This Day In History: December 20th, 1944

[Mad Scientist]

The Collings Foundation B-24.

 

[Douger]

.....and if it were today, and he were a young man, his platoon would have turned Crapital Hell into dust.He deserves serious respect for helping to solve a bigtime problem.

All ya got now is meatheads growing opium and defending the corporate oil whores.
Thanks to a great murkin iduKashin( #1 !!!!), they're too fucking dumb to know it.

 

[Mad Scientist]

For takeoff, you're strapped down to a seat (or what is called a seat) and soon after takeoff they ring a bell and you can get up and walk all around inside. As soon as they did I ran back to the tail gunners position and snapped this pic:



We went out over the ocean and came back to the field. Total flight time was about 35-40 minutes. Cost to keep the only remaining flyable B-24 in the air is about $4,000 an hour.





Two bells rang and we had go back to our seats. Tom says that during the war if the pilot rang the bell once it meant "get ready to bail out" and when he rang it twice that meant "jump!"

He related the story about how on December 20th when they bailed out he had heard the one bell so he started to put his parachute on and made for the hatch on the bottom of the plane to bail. When he was standing over the open hatch he saw another crew member who had already bailed pass by underneath the bomber. So he said to himself: "Well, if he can do it, so can I!". He heard the second bell and jumped.

Problem was: He didn't have his chute on all the way!

"I realized I didn't have both straps around my shoulders so I had to fight to get the other one on and hook it together in front! I did that then pulled the rip cord and the handle came off in my hand!"

"I had to reach over my left shoulder and grab the cable and pull it. All the while I'm falling towards the earth! The chute blossomed over head and before I knew it I was on the ground".

"When I met up with the crew on the ground they were relieved and happy to see me alive because they'd seen me struggle with my chute and then I fell through the over cast before I managed to open the chute. They all thought I was a goner!".

Tom also told me about how when they were making their way to the assigned pick up spot they were spotted by a Nazi machine gunner. They were walking through a valley and the gunner had the high ground and was firing at them. But as it was the gun was firing slowly, not a quick "rat-tat-tat" but a slower "boom-boom-boom". That was because the buffer plate on the gun was adjusted in such a way that it was firing slowly.

So one of the other crew said to Tom: "Hey Tom, why don't YOU go up there and show that Nazi how to adjust his buffer plate!"

He said that's how they reduced the stress all during the war, make jokes and maintain a sort of "gallows humor".

 

[Mad Scientist]

Special Message to fraudster Joze Povsic: Odjebi!

I saw the article you submitted to the reunion newsletter. I gave you that picture but you claim you're still "looking for the grandson of the pilot (me). I know he is interested in what happened to this plane".

I already know what happened. Also, I talked with Tom Boyd and he says he's not in the picture and I doubt my Grandfather is either.

Also, my pics are copyrighted so you can't use them in any way, shape or form.

 

[Mad Scientist]

.....and if it were today, and he were a young man, his platoon would have turned Crapital Hell into dust.He deserves serious respect for helping to solve a bigtime problem.

All ya got now is meatheads growing opium and defending the corporate oil whores.
Thanks to a great murkin iduKashin( #1 !!!!), they're too fucking dumb to know it.

He retired from the AF in 1966. He said "Vietnam was shaping up to be a place where I didn't particularly wanna' go so I retired instead".

I asked him about Iraq and Afghanistan and he said: "We got NO business being over there."

I told him he should speak out more in public because his opinion carries a lot of weight.

 

[fred1369]

this is so kewl. My father died about 4 years ago at the age of 89. He was a navigator on a B-26. He put in his 32 missions and still had small bits of ack-ack in his neck. He said he used to sit on a flack jacket while on a mission.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Just talked with Sgt Boyd on the phone and wished him a Happy Birthday!

Here's a link to all the pictures I took last May when we flew on the Collings Foundation B-24 together. Enjoy!

Sgt Thomas Boyd May 2012 Photos by uhhuh35 | Photobucket

 

[jwoodie]

My dad was a B-17 pilot in the 379th BG flying out of Kimbolton. In 1943, he and the other pilot were hit by an ME-109 while over Wilhelmshaven. Ironically, their injuries and hospitalization probably saved their lives; all of the other members of their air crew were killed on a subsequent mission.

The 8th Air Force lost more men that the entire US Marine Corps in WW2.

 

[bestlink101]

Dear Ron Paul!

Greetings from Slovenia and Europe. My name is Joze Povsic.

