The Amarillo Globe-Times from Amarillo, Texas • Page 20

22 Aaurlllo Thursday, June 5, B24 Flight Crew To Recall Battle Experiences at Reunion in Amarillo By DOUG SMITH Staff Writer A World War II flight crew of the B24 Liberator called "Hard to Get" will rendezvous in Amarillo next week to reminisce about their bombing missions over North Africa a Germany. The ship's bombardier, Wayne Bycrs, of 1522 Travis, will act as navigator in showing the Panhandle area sights to his wartime buddies and their families. The crew's headquarters here will be at the Rodeway Inn, 2015 Paramount, for three days beginning Tuesday, Bycrs said. Byers, who said he flew two missions over a without knowing the invasion had started, is looking forward to "catching up on what everybody's doing." "We'll fight the war all over and tell some big lies," Byers said. The visiting crewmen will include Guy Carnine, of Wickliffe, aircraft a Kermit Spears, of Cloudcroft, N.M., co-pilot; Victor Mastron, now a doctor in Compton, navigator; Nick Hopson, of Franklin, crew chief and waist- window gunner; Nick Kinder of Clifton, N.J., tail gunner; Merlyn Norby, of Knox, N.D., ball-turret gunner; and George Knies, of Glassport, waist-turret gunner.

Unable to attend the reunion are Louis Ostroski, of Glassport, assistant crew chief and top-turret gunner; and Boyce Barbe, of Eden, N.C., now in Switzerland, the radio operator. The airmen, who previously five years ago in Ocean City, N.J., i Amarillo in order to see part of Texas," Byers said. Byers plans to do some bragging as he takes the group to visit Palo Panhandle WAYNE BYERS Duro Canyon, the Plains Historical "Of our Germany," Spitfire English Museum at Canyon, Boys Ranch and the Helium Plant. The visitors will also get a chance to see cattle branded and dehorned, he said. Liberator "crewed up" in early 1943 at Davis-Monthan Army Air Corps Base at Tucson, Byers said: and in April 1944 became the first men of the 492nd Bomb Group at King's Lynn, England, to finish their tour of 25 missions.

They actually flew three heavy bombers named "Hard to Get, Byers said, explaining bombs. that the first one was shot down bv Luftwaffe ME-109 fighters and the second landed at Stockholm, Sweden, after being crippled over Btrlin. In each case, he said, their plane was being flown by other flard to Get had a fairly large picture of a redhead perched in a champagne glass painted on the fusilage under the pilot's window, Byers said. "We left it off of number 2 and 3," Byers said. "It seemed sa that the German fighters singl- Dr Juan ed out aircraft with such paintings." The crew spent three months based at Bengasi, Libya, where they flew six missions, bombing "We came home from Ruhr Valley one afternoon wil more Xhan 2,000 holes In the aircraft," he said.

"The grounc crew had them all repaired in time for the next mission following morning." "The damage was from flak and machine gun fire from enemy fighters which attacked after we had dumped bombs." He said the Germans would "riiig the targets with 88s positioned 10 to 20 miles "Sometimes you'd be in that flak for 30 minutes," he said. "The Jerry pilots wouldn't fly into it. They'd turn back and wait for us to come out." "The Luftwaffe fighters were usually waiting above us when we entered Germany and attacked the bomber groups all along the course. "As bombardier," Byers said, "I took over the controls about 30 minutes before bomb drop. "During that half hour of straight and level flying, without evasive action we were the the prime target for ground gunners and bandits dropping out of the sun," he said.

"Bursts of flak often blocked my view of the target and the nc plane would bounce around if the explosion was close. "Nearly everyone on the crew was nicked by pieces of shrapnel at one time or another," Bycrs said, "but ur had no serious injuries or casualties." "Our crew was credited with shooting down four Luftwaffe fighters," he said. "Guy Carnine was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for saving our Liberator after flak punctured our gas tanks over Germany," he said. "He stretched our flight back to the Channel, where we were ready lo bail out, but he kept it the tank munition columns dumps and am- of Field Marshal Rommel's A i a Korps. In October 1943, they returned to England to fly daylight raids on industrial complexes and rail yards of Germany at Koeln, Hamburg, Berlin, Bremerhafen, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.

