World War II Honoree

John Oliver Goffe

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Sulphur, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENLISTED IN MILITARY SERVICE, WAS TRAINED AS AN INFANTRYMAN, AND ASSIGNED TO AN INFANTRY DIVISION. APPLIED, AND WAS SELECTED FOR AIRCREW TRAINING IN THE ARMY AIR FORCES 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 ON IN COMBAT. DEPLOYED TO ENGLAND AND JOINED THE 8TH AIR FORCE. SERVED AS A B-24 ‘LIBERATOR’ NAVIGATOR OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER, IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO), WITH THE 703RD BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON (HEAVY), 445TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (HEAVY), 2ND COMBAT BOMBARDMENT WING, DURING THE WAR. HIS UNIT’S AREA OF OPERATIONS INCLUDED GERMANY AND OCCUPIED EUROPE. STATIONED AT TIBENHAM, ENGLAND, HIS SQUADRON PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR COMBAT-EUROPE, AIR OFFENSIVE-EUROPE, 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 AIRFIELDS, RAILWAY LINES AND MARSHALING YARDS, AMMUNITION PLANTS, V-WEAPONS SITES, AND THE GERMAN INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM, INCLUDING MANUFACTURING PLANTS, AIRCRAFT FACTORIES AND ASSEMBLY PLANTS, OIL REFINERIES AND STORAGE FACILITIES, AND CHEMICAL WORKS. 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 ATTACK. HE COMPLETED 19 BOMBING MISSIONS. HIS SQUADRON TOOK PART IN 'BIG WEEK,' AN INTENSIVE BOMBING CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE GERMAN AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY, FROM FEBRUARY 20-25, 1944; AND EARNED A PRESIDENTIAL (DISTINGUISHED) UNIT CITATION (DUC) FOR AN ATTACK AGAINST THE AIRCRAFT ASSEMBLY PLANT AT GOTHA, GERMANY ON FEBRUARY 24, 1944, WITHOUT FIGHTER ESCORT AND IN THE FACE OF STRONG ENEMY OPPOSITION. THE SQUADRON ALSO PERFORMED INTERDICTION AND TACTICAL SUPPORT MISSIONS, SUPPORTING THE PRE-D-DAY PREPARATORY BOMBINGS OF AIRFIELDS, LINES OF COMMUNICATIONS, AND V-WEAPONS SITES; AND D-DAY BOMBINGS OF SHORE INSTALLATIONS, FORTIFICATIONS, AND ENEMY FORMATIONS ON JUNE 6, 1944, TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF THE AMPHIBIOUS LANDINGS AT NORMANDY, FRANCE; ASSISTING GROUND FORCES IN THE ST LO BREAK-THROUGH IN FRANCE IN JULY-AUGUST, 1944; BOMBED ENEMY LINES OF COMMUNICATIONS TO HELP STOP ENEMY FORCES IN THE GERMAN ARDENNES COUNTEROFFENSIVE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE) IN DECEMBER, 1944-JANUARY, 1945; AND PROVIDED CRITICAL RE-SUPPLY DROPS TO GROUND FORCES, AND BOMBED ENEMY POSITIONS TO SUPPORT THE LANDINGS DURING THE AIRBORNE ASSAULT ACROSS THE RHINE RIVER (OPERATION VARSITY) ON MARCH 24, 1945. AWARDED HIS SILVER AERIAL GUNNER BADGE, AIR MEDAL WITH BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTER, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. AUTHORIZED THE DUC FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION BY HIS SQUADRON IN COMBAT AT GOTHA, ON FEBRUARY 24, 1944. AWARDED THE FRENCH CROIX DE GUERRE WITH BRONZE PALM FOR ACTIONS BY HIS SQUADRON IN FRANCE DURING THE PERIOD DECEMBER, 1943-FEBRUARY, 1945. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.