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Living History: Members of the NWHA recently sponsored and participated in a reunion of several WW2 United States Army Air Corps veterans. The meeting took place in a lecture setting where the flyers could recount their experiences during the war and field questions from the audience. |
First Flight Over Berlin
March 11th, 2001
Pearson Air Musuem, Vancouver, Washington
On March 11th thirteen living historians met with three veterans of the 55th Fighter Group at Pearson Air Museum. Eleven of those attending are NWHA members. Members of this group voted to apply to the NWHA board for recognition as a Living History Unit as "Allied Air Forces". More on this below, but first we turn to the real heroes of the meeting.
NWHA members with Veterans of the 55th
Paul Selden, Stan Richardson, and Col. C. Jones (ret.) were three of the approximately 20 members of the 55th Fighter Group who were the first Americans over Berlin in the war. The first USAAF mission over Berlin was scheduled for March 3, 1944, but the mission was scrubbed due to weather. The 55th never got the recall notice, probably due to German jamming, and the group thus earned the distinction of "first over Berlin." Col. Jones was 343rd Squadron XO at the time and gave a vivid description of the instrument conditions the group struggled with on the way to the target. Selden and Richardson gave a far-ranging picture of the lives of combat pilots, including a good-natured debate over the respective merits of the P-38 and P-51. Paul clearly preferred the latter and Stan the former. Stan went on to describe missions he flew in Korea in jets.
Before the mission, the former "Northwest Historical Aviation Association" voted to apply to incorporate as "Allied Air Forces" within the NWHA. The club Secretary gave a brief presentation on the benefits to both groups of such a merger. The vote was unanimous. The Allied Air Forces will focus on four core impressions for the start: 55th Fighter Group, 351st Bomb Group, RAF 242 Squadron, and USN squadron VF-3. Different group members will command the subordinate units. Officers of the group were voted on. Board approval by the NWHA is pending. I'm sure feedback, either positive or negative, is welcome before the final decision.
A tentative schedule for the Allied Air Forces follows:
July 14-15. Arlington Air Show. Confederate Air Force attending and campout with Willy & Joe on airfield. August 3-5. Living History Field Event at Tillamook Air Museum with OR Pilots Assn. October ?. Meeting at Pearson Air Museum honoring RAF and RCAF veterans. TBA.Contact nealmaillet@worldnet.att.net for more information.
 Experimental US Army camouflage shown at Fort Belvoir, Virginia in 1941. |
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Events: Tactical Reenactments & Living History Events supported by the NWHA. |
Living History Group, Korea 1950-53
23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
This is a group that remembers the men and women who fought and died in what is called the "Forgotten War" or known as the Korean War. This group is strictly a living history organization and non-political outfit. This group is seeking the support of the NWHA and its members. The fiftieth anniversary of the Korean War is coming soon and to show the veterans that they are not "Forgotten" this group will wear and display uniforms, weapons, gear, and other related items of that time period.
The North Korean army attacked South Korean forces in June 1950. The 2nd Infantry Division arrived 23 July 1950 at the South Korean town of Pusan, becoming the first division to come ashore from the U.S. The 2nd Infantry Division was fully committed to battle as a unit on 24 August 1950, relieving the 24th Infantry Division at the Naktong River Line.
On 31 August 1950 the North Korean's mounted a night attack with a desperate wave of troops, which led to sixteen days of battle. In this fight the division had to have all personnel such as clerks, bandsmen, tech and supply companies help defend against the North Korean onset. Shortly afterwards the division broke out of the Pusan perimeter and led the Eighth Army on the drive to the Manchurian Border. As U.S. forces dwindled, the 2nd Infantry Division received Korean troops that were augmented to the division. These Koreans were known simply as KATUSAs, and they helped to turn the tide of war for American troops.
Aiding the North Koreans, Chinese forces entered the war when U.N. troops were fifty miles from the Manchurian border in the winter of 1950. The 2nd Infantry Division's mission was to protect the Eighth Army's right and rear flanks, as U.N. troops retreat south from communist forces. In this action the division lost one third of its troops around the Kuna-ri area but Communist forces lost ten times more men than the 2ID.
On the 31st of January 1951, the 2nd Infantry Division slowed the Communists' costly winter offensive at Wonju, later in February the Communists started another major two-prong offensive and the division beat back the Chinese at the battles of Chip-yong-ni and at Wonju. The division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions in May 1951, fighting long and hard at the battles at Heartbreak Ridge and Old Baldy. The 2nd Infantry Division fought along with U.N. forces up until 9 April 1953 when it was moved to the rear area.
National Reeanctment
June 9th & 10th, 2001
Morse Bluff, Nebraska
Twelve members of the NWHA attended "Operation Cobra" in Morse Bluff, Nebraska on June 9th and 10th. The events drew WW2 reenactors from across the country. Around 400 participants took part, along with numerous Allied and German vehicles and guns. NWHA members attended as American 3rd Armored, German Field Police, and 6 Fallschirmjager Regiment. Club members also brought two American jeeps.
The event was organized as a 30 hour tactical spanning Saturday and Sunday morning. A P-51 took part in the battle, flying low around the field hunting for German vehicles or troops who failed to hide among the trees and gulleys. Artillery simulators were used by the Allies during the tacticals as well. Troops ate and slept in the field, moving from one tactical situation to another over the roads of the Nebraska countryside. Ammunition and food were supplied to the troops as the event progressed. Medics were used to attend to 'casualties', using wound cards to determine the soldier's condition.
