World War II Honoree

Marvin R. Graham

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

New York, New York

Honored By

Jim & John Hammond

Relationship

Sons of Marvin's B-24 Pilot

STAFF SERGEANT. B-24 BALL TURRET GUNNER. JOINED THE U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES AT NEW YORK, NEW YORK OCTOBER 6, 1942. AFTER TRAINING HE FLEW IN THE 8TH AIR FORCE FROM OCTOBER 9, 1943 TO SEPTEMBER 22, 1945 SEPARATING AT LOWRY FIELD, COLORADO. HE COMPLETED A TOUR OF 30 MISSIONS AND WAS IN THE 392ND BOMB GROUP, 579TH SQUADRON, 8TH AIR FORCE AT WENDLING AIR BASE 118, ENGLAND. THE ORIGINAL BALL TURRET GUNNER ON THE HAMMOND CREW TRAINED ON B-24 AIRCRAFT AT GOWEN FIELD, IDAHO (29TH BOMB GROUP, 52ND SQUADRON) AND POCATELLO, IDAHO (382ND BOMB GROUP, 539TH SQUADRON) FROM APRIL 1943 TO SEPTEMBER 1943, ARRIVING IN ENGLAND OCTOBER 1943. ORIGINALLY DESTINED FOR B-29 AIRPLANES IN THE 29TH BOMB GROUP, THIS CREW WAS DIVERTED TO B-24 AIRCRAFT AND ASSIGNED TO 8TH AIR FORCE, ENGLAND DUE TO THE ATTRITION IN CREWS THERE. AMONG HIS MISSIONS WERE THE FIRST FOUR RAIDS TO BERLIN MARCH 4, 6, 8 AND 9, 1944 AND THE 6 CRUCIAL RAIDS TO GERMAN AIRFIELDS AND AIRCRAFT FACTORIES DATING FEBRUARY 20-26, 1944, KNOWN AS 'BIG WEEK'. THE PURPOSE OF THE BIG WEEK MISSIONS WAS TO DEGRADE THE GERMAN LUFTWAFFE PRIOR TO D-DAY. OTHER IMPORTANT 1944 RAIDS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED WERE KIEL, ZWICKAU, BERNBERG, AUGSBURG, MUNSTER, FRANKFURT, VORDEN AIR FIELD, TUTOW AND FRIEDRICHSHAFEN ON THE SWITZERLAND BOUNDARY LINE. HE FLEW ALL THE MARCH 1944 MISSIONS TO BERLIN INCLUDING MARCH 6, 1944 WHEN THE 8TH AIR FORCE B-24 AND B-17 AIRCRAFT LOST 69 OF 730 BOMBERS. HE WAS AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, AIR MEDAL WITH 4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS, THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN MEDAL WITH BRONZE STAR, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, WWII VICTORY MEDAL AND WWII SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON. HIS 8TH AIR FORCE, 392ND BOMB GROUP WAS AWARDED AND HE WORE THE DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION FOR BOMBING ACCURACY AND TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE GERMAN MESSERSCHMITT AIRCRAFT FACTORY AT GOTHA, GERMANY ON FEBRUARY 24, 1944. THE 392ND BOMB GROUP HAD FOUGHT THEIR WAY THROUGH 2 1/2 HOURS OF FIGHTERS AND FLAK TO AND FROM THE TARGET, LOSING 7 OF OF 31 B-24 PLANES THAT MADE IT TO THE TARGET.