OH 1349 | Oral History

OH 1349

Engineer. His experiences as a fighter pilot in Italy during World War II. Enlistment in the Aviation Cadet Program, 1942; basic training at Camp Livingston, Louisiana, 1942; pre-flight training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, 1942-43; primary flight training at Waco, Texas, 1943; advanced flight training at Foster Field, Victoria, Texas, 1943; fighter training in the P-39 at Thomasville, Georgia, 1943-44; temporary assignment to Constantine, Tunisia, 1944; assignment to the 346th Fighter Squadron at Piombino, Italy, 1944; introduction of P-47 Thunderbolts and transfer to Tarquinia, Italy, 1944; Operation STRANGLE, 1944; his being shot down, October 1, 1944, by flak over Piacenza; his rescue by Italian partisans; his link-up with a British A-4 Mission and his attempt to reach Allied lines; his betrayal by a German agent and his subsequent capture, October 31, 1944; his escape on November 7, 1944, and continued search for Allied lines; his observations of and opinions about the partisans; his second encounter with a British A-4 Mission; his friendship with the Martani family in the village of Tosca; his group’s trek through mountain snow in January and February, 1945, to reach Allied lines; their meeting with British paratroopers; his meeting with African-American soldiers from the 92nd Infantry Division; his reunion with his squadron in Pisa on February 16, 1945.

About this Oral History

Physical Description 142 pp. plus documents (101 pp.)
Terms of Use Open
Interviewer(s) Ronald E. Marcello
Date of Interview December 2, 1999

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