WEBVTT 1 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:17.039 Welcome to Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in this edition is 2 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:21.160 James Bainham. He is a US Army Air Corps veteran of World War Two, 3 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:26.600 during which he flew B twenty four bombers. In late September nineteen forty 4 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:30.399 four, his plane was shot down on what is now known as the Castle 5 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:35.520 Mission Raid and he became a German prisoner of war until he was liberated near 6 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:39.280 the end of the war in April nineteen forty five. And sir, thank 7 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:42.560 you very much for being with us. You're welcome being welcome. Where were 8 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:46.280 you born and raised, sir well, I was born as a little warcker 9 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:51.880 argans Law. I was raised mostly i'd say Petrick Kinda, Texas. What 10 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:55.600 was the impact of the depression on your family? Manda. I had a 11 00:00:55.799 --> 00:01:03.880 church business and it is a texta kunta and in the early thirties, I 12 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:10.719 guess the pressure hit. His customer has disappeared and it fold to see what 13 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:15.400 broke. I was about ten eight or ten. We moved to Glenvin's, 14 00:01:15.640 --> 00:01:21.760 Arkansas for a couple of years live with my grandparents there. How did you 15 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:25.920 hear the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Do you remember where 16 00:01:25.959 --> 00:01:29.760 you were and how you heard that news? Yeah, I said, I 17 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:37.079 was saying a home in Textakouna. I graduate from high school the summer before, 18 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:42.879 and I was in actually lay in bed, listened to radio late morning 19 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:48.400 and heard it on the radio. Yet, what was your reaction to hearing 20 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:53.760 that news. I don't remember immediate, but I was like other kids, 21 00:01:55.480 --> 00:02:01.159 serious, ready to enjoy something to everybody else. Now, you were about 22 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:06.319 seventeen and a half years old at that time, So did you enlist as 23 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:08.919 soon as you hit eighteen or did you get drafted? What was the process? 24 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:15.080 Yeah, I soon as I was eighteen, I went over to Dallas, 25 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:21.360 took the aviation to the test, passed it. I worked for a 26 00:02:21.479 --> 00:02:25.319 Safeway at the time, so soon as I passed it, of course I 27 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:31.639 was signed up. That was the somber of four to two. But went 28 00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:37.960 home and they sent me a note that I would be wouldn't be called active 29 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:44.520 duty till December of that year, so I had to go make my job 30 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:47.759 back for a while. Why did you choose the Air Corps because I didn't 31 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:52.719 want to go into infagery. Where did you go for training and then flight 32 00:02:52.759 --> 00:02:58.439 school. Well, I signed up, called back to Dallas, sent to 33 00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:07.479 send on to Lacland Air Force Base which was Kelly Field in December. Starting 34 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:15.080 what took basic there was about eight of ten weeks sent for primary flight training, 35 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:23.919 sent to Colon Airfield, ol West, Texas for nine weeks of a 36 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:31.400 primary flight train. From there, left and went to basic training which was 37 00:03:31.479 --> 00:03:40.439 a place called Waco Army Airfield. Took basic air for iron ten weeks and 38 00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:46.879 then set across the other side of Waco was a bit called Blackland Air Force 39 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:54.840 Base and it was advanced training twin INDs in advance and I graduated and got 40 00:03:54.879 --> 00:04:00.240 my wings there. What was the most challenging part about flights, Well, 41 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:03.960 for you just surviving. I think about half the guys get worsed out, 42 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:12.199 probably on purpose because that was the player, just to not get morsed out 43 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:17.199 and study everybody of the driving force that was survival. At what point did 44 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:21.279 they designate you to be a bomber pilot? When I went to twin engine 45 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:30.040 advanced at work called black Foot, almost destined to go to Bolt the engine 46 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:35.759 flying and I graduated from twenty ends. You got my wings and commission and 47 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:43.519 was sent to tart Field in Fort Worth, Texas, where they told me 48 00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:46.879 how to fly. I'd be twenty Four's described the B twenty four. I 49 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:53.639 was a big old buck everything four engines, great, big old twelve fifty 50 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:58.399 horse power. It was a box. It was hard to fly. It 51 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:03.000 had a date what the called Davis League, which was very skinny, very 52 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:09.519 little left. But it holds more bombs than to be seventeen, and we're 53 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:15.720 further so it was probably more of them built in World War Two than there 54 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:20.079 were sevent these, But with seventeens, that was one of the one of 55 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:26.720 the main heavy bombers that were for the europe. How much farther could it 56 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:31.240 go than to be seventeen, I don't really know. Don't remember that we 57 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:38.079 could go as high we flew it about twenty eight twenty two thousand people for 58 00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:44.680 bombing seventeens would go up to twenty four twenty five thousand, so they had 59 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:50.759 