Early
20th Century New York
City
The Filush family was living at
50 Garden St.,
Kings
County (Borough of Brooklyn)in a two family house bought by John and Anna Filush and his brother Michael and his wife. George Filush was born at home on November 17, 1915 and was attended by an English midwife
named Miss Trimborn. Brooklyn
still has a 50 Garden Street
in the area of Bedford Stuyvesant (Bed-Sty).
In 1920 the family was now living at rented apartment at
East 78th Street in
Manhattan. There were 2 apartments
on the floor and the other apartment unfortunately rented by a Slovak family
with three children and the whole family always wore black and raised dogs. The
bad part of this arrangement was they Filush’s had to
share a bathroom with this other family. The apartments were called cold water
flats. In the summer, food was kept cold with a block of ice in the ice box. In
the winter, a metal box hung out on the window sill was used to keep food
cool.
The family next lived at 82nd
Street in
Manhattan on the second floor of a
house owned
George Nochta. (John Filush’s sister Anna was married to George Nochta). George Filush’s mother
Anna had a cat named Motsie. On George’s birthday, his
mother Anna made a birthday cake covered with whipped cream and set it on the
dining room table with the door closed. George came from school and looked for
his birthday cake in the dining room.
Well, Motsie had some how gotten into the
dining room and licked all the cream from the cake.
Sometime in the early 1930’s the family moved to College Point, queens
then to 285 east 142nd Street were John
and Anna took a job as Superintendent winning out over 75 families for
the job. The buildings were 2 multi-family 6 story apartment houses (with no
elevator). Their apartment was on the ground floor corner.
George attended Haaren Aeronautical High School
1929-1933. As a school project he built one of the smallest model airplanes with
the aid of a magnifying glass and microscope. It was installed in a small bottle
and was so well acclaimed that the Principal of the High School unfortunately
kept it on his desk, others in the family never got a chance to see the
model.. George made a beautiful solid, wood model of a
Pan American that was kept in Grandma Filush’s
China
closet. Before opening his paint
contracting business George took the civil service exams for
New York City policeman and fireman.
On 27 January he married the pretty blonde, blue eyed, Madeline Wohlleb, who also lived in the Bronx
a block away from George. As family, we loved Madeline all her life as she was
one of the best people I have had the pleasure of knowing since I was six years
old. They first met a New Years Eve
party given by one of Madeline’s girl friends. From 1939-1941, he owned his own
painting contracting business that employed 6 painters. He bought his first car,
a green Chevrolet.
George worked first selling life insurance, then
later he worked in a large hardware store in
Manhattan and was expert in many
tools, their uses and provided much technical information to contractors and
others.
George Filush was in the inactive Air Force Reserve until 1958.
George died May 17, 1960 at
the age of 44 years. George was buried with military honors at Long Island
National Cemetery Farmingdale Nassau Co., New
York, Burial Location:
V4908. In June 1997, his devoted
and loving wife Madeline was buried with George. They had no children.
Awards
and Medals
AIR MEDAL: Citation:For meritorious
achievement, while participating in heavy bombardment missions over enemy
occupied
Europe. The courage, coolness and skill displayed
by these
Officers and Enlisted Men, upon these occasions reflect great
credit upon themselves and the Armed Forces of the United States By Command of Major General LeMay
PRESIDENTIAL UNIT
CITATION: (DISTINGUISHED
UNIT CITATION) For the units extraordinary heroism in
action against an armed enemy of the United
States, or in action
against hostile forces. By the
United States
Army Air Force
AMERICAN CAMPAIGN
MEDAL: For service in the armed forces within the American
Theater between 7
December 1941 and 2 March
1946.
EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN
MEDAL: For service in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater between
7 December 1941 and
8 November 1945.
WORLD WAR II VICTORY
MEDAL: For service between 7
December 1941 and 31 December
1946.
Unofficial
Was a member of the ‘Winged Boot”, an unofficial organization
in England were
women made winged boot emblems sewn with silver thread on a officer’s blouse colored piece of cloth. It was worn on the
flap of the blouse underneath the campaign ribbons. It showed that as an officer
you followed military orders to evade, escape from both enemy and neutral
countries even under the penalty of punishment of recapture or death.
United
States Army Air Force (USSAAF)-The
Beginning
10-12 Sept.1942 Entered
United States
Army Air Force, 1st Receiving Company, 1222 Ri,Camp
Upton.
