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Julius Busse, who was with the 368th Fighter Squadron in World War II, looks at a B-24 parked at the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport. He was one of eight World War II veterans who visited the airport to see the aircraft and share stories about how the planes performed in combat flights.
World War II bomber pilots Bob Noziglia (left) and Ken Rowe talk about the B-24 that Rowe flew in 13 missions. |
By CATHY DYSON
The men who did their part to defeat the Nazi war machine praised the planes that took them into battle, almost five miles off the ground.
"The B-24 was a great airplane, and it's good to see one out on the runway today," said Walt Harris, an 88-year-old from Fairfax who was a co-pilot on 14 bombing missions during World War II.
Yesterday, Harris was among eight veterans who got in vans from retirement communities, or their own vehicles, and drove from Northern Virginia or Richmond to southern Fauquier County.
There, at the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport, they had another look at the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator, the planes known for being durable and dependable during the Great War.
The aircraft, as well as a P-51 Mustang, will be at the airport through tomorrow afternoon for the Wings of Freedom Tour, which honors the crews that flew them and attempts to educate younger Americans about their role in the war.
World War II veterans can go through the mammoth machines for free--and donations from SAIC, a Washington corporation, will cover the cost of their flights, if they want to take another ride. Others interested in lumbering over the skies above Fauquier in the restored aircraft will have to pay.
Frank Bolt, a veteran from Manassas, joked that he didn't want to board the B-24 again.
"Hell, no," he said, laughing. "I've spent all the time I want to in that damn plane."
He was a turret gunner aboard the bomber. "I didn't shoot any planes, but I scared the hell out of them," he said.
Most of the veterans who gathered in the airport hangar were with the 8th Air Force, whose bombing missions helped destroy Ger-man planes, manufacturing plants and fuel depots. Their efforts paved the way for D-Day and the ultimate Allied victory, according to a History Channel special the veterans watched.
"What makes it even more special is that we have people here today who flew those planes," said David Fields, who does volunteer work
Fields passed the microphone to the former pilots and gunners, who talked about their missions and the men who never made it home.
"The odds were, you wouldn't make it," recalled Bob Noziglia, who survived 31 missions aboard a B-17, including two on D-Day.
Actually, the D-Day flight was a "piece of cake" compared with other ones, Noziglia said, because, by that time, the Allies had wiped out most of the German fighter planes. They still had to contend with anti-aircraft on the ground--but gunners had them aimed at the men hitting the beaches, not the sky.
Morris said he'd never forget the sight of almost a thousand planes in the air, leaving England for bombing missions in Germany. Planes would take off for five or six hours straight, and as the Americans returned from daylight missions, British planes would leave for nighttime ones, he said.
He never knew if his plane's bombs hit their targets. Crew members would find out later, when they got back to the airfield and reviewed photos taken by other aircraft.
Most times, their planes were 20,000 feet up, and in tight formation with other bombers. Staying close offered the best protection, but keeping just the right distance--and handling the controls--took all the muscle of the men, Morris said.
There wasn't an opportunity for sightseeing.
"If you lost control of it, it didn't take much for you to slide into somebody else," Morris said.
Ken Rowe of Richmond, who spent 21 years in the Air Force and 31 years flying Virginia governors around, recalled how quickly his war experiences matured him. He went straight to aviation class from high school, when he was 18.
At 19, he was flying a crew of 10 aboard a B-24 over the skies of Germany. In the months that followed, he was shot down twice and taken prisoner of war.
He celebrated his 21st birthday in an American hospital.
"We started very young and did a lot of things in World War II," Rowe said.
Robert "Scotty" Cameron, 85, of Northern Virginia was still in aviation training when the war ended, but like other, younger veterans in yesterday's audience, including those from the Vietnam War, he thanked the crews of the bombers for their work.
"I didn't get a chance to play with these guys who did the really serious stuff," Cameron said, "but I thank them for what they did and for ending the war so quickly."
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com
The public is invited to look at the restored World War II aircraft that are part of the "Wings of Freedom Tour." The planes will be at the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport in Midland all weekend. HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. COST: $12 for adults and $6 for kids to tour the planes; no charge for World War II veterans. Rides are $425 per half hour for a bomber ride and $2,200 per half-hour, or $3,200 per hour, for a ride in a Mustang, a two-seat fighter. BOOK A FLIGHT at the airport or by calling 978/562-3255. AIRPORT is in southern Fauquier County. Take Route 17 north to a right on Route 28 in Bealeton. Go 3 miles to a right on Germantown Road, which becomes Midland Road. Follow it to the airport. |
