Major Joseph Chestnut

Here is a photo of my Mom's P.O.W. bracelet from the 1970's. I had been looking for it for a couple of years and luckily, it was recently found. These bracelets were a common sight during the 70's, each with the name of a P.O.W. or someone who was listed as MIA. I have thought about learning more about Major Chestnut and doing a speech about him, but my efforts from a few years ago were in vain. But, maybe I will try again sometime to learn this person's story. I found out a few things about him online and if you click the picture, it will bring you to some basic information. His remains were identified and returned to the U.S. in 1995 and he is now buried at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola, FL. If you have any information for me about Major Chestnut, please contact me by email (under my profile).

Or Go Down In Flame

Or Go Down In Flame: A Navigator's Death Over Schweinfurt was written by the Navigator's younger brother, W. Raymond Wood. The Navigator was 2nd Lt. E.S. Wood of the 306th Bomb Group. This book serves a primer to all amateur historians, such as myself, on how to research this particular area of history. Wood lists his sources in the back of the book and even details how to get the most out of these resources. This book was recommended to me by Jack Grothe, whom I met last summer when I spoke at the Friends of Jefferson Barracks. I learned a lot from this book on a variety of related topics, from the role of the Navigator, how to improve my research in the area where a bomber was shot down and even a lot about my Grandfather's old outfit: the 305th Bomb Group. I only wish that Wood would have gone into how his brother's death affected him and his family more...more of his personal feelings, especially when he visited the village over which his brother was shot down and killed. I was confused by the title for some time, but in small print on the back cover it has the motto (I guess) of the 306th Bomb Group: "We live in fame or go down in Flame..."

Jefferson Barracks Park

In 1986, when I was 17 years old, I
visited Jefferson Barracks Park with my friend Shane on our way to pick up his sister in Illinois. We had found the park looking for a place to view the Mississippi River. Little did I know then what a big role the park would later play in my life. In 1997 my wife and I moved from Springfield to St. Louis and we lived in an apartment only a few miles from the park. We immediately took to the place and began walking there every weekend morning and many evenings as our schedule allowed. After Teddy was born, we began walking with him at the park. Teddy's first walk at JB was in his stroller when he was 2 months old, he still had his TPN bag attached to his PIC line, back when everyday was life and death; now he romps through the park like he owns it...a big healthy 10 year old boy. We have had a lot of great times at JB and it is probably my favorite place in the whole metro area of St. Louis. We have met a lot of nice people there over the years, other regulars, like Mr. & Mrs. Hill (pictured). They walk the opposite direction as we do, so we often run into them and talk for a few minutes. Teddy is always excited to see them and they make a big deal out of talking to Teddy and praising our dog Buster...really special people.

JB has lot of wooded areas along the trail and lots of deer, birds and Teddy's favorite: snakes. I also love how rich in history the park is. It first opened in 1826 as a military post and served that function until 1946. Lots of famous military leaders served here over the years including William T. Sherman, Robert E. Lee and the one I most often think about walking over the same ground as we do now: Ulysses S. Grant.

The park is also home to several small museums that are really nice, one of which is the temporary home of the WWI medallions which inspired me to research and speak about Ulysses Tebbs. Just to the south are some of the original barracks buildings and a large Army Reserve/National Guard Base (see the photo above) and just a little further to south is Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, which is one of the largest federal cemeteries in the nation and happens to be where 6 members of the Hetzler Crew are buried.

After walking here about 100 times a year for 13 years, we have a long history with the park and more stories than will fit on this blog entry. We highly recommend a visit to the park and cemetery.

Dream

I know I am doing a lot of research when I start to dream about it. This particular dream was more of a nightmare, but it was realistic and gave me a picture of the last seconds in the Cockpit for the Hetzler Crew in their B-24. On March 23, 1944, flying at 21, 000 feet above the small German village of Alverskirchen, the formation began to encounter a barrage of intense flak...deadly accurate. The Crew was flying a B-24 named Fritzi since their Jayhawker was being repaired again from combat damage. My dream was like a movie, it was in color, but everything had an old fashion greenish tint. My view was from the pilot's seat. I could hear the roar of the 4 engines, the feeling of stress on the bomb run (the target was a small Nazi Airbase) and just wanting to hurry up and get this part over with, when an ear ringing, deafening explosion lurched the aircraft down in a left bank at an awkward attitude. I looked to my right and clearly recognized Co-Pilot Ken Brett from the many pictures I have seen of him and it was strange to see him in live motion. He was all business and a complete professional, even in this emergency. We both went to work on the controls, but instead of the familiar pressure, all was limp, we had absolutely no control of the plane. I looked at Brett again and now saw a look of hopelessness and resignation, which I must have shared...I panicked, which woke me up...it was 4:00 in the morning...I never did fall back to sleep and went to school tired, but I was thankful for the picture I now have in my mind of an event that I have studied so much, but wish had never happened. My daydream is to be with the crew in happier circumstances, such as flying with them across the Atlantic to their base in England, I would love to have had that dream instead. But, one of my fondest wishes is to be able to travel back in time and this is as close as I will ever get.

The photo is courtesy of George Reynolds via Darin Scorza.

One of my Kids...

