shelves. There is one great-er pleasure and that is to be able to tellour members that they can purchase thebook from the Association at somethingless than the $12.95 bookstore price —$8.50 to be exact.

While Steve did not serve with the2nd Air Division he has been interestedin its history for many years. He haslong felt that the two by four was beingneglected by historians in favor of themore glamorous (????) kiddy-carteuphemisitcally referred to as the 'Fly-ing Fortress'! He set out to put therecord straight and in the process haswritten four other books.

The "Log of the Liberators" is un-doubtedly his best and a very potent an-swer to Edward Jablonski's 'Flying Fort-ress'. We are proud to have Steve as anAssociate Member of the Associationand proud to number him among thosewho contribute to the Newsletter regu-larly with his 'Time To Remember' ser-ies.

done. The Second Air Division Associa-tion is very capable of listing over 2000members. You have given me anotheropportunity to strike at this goal. ItCAN be achieved, but only with thehelp of all of you.

This year we had six mini-reunions.The 44th, 93rd, 389th, 448th, 467thand 466th. At next years reunion Iwould like to see six more. I am nowmaking a request for any member ofone of the other Groups, including theFighter Groups, to contact me for theexpressed purpose of heading up a mini-reunion for your particular Group. Todo this is exhilarating, exciting and theend result is very gratifying. So I beg ofyou, pitch in and let us hear from you.Evelyn Cohen and I — with help fromDean's check book — will give you everyassistance you need.

Once again, thank you all for this ad-ditional honor of being your Presidentfor another year. It is something I willcherish all my life.

Sincerely,Bill Robertie

Sample the following for suspensewhich, at the same time, is a fitting trib-ute to the ruggedness of the B-24: Cap-tain Keith Cookus Crossing the coast on the way

out they were tracked by mobile flakand the first feeling burst was so closeCookus could hear it. He began evasiveaction but thirty seconds later his planewas hit and thrown out of control. Asthe Liberator tumbled around the skyseven (7) shells found her. Cookuswrestled with the controls and droppedthe bomber down to 8000 feet to getaway as quickly as he could. He knewthere wasn't much of his Aircraft left:one of the shells had burst inside thebomb bay, ripping out the catwalkwhich also held the bottom of the fuse-lage together. It had killed the commandpilot, who had been standing betweenthe pilot and co-pilot, and blown theradio operator from the aircraft. Thenavigator was wounded and the top tur-ret gunner was bleeding. There was ahole in the middle of the plane just as ifa shark had taken a bite out of a fish.

Cookus and his co-pilot, Tiny Holla-day, were untouched. The intercom wasout and the second direct hit had shotthe number I engine to pieces, leaving ithanging by shreds. Cookus managed toget the prop feathered before he lost allof the oil pressure. The third hit hadblown out half of the number 2 engine,leaving him nothing to feather. Number3 was burning, set afire by the flash of anear miss, and it trailed a long streamerof black smoke, streaked with red.Cookus had to leave it burning becausehe would have no chance of gettingback to the English Coast without it. Sohe looked the other way, but hecouldn't forget it because the fire beganfilling the aircraft with gas and oilsmoke.

There had been a direct hit in thebase of the nose turret, splinters sailingup all around the gunner, but althoughit blew the top right of his turret he wasnot hurt. He managed to extricate him-self from the mess and crawled back tothe cockpit to tell Cookus about anoth-er shell which had gone clean throughthe right wing. That shell, the seventh,had taken the right main landing gearwith it. Holladay leaned across andshouted "No use trying to get it down,Buck, we ain't got it with us now";Cookus grunted, because all the hydraul-ics were out anyway

This incident (you'll have to buy thebook to find out how it ends) is butone of many involving all the Groupsthat flew the B-24 Worldwide. I can saythat the 2nd Air Division Groups arewell represented although the informa-tion on some is sparse due to the fact

(Continued on Page 5)

2

A SURVEY OF U.S.A.A.F. ARTWORK IN EAST ANGLIA

by Steve Gotts

As readers of the June 1973 editionof this newsletter would have noted inthe article "The airfields — Thirty yearsafter", The Cambridge Aircraft Preserva-tion Society began a survey in 1972 tolocate and photograph, and where possi-ble recover examples of USAAF artworkin buildings once occupied by Americanairmen. The initial idea of the survey oc-curred to us back in October 1971,when we received a request from RogerFreeman (who needs little introduction)to photograph some existing murals atHorham airfield, one time home of the95th Bomb. Group, 3rd Air Division. Wewere absolutely staggered by what wesaw at Horham, and this undoubtedlyprovided us with the incentive to searchother airfields in the hope of findingmore artwork. Since that time, we havelocated period artwork and grafitti atten other airfields in East Anglia, rang-ing from pencil written mission lists tofour foot diameter unit insignia. Sadly,some of the stations we have visitedhave almost disappeared completely,leaving few buildings for us to inspect,and, although we are perhaps twentyyears too late in these particular cases,our society feels it very worth whilesearching for the artwork which has sur-vived, so that perhaps it can be pre-served as a fascinating part of wartimehistory.

