Bombardier killed instantly, pilot flew this ship home from Cologne to the 398th at Nuthampstead, October 15, 1944. Our crew on the same mission that day, lost 2 engines and suffered severe flak damage, but of course nothing like this.
November, 1944--- Our crew and Mah Ideel, 91st Bomb Group, Bassingbourn, England. Same guys as in photo above, but we seem to have lost two guys along the way, and we're not smiling as in Louisiana. The more than slightly bewildered guy (lower right) is yours truly Sam Halpert.
March 1944, Aviation Cadet Sam Halpert
Selman Field, Louisiana
October 1944, Same guy 7 months later.
Sam in London on a 3 day pass after 15 of his 35 missions.The weird look in his right eye may be due to occupational stress, or flak eye,or maybe it was just the 3 day pass.
And Sam in March 1998. The photo of this rowdy old reprobate appeared in the Miami Herald after publication of his book, A Real Good War (Anchor/Doubleday), the best novel written about the air war of WWII. Hey, if not for false modesty, I'd have no modesty at all, and dig that old beat up Air Force A2 leather jacket dug up from the mothballs
May, 1944 ---This smiling bunch of happy boys is our crew training in Louisiana. Standing (l. to r.) Lou Shweda (top turret), Luther Hutton (radio), Ray Kuenzler (waist), Albert Nosse (ball turret), Tom Kincade (waist), Rod DeMine (tail).
Kneeling (l. to r.) Welden Brubaker (pilot), Bob Crandall (copilot)*, Sam Halpert (navigator), Henry Jensen (bombardier)
*replaced by Bill Uphoff
8th Air Force crews often used the
F word -- Flak Fire Fog Frost Fear Flame Fatigue FockeWulfs and this above all, the Five Fickle Fingers of Fate -
91st Bomb Group's Wee Willie going down
Sam Halpert assumes full blame for design, production, and writing this pot of worms from Gator Country , Gainesville, Florida
B-17 Flying Fortress Photo by our pilot, Welden Brubaker with Kodak Brownie on our way to Hamburg Nov 6 '44. The ship in this photo was only 15 feet above us, with wings overlapping ours. No auto-pilot here..
"Sam Halpert's spellbinding novel of men in aerial combat will be compared to Twelve O'Clock High, The War Lover and Memphis Belle. It will not suffer from the comparison" San Antonio Express-News
Henry Jensen, bombardier, and Sam Halpert, navigator, feeling no pain after 35 missions and their ticket home. Both are informally attired in the fashionable bulky costume of multiple layers of clothing so much in favor with their peers. Note the outline of the popular escape kit just above their right boot.
A question was posted on the Ring last week regarding information about Earl Sheen. Nobody seemed to recall too much about him other than he was in the 324th Squadron of our Group and came from Idaho. I feel guilty about not being able tp contribute anything more, for I believe he saved my life. Yes, we're all tired of war stories by now, but perhaps I may be forgiven for this one, if only as a tribute to Earl Sheen wherever he may be. I met him just once, and that was inside the nose of a 17 on the cold pre-dawn morning of February 3, 1945. We were on our way to Berlin, my 35th mission. He was the toggelier, and I the navigator on the #2 ship, alongside the squadron lead ship leading the entire wing that day. All went well until over target at bombs away. A burst of flak demolished the lead ship, breaking it in half at the waist. Then we lost the #3 ship. We were the only ship left in the lead element. I didn't know that the hose between my mask and the oxygen regulator had been punctured by flak. When I failed to reply to a call from the pilot, Sheen turned around and saw me slumped on the floor. 30 seconds without oxygen at our altitude and you are gone. I'll never know how long I was out, but he managed to revive me by hooking me up to one of those walk around oxygen bottles. We didn't talk much about it afterward. It had been a rough mission. After we landed, Sheen disappeared to clean up his guns. I hurried off to interrogation and then fell into my
sack. I didn't feel too much like celebrating the completion of my tour that night. We all had been close to the guys who had gone down that day, and the base was quiet as a church on Tuesday. The next afternoon, I left Bassing- bourn. From time to time over the next 50 years, a bee would buzz through my mind and I'd drift back for a moment to that day and the quiet guy who had saved me, but it was always just a moment. Last week someone inquired about him in the Ring, and it echoed a signal in my mind. Ding dong. I dug up some old files and checked the loading list for my last mission, Berlin, 3Feb45 and there was his name. So a long belated thanks from the bottom of my heart to you, Bomb TG Sgt Sheen, Earl J 39919847, old buddy wherever you may be.
