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NOSE

- GUNNER DIARY

The Combat Mission Diary of a B-24 Nose Gunner in World War 11

My father, Lester Hale,

served as a nose turret gunner on a B-24 heavy bomber duringthe Second World War. He was assigned to the 304

Heavy Bombardment Wing's 459

HeavyBombardment Group, 756th Bombardment Squadron. The nose turret gunner was stationed at thevery front of the heavy bomber and he fired his machine guns at attacking enemy fighters. Hisassigned station gave him an incredible view of the entire bombing flight.During the entire period of this diary covering his 50 credited missions (actually 46 wereflown but the crew received double credit for several missions because of their great length to the

target and

resultant added danger),

my father was only 19 years old. His story can be found under

Lester Hale at

www.vourtruehero.org

Lester Hale kept a diary of each of the bombing missions that his crew undertook in theirB-24 heavy bomber. I compared his diary entries with the excellent chronology provided in thewonderful book

"AIR WAR EUROPA:

America's War against Germany in Europe and NorthAfrica; CHORONLOGY 1942-1945"

Eric Hammel.

Pacifica Press publishes this book and

they can be reached at:

Pacifica Press1149 Grand Teton DrivePacifica, CA 94044(800) 4533152

The strategic bombing campaign of the 15

Air Force was based at Giulia Field nearCerignola, Italy. Giulia Field was less than ten miles from the Adriatic shore and 30 miles southof the Gargano Promontory, known as the "Spur" because of its resemblance to a spur on theback of the Italian "boot". The airfield was built on property known as the Pavoncelli Estate, acollection of vineyards and orchards along the low, level Plain of Apulia. The natural formationof the land made it an excellent site for the distances needed for the take-offs and landings of theB-24 Liberator and B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers.

This diary covers the period from March 3r

through July

of 1944. The bombing runswere concentrating on Hitler's airfields, munitions and ball-bearing factories and oil production

facilities.

The combat mission numbers and dates track Lester Hale's diary entries. Lester Hale wasan original member of the Fifteenth Air Force's renowned 459

Bomber Group of the UnitedStates Army Air Corps. Eric Hammel's chronologies of the events of that date in the EuropeanAir War follow the diary entries.You will notice recurring names of the crew flying under the pilot, Lt. John Dabbert. Theonly living members of that crew today are Crockford, Hale and Redfield. The publication of thisdiary is dedicated to the entire crew's extraordinary devotion to our nation and their brave serviceduring World War

II.

Gary Hale

w w. v ou r tr u eh e ro . or g ,

1st Combat Mission: March

1944

Take off: 08.45

Landed: 13:45

Bomb Load: 120 Twenty-lb. Fragmentation bombs

Target: Viterbo Airport in Italy

Lester Hale's diary entry:.

"This airfield is reported to be the largest one in central Italy. Wemet some flak and a few enemy fighters. Two planes missing. Our

crew didn't get any shots in."

CREW

Pilot:

Copilot:Nay.Bombardier:Engineer:

Lt. KoefoodF/O NewhouseLt. CostikyanLt. Buck Pvt. Bosik Radio Operator: Pvt. MorgeseAsst. Engineer: Sgt. DoyleAsst. Radio Operator: Pvt. CrockfordTurret Gunner: S/Sgt. VerdierArmored Gunner: Pvt. Hale

From AIR WAR EUROPA by Eric Hammel:

... Fifteenth Air Force B-24s attack the landing ground at Canino, and the Fabrica

di Roma and Viterbo airdromes, but results are poor due to cloudy weather over the

targets...

Combat Mission: March 15, 1944

Take Off: 08:00

Landed: 11:15

Bomb Load: 6 — 1000 lb. Bombs (demolition)

Target: Cassino,

Italy

Lester Hale's diary entry:

"This was the first mission pulled with our original crew. No flak and no fighters, no planes lost. An easy mission."

CREW

Pilot: Lt. Dabbert

Copilot: Lt. Williams, W.W.

Navigator: Lt. Olszanowski

Bombardier: Lt. Glick Engineer: S/Sgt. RedfieldRadio Operator: Pvt. MorgeseAsst. Engineer: Sgt. DoyleAsst. Radio Operator: Pvt. CrockfordTurret Gunner: S/Sgt. VerdierArmorer Gunner: Pvt. Hale

From AIR WAR EUROPA by Eric Hammel:

...In the largest air operation in the theater to date, more than 1000 Alliedwarplanes level Monte Cassino monastery and nearby German Army defensive positionswith 1200 tons of bombs. The Twelfth and Fifteenth air forces provide 275 heavybombers and nearly 200 medium bombers, which drop more than 2000 thousand poundbombs. Although the Benedictine monastery is utterly demolished, the ground attack

fails.

Although no official start date is ever set, Allied warplanes in Italy effectively

commence

Operation STRANGLE,

the aerial interdiction of the supply network in useby German forces in Italy. The wide ranging operation will continue into late May and

will eventually result in an 80 percent reduction in the German Army's ability to supplyits combat divisions in

Italy...

Combat

Mission: March 18

1944

Take Off: 07:30Landed: 13:15Bomb Load: 120-201b. Fragmentation bombs

Target: Maniago Airport, Italy

Lester Hale's diary entry:

"Light flak over the target, no enemy fighters. All planes returned safe."

CREW:

Pilot: Lt. DabbertCopilot: Lt. Williams, WWNavigator: Lt. Burns

Bombardier: Lt. Ford

Engineer: S/Sgt. RedfieldRadio Operator: Pfc. MorgeseAsst. Engineer: Sgt. ClawsonAsst. Radio Operator: Pfc. CrockfordTurret Gunner: S/Sgt. VerdierArmorere Gunner: Pfc. Hale

From AIR WAR EUROPA by Eric Hammel:

.... Responding to reports that as many as 235 GAF fighters have returned to theUdine Airdrome complex in northeastern Italy, Fifteenth Air Force planners conceive abrilliant plan to eradicate them. First, 95 P-38s strafe lines of supply and communications

in northeastern Italy and conduct a sweep over the Udine-Villaorba area, an operationthat hold most GAF fighters in the area on the ground. Next, 113 B-17s make a feinttoward southern Germany by way of the Yugoslav coast, a move that draws up GAFfighters based at Klagenfurt and Graz airdromes, in southern Austria. These b-17s nextturn sharply west, which in turn draws the GAF interceptor force toward northeastern

Italy. The b-17s drop 20 lb. Fragmentation bombs on Udine and Villaorba airdromes at

1013 hours, and the USAAF fighters in the area attack the GAF fighters out of Graz andKlangenfurt. As the B-17s and all the USAAF fighters leave the area, the GAF fighters

must land at the Udine area's three undamaged airfields to rearm and refuel. As the GAF

fighters are being serviced at the Gorizia, Lavariano, and Mantiago satellite fields, those

bases are bombed between 1059 and 1111 hours by, respectively, 72, 67 and 121 B-24s,which sow 32370 20-pound fragmentation bombs that destroy or damage 56 GAF aircrafton the ground. Also, in the air between 0925 and 1005, Fifteenth Air Force P-38 and P-47pilots down 17 GAF aircraft. The cost to the Fifteenth Air Force, in the course of 406heavy-bomber and 168 fighter sorties, is seven bombers and four fighters lost...

Combat Mission: March 19, 1944

Take Off: 09:30

Landed: 15:55

Bomb Load: 10- 500-pound demolition bombs

Target: Klagenfurt, Austria