14-20 Sept.1942 577th
Technical
School Squadron (Sp), Miami Beach,
Fla.
13
Oct.1942 Appointed Air Force Cadet, So#173 Headquarters, Army Air Force
Training Command, Miami Beach,
Fla.
20 Sept.-14
Oct.1942 583rd Technical
School Squadron
(sp), Miami Beach,
Fla. Barracked in Hotel Royal Palm.
17 Oct. 1942 Army Air Force Cadet
Center, (AAFCC), San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center (SAACC) San Antonio,
Texas.
23 Oct. 1942
Headquarters, Gulf
Coast Army
Air Forces
Training Center
(GCAAFTC), Office of the Commanding General, Randolph Field,
Texas. Selected for Pilot Training.
12 Nov. 1942
884th Pilot
Training
School (P), SAACC,
San Antonio, Texas.
14 Nov. 1942 Reported to
Army
Air Force
Pre-Flight
School, SAACC,
San Antonio,
Texas. Class 43-G Aviation
Cadet Private.
11 Jan. 1943 Completed Pilot Preflight training.
15 Jan. 1943 Reported for elementary flying training. Assigned to the 308th Army Air Force Flying Training
Detachment, Class 43-G Aviation Cadet. Located at Stamfor Arledge Field,
(Coleman
Flying School)
Stamford, Texas.
FROM PILOT
TRAINING TO BOMBARDIER TRAINING
On 23 Oct. 1942,
George was selected for the Army Air Force pilot training program and took his
Pre-Flight at San Antonio starting
on Nov. 1942. Upon completion of Pre-Flight in Jan. 1943, he was sent to
Stamford Arledge Field for flying training. During
this time he logged thirteen hours and twenty minutes of instructed flight
training. On the 21 Mar.
1943 he was eliminated from pilot training because of being over the
age of 25 years. (Many of the pilots were 21 or 22 or younger).
27 Mar. 1943
Reassigned to Army
Air Force
Preflight
School (B-N) Bombardier-Navigator,
Ellington Field,
Texas.
31 Mar. 1943 Assigned
to Army
Air Force
Preflight
School (B-N) Bombardier-Navigator
Class 43-12B, Attained Rank of Aviation Cadet Corporal, Bomb Group-20-Squadron
A.
3 June 1943 Completed
Preflight (B-N) and assigned to Army Air Force Bombardier School (AAFBS),
Midland,
Texas.
12 June 1943 Assigned to Flight Raining Command (FTC), 34th
Flight Training Wing (FTW), 83rd Bomb Training Hadquarters and Headquarters Cadet Training Squadron #3,
Class 43-12, Midland, Texas.
28 June-25 Aug. 1943
Advanced Bombardier Training, Class 43-12, Midland,
Texas.
10 Aug. 1943
Headquarters AAFGTC, completed instruction at Army Air Force Bombardier School,
Midland,
Texas. Rated Aircraft
Observer (Bombardier) effective 26 Aug. 1943.
26 Aug. 1943
Graduated Class 43-12, commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Army of the
United
States.
Bombardier
Selection
All candidates will first undergo a course of instruction in Aircraft
Observers training. Following completion of their respective courses in either
bombardiering or navigation training, all students
will undergo a course of instruction in flexible aerial gunnery. Candidates for
bombardier training will be sent to a bombardier school where they will receive
instruction in the technical duties of a bombardier. The student is instructed
in the construction, operation and maintenance of bomb sights, racks and
controls, the makeup and characteristics of bombs and fuses. In assignment of
eliminated pilots to bombardier training, certain other factors were important
in bombardier selection. The nature of the Bombardiers task, and the secrecy of
the bombsights and other essential equipment, with which he had to become
familiar, called for young men of highest integrity and unquestioned loyalty and
patriotism. The following two paragraphs are taken from official Air Force
records and give their reasons and methods of pilot, navigator and bombardier
selection. Bombardier Selection Psychologists devised a comprehensive testing
system designed to ascertain into which category (pilot, navigator or
bombardier) a prospective air crew trainee should be assigned. The “Stanine” scores made on this examination were indexed into
the inherent abilities of the new recruits. Stanine
means: “Standard 9”. The high score in any one category of testing (pilot,
navigator or bombardier) was 9, which indicated highest natural aptitude for
that type of training. Decreasing scores ( 8,7,6,5
etc.) indicated lesser aptitude in any category of training, however; their
desire in the matter was considered.
