User:Rlboone1917

My name is Robert Boone, age 89, living in a suburb 25 minutes from San Francisco. I graduated from the University of California in 1939 with a degree in business and entered the U.S. Army Air Corps as a flying cadet  in 1940, receiving my wings in 1941. When Pearl Harbor was struck our squadron was assigned anti submarine duty in California, then transfered to anti sub patrol on the East Coast, then flew the Northern route to England in newly assigned B-24 Ds to perform the same duty over the Bay of Biscay.

Our squadron was then given the task of supplying all occupied countries with agents and arms, as the RAF. was already doing. Our one squadron had been made into two, and we two squadron commanders and a few others received training from them in the form of two rides each on a mission. We then trained our own crews after modifying our B-24's to suit mission requirements.

After the allied troops  landed on the continenent we  delivered fuel to a small airport in Belgium where it was picked up and delivered to General Patton's tanks and other units in need.

Our final duty was to join the RAF. in night high altitude bombardment of German cities.That was a nasty duty because each aircraft flew its own course to the same target, and since there were dozens of airfields scattered throughout England you can imagine the chaos when they all converged at the same target. Being in someone else's prop wash in the dark of night was frightful. Evading enemy fighters added to the perils. I had three of those missions and no more ever, thank you. Rlboone1917 20:26, 20 November 2006 (UTC)