of Private Melvin W. Johnson
Personal Stories
In their words
Here you will find the personal stories of soldiers, sailors, and airmen. You will also read the stories of families who sacrificed fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, and time in the greatest conflict of our time. If you have a story you'd like to add, please just email it to us and we'll be happy to share it.
Flight of the Navigator
by Charles SethSubmitted by Great-Nephew, Bob "Soda-Pop Bob" Curtis
Charles Seth served as part of the 466th Bomb Group in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a navigator, based out of AAF Station #120 near Attlebridge, England. During his service he navigated, mainly, aboard two different B-24 'Liberator' bombers: Lovely Lady and Lovely Lady's Avenger. On 21 June, 1944 he was involved in a crash landing in Lovely Lady's Avenger. In his own words...
Naked But Not Alone
by Albert L. Sohl
That first nightmarish week after receiving the infamous "Greetings" letter from Uncle Sam had to be one of the more vivid memories for us, the World War II inductees. They lined us up quickly in motley formation and conducted a lengthy roll call. Then we were marched over to a low, ugly overheated building across a snow covered tarmac. "Go over to the benches and strip down to your shorts and shoes. Deposit your belongings in your basket and leave it on the bench. Be sure to remember the number on the side of the container if you want your clothing back later."
The Day the War Ended
by Bill Barber
“They will live a long time, these men of the Pacific. They had an American quality about them. They, like their victories, will be remembered as long as our generation lives. After that, like the men of the Confederacy, they will grow dim, fade away and become strangers. Longer and longer shadows will obscure them, until their “Guadalcanal” and “Iwo Jima” become distant to the ear, like “Gettysburg” and “Shiloh.”
WW2 Memoirs
by Arthur Leroy Morneweck
On Panay, we trained to invade Japan. It was hot and we had to keep our shirt sleeves down because of yellow fever. I still remember the Lieutenant hollering, "Morneweck, turn your sleeves down." Across the dirt road from our camp was a Philippino house on stilts. The natives were growing peanuts. On our free time a truck took us to town. In town was a two-story whore house that I never visited. I bought hula skirts and mailed them back home.
Recollections of Willard Harding Swapp
Submitted by son, Gary Harding
I should note at this time that the attacking pilots opened fire with their machine guns (7.65mm, I believe) to sight in a target and then and only then opened up with their 20mm cannon. The machine guns were German made and had an extremely high rate of fire. I never found any ball ammo so it would appear they fired incendiary and armor piercing only, although this is conjecture on my part. I picked up numerous of the armor piercing inserts, they were extremely sharp and no larger in diameter than pencil lead.
Missing in Action
Submitted by Anne (Millar) Storm
Of the 20 planes that set out 6 failed to return. Four crashed high in the mountains, one crashed near Cantalupa but the sixth disappeared without a trace. The wreckages of the crashed planes were eventually found but there was no news of the sixth Liberator. The crew members of the sixth Liberator were officially posted missing. The disappearance of KH158 has yet to be solved.
Not Forgotten - Elwyn Price
Written by Bill George, Chillington, 2005
The Action at Noville
by William J. Stone
The Last Time I Saw Paris
by Mme. Germaine Dauchat
WW2 B24 Air Battle, Bail Out, and Rescue by the USS Cobia
by J.V. Vandruff
Ridgewell, England 1945
by Richard Bettencourt
"Oh, Danny Boy"
by John E. McAuliffe
World War II: My Personal Account
By Wesley Reading
The Stories of Daniel R. Shine
by Daniel Shine
Tilly: The Sweetheart of the Liberators of Luxembourg
by John E. McAuliffe
Huertgen Forest
by Carl Heintze
Crossing the Equator
WW2 Marine Diary, Lt. V. Terry
Battle of the Bulge
an Account by Donald Wallace
The Stories of Ken Ferland
by Ken Ferland
The Stories of Stan Scislowski
by Stan Scislowski, a Canadian Private
Chronologically Speaking
by Kenneth M. Neher
My Story
by John Kline
An Ambulance Driver's Experiences in World War II
by Howard E. Nixon
Honor Thy Father: A Tuskegee Airman
A Tribute to my Father, Joseph P. Gomer by daughter, Ms. Gomer-Douglass
Promise Made, Promise Kept
by Fielding D. Tucker
The War Story of John F. Peters
as proudly recorded by his daughters
Fortress Combat Tales
Two stories of B-17's in action by Jerry Osadnick, submitted by son, John Osadnick
The Letters of Private James P. McClelland
Written home to his father, William Barclay McClelland, Submitted by son, Tom McClelland