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The Presidents Report

The New York State Southern Wing Chapter held its Luncheon Meeting at 12:00 noon on Saturday, April 17 at the 56th FG Restaurant Lounge at the Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY near the renowned American Airpower Museum.
The Luncheon/Meeting was presided over by President Gus Nathan (486BG) and Vice-President David Greene (392BG)
There were 52 in attendance and a great menu was provided and with a surprise 91st birthday cake for member Jack Lance.
A Board of Officers election was held were Board member Pat Keeley was elected President Elect and Antonio Capobianco as Treasurer. Colonel David Greene remained Vice-President and Nicholas Plackis as Secretary.
I must say we missed Bernie Mirotznik (452BG) who was recovering from heart surgery but am pleased to say Bernie is doing well.
The guest speaker was Congressman Timothy Bishop who spoke about interesting legislation being voted on one being funding for VFW and American Legion Halls to help them fix the Halls regarding roofing, painting, etc. Many are in desperate need of this funding and rightfully deserving of. To checkout pictures of the Luncheon please click on the following:

Luncheon Pictures

Your membership is what 'Keeps the Memories Alive'

Please remember to send in your 2010 dues.

Question of the Week

Question of the week?

What planes were mainly used and what kind of missions were flown and what was the Bomber Group known as that flew from U.S. Air Force station #179 at Harrington, England from April 5, 1944 to April 27, 1945?

Answer to be posted by Wednesday April 28, 2010.



Have a puzzling question? Email it click on Historian

Saturday April 21, 1945

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 963: 532 bombers and 444 fighters attack jet fighter airfields and rail targets in SE Germany; 2 bombers and 2 fighters are lost:

1. 111 of 113 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Munich, a target of last resort, with H2X radar; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 5 damaged. Escorting are 90 P-51s; 1 is damaged beyond repair.

2. 186 B-24s are sent to hit the Salzburg marshalling yard and rail bridge but abort the mission due to 10/10 cloud cover; 1 B-24 is lost and 4 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 12 MIA. The escort is 99 of 109 P-51s.

3. 6 of 232 B-17s hit the secondary target, the Amlech Airfield at Landsberg; 212 hit a target of last resort, the town of Ingolstadt; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA and 7 MIA. 144 of 160 P-51s escort; 2 are lost (pilots MIA).

4. 1 B-17 and 23 P-51s fly scouting missions.

5. 48 of 57 P-47s fly a fighter sweep in the Salzburg area.

6. 4 of 5 P-51s escort 3 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.

Mission 964: During the night of 21/22 Apr, 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany.

Savannah, Georgia

WWII Poster of the Week

Interesting Links

Below please checkout these interesting Links and the links within. One can literally spend hours here:

The Mighty Eighth Air Force and to all related Bomber Groups and interesting links
Recommended site

The Mighty Eighth Museum

Holland Museum "Wings To Victory" aircraft crash database in Holland
Recommended site now in English

The United States Air Force Military Heritage Database

The Yankee Air Museum "Where History Flies"

The B24 Site dedicated to the men and women who flew and supported the B24 bombers. Recommended site.

The Ghostwings site "Honoring the Sacrifices of America's Veterans"

The National World War II Museum New Orleans

The U.S. Army Center of Military History

The ground crews with thanks to Joe Minton.

The Mid Atlantic Air Museum in Reading PA

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

The Stormbirds.com Luftwaffe-related web sites

The Tanksbooks.com site where generation meets the latest generation

The American Airpower Museum located at Farmingdale New York

The National World War II Memorial in Washington DC

The U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II

The U-505 Submarine in Chicago

The Memphis-Belle website exclusively authorized and maintained by the widow of Col. Robert K. Morgan

The U.S. Army Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen, Maryland

The great UK site regarding the Control Towers of times gone by

The Palm Springs Air Museum

The 94th Bomb Group a Recommended site

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor

The 8th AFHS 32nd Annual Reunion in Bossier City LA. October 2006

The 8th AFHS 33rd Annual Reunion in Kalamazzo MI. July of 2007

The 8th AFHS 34th Annual Reunion in Savannah GA August 2008

The Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville OR shots I took

The 303rd Bomb Group is a recommended site

The 95th Bomb Group Memorial Foundation


If you have a related website that you would like posted please email at 'Historian'

Evergreen Aviation Museum

If ever in the Portland, Oregon area checked out the outstanding Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon about 400 minutes outside of Portland.