A sad day for me today. I saw in the newspaper yesterday that Sgt. Chris Cooper died in Iraq while serving in the Army. He was one of my original students in German I, back when I was a first year teacher. I have lost students before, but this was the first one to be lost while in service to his country. Amazingly, before joining the Army, Chris had served 5 years in the Marines and had already served one tour of duty in Iraq. The obituary said he absolutely loved the military and that he was known for random acts of kindness such as "dropping a twenty-dollar bill in the lap of the homeless to picking up tattered American Flags that littered the streets after September 11th." Many friends and brothers from the Army and Marines left messages on his obituary site in the paper such as the following:

To the family of SGT. Christopher Cooper. All of Bravo Company 2-28 wishes to extend our sincere condolences on the loss of your son and our brother in arms. He was a great Soldier and leader and will be missed greatly.

Chris did well in life despite my novice skills as a teacher that first year...I just wish he knew how proud I am of him.

Giant City State Park

Last weekend we spent the night in a cabin at Giant City State Park Lodge in southern Illinois. Teddy didn't want to go and was anxious about the trip. We explained that it was a short trip and told him exactly what to expect. We've learned that he has a lot of anxiety about the unknown and it helps to go over everything in advance and paint a visual picture for him.

Like we hoped, he really loved the little cabin, the trails, climbing the water tower and he especially liked playing checkers in the "living rooms" at the lodge.

On an historical note, the lodge and cabins were built by the CCC in the 1930's by Company # 696. The lodge restaurant (or cafeteria, as Teddy called it) has an old photo of the Company (about 200 young men) that built it.

We had a great weekend here, it is a short drive from St. Louis and Teddy is ready to go back next year!

2 down 8 to go!

Last Saturday, I presented a slide-show presentation about Staff Sergeant Donald E. Davis, Tail-Gunner on the Hetzler Crew, in his hometown of Anna, IL. We had a really wonderful weekend and a fantastic trip. This is the 2nd crew member that I have spoken about in their hometown. We have decided to take our vacations for the next few years to all of the hometowns of the Hetzler Crew, so we have 2 down and 8 to go!
My talk was presented at the VFW's Carroll P. Foster Post No. 3455 in Anna and it was sponsored by the Union County Historical and Genealogy Society. There were about 60 people in attendance including Donald's younger brother William Davis (pictured with me) and several of Donald's nieces and nephews. A bus also dropped off a group of men from the local Veteran's home. It was a dream come true, to meet people who knew Donald and to be able to honor his memory in his hometown. A local newspaper reporter was in attendance and I made the local TV news that evening!

We took this opportunity to make this trip a little vacation and we stayed at Giant City State Park, which is only a few miles from Anna and had a great time there...more on that in the next entry. Now, all of our talk is where to go next, we have family contacts with two more crew members, one in Wyoming and the other in Buffalo, so our choice is Yellowstone or Niagara Falls! Not a bad choice, Teddy will love either one!

Inferno: The Fiery Destruction of Hamburg

Written by the British Author Keith Lowe, Inferno is, quite simply, one of the best history books that I have ever read. In the Summer of 1943, RAF and USAAF bombers dropped 9,000 tons of bombs on Hamburg in the course of 10 days. In one raid alone, the RAF sent 792 bombers over Hamburg. Because of the blend of incendiary bombs, the architectural make-up of Hamburg and the meteorological conditions on that particular night a fire Hurricane, complete with lightening was created. Many cities, such as Dresden and even Hamburg on a previous raid, had experienced firestorms, but this "was in a whole different league. The winds reached speeds of at least 120 mph and in some places as high as 170 mph." The victims trying to flee the flames, also had to fight the winds because the winds were blowing in the direction of the fire to feed the flames. The heat in some areas climbed to an incredible 800 degrees Celsius!

The horror experienced on the ground is well documented in this book and Keith Lowe has a real talent for bringing the past to life. One horrific scene that was seared into my memory was of one mother who evacuated the city to Bavaria with the corpse of her child: The woman had dropped her suitcase and its contents were spread "across the platform, among the toys, manicure case and singed underwear was 'the roasted corpse of a child, shrunk like a mummy, which its half-deranged mother has been carrying about with her, the relic of a past that was still intact a few days ago.'" In the end about 44,000 people lost their lives in these raids.

Lowe tells both sides of the story very well. He also describes the bravery and horrors that were experienced by the men that flew the bombers. Of course, I read a lot about the USAAF in England, but until I read this book, I didn't have much knowledge of the RAF's Bomber Command and the various aircraft they flew, such as the Short Stirling, which he describes in British fashion as a "gentleman's aircraft". Lowe treats the experience of both sides with historic fairness.

Even though Lowe is usually a novelist, he writes history so well, that I recommend this book to everyone, even to those who don't normally read history.

The Harold Hetzler Crew

In the course of my research, I was sent a new photo that means a lot me and certainly will mean a lot to the family members of the Hetzler Crew. This photo was graciously sent to me by one of S SGT Donald Davis' nephews. I believe this photo was taken near the end of October, 1943 in Elko, NV. The whole crew had a 6 day leave and really enjoyed themselves; "tore up the town" as they themselves put it. Since they were shot down and killed in action only a few months later, I am always happy to see that they had a good time in their short lives. The officers and enlisted men in this crew are obviously very close and disregarded the protocol that mandated that officers and enlisted men were not allowed to fraternize. I am sure that Harold and the other officers were in charge in the air, but on the ground, they were equals. This may have its roots in the fact that Harold was an enlisted man for 3 years before being promoted to Flight Officer. I believe he understood his men, showed them respect and knew how to create Esprit de Corps. This is a skill that many leaders don't seem to understand anymore, but in this circumstance, it was a matter of life and death to get the best from your men.

