VAPOR TRAILS MAILBAG

updated 03/21/2003

Welcome to the Vapor Trails Mailbag! Here we share with you the various emails received from time to time. Check back often to read new comments.

Enjoy! -- Jack Brennan

Hello,
I am working on an appeal with the VA for DIC benefits for my mother. In doing so it would be extremely helpful if I could find anyone that served with my father Richard "Dick" Meehan from Watertown, MA. He was with the 100th bomb group, 350th bomb squadron and was shot down over Hamburg and wounded on 12-31-44. He was captured immediately. I know he went from Nuremburg to Moosberg and a couple of other camps. His legs were severely injured and was unable to walk and was carried through many marches in Germany. My father was the ball turret gunner in a B-17 piloted by Charles Webster who was KIA and based in England. He was a POW until liberated and then was in Cushing General Hospital until Feb 28, 1946. Any info would be truly appreciated as my father never, ever spoke of his WWII experience. My e-mail address is [email protected].
Thank you,
Deborah L. Meehan

Hello. Wanted contact to family of Robert Tessler, B-17 Bomberpilot of "Lady Luck2"(Cherokee maid) shot down 1943 near Bremen. POW one gunner KIA. Wanted history Photos of Tessler and his Bomber and crew.The B-17 shot down in our home region. Want to write a book about all British and american flyers who crashed in our Region.

My address
RudyKahns,
Windhomsweg 16,
D27729 Hambergen,
GERMANY

In memory of all victims WW2,american flyers over Europe KIA,Victims 11th September 2001.
Kind regards. Rudy
[email protected]

Subj: Dave Mac Murray-crew news
Date: 1/28/2003 12:00:18 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent from the Internet (Details)

Hello
Im Christopher from Germany from the WW2 MAACRT team and ihave news for your page.
We found the B24-crew from Dave Mac Murray at the 27.10.2002. on a field near Westeregeln.
The B24-Liberator was crashed on the field after the attacks of Bernburg.
I have some pictures for you.

Subj: Fancy Pants Marines
Date: 12/18/2002 9:37:25 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent from the Internet (Details)

In the April 2000 Vapor Trails, you cite the lyric that contains the
expression "fancy pants." According to most sources, this usage of this
expression, meaning overly or effeminately dressed, was first cited in a
published source in 1945. Would you happen to know if this lyric was
published before then?

Subj: Long lost Aunt
Date: 10/28/2002 4:09:18 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent from the Internet (Details)

I am trying to trace my aunt Christine Pearson (nee) Chapman or her children..She was a GI Bride who married Melvin Pearson in Cambride England during the second world War.
Her sister is Martha Hymus (nee) Chapman.
The last area I have of them is Brocton Massachusetts.

I hope this request is in order and I look forward to hearing from someone soon.

Many thanks
Hilary Hymus
[email protected]

I was stationed on French Samoa {Wallis Island} for eight months in 1943. This island was a pit stop for 24's going to the battle area. Some of them used black 12 Ga. shotgun shells to start the engines. Many b24 people said that I am wrong but I know what I saw. Do you know anything about this novel way to start a huge P&W engine? Regards Johann. Great web site especially when you play the MC Hymn

Subj: Mighty Eighth
Date: 10/24/2002 4:39:27 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: JVjohann
To: Tezpur123

Just visited your great web site. Had a great neighbor in Sun City Center, Fla. Who was a pilot in the Eighth. Kasimer Treynelis. He flew 22 1/2 missions. Prisoner of war, liberated by the Ruskies. I tried so hard to get him to write memoirs after hearing only a few of his stories. You might want to get in touch with him he is in great health and one of the fines people I have ever met. Regards. Johann. PS I was on Okinawa when the beautiful yellow mustangs from the Eighth flew into Yonton Airfield after the German surrender. P.s. His address is 327 Caloosa Palms Drive, Sun City Center, Fla. 33573

Thanks, very much, for your kind Seasons Greetings, which I do return to you all and all your dear ones. Happy New Year. May 2001 keep you, all, in good health, may it bring to you, all, luck, joys and the fulfillment of all your deepest wishes.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for what you have done and achieved to deliver to the different resistance organizations, in occupied Europe, during World War II, by dropping agents, arms, explosives and equipment to allow us to fight our common enemy, the occupying forces. I thank you, not only in my name, but also, and especially, in the name of the Belgian Secrete Army (code name Osric) to which I belonged.

Date: 12/14/00 1:35:31 AM
I found this site when searching for the 97th Bomber Group. I attempting to determine if a Sgt. John D. Nelms or Sgt. Don J. Anderson who served with the 342nd squadron in North Africa in WW2 might still be alive. Any information you might supply( reunion sites or people) would greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Doug Bell
[email protected]

Date: 11/8/00 12:55:58 PM
I would like your help in trying to locate a J. R. Demartino (92nd BG-327th BS)
an 8th AF veteran who is from Mass. any info would be appreciated.
thanks
jeff sturt
[email protected]

Date: 11/2/00 8:34:12 PM
My wife and I attended the meeting at Hanscom today. We would both like to thank all of you for making us feel welcome. We enjoyed the meal, speaker, and meeting everyone. We hope to attend in the future. We also visited the Vapor Trails web site. It is extremely well done. Congratulations to everyone who worked on it. John Allison

Date: 10/14/00 11:36:56 AM
I'm a Life Associate Member of the 8th AFHS. I'm just a youngster (born 1930) and was too young for the "Big One" (WWII). Thought I'd check if there was a biography of BG Robert H. Latiff who will speak an the Fall Fling. Checked the following Website: Air Force Link II -- biographies . They have two pages of information on him. I've found that if you enter a name in the "Search" box that you get a "Server error". If you select "L" from the alphabetical menu, you can select the general's name from the list. I printed out the biography and (God Willing) will bring it to the Fall Fling at Hanscom.

Another interesting item in the newsletter was the listing of new members since the last two years. The first name listed is ALBERT ROMANO, 389th BG. If you check my E-Mail address, you can see that it is [email protected]. The 389 is in memory of a First Cousin, Tzolag A. Aaronian from Cambridge who was killed on 19 Feb 1945 while with the 389th BG, 565th BS. Over the years, I've looked for information about the 389th BG.

I have the histories of the four 389th BG bomb squadrons on two 16mm reels. Their content is good. The history of the 565th BS has an extract of General Order 89 dated 16 September 1943 which awarded the DFC to those 565th BS crews who took part in the low-level Ploesti mission of 1 Aug 1943. On page 2 of the extract is listed the name of "ALBERT A. ROMANO, 0-735930, 2ND LT., REVERE, MASS. MISSING IN ACTION." I'll make a copy of the extract and bring it to the Fall Fling.

I don't know if the two Albert Romanos are one and the same. If they are, then I'm so glad that he wasn't KIA during that terrible mission.

George D. Kasparian [email protected]
Watertown, MA

P.S. John, I almost forgot to tell you how much I enjoy receiving Vapor Trails. It's absolutely superb.

Date: 10/13/00 3:34:52 PM
Congratulations on the "New" web site. It was dormant for a while but now it is full of life. And this way I can keep up with what is happening and will happen so I won't miss the various happenings as in the past. Good show!

Morris (Murray) Swerdlove 457th BG [email protected]

Date: 9/3/00 1:54:03 PM
Sir- Would you please consider adding a link to my website BOEING B17 FLYING FORTRESS "PICADILLY LILLY". This is non-commercial site dedicated to honoring the service of my friend Fred Acomb and the rest of his combat crew that flew 36 missions between Oct 44-Mar 45 from Kimbolton England with the 379th BG (H). With your permission I will add a reciprocal link to your site on my page of Links.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Joseph C "Chris" Kennedy [email protected]
http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~josephkennedy/Default.htm

Date: 7/13/00 8:45:50 PM
From: [email protected] (James Hall)
To: [email protected]

Dear Sir, My name is CW2 James Hall. I am a member of the U.S. Army and am stationed at Ft. Bragg N.C.as a parachute rigger. As you may or may not know Fayetteville (the town just outside of Ft. Bragg) is going to open an Airborne and Special Forces Museum this fall. One of the proposed exhibits is a 105mm howitzer rigged for airdrop in the manner that it would have been done during W.W.II. As you can imagine the U.S. Army doesn't have any of the hardware required for the task. I have been asked to come up with as much equipment as possible by the 20th of August. I am hoping that your ties to people interested in W.W.II could help us locate some of the hardware. Currently we have slings and are building a platform, but the metal items are what we need. If you could pass this on to as many people as possible or if the 8th Airforce could help we would be very grateful.

JAMES HALL
CW2,USA
AIRDROP SYSTEMS TECH.
(910) 396-9419
[email protected]