Cadets eliminated from pilot
training for basic flying deficiency who did not demonstrate fear of flying,
apprehension, or tenseness while in the air and who desire, are recommended for
Air Crew non-pilot training as bombardier or navigator and will not be
discharged from the service but will be given the new screening test. These
screening tests may be obtained from appropriate
Training
Center or Corps Area Headquarters.
All training detachments and flying schools will be authorized to transfer
direct to the closest replacement center for psychological processing and
selection for specific air crew non-pilot duty those cadets who successfully
pass the screening test.
The Air Force considered that a man at twenty-seven years of age was
older than they wanted for pilot training. George was very disappointed by this
turn of events as he wanted to be a pilot. George was then released from pilot
training and screened for bombardier training. He scored a high “Stanine 8” on his tests. The training for bombardier would
take some six months and require that he take bombardier pre-flight and advanced
bombardier training. The Air Force Directive, Aircrew Training Courses as
Bombardier or Navigator for Aviation Cadets read as follows: Students who
qualify for Air Crew Training as bombardier or navigator will have the status of
“Aviation Cadet” and during the period of instruction will receive the same pay
and allowances as those cadets receiving pilot training. The entire training
period covers approximately six months at which time those cadets who have
satisfactorily completed the courses are eligible for appointment as Second
Lieutenant in the Air Corps Reserve, Army of the
United States,
with a rating of either Aircraft Observer (Bombardier) or Aircraft Observer
Navigator).
All candidates will first undergo a course of instruction in Aircraft
Observers training. Following completion of their respective courses in either
bombardiering or navigation training, all students
will undergo a course of instruction in flexible aerial gunnery. Candidates for
bombardier training will be sent to a bombardier school where they will receive
instruction in the technical duties of a Bombardier. The student is instructed
in the construction, operation and maintenance of bomb sights, racks and
controls, the makeup and characteristics of bombs and fuses.
In assignment of eliminated pilots to bombardier training,
certain other factors were important in bombardier selection. The nature of the
bombardiers task, and the secrecy of the bombsights and
other essential equipment, with which he had to become familiar, called for
young men of highest integrity and unquestioned loyalty and patriotism.
On 26 Aug.
1943, George received his Bombardiers Wings and was commissioned a
2nd Lieutenant. From Midland,
Texas he went onto further training at Gwen
Field, Boise,
Idaho in machine gun labs, turret operation
and high altitude chamber tests. In Nov. 1943 with the training at Gown
completed, he was sent to Ardmore,
Oklahoma where he would join a newly formed
bomber crew for combat training.
10 Sept.-13 Nov.
1943 Attached to 2nd Air Force, 2nd Command,
15th Wing, 29th Bomb Group HBC Det HQ, Gowen Field,
Boise,
Idaho.
13 Oct. 1943
Transferred from 29th Bomb Group, Gowen
Field to 395th Bomb Group Army Air Base,
Ardmore,
Oklahoma.
13 Nov. 1943
Attached to 2nd Air Force, 46th Wing, 395th
Bomb Group Army Air Base, Ardmore,
Oklahoma.
31 Jan. 1944 Completed operational
combat training at Ardmore,
Oklahoma.
Combat Training at
Ardmore
When they first arrived at
Ardmore, the Air Force was still
operating under old training program and the largest formation being flown was a
flight of three. Shortly after they arrived, the first group of returnees from
the Eighth Air Force came back to the country and re-wrote the training program
for bomber crews. Near as possible they attempted to approximate the conditions
they would meet overseas which meant; getting up early in the a.m. to a mass
briefing at the post theater, flying missions at altitudes above 20,000 feet in
formation. These six to eight hour missions had mock fighter attacks and
simulated bomb runs for bombardier training on such cities as
Dallas,
Kansas City and Oklahoma
City. For air to air gunnery training they would fly down
to Galveston then train out over the
Gulf and return by the end of the day. By the time they finished this training
program they were thoroughly familiar with bad weather assemblies, the combat
box formations and other conditions they would encounter overseas.
With the Ardmore
training completed by the end of Jan. 1944, the crew left for
Grand Island,
Nebraska arriving the beginning of February.