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about any of these men, please contact me: kirbhund at sbcglobal.net

The Sigmond Hons Crew

Today, I received parts of a B-24 Liberator Bomber in the mail! These parts are from a B-24 that crashed on November 16, 1943 in the desert near Tonopah, Nevada. The men on board this ship were in the same squadron as the Hetzler Crew. Donald Davis, the Tail Gunner on the Hetzler Crew wrote home about this crash:

Did you read in the paper about the plane that crashed here? They were in our flight. Their crew played our crew a football game while we were waiting for the ships to be gassed and oiled. They took off 2 planes ahead of us. They got about 200 ft. in the air and went right straight down. One of the guys had a cold, so the doctors wouldn't let him go up. 8 of them got killed and the other one got hurt pretty bad but is going to live. Boy that is awful isn't it.


I wrote Allen Metscher of the Central Nevada Museum to get more information about this crash. Mr. Metscher has placed 17 markers to memorialize fatal crash sites near what was Tonopah Army Air Field. This work is known as the Tonopah Army Air Field (TAAF) Project. He said that when he placed the marker at this site 20 years ago, there were still gouge marks in the ground and hundreds of small pieces of the aircraft covering the area. Not only did Mr. Metscher send me a photo of the memorial marker, he also sent me the parts from the aircraft that you see above.
Training flights were dangerous enough, not to mention the dangers of combat flying. Unfortunately, these would not be the last friends from the 458th Bomb Group that the Hetzler Crew would lose, before they themselves were shot down over Germany on March 23, 1944.
For more information about this crash, including photos of the crew, the crash and an eyewitness account from the only survivor, go to: http://www.458bg.com/crew16hons.htm

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

This morning we visited Wilson's Creek National Battlefield near my hometown of Springfield, MO. Teddy really enjoyed the museum, film, trails and markers in the park. As you can see, we had perfect October weather and the trees were peaked in color.

Wilson's Creek was the 2nd major battle of the Civil War, taking place on August 10, 1861 in hideous heat and humidity. 5 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroics in this battle. During the battle, Union General and rising star Nathanial Lyon was killed in action; the first general to be killed in the civil war. This battle was all about whether Missouri would remain part of the Union or join the Confederacy. Outnumbered, the Union lost this battle, but fought well enough to set up a Union victory early the next year at Pea Ridge, Arkansas that would keep Missouri safely in the Union for the rest of the war.

In the photo you can see Teddy at the sight where German-American General Franz Sigel and his St. Louis German-American troops mistook confederate forces for friendly, gray-clad Iowa troops. The mistake was costly for the Union in this battle and the audio to which Teddy is listening quotes the Germans in their confusion: Sie haben gegen uns geschossen! (They are shooting at us!) In the early 90's I was a volunteer at this park, which helped me get on as a seasonal Park Ranger at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Wilson's Creek is still one of my very favorite places to visit.

Flight Officer Charles W. Callahan

Flight Officer Charles W. Callahan was the Navigator on the Hetzler Crew that was shot down in a B-24 Liberator over Germany on March 23, 1944. Callahan was from Brooklyn and one of his duties was to use the interphone and report headings to the Pilot and Co-Pilot from his Navigator's desk. I can imagine that Callahan's "brooklynese" would have provided character, romance and in a tense combat situation a certain level of confidence to the crew. I like to think they called him "Brooklyn". Callahan was the youngest officer on board at just 21 years of age. His father, John Callahan, was a proud Irish fireman. Both of his parents were from Ireland, or the Free State of Ireland as he put on the Census in 1930. His mother, Mamie Callahan, was also the daughter of immigrants and ironically, both of her parents were from Germany. In 1930 the census list that he had two siblings: John, who was one year older and Dorothy who was 3. He apparently had a younger sibling born after the census. On his World War II Honoree certificate for the WWII Memorial he is honored by Ms. Joan Callahan, Sister. It is possible that all 3 of these siblings are still living. We are having a difficult time finding family members so far and searching in big area like Brooklyn adds to the challenge, but we will get it done...these men seem to want their story told and I have pledged to do my best to tell that story and honor their memory.

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about Charles W. Callahan, please contact me: kirbhund@sbcglobal.net

My Father-in-Law

My Father-in-law, Ronald C. Lawrence, passed away on August 5, 2009 after a short, but brutal battle with kidney cancer. He was 71 years old. Luckily, he was in good health until a few months before his death. He also enjoyed a long retirement after leaving McDonnell Douglas in 1995. Except for a short stint at Emerson Electric, he spent his career as an engineer at McDonnell Douglas (later Boeing after it merger in 1997). He was the consummate Cold Warrior, doing his part to win the Cold War with his intellect and slide rule. In addition to working on the Gemini and Skylab programs, his main work was on the development and deployment of the Harpoon Missile System in South Korea and Denmark. I always thought he would have fit right in with the mission control guys in the space program and I always think of him when I watch Apollo 13. More down to earth, he was good at helping us install ceiling fans and garage doors!

I first met Ron in 1992 when I began dating his youngest daughter. As with most father-in-laws, I was greeted with suspicion and ultimately judged unfit and not good enough for his daughter, but in the end I respected him because he was an extremely good Grandpa to my son and I believe I gained his respect with my dedication to my son. He is sorely missed and I am very sorry that my 9 year old son lost his grandfather he loved so much.

Update Jerry Lynde

Great news! About a month ago, I focused on finding living relatives of Jerry Lynde of the Hetzler Crew and today my efforts paid off! Today I learned from a close family friend that Jerry's sister is still alive and is 86 years old. She was 3 years younger than Jerry. She still lives in Wyoming, not far from where they grew up in Recluse. Luckily, she has letters and photographs, which are going to be copied and sent to me.