a little less accuracyve Flack had none that we did. Both of them had 60 00:05:51.279 --> 00:06:00.360 ten positions, a lot of guns on them be twenty fours, although in 61 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:05.240 forty four they took the belly charts out, so we didn't have a billet 62 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:12.319 protection. They took those out, give us another thousand pounds of mobs because 63 00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:16.560 of them. It's because of chure of air force would come up unders and 64 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:24.399 just lobb cantons. And sometimes you mentioned that it was like driving a big 65 00:06:24.399 --> 00:06:28.519 old box. So was that something that you adapted to pretty quickly or did 66 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:33.639 it take a while? The Oh the conversation from then that sance that the 67 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:42.199 twenty four was harder to handle than the seventeen. Didn't have a minute mesch 68 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:47.839 lift on it, so it took more muscle I think to make it, 69 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:53.959 make it move and do things that needed to do it. But I guess 70 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:58.839 we kids were fled. We took it as a matter of pride for rather 71 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:01.920 than a problem. Now, you headed over to Europe on the Queen Mary 72 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:06.560 in the spring of nineteen forty four. What do you remember about that voyage? 73 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:11.920 Yeah? Actually, I think it was a Queen at the same ship 74 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:15.759 and it was taking us about four and a half days. It traveled fast, 75 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:21.120 or fifteen thousand people on it. We were three pretty well, despite 76 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:27.319 the fact that we had a lot of people on him, officers which we 77 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:33.879 had arrived status. I had four officers on my crew, six inlisted van 78 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:41.560 and the officers eight in the dining room with British wars and pretre you well, 79 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:46.519 plus said we had on that trip. And memorable was it? Miller's 80 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:53.360 orchestra went over with us. Miller wasn't there, he flew over, but 81 00:07:54.160 --> 00:08:00.920 a drummer named Mary mckindley who had handled a band the Little Railver, and 82 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:05.360 they put a few few shows on. So we were kids from Arkansas. 83 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:11.240 That's pretty impressive. Absolutely, absolutely. So where were you stationed once you 84 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:16.839 got to England? First went to Ireland for a little orientation, then a 85 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:22.800 two three weeks and then wound up in East Tangiia. We were about twenty 86 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:30.879 miles in nors little area called Timpenham. Our bases were only about three miles 87 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:35.879 apart all over that end of England. We had a lot of our singing 88 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:43.039 division, which was betwenty four division, all over the place, just a 89 00:08:43.080 --> 00:08:46.600 few miles apart. Tell me about your first mission. What do you remember 90 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:52.960 it most about it? I don't remember this particular. They took me off 91 00:08:54.600 --> 00:09:00.440 away my crew for the first mission and I flew with another crew as follow 92 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:07.960 just to get it under my bells. I got and it was scary. 93 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:15.120 I remember my legs shaken when we rolled the flak room run on the bomb 94 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:22.480 runs with flak busted right outside the windows. But it was meant to a 95 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:26.279 doctrine and me to the world that it did. And the next mission I 96 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:31.879 took my crew with our problems and we went back to Germany and bobbed again. 97 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:37.600 I got to tell you one manner of pride for our for our bind 98 00:09:37.639 --> 00:09:43.080 group when I got there. Our COO COO for one of the squadrons was 99 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:50.639 the extracy contribute Seward. Ever, ever, I took pride to that he 100 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:56.879 was a real genuine baller pilot. He actually flew missions over Germany, and 101 00:09:58.679 --> 00:10:03.399 I think he had twenty minu and Andrewsville when they promo him the wing. 102 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:07.480 But he had a lot of respect. We took pride into the talking part 103 00:10:07.639 --> 00:10:11.200 that it was our boss. Now we'll get to the mission where you were 104 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:16.200 shot down in a little bit. But you have said that perhaps even more 105 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:20.840 harrowing than that one. Amazingly was your fourth mission. Tell us what was 106 00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:24.399 happening that day and how it unfolded. Yeah, it was this. Now 107 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:31.279 it was pretty deep into Germany. I forget what target was and we were 108 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:37.799 flying long and one just starting the bomb run over their bombays, and a 109 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:45.519 ship and a woman above us about five hundred feet got a dress hit by 110 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:52.840 flack and exploded and dove down right into the plane amazedly in front of us, 111 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:58.399 probably ondrew feet, and the two of exploded. We went through their 112 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:05.720 explosion and it blew us over on the back. We went straight down for 113 00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:11.879 about ten thousand feet, came out to dive someway and lost our group. 114 00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:16.799 Of course, we were out there by ourself. Our mombs old bookless on 115 00:11:16.919 --> 00:11:22.759 the shekels and tumbled out. But we came out of it and took handing, 116 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:26.519 vaxing on and of it. He was nowhere. We were alone. 