World War II Honoree

Harold Glenn Garman

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Mishawaka, Indiana

Honored By

Harold Glenn Garman

ENLISTED IN U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS FOR AVIATION CADET TRAINING IN MARCH 1942, BUT WAS SWORN IN AS BUCK PRIVATE, UNASSIGNED AND SENT HOME UNTIL AUGUST 1942 WHEN ASSIGNED TO PRE-FLIGHT SCHOOL IN SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA AS AVIATION CADET. IN NOVEMBER 1942 I WAS SENT TO PRIMARY PILOT TRAINING AT FORT STOCKTON, TEXAS. SOLOED AND COMPLETED TRAINING AND WENT TO BASIC TRAINING AT PECOS, TEXAS IN LATE DECEMBER. IN JANUARY 1943 WASHED OUT OF BASIC DUE TO SOME SLIGHT PROBLEMS LANDING THE PLANE. RETURNED TO SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA PRE-FLIGHT SCHOOL FOR REASSIGNMENT. IN MARCH 1943 WAS REASSIGNED TO MATHER FIELD NAVIGATION SCHOOL NEAR SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA AND IN SEPTEMBER COMPLETED NAVIGATION TRAINING, RECEIVED MY WINGS AND WAS COMMISSIONED AS 2ND LIEUTENANT IN THE ARMY AIR FORCE WITH A CELESTIAL NAVIGATOR RATING. IN OCTOBER 1943 WAS SENT TO ALAMOGORDO, NEW MEXICO FOR CREW TRAINING ON B-24 LIBERATORS. ON DECEMBER 24, 1943 (MY 21ST BIRTHDAY) LEFT WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA ON OUR B-24 TO FLY THE SOUTHERN ROUTE TO BRAZIL, AFRICA AND EVENTUALLY ENGLAND. HAD TO SPEND 3 WEEKS IN DAKAR, AFRICA. IN FEBRUARY 1944 DELIVERED THE PLANE IN ENGLAND AND WENT TO NORTHERN IRELAND FOR FURTHER CREW TRAINING UNTIL MARCH WHEN ASSIGNED AS REPLACEMENT CREW TO 703RD BOMB SQUADRON, 445TH BOMB GROUP, 8TH AIR FORCE IN TIBENHAM, ENGLAND. MY SQUADRON COMMANDING OFFICER WAS MAJOR JIMMY STEWART (THE FAMOUS ACTOR). HAD TO ABORT FIRST MISSION BUT SUBSEQUENTLY FLEW 4 SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS TO GERMANY AND FRANCE. RECEIVED A TWO-DAY PASS, FOUND MY OLDER BROTHER HERB NEAR EXETER, ENGLAND AND SPENT A DAY WITH HIM. ON APRIL 1ST, 1944 FLEW 5TH MISSION TO GERMANY. TOOK A LOT OF FLAK AND ULTIMATELY HAD TO BAIL OUT OVER NORTHERN FRANCE. REMAINED LOOSE FOR 26 DAYS AS GUEST OF VARIOUS RESISTANCE GROUPS UNTIL CAPTURED ON A TRAIN NEAR TOULOUSE IN SOUTHERN FRANCE ON APRIL 26TH. SPENT THE NEXT TWO WEEKS IN A PRISON AT BAYONNE, FRANCE THEN SPENT A MONTH IN FRESNES PRISON IN PARIS. WAS THEN MOVED TO A POLICE STATION IN WIESBADEN, GERMANY WHERE THE GESTAPO INTERROGATED ME. ON JULY 7TH, 1944 WAS SENT TO STALAG LUFT III, CENTER COMPOUND, IN SAGAN, GERMANY UNTIL LATE JANUARY 1945 WHEN THE RUSSIANS GOT TOO CLOSE, WE WERE FORCED MARCHED FOR SEVERAL DAYS, THEN PACKED ON TO A BOXCAR TO STALAG VII-A, MOOSEBURG, GERMANY. ON APRIL 29, 1945 ARMORED DIVISION OF PATTON’S 3RD ARMY LIBERATED US. ON JUNE 3RD, 1945 ARRIVED NEW YORK HARBOR AND WAS HOME IN MISHAWAKA, INDIANA ON JUNE 6. WAS RELIEVED OF ACTIVE DUTY AT SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS IN OCTOBER 1945.