I’m 82 years old and my dad was a marine in china during WW2 he never talked about his experiences. I hope we never forget what these men and women went through during that time. God Bless each and every one of them.
I was just a kid in the late 40s. I remember seeing the great movie 12 O’clock High about 17s flying out of England and facing death and destruction on every mission and how psychologically it affected the crews every time they suited up for a mission. I doubt many airmen today would have the intestinal fortitude to duplicate them.
Not sure but I reckon this pilot at the time of the interview to be at least 90. 70 years after the war would be 2015, so, considering he was 20 upon departing for England, 90 is about right...Remarkable recall and verbal story telling skills. Clarity, descriptive adjectives and humor. Great..Just great.
This gentleman bombed Nuremberg. My mother was an 18-year-old girl working for the Reichsbahn (German Railroad). After the air raids they had to walk along the raildroad tracks to find the damaged places. Afterwards each time the soles of her shoes were burnt so much that she could throw them away... The allies did not only use napalm and phosphor against in battle against German fortresses but also against civilians on a scale that had no one done before. Maybe Mr Singer still remembers the load of his B 17 on his mission to Nuremberg...
This series reveals the sheer cultural breadth of America in that war. Here you have the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, likely from the Pale of Settlement which was *poor,* coming to American and making it BIG. Contrast that with B-17 pilot Dewayne "Ben" Bennett whose family were poor farmers here. Yet both served the same role. In 1992 the artist Merv Corning created the marvelous art print, Square J's at Farmlingham. The unit featured here. Google it. It's gorgeous! Thank you for this Mr. McFalone.
Having been in the USAF ., I really appreciate these guys having having such a great sense of humor after what they experienced , especially the Pilots who were responsible for nine other crew members , you must remember that every time B 17 went down there were ten souls on board .
These videos are GREAT. Thank you for putting these together. My father in law was in the 9th army, 84th infantry division 335th regiment. We have all of his v-mails from that period. Fascinating history of his service. This generation always amazes me with what they went through from the depression and the war. Today’s kids, including my own, have no idea what hardship is. And it’s not when the internet goes out…
I agree. These are AMAZING stories/history of the men who experienced it. How can we drive this to educate people today who are rapidly losing connection to WW2. The only reason my kids know about this, is because my wife and I show them the pictures and films of their grandfather’s service, and movies that do a good job of showing the horrors of war. What these men did, and what hose who supported them did should be mandatory learning in History classes both here and abroad.
Refreshing interview. The absence of tiresome bravado, no immature judgements of city slickers vs farm boys vs ivy league vs west point, no blaming others for problems. All indicative of true leadership and strength and humility. Well done.
Awesome interview once again. Dad passed away in 85, he was in the 8th. 44 thru 45. I'm not sure which base he was stationed. We have a few photos from when he was there in England. I know for training he was in Texas I believe College Park. A Captain Batchelder comes to mind. In the 90s I made contact with two of the gentlemen in the pictures that we had they had also signed a 1939 silver certificate dollar. He was ground crew. I really enjoy watching your videos🇺🇸
thanks so much, this as close as i can get to talking to my father about his time under the command of Patton, he is gone and didn't like to speak about his war experience except one time--i still have Ike's autograph that he got at an airfield in France 1944
There are folks at the naval air station near my home who are learning to fly navy planes who have never driven a car. They love to talk to me since I was a commissioned offiver during the Vietnam war. They treat me with a lot of respect.
Thank you Raymond for the great and priceless work, documenting for posterity, for the countless generations to come, the stories of those brave heroes belonging to the greatest generation ever, and who gave of themselves, their all, for freedom. I was a child in the Philippines behind enemy lines during WWII and I recall listening to the "Voice of Freedom" with my Dad, huddled under a blanket so neighbors couldn't hear, the air raids, watching dog fights when I could, and finally the liberation. My Dad, an American electronics man, fought with and built most of the transmitters used by the Guerillas to coordinate such things as submarine evacuation of escaped PW's. This was an era like no other and the way we explain it, is through the work you are doing. God bless you Mr. McFalone.
Great interview. I love the part about when they flew around the outdoor movie theater in Florida so they could watch the movie LOL. My Dad was born in 1936 and still remembers seeing a B-17 fly over their house in 1943 near Boston. It was so low he could see the pilot looking at him. It was on its way to England.