On the 9th of February they left Grand
Island with a new B-17G and proceeded East to Grenier Field, New
Hampshire. They remained at Grenier several days, from the 9th to the
16th of Feb., longer than expected due to the need to repair a
collapsed landing gear oleo strut. These several days gave some of the crew a
chance to ski nearby. They then proceeded to Presque
Isle, Maine and then onto
Gander, New Foundland. After several days of waiting for decent weather,
they were briefed for the overseas flight.
The Gander take-off as told by Ray Thornbury: “ We went to the plane, ran up the engines, killed them to
top-off the tanks and when the engines were re-started, due to negligence on my
part, the brakes were not reset and the plane slid forward, hit the tug (truck
with engine starting equipment), damaging number three engine and throwing part
of the prop through the nose of the fuselage. (The piece of prop going through
the nose tore Dom Padula’s briefcase and damaged
electrical wiring in that part of the plane). I believe we remained in
Gander almost two weeks while a new
engine was installed and while we put several hours on that engine”. The repair
to the plane took from about the 18 Feb. through 10 Mar. On 11 Mar. they flew
the Atlantic to
Scotland. The
flight overseas took seventeen hours and forty minutes and was uneventful. Padula hit his
landmark on the nose and his time was very accurate. They landed in
Ayr,
Scotland. From there they
went to a replacement depot in
England. After a
day or so at the depot, the crew was assigned to the 447th and they
then proceeded to Rattlesden by train. On 14 Mar. they
were enroute by rail to
London. On the 17 Mar. they were
assigned to the 447th BG (Heavy), 710 BS,
8th Air Force.
Getting Ready For
the Real Thing
On the 19,20 and 25 Mar. the crew flew practice
missions and it was not till the 28 Mar. that George flew his combat mission.
Ray Thornbury flew with another crew to bomb Bordeau,
France and made one flight
as a co-pilot on a trip to the coast of
France to bomb
ski sights-buzz bomb locations.
The Crew’s Score
Card
28 March
1944
Mission No. 41
Chartres Air
Field,
France
(1)
1 April 1944
Mission No. 42
Ludwigshafen,
Germany-Recalled (2)
8 April 1944
Mission No. 43
Rheine and Handorf Airfields,Germ.
(3)
9 April 1944
Mission No. 44
Warnemunde,
Germany
(4)
10 April 1944
Mission No. 45
Diest Schaffen Air Field,Belgium
(5)
11 April 1944
Mission No. 46
Arnimswalde,
Germany
(6)
12
April 1944
Recalled
13 April 1944
Mission No. 47
Augsburg,
Germany
(1/2)
Internment in
Switzerland 13
April
1944
From Ray Thornbury “We were quartered in a Batchelor
Officers Quarters at Dubendorf for the first night.
After dinner we were allowed to attend an officers club on the base. Each new
arrival at the club would look around, identify the senier officer present, face him, click his heels and give a
short bow. After several drinks we thought this highly amusing and began to do
it ourselves.”
SWISS INTERN 130 YANK FLIERS (Newspaper Article)
“Bern, April 15 (AP).—One hundred and thirty Americans, comprising the
crews of 12 bombers which landed in Switzerland and of another bomber which was
shot down by the Swiss, arrived today at the mountain resort of Adelboden for internment.
The Swiss shot down the one
bomber which they said failed to respond to landing signals Thursday, when the
U.S. Air Forces attacked nine targets in
Germany and
occupied Europe. The entire crew, however, parachuted to
safety.
There are now approximately 400
uniformed internees at Adelboden, and nearly 100
others who escaped from
Germany at the
City of Klosters. Those who escaped into
Switzerland wore
civilian clothes. Seventeen American fliers now are buried in
Switzerland, 13
of whom died in crashes last fall, and four of injuries
sustained in combat over
Germany”.
The first night at Dubendorf, the six enlisted men were put into either a barn
or school. The next morning the officers thought they would get a good American
breakfast of ham and eggs, but got instead a bottle of wine, cheese and bread.
George, Al and six enlisted men were sent to Adelboden, but Ray and Dom were kept an extra day for
interrogation. They were then sent to join the rest of the crew at Adelboden. The camp at Adelboden
was named Camp Moloney for the first American
buried there. An American senior officer requested that the Swiss separate the
officers and enlisted men. Besides separating the officers, other enlisted men
were sent to other internment areas due to the overcrowding. After D-Day (6
June) George, Dom and Ray were transferred to Davos-Platz in the Eastern part of
Switzerland.