One of the ex-USAAF stations whichwas inspected in 1972, Bottisham air-field, stituated about four miles east ofCambridge, seemed at first to offer littlein the way of buildings. However, wesoon learned that the living site was lo-cated in Bottisham village, about onemile from the airfield, and there wererumours that something in the way ofartwork still existed. On the 16th April,we made contact with the current ownerof the buildings, and were allowed tolook around them. We found paintingsin four of the buildings, most of themhaving been white-washed over duringthe period when the buildings were oc-cupied by displaced persons after thewar. The first building which receivedour attention was a "Nisson" type con-struction in great danger of collapsing onus! At the end of this building behind adoor marked "General Office" we dis-covered four circular unit insignia paint-ed on the brick end wall, almost invis-ible under a thin layer of white-wash.We got to work on these and soon iden-tified the insignia as those of the com-ponent squadrons of the 361st FighterGroup, the 374th, 375th & 376th Fight-er Squadrons. The fourth insignia pro-vided something of a mystery for us, aswe failed to identify it. It would seemthat it was probably the Group insignia,but, as the design was unofficial, it has

not been recorded anywhere in officialrecords. (If any 2nd AD. Associationmember can confirm our suspicions wewould be most grateful.) Framed by thefour insignia was the unmistakeableshape of a diving Thunderbolt, which atleast gave us some idea of when thesepaintings were made. This building hadlittle else to offer except for paintingsof the female form. Altogether, threewere found: two in the General Officeand one (with swimsuit) in an air-raidroom. All were painted on plaster-board,and we managed to salvage the face ofone, and 50% of another — the tophalf!!

11111111111111111111111

Top portion offemale painting sal-vaged from "Gen-eral Office". Botti-sham, Cambs. 23rdApril 1972.

The smallest building on the livingsite provided one of the best examplesof art discovered at Bottisham — a fourfoot 8th Air Force insignia, but the verybest was yet to come. In what musthave been a mess hall was the largestconcentration of artwork we had everseen in one building. To begin with, thegroup(?) and squadron insignia were re-peated on an end wall, with the excep-tion of that of the 375th FS which hadbeen destroyed by the partial demolitionof the wall. Once again, the P47 wasshown framed by the insignia, but thistime on the tail of a German fighter!Further down this building, near the en-trance door, we uncovered a superbpainting of the Statue of Liberty, andopposite it another 8th Air Force insig-nia — this time of the earlier design withstraight wings.

"Statue of Liberty" Mural in Mess Hall/Airmen's Club(?) Bottisham, Cambs. 6thMay 1972.

The next part of the building re-vealed that not all of the artwork hadbeen painted over. All along one outerwall were over half a dozen circular unitinsignia, obviously those of the varioussupport units assigned to the 361stFighter Group. Sadly, all of those onthis wall had suffered irreparable damagedue to damp, and the paint had flakedaway. However, one which had beenpainted on an inner wall still survived inalmost perfect condition.

Sole surviving support unit insignia (un-known) in Mess Hall/Airmen's Club(?) Bot-tisham, Cambs. 23rd April 1972.

Once again we were not able to iden-tify the insignia, so if any Associationmember can assist us on this one, wewould be very pleased. A typical ex-ample of the artwork which had beenpainted over was later discovered, quiteby chance a few feet from the previous-ly mentioned insignia. High up on theinternal wall we could just discern avague outline of something, and just be-low it, a hand painted letter was visibleon a concrete beam. Mounting a ladder,one of our members proceeded to scrubaway the flaking white-wash, revealing apainting of a B-17 being closely escortedby a yellow-nosed Mustang of the 361stFighter Group! After more brush-work,the solitary letter was found to be partof a rather poetic phrase: "Here's atoast to those who love the vastness ofthe sky". After this discovery, we close-ly inspected every wall in the buildingjust in case there were more works ofart. Minutes later we uncovered whatmust still rate as the most unusual paint-ing ever found — we can only describe itas a "flying tractor", complete with

(Continued on Page 8)

The "Flying Tractor" painting in MessHall/Airmen's Club(?) Bottisham, Cambs.6th May 1972.

3

624 TURN OUT FOR 26th REUNION (Continued from page 1) BOARD OF GOVERNORS

emotions. In retrospect, however, Idon't think there was anybody whowould have had it any other way. It wasan experience that everybody who at-tended will remember for the rest oftheir lives.

Air Force Academy Chapel

The hotel accommodations were ex-cellent. The hotel staff friendly, cooper-ative and eager to please. In short it wasthe same as being in your own home

and entertaining delightful guests. Every-one felt at ease and, as I've said so oftenin the past, there were no strangers.

