February 22, 2024April 20, 2024 Mara Truslow Storey Uncategorized

Masters of the Air: On Screen vs. The Real Thing (Episode 1)

The big and small historical details the show nails.
A side-by-side look at images from the war and the series.

It’s no surprise the long awaited series Masters of the Air has skyrocketed to the top of the charts – with more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple TV+ series (in its first season) to date.

It masterfully – and accurately – tells the story of the Bloody 100th, one of forty heavy bomber groups of the 8th Air Force during WWII. They were pioneers of the air war, fighting Hitler from the skies above Europe and dropping bombs on strategic targets almost two years before Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy.

The show portrays a true story. Behind the scenes, production was laser focused on getting the historical details – big and small – exactly right.

So, how did Masters of the Air do in mastering the history? Impeccably well, if you ask me.

This blog series will go episode by episode, comparing stills from the show to wartime images – so you can decide for yourself.

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING**
**Top** – Egan and Cleven stand in front of the B-17 ‘Our Baby.’ (Photo by Apple TV+).
**Bottom** – A wartime image from the heavy bomber base at Shipdham of an airman mission ready.

Let’s get into Episode 1, where we meet the protagonists Egan and Cleven, airmen assigned to the 8th Air Force who are en route to war. Their destination is England, where their first harrowing missions begin.

In this episode, we’re introduced to the heavy bomber base at Thorpe Abbotts, the place they’ll call home during the war. We meet their machine of war – the B-17 bomber, with its claustrophobic, primitive interior, and the combat gear they must don to fly at altitude where temperatures hover at negative 50 degrees.

Getting Around Base – Jeeps

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: Top Brass on Base got around Base by Jeep**

On screen, we see Egan pick Cleven up in a Jeep after landing at Thorpe Abbotts. Having access to a vehicle to get around a sprawling 8th Air Force base was a luxury reserved for the top brass of a bomb group – including the likes of Egan.

Everyone else on base walked, and they walked miles everyday. Getting between the airfield, the living site, and the mess hall alone required multiple miles of walking, often through mud and rain. Cleven has yet to face England’s dismal weather.

As the episode progresses, Jeeps buzz around the airfield, transporting men and material in the frenzied activity before a mission, dropping airmen off in the far corners of the airfield, where their bombers were parked on hardstands circling the runway.

Urgent news traveled by Jeep, too. A ground crewman at another 8th AF heavy bomber base recalled the tense moments waiting for the bombers to return: “The many stories of stragglers being jumped by enemy aircraft continued to send chills up my spine. And hope was almost gone. Too upset to leave the line, I kept busy moving things around, making sure everything was in readiness for her return; kicking the weeds, watching the sky, and then the Jeeps and power wagons as they busily traveled the perimeter, returning the crews for debriefing. Then suddenly, one of the Jeeps turned in and screeched ‘They’re safe!’ They landed on the coast with just an engine out. I almost needed a parachute to bring me safely back to earth.”

IN WAR: 44th BG personnel piled on a Jeep, which was common practice for ground crews to “sweat out” the end of a mission, parked beside the runway, counting in the returning bombers.

Getting Around Base – 2.5 Ton Trucks

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: 2.5 Ton Trucks used to Transport Airmen to and from Missions**

Episode 1 brings the Bloody 100th to England. Crosby arrives at Thorpe Abbotts after mistaking the French coast for England – and running into flak. Bubbles greets Crosby from the back of the truck, which has been sent to the hardstands surrounding the runway – where the bombers park.

Airmen rode in the bed behind the cab, seated on two wooden benches. A canvas canopy sometimes was strung above. It was designed for eight men – but more were often squeezed on board.

2.5 ton trucks were needed to transport crews between their living sites and the airfield in the pre-dawn hours before a mission. Miles could separate the two because 8th AF bases were designed as dispersed sites to make it harder for Luftwaffe attacks to destroy the entire base.

2.5 ton trucks did more than transport men to and from war. Airmen happily hopped aboard in pursuit of fun. Liberty Runs took airmen from their rural airbases in East Anglian villages to larger surrounding towns like Norwich – where pubs, restaurants, dancing clubs – and women – offered a reprieve from war. They got three hours of freedom – from 7 to 10 PM – when pubs closed and the airmen were collected.

Riding in a 2.5 ton truck was not comfortable. An 8th AF veteran recalled, “We bounced around on those hard wooden seats in the back end. On he way back to the base we often were eating fish and chips, wrapped in newspapers, and it was a hot delicious delight.”

ON SCREEN: 100th BG Airmen stand on the bed of a 2.5 ton truck. (Photograph by Apple TV+)

‘Sweating out a Mission’ on the Runway

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: Waving Crews off to Combat & Sweating out a Mission** **on their Return**

On screen, we see Cleven’s first mission begin. B-17s file into line on the perimeter track around the runway, taking off at 30-second intervals. The signal caravan on the runway flashes its light (the black and white checkered trailer), signaling the pilot on deck to push the throttle. This sequence is historically spot on – artfully capturing the complex choreography of a mission.

As Cleven and Biddick speed down the runway, a bevy of ground crewmen stand on a jeep, waving and cheering the crew on to their target. Even though they’re just beside the concrete runway, they’re nestled in the tall grass of this former farmland, against a backdrop of blue skies. It’s an idyllic scene, a place where the machines of war are out of place.

This scene is a carbon copy of how missions began at 8th AF bases across East Anglia – at least during the few short months when England’s skies were as sunny and clear as we see in this episode. More often than not, the scene beside the runway was a cold, damp, muddy mess – as seen in the real wartime image below.

At the end of a mission, when bombers were expected to land, ground crews once again lined up beside the runway, anxiously awaiting the group’s return. Ambulances and medical staff waited there too, ready to rush toward ailing bombers and injured men before their props even stopped turning, just like we saw in episode 1.

It came to be known as sweating out a mission. They waited anxiously, peering skyward, squinting to spot the bomber stream on return. Then, the counting began, hoping to count all the ships that left at dawn.

On Cleven’s first mission, three crews didn’t return.

ON SCREEN: Airmen at Thorpe Abbotts wave bombers onto a mission. (Photograph by Apple TV+)

The Cockpit & the Captain

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: The Cockpit of a Heavy Bomber**

Episode 1 introduces us to the vehicle of the strategic bombing campaign. The B-17 Heavy Bomber is a character in its own right says writer John Orloff.

