HERRMANN, William (b. 1922) | Oral History

HERRMANN, William (b. 1922)

Oral Histories

Physicist. His experiences as a B-24 navigator in the Mediterranean and European Theaters during World War II. His decision to join the Enlisted Reserve Corps while a student at the University of Massachusetts, September, 1942; call to active duty, March, 1943, and Army basic training at Kearns, Utah; decision to volunteer for Aviation Cadet training at Superior, Wisconsin, August, 1943; flexible gunnery training, Laredo, Texas, 1943; navigator training, San Marcos Army Air Base, Texas, 1943-44; assignment to the 449th Bomb Group, Foggia, Italy, 1944; his appointment as lead navigator for the 719th Bomb Squadron, 1944; his assessment of the B-24 Liberator; mission to Vienna, Austria, getting hit by flak, and making a forced landing on the island of Vis off the coast of Yugoslavia, August, 1944; mission to a ball bearing factory at Linz, Austria; receiving cracked teeth and a concussion from a flak burst; the combat death of his hutmate and how it affected him; his last mission, April, 1945; his return to college on the GI Bill and his postwar business career.
Date of Interview: March 31, 2004

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