The six enlisted men and Flight Officer Al Cowey had settled into the life at Adelboden. Stan Saviski helped the
local baker by delivering the little pastries to the towns restaurants and such. He became friends with an old
woman, owner of the bakery, and her son. Stan would take daily tea with the old
woman even though she spoke no English. From the local children who spoke no
English, Stan managed to learn to speak some German. Later on, Dante Rich
escaped with the help of Hal Kiehn who was working in
the American Consulate in Geneva.
Hal supplied him with papers and contacts. After some ten months of internment,
the remainder of the crew would be released. The subject of the release is the
following AP news bulletin published in 1945.
480 American Internees Leave
Switzerland
“Bern, Feb. 17.-(AP)- Four hundred and eighty American and 33 British internees
left Switzerland
today, en route to Marseille, on the way to their former bases in
Italy. From
there, many are expected eventually to return home. Nearly all the Americans are
airmen. The party included all the remaining British internees in
Switzerland, and
left behind only 40 Americans. They are expected to leave within three weeks.
The evacuation plan also includes part of about 3,000 interned Germans, many of them border guards who took refuge in
Switzerland
during the allied drive in
France”.
Davos-Platz, Switzerland
Davos, a valley and district in the canton of Grisons, lying at a
considerable elevation among the Alps, was, before the
war, a favorite place for people troubled with tuberculosis. The valley is about
ten miles long, shut in by mountains 6,000 to 10,000 feet high and exhibiting
many picturesque features. The chief center of population is Davos-Platz (9,730 inhabitants in 1920), containing numerous
hotels, boarding-houses and other establishments and having a handsome
town-house and an English church. It is well sheltered on the North and East and
the air is remakable pure and dry. The Davos Landwasser traverses the district. This stream takes its
rise in Lake
Davos, which is one-fifth of a square
mile in area and 175 feet deep. East of Davos-Platz
and adjacent to it lies Davos-Dorf. George, Dom and
Ray had one large room in the Palace Hotel. They were free to wear civilian
clothes during the day, but at night they had to change to their uniforms. In
the morning and evenings there was a bed check by the Swiss guards. Food was in
short supply and consisted of a great many meals of potato soup and potato
bread. Extra cash was used to by food to supplement the issued diet. George
purchased 2/Lt Bars and Air Corps Insignia for 22 Francs from the Huf, Bijouterie, Uhren, Optik at Davos-Dorf. Their uniforms were make-shift but good. They
reconditioned old G.I. shoes. On July 17, George bought a sportjacket for 50 Francs from Wollen-Ruegger in Davos-Platz.
Other cash went for haircuts, tobacco and other sundry items.
To pass the time, Ray took piano lessons,
however, he had to give these up because the teacher spoke no English. George
played chess with some of the other officers. On the 28 Sept at 2015 hours, a
program of music was held at the Palace Hotel. It was called “Polnischer Musik- und Lieder-Abend or An Evening of Polish Music and Tunes.” They played
Chopin, Wieniawski, Zelenski
and others. During the stay at Davos they met a number of people, natives and
others who where refugees from German dominated areas of Durope. One of the women, who they called the “Big Frau”,
claimed to have been a dancer in |Paris and even at middle age could almost kick
the ceiling, she put them in touch with some friends of
hers in Geneva. George and Ray were
now preparing for an escape. Note: All the mail coming to the internees was
first passed by the German censors of the Obertcommando Der Wehrmacht and was stamped as such.
The Escapees
Actually, George and Ray left Davos twice. The first time they rented a
car, went to a neighboring town with a group of friends, bought tickets and
caught a train to Geneva. The rest
of the friends returned to Davos in the rented car. After arriving in
Geneva, George and Ray went to the
apartment that the “Big Frau” had told them about and were admitted but never
saw the people in the apartment. The one person they spoke with was a man in the
Swiss military. They spoke with this man for almost an hour, through a closed
door and he gave them routes, timings, etc., and an escape route into
France. The man
left and they waited some 15 minutes and then left.
The escape plan called for George and Ray to make their attempt the next
afternoon and as they had no place to stay that night they spent it in the park.
Early the next morning they had the feeling they were being watched and did
discover two men tailing them. They attempted to dislodge the pursuers and
thought they had done so, but they were to late at this point to make the
escape. George and Ray decided to remain another night and spent this night in
the back yard of a large estate under some shrubbery and tried again the next
afternoon. Again they found they were being followed so they called the whole
thing off and went back to Davos.