From : LOWELL GETZ
To : SAM HALPERT
Subject : Re: Date :Tue, 8 Jan 2002 17:35:57 -0800
Hi Sam.-- Earl Sheen died 17 May 1997. I located and talked to his son. He said his dad did not tell the family much about what he did. In fact the son knew only that his dad had been in the Army Air Corps and had flown in the "big bombers." He said he knew nothing of the 3 Feb Berlin mission. He said he would be interested in hearing anything you might want to tell him. Too bad we are five years too late. Take care.
Lowell
B-24 Liberator Without detracting from the B-17, it should be made part of the enduring record that the B-24 was an outstanding success in the air war over Germany and from Ploesti to the Pacific.
This site is full of B-17 and B-24 information slapped together by WW2 8th Air Force navigator Sam Halpert, 35 missions from 9Sept44 (Ludwigshafen) to 3Feb45 (Berlin) with the 91st Bomb Group,324th Squadron, (home of the Memphis Belle)If you seek pictures and information about crews and what it took to fly missions to those targets, you have landed in the right place. I can't pretend to know it all, but I am backed up by a few wise old buddies. Get right stuff from real good guys who were up there in
Not exactly how they show it in the movies. Weary crews were trucked into Interrogation after 7 to 10 hour missions enduring below zero Freezing, Fog, Flame, Flak, Focke-Wulf Fighters and the Five Fickle Fingers of Fate. Shots of whiskey at interrogation helped jog memory of the mission.
I am sorry. This section is reserved for officers
Again, not exactly the way they show it in Hollywood. This is the face of crews after a mission. No smiles here. Look at their eyes. These guys are exhausted. It may take a few hours to recuperate. After all, there's always another mission tomorrow, but those who survive the tour will never forget, nor be able to ever describe their emotion at this moment.
No prescribed uniforms here. Each man wearing his choice of clothing for comfort and warmth. 50 and 60 degrees below zero at 25000 feet. The B-17, not pressurized, had no truly adequate heating system. Below zero degree temperatures were soon ignored when the flak came up.
These are but a few of the large collection of lead crew photos on the fine website of the 303rd Bomb Group
B-17 from the Bloody 100th coming in shortly behind fatal landing of previous B-17.
Fatal mid air collisions over England were frequent when bombers assembled and took their slots in the vast bomber stream. In the overcast morning of August 12, 1944, a 398th Bomb Group B-17 (Nuthampstead) collided with a 392nd Bomb Group B24 (Wendling) .Above is crash site of the B-24 just outside of Cheshunt.
Life Member of the Lucky Bastards Club* 91st Bomb Group
*Lucky Bastards Club,an exclusive club.No rules, no meetings. Dues: Completing a tour of missions with the 8th Air Force
Pilots held their slots for up to 11 hours in tight formation filling the sky from horizon to horizon.The slightest lapse in judgment would cause an explosive collision and fiery death for the crews. Their firm grip on the controls as they flew straight into storms of flak over target, or when attacked by enemy fighters is strong testimony to their unwavering resolve and historic courage.
"What makes this book engrossing is its evocation of the fine line between a close call and a tragedy" New York Times Book Review:
You are a South African bush pilot. You fly in some critical medical supplies, enjoy a quick lunch at the hospital. It's a stifling 100 degrees in the shade and you're eager to get back up in the cool, high blue. On the way back to your plane, you discover that the only bit of shade, within 1 mile, has become very popular You calculate the distance to the plane door and wonder... . . "Do I feel lucky today?"
the blue doing their damndest under some rather trying circumstances. Of course this is by definition a limited offer.They say our ranks are diminishing rapidly, so get the right stuff, while we're still warm.
P.S. to Tom Brokaw We are not the Greatest Generation. You missed it by one. Our dads, now that's who I'd call the greatest generation, but thanks for your compliment.
Henry Jensen, bombardier (lower 2nd from right) was my room-mate through the whole 35 mission deal, and his friendship pulled me through many a dark day. This is a good place to thank each guy for their guts valorous deeds. A damn fine crew.
Hard cover book by B-17 veteran of 35 missions in B-17 from Ludwigshafen to Berlin. Signed by author with your message. Order from author Sam Halpert, 1010 SW 21 Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601. Check, cash, or money order, $19.95 No charge for shipping and handling.