The smoothness with which the en-tire affair went off is a tribute to Co-Chairmen Bill Brooks, our new VicePresident, and Hal McCormick. Howthey pulled it off with the minimumamount of confusion we had will foreverremain a mystery.

First of all there was the chuckwagondinner at the Flying 'W' Ranch where1400 people were served in 23 minutes!(local restaurants please take note.)Then there was the 'street' breakfastwhere over 6000 people in ColoradoSprings were served bacon, eggs, pan-cakes and coffee, all you could eat, forthe princely sum of $1.00. (Local econ-omists please take note.) All of thesegoodies were consumed while sitting onbales of hay, but don't knock it untilyou try it.We know this was the largest reunion

we have ever had and I dare say it wasthe best. Everybody was friendly, every-body was happy and everybody wentaway with the knowledge that a SecondAir Division reunion was indeed where itwas all at.

It is going to be very difficult to topthis one, but I venture to suggest that624 members are certainly going to try.

'TALLY-HO!' Shouted the Huntsmen;

'THERE GOES THE Cried GIs

-4

The sturdy American jeep, whichwent everywhere and did just abouteverything, played a new and unusualrole somewhere in England during theearly days of the war when it joinedred-coated British gentry in a traditionalstag hunt.

With a sergeant at the wheel and twoGIs standing in the rear, rifles to theirshoulders, the jeep bounded out of awood hot in pursuit of a frightened stag.Following closely was a pack of bayinghounds. Very much out of the money infourth place came red-coated Englishhuntsmen.The huntsmen were shouting

"Yoicks!" and "Tally-ho"!The Yanks were shouting, "There

goes the ----!"This cavalry charge from another age

dashed between a squad of Yankee

soldiers at rifle practice and their tar-gets. The unbelieving officer in chargegave the order to cease firing.

The soldiers stood and looked inamazement as the harassed stag fled inpanic across a stream, through ameadow and up a hill, with the jeep-borne amateur Robin Hoods' hot on itstail. The jeep jumped the stream withequal ease, came off embarllanents, andblazed a new trail across the meadow inits hazardous chase.

It can now be reported that the hun-gry Yanks didn't get the stag. But theydid get a strong reprimand from the of-ficers who halted their hunt and theadmonition that "one doesn't hunt inEngland unless one is invited."

The red-coats advised the Americansthat stag hunting in jeeps is definitelyfrowned upon. 'Gad, sir!'(ed. note. Anyone care to confess?)

Richard Q. Gurney

Chairman/.',

:*41Richard Quintin Gurney D.L., T.D.,

of Bawdeswell Hall, Norfolk comes froman old and established Norfolk family.His father, Quintin Gurney, was an orig-inal Governor of the Memorial Trust.

Dick Gurney is a Banker, Landowner,Farmer, President of the NorwichY.M.C.A., and a man who is full of goodworks. One of his recreations is huntingthe fox. He is also a fisherman and a fol-lower of other county pursuits.

He has been High Sheriff of Norfolk,Lord Mayor of Norwich (1961) and Presi-dent of the Norwich Chamber of Com-merce. He is a Rotarian and involved inmany organizations.

One of his ancestors was Elizabeth Frythe great prison reformer. He himself hasbeen a prison visitor. Currently he is Pro-vincial Grand Master for Freemasonry inNorfolk.

He is a local director of Barclays Bankand he is also on the Head Office Boardof the Bank. He is a Director of the Nor-wich Union Insurance Group. Married,with four children he was born in 1914.He served in the Army and was takenprisoner by the Italians 1939-1945.

The Gurney family, originally Quak-ers, have been an integral part of life inNorfolk for over two centuries. Relatedfamilies include the Barclays, Birkbecks,Buxtons and Hoares all associated with orpart of the banking houses of East Anglia,as well as being involved in other businessenterprises. He is not without his Ameri-can connections. His great, great grand-father, Joseph John Gurney, founded theQuaker College — Earlham — at Rich-mond, Virginia.To sum it up there have been few

deserving causes in post war Norfolk thathave not had Dick Gurney as sponsor,treasurer or supporter. A man of qualityand of character. A strong churchman heis also a lay reader.

NOTICE

The Newsletter is on the prowl forcopies of the Stars and Stripes,Life magazines and any printedmaterial pertaining to the waryears 1942-1945. We feel thatthese old publications would con-tain much of interest to our mem-bers. Any help would be greatlyappreciated. Send anything avail-able to William G. Robertie, P.O.Drawer B, Ipswich, Mass. 01938.

4

1974 - WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA THE CECIL G. GOWINGMEMORIAL FUND

Timme Plaza

The 1974 reunion of the Second AirDivision Association will be held in Wil-mington, North Carolina, July 24through the 28th.