117 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:31.679 We finally made it back home that day. So it was a harrying moment 118 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:39.080 and scary. Our plane never flew again. It was so warped out of 119 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:43.240 truth, but we made it all. How tough was it to keep her 120 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:48.120 in the air. It was really hard to bring her out of that dive. 121 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:54.440 We were going straight down. Charlie Buskin was like co Violin and I 122 00:11:54.600 --> 00:12:01.840 were both on the wheel trying to pull it out of the dive. There 123 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:07.240 are a lot of forces are. We were carbdent because I was the fact 124 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:16.600 that to I stress my virgular park. So we took our time and yeah 125 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:20.200 it was hard. That's James Banam, a US Army Air Corps veteran of 126 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:24.200 World War Two. Still to come in this edition, mister Baannam will tell 127 00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:30.399 us about his B twenty four being shot down over Germany, bailing out and 128 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:35.200 becoming a prisoner of war for the next seven months. But up next, 129 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:39.360 Baynam walks us through a bombing mission, from briefing to take off to the 130 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:46.279 bombing itself. That's next. I'm Greg Corumbus and this is Veterans Chronicles sixty 131 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:50.759 Seconds of Service. This sixty Seconds of Service is presented by T Mobile. 132 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:54.840 T Mobile offers exclusive discounts for a veteran and military families and are proud supporters 133 00:12:54.919 --> 00:13:00.519 of the National Defense Network. Visit t mobile dot com slash military learn more 134 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:03.879 about how they support our military community. Roger Jensen has a heart for helping 135 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:07.399 others. For decades, He's been giving back to veterans and his community in 136 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:11.559 Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I think anytime someone steps up to help anyone at 137 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:16.360 all, it makes them feel better. Also, Jensen said, it's something 138 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:18.799 Jensen has built his life around since serving in the Marine Corps. He said 139 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.000 he was just seventeen years old when he got to Vietnam, where he spent 140 00:13:22.120 --> 00:13:26.360 most of his three year tour. He said he struggled for years after coming 141 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:30.759 back and eventually found solace in a church where he helped local youth. That's 142 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:33.519 where he learned giving back to others also helped him and his recovery from PTSD. 143 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:37.919 Today's sixty Seconds of Service is brought to you by Previgen. Prevagen is 144 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:43.200 the number one pharmacist recommended memory support brand. You can find Prevagen in the 145 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:48.559 vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. This is Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumba's. 146 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:52.200 Our guest in this edition is James Bainam, a veteran of the US Army 147 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:56.399 Air Corps who served as a B twenty four bomber pilot in the skies of 148 00:13:56.480 --> 00:14:01.399 our Europe in World War Two. Ahead Baynam will take us to that fateful 149 00:14:01.480 --> 00:14:07.879 day his bomber was shot down and he became a pow. He'll also share 150 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:11.759 his adventure of getting home after being liberated near the end of the war. 151 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:16.600 But right now, mister Bannam walks us through a bombing mission, from getting 152 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:22.480 the assignment to flight preparation to executing the bombing. We lived in a little 153 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:26.519 distant hut along with a couple other crews, at least the far off so 154 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:31.360 he did, and in the middle of the night we would hear a jeep 155 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:35.840 coming to wake us up, maybe a mile from the flight line, and 156 00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:41.120 right here, the Lord he stopped outside our room. If we were on 157 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:46.039 the list that day, come in to wake us up, and we get 158 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:52.440 up, get our eyes open, and make our way to the flight line. 159 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:56.600 We would wind up eating breakfast somewhere along the way got to the flight 160 00:14:56.759 --> 00:15:03.399 line. The briefing pretty much like you're seeing the movies where a bunch of 161 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:09.320 guys are in a room, some officer walks in, pulls pull the curtain 162 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:15.919 off of mat and shows the string going to Germany and the conversational weather, 163 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:22.000 the speed, the location, all that goes on during the briefing. Tell 164 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:26.879 me about taking off and getting information? What did that process involve? Well, 165 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:31.720 wait, of course, we cut the trunk out to the hardstamp where 166 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:39.759 our bomber was. We had a position in the TEXI formation to get out 167 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:43.200 to the runway and take off where we did some three flights. Of course, 168 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:48.200 me and my engineer would walk, complain, make us sure if we 169 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:54.360 could everything was okay, and then we load on, get our gear on, 170 00:15:54.879 --> 00:16:00.000 get our crew in position, get a flare from them control tower, 171 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:07.519 and start taxand and fulling into a bigger line. There'd be on our base 172 00:16:07.639 --> 00:16:15.360 about thirty OUs of thirty five would takeout finnerbout every thirty second saved fire, 173 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:21.080 green player, and we'd head down the runway only loaded B twenty four. 174 00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:26.159 We had about eight thousand pounds of bombs twenty seven