I learned a little bit about him today: Right after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jerry was boiling with anger as many Americans were that day. He traveled to Billings the next day and joined the Army Air Corp. His enlistment record shows that he did indeed join the military shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Also, Jerry was a real cowboy. His father owned a ranch and Jerry owned a horse named "Bill". He loved country dancing and all of the girls loved to dance with him. Jessie always wanted to dance with her older brother herself, but because of all of the other girls at the dances she didn't get to and was jealous.

Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot

Jimmy Stewart was one of the few Hollywood celebrities to actually serve in a combat role during WWII. He actually had to pull strings to get into combat. He ended up flying 20 missions in B-24 bombers based in East Anglia (an area north of London centered around Norwich). He joined the army a few months before WWII as a Private and by the end of the war he was a full Colonel. I was especially interested in this book because he flew the same type of bomber at about the same time as the Hetzler Crew. Stewart was always an epitome of himself and by all of the accounts in this book, he was pretty much the same man in real life as on screen. Many quoted him as we know him: "Aw shucks fellas" or "just a doggone minute now". Interestingly, his first role in Hollywood after the war was as George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the air war in Europe or in Jimmy Stewart.

Ulysses Tebbs' Gravesite

One of my history research projects that I am working on right now is about a WWI soldier named Ulysses Tebbs. Tebbs was an African American soldier from St. Louis that was a member of the famed 369th Infantry Regiment, The Harlem Hellfighters. A few months ago I wrote the American Battle Monuments Commission and asked for a photo of Tebbs' gravesite. Not only did I receive the photo, but they also sent a poster of the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in which he is buried. I also received photos of the two Hetzler Crew members that are buried in Europe as well. Really cool stuff!

Russell B Jones, Radio Operator

On the banks of Lake Superior in the year 1922, Ed and Ruth Jones of Duluth, Minnesota gave birth to their third son, Russell. Little did his parents know that 21 years later this baby would die in a horrific and terrifying explosion, 21,000 feet above Nazi Germany, when his B-24 bomber was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Russell was the Radio man on the Hetzler Crew. Russell joined the Air Corps in November of 1942 and became part of the Hetzler Crew about a year later when it was formed in Wendover, Utah. I don't know that I will find any of Russell's siblings unless his parents had additional children after the 1930 census. His two older brothers, Vincent and Wallace, would be about 91 and 88 years old if still living. Russell is buried here in St. Louis at Jefferson Barracks along with 5 of his crew mates, so he is most likely one of the men that went down with the plane.

According to the census of 1920 and 1930, Russell's father was a drayman, which I guess is an old fashioned name for a truck driver, but maybe they meant driving a wagon pulled by horses, I'm not sure. Typical for the upper mid-west, Russell was of Scandinavian heritage. 3 of his grandparents were from Sweden. According to his enlistment record Russell was 5'11" tall and weighed 135 lbs. His army serial number was 17156534. As with all of the men of the Hetzler Crew, I hope that he lived life to its fullest and experienced the best that life had to offer in his short life.

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about Russell B. Jones, please contact me: kirbhund at scglobal.net

S SGT Richard B. Clark, Big Fork, Montana

Staff Sergeant Richard Benjamin Clark of Big Fork, Montana was the B-24 waist gunner on the Hetzler Crew that was shot down over Germany on March 23, 1944. I have just begun doing a little serious research on Clark. I am researching all 10 members of the Hetzler Crew. I am doing a series of presentations in each of the men's hometowns. I am also writing a book about the crew and my odyssey to learn more about their lives. Of the 10 crew members, only Richard Clark and Donald Davis are still buried in Europe. Clark is buried at the Ardennes American Cemetery in Neupre, Belgium. His parents, Don and Nellie Clark moved to Montana by way of Nebraska and Kansas. By 1930, according to the census, they had 6 children: Effie, Vera, Richard, Verne, Wanda and then James. Of course, they may have had more children after 1930. I am currently searching for his siblings. I have a few promising leads so far. The census list Clark as 12 years old in 1930, which would have made him about 25/26 at the time of his death. He was one of the older crew members, along with the pilot and co-pilot. For the air war in Europe, these guys were considered an older crew, with their ages ranging from 21-27. It was quite normal for the pilots to be about 21 and the crew to be even younger. Richard Clark's serial number was 19019740. I list this as an additional way that search engines can find my blog and hopefully family members and others can find me.

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about Richard B. Clark, please contact me: kirbhund at sbcglobal.net

Howard W. Lynde

Staff Sergeant Howard W. Lynde, known to his friends as Jerry, was the nose-gunner on the Hetzler Crew that was shot down over Germany on March 23, 1944. Jerry was 24 years old and was the only member of the Hetzler Crew that I know was wounded in battle. On March 6, 1944 during our first daylight, large scale raid on Berlin his B-24 bomber, Jayhawker, after unloading its bombs on Berlin, was attacked by one ME-109 and two FW-190's simultaneously at short range. Jayhawker was riddled with holes. The nose gunner position is surrounded by glass, which splintered, wounding Jerry in the arm. The gunners aboard Jayhawker kept up a barrage of fire to keep the fighters at bay and somehow, the crew made it home. He survived this historic and horrific battle only to be killed in action a few weeks later bombing a small Nazi airbase near Alverskirchen, Germany.

