Winfred to Margaret

EDITOR’S NOTE: Three letters were written on Feb. 7, 1944; one by Winfred to Margaret, one by Clifford to the Folks, and one by Margaret to the Folks. Feb. 7, 1944 (2of 3)                        1290      CF           Fort Worden/Port Townsend, WA Clifford writes he has not been transferred; is no longer on radar; is training to get in shape; has K.P. on Sunday for chewing gum; is plenty tired of things there (1918 footlocker heroes and 4th grade wizards); is not getting any place because he doesn’t take it; and brags about scoring 20 points in a basketball game.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Three letters were written on Feb. 7, 1944; one by Winfred to Margaret, one by Clifford to the Folks, and one by Margaret to the Folks. EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is the first letter Winfred sent home after his first bombing mission. Feb. 7, 1944 (1)                1280      WM       Station #144 – Old Buckenham Winfred writes to his sister the day after his first bombing mission. He states again he has written often; is writing with ‘Pappy’s’ left-handed pen; is ashamed Erma has gone ‘opera crazy’; has been to a USO show, but England is a let down from Hollywood; writes he has been unusually busy lately; asks if his ex, Lois, has been seen; would like some quiet time in MO; says the weather is swell but cloudy; asks about her job; has heard from Lynn; wonders how the war is going – no news there; and has a big day tomorrow.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Two letters were written by Winfred on Feb. 5, 1944; one to the Folks, and one to his sister Margaret. Feb. 5, 1944 (2)                1260      WM       Station #144 – Old Buckenham, UK via New York City, N.Y. Winfred answers Margaret and says he writes every day. He went to Norwich yesterday, quite a town; saw a movie at an English theater, went to a dance and thinks English girls are O.K. but peculiar. He asks about how the war is going because they cannot hear much over there. Tells her he got a promotion. EDITOR’S NOTE: Tomorrow is the crew’s first bombing mission.

Jan. 19, 1944 (3)              1130      CF           Fort Worden/Port Townsend, WA Clifford writes the Folks a ditty. He had a pass and used it to work at a pulp mill, made good money, then blew it. When he got back, he heard they would be shipping out soon; but not too far. So, he will be sending ‘a few things’ home (no need to open them!). He got a ‘masterpiece’ letter from Lynn and will send it on to Winfred. The ‘guys’ think his dad is a good writer.

Jan. 19, 1944 (2)              1120      WM       Station #144 – Old Buckenham, UK via New York City, N.Y. Winfred asks Margaret about her job – the shirt business, and her raise; reloads his pipe; has a ‘limited field’ he can write about; thanks her for a wallet she sent; complains about the size of the English money; would like to be in St. Louis – asks about a hat he left there; hears Clifford is O.K. but may be different now; heard from Aunt Maude, Louise, and ‘Frog Palmer’; and tells the Dickey’s “Hello”.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is the first message Winfred sent home to his sister Margaret in 1944. Jan. 12, 1944 (2)              1070      WM       Station #144 – Old Buckenham, UK via New York City, N.Y. Winfred asks Margaret about St. Louis and if she got home for Xmas. He is fine and had a good Xmas dinner; says England is not so bad. He asks about the old gang and wants them to write. He asks about the Dickey’s and Erma. Ends saying, he will do fine because he can ride a bicycle.

Article 4 – “Anatomy of a Bombing Mission ‘ EDITOR’S NOTE: Winfred and the 453rd Bombardment Group are now assembling at their new base – Station #144 (Old Buckenham) – in England. It will take about a month for the entire bomb group to complete the move. During this time, they are setting up the base, and becoming familiar with the actual procedures required to fit in and be ready for combat. Their first combat missions start in February. The article below is being provided at this time because there will be a week-long gap until the letters home resume, and it will help you to understand what is going on behind the scenes of the letters and journal entries over the next several months. Next week, the pace picks up. The article “Anatomy of a Bombing Mission” does an excellent job explaining everything that took place to put together one bombing mission. Written by Annette Tison in 2017, it features the 392nd Bomb Group (Winfred’s was the 453rd). A similar process would have been used by all of the bomb groups for all of their missions.  The article contains many photos and is well worth the read. You will really come to understand what a team effort it was to put together a mission from start to finish by all involved.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is the last message Winfred sent home in 1943. It was sent to his sister Margaret. It is the only Western Union Cablegram Winfred sent home. Dec. 28, 1943 (2)          1040          WM          Cablegram          ENGLAND

EDITOR’S NOTE: The two letters below dated Dec. 23, 1943 were the first letters written and sent home by Winfred from England; one to the Folks and one to his sister Margaret. Based on the date, Winfred’s crew would have been one of the first crews in the 453rd Bomb Group to have made it to England, Station #144 – Old Buckenham. (The last crew made it there Feb. 5, 1944.) Dec. 23, 1943 (2)          1010          WM          ENGLAND This letter was written by Winfred to his sister Margaret was the first after arriving in England. (He is still using paper with a March Field letterhead.) Winfred greets Margaret letting her know he is O.K.; has been travelling a lot; is in a swell climate; would like to be home for Xmas; is having a tough time with the strange money; hasn’t heard from home in a few weeks; and closes.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Winfred, his crew, and the entire 453rd Bomb Group are now on their way to the E. T. O. ( European Theater of Operations). While there is a pause in the letters, three informational articles will be provided. ARTICLE 3 – How the U.S. Air Forces were Organized. For those without a military background, it may be difficult to understand often used terms such as bomb squadron, bomb group, bomb wing, air division, etc. Below is a diagram and explanation of the organizational levels of the 8th Army Air Force. A link is provided to a video ‘US WWII Aircraft Markings – What Do They Mean? (Eighth Air Force)’ which explains the organizational levels and how individual aircraft could be identified by their markings. Imagine how hard it must have been to know ‘who was who’ with hundreds of planes in the air at the same time.