For other WWII stories Check out this Link to my old 485th Bomb Group website.
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440 Hard Hit Over Graz
After briefing, it was now about 7AM, we went to the ready room and gathered up our gear and donned flight clothes. A Jeep took us to the plane we had drawn for the day. We seldom flew the same plane again, so our inspection of this plane was very careful and in great detail. It would either get us there and back or it wouldn’t. There had been a time set for us to start our engines. When it was time, 28 planes dispersed all around the field began to start our engines. Each plane had on board a small 50 horsepower gasoline driven generator to give us power to start engine # 3; inboard on the right side. As these “putputs” were started there was a growing muttering sound. But then as 28 engines fired up, the muttering was drowned out by an increasing roar. With # 3 running, we could shut off the “putput” and rely on #3’s generator to start the other 3 engines. Now the roar was really taking over. 112 two thousand horse power engines all running at once make a lot of noise, even when they are idling, warming up.
From here on radio silence was imperative. Now Jerry would be listening, hoping to learn . . .Click on the links to read excerpts
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