Jerry was from Recluse, WY and grew up on a ranch. Of the 10 members of the Hetzler Crew, only Jerry and Jimmie Adkins are buried in their hometowns. Currently, I am busy tracking down any living relatives of his that I can find. Tragically, Jerry had a step-brother, Leonard Harris, who was also killed in the war about the same time. Luckily, Leonard Harris had a daughter, Linda. It would be great to be able to contact her. Jerry had several siblings and step siblings and I am hoping to make contact with one of them soon, if they are still living. I am in a race against time with this research, but I am closing in.

Serial #: 17024585

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about Howard W. Lynde, please contact me: kirbhund at sbcglobal.net

458th Bombardment Group

The Harold Hetzler Crew, about which I am researching and speaking, was part of the 458th Bombardment Group based in Horsham St. Faiths just north of Norwich, England. I have been greatly helped in my research by Darin Scorza. Darin runs the 458th website http://www.458bg.com/ and really helped jump start my research 2 years ago, when I first began my project. Darin's father, Navigator Samuel Scorza, witnessed the explosion that brought down the Hetzler crew from a nearby bomber. Darin's father was an original member of the 458th, just like Harold, and completed his tour of 30 combat missions in June of 1944. The photo shows the Howard Slaton crew, click the picture for that crew's story.

Union County Historical Society and Museum

My research into Donald Davis, the tail-gunner on the Hetzler crew that was shot down over Germany during WWII had come to a dead end. Because of his fairly common last name, I was having no luck finding any of his family members in southern Illinois. Then I called the Union County Historical Society and spoke with Pat Meller (pictured). She said she would ask around at church and other places. A few weeks later she called me with the name and address of Donald's brother William. She has also facilitated two meetings with me and Donald's family as well as helping to set up my speaking engagement this fall. Local historical societies serve a valuable function for researchers. This isn't the first time that I have been helped by historical societies. Linda Price of the Onaga Kansas Historical Society helped me do some of my research on Harold Hetzler and helped set up my speaking engagement last summer. The Union County Historical Society also has a museum that has a lot of interesting artifacts. The museum is located in Cobden, IL. Phone for hours: (618) 893-2865

Friends of Jefferson Barracks Park

Yesterday evening, I was invited to speak at the monthly meeting for the Friends of Jefferson Barracks Park. I gave my Harold Hetzler speech and presented the story of how I researched Harold. I also spoke about my current historical research on Ulysses Tebbs. The members, about 25 of them, asked me a lot of really good questions and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share Harold's story. The members are very interested in historical research and they gave me lots of ideas and resources to advance my research. I would also like to thank Al Katzenberger for taking photos of the event. Some of the members were kind enough to share their thoughts on my presentation:

"Extremely interesting & imaginative, as well as entertaining. I highly recommend Mr. Kirby."
Marc E. Kollbaum, Curator, Jefferson Barracks Park

"Excellent speech, amazing research, so thorough, a great historian."
Ann Thoma, member: Friends of Jefferson Barracks

"His talk was very well done, moving and based on research."
Jack Grothe, Fellow and Governor: Company of Military Historians

"Alan's reflections on the pilot's life and the efforts he has made to keep the history of World War II alive are much appreciated."
Charlotte Pisoni

"Alan's talk was interesting and informative. It was amazing how much he found out about Harold."
Louise Drescher

"The presentation was informative and also very inspiring!"
Mary Hauck, member: Friends of Jefferson Barracks

Regret To Inform

This week we watched this excellent documentary about women who had lost their husbands in Vietnam or because of Vietnam. The documentary followed the filmmaker, Barbara Sonneborn, as she traveled to Vietnam to find the place where her husband had been killed decades earlier. She also interviewed Vietnamese women who had also lost their husbands in the conflict. This was an emotion evoking film, which in part, convinced me that Dad and I would benefit from taking a trip together to Vietnam.

Rollo-Calcaterra American Legion Post

Last Wednesday evening I gave my Harold Hetzler Speech to the Rollo-Calcaterra American Legion Post, Number 15 on the Hill (an Italian neighborhood) in St. Louis. I spoke to about 50 veterans and I had a really good chicken dinner afterwards with the members. A colorful group of guys, very patriotic and full of history. It was a real honor to be invited to spend an evening with them. To the left you see me pictured with Skip Berger, the Commander of the Post.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Here is Teddy on top of Monk's Mound. This mound is 92 feet tall and was made by Native Americans about a thousand years ago. Teddy considered the climb up the mound a race, which he, of course, won. This park is just across the Mississippi from St. Louis. There is also a nice museum, gift shop and trails around the smaller mounds. Amazingly, according the their website, in the year 1250 AD Cahokia was a larger city than London! Click the picture for a link to the official website.

My Grandmother

My Grandmother passed away this afternoon after a long illness. She was 82 years old and was born in 1927. My cousin found this old photo a few months ago. It must have been my grandparent's wedding day or shortly thereafter. Marie Theresa Plante was born in Rhode Island. She was part of the Greatest Generation and did her bit by moving to Boston to train as a nurse. In Boston she met my grandfather, who was a sailor stationed in Boston in 1945. I only had one grandmother, as my paternal grandmother died before I was born, but I lacked for nothing in that quarter and I couldn't have picked a better grandmother for myself.

Bomber Pilot, by Philip Ardery

Ardery was a young, Harvard educated lawyer who had just begun his own practice in his home state of Kentucky, when he left home without saying good-bye to his mother to join the Air Corp. Like me, he always wanted to fly, but couldn't afford it. In the months leading up to WWII he saw an opportunity to get flight training for free and took advantage of it, but he was lucky, very lucky to have lived through the war. He was on the deadly Ploesti raid from Northern Africa and flew several dangerous missions from Europe as well. After completing his combat tour, he became a wing operations officer for General Ted Timberlake and I am guessing because of his Harvard connections met many notable personalities of the times while on leave in London including Ed Murrow and Robert Capa. Ardery truly saw it all in the European air war and this is an important book that is often used as a source for other books, especially books about the Ploesti raid.

