World War II Honoree

Wayne Wittbecker

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Freeport, Illinois

Honored By

Charles B. Church III

IN 1942, AT AGE 20, JOINED THE 8TH ARMY AIR CORPS. VOLUNTEERED TO BE A PILOT BUT WAS NOT ACCEPTED BECAUSE OF COLOR BLINDNESS. RECEIVED BASIC TRAINING IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA AND TRAINED AS A B-17 RADIO OPERATOR AT SCOTT FIELD IN ILLINOIS. STATIONED IN ENGLAND WITH 447TH BOMB GROUP, 710TH SQUADRON. ARRIVED THERE IN A NEW B-17 BOMBER CROSSING THE OCEAN FROM NEWFOUNDLAND TO IRELAND. FLEW 32 MISSIONS, MOSTLY OVER GERMANY, BOMBING AIR BASES AND FACTORIES MANUFACTURING WAR MATERIALS. BERLIN WAS TARGET ON 2 FLIGHTS; FLAK FROM GROUND GUNS WAS UNUSUALLY HEAVY. KEPT FLIGHT LOGS AND PULLED PINS FROM BOMBS TO ACTIVATE BEFORE DROPPING ON TARGETS. FREQUENTLY, B-17 RETURNED WITH FLAK HOLES IN THE FUSELAGE, WHICH WERE PATCHED SO THE PLANE COULD FLY MORE MISSIONS. FLEW ON SEVERAL B-17S, THE LAST 10 MISSIONS ON 'BOUNCING BABY'. ON ONE OCCASION THE B-17 FLEW BACK TO BASE SUCCESSFULLY ON 2 ENGINES. RECEIVED WWII VICTORY MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AND AIR MEDAL WITH 3 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS. RETURNED HOME AS A TECH SERGEANT IN 1945.