Aaron Schultz (389th), the reunionChairman, has advised the Newsletterthat plans are well underway. He has al-ready reserved all but 20 rooms at theTimme Plaza — Deep water port ofcall .... complete with Battleship! —and is now in the process of finalizingarrangements for cook-outs, side tripsand other goodies. Hotel rates are$18.00 single and $22.00 double.

The Timme Plaza, by the way, has adock right at its front door. If you owna boat and live on the East Coast youcan sail the inland waterway right up tothe front desk. The Timme Plaza hasearned a reputation for being the pre-ferred business meeting and conventionhotel in North Carolina.

Also available nearby is a familycampground for those members whowould be thinking of bringing their owntrailer or camper to the runion. The air-port facilities has Piedmont Airlinesconnecting Wilmington with over 50cities. This should bring the traffic insmoothly to those who are traveling byair.

Complete details will be given in theJanuary Newsletter when all the looseends have been tied up. But do plan onattending. Our reunions are getting larg-er and more friendly with each passingyear. Don't miss out on what will un-doubtedly be the most enjoyable vaca-tion you have ever had.

It will be greatly appreciated if anymembers living in North Carolina get intouch with Aaron and give him somehelp. Aaron C. Schultz, P.O. Box 667,High Point, North Carolina 27261. GETINVOLVED!

REUNION SCHEDULE

1974 — Wilmington, North Carolina

1975 — Norwich, England — Alternative, Dallas - Fort Worth.

1976 — Valley Forge, Pennsylvania — Alternative, Boston, Mass.

LOG OF THE LIBERATORS(Continued from Page 2)

that requests forinformation frommembers of theseGroups went un-answered or wereneglected. But Ican truthfully say

5! that there issomething foreverybody and itis the first bookto give the ven-erable old 'Lib-erator' its justdues.

Buy it, you'lllove it.

\ • of /oitflogIh r

Ed. Note: Send check or money orderin the amount of $8.50 to William G.Robertie, P.O. Drawer B, Ipswich, Mass.01938. Steve is sending a signed book-plate to every member of the Associa-tion who purchases a copy. Allow ap-proximately three weeks for delivery,

NOTICEWe still need members to volunteerto head up a mini-reunion for theirparticular Group — be it Bomb orFighter Group. If your Group didnot enjoy the intimate get-togethera mini-reunion banquet offers thenwhy not pitch in with the rest ofus. We are ready, willing and able tohelp each and every one of you. Solets hear from you.

by Thomas Goodyear

I have been working on the idea ofestablishing a fund in memory of thelate Cecil Gowing, who died on May 7that the age of 75. Cecil was such a goodfriend to so many of us stationed nearhis Rackheath home during the waryears, and to so many Americans whovisited the area during the post-waryears, and he was so very interested inthe Trust, of which he was a member ofthe Board of Governors, that it seemsfitting for those of us who loved him tomake a lasting contribution to theMemorial Room to perpetuate hismemory.

Accordingly, I am establishing a"Cecil G. Gowing Memorial Fund" ac-count in the First National Bank ofCooperstown, N.Y. Money depositedinto this Fund will be used to purchasebooks to be given to the MemorialRoom. My idea is that we will seek suit-able advice in selecting books dealingwith subjects that interested Cecil. Hehad spoken about the need for morevolumes on aviation history. ColonelCapers A. Holmes, former Group Navi-gator at Rackheath and now retired andliving in Montgomery, Ala., is already atwork on a list of tentative selections. Iffunds permit, we may also purchasesome books on ornithology, anothersubject of vital interest to Cecil.My plan is to develop an attractive

bookplate for this memorial collection,and to have the books re-bound inmatching bindings. Lastly, we wouldhave a separate volume, similarly bound,listing the names of contributors to theFund.

I have written to Mrs. Cowing, andshe is most enthusiastic about our plan,and so is Mr. Hepworth, the Librarian.Judge Bryan, a Member of the Board ofGovernors, has likewise expressed hisapproval. I have set myself up as theadministrator of the project, and willreadily receive suggestions from anysource. I am going to England nextmonth, and will develop plans further atthat time.

So I am ready to receive contribu-tions, and I will be sending a special let-ter to those whom I know were friendsof Cecil. Already, I have one contribu-tion of $100. We would also considerdonations in the form of books suitablefor the collection, though we cannotaccept every volume sent in this waywithout consideration. Checks, payableto the "Cecil G. Cowing MemorialFund," can be sent to me at the follow-ing address:

Thomas GoodyearSpringfield Center, N.Y. 13468

5

MAKE SURE YOU ARE CARRYING THE MESSAGE FOR A STRONG AMERICA

Address by General Leon W. Johnson

As I settled down to prepare these words tomeet my commitment to talk to you to-night,my mind wandered. It seemed to turn the clockbackward. My mind focused vividly on thosealways trying, sometimes despairing, frequentlyhopeful, occasionally exhilarating days with theSecond Air Division .... the Second Air Divis-ion activated to control that ever growing massof B-24s and their most welcome little friendsthe P-47s, P-38s and the P-51s. The perform-ance of the aircraft was recalled with admira-tion, but the heart and the heart throb of thewar years was the performance of you — thepeople who made up that great division.