And the cockpit is its nerve center, from which the Captain orchestrates the intricate 10-man dance of a heavy bomber mission, all the while manning the controls of an incredibly complex machine.

As Cleven takes off for Bremen, we get an up close look at the cockpit – and the instrument panel teeming with gauges and switches. It’s undisputed the series nailed reproducing the B-17’s cockpit, and that was no small task. The B-17’s sister ship (the B-24) had 81 cockpit gauges and controls, a 57-item checklist for takeoff, and a 27-item checklist for landing.

The cost to produce one heavy bomber in wartime was $120,000 – or $2.2 million dollars today. Challenging to operate and expensive to replace, the B-17 required a steely, competent leader in the cockpit. Over Bremen, we see Cleven reckon with the horrors of the air war for the first time – flak, fighters, and bombers in flames. He grapples with fear, frustration, shock, and sadness – but never loses his cool or composure.

As the air war began in earnest, 8th AF top brass struggled how to evaluate a pilot’s ability in combat, where survival hinged, “not the mechanics of reading gauges and flipping switches, but the manipulation of flight controls and power settings for optimal efficiency and safety of the airplane. The even more difficult aspect of piloting to measure was judgment. How will would a pilot decide whether to land or to go around whether to bail out or attempt a dangerous landing? How easily would he panic?” (Mahoney, Reluctant Witness)

Cleven did not panic. But he lands in a state of shock – tracing his hand over the holes flak pierced in his bomber. Why didn’t you tell me what it was like, he asks Egan back on base. Here, we see the roots of combat fatigue (the AAF’s wartime vernacular for PTSD) planted in Cleven.

ON SCREEN: Biddick and Cleven in the cockpit of a B-17, along with their Flight Engineer. (Photograph by Apple TV+)

The Flying Clothes

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: Flying Clothes**

Egan’s first mission comes at the top of Episode 1. On the hardstand before it begins, airmen are swollen from all the gear they’re wearing.

At altitude, temperatures hovered around -50 degrees Fahrenheit – the same temperature as the South Pole. Flying clothes were all that protected airmen from the deathly bitter cold.

Drying Rooms were specially heated buildings on base where airmen got dressed. “Getting dressed for altitude flying is quite a job,” said 8th AF veterans Gerald Gross during the war.
“First came our electrical flying suit, an extra pair of wool socks, heated shoes, summer flying suit, leather flying shoes, a 45 pistol slung gangster fashion around the chest, Mae west life jacket, parachute harness, silk gloves, electric gloves, flying helmet, goggles, and lastly an oxygen mask strapped to the side of the helmet.”

All told, it was 80 pounds of gear.

IN WAR: Egan after his first mission, clutching his parachute harness. (Photograph by Apple TV+)

(Check out the Episode 2 Recap here.)

What do I know? I’m the granddaughter of an 8th Air Force veteran who flew 42 missions from Shipdham on a B-24 Liberator (the arguably better bomber – but we’ll leave that for another day). Over the last six years, I uncovered my grandfather’s war that he took to the grave – then sought to make it easier for others like me to find long lost stories from the war – by building a data dashboard and digital archive for my grandfather’s group. I’ve also written extensively about the 8th Air Force during WWII, for publications like NatGeo and Insider.

February 22, 2024March 11, 2024 Mara Truslow Storey masters of the air

Masters of the Air: On Screen vs. The Real Thing (Episode 2)

The big and small historical details the show nails.
A side-by-side look at images from the war and the series.

(Episode 1 recap available here.)

In episode 2, Cleven flies a mission to Bremen that’s scrubbed when the target area is obscured by cloud cover. Bombs are dropped in the Channel. Men are lost. The mission is for naught. Egan successfully seeks a demotion to get back into combat, joining Cleven as a Squadron Commander. The hellish conditions at high altitude send more of Cleven’s men to the hospital with wounds never seen before in combat. Yes, we see missions in this episode. But we also see life on base. We get a glimpse into HQ, the nerve center of mission operations. We see the bomber boys unwind – with a dance on base and an electric bike race. It’s the moments between missions where the historical details shine in this episode.

Post-Mission interrogation started with scotch and a sandwich.

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: Post-Mission Interrogation on Base**

At the opening of Episode 2, we see the 100th Bomb Group crews return to base, herded into 2.5 ton trucks, and driven to interrogation. “Not another word,” officers say over and over, silencing any talk of the mission until debriefing.

During the war, the pre-debriefing ritual was just like what we saw in the show: “[Crews] first went through the medical debriefing to see who might have been hurt or shaken physically or psychologically. This was usually just a quick once over, then a medic handed each crewmen a 3 ounce shot of scotch in a paper cup,” according to Mahoney, a Squadron Commander in an 8th Air Force Group, the same role Cleven and Egan held in the show.

The scotch was given to calm nerves. In the show, Cleven is portrayed as a teetotaler. He would’ve been in the minority of airmen who didn’t drink. “We had a couple of the teetotalers on the crew. This resulted in a bonus for the rest of us,” said one airman at Shipdham Airbase during the war.

Red Cross girls also would’ve offered something to eat, often a donut or sandwich. It’s the latter that we see in this episode.

Then, interrogation began on the HQ site. In a room just like we saw in the show, the men who survived would’ve been seated by crew. The mission was recounted – the conversation led by an interrogation officer seated with each crew, just as we saw at the beginning of this episode. Top priorities were summarizing enemy action (when and where flak or fighters hit), accuracy of the bomb drop, and details about crews shot down. That intel was critical in the creation of a MACR – or Missing Air Crew Report – which tracked everything known about the status of downed crews. Were they confirmed dead (an unsurvivable explosion)? Possibly alive (chutes seen opening)?

J. Good Brown, an 8th AF Chaplain, spoke of the mood at interrogation: “We sit here waiting. The place gets empty after a while. You look for faces and they are not here. They did not come back. The atmosphere in the interrogation room is sad beyond words. I have actually seen the members of the crew crying. I see men’s faces when they walk off alone. I walk over and stand by a man’s side. Perhaps I do not say a word. I just walk out of the building with him.”

ON SCREEN: Interrogation after an aborted mission to Bremen. (Photograph by Apple TV+)

There actually was a hospital on base at Thorpe Abbotts.