While George and Ray were gone, the Swiss Commandant at Davos had
reported them as missing and he was most unhappy when he found that they were
again on the premises. After several days he visited them late one night and
almost pleaded with them to get out of his hair.
The next day they walked to the
station in Davos, ignored the guards, bought two tickets, boarded the train and
were off again to
Geneva. Around eight o’clock that
night, they caught a street car that went out past the League of Nations, rode
it to within a quarter of a mile of the border, which was easily distinguishable
by the guard posts and the flood lights, got off of the street car walked a mile
or so across a plowed field and through a wood. The border ran through the far
edge of these woods along the bank of a stream and was marked by two-seven or
eight foot barbed wire fences some six or eight feet apart with a roll of barbed
wire between them. There was a cleared area and a path on both sides of the
border. In crossing the stream, Ray slipped and fell in the water, getting wet
up to his waist. He remained wet all the rest of the night. George insisted on
smoking his pipe while they were hiding in the wood. Between the matches he used
and the smell of the pipe it was a wonder they weren’t discovered. They remained
in the wood until a patrol on the Swiss side had passed, they gave it what they
thought was enough time to get completely out of sight, climbed the barbed wire
fence, wiggled through the roll, climbed the other fence and were in France. It
was as simple as that.
They entered France a mile or so North of Ferney Voltaire. They then cut South to intersect the road running from there to Gex and followed that road into town. Arriving at Gex before daylight the next morning, the only indication of
anyone there that they could find was at the local hospital. They beat on the
back door and were admitted by a nun and the janitor. She recognized them for
what they were and put them up in the basement that night. The one-legged
janitor gave them a bottle of some of the foulest Calvados that they ever had in
their lives, however, it helped them to get to sleep that night.
The next morning they were taken to a representative of the Maquis, the French Forces of the Interior in Gex. He contacted a unit of the Maquis who sent an American named Frank (originally from
Connecticut, he had remained in
France after
World War I and had married a French girl). Later that day he drove up in a U.S.
Navy jeep and took George and Ray back to Fernay
Voltaire which was located several hundred yards from the French border.
The Maquis unit at Ferney Voltaire was
quartered in a small country hotel or inn. They had recently dug up the remains
of their wine cellar which had been buried to save it from the Germans and were
in the process of re-installing it in the cellar of the inn. George and Ray
sampled several bottles by the simple expedient way of knocking the neck off
against a post and drinking it from a tin cup. They remained in Fernay Voltaire for several days and then Frank drove them
by jeep to Grenoble.
Apparently Grenoble was a collection point for
returnees, evadees, escapees etc. and there were
numerous Air, Army and several Foreigners collected
there awaiting shipment back to
England. They
remained in Grenoble for several nights till
sufficient personnel were accumulated and then they were transported by truck to
Leon. Several
days later a U.S. Army Air Force C-47 picked them up at
Leon and flew
them to Paris and then onto
London.
Their first stop was at an intelligence unit for interrogation and the
issuance of passes to enable them to stay in
London. At that time they were
dressed in civilian clothes. They had to get a special pass to keep from being
picked up by the M.Ps. They were then issued a partial
payment of back pay at a finance office. After several days in
London, they returned to the group
at Rattlesden for further interrogation, they then
came back to London, remained a week
or so and finally were sent to Lands End in
Wales. George
was lucky and returned to the United
States a day or so before Ray by catching an
earlier flight.
Bombardier Instructor School
George was sent to
Bombardier
Instructor
School at
Midland,
Texas in the early part of 1945.
Air Transport
Command
After completing Bombardier
Instructor’s School, he then transferred to Westover
Field, Massachusetts. At Westover,
George was assigned to the Air Transport Command. In July 1945 he attended
Bakers and Cooks
School at
Fort Devans where he learned mess
supervision. In the latter part of 1946, George left the Air Force, however, he remained in the Inactive Reserve until
March of 1958. George died May 17,
1960, age 44 years.
13 Apr. 1944 Mission No. 47 (7)
Augsburg,
Germany. Plane damaged by
flak, landed in Dubendorf,
Switzerland.
Interned at Camp
Moloney
at Adelboden,
Switzerland.