It is difficult to make a distinction betweenrelative contributions of members of the Di-vision. All showed a national loyalty, courage inadversity, demonstrated a devotion to duty, awillingness to work uncounted hours, an abilityto improvise if required and a dedication to themission — a quick ending of the war. The plac-ing of ones life on the line became common-place. Accepted but never relished.

WWII actions in which you stood the testare nearly thirty years behind us. In the inter-vening years most of us have moved in differentdirections. Some have fought in the two warssince then conducting yourselves with distinc-tion. Others have entered the fields of educa-tion and business. Regardless of the direction inwhich we have moved each has been dedicatedto peace, that ever elusive national status,which all world leaders proclaim as their objec-tives but which none has been able to obtain orsustain for even one generation.

Why has peace been so elusive? I believe it isbecause when we have it we quickly forget thecost we paid for it and the reason why the pricewas so high.

In 1926, when I was commissioned in theArmy, it appeared that a golden era was beforeus. Just eight years before, the war to make theworld "Safe for Democracy" had been success-fully brought to an end. We believed ours wasthe generation to enjoy the fruits of victory.Most even believed we would serve thirty yearswithout hearing a shot fired in anger, whilemany citizens considered us an unnecessaryluxury — if not worse.

Until 1932 there was no recognizableshadow foretelling the things to come. Then webegan to hear rumblings from Germany, we,junior officers did not take them very seriously.Yet seven years later, Hitler faced down Eng-land's, Chamberlain and France's Daladier, atMunich. That dictator, believing in the de-cadence of the capitalist countries, which hadnot responded when he started to rearm in de-fiance of the Treaty of Versailles, and whichhad let their defenses fall well below those hehad so quickly built in Germany, became con-vinced that the leadership of the west was weakand would never go to war against him. Thisperception of weakness directly led to the out-break of WW II. The U.S. was considered so faraway, so isolationist in thought and so mili-tarily weak, that Hitler believed he could over-run Europe before we woke up. Thus, in thecase of WW II peace was lost because of indecis-ion of western leadership based primarily uponthe known weakness of their military forces.

I believe it safe to say that peace in Koreaand South Vietnam was lost because of clashingideologies — in the U.S. a belief in self-deter-mination of the ruled and in the Communistworld a support of the doctrine that Com-munism is the wave of the future.

It is so hard for us to realize that all of theworld's people do not reason alike and that alldo not have the same basic concepts of "rightand wrong". I am not a student of the Bible norof the Koran, but I do know that the chiefvirtues of the Bible are "Truth" and "Love ofthy neighbor", whereas, I am informed that thechief virtue of the "Koran" is "revenge".

The United Nations recognizes the differ-ence, they do not have a chapel in their NewYork building but a "Room for Meditation",which any member of any nation can use asbest fits his worship.

I repeat, it is hard for us to realize that allmen do not think and believe alike. When Sen-ator Warren Austen was our Chief Delegate tothe United Nations, in the late 1940s, the Jewsand the Arabs were having their differences.The Senator rose and spoke, saying — "I do notunderstand why the Arabs and the Jews cannotget together and settle their differences in agood Christian manner."

This world which has been known as theFree World and the Communist World, since1945, is changing. We see new alignments devel-oping and possibly, we see more restraint bythe two super powers. This restraint lowers thelevel of fear of the smaller powers. This, inturn, makes our alliances, which were createdfor mutual protection in a period of fear, lessco-hesive.

I do not imply that Communism has aban-doned its avowed goal of spreading its ideology.

This restraint does not mean that there may notarise differences between the Soviets and our-selves. But, if we maintain a military strengthwhich is recognized by the Soviets as sufficientto rstaliate against them to an unacceptablelevel, should there be war, it should deter themfrom actions which could lead to a direct con-frontation with us. Any lesser U.S. Military pos-ture would encourage the Soviets and in thecase of a confrontation, would leave the U.S. inthe same type of position which the British andFrench faced at Munich, in 1939.

Therefore this is a plea, that you acceptdetente, which we all want, as a desirable posi-tion but one in which our strategic forces mustcontinue to be maintained at a level adequateto convey a message of strength.

This can only be done with the support ofthe American people, you who fought in WW IIand who saw the penalty of lack of equipmentand crews, in 1942 and 1943, must be able tosee the dangers of military weakness in theyears ahead ....

