# Officer'Party



## billrunnels (Nov 13, 2017)

I am the guy leaning on the piano. Just bought the player a fresh beer.

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## pbehn (Nov 13, 2017)

Good picture Bill, it must bring back memories. Walking around a museum yesterday my wife saw a picture of her history teacher, she maintains she is not old enough tohave her teachers pic in a museum.


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## billrunnels (Nov 13, 2017)

pbehn said:


> Good picture Bill, it must bring back memories. Walking around a museum yesterday my wife saw a picture of her history teacher, she maintains she is not old enough tohave her teachers pic in a museum.


It does bring back memories. This party was on April 7, 1945 one day following the loss of my original crew in a mid-air collision near Leipzig, Germany. I was a little down and thought the party atmosphere would help. I didn't stay long,

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## airminded88 (Nov 14, 2017)

Honor to greet you Bill.
April 7th, 1945 was fateful day for the USAAF as Me-262s and ramming Me-109s rose up to challenge the 8th AF in the last desperate attempts to stop the daylight offensive over Nazi Germany.
When was your last mission?


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 14, 2017)

Bill, thank you for sharing this, and sharing your other posts and stories.

I think it is very important for all of this, and the stories and experiences of all veterans to be passed on told.

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## billrunnels (Nov 14, 2017)

airminded88 said:


> Honor to greet you Bill.
> April 7th, 1945 was fateful day for the USAAF as Me-262s and ramming Me-109s rose up to challenge the 8th AF in the last desperate attempts to stop the daylight offensive over Nazi Germany.
> When was your last mission?



April 5, 1945 to Bayreuth. This was the longest mission I was on - 11 hours 30 minutes air time.

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 14, 2017)

billrunnels said:


> April 5, 1945 to Bayreuth. This was the longest mission I was on - 11 hours 30 minutes air time.



Such a beautiful town. I am glad that his grown from the ashes.

I used to live near there.


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## billrunnels (Nov 14, 2017)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> Such a beautiful town. I am glad that his grown from the ashes.
> 
> I used to live near there.



Our target was an Ordnance Depot. It is a small world.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 14, 2017)

billrunnels said:


> Our target was an Ordnance Depot. It is a small world.



I believe something for the V2 Rocket was being done in Bayreuth.


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## billrunnels (Nov 14, 2017)

billrunnels said:


> I am the guy leaning on the piano. Just bought the player a fresh beer.
> View attachment 472093



Here is a photo of my original crew that was lost in a mid air collision near Leipzig on April 6, 1945

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## billrunnels (Nov 14, 2017)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> I believe something for the V2 Rocket was being done in Bayreuth.


If so that would be reason for the trip. I am sure glad the City is alive and well again after so many years.

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 15, 2017)

billrunnels said:


> Here is a photo of my original crew that was lost in a mid air collision near Leipzig on April 6, 1945
> View attachment 472246


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## airminded88 (Nov 15, 2017)

billrunnels said:


> Here is a photo of my original crew that was lost in a mid air collision near Leipzig on April 6, 1945
> View attachment 472246



Fine young men.
Did anyone of them survive such ordeal Bill?


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## billrunnels (Nov 15, 2017)

airminded88 said:


> Fine young men.
> Did anyone of them survive such ordeal Bill?


I should have explained the two in the middle of the first row were not on the flight that day. They are our copilot and myself. All others were lost in both planes. The copilot was on the mission flying as camera man in the tail gunner position of the lead aircraft and filmed the accident. I had flown the day before with a lead crew and was not assigned this mission. The little doll held by our navigator, "baby doll", was our mascot. It was a gift to him from his wife.


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## at6 (Nov 15, 2017)

Thank you for your stories about your missions and the people you knew both living and dead. I wish that there more members of your generation posting their experiences here.


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## Crimea_River (Nov 15, 2017)

Same here. Thanks for doing this Bill.


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 15, 2017)

Wow, that doll really hit me. I cannot thank you enough for sharing this with us.


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## airminded88 (Nov 15, 2017)

billrunnels said:


> I should have explained the two in the middle of the first row were not on the flight that day. They are our copilot and myself. All others were lost in both planes. The copilot was on the mission flying as camera man in the tail gunner position of the lead aircraft and filmed the accident. I had flown the day before with a lead crew and was not assigned this mission. The little doll held by our navigator, "baby doll", was our mascot. It was a gift to him from his wife.



Yours is a fascinating but overly tragic and sad story, Bill.
I feel shivers when I see the picture of your crew and to see such group of young and brave men/boys have their life cut short in that accident.
I can't even beging to understand how hard you must have taken the news of their fate.
I really wish that the accompanying description of that picture was a crew that finished their tour of duty and returned safely to the US to live long fruitful life among their loved ones after the war but sadly it brings home the crude reality of the air war over Europe and WWII in general.
Their sacrifice was not in vain and their legacy will keep alive as long as there are people like us who remember and celebrate their deeds.
Hearing stories like yours is what makes this site very special to me and I, like most members, feel very lucky to still have it.
It's constructive, educational and fun to disect and debate the technical aspects of air power during the war but the human elements is something that I take close to my heart.
Thank you for your service Bill.

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## Gnomey (Nov 15, 2017)

Great stuff Bill! Really appreciate you sharing all these anecdotes.


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## billrunnels (Nov 15, 2017)

airminded88 said:


> Yours is a fascinating but overly tragic and sad story, Bill.
> I feel shivers when I see the picture of your crew and to see such group of young and brave men/boys have their life cut short in that accident.
> I can't even beging to understand how hard you must have taken the news of their fate.
> I really wish that the accompanying description of that picture was a crew that finished their tour of duty and returned safely to the US to live long fruitful life among their loved ones after the war but sadly it brings home the crude reality of the air war over Europe and WWII in general.
> ...


Thank you for the kind and thoughtful words. They mean a lot. They were great friends and remain so in the chambers of my mind.

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## Hansie Bloeckmann (Jan 5, 2018)

I had a relative that was a co-pilot on the B-17 rains on the Polesti oil fields in Rumania- they were shot down by ME-109's, but the crew got out and parachuted to the ground, where they were all surrounded by Nazi partisans. So they spent 17 months in a Luftwaffe Stalag- maybe a bit like the one portrayed in the movie "The Great Escape". Jack spoke fluent German, as a Captain he was assigned to clean up the Commandant's office and quarters, but he never let the Germans know he could understand what they were saying- said the American cigarettes were like gold, for trading to the guards for "special treatment"-many of the German guards understood English, so he never had to disclose that he could understand German. They all wanted for the camp to be taken by the Allied Forces (American) and NOT the Russians.

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