Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Robert May

WWII | 851st Bomb Squadron, 490th Bomb Group

Robert May was assigned to a B-24 crew in the newly formed 490th Bomb Group. He had a close call in training caused by human error and on another occasion, he used his foot to solve a problem with the plane. (6:09)
They crossed the Atlantic in a brand new B-24 and landed in Marrakesh. At the air field there, Robert May saw some of the first B-29's. After flying to their base in England, and practicing formation flying for a month, his crew were excited that their first mission was to be on D-Day. (7:55)
You rise at 3 AM, get some breakfast, go to the briefing and then it's time to go drop some bombs on the Nazis. Robert May details the routine during his time with a bomber squadron based in England. The missions usually lasted ten hours, with a lot of that time spent just getting a thousand planes in formation. (6:20)
Once the plane got above 10,000 feet, it was time for oxygen masks and heated suits. Flight engineer Robert May remembers when he learned a valuable lesson regarding smoking once the oxygen came on. He was too busy to get scared, but the flak over Cologne made him think about it. (4:44)
They usually bombed from a very high altitude, but Robert May remembers one mission where they were so low, he could see people running on the ground. His crew started out in B-24's, but were transitioned to B-17's after six missions. They got to tryout some new technology when the ball turret was replaced by a radar dome. (7:43)
Flight engineer Robert May came home from Europe and it was wonderful. After reunions and leave at the beach, he was assigned as an instructor on aircraft engines. One day he got some new orders. In six weeks, he was going to the Pacific to join a B-29 crew. (4:37)
Robert Powell

WWII | Multiple Units

The day after he graduated high school, Bob Powell's father put him to work in the oil fields of Oklahoma. It was a terrible job. "I might as well join the military," he said to his mother. Well, his father overheard that and immediately drove him to the recruiter. (This interview made possible with the support of ELAINE MATTHEWS.) (5:17)
Bob Powell never had basic training. Enlisting in the Army Air Corps just before World War II, he became a control tower operator in almost no time and collected his first stripe. Then he was off to radio operators school.(This interview made possible with the support of ELAINE MATTHEWS.) (5:08)
It was good duty in Amarillo. Radio Operator Bob Powell had been promoted to sergeant, passing right over corporal. He had a housing allowance and the town was full of pretty girls without men. One day a small plane landed and a full Bird Colonel got out. There was going to be a school for glider pilots right there, he said. (This interview made possible with the support of ELAINE MATTHEWS.) (6:22)
He was a glider instructor in Texas but the war caught up to Bob Powell and he was shipped overseas. After a short time in Africa, he managed to get a plum assignment as a liaison pilot in London, but one day his colonel inquired about his glider experience. That couldn't lead to anything good.(This interview made possible with the support of ELAINE MATTHEWS.) (6:27)