40 Years Ago Today!

40 years ago today at 9:32 am local time, Apollo 11 blasted off for moon. I was only 7 months old at the time, but I have always been fascinated by space travel and wish I had been old enough to have my own memory of this event. My own memories of pioneering space flights include watching the Space Shuttle Enterprise make some of its maiden voyages when I was in the third grade and I remember watching the first Space Shuttle mission, STS -1, with great interest when I was in the 6th grade.

George Washington Carver National Monument

Last weekend we visited George Washington Carver National Monument. It is located in Diamond, Missouri and it is a very small National Park. I first visited the park in 1979 when our 4th grade class visited on a field trip. I really loved the little museum, gift shop and the trail. I was happy that Teddy enjoyed it too. You can see him here next to a statue of the young Carver that you come across along the trail next to a nice little stream. So, next time you motor west (or east) on I-44 near Joplin, go just a few miles south on US 71 and take a small history and nature break. Click the picture for the official National Park Service website.

William C. Depuy

William (Billy) Depuy was the engineer and top turret gunner of the Hetzler Crew that was shot down over Germany on March 23, 1944. Last year, I spoke with 2 of his nephews on the phone, both of whom knew him well and sent me a few letters and pictures. One lives near Chicago and the other lives near Buffalo. In speaking one of his nephews, he mentions that a woman from New York City called after his death and indicated that they were engaged. I have no idea who this woman is, but it would be beyond my wildest dreams to find her if she is still living. I hope that she googles Billy's name, then this page will come up and maybe she will contact me. Billy was known, as most members of the Hetzler crew were, as being a ladies man! I can tell from his correspondence which I have read that he had a great sense of humor as well. He wrote to his niece shortly after arriving in England, that they were stationed just outside of town (Norwich) and that "there are plenty of women and you know how I hate that." I also read a letter written back to him by his niece Marion:

Dear Uncle Bill, Have been sort of waiting for a letter from you. I know you are probably busy these days. With Easter mass on hand - have had you in my mind - hope another won't pass before you get home. Sort of a lot to ask for - but we can hope can't we?

Sadly, this was written 13 days after he was killed in action, I can only imagine how heartbreaking it was for her to have the letter returned stamped missing in action.

The photo to the left was taken during the final phases of bomber crew training in Tonopah, Nevada on December 16, 1943. He wrote a note on the back: "I don't look in too bad of shape, do I?"

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about William C. Depuy, please contact me: kirbhund at sbcglobal.net

Be Good, Smile Pretty

Last weekend we watched this very good documentary about Vietnam and researching your own father. Tracy Droz Tragos lost her father in Vietnam when she was a baby, so had no memory of him. Amazingly, but not at all unusual, she knew very little about him. Her mother, who had remarried, did not share with her, until she started making this film, the boxes of letters and tapes that her father had sent home from Vietnam. By interviewing her mother, uncles, grandmother and the men with whom he served in Vietnam, Droz Tragos was able to bring her father back to life to a certain extent and get to know him. The wounds of war are just under the surface in many families. I know it had to be uncomfortable for Droz Tragos to open these wounds, but I admire her courage for doing so.

Colonel Donald Blakeslee

Guest Entry: Today, I invited my good friend Howard Brandt to blog about his former Commanding Officer.


In March of 1951 I was called to active duty with the 131st Fighter Wing Missouri Air National Guard. We were sent to Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin Texas... I was assigned as an Aircraft Records Clerk with the 110th Fighter Squadron. Two other Squadrons made up our fighter wing, the 170th from Springfield Illinois and the 92nd from Reno Nevada.
Our fighter aircraft were P 51s. My job was to keep track of when the parts needed to be changed. It was said that we would be headed to Korea for close ground support for the troops. Apparently the P51s could fly slower than the Jets and stay on target longer.
Shortly after our arrival at Bergstrom another wing showed up, The 27th Fighter Wing, just back from Korea. They immediately put up a sign. “THE 27TH FIGHTER WING JUST FAMOUS” They were equipped with F 84 Republic Thunderstreaks, the Wing Commander Was Col. Donald Blakeslee.
Now everybody had heard about Blakeslee, a Spitfire pilot with the Eagle Squadron, at least a triple Ace in WWII, flying P 47s and P51 and two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Shortly after the 27th arrived we were all sent to George Air Force Base in Victorville California. Even though my desk was in the hangar only about 50 feet from Blakeslee’s office, he never spoke a word to me. I was only a corporal at the time and not very far up the chain of command, but it became apparent that Blakeslee was the guy in charge.
The scuttlebutt had it that Blakeslee was a two fisted guy literally and if he had used a little more discretion in his relations with other officers he would have probably been a general. The Fighter pilots in those days were not noted for using discretion. My counterpart in the 170th said that he heard that Blakeslee had an altercation with a former Marine Pilot in the 170th (Probably after some libations at the officers club.) Apparently Blakeslee was not an officer to hold a grudge and as far as I know the other pilot suffered no chastisement of any kind.
I must point out that there were a number of fist fights among these fighter pilots so Blakeslee was not alone. It might be said that it was a trait of the profession at the time.We never did go to Korea. About the time when we were deemed combat ready (Air Combat that is.) the stalemate was reached at the 38th Parallel.