“ if you knew you were going to be alive after the war”. Wow. Can you imagine having to think like that as an 18, 19, or 20 year old kid? Just unbelievable. Another great video! This was the third one I washed I’m going to keep watching all of them.
Yes, it's amazing how young they were. The youngest guy we interviewed joined the Army Air Corp at age 15 ...he had to of course dummy up his papers. His name is Melvin Sinquefield: here's a link to his video: ruclips.net/video/-2lFDPbZ5RM/видео.html
Thanks again for another wonderful interview. With each interview there are new things to learn that are so interesting. Life and service experiences before, during, and after the war were well covered. Thanks to all who served!
*The book he's talking about was "Silent Spring" written by Rachel Carson which established a link between 'too thin' bird egg-shells caused by ingestion of 'DDT' by birds from their feeding habits causing a build-up of 'DDT' in their blood and tissues*
He's right about instrument takeoffs. You need a military pilot. I flew out of Austin on AEagle once and the obviously military pilot held us at max revs, facing the runway, just waiting to get a "go" and I could tell he would not give them a second to recall. Looking out the port side the 5th runway border light went into the fog , and came out, in....out...in the sight range stayed in a 40 foot range out there. but suddenly he got the "go" and the revs did not change, he popped the brake, jerked us 90 port, and we were bouncing all the way up to 8-10 thousand where we burst into the bright, bright sun. I really appreciate the SW pilots standing their ground, demanding their safety. I know they meant every word. They were going to be fired, and not budge.
*As soon as I heard "No heat on the pitot-tube so no true air-speed at all" my mind thought of a heavy passenger jet (Might have been a '747' that the same exact thing happened, I think in the 1980's) ___________ *It took months to finally figure-out 'What the hell happened up there?'* *The tube-intakes had frozen-over in the super-chill because the water was so pure the heaters would not work very well due to the ice being 'ultra-pure' and normal heat was not enough to melt it*
Interesting. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis also. But I was diagnosed only 10 years ago in the 21st century. I'm surprised that a doctor knew what it was back then. I had it most of my life and they missed the diagnosis
Found among my ancestors belongings: To My Son Across the wintry sky of heaven’s hue, Star studded, and bright with moonlight too, Silently, gracefully, winging its way, A silver sheath cuts thru the blue. Suddenly, high in the still, cold nite, The moon seems dimmed in the Beam’s strong light, As it catches and trails the silver plane, ‘Til she twinkles her lights in friendly vein. Then the beam is gone, and the ship rides high, On her secret mission thru the starlit sky. And I think of you on this winter nite, Crystal clear in the steel blue light, Soaring aloft thru starry lanes, Alone- or, together with other planes, And I breathe two prayers for your crew and you, The prayer of a friend is for your crew, But the prayer of a mother is just for you. C. S. B.
Not correct . His dad was a millionaire before the great depression with his brother owned 23 buildings in NYC but lost everything in the great depression.
I’m 82 years old and my dad was a marine in china during WW2 he never talked about his experiences. I hope we never forget what these men and women went through during that time. God Bless each and every one of them.
I was just a kid in the late 40s. I remember seeing the great movie 12 O’clock High about 17s flying out of England and facing death and destruction on every mission and how psychologically it affected the crews every time they suited up for a mission. I doubt many airmen today would have the intestinal fortitude to duplicate them.
Not sure but I reckon this pilot at the time of the interview to be at least 90. 70 years after the war would be 2015, so, considering he was 20 upon departing for England, 90 is about right...Remarkable recall and verbal story telling skills. Clarity, descriptive adjectives and humor.
Great..Just great.
I could have listened to Mr Singer talk for another hour. Very informative.
Thanks Mr. Singer. Great video. 🇺🇸🍀🇺🇸
This gentleman bombed Nuremberg. My mother was an 18-year-old girl working for the Reichsbahn (German Railroad). After the air raids they had to walk along the raildroad tracks to find the damaged places. Afterwards each time the soles of her shoes were burnt so much that she could throw them away... The allies did not only use napalm and phosphor against in battle against German fortresses but also against civilians on a scale that had no one done before. Maybe Mr Singer still remembers the load of his B 17 on his mission to Nuremberg...
Thanks for your service!