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: Station Hospitals on American Heavy Bomber Bases in England**

In this episode, we see Cleven visits his men in the hospital. Frostbite seems the predominant wound.

We learn from Cleven’s conversation with the Flight Surgeon that aerial combat medicine was a new and evolving field when the 8th Air Force began flying missions in late 1942. “Flight surgeons had to learn about war and war injuries by experiencing the unique and yet unknown conditions airmen faced in the bombing war,” commented a post-war report on aerial combat medicine.

Each heavy bomber base had its own hospital, with up to 25 beds, where minor injuries could be treated and short-term care provided. For more serious cases – like the frostbite and flak wounds we see in this episode – injured airmen were sent off base to one of five nearby hospitals that specialized in aerial combat medicine. In the first two years of war, frigid temperatures at high altitude caused half of all casualties in the 8th Air Force. Flak and fighters were far from the only foe the 8th AF encountered, particularly for the pioneers of the air war, like Cleven and his men. Conditions at altitude were deadly, too.

By V-E Day, 26,000 8th AF airmen were killed – and 7,000 more wounded. The 8th Air Force lost more men than the Marines lost in every theater of war.

IN WAR: Station Hospital Entrance Sign at 44th Bomb Group.

HQ Site – Where Top Brass Worked

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING:** (Left) 100th BG HQ, as portrayed in the show, Masters of the Air. (Right) At Shipdham Airbase, Major Hart shows General Andrews charts in the operations block.

At HQ, the Group’s top brass planned missions from beginning to end. It was a place of high intensity, where planning and execution were the focus.

IN WAR: Aircraft status board at Shipdham Airfield, detailing which B-24s were flyable. (Photograph from Shipdham Museum)

Officers had their own Mess Hall on Base – featuring white tablecloths.

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: The Officer’s Mess Hall featured in Masters of the Air vs. a wartime officer’s mess at an 8th AF Base during the war.**

We see Cleven and Egan eating breakfast at the Officer’s Mess Hall in this episode. The set is a carbon copy of images capturing the real thing during the war.

On 8th AF bases during the war, mess halls were split – one for Officers and one for Enlisted men.

White table cloths, wooden chairs, and cloth napkins were staples in the Officer’s Mess Hall. It was austere, but elevated, just like we see in the show.

With a reported budget of over $250 million, the production’s attention to detail isn’t surprising. Series writer John Orloff says some sets, like the Station Theater and the Mess Hall, were built for just a handful of scenes. Props like cups and plates were authentic to the time period.

While the mess hall scene wasn’t one most would call noteworthy, it’s yet another example of no detail overlooked in the series.

**ON SCREEN: Cleven eats breakfast at the Officer’s Mess. (Photograph by Apple TV+)**

Dances were frequent affairs on base – and women were brought in from surrounding English villages.

**ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: Dances on Base**
(Right) Officer’s dance at Shipdham.

We see Cleven and Egan at an Officer’s dance at Thorpe Abbotts in this episode. Such occasions were a staple on 8th Air Force bases.

The American Red Cross club on base typically organized these evening events, separated by officers and enlisted men.

In the series, the men tap their toes to live music, thanks to the station band who plays on stage. A band on base was not unique to Thorpe Abbotts. Most 8th AF bases cobbled together a band from ground crews and airmen who moonlit as musicians.

IN THE WAR: Station Band at Shipdham, a B-24 Airbase.

**Bomber boys did anything for a bike – then did anything on a bike.**

ON SCREEN vs. THE REAL THING: (Left) Cleven (played by Austin Butler) at the beginning of an electric bike race on the 100th BG’s Communal Site. (Right) Ground crewmen at Shiphdam Airfield on a bike.

In episode one, Egan’s antics at a local pub score him two bikes.

At this episode’s close, we’re treated to a bike race through the Communal Site buildings, led by Egan and Cleven.

Bikes are here, there, and everywhere in the show. And that’s historically spot on. With the sprawling size of 8th AF bases, coupled with the British rationing of gasoline, bikes were a necessity in the English countryside for Americans and English alike.

For American bomber boys, a bike came with a steep price tag. But it was a necessity.

In this episode, the boys of the Bloody 100th invent a new way to pass the time on base. A bike race. It’s an electric scene, a rare moment of joy in a war plagued by loss. It’s fun that screams of youth, reminding us just how young these boys fighting the war were.

At a nearby 8th AF base during the war, bomber boys held a similarly electric bike race outdoors. Thick, dense, hedgerows lined many of the narrow East Anglian roads. The bomber boys invented a rather violent game where an airman started on a bike, on either side of the hedgerow. Bets were placed on who would reach the end first and knock their opponent off his bike. Ribs were broken. Bikes were ridden backwards. But fun was had.

IN THE WAR: A snow-covered bike at Shipdham.

March 14, 2022April 12, 2022 Mara Truslow Storey In the News

Filming for WWII mini-series Masters of the Air is underway. Sharing the ultimate crowdsourced photo dump from set.

Donald Miller’s tome Masters of the Air is finally coming to life on the big screen. It’s an epic story of the WWII heavy bomber boys in England, with a particular focus on the 100th Bomb Group – nicknamed “The Bloody Hundredth.”

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are behind the mini-series. It’s positioned for critical acclaim, following in the footsteps of its predecessors Band of Brothers and The Pacific.

John Orloff, who also wrote episodes for Band of Brothers, penned the series. His Twitter feed hints at (and makes explicit, in some cases) the many years he’s poured into this project. Cary Fukunaga, Director of True Detective and the latest James Bond installment, is yet another heavyweight associated with the project.

Filming appears to have slowed down as of early 2022, and rumors have it the series will premiere as soon as late 2022.

Despite Apple’s public silence on the series, an impressive amount from filming has leaked on social media. All signs suggest the series will be spectacular, bringing the elusive air war to life – a task that’s never quite met the mark.

Want to go behind the scenes of the oh-so-secretive series? Keep scrolling for a gallery of the best snaps from set, culled from the depths of social media over the nearly year-long shoot.

And in case you missed it, check out this Business Insider article I co-wrote about Masters of the Air, which was the impetus for this post. Many of the photos below were collected while developing the BI piece. Because of the positive response to our article, a photo dump felt right to share here – aggregating the best photos from filming, with some history peppered throughout.

WHERE WAS MASTERS OF THE AIR FILMED?

