Embedded Files
Table of Contents
Pictured below are the pages written on by John in his "Air Force Souvenir Handybook" from his time in the service during World War II. It is unknown whether John carried this diary with him throughout his time overseas and kept track of his events cronologically or if he wrote these all down after the fact. Regardless, it is a very interesting look into his experience as a POW in Germany during WWII.
Personal Information
Personal Information
Pictured above is the front cover of the journal.
Pictured above is one of the first pages of the journal where John wrote his name for quick and easy identification.
Pictured to the left is John's personal information that he filled the "Soldier's Personal Record" section with in the front of the journal.
Training
Training
Date: June 10, 1942
Place: Ft. Des Moines Iowa.
Enlisted: U.S. Army
Branch: Air Corps.
Weather: Warm.
Date: June 1942
Place: Ft. Leavenworth Kansas
Transfer For Uniform Issue.
Weather: Warm
Date: June 1942
Place: Jefferson Barracks, Missouri.
Transfer For Basic Training.
Air Training Command.
Weather: "Hot-Humid"
Date: July, 1942
Place: Sioux Falls, S.D.Â
Army Air Base.
Technical Training Command.
Radio-Operators-Mech. School
Weather: Hot To "Very Cold"
Date: November, 1942
Place: Harlingen, Texas.
Army Air Forces Aerial Gunnery School.
Air Training Command.
Weather: "Wonderful" Cool Sea Breezes
Date: January, 1943
Place: Salt Lake City Utah.
Army Air Base
Transfer: Replacement Center 2nd. Air Force.
Weather: Cold.
Date: January, 1943
Place: Tucson, Arizona
Davis-Mountain Field.
B-24'sÂ
Combat Crew Training
1st. Phase Radio Operator - Gunner.
+
Radio Operator Instructor.
Weather: Hot To Cool.
Date: May, 1943
Place: Pocatello, Idaho
Army Air Base.
B-24's
Radio Operator Instructor
Air Training Command
2nd Air Force.
Weather: V/Nice.
Date: June - July 1943
Place: Kearns, Utah.
Basic Trng. Center AAF (Army Air Forces)
Pre-Division Cadet Training. (Basic)
Weather: "Hot"
Date: July, 1943
Place: College of Idaho Caldwell, Idaho
Pre-Division Cadet College Training
Air Tactical Training Command
Weather: V/Nice Cool
Date: September 1943
Place: Santa Ana Calif.
Division Cadet Center.
Air Training Command
Pre-Flight School
Weather: "Hot"
Date: October, 1943
Place: Salt Lake City, Utah.
Army Air Forces Replacement Center.
Weather: Cool-Cold.
Date: Oct. - Dec. 1943
Place: Gowen Field Boise, Idaho
B-24's
2nd Air Force
Air Training Command.
Radio Operator - Gunner.
Weather: Cool-Cold
Date: Jan. 1944
Place: Sioux City, Iowa
Army Air Base.
B-17's
Combat Crew Training
Radio Operator - Gunner.
Weather: Cold.
Date: April 1944
Place: Kearney, Nebraska
Army Air Base
B-17's
Pre-Overseas Embarkation Center
Weather: Cold To Freezing Rain
Date: May 1944
Place: Langley Field Virginia.
Overseas Pre-Embarkation
Weather: - Hot
Overseas Service
Overseas Service
Date: May - June 1944.
Place: New York City, N.Y.
Hotel: 76th St.
Army Air Forces (3rd Air Force)
Replacement Center.
Weather: Hot.
"Secret Orders" C-54
Take-Off For "Destination Unknown"
4:30/PM June 8, 1944
Date: June, 1944
Place: From La Guardia Field N.Y.
C-54 C-47
1. Azores
2. Casablanca
3. Algiers
4. Tunis - Carthage
5. Foggia, Italy
97th. Bomb. Group.
Weather: Rain - Hot
15th. Airforce
Date: Foggia, Italy
Place: June-July 1944
97th. Bomb. Group
341st. Bomb Sq.
B-17's
Shots of "Paul Jones" Whiskey After Missions
In "Prime" Condition
Radio Operator - Gunner.
Weather: Hot to Rain.
Prisoner of War
Prisoner of War
Date: July 16, 1944
Place: Vienna, Austria.
(MIA)
Bombing Shell Oil Refineries.
B-17's
Weather: Warm "Reception: Hostile"
Prisoner of War.
Shot Down By German Flak.
Captured By "SS" (Waffen "SS") The "Armed SS" Vienna.
Date: July, 1944
Place: POW. Germany.
1. Luftwaffe Base, Vienna.
2. Oberusel, Germany Frankfurt Dulag-Luft. Solitary Confinement.
3. Wetzlar, Germany (Dulag-Luft)
Weather: Rain - War + Hot
*Liberation By The Russians?
Date: August, 1944
Place: Stalag Luft Nr. 4-
Gross Tyschow Pomerania, Germany.
POW. Loger "C"
Half - Rations
Arrived Aug. 6, 1944
Weather: Hot
Reception: "Hot" Including Police Dogs and Bayonets
Date: Feb. 7, 1945
Place: Stalag Luft Nr. 4.
POW.
"Russians Coming"
Move Out.
(They Didn't Make It In Time)
Weather: Cold-Wet Snow + Rain Fog.
Date: Feb 7, 1945 - March 1945
Place: N. Germany
Forced March
Weather: Cold, Clear, Some Snow Rain Etc.
"No Food"
Liberation
Liberation
Date: April 16, 1945
Place: Stalag 11B Follingbostel, Germany
Liberated: "Desert Rats"
By: British 7th. Armored Div.
"No Food"
Weather: Rain To Warm.
21st British Army Group.
Date: April, 1945
Place: Germany
Map:
Weather: Warm.
Date: April 1945
Place: Brussels Belgium.
British Army Hospital
Weather: Rain to Warm.
Drinking: Tea
"Easy" on the Food.
8th. Airforce
Date: April - May 1945
Place: Swindon, England ("U.K.")
Gen. Hospital U.S. Army.
Weather: Some Rain To Very Nice.
"Ramp"=Recovered Allied Military Personnel.
VE-Day May 8, 1945
Date: May, 1945
Place: Bristol England.
De-Barkation For U.S.
Weather: Some Rain.
Date: May + June 1945
Place: Atlantic Ocean.
Going Home.
Weather: Cool Rain Clear.
Back State Side
Back State Side
Date: June 8, 1945
Place: Camp Kilmer New Jersey.
Home: "1 Steak Dinner"
"Ramp" Recovered Allied Mil. Personnel
Weather: Some Rain. Warm
Date: June 1945
Place: Schick Army General Hospital Clinton, Iowa.
Back in Iowa.
Weather: Warm
Leave: Iowa City.
Date: June - July
Place: Iowa City.
Rest and Recuperation Leave.
Weather: Hot
Date: July 1945
Place: Jefferson Barracks Missouri.
Air Forces Redistribution Command. For Orders
Weather: Very Hot
Return, Iowa City
Date: Aug. - Sept. 1945
Place: Iowa City Iowa
Rest and Recuperation Leave.
Weather: Hot - Sultry.
"VJ" Day.
The War's Over.
Sept. 1, 1945
Date: Oct. - Nov. 1945
Place: San Antonio Texas
Army Air Forces
Re-Distribution Command.
Weather: Cool.
Nov. 1, 1945
(Honorable Discharge)
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