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Oral History Interview with Richard Bennett, November 15, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Richard Bennett, November 15, 2001

Interview with Richard (Dick) Bennett, a pilot during World War II. He discusses his enlistment in the Army Air Corps, basic training and flight school. He then went to a base in South Carolina to learn to fly B-25s. At Fort Myers, Florida he flew B-26 bombers and trained to fly them off of aircraft carriers so they could drop torpedos on the Japanese fleet during naval battles. He traveled across the Pacific to Brisbane only to be told that they didn't have B-26s for the crews; the colonel there knew nothing about the plan to launch B-26s from aircraft carriers, so they were sent to New Guinea to fly B-17s and supplement the crews for those bombers. From there they made bombing runs or "Washing Machine Charlie"-type runs to keep people awake at night on various Japanese targets in the islands, particularly the base at Rabaul. In fall of 1943, the Army grounded the B-17s due to the damage they had incurred and replaced them with B-24s. The men received manuals and were given only a few days to familiarize themselves with the new planes. They were then sent on bombing runs. He finished his tour of duty at …
Date: November 15, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Bennett, Richard
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Area 1, Phase 3. The Special Staff (open access)

Area 1, Phase 3. The Special Staff

This booklet is the 3rd unit of an extension training course developed for Air Reserve personnel about military management. This book discusses the functions and responsibilities most often found on the Air Force special staff.
Date: November 1964
Creator: Air University (U.S.). Extension Course Institute.
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Clipping: Pilot's Paper Has Story Of Local Flying Service] (open access)

[Clipping: Pilot's Paper Has Story Of Local Flying Service]

Newspaper clipping from the Artesia Advocate with a story (front page, bottom right) about Artesia pilots including Herman Fuchs being featured in the Cross Country News. Several other stories and advertisements are included in the clipping.
Date: November 7, 1946
Creator: The Artesia Advocate
Object Type: Clipping
System: The Portal to Texas History