It filmed throughout England, recreating 75-year-old scenes from London to East Anglia, with three major filming locations:

An airfield set at Abingdon with two impeccable (but stationary) B-17 replicas and a Control Tower that looks straight from the war.

The airfield set includes hardstands (above) and follows the wartime blueprint for heavy bomber bases to a tee.
A German POW camp set (Stalag Luft III) built in Bovingdon, costing over five-million pounds, complete with the eponymous guard tower, wire fence, and snow (albeit fake) on the ground.

The POW camp set above is a carbon copy of the real thing where downed airmen were imprisoned 75-years-ago.
A sprawling warehouse set for filming scenes inside a B-17; here, B-17 components (ball turret, nose turret, etc.) hung from scaffolding, presumably to film all angles of the cramped bomber. Most impressive is the Volume, a cutting-edge technology featuring a circular “green screen” to film missions in the clouds.

Director Cary Fukunaga’s Instagram Highlight Reel features a behind-the-scenes tour of the warehouse set.

The map below lays out known filming locations. Click the pins to learn more about filming locations.

SNAPS FROM SET

A camera roll featuring the best of the best photos from sets, organized thematically.

FILMING INSIDE A B-17

The cockpit of a B-17 constructed for filming. Filmed in circular green screen called “the Volume,” CGI clouds are visible in the background.

Above is the view from the B-17 cockpit in “the Volume.” Behind the camera, there’s a crystal clear view of the CGI clouds. The B-17 cockpit in “the Volume” isn’t on the ground, it’s rigged 10-20 feet in the air on a bed of scaffolding. In the picture above, you can see the camera operator is clipped onto a safety rope.

The devil is in the details – and the set designers don’t appear to disappoint: The instrument panel in the cockpit above is a carbon copy of the real thing from WWII. The aluminum above it is scratched and scuffed, like it would’ve been in combat, and a photo of the pilot’s sweetheart is taped in the corner.

COSTUMING FOR A WARTIME MISSION

It looks like no stone was left unturned when it comes to costumes. Director Fukunaga posted the three snaps above to his Instagram, showing actors wearing heated flying suits and sheepskins that look remarkably like the real thing.

Above, actor Elliot Warren, who plays James Douglass in the series, wears an A-2 leather jacket and an Officer’s hat.

FILMING B-17 EXTERIOR SHOTS

One of two full-sized B-17 replicas – sans wings – fuels up at a gas station in England. The replicas were spotted – with wings – on a set in Abingdon, England.

On the Abingdon Airfield set, one of the B-17 replicas is lifted on a crane above the runway to simulate takeoff/landing. Note the props were removed, presumably to be added with CGI later.

A close up of the stationary B-17 rigged above the airfield.

Another view of the B-17 replica lifted above the runway.

Sally-B, one of the last airworthy B-17s, buzzes the set at Abingdon.

Two hardstands were constructed on the Abingdon set where the replica B-17s were parked.

Note the overgrown grass surrounding the hardstands, like it would’ve been in the war.

Aerial view of hardstand set.

Another view of the hardstands set. The Control Tower constructed for the show is visible in the background.

A closer look at the Control Tower.

Additional views of the B-17 replicas parked on the Abingdon set.

One of the B-17 replicas parked on sand-dusted concrete, allegedly for an episode that takes place in North Africa while the 100th BG was on detached service during the war.

FILMING OTHER WARBIRDS

Abingdon residents had an unusual – and reportedly very loud – visitor on an October 2021 afternoon as WWII-era fighters circled the sky. Onlookers allegedly spotted a pair of red-tailed P-51 Mustangs and a Russian-marked Spitfire.

There’s much speculation online about how these fighters will appear in the mini-series. The temporary paint job they were given for the filming that may offer some hints. The iconic red tails left little doubt that these P-51s portray the Tuskegee Airmen. The nose art and markings offer clues about how the fighters may fit into the bomber boys’ story.

Captain Edward Toppins, a near ace with four enemy kills and 141 wartime missions to his name, was the real-life pilot of Topper III, the P-51 above. He’s remembered as one of the greatest Tuskegee flyers, so skilled he was known by name to the Germans.

Margo, the second P-51 pictured in the photos above, didn’t survive the war. Shot down in the summer of 1944 over southern France, her pilot bailed out and became a POW at Stalag Luft III – the same camp that MotA has rebuilt in England for the series.

A day after Margo and Topper III were spotted flying above the set, the red tail paint job was washed away. The final picture in the series above shows the P-51s after their red tails were washed away.

FILMING A B-17 CRASH

At Bovingdon, the same location of the POW bombed German village set, a burned-out, crashed B-17 nose was photographed. Behind the crash wreckage is the war-torn German town, hinting at a scene depicting a B-17 crew shot down over Germany and captured by German forces.

A fence and tarp cover the charred, wrecked B-17 nose when not filming.

The bombed-out German village set is visible in the background.

FILMING A GERMAN POW CAMP

Five million pounds was the cost to reconstruct Stalag Luft III for the mini-series. Production submitted the above building plans to the Borough for approval before production began.

Several angles of the Stalag Luft III set.

FILMING A BOMBED-OUT GERMAN VILLAGE

This massive set appears to be a German town hit by bombs or artillery fire. Rubble from destroyed buildings lines the street.

The blue material running atop the structure is likely for CGI/post-production.

The building detail above is exceptional – bullet holes, broken glass, and dirty facades authentically replicate the damage done by war. The shop sign reads “Dorfler Werkzeu,” which loosely translates to “Tool Shop,” seemingly confirming this set is meant to simulate Germany.

SWASTIKAS ON SET

Swastikas were spotted in England 75-year after Hitler was defeated. Above, a Swastika appears on a WWII-era train spotted on set.

The eponymous red Nazi banner adorned with a Swastika is spotted behind a train car.

While filming at Chiltern Open Air Museum, crates stamped with Swastikas were spotted stacked against a fence.

FILMING ENGLAND AT WAR

An Air Raid Shelter was built in Hemel Hempstead’s Old Town. The sandbags cover a modern-day tattoo shop.

Production isn’t forgetting the primary wartime mode of transit for English and American Airmen alike – a bike – thanks to fuel shortages and many square-mile airbases. A gigantic pile of them was spotted on set.

