WILDE, Earle (b. 1919) | Oral History

WILDE, Earle (b. 1919)

Oral Histories

His experiences as a B-17 bombardier in the European Theater during World War II. Service in the U.S. Navy, 1936-40; employment with the Cincinnati Police Department, 1940-42; enlistment in the Aviation Cadet Program, October 15, 1942; basic training, Fresno, California, 1943; College Training Detachment, University of Montana, 1943; pre-flight training, Santa Ana, California, 1943; his decision to volunteer for bombardier school, 1943; flexible gunnery training, Kingman, Arizona, 1943; bombardier school, Victorville, California, 1943; bomber transition training, Pyote, Texas, 1943-44; his assignment to the 401st Bomb Group, Deenethorpe, England, July, 1944; his first mission to Cologne; his descriptions of various missions; German flak; social life in England; meeting and courting his future wife; intricacies of bombing under combat conditions; his postwar career.
Date of Interview: June 15, 2001

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