World War II Honoree

Harold Edward 'Pete' Peterson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

Relationship

Relationship Not Determined

ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE AFTER THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, TERRITORY OF HAWAII, ON DECEMBER 7, 1941. APPLIED, AND WAS SELECTED FOR AIRCREW TRAINING IN THE AVIATION CADET PROGRAM AS A NAVIGATOR. UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF PREFLIGHT SCHOOL, FLEXIBLE GUNNERY SCHOOL, AND BASIC AND ADVANCED NAVIGATION TRAINING, WAS AWARDED HIS SILVER NAVIGATOR WINGS AND COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT. NEXT, ASSIGNED FOR UNIT TRAINING IN THE AIRCRAFT HE WOULD FLY ABOARD IN COMBAT. SERVED AS A B-24 'LIBERATOR' HEAVY BOMBER NAVIGATOR OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER, IN THE NORTH AFRICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (NATOUSA), MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTOUSA), AND EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) INCLUDING WITH THE 15TH AIR FORCE (AF). AS A NAVIGATOR, HE PLOTTED THE COURSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO AND FROM THE TARGET AREA, FURNISHED THE PILOT WITH FLIGHT DIRECTIONS EN ROUTE, AND KEPT THE FLIGHT LOG BOOK. ALSO SERVED AS AN AERIAL GUNNER WHEN UNDER AIR ATTACK. THE 15TH AF WAS ACTIVATED ON NOVEMBER 1, 1943, WITH THE HEADQUARTERS IN TUNIS, TUNISIA, AS THE STRATEGIC ELEMENT OF THE MEDITERRANEAN ALLIED AIR FORCES TO COOPERATE WITH BRITISH-BASED AIR UNITS. HIS 'LIBERATOR' SQUADRON SERVED PRIMARILY AS A LONG-RANGE STRATEGIC BOMBING ORGANIZATION, ATTACKING MARSHALLING YARDS, OIL REFINERIES, AIRFIELDS, AIRCRAFT FACTORIES, BALL BEARING FACTORIES, AND STORAGE FACILITIES. THE FIRST MISSION FOR THE 15TH AF IN THE OVERALL STRATEGY OF AIR ATTACK ON GERMANY WAS AGAINST THE MESSERSCHMIDT AIRCRAFT FACTORY AT WIENER NEUSTADT ON NOVEMBER 2, 1943. SUBSEQUENT MISSIONS WERE DIRECTED AGAINST AIRCRAFT FACTORIES IN AUGSBURG AND KLAGENFURT IN GERMANY, AND BALL BEARING FACTORIES IN TURIN AND VILLA PEROSA IN ITALY. THE 15TH AF MOVED TO ITALY IN DECEMBER, 1943. DURING THE WINTER OF 1943-44, THE AF WAS DEVOTED TO SUPPORTING THE GROUND CAMPAIGN IN ITALY. A MAJOR MISSION WAS TO SUPPORT THE ANZIO, ITALY LANDINGS ON JANUARY 22, 1944. HE PARTICIPATED IN OPERATION ‘BIG WEEK,’ THAT WAS A MASSIVE SERIES OF AIR STRIKES AGAINST THE GERMAN FIGHTER AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES BETWEEN FEBRUARY 20-25, 1944. HIS B-24 ‘ SQUADRON WAS SUBSEQUENTLY STATIONED IN ITALY AND BEGAN FLYING COMBAT MISSIONS FROM THERE IN THE TIMEFRAME OF MARCH, 1944. HIS SQUADRON’S AREA OF OPERATIONS INCLUDED ITALY, FRANCE, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, HUNGARY, ROMANIA, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, YUGOSLAVIA, AND THE BALKANS. ON MARCH 15, 1944, THE 15TH AF DROPPED HUNDREDS OF TONS OF BOMBS IN THE CASSINO, ITALY AREA IN AN EFFORT TO SEIZE THE TOWN AND OVERLOOKING MONTE CASSINO ABBEY. ON MARCH 17, 1944, 15TH AF BOMBERS MADE THE FIRST AIR ATTACK ON VIENNA, AUSTRIA. HE FLEW 51 COMBAT MISSIONS. THE 15TH AF BEGAN REGULAR BOMBER STRIKES AGAINST THE PLOESTI OIL FACILITIES IN ROMANIA. ATTACKS CONTINUED UNTIL AUGUST 24, 1944, WHEN OPERATIONS AT PLOESTI CEASED. THE 15TH AF ALSO SUPPORTED GROUND OPERATIONS IN ITALY, AND OTHER SUPPORT AND INTERDICTION MISSIONS, INCLUDING ATTACKING ENEMY RAILROADS SURROUNDING THE ANZIO BEACHHEAD IN ITALY IN MARCH, 1944, AND STRIKING BRIDGES, HARBORS AND ENEMY TROOP FORMATIONS DURING THE ALLIED INVASION OF SOUTHERN FRANCE IN AUGUST, 1944. BERLIN, GERMANY WAS ATTACKED ON MARCH 24, 1945, AND RAILROAD TARGETS IN AUSTRIA WERE STRUCK THE FOLLOWING DAY. AFTER GERMANY UNCONDITIONALLY SURRENDERED AND VICTORY IN EUROPE DAY (V-E DAY) WAS DECLARED ON MAY 8, 1945, THE 15TH AF BEGAN DROPPING SUPPLIES OVER YUGOSLAVIA, AND EVACUATING ALLIED PRISONERS OF WAR (POW). THE 15TH AIR FORCE WAS DEACTIVATED ON SEPTEMBER 15, 1945. THE SQUADRON PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR OFFENSIVE-EUROPE, AIR COMBAT EAME THEATER, NAPLES-FOGGIA, ROME-ARNO, ANZIO, NORMANDY, SOUTHERN FRANCE, NORTH APENNINES, RHINELAND, CENTRAL EUROPE, AND PO VALLEY CAMPAIGNS. AWARDED THE AIR MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON. RECALLED TO ACTIVE DUTY AFTER THE WAR AND SERVED UNTIL AGAIN HONORABLY DISCHARGED.