Make sure you are carrying the message fora strong America.

TO KEEP GOING THE SPIRIT THAT KEPT US GOING

Address by Thomas C. EatonVice-Chairman, Memorial Trust

Mr. Chairman, Mr. President,General Johnson and Friends

Since I arrived here I have appeared on T.V.twice, given an interview to the press, spoken atall mini re-unions, addressed the business meet-ing on Friday (perhaps for too long) andspoken to so many of you that I have lostcount. I really wonder what more there is I cansay. I do not even have the advantage of theparson, who when asked how he managed topreach two sermons on Sunday, said that in themorning he preached with his false teeth in andin the evening with them out!

One thing I can say and I am prepared torepeat this again and again is to say a heartfelt,warm and very sincere thank-you for your hos-pitality — generosity — companionship andfriendship this week, not only to me personallybut for my son David who has enjoyed himselfto the full. We both have. God willing, we shallbe back and next time I intend to bring mywife.

As I have spoken to so many of you thisweek, and experienced the spirit and comrade-ship of the 2nd Air Division Association I havebeen reminded so much of Belloc's lines —

"From quiet homes and first beginningOut to the undiscovered endsThere's nothing worth the wear of winningBut laughter and the love of friends"

They echo how I feel and of my feelings foryou and I cannot say more.

Those lines were written before the adventof Hitler and the tyranny which we joined to-gether to defeat. They could only have beenwritten in freedom.

When men and women face death, suffertyranny or have a comparable experience, it isas if the scales drop from our eyes and we seewhat really matters in life.

I have the honour to belong to the RoyalNorfolk Regiment, one of whose Battalionsfought at the Battle of Kohima, when theJapanese advance into India was halted. On thememorial to those killed in that battle is in-scribed these words: —

"When you go homeTell them of us and sayFor your tomorrowWe gave our day"

Those of us who were P's-O-W in the Far Easttook as our motto in our post war Association

'To keep going the spirit that kept us going':

Whilst the 2nd Air Division has inscribed inits memorial those lovely words — "In memoryof those men, who flying from bases in theseparts, gave their lives defending freedom". Suchmoving words in each case were carved out ofthe harsh experience of War.

Those of you, and your comrades, who hadthe vision to create the Memorial Trust, theAmerican Room and the American Library sawwith the clarity that comes only from the holo-caust of War that although from time to timethe sword is needed if freedom is to be pre-served, it is indeed the pen, through the printedword, that is mightier than the sword, and it isfrom the stimulus of a Library of books, in ourcommon heritage of the English language, thatprogress is achieved and friendships made.

And so the American Memorial Library isnot just an unique memorial, a collection ofbooks or a room in which is kept the Roll ofHonour of those who died that we might live. Itis above all a means by which all people of allages in Norwich and Norfolk, and indeed else-where, through the stimulus of the mind.

May re-new, and re-renew, all that is best inlife. That is the spirit in which we try to admin-ister your trust. It is in that spirit I thank youall for all you have done and are doing.

But above all it is in that spirit that togetherwe face the future.

6

LETTERS

Dear Bill:Our many thanks to you for allowing the

Staff of the Antlers Plaza Hotel to serve therecent conference needs of the Second Air Di-vision Association.We have every hope that your conference

was an outstanding success and that you en-joyed your stay with us. We would like noth-ing more than the opportunity to once againwork with you and will enjoy hearing fromyou on any future needs that may arise.

Again, many thanks for allowing us thepleasure of doing business with your finegroup.

Best personal regards.Sincerely,Bob HutchinsonDirector of SalesAntlers Plaza Hotel

Dear Bill:I have just returned from a seven week

tour of Europe where I visited Mr. F. A. Free-man who suggested I write to you for fullparticulars on joining the 2nd Air DivisionAssociation. I was a navigator assigned to the458th Bomb Group at Horsham in 194445. Iwas shot down over Germany in Feb. 1945and spent 4 months in a prison camp. My tripto Europe was to photograph the places inGermany that I remember from 1945 and totry and locate the crash site of the plane thatwe bailed out of. I was very successful thanksto Mr. Freeman and several German amateurhistorians in all cases.

I am still looking for a photo of our plane,the Iron Duke, B24J call letter I Item No.491 assigned to the 754th Squadron of the458th at Horsham. Roger thought it would bea good idea to put a request for pictures inyour periodical and perhaps a crew chief orsomeone might come up with something.

However I would like to join and wouldalso like full info on the reunion in ColoradoSprings which I would like to attend. Pleaselet me hear from you as soon as possible.

Sincerely,Dick Eselgroth11963 McDonald St.Culver City, Cal. 90230

(Ed. note: Can anyone help Dick find a photoof his "Iron Duke"? And welcome aboardDick.)