19 missions Byers said, over "we flew 17 before we ever saw a fighter escort. A lone British showed up over Channel when returned from the Continent." He said the flak was. bad over Stuttgart, Berlin and Koeln, but it was worst over the Ruhr Valley. "The 88 millimeter anti- -ircraft guns could reach higher than we could fly," he said, adding that the B-24's ceiling was 24,500 feet with a full load of high i Egg-Shaped Pill Sought by Doctor JAKARTA (AP) Birth control pills should be egg shaped and colored eggshell white, a senior Filipino social worker Flavier. president of the Philippine rural Reconstruction Movement, said in a paper for a regional conference of the International Planned Parenthood Federation that women in rural areas could not understand how a tiny pill could prevent their having babies.

To help them understand, he said, "since conception is equated with eggs, the most logical and acceptable shape of the birth control pill would be oblong and the color would be eggshell white." Graduation Scene Of Class Meeting LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Three young women met their Classmates for the first time night when the class of Iroquois Wednesday graduating High School received its diplo- las. Sue Roten, 22, Sandra Sermon Galloway, 21, and Elaine Horn, 20, all are capped and physically handi- spent five years studying for their diplomat at home, Sears 3 Days Only CHARGE IT on Sears Revolving flying. "The pilot nursed it to the English Coast and, as the engines quit, touched down on an airstrip that was under construction. "He steered clear of equipment and stopped 624 steps away from the touch-down point," Bycrs said.

While together the crew shared 10 more DFC's, 50 Air, Medals and 20 Presidential Unit Citations, he said. "The crew split up before D- Day in Normandy," Byers said, "and I was the only one that during a i Overlord." Byers did not know that the invasion had started when he flew a radar-guided pathfinder mission against an unknown target, taking off about 11 p.m. on the night of June 5. The second mission was a bomb run to knock out bridges near St. Lo on the Cherbourg Peninsula, Byers said.

BACK TO VIETNAM Sgt. Alfred W. "Bill' Witt, 20, has recently re turned to Anykhe, Viet nara, for his second tour of duty there as a radio operator with the 173rd Airborne Division. Witt was home for 30 days between tours to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs.

C. W. Witt of 101 Kentucky. A 1967 graduate of Claude High School, he has been decorated with a medal for 100 hours of combat. He volunteered for his second year in Vietnam.

PROUD PARENT AUBURN, Ala. (UPD--One of the proud parents at the Auburn College commencement this week looked just like Oscar-winning actress Susan Hayward, and that's who it was. She was there to see her 24-year-old son, Greg Barker, receive his veterinarian's degree. "I'm just a mother who wants in see her son get his diploma," Miss Hayward said. Ina! flnci Mr In loll In City In In County 8.354 IJ.I27 Population (ntlmctH) Labor Wottr mtttri In UM Light nifttrs In Ult Ttltphorwi In nit Oai mtttri In uu Bank tftpoilti Building Ptrmlti Public school tnrotlmtnt Blrtli ctrWICQlM (or April Ototh ctrllllcolH for April 1949 trefdc fatalities traffic occldmti CORPORATION COURT Traffic flnei Criminal flnci Numbtr In Number In PERMITS: Dennis Angil, 2832 Brooks, addition to AmarlUtt Ice ond Cold Slorow, ill W.

2nd. alteration to let and cold plant, S3.000. Levl Strausi, 47U NE 34th, foundation tor warehouse, Kenneth Webb, 410 Willow Crctk. addition to residence, (4,000. Minor repairs and alteration): $W).

DIVORCES GRANTED! Fitttr County Arlene Hagood vs. Rickey Shannon Hagood Romona Joy Rublson vs. James ft. Rubison Randall coimlr Borbord J. Borrtit vs.