hundred gallons of gas, 175 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:33.159 so we were pretty heavy, heavily loaded. But take all the runway and 176 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:38.120 get off. Just start climbing to the altitude. That was a pretty dangerous 177 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:47.000 thing based for three miles apart, and we would take off and five couple 178 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:51.840 thousand feet and maybe you turn to keep doing that till we got to like 179 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:56.200 twenty thousand feet. If anybody made mistake, there's us. There were using 180 00:16:56.360 --> 00:17:03.079 some wrecks during the the formation period, maybe a few planes would go down, 181 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:07.519 but before we were and left for Europe. Now, did you generally 182 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:11.440 have fighter escorts for at least part of these flights or no. Yeah, 183 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:15.720 we did most of the time. I'm not sure when the peak fifty ones 184 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:22.160 came in. Forty sevens were there when we got there, but they didn't 185 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:29.480 go quite as far as the fifty ones would. So whenever the fifty ones 186 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:37.519 arrived they gave us full fire coverage. It was so significant because the minute 187 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:42.759 you didn't have fire coverage, you had German fighters coming in right after. 188 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:49.480 But that's fifty oneths were there. They finned a lull for the most part, 189 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:55.759 and we only had to face flack. Tell me more about the flack. 190 00:17:56.279 --> 00:17:59.480 There's not much you could do about it. So how did you deal 191 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:02.160 with it? Were dealt to? It? Said? By a pattern? 192 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:07.240 Go again. For the most part, there was a couple of gaps in 193 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:15.319 the coastline of Europe that the German's intentionally left open for us, and our 194 00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:21.880 whole bombers free would go through those gaps. They in casely did that so 195 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:26.559 they could get us into the one place they do where they we would be 196 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:32.200 going. Usually, if we did that, we got over the coast without 197 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:37.839 much flat. Generally then we didn't really have much unless the night of the 198 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:41.079 take. We didn't have much until we got to the to the bomb zone 199 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:49.359 and when we got on to the target. Because most ivory bombers Frankfurt, 200 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:59.359 Berlin or Hamburg a big city area and they had their flat cars on rail 201 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:04.440 cars, so when they found out where we were heading, all the guns 202 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:11.240 went to that towards that area that were available. So generally they had good 203 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:17.079 flat coverage no matter wherever you were heading. Tell me how things unfolded as 204 00:19:17.160 --> 00:19:21.240 you approached the bomb target. We had what they was called an IP initial 205 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:27.039 point. That's the area where all your all your planes from one target would 206 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:33.680 go through to form up to head towards the target, which is quite a 207 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:40.480 few minutes to give your volveteer time to line up and aim and drop their 208 00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:45.240 bombs. And from that point to the target there was always a lot of 209 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:52.799 flat It was really heavy. They were eighty eight. They were really good 210 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:56.839 at what they did. Usually immediately when we got in the flat area, 211 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:04.880 they were right right on us and our flike shelves were bursting royal center our 212 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:11.200 windows, and many times we'd get theirs and a plane we got shot down, 213 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:17.200 dockle wingall whatever. Did you deal much with enemy fighters? Only a 214 00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:22.960 couple of times we had fighters come through our group and had Bronzer gone time 215 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:30.359 and they did us. But they came through the element of our group, 216 00:20:30.920 --> 00:20:36.480 not down five planes in one pass. They came from above. They were 217 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:44.160 developing a genetic graphic. Time had a jet led for FW one nineties to 218 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:48.880 our group, shot some planes down, dough for the ground and took off. 219 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:55.079 That's only a time we had fighters other than Castle and Castle that is 220 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:59.839 in mass. That's James Banham, a US Army Air Corps veteran of World 221 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:03.640 War Two. When we come back, Baynum takes us step by step through 222 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:08.720 the mission that ended with him as a German prisoner of war. I'm Greg 223 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:15.599 Corumbus, and this is Veterans Chronicles. This is Veterans' Chronicles. I'm Greg 224 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:21.240 Corumbus. Our guest in this edition is James Banam, a veteran of the 225 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:26.000 US Army Air Corps who served as a B twenty four bomber pilot. In 226 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:29.680 just a moment, you'll hear the whole story of his eleventh mission, which 227 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:34.880 resulted in his plane being shot down and Beanam becoming a German pow. But 228 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:40.960 first Batam shares more about the types of bombs his plane was dropping and how 229 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:45.839 he and the rest of the crew dealt with the severely cold temperatures on board 230 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:52.440 every flight I very one mission, we would have one hundred pounders, another 231 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:59.039 