Kenneth A. Brett

Flight Officer Ken Brett was the Co-Pilot of the Harold Hetzler crew that was shot down in their B-24 over Nazi Germany. Brett was the oldest crew member at 26 and was killed just a few weeks before his 27th birthday. There is actually an elementary school named after Brett in his home town (Tamworth, New Hampshire). Also, I am lucky to have copies of 3 letters that Brett sent to his friends back home during flight training. He wrote of worrying about getting his wings, wishing the war were already over and hoping to see some horse races! As with all of the other Hetzler crew members he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal posthumously.

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about Kenneth A. Brett, please contact me: kirbhund at sbcglobal.net

Robert S. Lambert

Flight Officer Robert Soule Lambert was the Bombardier on the Hetzler Crew which was shot down by flak near Alverskirchen, Germany on March 23, 1944. Lambert is an intriguing figure. He is the only crew member, as far as I know, to have a child: Wayne Robert Lambert, born June 11, 1944. His son was born almost 3 months after his death. I have tried to find/contact his son, but so far I have had no luck. He was also the only crew member that I know for sure was married. The only other crew member that might have been married was the pilot, Flight Officer Harold Hetzler, but by most accounts that marriage had been annulled. This particular obituary has a lot of information and avenues which should help me put his life together.

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about Robert S. Lambert, please contact me: kirbhund at sbcglobal.net

Arthur S. Lawrence

Guest Entry: Today, I invited my wife Suzanne to blog about her grandfather.

Today when we visited my parents I found out that my dad’s father, my Grandpa Lawrence, was in the army in the 1930’s. Though my dad swore I knew this already, I don’t remember ever having been told this. Regardless, it came as a surprise to me to find out that he served in Hawaii for some of that time. My surprise came from the fact that a couple years ago I read From Here to Eternity by James Jones, the book that the famous movie was based on. Contained in that book are descriptions, often very explicit, about the life of a common infantry soldier in Hawaii before the outbreak of WWII. I didn’t know at the time that I was reading about my grandpa!
Before the war, the lot of the soldier was especially harsh. Many of the men that enlisted, including my grandpa, were desperate for food, shelter, & clothes. The army gave them all that, but in return it exacted a harsh price—brutal beatings, harsh punishments, & complete obedience. Obviously, my grandpa made it through to meet & marry my grandma & live the American Dream, complete with building a business from the ground up & watching it flourish. But knowing this now, & knowing what it entails, I feel as though I know my grandpa like I never would have been able to when he was alive.

Jimmie K. Adkins

Jimmie K. Adkins was the ball turret gunner on the Hetzler Crew that was lost over Germany on March 23, 1944. I am doing a lot of research on these 10 guys and I am going to make a blog entry about each one of them over the course of this summer. I believe that Adkins was the youngest member of this crew, having just turned 21 in January. He is also one of the 4 members of the crew that is not buried together at Jefferson Barracks. His remains are actually buried in his hometown: Hoisington, KS. After I complete much of my work on Donald Davis, I will probably focus on Adkins since he is the next closest to me geographically and he, like the pilot, is another fellow Kansan. I found this obituary in his hometown newspaper which I had requested last winter from the Kansas State Historical Society, which is a top notch resource for this type of research.

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about Jimmie K. Adkins, please contact me: kirbhund at sbcglobal.net

Museum of Transportation

On Father's Day, we visited the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis County. They were having their annual car show. I was especially interested in this old C-47 that is on permanent display at the museum. It was built in 1944, participated in D-Day and was an airliner for awhile before being drafted back into military service. The plane carried Harry S. Truman as a passenger at least twice and is now in retirement here at the museum. Teddy enjoyed the museum and the car show and really liked the old tugboat on which we are standing.

Skip Berger

Thursday morning, I had breakfast with local veterans Skip Berger and Alfred Katzenberger. Berger was instrumental in rescuing the WWI bronze medallions (see photo for examples) from being locked away perpetually in storage. Katzenberger is a member of the Jefferson Barracks Chapel Association, a group that is working to establish a permanent display at the chapel for the medallions. I had planned to take pictures of the event, but I forgot my camera. Luckily, Mary Morgan, a reporter for the Java Journal, was kind enough to allow me to use her photo for this entry. She wrote a couple of excellent articles that tell the story of Berger's quest to honor these veterans:
http://www.javajournalonline.com/archive_200805/index_8.php
http://www.javajournalonline.com/articles/art_ww1_112008.php
Of course, the men and women represented on these medallions died a long time ago and nothing will change that, but they risk being forgotten. Essentially, Berger and others have rescued the memory of these people. As Berger put it: "These men deserve to be remembered". I never would have researched Ulysses Tebbs, if I hadn't been inspired by his medallion. Many of the medallions, including Tebbs', are currently on display at Jefferson Barracks (Old Ordnance Room). Also, Berger and his group have a great website http://www.stl-lestweforget.org/ that details their mission and how to donate to the memorial fund.

Colonel William Hayward and the Victory Parade

The Harlem Hellfighters were commanded by a white officer: Colonel William Hayward. When they left for Europe, the 369th was not allowed to participate in the farewell parade. Upon their return, the heroes were honored with this parade in New York City. According the the National Archives: "Colonel Hayward pulled every political string he could to assure his men would be rewarded with a victory parade when they came home in February 1919." In all 380,000 African Americans served in the Army during WWI, 200,000 were sent to Europe and 42,000 of those men saw combat (source: National Archives and Photo also courtesy of the National Archives).

