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Missing Man Formation Needed
On July 1st 2012 Second Lieutenant Whitney M. Bray of the 392 bombardment group of the Eighth Air force passed away at the age of 92.
He started his flying carrier in 1939 when he joined the RAF. Until the US joined the war he spent his time in the Left seat of an Avro Lancaster. After the US joined the war he earned his living driving B-17's. He flew all the big raids. When they woke him on the morning of the raid on the Swangfort ball bearing plant he told me that he knew it was going to be a bad day because they served the crews fresh eggs for breakfast. In November of '43 he was shot down on the way home from bombing the heavy water plant in Norway. He spent the rest of the war in Luft Stalag 1 in Barth Germany until he was liberated by the Russians. I would be honored in any aviators out there would drink a toast to him and the Mighty Eighth ... he preferred gin. As a side note. My father's eldest son Patrick died on July 12, 2012 of prostate cancer |
sorry to hear of his passing. I had a glass of my favorite box of wine and tipped one for all of those brave men who gave so much for all of us. I will not get on the soap box but all of us need to vote in nov and keep America free. USN va303 & vf124
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God Bless you and your family and all the brave men who have and are now serving our country. I raise my glass to them all.
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There is a book about the Schweinfurt mission called Black Thursday by Martin Caidin (amazingly still available on Amazon). A good read if you are interested in the WWll air war, and what our fathers and grandfathers did back then. The world tends to forget too quickly. Condolences on your loss of two courageous men.
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In high school I became a WWII history junkie. I knew two people who where there - and didn't realize the significance until I was well into college. One was a colonel at D-day and another (my very best friend ever, a farmer the smartest guy I ever knew, and an "uncle" as he was my dad's age) was on Iwo Jima for the first flag raising. Frank passed away when I was in college but he always told me that he wouldn't have survived were it not "for the Indian". Well, years later we found that those were the Code Talkers. After we moved to Colorado for the second time I had the greatest honor in the world of meeting and talking with one of the original 29 - Sgt. Allen Dale June. My daughter and I were invited to his Blessing Way housewarming ceremony. I've never been so humbled in my life.
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I'm not an aviator, but I'll salute Second Lieutenant Whitney M. Bray with a shot of gin.
I'm reading Winston Churchill's account of the war at the moment. All of Britain and especially the Royal Air Force are to be saluted for the brilliant defense put up against overwhelming odds in the Battle of Britain. Standing alone, with most of the world betting against them, the British held off the Nazi's. Salute. |
Roger, I also toasted with a shot of gin in honor of Lt. Bray tonight. My father, then 2nd Lt. B-17 co-pilot, Donnell Marsh was shot down on 29 November, 1943 on a mission over Bremen. He was with the 303 Bomb Group, 360th Bomber Squadron flying from Molesworth, England. He also ended up in Stalag Luft I for the duration. He stayed in the Air Force as a T-33 instructor, F-86 and F-100 pilot and retired in 1962. He is now 91 years old and still has the eagle eyes of a pilot - but he needs large print books to prove it!
Amazing times and amazing men. Sadly, we are losing thousands of them every day. Blessing for all of our soldiers, then and now. Terry US Army 1967-1970 RVN 1968-1969 |
Thank you for all the kind words.
Terry. My father got out of the flying business after the war and had a successful career in business. He and a friend did discuss starting a flying service to take people to the resorts in Cuba, but some cigar smoking Marxist shot that plan down. |
I am honored to drink to a WWII hero. I have my fathers bottle of Air Force issued Scotch to be drank by comrades when the crew didn't return. Fortunalty he always came back. He was in the 13th Bomb Sq the Grim Reapers,they flew B25's and B17's. I was in 2nd Air Force 454th Combat Support good old B52's .
Check this link out for an interesting B17 story B17 - Ye Olde Pub |
Roger,
Sorry to hear of your fathers passing and I will be proud to have a gin and tonic in his memory. My father also was in the "Mighty Eighth". Bob |
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