The Experience of War in Nazi Airspace
by someone who was there
by someone who was there
The 2007 Interview with Mel Pontillo
Over which regions did your crew encounter the most
flak?
Berlin. The Ruhr Valley. Munich. I am not positively
certain in what order to put them, because all three
areas would put up a lot of flak.
In speaking of the Ruhr Valley, I am including Co-
logne, Kassel, and possibly Hamm. In order to get
to some of our targets, we tried to avoid flying over
the Ruhr Valley. We either flew around its outer edge
or avoided the larger cities in the valley. Having flown
through heavy flak repeatedly, I often wondered how
we got through it.
After you had an engine shot out over the target for
the first time, did you carry a sense of dread at the
thought of having to go through more bombing mis-
sions?
You try not to think about going through similar situa-
tions or things even worse. However, there was always
a concern about how rough the next mission would be.
Before every mission there was always the thought of
going through another disaster. Thinking about it was
probably what took its toll, mentally. We did have a
few milk runs which helped us endure.
What was it like to have had an engine shot out over
the target?
To have an engine shot out over a target is a frightful
experience. Our crew had two such experiences. The
first one occurred during our second mission. In that
one, the #3 engine was shot out over the JU-88 plant
in Aschersleben. The second time was when our # 1
engine was shot out over the storage tanks in Rouen.
It was amazing in both instances how all the crew mem-
bers remained calm, cool, and collected at their battle
stations. There was no panic. The first thought that I
had was, "Are we going to get back to our base?"
At the same time I checked to see if my parachute
were hooked and secured. Survival was the big
factor in mind when these situations occurred.
What was it like to have been in the nose of a B-24
while it was crash-landing?
This was our crew's 10th combat mission. Our #1
engine was shot out over the target, and we struggled
to get back to England with only three engines. We
then had more problems. We crash-landed at an-
other field, about ten mile from our home base.
Trying to get the nose wheel of a B-24 down manually,
while it hits the runway, is quite a sensational experience.
My friend and crew member, C.W. Kidd, and I were
in this predicament, because the nose wheel wouldn't
go down hydraulically. It was locked up tight, and we
then found out that the nose wheel wouldn't go down
manually, either.
When the plane hit the runway, it wasn't too bad, be-
cause out pilot held the nose upward. But it hit harder
than usual. With the nose up, the plane's back end
skidded along the runway, making a terrifying racket.
After the front end of the plane hit the runway, a violent
thud occurred, and the racket became more terrifying
when the front end skidded along the runway, finally
stopping off the end of the runway.
We held on tight to the structurals of the nose wheel area.
We didn't get bounced or thrown around while all this
was going on, but when the plane stopped, we ran out
of it as fast as possible. This landing was only a matter
of minutes, but it felt like an eternity. There was a happy
ending to this story. No personal injuries.
After each mission, was the presence of ambulances
on the runway a common sight?
Yes, the presence of ambulances off the runway, but
close to the runway, was a common sight. The pilot
would call in if there were any sick or wounded airmen
on board be fore landing. The B-24s that had these
emergencies had the priority to land first, so that the
medics would take care of the sick and the wounded
as rapidly as possible. Most of the time, from my ob-
servation, there was more than one ambulance waiting
off the end of the runway, after coming back from a
combat mission.
Did any celebrities come to your base in England?
While I was overseas with the 489th Bomb Group,
the only celebrity that I can recall was Glenn Miller
and his Army Air Force band. I believe they were
at our base in late summer 1944. The concert to
entertain the troops and hundreds of personnel
from Halesworth and the surrounding area was
held in one of the hangars.
The British arrived at the concert mostly by buses.
The news was spread through the public address
system around the base. Everyone who was off
duty and who could either be released from duty
or slip out the back door was there. This event
was a once in a lifetime surprise and enjoyed by
all the people in the overcrowded hangar.
Did any airmen go skiing in Colorado, during the
days of training there?
I did not know of any airman who went skiing in Colo-
rado while we were in training in Pueblo. None of my
crew members went skiing while we were there. We
were kept too busy to go anywhere. Now, this doesn't
mean there weren't any skiers. The permanent personnel
at the Pueblo Air Base may have experienced these win-
ter resorts, but, I don't think that the Colorado ski slopes
were as popular during WWII as they are now.
Certain airwar movies and TV serials show ground
crewmen and/or airmen playing ball. This bring us
to our next question. Did airmen and/or ground
crewmen play ball in England?
All the while I was in England, I didn't see anybody play
baseball. Our group didn't have a baseball field, and I
didn't see anyone come to basic training with a softball
or baseball glove. Now, this does not mean that there
weren't any there. But, we were always kept busy and
there wasn't much time left for ball playing during train-
ing. So, if someone came to basic training with a glove,
he probably didn't use it very often.
Did the airmen have to jog during training?
During training, there was exercise everday, and some
jogging. Most of the running exercises were done by
running double time. We did not have any scheduled
calisthenics overseas when we were flying combat mis-
sions. We were too busy to do calisthenics then. But,
by keeping busy, we got plenty of exercise.
When we transferred from Biloxi to Gulfport, we walked.
We threw our duffle bags on trucks and walked to Gulfport.
It took all day. Kessler Field (in Biloxi) was overcrowded.
Gulfport was a World War I base, and the buildings were
still there. There were huts on base, and twenty to a hut.
(Editor's note: Biloxi is about 13 miles from Gulfport.)
Where did you run? Along the perimeter of the base?
Through the streets on the base. No set pattern. We didn't
have a track, if that's what you're talking about.
Was there a workout room on base?
No, we didn't have a workout room on the base in England.
In fact, I never found a workout room on any base during
my training in the States. For workouts, we went outdoors,
summer and winter.
What were you paid?
With flight pay and all, maybe 180 bucks. I then paid
income tax when I returned to the States. When I got
the Distinguished Flying Cross, I got a two dollar raise.
I had completed thirty-three missions when I got the
DFC.
(Editor's Note: A technical sergeant's base pay in
1944 was $114 per month. Flight pay was 50%
of base pay. Mel pay, therefore, was $171 per
month until November, where it beCame $173.
His flight pay amounted to $6.51 per combat mis-
sion. Total pay per mission amounted to $19.54.)
What was the typical rank of the officer who gave
the bomb groups their flight briefings?
Anywhere from captain to general. They were high on the
totem pole. We were supposed to salute them, but most
of them said "at ease" before we got a chance to stand
up. They weren't picky. They were probably glad that
we didn't salute them, because that meant that they didn't
have to salute us.
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Located directly below is the link to the Orientation Page.
Within it is a series of eductional notes about the 8th Army
Air Force:
http://www.8tharmyairforce.com
Combat Missions 1 to 18 are accessible through this link:
http://www.8tharmyairforce.com/part2.html
Mercy Missions 1 to 3, Combat Missions 19 to 35, and
the Destinations & Targets List are accessible via this link:
http://www.8tharmyairforce.com/part3.html
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