World War II Honoree

Joseph B. Olry

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Honored By

Ms. Virginia Olry

Relationship

Wife

Overseas service began with the crew picking up a new B-24 at Mitchell Field, New York and flying it overseas. We flew to Homestead Air Field, Florida. Left for overseas on May 21, 1944 with stops at the island of Trinidad, West Indies, Belem and Natal, Brazil; across the Atlantic Ocean to Dakar, Senegal, on to Marrakech French Morocco and finally to a Replacement Depot in Central Italy. We arrived in Italy on June 4, 1944. The next day Rome fell and on June 6, 1944 Normandy was invaded. I was assigned to the 98th Bomb Group, 344th Bomb Squadron located in the heel of Italy at Leece. My first mission was over Munich, Germany on June 13, 1944 and I finished my missions over the Ploesti Oil Fields in Romania, and many missions over Germany, Northern Italy, Austria, Yugoslavia, Romania, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria and the Balkans. In total, I flew 35 combat sorties but got credit for 43 missions due to the length and danger element of eight of the sorties. Except for some frostbitten hands and feet, I was unharmed in combat. I was credited with eight campaign ribbons: Rome-Arno, North Apennines, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Southern France, Air Offensive of Europe, and Air Combat Balkans. I was also credited with these medals: European-African-Middle Eastern theater ribbon with 8 Bronze Stars, Good Conduct Medal and Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.