20th December 1944, from 67 years ago, your grandfather Donald Bone and his crew flew the B-24 Liberator on a mission from Cerignola Italy into Hitler's Germany that bombed Skoda Works in Pilsen city.

For you I have one very interesting piece of news. For more than 20 years looking for data and information about the bomber crash. I have almost all the information about the overthrow of the bomber B-24 Liberator, with the title "Rosalie Mae" which is on Wednesday 20th December 1944 crash in Slovenia, near the village of my birth. The crew jumped with parachutes from a height of 5000 meters. Bomber crashed in the wine houses, which were surrounded by vineyards. Bomber has crashed in an accident. I have parts of the bomber: engine parts, weapons parts and aluminum parts of the body.

Please contact us at my e-mail: joze.povsic @ amis.net

I expect your answer and your nice welcome!

Joze Povsic, Slovenia, Europe

what does ron paul have to do with anytihg?

 

[Mad Scientist]

Dear Ron Paul!

Greetings from Slovenia and Europe. My name is Joze Povsic.

20th December 1944, from 67 years ago, your grandfather Donald Bone and his crew flew the B-24 Liberator on a mission from Cerignola Italy into Hitler's Germany that bombed Skoda Works in Pilsen city.

For you I have one very interesting piece of news. For more than 20 years looking for data and information about the bomber crash. I have almost all the information about the overthrow of the bomber B-24 Liberator, with the title "Rosalie Mae" which is on Wednesday 20th December 1944 crash in Slovenia, near the village of my birth. The crew jumped with parachutes from a height of 5000 meters. Bomber crashed in the wine houses, which were surrounded by vineyards. Bomber has crashed in an accident. I have parts of the bomber: engine parts, weapons parts and aluminum parts of the body.

Please contact us at my e-mail: joze.povsic @ amis.net

I expect your answer and your nice welcome!

Joze Povsic, Slovenia, Europe

what does ron paul have to do with anytihg?

When he found this thread I had "Ron Paul 2012" in my signature so he thought that's who I was!

 

[Mad Scientist]

Just got off the phone with Msgt Tom Boyd and he has a few interesting things planned for this year!

First, he invited me to the 455th Bomb Group Reunion in Oklahoma city in September so I have to get a presentation ready!

And, the big one, on December 20th of this year he's gonna' celebrate his 89th birthday and 70th anniversary of the mission, by making a dual skydive jump!

Tom said he's made all the arrangements and is gonna' do it "Lord willing and the river don't rise!". Should be lot's of fun!

 

[Mad Scientist]

Reposting this picture as I had taken it down a while back. I was just contacted by a granddaughter of the gentleman in the first row, far left, Allen Dalian.
That's my Grandfather Lt. Donald L. Bone in the middle of the back row.



Also the Missing Air Crew Report for December 20th, 1944.


.

 

[namvet]

The Mosquito is one of my favorite British planes from WWII, next to the later model Spitfires with the 5 bladed Rotol propellers. I think the "Mossie" looks the coolest with Invasion Stripes. I was really a surprised when I found out they were made of wood!:

*Thank You to the Mod who removed the offending post!

let's take a ride

 

[Mad Scientist]

Tom is set to jump today somewhere near San Jose. He didn't tell me where it was but I imagine there's not too many places you can do that in the Bay Area.

Today is both his 89th Birthday and the anniversary of that mission. I'll post whatever I can find after it happens.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Haven't heard from Tom yet but I just found this local ABC News report about him. You can see both Model A's he owns in the report, one he drove from San Jose to Maine and back then the other to Alaska and back!

I asked him what would he have done had they broken down? Auto parts stores don't carry parts for Model A's and he said; "Well, I'd just fix 'em some how!" And I have no doubt he would have!

http://abc7news.com/society/world-w...tes-important-milestone-by-sky-diving/444527/

 

[MaryL]

My dad received a purple heart, he sold it at a pawn shop in the forties to get money to feed his kids. I would love to buy it back, but those days are gone.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Nice write up about him in the Air Force Times.

Vet marks 70th anniversary of parachute jump with another

 

[whitehall]

God bless the heroes of WW2 but we need to recognize that ground Troops were blindsided by the Nazi (Ardennes counteroffensive) on Dec. 16 and about 100,000 would be casualties by Jan. 25 1945.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Just spoke with him on the phone! The jump went fine and he's ok. He's disappointed that he couldn't jump from 13,000 feet as planned but 7,000 had to do. He said it was more important that the jump be done today.

Also, please say a prayer for Tom as he might be facing a Health problem in the coming months.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Write up in the AF Times and a nice photo of him free-falling:

WWII vet s anniversary skydive a success