Personnel

E. John Knapp 349th Sq & S-2 Intelligence Dec. 25, 2017

John was Navigator for James W. McGuire crew, flying his first mission on April 1, 1944 to Ludwigshaven. Not flying with his regular crew on the ill-fated April 28 “No Ball” Sottevast mission, the McGuire crew was lost. This affected John deeply, yet he went on to complete his tour of 35 missions, most as substitute Navigator on other crews, finishing with the George Allen crew on Aug 24, 1944 mission to Ruhland.  Instead of returning stateside, John transferred to the group’s S-2 Intelligence unit, in large part, he later admitted, to research what happened to the McGuire crew on the ill-fated Sottevast mission. Years later John re-connected with survivors including Frank DeGeorge. In 2009 he published Poet Flyer – WWII Poetry & Photographs Based on Aerial Combat which tells his wartime story and its aftereffects. In the poem about the loss of his crew, he tells of “waiting and waiting” at the runway’s end while ten of the squadron’s planes landed that day…

“Still waiting for eleventh and twelfth to land

Here comes our Sergeant in a jeep

		‘Sorry, Lieutenant,

		Your crew went down, direct flak hit

		Over Cherbourg, France.’

	Much silence

		and too much waiting

		can’t hold back tears

		‘Any parachutes?’

		‘Yeah, three.’

…Why am I alone?...

	Why am I still wondering?...

	…and still waiting…?”