ish so we'd have two thousand pounders. We'd hold four vols with a whole 232 00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:07.559 fifty one hours founders. The sequence normally was that our group would be made 233 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:12.839 up of different bombs, and the lead the lead squadrants going in would drop 234 00:22:14.920 --> 00:22:19.359 dead nators, big bombs that blow things up. Even some of them were 235 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:27.960 delayed explosions for even after some hours are to go into their areas, stay 236 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:34.079 there and then blow up later, but they were devised to make gruble to 237 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:42.359 uh tear things up. Then the second group behind them, maybe another quadrant 238 00:22:42.519 --> 00:22:49.240 two would be dropping and sindiory bombs which were generally smaller bombs, and the 239 00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:56.880 actually explodier one ground went in as smaller as sinderies, set everything old farm. 240 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:03.279 And then the last group to be easily hundred pounders that would have shrapparral 241 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:10.559 be anti personnel bombs keep the firefighters who put the wire out. There was 242 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:15.079 another challenge that you faced just on board, and that was the severe cold. 243 00:23:15.720 --> 00:23:18.359 What were those temperatures like and how did you deal with that? Well? 244 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:22.960 They were I was seriously called that time of the year above Germany, 245 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:30.079 around twenty to twenty four thousand feet to be forty degrees or fifty degrees below 246 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:34.119 zebra. Usually. Of course, we were sitting there at seat for six 247 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:41.960 eight hours at a time, so we had we had an electric suit to 248 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:48.000 slip into, even had electric gloves, but they didn't work very well against 249 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:52.880 that heat. We wore or we could. We had silk gloves and wool 250 00:23:53.000 --> 00:24:02.799 gloves and leather gloves and panted shoes underneath our fl this but nothing was quite 251 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:07.359 out. It was there was always post by. I'm not LEAs now don't 252 00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:15.839 work wall because they suffer from neurosity which has caused from way a boat. 253 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:18.079 Then, sir, how many missions had you flown before the day you were 254 00:24:18.119 --> 00:24:22.079 shot down? Jim? I was on my level, all right. So 255 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:26.039 let's go to that day September twenty seventh, nineteen forty four. Again it's 256 00:24:26.119 --> 00:24:30.440 known as the Castle mission raid. What was the mission that day? And 257 00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:37.079 tell me how it unfolded. We were vombiting Castle and the targets were varied 258 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:41.720 from different bomb groups, but there were a lot of probably triple art that 259 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:48.200 I was going into that area. We were leading wing our group was that 260 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:55.119 day, and so we were first into the IP and headed towards castle for 261 00:24:55.359 --> 00:25:00.039 some reason, and it's been a big fight for many many years for the 262 00:25:02.839 --> 00:25:11.000 lead crew made the navigation era or where they may just made a JUDGM mineral 263 00:25:11.160 --> 00:25:18.400 decision area, but one way or another, our league group went eighteen euries 264 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:25.519 to the left before we got to the target and took us off completely off 265 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:33.480 the bomber stream. The second group behind us corrected the problem, stayed on 266 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:38.640 the route, and we wound up about fifteen minutes out of fighter covering. 267 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:45.680 So there's only a level bit a time till the loopwoff identified us and came 268 00:25:45.799 --> 00:25:52.319 at us for about one hundred and fifty fighter planes. They made four passes 269 00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:57.839 and shut down twenty five hours of thirty of us in we and the fighter 270 00:25:57.920 --> 00:26:04.240 planes that she came back to the area shut down nineteen with the fighters. 271 00:26:04.839 --> 00:26:08.559 We were gone. Yeah, so where was your plane hit? How did 272 00:26:08.599 --> 00:26:14.440 you know? It was in dire condition? The first task, we were 273 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:21.839 hit with cannons twenty dollari cannons from way behind out of our range of our 274 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:26.799 picture calibers. They just kind of set back behind us, and the first 275 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:32.759 pass they love those cities. Those cannons did to us and blew things up. 276 00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:37.519 Quite a few planes got drunk, heads explored, went down. Our 277 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:45.440 formation got broken up, just completely, just centegrade and we wound up after 278 00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:52.039 the first year where there was some generators on fire that filled their plane with 279 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:57.599 smoke, but it wasn't fatal and we got it out cleared to smoke and 280 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:04.480 the second could pass. They center Bombay's all bar hundred detail Bombays which is 281 00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:10.759 where the gas tanks for Lokate Ronald cow Pom. We didn't mow up. 282 00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:15.640 We fought it for a couple more passes, but eventually we blew up. 283 00:27:17.960 --> 00:27:22.480 Meanwhile, before we did, we all jumped out. Was that your call 284 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:26.200 to abandon the plane? Yeah? Yeah, I try to looked that way 285 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:32.319 that I ranging the bell A navigator and bombs Air were up at the front. 286 00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:37.079 They came to hundred eighth fright deck. Pont lailed after Bombay. My 287 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:42.960 radio man flew up on the flight deck. He bailed Bombay. My co 288 00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:48.440 pid left. My engineer was in the turk top turret and he followed them. 289 00:27:49.319 --> 00:27:56.839 My tail gunner got had a cannon exploded his turret and was blinded. 