Monthly Archives: July 2013

Navy War Diary – Aleutian Front

My uncle George Sinclair (married to my mom’s sister Ella) served in the Navy during WW II as a Sound Man (Sonar) on the USS Casco III (AVP-12) – Sea Plane tender.  He was on this ship when it was torpedoed on 30 August 1942 with the result of 5 men killed and 20 wounded.  Quick action brought flooding to a halt.  Casco was beached and later salvaged.  Casco was floated on 12 September, and after emergency repairs at Dutch Harbor and Kodiak, she received a thorough overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard and returned to fog-bound Aleutian duty in March 1943. Continue reading →

305th BG, Schweinfurt – New for Veterans day

     Arthur Linrud was born on a farm north of Velva, North Dakota on November 23, 1920.  He graduated from high school in 1939.  Art was drafted in the army and reported for basic training on October 8th 1942.  Art ended up in the Army Air Corp and after training and passing many physicals he ended as a heavy bomber flight engineer, top turret gunner.  In the summer of 1943 Art was shipped to England as a replacement.  Art ended up on a B-17(S/N 42-3436, WF R) with the Dennis McDarby crew, 305th Bomb Group, 364th Squadron. Continue reading →

M C

While doing the story about Ernie Sands (Drama Over Cologne) and him being shot down over Germany, I was able to contact MC Miller and get his side of the story.

 

     MC Miller (Milard C Miller) was picked to be Pilotage Navigator with the Klusmeyer crew on Oct 14, 1944.  Target was the marshalling yards at Cologne.  MC was the second navigator because the Klusmeyer plane was flying deputy lead and needed another navigator.  As it turned out the lead plane had to turn back due to mechanical difficulty so the Klusmeyer plane had to take the lead and Ernie Sands reluctantly became lead bombardier. Continue reading →