Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
2:46 | It was early in the tour for James Chafin's crew when his pilot suffered a mental breakdown. He was immediately shipped out because flying a B-24 requires a steady hand and mind. The gunner points out that, since they were all volunteers, they could request not to fly anymore. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
Keywords : James Chafin gunner Consolidated B-24 Liberator pilot nervous breakdown premonition volunteer
Along with some buddies from school, James Chafin volunteered for the Army Air Corps and, after basic training, he wound up as an instructor on the Link Trainer for instrument flying. Then the Air Corps sent him to college because of superior aptitude test scores, but that program ended abruptly. He wanted to get into the war! (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
First it was armament school, then aerial gunnery school for James Chafin. Once the knowledge and skills were mastered, the B -24 crews were formed and they set out for the South Pacific. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
On his way to the war, B-24 gunner James Chafin stopped in New Guinea where the weather was miserable and the mud was deep. The next stop was the island of Wakde, where the newly minted airmen saw a sobering reminder of what they were doing there. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
It was an extremely long mission. A Japanese fleet was known to be in Brunei Bay and the B-24's would have to refuel along the way to hit them while they were there. Gunner James Chafin describes the action as they attacked the great battleship Yamato. Back at the base, having narrowly survived, they made a stunning discovery while examining the plane. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
The Japanese had two oil fields on Borneo and these were an important target for the men of the 370th Bomb Squadron. B-24 gunner James Chafin remembers the heavy flak and fighter attacks on these missions. Then the enemy would bomb them at night at their base on Morotai. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
Most of the gunners couldn't care less who got credit for shooting down Japanese fighters. James Chafin just wanted to do the job and get home alive, but there was one guy, a movie star named Sabu who wanted every bit of it he could get. It's a crying shame how they got back at him, but funny. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
The flight had just begun when the bail out bell rang on the B-24. Explosion was always a danger with a full fuel and bomb load, so James Chafin wasted no time snapping on his chute and he was ready, straddling the open trapdoor. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
B-24 gunner James Chafin tells what happened when his squadron came out of a fog bank and found itself face to face with another squadron headed straight for them at the same altitude. Also there was the time two planes collided right overhead, prompting some morbid humor. His only injury during his tour was kind of embarrassing. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
When B-24 gunner James Chafin got a Dear John letter from his girl back home, he immediately began drinking. He was still sloshed when they got up at 3 AM for a mission, and he had to sneak around a bit. The crew got a small whiskey ration but the enlisted men saved theirs for barter. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
B-24 gunner James Chafin says that the Japanese fighter planes had the edge in terms of maneuverability, but that ours had the advantage in speed. This was due to a fundamental difference in philosophy. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
On leave in Sydney, B-24 gunner James Chafin and his buddy Mac went to a place where they heard they could find girls. That didn't work out so well but they met some nicer girls a couple of days later. That presented some problems as well. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
The bomber crews were playing basketball between missions and James Chafin learned a valuable lesson after an argument on the court. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
There were several takeoffs where the crew wondered if they were going to get off the ground. B-24 gunner James Chafin describes two near disastrous takeoffs and one equally scary landing. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
When you attack naval vessels on a bombing run, the amount of anti-aircraft fire can be overwhelming. B-24 gunner James Chafin felt, after his most dangerous mission, that the Man upstairs had saved him for a higher purpose. This helped him face the strain of postwar life, something the rest of the crew was unable to do. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
Corregidor and Japanese installations around Manila were main targets for James Chafin's B-24 squadron. On one flight, they did a flyover of the prison camp where the survivors of the Bataan Death March were held. The Articles of War were ingrained in the Americans during their training. Why was the enemy ignoring these rules? (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
James Chafin never smoked, never drank, until he went overseas. A cigarette may have been the reason he woke up with his mosquito netting on fire one night. At least he didn't face the wildlife that one of his crew mates found in his bed. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
If one of the B-24's in his squadron was shot down, the others would fly a search pattern and try to find it, James Chafin's plane never had any luck at this. They nearly had a crash of their own when they landed to refuel with a full bomb load. He carried something from his mom in a vest pocket that gave him great comfort. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
As the armorer on a B-24, one of James Chafin's duties was to pull a pin on each bomb that armed them before they dropped. One time he couldn't get one of them out, so that particular bomb went down as a dud. It turns out that it still did it's job. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
James Chafin found out several things while stationed on Morotai. You can still celebrate Christmas while under an aerial barrage, the greatest thing in the world is pretty legs on nurses and gambling was not his forte. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
On the last flight of his Pacific tour, B-24 gunner James Chafin was worried. The co-pilot was making his first flight as pilot, and if you knew him, you'd be worried, too. They were intercepted by Japanese fighters, as usual. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
B-24 gunner James Chafin was the top turret man but he got the idea that he would like to try flying in each of the turrets and gun positions at least once. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
Just before his squadron left for the South Pacific, one of the crew suffered an injury in the gym. James Chafin remembers how this upset the dynamics of the crew when the new guy couldn't fit in. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
At about 10,000 feet, you would usually go on oxygen, but there was one particular time, remembers James Chafin, that the pilot was climbing a little faster than he thought. (This interview made possible with the support of MSG RONALD M. CAREY, U.S.A. (RET).)