290 00:27:56.119 --> 00:28:03.079 One iron shot up pretty badly. The way waistcutters hooked him up, put 291 00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:07.400 his shoe on him and dumped him out because so he'd lived, and he 292 00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:12.079 did. He lived me ninety years old. Then the waistcutters followed him out 293 00:28:12.160 --> 00:28:21.279 to the hats. I obviously got out to the bombay with fire, fire 294 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:26.519 going around here, and then were to hit the ground. Tell me what 295 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:30.599 it was like jumping out of that burning plane. It wasn't a problem in 296 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:37.519 all with hard liquor at you it was. It wasn't a through pest at 297 00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:41.440 all. It just had to happen. We were fired about twenty twenty one 298 00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:48.200 thousand I jumped. We were down to about twelve thousand times. I jumped. 299 00:28:48.839 --> 00:28:52.119 I didn't help my sheet because there was so much wreckage in the air 300 00:28:52.920 --> 00:29:00.240 that it was dangerous. I let it. I free fell for about till 301 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:04.880 I was about two thousand feet high, and then opened and floated on down 302 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:11.640 to the ground and got captured. Do you remember thinking anything in particular on 303 00:29:11.720 --> 00:29:17.160 the way down. John was glad to shee open. They always told us 304 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:22.119 that, yeah, if you're free falling and the ground starts looking like it's 305 00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:26.640 getting larger. It's time to open your sheet, so I'll follow the ice. 306 00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:30.680 It seemed like it's okay. And what happened when you hit the ground 307 00:29:32.160 --> 00:29:37.720 A bunch of potato farmers, old guys for harvesting, and right below all 308 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:42.880 the fewer going on above them. So they had their fish forks out of 309 00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:49.839 Edinburgh Bridge ready to take the young American fires capture, probably still bragging about 310 00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:55.759 it. Were Are there crewmates near you where you landed? No? I 311 00:29:55.920 --> 00:30:00.519 seen there was a guy for another ship of what was brought in the global 312 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:04.680 village where I was. We were spread out quite a bit because from the 313 00:30:04.839 --> 00:30:08.799 time the first guy jumped till I jump, we were a little town there 314 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:15.319 did their house and was the name of three of my guys landed closer there. 315 00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:21.039 All got caught pretty close to each other, put in cars and taken 316 00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:27.680 to a compermine nearby and just tortured and beat up and then shot. They 317 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:33.240 were all murdered that day. The guys were trying to Durenberg and three umber 318 00:30:33.319 --> 00:30:38.119 run for there were murders. What a difference depending on where you landed. 319 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:45.559 Yeah, I have absolutely just I could have been killing. The crowd was 320 00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:52.240 some of them. You know, they had a national policy to kill flyers 321 00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:59.599 where they propaly God to call us terror figures, baby killers whatever. So 322 00:31:00.359 --> 00:31:04.920 a lot of scot killed by people on the ground because their families had been 323 00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:11.720 bombed and they're ready to fight. I had four of my guys got killed. 324 00:31:11.799 --> 00:31:21.000 Two got injured severely jumping out of the plane and suffered but real seriousness 325 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:26.680 all their life. Three of us didn't get hurt. Everywheund up in prison 326 00:31:26.799 --> 00:31:33.640 caps. Our young girl was about seventeen who watched me land that actually be 327 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:40.240 captured in that old town, and she went and got a school teacher, 328 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:45.680 a lady was older, spoking nice as she talked to me, and she 329 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:49.880 as she calmed the crowds down, kept me from gettle. Inch, I'm 330 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:55.759 sure. And I actually met her a few years, about ten or fifteen 331 00:31:55.880 --> 00:32:00.960 years ago, back over there and went around the area where I went down, 332 00:32:00.799 --> 00:32:07.599 and she was so alive. She a lady, but the teacher or 333 00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:13.119 the young girl, the young girl, it was as a meet her. 334 00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:19.039 Yet, So what happened once the German military took you into custody, Well, 335 00:32:19.559 --> 00:32:24.599 the first night I've wound up in jail, the second in Frankfort, 336 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:31.640 and the second night, along with probably a dozen other guys, I've been 337 00:32:32.559 --> 00:32:39.079 given up and was in a jail cell and at an Air Force based at 338 00:32:39.119 --> 00:32:46.079 Ashwet. From then on we're pretty pretty safe because we were with the loop 339 00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:54.920 Flop and their handling out people was a lot towards those Geneva condition where the 340 00:32:55.039 --> 00:33:00.960 asss were pretty brutal folks that they got here. Did they interrogate you right 341 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:05.279 away? What did they do first? Yeah, there's there's I was sent 342 00:33:06.119 --> 00:33:09.799 I guess the second night I was a catch. I was sent to operas 343 00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:16.519 a little little interrogation sent around eight Frankfort, and I was set put in 344 00:33:16.759 --> 00:33:25.039 uh solitary UH for two three days and taken in and and interrogated by your 345 00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:30.640 guys who were going to shoot me and all that stuff, not to scare 346 00:33:30.839 --> 00:33:37.400 your kid. And then then there was one guy in charge of the center 347 00:33:37.519 --> 00:33:43.119 that were pretty famous. Interrogated a lot of higher officers and I had a 348 00:33:43.240 --> 00:33:46.359 session with him. But then I didn't know like a lot. I was 349 00:33:46.440 --> 00:33:53.400 like I was a bomber bottle. But anyway, they finished us, put 350 00:33:53.440 --> 00:34:01.200 us on train and sent to Northern upon the ball succeed stallar both one two 351 00:34:01.279 --> 00:34:07.839 three day train ride from Frankfort up there. What were the conditions like in 352 00:34:07.239 --> 00:34:12.920 Starlight left one? They were sparse, but they were livable. When I 353 00:34:13.039 --> 00:34:19.880 first got there, we got Red Cross parcels of food, which kept it 354 00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:24.320 from starving. We got those for two or three months after I got there, 355 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:30.480 and then I guess all the whole systems in Germany started breaking down, 356 00:34:31.280 --> 00:34:36.480 and we didn't get much of bigges thing to eat, very smallowed out, 357 00:34:36.960 --> 00:34:44.079 got hungry and cold, and but we survived. What specifically did you eat 358 00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:45.920 and how much did you get to eat? When we first got there? 