World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Elmo Walter Geppelt
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Caddo, Oklahoma
Honored By
Robert S. Cox
APPLIED, AND WAS SELECTED FOR AIRCREW TRAINING 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 ON IN COMBAT. DEPLOYED TO ENGLAND AND JOINED THE 458TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (HEAVY), 2ND AIR DIVISION, 8TH AIR FORCE. SERVED AS A B-24 ‘LIBERATOR’ NAVIGATOR OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN (EAME) THEATER, IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO), DURING THE WAR. HE COMPLETED 30 MISSIONS, AND SERVED AS A LEAD CREW NAVIGATOR. HIS UNIT’S AREA OF OPERATIONS INCLUDED GERMANY AND OCCUPIED EUROPE. STATIONED AT ROYAL AIR FORCE (RAF) HORSHAM ST. FAITH, IN ENGLAND, HIS GROUP PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR OFFENSIVE-EUROPE, AIR COMBAT-EAME THEATER, NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE), AND CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGNS. HIS UNIT SERVED PRIMARILY AS A DAYLIGHT STRATEGIC BOMBING ORGANIZATION, ATTACKING AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING PLANTS, AIRFIELDS, REPAIR FACILITIES, SHIPPING CANALS, RAILWAY MARSHALLING YARDS, AND THE GERMAN INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM, INCLUDING AIRCRAFT FACTORIES, OIL REFINERIES AND FUEL STORAGE FACILITIES. IN ADDITION, FLEW AIR INTERDICTION AND CLOSE AIR SUPPORT MISSIONS. HIS UNIT BOMBED ENEMY INSTALLATIONS AND WEAPONS SITES IN PREPARATION FOR THE NORMANDY INVASION, AND STRUCK COASTAL DEFENSES IN FRANCE ON D-DAY TO SUPPORT ALLIED AMPHIBIOUS LANDINGS. HIT LINES OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ENEMY FORMATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE BREAKOUT OF THE NORMANDY BEACHHEAD; FLEW IN SUPPORT OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE; SUPPORTED THE AIRBORNE DROP (OPERATION VARSITY) ACROSS THE RHINE RIVER IN APRIL 1945; AND EVEN FLEW CRITICAL RE-SUPPLY MISSIONS TO SUPPORT THE ALLIED ADVANCE ACROSS EUROPE. AWARDED THE AIR MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL, AND WAS ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON. CONTINUED IN U.S. AIR FORCE SERVICE AFTER THE WAR UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT WITH THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL.