SALFEN, Harold (b. 1920) | Oral History

SALFEN, Harold (b. 1920)

Oral Histories

Aviation executive. His experiences as an antiaircraft radar operator in the European Theater during World War II. Comments about his German ancestors and growing up in O’Fallon, Missouri; sports activities; college life at the University of Missouri; decision to join the Aviation Cadet Program, 1941; primary flight training, Ballinger, Texas, 1942; washing out of flight training; courtship of his future wife; Officer Candidate School, Miami, Florida, 1942; ground radar training, Goldsboro, North Carolina, 1943; assignment to Scotland for further training, 1943-44; transfer to “Ripsaw 4,” 1944; transfer to France; his description of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp; his description of the hospital and commandant’s quarters at Buchenwald; end of the war in Europe and preparations for the invasion of Japan; his postwar marriage.
Date of Interview: February 14, 2000

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