April 2019: My 4-month sabbatical from Deloitte to work on a writing project related to the 44th Bomb Group full-time has now begun!

I’ve started a blog to share research updates!

Click on image to view complete document in a new window.

Taken by the Public Relations Office of the 44th Bomb Group at the base near Shipdham Norfolk County England at or about the time we started flying combat missions in the late summer of 1944

Photo of Bar G aircraft, which was a B-24 flown by the 506th Squadron, but was not flown by Wally’s crew. (The bar above the letter “G” on the tail indicates it was flown by the 506th Squadron.)

Caption reads, “Truslow and Caldwell, 1945.” Paul Caldwell returned to the US after his 35th Mission on 2/6/1945, so this photo was likely taken in January or February 1945.

Wally sitting on a car with California license plates. Given that he doesn’t have his Aerial Gunner Wings or his ribbons pinned on his formal Air Force uniform, this was likely taken before the war.

Wally in the sheepskin garb worn by B-24 crews on all missions because temperatures in the non-heated and non-pressuriezed plane reached -50 degrees Farenheit. It is unknown when this photo was taken or what the numbers represent.

A Brief History of Wally’s WWII Service

Wallace B. Truslow served in the elite outfit of airmen who made up the 8th Air Force. Assigned to a B-24 Liberator crew as an Aerial Gunner, Wally’s Crew formed in May 1944 and completed Transition Training on a B-24-J. Deployed to East Anglia to fight in the European Theater, Wally and his crew made their way to Shipdham Air Base near Norwich, about 100 miles north of London. Wally served as a replacement crew in the 44th Bomb Group, 506th Squadron, a Group that faced enormous losses earlier in the war before fighters could escort the bombers on mission. Flying in this elite unit was replete with danger – the 8th Air Force alone sustained more losses in the war than the entire Marine Corps — 26,000 airmen were killed in combat.

Wally flew 42 missions from August 1944-April 1945, staying at Shipdham after completing his tour of duty until Victory in Europe was secured. His targets spanned all of Germany, including two low-level supply missions (one in Holland). Notably, he flew a low-level supply mission during Operation Market Garden, seven missions to support the Battle of the Bulge, and a low-level supply mission in Wesel as ground forces crossed the Rhine for the last major campaign in Europe. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, and the EMEA Medal with two Bronze Stars.

This site serves as a digital archive of Wally’s service organized in the following pages:

• Wings of Steel: Includes a link to the PDF book “Wings of Steel” about Wally’s service and life
• Photos: Pictures from Wally’s time in the Army Air Force, as well as his crew and life after war
• Archive: 51 documents from Wally’s personal records and correspondence with his crew after the war sorted into thematic categories
• Research: 71 additional sources about the 8th Army, 44th Bomb Group, 506th Squadron
• Contact: Get in touch!