359 00:34:46.440 --> 00:34:54.920 The parcels had other things like tin of fish, oleod biscuits or hard crunchy 360 00:34:55.039 --> 00:35:00.880 cookies of some sort, how little same and maybe all sorts of stuff like 361 00:35:01.039 --> 00:35:06.719 that. But it was a few cans, and it was enough to sustain 362 00:35:06.840 --> 00:35:10.400 you for a week, not to sate your affetite, but to sell you. 363 00:35:12.079 --> 00:35:15.639 And we had that. While we had that, it was we were 364 00:35:15.760 --> 00:35:20.719 fine. When we ran out of that for breakfast, we using it a 365 00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:30.119 couple of papers and slices of black bread and a couple of Urson's coffee for 366 00:35:30.280 --> 00:35:36.880 breakfast. I was about it then once our room had twenty guys and we 367 00:35:37.039 --> 00:35:42.119 had a pot in there that would boil full of water. Put a couple 368 00:35:42.159 --> 00:35:49.039 of handfuls of dried turnips in there and each have a little soup without each 369 00:35:49.119 --> 00:35:54.000 seasonings, salted greaser, and then supper we used had three or four very 370 00:35:54.119 --> 00:36:00.079 small potatoes and a couple more pieces of the black. That was about it. 371 00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:06.000 So we loved. Wait, what were the sleeping conditions like they were? 372 00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:09.360 Okay, it was cold, no hesion there, but they were. 373 00:36:09.639 --> 00:36:13.360 It was out of the way. It was in barracks. We were in 374 00:36:13.480 --> 00:36:16.840 barracks that had twenty guys for a room. They left us in at night 375 00:36:17.440 --> 00:36:23.119 at the endoor the train on one end for night years and the daytime there 376 00:36:23.239 --> 00:36:29.960 was a central tree outside that we use. We made okay, we were 377 00:36:30.119 --> 00:36:35.960 kids, Yeah, said were you allowed to bathe? Once every week we 378 00:36:36.159 --> 00:36:42.440 got to go to the h We had a game shower with bea gets in 379 00:36:42.559 --> 00:36:45.880 a big room and we walk on there. They turn the water on for 380 00:36:45.960 --> 00:36:52.000 a minute we could soap up, and then after another minute and the turning 381 00:36:52.119 --> 00:36:57.639 back home, we could wars the soap Paul Man. We got there every 382 00:36:57.719 --> 00:37:01.079 week. Get did they force you to work now officers couldn't work. I 383 00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:09.599 was on a said Judeva convintion where we would have been better all because manually 384 00:37:10.079 --> 00:37:15.880 ever been better to be doing something then sitting there going crazy. That's James 385 00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:20.960 Bainum, a US Army Air Corps veteran of World War Two. He flew 386 00:37:21.079 --> 00:37:24.679 B twenty four bombers in the European Theater, was shot down and became a 387 00:37:24.760 --> 00:37:30.199 prisoner of war. In a moment, the conclusion of mister Baynum's story, 388 00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:36.480 including his liberation by the Russians and an incredible adventure to get back across Europe 389 00:37:36.760 --> 00:37:43.559 and get home. I'm Greg Corumbus, and this is Veterans Chronicles. This 390 00:37:43.639 --> 00:37:47.679 says Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in this edition is James 391 00:37:47.760 --> 00:37:52.559 Bainum, a veteran of the US Army Air Corps who served as a B 392 00:37:52.719 --> 00:37:57.639 twenty four bomber pilot and spent seven months as a prisoner of war. In 393 00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:01.159 a moment, you'll hear how Baynum's prison Camemp was liberated, and all about 394 00:38:01.239 --> 00:38:07.360 his adventure getting back home. But first Batam continues his description of the Pow 395 00:38:07.639 --> 00:38:14.679 camp and reveals that the prisoners were actually very well informed on the progress of 396 00:38:14.760 --> 00:38:21.840 the war. Yeah, we probably were really well versed. Someone had the 397 00:38:22.559 --> 00:38:28.639 Swedish Red Cross had sent in a photograph. I guess it was as some 398 00:38:28.840 --> 00:38:34.559 of the wizards of our group had taken apart and found some crystals in it 399 00:38:35.079 --> 00:38:38.639 and actually made radios on them, and we had a radio on our barracks 400 00:38:39.639 --> 00:38:47.639 he had hidden somewhere and CEO of the barracks. At night after we were 401 00:38:47.719 --> 00:38:53.719 locked in, they would hook up the crystal radio BBC on it, and 402 00:38:53.880 --> 00:39:00.840 then of course during the day's the Germans shamus there news. We probably had 403 00:39:00.880 --> 00:39:05.400 a good idea of what was going on, as anybody with both those sources 404 00:39:06.039 --> 00:39:12.079 tell me how you were liberated. Ran the end of April, we had 405 00:39:12.239 --> 00:39:17.199 we had a Colonel Fighter Powell who was a senior America so there Ziff Key 406 00:39:17.480 --> 00:39:23.519 was his name. He was our in charge guy in our in our military 407 00:39:23.880 --> 00:39:29.760 changing command. So the Germans dealt with him for things they needed to do. 408 00:39:30.679 --> 00:39:36.679 So they called him in and said they were moving us together us out. 409 00:39:36.880 --> 00:39:40.800 The Russians were on their way ant Our territory, so they were going 410 00:39:40.880 --> 00:39:45.519 to move us force march us out to keep us from Big Three to the 411 00:39:45.599 --> 00:39:52.000 Russians and ziff Key rocutes for us to leave. He said they could leave 412 00:39:52.159 --> 00:39:57.000 they wanted to, but we were staying put. So and it works. 