Date Barrett Jo Linda Mother vs. Norman Btckwlth Mosher Schuyler Keith Tuthlll vs. Ruth Egrleen urson Tuthlll Nancv Ann Garren vs. William Gorren Holiis Beck Atklmon vs. Martha jean Atkinson Jane H.

Ungelbach vs. Phllllg J. Llngelbach Pauleen McAlplne ve. Rip H. Vernon OdtH Lewis vs.

Tabltha Sue Lewis Rosa Howell vs. Georoe W. Howtll Sandra S. vs. Gary P.

Clint Judith Karen Carpenter vt. Samuel Dean Carpenter Rosalene G. Walker vs. Charlu D. Walker Sally Probst Cobb vs.

Gary L. Cofob Moroarct Luella Lytle vs. Norman Wiilfam F. McWhlrtir vs. Idres C.

McWhlrter Mvrfle Rogers vs. John B. Rogers Clarissa Jo Barton vs. Gary Lee Barton Marvin Hlrsh vs. Jeanne Hlrsh joe Howard Gldden vs.

Irene Elizabeth Gidden Helen N. JacKson vs. Ewlng Jackson J. B. Smith vs.

viola L. smith Dewftt M. Vaughn vs. Cook Vaughn Donna M. Johnson vs.

John Hei Johnson Mary Lou Grlgfii vs. J. Horace Grlggs Oorli WltbankJ Klnney vs. Jerry Don Kenney jonls Elaine Rosen bourn vs. James Edward Rosenboum NEWCOMERS Warren G.

Bailey to 7010 Drevfuss from Clovls, N.M Bulo BorneH to 4501 AnrJriwi from Panhandle. Ercel CUne to 4104 E. 30th from Odessa. Jerrv D. Davis to Julie from Lubbock.

tarry H. Detoncy io Linda Irom Kath'erlne'Egger to 2702-6 Duncan to 1111 N. Woodland iovd lo Mil Juin to 130! Gromtrcv from )1 ChtrokH from 'civB Johnton Mil N. Orant from "omit C. Koultmon to Sill Clncli from Plalnvlew.

Milton Kelelli to 420! Klnalton from Chicago, III. Wavne Lcamtrmon to NE from Pampa. Jtmmle L. to 2312 Victoria trom Man lo 22U Washington from Oonneil M. Miller to 5004 W.

S7th from 0. M. 'Morrow to 110S Rosemont from Plolnvlew. Pele Mueller to 2WT S. Woodland fi Edward R.

Norrld to 3404 Thurman from Lubbock. Btnntt Nunn to JW3-B Vrtithaver, trom rv to W. trom to 4517 Mew Cr. from Taylor lo on Buren to 2W6-R Tyler from Wolttmoth to Btll Av. Irom jornM' D.

Wood to 4412 Porker from wSncm B. Wood to 1332 Btllol Seattle, wash. John W. Wright Jr. to 1400 torn Georgetown.

ENDORSES tINDSAY WASHINGTON (UPI) Sixty- five House Republicans, including minority leader Gerald R. Ford of Michigan and Conference chairman John B. Anderson of IlliJiois, have endorsed Mayor John V. Lindsay in New York's June 17 GOP mayoraltj primary. Lindsay, who hai been endorsed by the Liberal Party, is opposed by State Sen.

John Marchi, who has the endorsement of the Conservative Party. Said Anderson "I want to see the Republican Party identified with the cities. I want to see the party identified with the kind of leadership Mayor Lindsay has given." VISITS HERE --Airman Appren. Robert D. Wyatt, 19, son of Mr.

and Mrs. Robert M. Wyatt of 6018 Lilac, is home on leave after completing Navy recruit training at Orlando, Fla. After a 14-day leave, Wyatt will attend Parachute Riggers School at Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, N.J. The 1968 graduate of Tascosa i School plans to become an aircrew survival equip- mentman.

He attended Amarillo College one semester before joining the Navy on March 26. New RIFLE DESIGNER DIES BRANFORD, Conn. (AP) -Wallace B. Butler, 49, engineer who designed the M16 rifle now in use by U.S. troops in Vietnam, died Wednesday.

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