We were informed today of the passing yesterday of Herschel L Smith, pilot Smith Crew 906. He folded his wings on July 28 2010.

The mission to Bernburg was another bad day for the 492nd resulting in the loss of 12 planes. Sixty-seven men were killed and fifty-two more became POWs. There are a lot of men for us to remember. Today I'm giving extra thought to Billy Sheely, tail gunner on the Smiley Crew 910.

Here's a poetic tribute to Peter Val Preda (pilot, Val Preda Crew 601) sent to us by Peter Mills.

The second Politz mission resulted in the loss of 14 planes on which 76 men were killed and 63 more became POWs. There are a lot of men to remember. Today I'm thinking of Ernest Booth, the engineer on the Abbott Crew 609. His entire crew was killed over the Baltic Sea near Rugden Island.

Without Allied superiority of the air and sea, D-Day would not have succeeded. Thousands of airmen and sailors gave their lives during the five years leading up to June 6, 1944, which was the Army's turn to take the fight to the enemy. And that they did!

Memorial Day is a day for the remembrance of those who have died in our nation's service.

Don't forget, though, that it is also a good day to excercise reconcilliation.

It comes down to this:

Never before or since has this country been as truly united as it was during World War II.

May 19, 1944, sixty-six years ago today, the 492nd Bomb Group experienced its first truly devastating mission. The target was a marshalling yard near Brunswick, deep into Germany. The losses were horrific.

According to top German commanders, 12 May 1944 was the turning point of the war.

Far too often, co-pilots don't get the credit they deserve. When something heroic happens up in the cockpit the pilot becomes the hero while the co-pilot is rarely mentioned.

Step-by-step instructions on how you can register an image with gravatar.com so that your custom photo will be displayed with your comments...

Do you know what a trailing antenna is and what it's used for? I didn't until I talked to Bob Cash.

We were informed today of the passing last month of Philip C Wymond, navigator Brague Crew 718. He folded his wings on March 13 2010 in the Dayton Wright Patterson Air Force Base Hospital in hospice care.

Two new pages have been added to the menu bar on the left that you might find quite interesting, if not downright useful:

Folded Wings and Still Flying.

Not all crews were assigned a bombardier. And those that did, didn't always take them along on missions. Policies on the matter differed between squadrons.