Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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James Chafin

WWII | 370th Bomb Squadron, 307th Bomb Group, 13th Air Force

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).) (3:21)
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).) (4:41)
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).) (2:15)
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).) (5:23)
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).) (1:36)
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).) (4:18)
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).) (3:08)
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).) (1:53)
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).) (2:41)
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).) (2:05)