This series reveals the sheer cultural breadth of America in that war. Here you have the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, likely from the Pale of Settlement which was *poor,* coming to American and making it BIG. Contrast that with B-17 pilot Dewayne "Ben" Bennett whose family were poor farmers here. Yet both served the same role. In 1992 the artist Merv Corning created the marvelous art print, Square J's at Farmlingham. The unit featured here. Google it. It's gorgeous! Thank you for this Mr. McFalone.
You're very welcome and thanks for watching. Raymond
So glad to hear these men. My Grandfather was Army Air Corps but died when I was only 12. I would have loved to have asked him so much.
Having been in the USAF ., I really appreciate these guys having having such a great sense of humor after what they experienced , especially the
Pilots who were responsible for nine other crew members , you must remember that every time B 17 went down there were ten souls on board .
These videos are GREAT. Thank you for putting these together. My father in law was in the 9th army, 84th infantry division 335th regiment. We have all of his v-mails from that period. Fascinating history of his service. This generation always amazes me with what they went through from the depression and the war. Today’s kids, including my own, have no idea what hardship is. And it’s not when the internet goes out…
Thanks - much appreciated. And thanks for watching.
I don't understand why there are not many more people viewing these video's, this is real history told by brave men
I agree. These are AMAZING stories/history of the men who experienced it. How can we drive this to educate people today who are rapidly losing connection to WW2. The only reason my kids know about this, is because my wife and I show them the pictures and films of their grandfather’s service, and movies that do a good job of showing the horrors of war. What these men did, and what hose who supported them did should be mandatory learning in History classes both here and abroad.
Refreshing interview. The absence of tiresome bravado, no immature judgements of city slickers vs farm boys vs ivy league vs west point, no blaming others for problems. All indicative of true leadership and strength and humility. Well done.
Every story paints a picture, thanks to all the crews ,great
Fantastic interview.
The man's mind is still so sharp.
Great interview. Great respect. God bless from a Limey!
Thanks for watching.
Awesome interview once again. Dad passed away in 85, he was in the 8th. 44 thru 45. I'm not sure which base he was stationed. We have a few photos from when he was there in England. I know for training he was in Texas I believe College Park. A Captain Batchelder comes to mind. In the 90s I made contact with two of the gentlemen in the pictures that we had they had also signed a 1939 silver certificate dollar. He was ground crew. I really enjoy watching your videos🇺🇸
Thanks for watching.
A fellow Houstonian. Thanks for your service!
Excellent. Great Series. Extraordinary men who rose to the challenge.
Glad you enjoyed it
thanks so much, this as close as i can get to talking to my father about his time under the command of Patton, he is gone and didn't like to speak about his war experience except one time--i still have Ike's autograph that he got at an airfield in France 1944
There are folks at the naval air station near my home who are learning to fly navy planes who have never driven a car. They love to talk to me since I was a commissioned offiver during the Vietnam war. They treat me with a lot of respect.
Thank you Raymond for the great and priceless work, documenting for posterity, for the countless generations to come, the stories of those brave heroes belonging to the greatest generation ever, and who gave of themselves, their all, for freedom. I was a child in the Philippines behind enemy lines during WWII and I recall listening to the "Voice of Freedom" with my Dad, huddled under a blanket so neighbors couldn't hear, the air raids, watching dog fights when I could, and finally the liberation. My Dad, an American electronics man, fought with and built most of the transmitters used by the Guerillas to coordinate such things as submarine evacuation of escaped PW's. This was an era like no other and the way we explain it, is through the work you are doing. God bless you Mr. McFalone.
You're very welcome and thank you for watching.
What a fine man, and thank you again for your good work Raymond in locking this piece of history 👍🏼 All the best Peter (UK)
Glad you enjoyed it.
He is so humble and so brave.
Thank you for your service
I learned so much from this man. Thank you Raymond for all your effortss to bring these stories to us.
Glad you enjoyed it
Great interview. I love the part about when they flew around the outdoor movie theater in Florida so they could watch the movie LOL. My Dad was born in 1936 and still remembers seeing a B-17 fly over their house in 1943 near Boston. It was so low he could see the pilot looking at him. It was on its way to England.
Thanks for watching.
Outstanding presentation! Thank you for your service to our country sir.