The German bombing campaign against Britain appears to be part of the series, too. The setting is presumably London, but the time period is unknown (ie. destruction from the Battle of Britain or V1/V2 rockets).
The perimeter around the rubble is part of set. The signs hanging from the red and white bar tell passersby that if they steal, they will be punished.
The blue backdrop in the photo above is likely for CGI so the set can be blended in with neighboring buildings in post-production.

The devil’s in the details, and production appears to be knocking it out of the park. They’ve recreated dozens of wartime newspaper headlines. The papers don’t give away a date, but headlines detail an RAF nighttime raid on Stuttgart, the Italian fleet shelling their foe in Yugoslavia, and Russia gaining traction.

December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 Mara Truslow Storey In the News

IN THE NEWS – For many alive during Pearl Harbor, the war years were the most momentous of our lives

The Los Angeles Times – December 7, 2021

By George Skelton

The Gist: The author was a kid in california when pearl harbor happened. in this piece, he churns up memories from the wake of pearl harbor – including japanese internment camps. Poignant lessons for the pandemic years.

Read it here.

December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 Mara Truslow Storey In the News

IN THE NEWS – How a World War II Bomber Pilot Became ‘the King of Artificial Trees’

The New York Times – December 17, 2021

By Laurie Gwen Shapiro

The Gist: An epic tale of an 8th Air Force pilot who bombed Berlin, went down over Russia, and repaired his own bomber – hauling a B-17 engine on a tractor and hoisting it up with telephone poles to flee the Soviets. Then, he came home and built a faux fir empire.

Read it here.

September 21, 2020September 21, 2020 Mara Truslow Storey Publications

Article on Operation Carpetbagger in Business Insider

For Business Insider, Katie Sanders and I co-wrote an article capturing the remarkable history of Operation Carpetbagger, as told through the eyes of four Carpetbagger veterans whom I had the privilege of meeting at their annual reunion in 2019.

Operation Carpetbagger was a secret outfit of the 8th Air Force that dropped spies and supplies to the resistance.

Their WWII missions were so secret that the airmen themselves rarely knew where they were flying, what they were carrying, or to whom they were delivering agents and supplies.

In October 2019, my dear friend Katie – a freelance writer – invited me to attend the annual Carpetbagger reunion with her in Minneapolis. Katie is the granddaughter of of a Carpetbagger vet who was shot down in the prelude to D-Day. His evasion story reads like a thriller.

^{Photos from the Carpetbagger Reunion in Minneapolis, MN – October 2019.}

Read the full article in Business Insider.

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020 Mara Truslow Storey Publications, research, Uncategorized

10 Little-Known Facts about American Airmen in WWII

May 8, 2020 marked 75 years since war in Europe ended in World War II. On the same date in 1945, V-E day celebrations were raucous after six years of prolonged war.

Commemorating the end of the war in Europe means remembering the men who fought it and the reality of their wartime lives.

“We stand alone together” has come to define the ethos of the Greatest Generation’s WWII fight.

Today, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, “we stand together alone” captures the ethos of a very different war, one that can only be won by staying apart.

The only analogy to the current pandemic in living memory is that of WWII. It was a protracted six-year battle. Life was upended. Death was omnipresent. But it was also replete with hope for a victorious conclusion.

Few servicemen had an experience more isolating than airmen. Missions lasting the better part of a day were spent in a tin can with only one’s crew. There was an inherent discomfort in the unpressurized, unheated fighters and bombers necessitating oxygen masks and protective equipment. For Allies, the air war fought from England was the last vestige of hope in the fight for the western world when all of Europe fell to Hitler.

Let’s take a page from the past to look at ten little-known facts about wartime life in England for American airmen whose collective efforts led to Victory in Europe:

1. American troops invaded England in late 1942. It’s remembered as the “Friendly Invasion.”

**Top**: Airmen of the 44th Bomb Group ride bikes in Shipdham Village. (Source: Shipdham Flying Club Museum) **Middle:** An English woman works on a farm abutting a heavy bomber base. B-17s are parked in the background. (Source: NARA) **Bottom**: Airmen of the 44th Bomb Group pictured in from of the Royal Standard Pub in Shipdham Village with the English proprietor. (Source: Shipdham Flying Club Museum)

In late 1942, droves of American airmen descended on East Anglia, the protruding thumb of England that looks out on the Normandy coast.

Over 350,000 Americans were based in East Anglia during the War organized under the auspices of the 8th Air Force. The pastoral countryside home to farms and storybook English villages transformed into an ostensible aircraft carrier during WWII. Over 50 air bases were hastily constructed for wartime operations.

Life in villages dotting the East Anglian countryside was quiet. The brashness and vigor of American airmen clashed with the more subdued English way of life. By war’s end, a fondness transcending time developed between the English and the Americans that came to be known as the “Friendly Invasion.”

Today, an American boasting a connection to the air war is greeted in East Anglia with open arms and profuse thanks for what our forefathers did in the War.

2. Flying from the United States to Europe took over twenty hours, including an overnight pitstop in Morocco or Greenland.

**Top:** A B-24 in flight taken from the waist window of an adjacent B-24. **Bottom:** The ice caps in Greenland as a B-24 approaches BW-1 Base in Greenland. (Source: Truslow Private Collection)

Hopping “across the pond” was a prolonged endeavor. Even in the advanced B-24 Liberator, the flight from the United States to England required multiple overnight stops for rest and refueling. All told, the flight time logged from the eastern seaboard of the United States to England was over 20 hours.

Because air traffic from the United States to Europe became so congested during the war, two different routes to England were established, named the Northern and Southern route.

Air Transport Command Ferry Routes, September 1945 (Source: NARA)

The Northern route wove from Canada to Greenland or Iceland, giving crews a glimpse of the Northern Lights and icy fjords before touching down in England.

The Southern route sent crews over lush jungles in South America before hopping east to Africa, with a final stop in Morocco after navigating over the towering Atlas Mountains.

Crashes getting to combat in England were so common that airman James Mahoney recalled: “An Air Transport Command Navigator once ventured that you could navigate the land portions of both routes by merely following the carcasses of fallen planes.”

3. Bomber crews spent hundreds of hours in combat fighting the Nazis but many never stepped foot on the European continent.

**Top:** B-24 bombers of the 44th Bomb Group over East Anglia in formation for a bombing mission over the continent. **Bottom**: The cockpit of a B-24 heavy bomber. (Source: Shipdham Flying Club Museum)

Up until the invasion of Italy and D-Day shortly thereafter, American air bases were located in England as part of the 8th Air Force.