Dear Bill:David and I arrived home on Thursday

evening after a delightful and most interestingten days with the Morans. This was a verypleasant addition to our six days at ColoradoSprings and the generous hospitality and warmwelcome which you all gave us there.We did enjoy ourselves and I cannot ex-

press adequately in words our appreciation ofall you did for us, whilst I thought the con-vention itself was a great success. Please passon to all concerned our very special thanks.

I am so glad I made the journey to Colo-rado Springs and your 26th Convention. Itwas so well worthwhile and most enjoyable.

I have already sent my report to the Eng-lish Governors and I shall be writing JordanUttal with his copy tomorrow.We look forward to welcoming you both to

Norwich this Autumn when I hope we may beable, in some measure, to reciprocate yourkindness to us.

Until then our very best wishes to all andour warm and sincere thanks for all that wasdone for us.

Yours ever,Tom Eaton

(Ed. note: The pleasure was ours Tom, andour own sincere thanks to Joanne and DallasMoran for their generous offer of help.)

Dear Bill:On behalf of the Committee and staff of

the Norwich Public Libraries I send you bestwishes for the success of your Convention. Itscarcely seems a year since we were altogetherin Norwich, happy to note the enthusiasm ofyour comrades in viewing again the bases fromwhich they flew a generation ago.

The American Memorial Room is a muchprized department of the Norwich Public Li-braries, and one that I am proud to have asso-ciated with the Library service. As you know,one of my predecessors, Mr. Tom Eaton, iscoming to Colorado with his son, and I knowthat he and you together will once more drawtogether the links which bind us.

I conclude with an expression of my sin-cere gratitude for the services your Associa-tion has rendered to the Memorial Room inthe past.

Yours sincerely,G. E. Amiss, ChairmanNorwich Public LibrariesCommittee

Lt. Col. John Woolnough:After all these years I have just found out

about your association from my son who is inthe Colorado Civil Air Patrol. It seems one ofhis officers had just returned from the Colo-rado Springs meeting.My crew and I were at Attlebridge from

Sept. 44 thru Feb. 45. After our 35th missionmy crew went home and I was assigned to the8th night weather recon group.

I still remember our 100th mission party. Ican't remember my ships name but our callletter was "Eglam E Easy".

Bits of memories are trying to come back.Membership and your newsletter should help.Enclosed is my check for $3.00.

Robert F. Jonas8711 Galen Ct.Thornton, Colo. 90229

Dear Bill:A brief letter to let you know how much

my wife and I enjoyed the reunion. The highpoint of course was the Memorial Service atthe Air Force Academy.

It was well worth all of the many hours Ispent looking for ex2nd Air Division mem-bers. Al Kopp did a wonderful job and I amsure glad he is back in the saddle for anotheryear. We are working on the plans for nextyear.

In case you don't know, Pashal Quacken-bush had the original copy of the 389th insig-nia in his possession and let me borrow it sowe could have copiesmade and possiblypatches for the boys ifenough of them re-quest them. See en-closed.

Bill, would it bepossible to get a copyof the film youshowed at the reunion.I plan to get some ofthe local boys together who could not make itto the reunion. Let me know the cost and liiforward a check to you.Am trying to obtain information regarding

the group that flew out of Leuchars Scotland.Paul Trissel and Abe Hallor flew with thesame outfit and neither of them could give meany information concerning the numerical des-ignation. When I get the info I'll have anothershort sory for you. It might take some timethough.

Keep up the good work Bill...As EverEarl Zimmerman

(Ed. note: We also are happy that Al hasagreed to ram-rod another mini reunion Earl,but don't forget your own effortv. I think Alwill agree with me when I say 'you did a won-derful job in assisting him'. Having theDocumentary copied is 'in the mill'.

Dear Bill,Well, we're back home but things have yet

to settle down. We had a good flight fromDenver to Mpls and then drove back to mymothers place in Brainerd, about 120 milesfrom Mpls. Wouldn't you know it took longerto go that distance than from Denver to Mpls.We really enjoyed ourselves at the reunion

and want to express our thanks to you formaking it all happen for us.

After everything was over and lookingback, I think the most impressive part of thewhole thing was the memorial service at theacademy, I must admit I'm not to good atthose things and was a little embarrassed tohave tears come to my eyes a couple of times.Then I looked around and saw others, menand women, in the same boat so then I didn'tfeel to bad.

Hope to see you in North Carolina. Don'tyou think St. Louis would be better?? Cen-trally located and everything —Give our bestwishes to Hazel and write when you findtime. I know you probably have an avalancheof mail to answer.

