Five Missions over Germany
by W. Griswold Smith Griswold prefaced this report by saying he had written it so that at some future date he could look back and remember how we fought a war in old 1945, and also to have something with which to “flak up” his grandchildren. He, hopes, now that the account is in print, […]
The Royal Flush and a French Friend
by Charles M. Nekvasil Chuck Nekvasil was a member of the crew of the ill-fated “Royal Flush.” His account of the B-17’s last mission and the story of how Leon Croulebois’ life became entwined with the lives of the “Flush’s” crew, makes one of the great stories of the 100th, as a token of its […]
The Century Bombers
By Irving (Irv) Waterbury The Century Bombers, the 100th’s own band, became famous in the E.T.O., often fulfilling engagements off the base. We remember them best for the dance music they played. Some members came and went as missions were completed; others were constant, including Irv Waterbury, a prime mover in organizing and maintaining the […]
Kriegie
By John D. Brady John says that as he wrote this piece he was conscious that time had dimmed his memory and sharpened his imagination and wonders whether some of his observations will be challenged. As a relative long term prisoner of was he had a lot of time for these memories to fix them […]
40 in a 30 Zone
by John L. (Swede) Swenson Swede was shot down early in his career as a Radio Operator in the 351st. At one the annual, informal gathering of the 100th Groupers in New England, Swede’s verbal account of his fifth mission was taped. While some of the flavor is lost in the transcribing, we are certain […]
Al Paul Remembers
Editor’s Note: Albert Paul was the ubiquitous head of the 100th’s Post Exchange. No combat unit in the ETO’s Post Exchange ever approached the services offered by Paul. Only a few of his ventures and adventures would have received the stamp of approval of higher headquarters. This never affected Al, and he became one of […]
A Typical Day In My Life, Near Thorpe Abbotts, 1944
By John Archer John Archer, as a teenager, often cycled to Thorpe Abbotts from his home in Bungay early in the morning, carrying his lunch, to watch and record the take-off of a mission. He still has his carefully annotated records of the planes that took off and landed. “I have tried to capture and […]
Oh, To Be In England
by John R. NilssonFrom The Story of the Century John Nilsson wrote “The Story of the Century” immediately after the War. It was privately published and is now out of print. All efforts to locate Nilsson, who lived in California when the book was written, have failed. Horace L. Varian The time, early June of 1943. […]
As One Squadron Saw It
By Jack SheridanFrom They Never Had It So Good In these excerpts from his book, Jack Sheridan tells of being quickly converted from mechanic to clerk of the 350thSquadron. One of his first duties was to keep the squadron journal, usually a depressing record, kept in grudging compliance with regulations. Jack’s earliest entries became the first […]
Hit Songs of the Century
The original version carried this warning: “This is a RESTRICTED publication. Please do not leave it about carelessly on the tops of various bars, pianos, etc; however, when the time a place is right, sing them with all your might.” When editing them thirty years later, one is struck not with the unabashed sexual references […]