Please click on 'Museum' to view some pictures.

The Next Generation Initiative

Hello Every One,

This is to all in the NexGen Initiative of the 8thAFHS, in regard to the December '09 and March 2010 issues of the 8th Air Force News.

The article that appears in the current December issue on the Next Generation page 26 (about a veteran) is the second of two articles I had submitted.
The first article about NexGen, and intended for the December issue NexGen page, will now, not go out until March. As there are some "timely" responses I had hoped to get back earlier, I am sending the article out now.

It's about Next Generation involvement in the 8th Air Force Historical Society activities, which is one of the main components in helping to ensure its continued existence and operation.

Funding is the other main component, and the majority of funds comes from the annual dues. I don't handle that part, but as membership chair for NexGen, wanted to use this opportunity as a reminder, since it's so important and all ties in together.

A notice of dues was in the September issue of the 8th AF NEWS with an addressed envelope for easy return. To date, a little less than half of these dues have been renewed. The dues are for your membership in the 8th Air Force Historical Society. Please renew your Society membership now. You may also renew online at http://www.8thafhs.org and mention it's a renewal. Dues are handled by the Society's membership manager, Catherine Rice in the 8thAFHS office in Savannah (Pooler, GA), (912) 748-8884. .

If you aren't or never have been a member, please consider joining now to help keep the 8th Air Force Historical Society going.

This e-mail will serve as the annual NexGen update, the last one being January 2009:

FYI: The Eighth's next reunion is in Tucson, AZ July 20-25, 2010. Look for new posting on the website in the spring, and full details & forms in the March magazine, 8th AF NEWS.

Now here's something I've been wanting to send out to everyone:
Also included here is a WWII map, power-point presentation of Hitler's aggression, which you may find interesting. Thanks to Fred Preller who sent this to me more than a year ago. (This would make a great attention getter in a high school social studies class during their WWII history unit).

The following is the last section of last year's letter with updated info on research resources. Included is Fred Preller's Cross Reference website.

A few sources for researchers, among the many available include:
http://www.B24.net includes links for POW Research
http://b24.net/resrchrs/govlstings.htm Resources for Research
http://mighty8thaf.preller.us Cross Reference
http://www.303rdbg.com/links.html Good general info on other groups also
http://ArmyAirForces.com Links to Research
http://www.8thafhs.org/forums.htm Post an inquiry on the 8th AFHS Forums site
http://www.8thafhs.org/links.htm Bomb Groups and Associations On-Line

Contact the Mighty Eighth Museum’s Archives Library in Savannah (912) 748-8888.

Learning as much as possible about WW II and the Mighty Eighth will help us to pass on its history and legacy to future generations.


Norma Chesser
NexGen
Membership/Coordinator
npchesser@yahoo.com
(281) 498-6134

USS Rescue

After watching the fantastic History Channel WWII In HD series I thought I would post this again.

The USS Rescue Hospital Ship through the eyes of one who sailed on her in the Pacific.

Click on 'USS Rescue' to view more.

The USS Rescue received two Battle Stars for her operations in the Pacific.

AH-18 USS Rescue

* Rescue class Hospital Ship:
* Displacement: 8,350 tons
* Length: 403'
* Beam: 61'
* Draft: 20'
* Speed: 20 knots (max); 7 knots (econ)
* Armament: NONE
* Complement: 440
* Geared turbine engines; twin screws; 13,000 hp
* Built at Newport News at SS St. John 1932
Acquired by USN and commissioned as Antaeus (AS-21) 17 May 1941
Redesignated AG-67 September 1942 Converted to Hospital Ship Rescue (AH-18) 18 January 1945