he squadron of B-24's aheadfly directly into the stuff. Fools, he thought. Why don ’t they just flyaround it? He saw two planes get hit and start down. Shortly after, "wewere heading for that same suicidal cloud."
The plane started "bucking like a rodeo bronco." There was a crack.Hammer looked quizzically at the veteran engineer, who pointed to a holean inch long and a quarter-inch wide made by shrapnel. After what seemedan eternity that in fact had lasted for less than ten minutes, the bombswere away and Hammer’s plane turned for home. "We were combat veteransnow."
__________________________
Radio operator Sgt. Howard Goodner flew his first mission in October,1944. His plane was a B-24 flown by Lt. Richard Farrington, his squadronwas the 787th, a part of the 466th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force. Low cloudscovered the airfield and when Farrington got his craft off the ground, hecould not see. Flying blind as he climbed, relying on his instruments, followinghis heading, Farrington was quickly covered with sweat. Up, up, up he went,until he got above the clouds. No amount of practice could have preparedthe pilot and crew for what they encountered ― B-24's, glittering likemica, were popping up out of the clouds over here, over there, everywhere.They formed up and straightened out for the target. Farrington called outover the intercom, "This is it, boys. We’re on our way to the war."
Ahead shells were bursting all over the sky, sending out shards of shrapnel.The lead squadron of B-24's penetrated the flak. "Mary, Mother of God,"one crew member mumbled into the intercom. "Mary, Mother of God, get meout of this." Farrington took them right into it. Jarring detonations eruptedaround them. The plane bumped and shuddered. But it kept flying straightand level, until the bombs were released. Farrington banked, got away fromthe flak, and headed home. Sergeant Goodner reached into his jacket pocketfor the Tootsie Roll he carried with him. It was frozen solid. When theplane landed, Goodner had his first mission behind him.
_____________________________
On November 18, McGovern was Surbeck’s co-pilot on another milk run.The target was the German airfield near Vicenza, Austria. The weather wasfair and the bombing was visual. Over 50 per cent of the bombs fell in thetarget area causing extensive damage to the installation. Flak was lightand generally inaccurate. No German fighters were seen. The group returnedto Cerignola without casualties.
McGovern flew again the next day and it was no milk run. The targetwas a refinery near Vienna. Because of cloud cover, the lead plane usedits Mickey and no results were seen, but dropping bombs by radar insteadof visually meant few of them hit what they wanted to hit and the damagewas minimal. Flak was intense but inaccurate and all planes returned tobase.
On November 20, on McGovern ’s final mission as a co-pilot, the targetwas factories at Zlin, Czechoslovakia. It was a secondary, or alternative,target, but the original objective had been obscured by clouds, so the leadpilot took the group to Zlin. There the weather was clear and the bombingwas done visually, with excellent results. Best of all, there was no flakover Zlin. All planes returned safely.
After debriefing, McGovern would meet with Rounds, Adams, and his crew.They fired questions at him about what it was like, most of all the flak."They were filled with questions every day," McGovern recalled, "waitingfor me when I came back."
Once the session was over, McGovern would steer his way into the officer’s club for a Coca-Cola or a beer. There he would listen to the veteranpilots talk and ask his own questions. It was shop talk. From almost everyone of the discussions he would absorb information. The topics were theB-24's, the crews, the Germans. What rpm at what altitude? Why was thisgauge or that instruments malfunctioning? Is there any way to stay straightand level over the target and still avoid the flak? How long can an enginebe on fire before it detonates the gas tank? What can you do when a bombgets stuck in the bomb bay? How does the plane fly with only three enginesoperating? With two? When the hydraulic system has leaked or been shot out,how do you get the wheels down?
McGovern had flown four missions on four days. These consecutive missionswere about the absolute limit. They left the pilot and his crew haggard,worn, jumpy, frazzled and spent. But each one of the attacks counted towardthe thirty-five missions that, when completed, would allow McGovern to returnto the States. When he had time to write to Eleanor, McGovern noted thenumber in his letter ― number five after the mission to Zlin.
