A Bomber Crew Mystery: The Forgotten Heroes of 388th Bombardment Group

by David Price

Overview

An antique trophy inspires a quest to uncover the history of an outstanding crew of WWII airmen who first flew into combat on D-Day.
 
After discovering a discarded trophy in an Edinburgh antique shop, author David Price endeavored to tell the stories of the men whose names had been engraved upon it. Praised as ‘Outstanding Crew of the Month’, the members of 388th Bombardment Group set out on their very first mission on June 6, 1944—D-Day.
 
This baptism of fire heralded the start of an illustrious career in battle. During August and September of 1944, they took part in over thirty perilous missions. And yet the details of their endeavors have largely been forgotten.
 
Here, the history of 388th Bombardment Group’s service is told in great detail from interviews with each surviving member of the group, together with family members, in an effort to glean more information about their wartime deeds, and to reunite them with the trophy that they won in the midst of it.
 
A Bomber Crew Mystery serves as a poignant and evocative tribute to the 388th Bombardment Group, as well as all those who fought in the skies of the Second World War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473870482
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	02/20/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

David Price has been researching and writing about aviation for many years and has contributed a number of articles to newspapers and magazines, including Flypast. He is currently the Director of Solway Aviation Museum and has served as Chairman and MD for Solway for eight years in total. He writes and lectures on military aviation and also the First World War in local history groups in Cumbria.

Table of Contents

Foreword vi

The Procession viii

Chapter 1 The Beginning 1

Chapter 2 Let Battle Commence 10

Chapter 3 Through the Keyhole 24

Chapter 4 The Swede 38

Chapter 5 Walking in Other Men's Shoes 50

Chapter 6 Fickle Fannie 59

Chapter 7 The Homecoming 67

Chapter 8 Dropping Bombs 78

Chapter 9 Going Frantic 93

Chapter 10 Betty Ann's Boys 106

Chapter 11 A Beach Holiday 115

Chapter 12 Nazi Heartlands 122

Chapter 13 Fear, Loathing and Duty 138

Chapter 14 Down on the Farm 158

Chapter 15 Follow my Leader 168

Chapter 16 Conversations and Recollections 173

Chapter 17 The Trophy Missions - August 1944 184

Chapter 18 The Trophy Months - September 1944 197

Chapter 19 The Later Story 208

Chapter 20 The Downwind Leg and Final Approach 223

Chapter 21 The End is Never the End 229

Acknowledgements 235