15 Apr. 1944 Reported Missing in Action (MIA).
22 Apr. 1944 Awarded the Air Medal.
25 Apr. 1944 Notified safe and interned in
Switzerland.
6 June 1944 (Approx.) Removed with
other officers from Adelboden to
Davos-Platz,
Switzerland.
1 Oct.-10 Oct. 1944 Escape from internment at
Davos-Platz,
Switzerland.
10 Oct. 1944
Departed Lyons, France by
air for England.
11 Oct. 1944
Headquarters European Theater of Operations, London,
England.
12 Oct. 1944 Assigned to 70th Air Force
Replacement Depot temporary duty for thirty days.
27 Oct. 1944 Ordered to return to
the United
States, Headquarters 70th
Replacement Depot (AAF) Station 594.
31 Oct. 1944 Returned to the
United States.
Reported to Headquarters 1378th AAF Base Unit, North
Atlantic Division, Air Transport Command,
Fort Totten,
Long Island,
N.Y.
1 Nov. 1944 Orders issued for twenty-one day leave.
4
Nov.-24 Nov.
1944 Leave.
25 Nov.-1 Dec. 1944 Headquarters,
Army Air Forces Redistribution Station No. 1, Atlantic
City, New Jersey.
1 Dec. 1944 Reassigned to
Army
Air Force
Instructors
School (AAFIS) (Bombardier) (B)
Midland,
Texas.
17 Dec. 1944 Ordered to begin
training Instructor
School in Class 45-2 Officer Student
Pool Flight “F” Midland,
Texas.
18 Dec. 1944 Began
Instructor
School Training,
Midland,
Texas.
13 Feb. 1945 By order of War Department promoted to
1st Lieutenant.
10 Mar. 1945 Completed instruction
Dept. of training AAFIS (B) Relieved Squadron “H” 2528th AAF Base
Unit (AFTRC).
13 Mar. 1945 Ordered to Childress Army Air Field,
Childress,
Texas.
14 Mar. 1945 Reported
Childress,
Texas and assigned to 2512th Army
Air Force Base Unit (AAF) BU Dept of Training as Bombardier.
5 Apr. 1945 Assigned quarters
Childress,
Texas.
17 Apr. 1945 Assigned to TC-AAFCFTC, 34th Flying
Training Group 2512th AAF BU (BS)
Childress,
Texas.
28 Apr. 1945
Headquarters Childress Army Air Field, Childress,
Texas. Relieved from 2512th, assigned
to Student Redeployment Training X-8955 primary duty and transferred to
1st Air Force, 112th AAF Base Unit (CCTS-H)
Westover
Field, Massachusetts.
17 May 1945 Headquarters Westover
Field, Mass. Assigned to
122nd AAF BU (CCTS-H) in compliance with order 17 May , Childress,
Texas. Attached to G
Squadron-adm 112th AAF BU
(CCTS-H).
29 May 1945 Relieved of
112th AAF BU and assigned to Mess Officer Training.
5 July 1945 Ordered to School for Bakers and Cooks,
Fort Devans,
Mass. Returned to Westover Field upon
completion.
9-19-July 1945
School for Bakers and Cooks, Fort
Devans,
Mass. Returned to Westover Field upon completion.
30 Jan. 1946 Paper transfer from 112th AAF BU
(Bomb L) to 1377th AAF BU (ATC) Westover
Field, Mass.
26 Mar. 1946 Three days temporary
duty at Fort Devans,
Mass.
22 Aug. 1946
First Army Separation Center, 1262 SCU
Personnel Center,
Fort Dix, NJ. Separated from the service. Appointed 1/Lt.
in Officer’s Reserve Corps.
18 Feb. 1947 Promoted to rank of
Captain (Reserve) as of 22 Aug.
1946.
27 July 1954 Granted the AERO rating of ACFT OBSR para 7d, AFR 50-7 Oct.53.
3 Mar. 1958 Honorably Discharged from Air Force
Reserve.
Listed below are the various
types of aircraft that George flew in from the time of training starting in 1942
to the end of his tour in 1946.
Student
Navigator (SN).