"I worried, as any wife would," Eleanor said three decades later. "Iwould feel a stab of fear whenever someone knocked at the door or the telephonerang. The first thing I would do when I got a letter from George was toscan through it for a number ― the number of missions completed. Thatwas the first thing I wanted to kno
The plane started "bucking like a rodeo bronco." There was a crack.Hammer looked quizzically at the veteran engineer, who pointed to a holean inch long and a quarter-inch wide made by shrapnel. After what seemedan eternity that in fact had lasted for less than ten minutes, the bombswere away and Hammer’s plane turned for home. "We were combat veteransnow."
__________________________
Radio operator Sgt. Howard Goodner flew his first mission in October,1944. His plane was a B-24 flown by Lt. Richard Farrington, his squadronwas the 787th, a part of the 466th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force. Low cloudscovered the airfield and when Farrington got his craft off the ground, hecould not see. Flying blind as he climbed, relying on his instruments, followinghis heading, Farrington was quickly covered with sweat. Up, up, up he went,until he got above the clouds. No amount of practice could have preparedthe pilot and crew for what they encountered ― B-24's, glittering likemica, were popping up out of the clouds over here, over there, everywhere.They formed up and straightened out for the target. Farrington called outover the intercom, "This is it, boys. We’re on our way to the war."
Ahead shells were bursting all over the sky, sending out shards of shrapnel.The lead squadron of B-24's penetrated the flak. "Mary, Mother of God,"one crew member mumbled into the intercom. "Mary, Mother of God, get meout of this." Farrington took them right into it. Jarring detonations eruptedaround them. The plane bumped and shuddered. But it kept flying straightand level, until the bombs were released. Farrington banked, got away fromthe flak, and headed home. Sergeant Goodner reached into his jacket pocketfor the Tootsie Roll he carried with him. It was frozen solid. When theplane landed, Goodner had his first mission behind him.
_____________________________
On November 18, McGovern was Surbeck’s co-pilot on another milk run.The target was the German airfield near Vicenza, Austria. The weather wasfair and the bombing was visual. Over 50 per cent of the bombs fell in thetarget area causing extensive damage to the installation. Flak was lightand generally inaccurate. No German fighters were seen. The group returnedto Cerignola without casualties.
McGovern flew again the next day and it was no milk run. The targetwas a refinery near Vienna. Because of cloud cover, the lead plane usedits Mickey and no results were seen, but dropping bombs by radar insteadof visually meant few of them hit what they wanted to hit and the damagewas minimal. Flak was intense but inaccurate and all planes returned tobase.
On November 20, on McGovern ’s final mission as a co-pilot, the targetwas factories at Zlin, Czechoslovakia. It was a secondary, or alternative,target, but the original objective had been obscured by clouds, so the leadpilot took the group to Zlin. There the weather was clear and the bombingwas done visually, with excellent results. Best of all, there was no flakover Zlin. All planes returned safely.
After debriefing, McGovern would meet with Rounds, Adams, and his crew.They fired questions at him about what it was like, most of all the flak."They were filled with questions every day," McGovern recalled, "waitingfor me when I came back."
Once the session was over, McGovern would steer his way into the officer’s club for a Coca-Cola or a beer. There he would listen to the veteranpilots talk and ask his own questions. It was shop talk. From almost everyone of the discussions he would absorb information. The topics were theB-24's, the crews, the Germans. What rpm at what altitude? Why was thisgauge or that instruments malfunctioning? Is there any way to stay straightand level over the target and still avoid the flak? How long can an enginebe on fire before it detonates the gas tank? What can you do when a bombgets stuck in the bomb bay? How does the plane fly with only three enginesoperating? With two? When the hydraulic system has leaked or been shot out,how do you get the wheels down?
McGovern had flown four missions on four days. These consecutive missionswere about the absolute limit. They left the pilot and his crew haggard,worn, jumpy, frazzled and spent. But each one of the attacks counted towardthe thirty-five missions that, when completed, would allow McGovern to returnto the States. When he had time to write to Eleanor, McGovern noted thenumber in his letter ― number five after the mission to Zlin.
"I worried, as any wife would," Eleanor said three decades later. "Iwould feel a stab of fear whenever someone knocked at the door or the telephonerang. The first thing I would do when I got a letter from George was toscan through it for a number ― the number of missions completed. Thatwas the first thing I wanted to kno