“ if you knew you were going to be alive after the war”. Wow. Can you imagine having to think like that as an 18, 19, or 20 year old kid? Just unbelievable. Another great video! This was the third one I washed I’m going to keep watching all of them.
Yes, it's amazing how young they were. The youngest guy we interviewed joined the Army Air Corp at age 15 ...he had to of course dummy up his papers. His name is Melvin Sinquefield: here's a link to his video: ruclips.net/video/-2lFDPbZ5RM/видео.html
Thank you for your service brother. I am a navy veteran.
The best interview.
Good man & pilot.
Thanks for watching.
Thanks again for another wonderful interview. With each interview there are new things to learn that are so interesting. Life and service experiences before, during, and after the war were well covered. Thanks to all who served!
Part of Americas Greatest Generation .Salute you Sir.
Thank you sir.
Terrific, thanks.
Interesting interview. Mr. Singer passed away in 2015.
Another inspiring and enjoyable episode - well done to all of you involved in making it .
Glad you enjoyed it
a hero for sure. RIP sir. Thank you. Salute
This archive is so important like the voices of the WW1 once they are gone their first hand account will become more and more important
*The book he's talking about was "Silent Spring" written by Rachel Carson which established a link between 'too thin' bird egg-shells
caused by ingestion of 'DDT' by birds from their feeding habits causing a build-up of 'DDT' in their blood and tissues*
He's right about instrument takeoffs. You need a military pilot. I flew out of Austin on AEagle once and the obviously military pilot held us at max revs, facing the runway, just waiting to get a "go" and I could tell he would not give them a second to recall. Looking out the port side the 5th runway border light went into the fog , and came out, in....out...in the sight range stayed in a 40 foot range out there. but suddenly he got the "go" and the revs did not change, he popped the brake, jerked us 90 port, and we were bouncing all the way up to 8-10 thousand where we burst into the bright, bright sun.
I really appreciate the SW pilots standing their ground, demanding their safety. I know they meant every word. They were going to be fired, and not budge.
What?? None of this makes coherent sense!
Interesting side notes on DDT, mind was sharp after all those years
After the interviewer relaxed, the interview went very well.
My Father was a Waist Gunner in WW2
*As soon as I heard "No heat on the pitot-tube so no true air-speed at all" my mind thought of a heavy passenger jet (Might have been a '747' that the same exact thing happened, I think in the 1980's)
___________
*It took months to finally figure-out 'What the hell happened up there?'* *The tube-intakes had frozen-over in the super-chill because the water was so pure the heaters would not work very well due to the ice being 'ultra-pure' and normal heat was not enough to melt it*
Listening to this, there were so many planes flying each day. Just imagine seeing group after group of B-17s passing by for an hour!
The sites and sounds would be incredible!
Interesting. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis also. But I was diagnosed only 10 years ago in the 21st century. I'm surprised that a doctor knew what it was back then. I had it most of my life and they missed the diagnosis
It took my quack 20 years to diagnose diabetes.
The AT-10 was not a Beechcraft, it was a Cessna, referred to as the "Bamboo Bomber." The Beechcraft was the AT-11 and the C-45.
Strangely, there were a lot of questions he really didn't answer. Almost like a politician.
Yeah I think he just lost his train of thought.
Love his comment about DDT
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
All luck for sure!
Found among my ancestors belongings:
To My Son
Across the wintry sky of heaven’s hue,
Star studded, and bright with moonlight too,
Silently, gracefully, winging its way,
A silver sheath cuts thru the blue.
Suddenly, high in the still, cold nite,
The moon seems dimmed in the Beam’s strong light,
As it catches and trails the silver plane,
‘Til she twinkles her lights in friendly vein.
Then the beam is gone, and the ship rides high,
On her secret mission thru the starlit sky.
And I think of you on this winter nite,
Crystal clear in the steel blue light,
Soaring aloft thru starry lanes,
Alone- or, together with other planes,
And I breathe two prayers for your crew and you,
The prayer of a friend is for your crew,
But the prayer of a mother is just for you.
C. S. B.
Thank you. Ray
Articulate as can be
" So how was your childhood in the depression?"......"well, my dad was a millionaire at 30 so it wasn't so bad". Really? 🤑🤢🤮
Not correct . His dad was a millionaire before the great depression with his brother owned 23 buildings in NYC but lost everything in the great depression.
Quite a good natured man.