By war’s end, a bomber crew had to fly 35 missions to complete a tour of duty and earn their ticket home. Thirty-five missions amounted to 200+ hours in combat over Fortress Europe clashing with Germans. Completing a tour spanned many months, sometimes taking an entire year.

If an airman was lucky, he never stepped foot on the ground where his war was fought. For bombers of the 8th Air Force, nearly every mission began and ended in England. In most cases, only if a crew was shot down, and survived the crash, did they touch down on the European continent.

4. American airmen wore almost 70 pounds of gear on combat missions to protect against -50 degree temperatures and enemy flak.

**Top**: Airmen of the 44th Bomb Group in the Drying Room on base where they donned heated flying suit and sheepskins. (Source: Shipdham Flying Club Museum) **Middle**: An airman of the 392nd Bomb Group in the waist of a B-24 bomber wearing a flak vest and helmet. (Source: 392nd Bomb Group) **Bottom**: An airman on a practice mission treating a wounded crew. His oxygen mask and Mae West life vest are clearly pictured. (Source: NARA)

Combat flying was hell. Heavy bombers were unpressurized and unheated. On day-long missions averaging six to eight hours, temperatures in a bomber regularly hit -50 degrees.

At altitude, bare skin would freeze to the aluminum fuselage and .50 cal machine guns. Oxygen masks iced up constantly. Thirty seconds without oxygen could knock a man unconscious; two minutes without oxygen could kill him.

To combat the cold, lack of oxygen, and enemy flak that sent shrapnel careening through bombers, airmen wore over 70 pounds of gear.

Heated flying suits, sheepskins, flying boots/gloves, Mae West life vests, parachute harness, and flak helmets/vests were just some of the gear an airman sported on every mission.

The bulk and weight of the gear made it difficult for an airman to maneuver through the cramped confines of a heavy bomber, but each piece of gear played a crucial role in keeping an airman alive.

5. On every mission, an airman carried a silk escape map of Europe — even though the fabric was in short supply during the war.

**Top:** A silk escape map showing France. **Bottom:** A silk escape map showing Holland, Belgium, France, and Germany. (Sources: Wings Remembered Museum) (Source: Sims Private Collection)

If an aircrew was shot down on a mission over Europe, they relied an escape kit, which was carried on every mission, to avoid capture and make it to friendly lines. A silk escape map was one piece of the escape kit.

Roughly three feet long by three feet wide, different geographic areas were printed on both sides of a silk escape map. As the war went on, the regions changed based on the areas where Allied bombing dominated. The maps showed roads, railways, and other landmarks to help an Allied airman evade the enemy.

However, why it was printed on a most coveted wartime fabric is perhaps the most interesting story.

Paper maps proved ineffective for airmen on the run because of the noise they produced when in use. Paper maps also proved vulnerable to water. Rain caused the ink to bleed or the map itself to disintegrate.

Silk was an effective alternative: durable, water-resistant, and easy to handle. Even though it was in short supply, silk was allocated for escape maps. Over 3.5 million silk and cloth maps were printed for Allied forces during the war.

6. Even in war, dogs remained man’s best friend.

**Top:** Flakko at Shipdham Air Base airfiield site where ground crews prepared B-24s for bombing missions. **Second:** Flakko with 44th Bomb Group ground crewmen Collins, Kinning, and Villemez. **Third:** Rusty in the B-24 cockpit “Avenger” with 1st Lt. Peterson. **Bottom:** Rusty sitting atop a bomb waiting to be loaded into a B-24 bomb bay. (Source: Shipdham Flying Club Museum)

English dogs found adopted homes at American airbases during WWII. Beloved by all the men on base, dogs became ostensible mascots of Army Air Force Bomb Groups of the 8th Air Force.

The furry friends brought comfort and joy to an otherwise somber livelihood marked by cold English days, long missions, and omnipresent death.

Roaming bombs and ammunition at American airbases in rural England, dogs adopted by bomb groups lived at the epicenter of war.

On occasion, dogs were tucked inside a heavy bomber and taken for a flight. On the famed low-level Ploesti raid, the dog “Eight Ball,” so named for the 44th Bomb Group who adopted him, flew on the deadly raid. Tail Gunner Steve Bugyie recalled: “When the guns began to fire, Eight Ball curled up under the pilot’s seat and stayed there for the rest of the mission.” Needless to say, dogs did not belong in combat.

While the sentiment that “bomb group dogs” belonged to every man who lived on base, they were typically cared for by a select few. When the war ended and American airmen were sent stateside, leaving behind their beloved pets proved torturous.

At war’s end, ground crewman John Weber consulted the British Kennel Club because he wanted to bring “El Champo,” a Cocker Spaniel adopted by the 44th Bomb Group, back to the United States. When that proved impossible, Weber paid a local farmer to care for “El Champo.” For several years after the war, Weber made a yearly trip from Oregon to England to visit his beloved “El Champo.”

7. STDs were a widespread issue on airbases that posed a threat to winning the war.

**Top:** Piccadilly Circus in wartime London. American airmen flocked to London on leave and overnight accommodation was available at the Rainbow Club run by the American Red Cross. (Source: American Air Museum) **Bottom:** Excerpt of a daily briefing from August 15, 1944, which would have been posted across an Army Air Force Base with mission-critical announcements for airmen. (Source: 44th Bomb Group Microfilm from Maxwell Air Force Base)

Demographically, American airmen were young and overwhelmingly single. According to recently analyzed NARA enlistment data, 77% of airmen in the 44th Bomb Group were single without children when they enlisted.

Sequestration on an all-male airbase, coupled with the life and death stress of combat, led sexual frustration to mount. Leave in London proved an easy release for the pent up sexual tension. From their airbases in East Anglia, American airmen flocked to Piccadilly Circus. Their presence brought rampant prostitution to the area.

With sex came widespread STDs. Referred to during the war as Venereal Disease (VD), an estimated one-third of VD cases amongst GIs were said to have originated in London.

VD posed a threat to winning the war, as afflicted airmen were grounded from flying combat missions for several days until their health improved.

Airbase leaders combatted VD with lectures, free-flowing condoms, and publicly displaying daily statistics about the number of VD cases on base. Yet, VD proved to be a protracted battle.