Sincerely,Don & Mimi Olds

Dear Mrs. Cohen,Please accept my $3.00 as admission into

what appears to be a fine organization.Allow me a few minutes of your time, for

I would like to ask a favor. My father was aB-24 Engineer/Gunner during the war, as-signed to the 564th Bomb Squadron, 389thBomb Group, and I am sure he would be in-terested to hear of your organization. Further,I read on page ten of your June issue NewsLetter, a letter by Al Kopp making mentionof a 389th reunion, which would also be ofinterest to him. If it would not be to muchtrouble could you send my father a member-ship application to your organization, and in-formation or an address to which he can writeto learn more about the 389th reunion. Hisaddress is: Mr. Frank Vadas, 1026 So. 9thStreet, Allentown, Pennsylvania, 18103.

Another interesting note is that on 12 De-cember 1944, Flight Engineer T/Sgt. FrankVadas was stationed at Charleston A.A.F. go-ing through B-24 flight training prior to beingsent oversea's, when he was notified of thebirth of his son. Twenty-nine years later I amalso in the Air Force, stationed at CharlestonA.F.B., and am a Flight Engineer on a M.A.C.C-141 Starlifter.

Thank you for your time.Sincerely,S/Sgt. John F. Vadas U.S.A.F.5257 Dorchester Rd. No. 35Charleston Heights, S.C. 29405

Dear Bill:I am currently writing a book about Nor-

folk airfields (mostly 2nd Air Division) andbuilding a history of the men and machinesaround them. The airfields I am mostly inter-ested in are: _Horsham St. Faith; Hardwick;Rackheath; Hethel; Shipdham; Attlebridge.

I would be very grateful, if in your capac-ity as 2nd Air Division News Letter editor,could you send me any information and ma-terial on any of the airfields and the 2nd ADas a whole? If you could forward any address-es and names of ex-personnel on these baseswho now organize various associations I wouldbe indebted to you.

I believe you are an ex-member of theShipdham "Flying Eight Balls" and wouldwelcome any contribution from yourself.

I would be more than happy to exchangephotographs etc.

I therefore look forward to hearing fromyou and add a wish for your continued inter-est.

Yours sincerely,Martin W. Bowman95 Westwood DriveHellesdon, NorwichNOR 27L, England

7

U.S.A.A.F. ARTWORK IN EAST ANGLIA (Continued from page 3)

wings, a propeller and a shot-gun mount-ed on the bonnet! Extensive brush-worklater revealed a small infant attemptingto start the engine by turning the pro-peller, and the driver was found to besinging that well-known ditty: "Off wego — into the wild blue yonder"! Notonly were the words painted on the wall— the sheet music was also provided!

Drawing of ship done with colored chalks/crayons. Bottisham, Cambs. 23rd April1972.

The fourth building which was foundto contain artwork, supplied us with yetanother mystery. Several items werefound, and three of them were it seemsdrawn with coloured chalks or crayons.One drawing was of a ship — possiblythe 'Queen Mary'(?), the second was of

Lloyd A. Haug 467th and PastPresident Ken Darney 467th

Pretty wife and Lenard - Lud-wig that is. 44th Hdq.

a railway train and the third a caricatureof a cook. The odd thing about thecook was that he was labelled 'R A F'and 'V R' which would seem to indicateRoyal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.

Caricature of cookdrawn with colored

chalks/crayons. Bot-tisham, Cambs.23rd April 1972.

We understand that Bottisham wasoccupied by a R.A.F. Mustang Squadronbefore the U.S.A.A.F. arrived, and sothese could have been drawn at thattime. Or, were there perhaps R.A.F. per-sonnel stationed in the living quarters atthe same time as the 361st FighterGroup Personnel? If any Associationmember can throw any light on thisproblem, we would be pleased to hearfrom him! We would also very muchlike to know who the artist(s) were atBottisham, and whether they are still

with us today. Perhaps they (or he)would be interested to know that mostof the artwork is still in existence, pro-viding a sharp contrast with the oddthings which now occupy the buildingsthey are in!

NOTICE

The Newsletterhas just been ad-vised by the Pub-lisher that RogerFreeman's "TheMighty Eighth"is once again inprint. I knowthat many ofyou already havea copy, but forthose of youwho missed outon the first print-ing your in luck.While this book

is now selling in the bookstores for$15.95 you can purchase a copythrough the Association for $11.50.Send check or money order to Wil-liam G. Robertie, P.O. Drawer B,Ipswich, Mass. 01938.

PORTRAIT GALLERY1973 Reunion, Air Force Academy, Colorado

Bill Robertie, Tom Eaton andDavid Eaton.

Joyce and Jordan Cita!, Hdq.

A portion of the 44th BG gather for a group portrait.

Betty and Dr. JohnJacobowitz. 466th

Former WACJackie Hanify— a real doll

Col. Griffin, Gen. Johnson andMike Fusano. 44th

Bobbie and Col. Griffin — Jo and JoeWarth 44th — and they are just asnice as they look.

Past President Joe Whittakerand Wife. Hdq.

Evelyn Cohen, MembershipSecretary, and Bill Robertie