Purple Heart Update: Today, I emailed Senator Bond's office about the Purple Heart, I am trying to have awarded to Tebbs posthumously. Maybe, we will have some luck with his office. Now Congressman Carnahan's office told me that they would only help if I were a direct relative. I am still confident that Private Tebbs will get the medal he deserves. Our plan is to have the medal permanently displayed at the Jefferson Barracks History Museum when it is finally awarded.

Hetzler Crew

Here is the Harold Hetzler Crew that was killed in action over Germany on March 23, 1944. I do a lot of research on this particular crew. From the top left is: SSGT Donald E. Davis-Tail gunner (Anna, IL), SSGT Jimmie K. Adkins-Ball Turret Gunner (Hoisington, KS), SSGT Russell B. Jones-Radio Operator (Duluth, MN), TSGT William C. Depuy-Engineer/Top Turret Gunner (Buffalo, NY), SSGT Richard B. Clark-Waist Gunner (Big Fork, MT), SSGT Howard W. Lynde "Jerry"-Nose Gunner (Recluse, WY); From the front left kneeling: Flight Officer Charles W. Callahan-Navigator (Brooklyn), Flight Officer Kenneth A. Brett-Co-pilot (Carroll County, New Hampshire), Flight Officer Harold W. Hetzler-Pilot (Onaga, KS), Flight Officer Robert S. Lambert-Bombardier (Quincy, WA). These men were in the 752nd Squadron of the 458th Bombardment Group.

Photo: Courtesy of the AFHRA and Darin Scorza

Donald E. Davis

Donald E. Davis was the tail gunner on the Hetzler B-24 Crew that was shot down over Germany on March 23, 1944. I was lucky enough to meet with his younger brother, his niece and his nephew this afternoon in southern Illinois. They graciously shared pictures, letters and memories with me, a complete stranger. Pat Meller of the Union County Historical Society helped me find the family and set up the meeting. I am hoping to collect more information, write an article and give a talk about him, much the way I did for Harold Hetzler in his hometown. Of course, ultimately, I would like to write a book about all 10 members of the crew and my journey to learn what I could about these men 65 years after they lost their lives. So many historians focus on the "great" men of history. There is nothing wrong with that of course, but I like to focus on the common people, which it turns out, usually aren't common at all. They were heroic, humorous, adventurous and loved life. Surely they have as much to teach us as the presidents and generals.

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about Donald E. Davis, please contact me: kirbhund at sbcglobal.net

The Black Rattlers

Here is a monument to the 369th in New York City. It is a replica of one in France. On the marker that you can see on the lower right, it notes that the 369th fought as part of the Fourth French Army and that they "showed exceptional bravery" liberating Sechault on September the 29th, 1918. It also notes that "a third of the regiment suffered casualties" on that day, which includes Ulysses Tebbs. Note the crest with the rattlesnake insignia near the top of the monument. In addition to being known as the "Harlem Hellfighters" they were also known as the "Black Rattlers".

Piece of Cake

Last night we finished watching this 6 part mini-series. It was released in 1988 and was based on the novel by Derek Robinson. The film follows a group of RAF pilots from the beginning of WWII when they were based in France through the Battle of Britain. The best part of the film was the flight footage. They used real Spitfires and ME-109's and it was poetry in motion just to watch the Spits land or watching them retract their landing gear after take-off. My only criticism of the film was that there really didn't seem to be a point, other than these brave fighter pilots were just human with good, and in the case of this film, many bad points.

Harold Hetzler

Recently, I sent a German translation of my article about Harold Hetzler to a small newspaper near Alverskirchen, Germany and I am happy to announce that I am now published in Germany! Flight Officer Hetzler and his crew were shot down over Alverskirchen on March 23, 1944 and for a time were buried in the village's cemetery. The editor of the newspaper said there was a lot of interest in the story among the locals, so hopefully it will be published. It has been published twice so far in American newspapers. In recent years and months I have been doing a lot of public speaking about Harold and his crew. I am currently writing a book about the crew as well.



If you are a relative, friend or have any information about Harold W. Hetzler, please contact me: kirbhund@sbcglobal.net

Battle to take Sechault

This painting depicts the battle to take the town of Sechault on the very day that Tebbs was killed.

Croix de Guerre

Here are some of Tebbs' comrades that survived the war. The 369th saw more continous battle than any other regiment in the AEF. The entire regiment was award the Croix de Guerre by the French government for liberating the town of Sechault on September 29, 1918. Tebbs was killed in action on that very day, so I have another goal, to get him his Croix de Guerre and the Purple Heart. My ultimate goal is to have these medals displayed with his medallion at the new memorial when it is completed. Note that Tebbs' fellow soldiers are all proudly displaying their medals.

Hallowed Grounds

A really interesting video about the 125,000 service men and women buried overseas from world wars I and II. It was of particular interest to me because 3 of the guys that I am researching are buried overseas. Ulysses Tebbs is buried at Meuse-Argonne in France and two members of the Hetzler B-24 crew that I research, Don Davis and Richard Clark are buried at Ardennes in Belgium. I hope to someday visit those graves. My wife and I spoke of how we would like to visit all 21 of the American Cemeteries, most of which are in Europe, but also in Tunisia and the Philippines.

Battle for the Purple Heart

My work to get Tebbs his Purple Heart continues. Today I spoke

with Congressman Carnahan's office. In order to get the Purple Heart we need proof that he was killed in action. As you know, the records here in St. Louis are at the moment lost, but I pointed out that I had records that the state of Missouri kept and faxed them the information you see to the right. As you can clearly see, it states that he was killed in action. So, it should be just simply a matter of time and perseverance to get this done.