A 1944 Medical Report submitted by the 44th Bomb Group noted: “Repeated lectures on venereal diseases, far in excess of that required by Army regulations, have been given to all members of this command. Prophylaxis is available to men, as are condoms. Few use them. This is indicative of the carelessness of and disinterest of the men for their personal good and the good of the service.”

8. English country estates were requisitioned and turned into retreats called “Rest Homes” for war-weary airmen.

**Top:** Knightshayes Court was built in 1874 for the Heathcote-Amory family. During the war, it became a Rest Home for American airmen stationed in England with the 8th Air Force. **Bottom**: American airmen, including E.F. Wilson, at the Knightshayes Court Rest Home in April 1945. (Source: American Air Museum)

Run by the American Red Cross, Rest Homes were country estates where war-weary airmen midway through a combat tour to recharge and relax for a week.

The psychiatric strain of combat flying led to the creation of over 20 Rest Homes in England. Manor homes and country estates throughout England were handed over by their owners for use as Rest Homes.

The Rest Home program was viewed as preventative care to keep American airmen in good psychological health. An air crew was typically sent to a Rest Home halfway through a tour of 25 to 35 missions or after a particularly traumatic event.

The goal was to give American airmen a reprieve from the war for a week. Upon arrival, airmen were given civilian clothes. They slept in beds with lush linens. The breakfast menu included real eggs and bacon. Red Cross girls entertained airmen during the day with games and myriad activities on each estate. Rest Home dinners were a nightly lavish affair, including an open bar.

9. Run by the American Red Cross, “Clubmobiles” were bakeries on wheels offering rare treats at airbases — donuts, coffee, & interaction with women.

**Top:** Ground crews and airmen of the 44th Bomb Group **Bottom:** American Red Cross Workers Pose Beside the Clubmobile, nicknamed ‘Tennessee’ at An 8th Air Force Base In England, 3 November 1943. (Source: NARA)

The American Red Cross ran a robust assortment of morale-boosting activities for American airmen in England, including the “Clubmobile.”

Described as a service club on wheels, a “Clubmobile” was a London Bus retrofitted as an ostensible food truck.

Upon arrival at an airbase, a “Clubmobile” parked near the heart of combat operations adjacent the runways. American Red Cross girls brewed coffee and fried donuts from the small kitchen inside the bus. A victrola played music while dozens of men waited in line. On an average day, 5,000 donuts were served from a single “Clubmobile.”

Donuts were a treat in short supply, a result of food rationing and the English opinion they were “ethnic food.” The “Clubmobile” brought a slice of home to “donut desolate” wartime England.

10. Dances brought live music, local women, and good cheer to the epicenter of the air war.

**Top:** Airmen of the 44th Bomb Group at the Aero Club on Base. (Source: Shipdham Flying Club Museum) **Bottom**: Band play for a dance at the 381st Bomb Group Aero Club on February 14, 1944. (Source: NARA)

Dances organized by the American Red Cross gave airmen an opportunity to blow off steam from the intense stress of the air war.

Aero Clubs on American airbases regularly transformed into dance halls featuring live swing music, often courtesy of an airbase’s band formed from the roughly 3,000 personnel who called each base home.

The 44th Bomb Group band was started by Bombardier Paul Boensch, who studied music before the war. Maintenance men in the group built music stands, and instruments were hobbled together. Boensch recalled, “Our best break came when Major Linck learned that a band of German musicians was captured at St. Lo after D-Day. Twenty-four hours later, we had all their instruments, all in first class condition.”

In addition to the live music, women from local villages were trucked to airbases for evening dances. It was a formal affair as airmen donned their best Class A uniforms.

Typically held once a month, dances proved popular with airmen with a vast majority attending the evening affairs. The music, dancing, and female company gave airmen a few hours to forget about the war.

July 4, 2020 Mara Truslow Storey Uncategorized

Fighting for the Freedom of a Foreign People

New Glimpses into the Daily Lives of American Airmen in England During WWII

In the wake of Pearl Harbor, the United States began growing and mobilizing the nascent Army Air Force for war.

In mid-1942, the 8th Air Force’s “friendly invasion” of England began. By D-Day two years later, over 200,000 men of the 8th Air Force called England home base.

From 200 newly erected airbases in England, American flyboys launched bombing raids into Hitler’s Fortress Europe to break the back of the German war machine. Their goal was to liberate a foreign people and bring an end to the Nazi regime.

Such lofty aims meant there was no reprieve from war. Holidays and weekends did not put a stop to combat missions. The 4th of July was no exception.

Ironically, in both 1943 and 1944, American airmen celebrated their nation’s independence in the country their forefathers fought for freedom — England. Unlike the Revolutionary War, the bomber boys in WWII were fighting for the freedom of a foreign people. But it was the American ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all that drove both conflicts.

At 1 AM on July 4, 1944, Shipdham Airfield came to life as 262 airmen were jolted awake for a mission briefing. The target was a significant Luftwaffe airfield in Beaumont-le-Roger, France — 100 miles southeast of Omaha Beach where troops landed on D-Day nearly a month prior.

“We’re celebrating our national independence day with plenty of fireworks,” said the mission report. But it was flak, not fireworks, that formed the backdrop of their wartime 4th of July. Over the target, flak bursts filled the sky with black clouds of exploding shells aiming to shoot them from the sky.

75 years later, amidst a backdrop of fireworks and not flak, let us remember the ideals on which America was founded. Let us remember our forefathers who fought for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

My grandfather, Wallace B. Truslow during WWII.

I conjure the image of my paternal grandfather Wally who was one of those bomber boys at Shipdham. He flew through flak fields on 42 missions, but never spoke of the war after it ended.

Seventy-five years after WWII ended, new traces of the war are still resurfacing. In 2020, I came across rare, never-shared Super 8 footage of the bomber boys in England while conducting archival research in England. Robert Krueger, who served as a ground mechanic at Shipdham for all 29 months of the war, recorded over an hour of wartime footage showcasing the human side of combat.

This footage sheds new light on an old conflict, illuminating the combat missions and the long stretches between, in the name of liberty and justice for all.

Getting around Base — Bikes

Like most American airbases in England during WWII, Shipdham was dispersed over 10 square miles. Living sites were several miles from the airfield, mess halls, and showers. The reason behind the design was strategic: should the Germans attack the bases, dispersing the sites would minimize the carnage.