413 00:39:57.199 --> 00:40:05.519 And Germans actually the let very last year or sold may they vacated the camp, 414 00:40:05.960 --> 00:40:09.519 actually open the gates and marched. That has left us there, but 415 00:40:10.239 --> 00:40:16.239 Stiffkey in charge of us. The next day the Russian troops came through our 416 00:40:16.360 --> 00:40:23.800 chair journey. Their decision was to put some trains bocked card take us to 417 00:40:24.960 --> 00:40:32.639 the Bictible of Believe overn Over on the eastern shore of Russian and post on 418 00:40:32.760 --> 00:40:37.599 bost and take us back to America. But Jiffy refused to do that. 419 00:40:38.119 --> 00:40:43.719 There were seven thousand opposite the camp, so we had little laders. We 420 00:40:43.920 --> 00:40:47.639 were being a big chore. He said, we're not moving, and they 421 00:40:47.800 --> 00:40:53.159 actually faced them down. So the Russians took on off and went. They 422 00:40:53.320 --> 00:41:00.239 kept going west and meet up with the English and the Americans. Oh, 423 00:41:00.360 --> 00:41:06.360 we stayed there for a couple of weeks. The plans started, having made 424 00:41:06.480 --> 00:41:09.199 for the eighth there for us to come in and fly us out. Took 425 00:41:09.239 --> 00:41:15.960 a couple of weeks to get together. So after a week another kid died 426 00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:20.320 from Brooklyn. We didn't have the idea of just sitting there. We weren't 427 00:41:20.360 --> 00:41:23.960 sure what the Russians you're going to do and all these accused, so we 428 00:41:24.119 --> 00:41:31.039 were just kids trying to do something. So he had our left camp one 429 00:41:31.159 --> 00:41:38.519 morning early after a week there and walked about ten miles right across some Russians 430 00:41:38.559 --> 00:41:45.239 who had taken all the Germans bicycles away from talking out of a couple of 431 00:41:45.320 --> 00:41:51.920 those. We rode, rode the Westway about fifty mile Vsar to English lines 432 00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:58.199 and came back home that way. Good old American ingenuity. Absolutely, yeah, 433 00:41:58.639 --> 00:42:01.280 yeah, we're just done as we should have been killed probably, but 434 00:42:01.400 --> 00:42:05.760 if we weren't, being able to get that far, even on a bike 435 00:42:05.960 --> 00:42:08.719 is impressive. Given what you had just been through as a prisoner of war, 436 00:42:09.119 --> 00:42:13.119 what kind of condition were you in? How much weight had you lost? 437 00:42:13.199 --> 00:42:17.440 For example, I'm a skinny kid. I'm normally worried about an urn 438 00:42:17.639 --> 00:42:23.000 seventy five, and I was found about fifty but I was in medal shape. 439 00:42:23.719 --> 00:42:29.360 We were still pid. I was twenty twenty one years old. Our 440 00:42:29.519 --> 00:42:35.920 trimp was the district. Of course. We rode to vs Far. The 441 00:42:36.079 --> 00:42:42.199 English took us in and posted on GI truck took us south a few miles 442 00:42:42.280 --> 00:42:47.360 to American lines. They posted on another truck rolled about half of they got 443 00:42:47.440 --> 00:42:55.239 the central Germany to Hildershein Air Force Base, which was a big base, 444 00:42:57.039 --> 00:43:07.400 and the Americas were flying at plane full of French, mainly French sleevely we're 445 00:43:07.760 --> 00:43:14.760 flying them back to France already. So Pat and I went out to the 446 00:43:14.840 --> 00:43:19.280 airport, talked to some Polos and they let us sit on their flight back 447 00:43:19.920 --> 00:43:27.840 and we flew from Hildershin to Nancy, got over. I don't know how 448 00:43:27.920 --> 00:43:34.480 we did it, but we got on a buckard rode night tripped down to 449 00:43:35.320 --> 00:43:42.440 near Switzerman to an American hospital. They told us we be patient, they'd 450 00:43:42.480 --> 00:43:47.039 send us back to the Channel so we can go home, and that wasn't 451 00:43:47.039 --> 00:43:52.000 what we were doing. So we got back to the station, jumped on 452 00:43:52.119 --> 00:43:55.679 the hospital train going north and the next day we were at camp like a 453 00:43:55.760 --> 00:44:00.119 strick up near the MP. After about ten days we got a boat and 454 00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:05.239 came out, Tom Bulson. So basically you bargained your way across Europe. 455 00:44:05.679 --> 00:44:10.599 Yeah, yeah, we just we like to say we had a adventure. 456 00:44:12.199 --> 00:44:15.400 Every where we went. The trained this was court martial, but would pretty 457 00:44:15.480 --> 00:44:20.440 much do with appeal devils. They were going court martial. Z. I 458 00:44:20.559 --> 00:44:24.000 love that story, mister Bannon. Most of us will not know, thankfully, 459 00:44:24.119 --> 00:44:28.039 what it's like to lose our freedom, but you do, and you 460 00:44:28.119 --> 00:44:30.760 also know what it's like to get that freedom back. So tell us what 461 00:44:30.880 --> 00:44:35.159 it's like when you lose it and how it feels to get it back. 462 00:44:35.840 --> 00:44:39.119 It's pretty decimal vegue in prison, but it didn't kill you. Yeah. 463 00:44:39.800 --> 00:44:45.880 We had twenty of us in our room and we got along. I had 464 00:44:45.920 --> 00:44:52.119 a sort of a little group there that ran our lives. We had rules 465 00:44:52.719 --> 00:44:57.679 about various things where we have one guy that we liked that we acted so 466 00:44:58.440 --> 00:45:01.760 we had to try out kick him al's room, made him go somewhere else 467 00:45:01.840 --> 00:45:06.719 and camp and find a place to sleep. We ran things that this we 468 00:45:06.840 --> 00:45:14.159 could. Every year. We got books, had some books paper banks from 469 00:45:14.320 --> 00:45:20.840 Red Cross, so we read. We kept along. We talked about girls 470 00:45:20.920 --> 00:45:22.920 at first, so we ran out of two. We talked about food. 471 00:45:24.239 --> 00:45:30.760 Water went down for three days one time we talked about water. So whatever 472 00:45:31.119 --> 00:45:37.480 it was important in our lives is what we do. All telling you when 473 00:45:37.519 --> 00:45:39.400 you think back to your time and service, sir, what are you most 474 00:45:39.559 --> 00:45:45.039 proud of I just get through it. Yeah, I'm a pretty proud kid. 475 00:45:46.039 --> 00:45:50.880 All of us were our ten guys that were, you know, nineteen 476 00:45:51.000 --> 00:45:55.719 to twenty something years old, and they were just coming kids from all over 477 00:45:55.800 --> 00:46:00.840 the country doing a job that they you had to be done. There, 478 00:46:00.880 --> 00:46:06.880 weren't they saying dramatic about it. May you brag about it, but oh 479 00:46:07.039 --> 00:46:09.800 all for your lives and some of them, several of them, David, 480 00:46:10.400 --> 00:46:16.440 pretty impressive stuff when you think about it for a younger where we were extremely 481 00:46:16.519 --> 00:46:21.960 impressive. And we're extremely grateful. Mister Bannam, thank you so much for 482 00:46:22.079 --> 00:46:23.719 being with us today, and most of all, of course, thank you 483 00:46:23.840 --> 00:46:28.280 for your tremendous service to our country. Yeah, your war com thank you, 484 00:46:28.639 --> 00:46:31.199 Thank you. James Bannam is a US Army Air Corps veteran of World 485 00:46:31.239 --> 00:46:36.519 War Two. He piloted B twenty four bombers. He also spent some seven 486 00:46:36.599 --> 00:46:40.920 months as a German prisoner of war. I'm Greg Corumbus and this is Veterans 487 00:46:42.000 --> 00:46:54.239 Chronicles. Hi, this is Greg Corumbus, and thanks for listening to Veterans 488 00:46:54.360 --> 00:47:00.679 Chronicles, a presentation of the American Veterans Center. For more information, please 489 00:47:00.760 --> 00:47:06.440 visit American Veteranscenter dot org. You can also follow the American Veterans Center on 490 00:47:06.559 --> 00:47:12.880 Facebook and on Twitter We're at AVC update. Subscribe to the American Veterans Center 491 00:47:13.000 --> 00:47:17.320 YouTube channel for full oral histories and special features, and of course, please 492 00:47:17.320 --> 00:47:22.719 subscribe to the Veterans Chronicles podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks again for 493 00:47:22.840 --> 00:47:27.360 listening, and please join us next time for Veterans Chronicles