Veterans share WWII memories
WWII bomb groups gather in the Valley to reminisce
Frank Finklang, 89, a bombardier and navigator on B-17s in Italy during World War II, is one of about 30 veterans from the 15th Air Force bomb groups who are gathering in the Valley for a three-day reunion. One stop is the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona museum in Mesa, where veterans can see a restored version of the B-17 bomber they flew.
For months, World War II Air Force bombardier Frank Finklang trained, worked and bunked alongside comrade Leon DaCrema.
It took only 10 seconds and a stroke of bad luck to permanently separate the pair.
“There was a mix-up in the crew. I was flying with a different crew, and my (usual) crew got shot down over Vienna,” said Finklang, now 89. “I was 10 seconds behind them. DaCrema was killed in his parachute as he descended.”
The retired lieutenant colonel, who went on to complete 23 European missions before the war ended, is one of about 30 survivors from the 15th Air Force bomb groups in the Valley for a threeday reunion. They arrived in Tempe on Thursday, flanked by about 140 family members, friends and the widows of fellow servicemen.
“In the past, each one of the (15th Air Force’s) bomb groups pretty much had their own annual reunion, but our numbers have been depleted,” said Winson Jones, who served in the 451st Bombardment Group and organized the Valley gathering.
“We’ll now have participants from nine or 10 different bomb groups, so it’s kind of special,” he said. “Wehave a good cross section of people that basically were major factors in winning WWII in Europe.”
Operating mainly out of bases in southern Italy, the bomb groups’ strategies involved destroying oil refineries, enemy-aircraft manufacturing sites and rail facilities, making it “very, very difficult for the enemy to move people or to manufacture or to even have fuel for their tanks and planes,” according to Jones.
“Having said that, it was done at great cost: We lost over 8,000 heavy bombers and over 3,000 fighter planes,” he said. “It was not unusual for us to return to the air base with 200 to 300 holes in the plane.”
One stop on the reunion itinerary, a Friday morning trip to the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona museum in Mesa, allowed some survivors to see a restored, gleaming silver version of the B-17 bomber aircraft they flew. Several of the men briefly got on board with children or grandchildren, pointing out features they’d never forgotten.
When asked to describe the experience of flying B-17s for missions, 88-year-old survivor Al Betcher said, simply: “Cramped.”
With the aircraft’s narrow bodies, low ceilings and gaps that perpetually let in freezing air, rides were uncomfortable at best, harrowing at worst. The plexiglass in front of pilots could shatter if hit the right way, spraying into the soldier’s eyes.
“Imagine being up there for eight to 10 hours, temperatures at 50 below, and they’re shooting at you from all angles,” said Larry Turner, wing leader at the museum.
“That’s why it’s so important to recognize these guys’ service,” he said. “These folks are what we’re here for.”
The museum also houses a small model of a B-24 Liberator, used by the other bomb groups. Bill Hipple, 95, said his most vivid memory of the war happened on a “beautiful, clear day north of the Italian Alps,” when his crew turned a corner, he looked up, and “as far as I could see were columns of B-24s.”
Hipple said he was lucky to not lose too many friends, and he never struggled to transition back into civilian life.
“The personal reaction to the situation depended upon one’s mental abilities and attitudes,” he said. “Those who were always grumpy and such had a tough time. Those who looked forward and were positive, no problem. I had no problem.”
Bobbi Kelly also tried to stay positive throughout the war. Though the 90-year-old never served in the military, she went to work at Connecticut aircraft propeller-parts supplier Hamilton Standard in 1942 to support the efforts of her three brothers, all soldiers.
“All I’d wanted to do was help,” she said, adding that the visit to the museum, with pictures and parts in every room, had sparked a “heartwarming” nostalgia.
Finklang, however, has struggled to justify the constant fighting he’s seen in the years since his friend was killed.
“I had 30 years in the military, including WWII, Korea and one year when they built the Berlin Wall and sent me to France,” he said. “I believe we need a military, but I’m a pacifist in that I think, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to kill everybody and destroy everything to finally get to the end point of an agreement?’
“While traveling many years after the war, I came in for a landing in Vienna as a civilian, and all I could think was, ‘I sure as hell hope the bombs I dropped never damaged any of these beautiful buildings,’ ” he said.