The dispersed design of American airfields required airmen to walk 10+ miles a day for basic necessities. With gas rationed, bicycles became the predominant mode of transit.

Old, used bikes went for hefty sums. Before American airmen flooded England, bikes sold for $15 to $20. By D-Day, the price increased five-fold. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $1500 today. Even so, over one-third of the men on base had a privately-owned bike.

Accidents on bicycles were plentiful. American airmen often forgot the English drove on the left side of the road. Coupled with narrow country roads and the wartime blackout, accidents between bicycles and vehicles were common. In August 1944, a ground crewman was killed at Shipdham when he was hit by a truck while riding his bike.

Vestiges of Home — Baseball

At the communal site on an American airbase, airmen gathered to eat, shower, and socialize.

Here, myriad activities were organized for the airmen to keep their minds occupied while not flying missions. A station theater played nightly movies and hosted USO shows. The American Red Cross Aero Club featured a library, games, music, a duck pond, and snacks. Officers and Enlisted Men’s Clubs offered alcoholic beverages in the evenings.

Yet, it was organized sports that most distinctly brought a slice of home to war. Baseball tournaments were organized among the dozens of American Airbases and games drew large crowds whose allegiances were tied strictly to the base they called home.

Coveted 48-Hour Leave — London

American airbases were scattered throughout the English countryside in East Anglia, a rural landscape separated by quaint villages. There was little of interest for the airmen in these villages so small that the neighboring wartime airbases were more populous.

A 48-hour pass granting leave from East Anglia was coveted. An airman could earn a pass roughly every five missions. The most popular destination to escape to was London. Approximately 100 miles southwest of East Anglia, London was only a two-hour train ride.

Run by the American Red Cross, the Rainbow Club in the heart of Piccadilly Circus offered overnight accommodation to American troops for fifty cents a night.

The airmen packed their hours in London with famed tourist attractions, theater productions, and drinks at the eponymous Savoy Hotel.

The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace proved a favorite for American troops. During the war, the crowd gathered at the gates was distinguished only by the varying uniforms of the U.S. military branches — sailors, airmen, and infantry.

Maintaining a Fleet of B-24 Bombers — Ground Crews Working on the “Line”

Nearly 3,000 people lived on an American airbase in England at any given time during WWII. Of those, only about 700 were flyboys. The rest were “paddlefeet,” as they were affectionately nicknamed, or non-fliers.

Repairing bombers damaged by enemy flak and fighters, as well as preparing bombers for subsequent missions, required around-the-clock work. A motley group of mechanics of every flavor and ordnance/ammunitions men worked on the line.

Three massive T-2 Hangars were erected at Shipdham. Here, the most intensive B-24 repairs were completed. At 240 feet long, 121 feet wide, and 40 feet tall, the square footage of a T2 hangar was twice that of a football field. Yet, fitting just four B-24s in a T2 hangar was a tight squeeze: the bomber boasted a 110 foot wingspan and 67 foot long fuselage.

As a result, most work happened outside in the elements. Conditions were miserable thanks to the pernicious English weather. “On the line, ground crews had no shelter or protection from cold, inadequate clothing, and worked with bare hands,” recalled Lundy, a mechanic who spent 29 months at Shipdham.

In mid-1944, Shipdham Airbase had a fleet of over 60 B-24s. Ground crews were known to work 36 hours straight repairing a bomber to ready it for the next mission. Their role was no less heroic than that of the flyboys.

After the War — Trolley Missions

V-E Day marked the end of war in Europe on May 8, 1945. Trolley Missions began immediately after.

The purpose of these day-long flights was no longer the destruction of enemy targets, but viewing the results of 2.5 years of bombing. The Trolley Missions were designed to show the ground crews the results of their efforts.

Having arrived in England by ship, some ground crewmen had never been on an airplane by the war’s end. Most had not left England at all during the war, so the low-level flight over important targets along the Rhine River marked their first flight and first sight of the European continent.

Fourteen B-24 bomb groups flew Trolley Missions in early May 1945 carrying more than 24,000 passengers on the sightseeing tour over the continent.

Will Lundy, a ground crewman who spent the entire war at Shipdham, was stunned by what he saw in Europe:

“The destruction that our allied planes had rained down on these German cities was shocking; far worse than we had imagined. […] Here the nearly total destruction would go on for miles with nothing but broken walls standing. After viewing so much of it, we had to start feeling a bit of pity for them. So many had nothing left. […] We really did have a part in bringing Germany to her knees, even those of us who stayed behind on the many airfields feeling left out of the battles.”

History remembers the bomber boys during WWII for their daring in combat. They flew through flak fields and fended off fighter attacks. Fireworks displays illuminated daylight skies as exploding shells and tracer bullets brought flashes of bright light and the lingering smell of cordite.

But it was the less talked about moments between the missions of day-to-day life that shed new light on the war today. Through the herculean efforts that preceded every mission, the youthful desire to explore the foreign land of war, and the creature comforts of home, the human side of WWII continues to be exposed.

For additional wartime footage, visit my You Tube Channel. To learn more about the bomber boys in England during WWII, visit www.ww2truslow.com.

July 4, 2020July 6, 2020 Mara Truslow Storey Publications

Viewpoints Radio Segment on 44th BG

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Viewpoints Radio aired a feature story about the 44th Bomb Group featuring my grandfather’s war and my journey of uncovering it.

“Memorial Day is on Monday, May 25 this year. It is a day that we remember those who have served and lost their lives protecting this country. To honor our veterans, we highlight a unique story from World War II about the heroic men of the U.S. Air Force 44th Bomb Group.”

The radio program explores the story behind data dashboard I built to tell the singular stories and collective impact of the 5,000 airmen who served in the 44th Bomb Group during the war.

Behind the dashboard is my own family’s WWII history. My paternal grandfather Wally flew 42 missions with the 44th Bomb Group. He had severe PTSD and never spoke of the war after it ended. Piecing together the fragments of Wally’s war was the impetus for using big data to tell a new story of WWII.

Hope you’ll give the 10-minute story featured on Viewpoints Radio a listen. It’s available here.

May 8, 2020 Mara Truslow Storey Uncategorized

10 Little-Known Facts about American Airmen in WWII on V-E Day 75

Wartime Life in England in Pursuit of Victory

May 8, 2020 marks 75 years since war in Europe ended in World War II. On the same date in 1945, V-E day celebrations were raucous after six years of prolonged war.