AIRCRAFT TYPE
FLIGHT TIME
NUMBER OF
STATUS;AIRCRAFT
MODEL 7 SERIES
HOURS &MINS. LANDINGS
OBSERVER
BOMBARDIER SN
13:22
Student Pilot
103:25
Student Bombardier
AT-11
74:10
33
Student Bombardier,SN
A-26
4:10
4
Bombardier
A-26B
9:00
12
Bombardier
A-26C
3:50
2
Bombardier,Navigator
B-17F
81:00
20
Bombardier
B-17G
51:55
8
Bombardier
B-17G
45:35 plus(Combat)
8
Bombardier
B-24J
13:45
3
Bombardier
C-47A
21:05
10
Navigator
C-47B
2:35
3
Navigator
_____________
_______
Totals
409:67
102
SERVICE SCHOOLS AND COURSES
ARMY AIR FORCES PRELIGHT SCHOOL,
San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, San Antonio, Texas. Class
43-G Pilot Training.
Academic Training Air Forces,
Naval Forces, Ground Forces, Aircraft Identification, Radio Code, Maps, Charts
& Aerial Photographs, Mathematics, Physics, Signal Communications and Visual
Code.
Military
Training Organization of the Army, Interior Guard Duty, Pistol Sub-machine Gun,
Chemical Warfare, Finances, Field Sanitation and Safe Guarding Military
Information.
308TH ARMY AIR FORCES FLYING TRAINING DETACHMENT,
Stamford, Texas
(Coleman
Flying School) Class
43-G.
Academic
Training Navigation and Aircraft Engines.
Military
Training Chemical Warfare.
Flying Training
Dual solo - 13 hrs 22 min.
ARMY AIR FORCES PREFLIGHT SCHOOLEllington Field, Texas, Class 43-12
Bombardier-Navigator Training. Academic Training Mathematics,
Physics, International Morse Code, Visual Communication, Maps, Charts and Photo
Interpretation, Aircraft Indentification, Naval Forces
and Ship Recognition, Ground Forces.
Military
Training Organization of the Army, Interior Guard Duty, Chemical Warfare, Field
Sanitation and Safe Guarding Military Information.
ARMY
AIR
FORCES
BOMBARDIER
SCHOOL, Midland Army Air Field,
Midland,
Texas.
Ground School Subjects Theory of
Bombing and Theory of Bombsights, “M” Sights, Preflight Inspection, Instruments
and Instrument Calibration, Bomb Racks and Controls and Intervalometers, Bombs and Fuses, Computers, Trainer Theory,
Conduct of Missions, Low Altitude Procedure, Tactical Bombing, Forms, Causes of
Errors and Analysis of Results, Probabilities, Navigation, Bombardment
Objectives & Objective Folders, Aircraft Identification, C-1 Pilot, Norden Maintenance, S-1 Operation & Procedure, Preflight
Inspections, Low Altitude Procedure.
Miliatry Training and Bomb
Trainer. With a total of 103-4 Bombing hours and
40 Bomb releases.
ARMY AIR FORCES INSTRUCTORS SCHOOL (BOMBARDIER)
Midland, Texas
Class 45-3 Flight F Course
Duration - 9 Weeks.
Ground Training
Navigation, Computers, M Sights, Bomb Problem, C-1 Pilot, AB Computer, Critique,
Code, Interphone, G.B.A., A-2 Trainer and Radar.
Aerial Training
Navigation and Bombing.
Technical
Training For Aerial Instructor Technical Training for Aerial Instructor,
Aircraft Familiarization, A-2 Trainer, A-6 Trainer, Trainer Theory, C-1 Pilot
Adjustment, Bombing Problem and Fixed *Angle Projection.
Aerial Training,TT Navigation and
Bombing.
Bombsight Training Norden-M-11,
M-7,9,H-7-9, Sperry 8-1-2 and 31-2.
Qualified in Map and Aerial Photograph
Reading
TRAINING AT GOWEN FIELD,
Boise,
Idaho
Weapons Training 30 Cal.carbine, 45 cal. pistol, 45 cal. Sub-Machine
Gun
Navigation Class - 28 hours
Altitude Indoctrination
THE CREW
2nd Lt George Filush Bombardier
2nd Lt Joseph R. Thornbury Pilot
F/O Albert E. Cowey Co-Pilot
2nd Lt Dominick Padula Navigator
Sgt Stanley Saviski Tail Gunner
Sgt Lloyd Roach Left Waist Gunner
S Sgt Harry Smith Top Turret Gunner
Sgt Harold Kiehn Right Waist
Gunner
S Sgt George Stratos Radio Operator
in records George S. George
Sgt Dante Rich Ball Turret Gunner