"Sam Halpert's spellbinding novel of men in aerial combat will be compared to Twelve O'Clock High, The War Lover and Memphis Belle. It will not suffer from the comparison" San Antonio Express-News
Receive a copy signed by author with your own message inscribed, $19.95 check or cash to author Sam Halpert, 1010 SW 21 Ave. Gainesville FL 32801 Free Shipping
"Sam Halpert's spellbinding novel of men in aerial combat will be compared to Twelve O'Clock High, The War Lover and Memphis Belle. It will not suffer from the comparison" San Antonio Express-News
"What makes this book engrossing is its evocation of the fine line between a close call and a tragedy" New York Times Book Review:
INTERVIEW WITH SAM HALPERT
What do you mean by the title, A REAL GOOD WAR?
Following our disastrous participation in Viet Nam, World War II came to be known by contrast as The Good War. Of course there is no such thing as a good war. War is hell, as every man in combat knows too well. After returning from a particularly rough mission, one of the gunners on our crew muttered, "You know, you just can't beat a real good war." That attempt at gallows humor, his way of dealing with the horror of the situation, remained with me. It is quoted in the book. You don’t throw away material like that. Anyway that's where the title comes from.
What was special about the 8th Air Force in World War II?
In its 2 years of operations devoted to bombing from the air, the 8th Air Force suffered more casualties (lost, killed, or the army euphemism, missing in action) than all the losses of the combined Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines in our 10 years in Viet Nam.
What did you do in the war, daddy?
Mostly, I tried to stay out of trouble, even though getting involved somehow as navigator on a B-17 crew flying 35 bombing missions against Germany. Clearly, any resemblance to the narrator in the novel is purely coincidental.
You've had your first novel published at the age of 76. How did that come about?
Probably the best way to answer that is to say although I've been an avid reader all my life, I hadn't written anything at all until I was 66, when I read in a literary journal that Raymond Carver was to appear at a writer's conference in Port Townsend, Washington. I hadn't a clue to the purpose or function of a writer's conference, but I knew I wanted to see Carver, a writer whose work I admired to the point of idolatry. I applied for admission to the conference and received a packet of admission forms along with a request for a short story as a sample of my writing ability. As I had never written a short story before, I had no trouble knocking off a story in about five or six hours. The filling out of the many pages of application forms took considerably longer. Nevertheless, I was accepted, and proceeded to drive my Nissan pickup from my house in Miami to the conference. After seven days and six nights of gas stations and 7-Elevens, I made it to Port Townsend, and actually did meet Ray Carver. When I told him I had driven all the way from Miami specifically to meet him, he shook his head
Your novel has been praised for its gutsy realism. How much of it is actually true?
Actually true? Hell, I’d have to say all of it, but keep in mind it is fiction -- and fiction is defined as work of imaginative narration in prose form. I'll stand by that.
like a dog shuddering off water and grabbed my arm saying, "From Miami, Jesus!". When we met the following day, he told me I had the makings of a writer. I drove all the way back to Miami on the energy of that remark, and have been writing ever since.
Do you write for any specific readership? Why has A REAL GOOD WAR been praised by such a wide diversity of famed writers as Susan Minot, Leonard Michaels, Robert Olen Butler among others?
A flip answer would be that there’s no accounting for taste. No, I just write as best I can. Looks like we still have all kinds of people out there interested in WWII.
Who would you say is your favorite writer?
That's almost impossible to answer. It's like asking for my favorite actor, or singer, or ball-player. I have so many favorites, but if I'm forced to limit my choice to just one writer, I'm afraid I'd still choose Ray Carver. And that's not just because I wrote a couple of books about him. Maybe it's because he never wrote a novel.
Are you still in touch with any of your old war buddies?
Not as much as I'd like. I've kept up with our bombardier, exchanging phone calls and cards, and we've visited a half-dozen times since the war. I was shocked when the misguided citizens of San Jose chose that tramp as their superintendent of schools, but he turned out to be a fine choice. I was able to catch up with our pilot and radio operator when I went out west to give readings from my second book on Carver. Maybe this one willl shake them out of the woods.
Mah Ideel heading home to Bassingbourn after a mission
All underlined words on this site are LINKS
WeldenBrubaker (lower left) was the best darn pilot in the whole 8th Air Force, and we were all aware of the all too many times that only his skill and judgment saved our collective ass.
Bombardier killed instantly, pilot flew this ship home from Cologne to the 398th at Nuthampstead, October 15, 1944. Our crew on the same mission that day, lost 2 engines and suffered severe flak damage, but of course nothing like this.
Sam Halpert, author of the website, completed his earthly mission and passed on June 6, 2012. This website is maintained as his legacy by his children. Copies of his book offered below are available but of course cannot be inscribed by Sam. We thank you for visiting this site.
