IN REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIE THE WOLF

[ArtKramr]

IN REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIE THE WOLF

Willie was war weary when we got him. His first crew completed their tour of
duty and went home. Then we came, fresh from the US and yet to fly our first
mission. Willie's scars brought home the reality of where Willie had been and
where we had yet to go. He was dented, bruised and patched. Here and there some
of the Plexi was crazed where flak struck home. When we climbed in, there was a
strong smell of vomit mixed with urine and Cordite. Willie was the first battle
scarred plane we had ever been in. And he was ours, all ours.

As I write this, memories of Willie come back. I can hear the roar and feel the
vibration of the twin R-2800 engines. I can feel Willie surging forward as we
start down the runway, and I can see the runway speeding away under us as our
wheels slowly come up and lock in the wheel wells. As we climb to our place in
the formation the air gets chilled. I plug in my electric suit and pull up the
collar of my bomber jacket around me. We flew all our missions in Willie. He
never let us down. He took us out. And he brought us back. Often the worse for
wear with holes and dents, but he always brought us back.

Willie was always a lot more than just an airplane even though he was
officially a B-26G Martin Marauder of the 344th Bomb Group, 494th Bomb Squadron
of the 9th Air Force. He carried the white triangle on his tail of the 344th,
and the markings K9J of the 494th.

But Willie was one of us. Over Germany we could feel Willie shudder under the
punishing recoil of flak hits. But he had a heart of steel and just kept flying
on. When we landed we would walk around Willie and run our fingers over the
dents, into the holes and caress the peeling chipped paint. We really loved
Willie as much as any man can love a machine.

When the war ended they took Willie away, placed demolition charges under his
spars and blew him up. Then they bulldozed him into a ditch. And he lies buried
over there to this day. I can't help but feel that with Willie a small part of
each of us will always lie over there with him.


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Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

[Peter Stickney]

In article >,
(ArtKramr) writes:
> When the war ended they took Willie away, placed demolition charges under his
> spars and blew him up. Then they bulldozed him into a ditch. And he lies buried
> over there to this day. I can't help but feel that with Willie a small part of
> each of us will always lie over there with him.

I can see how you'd feel that way, Art. But consider this -
Willie's a part of Europe now. I don't know if the Aluminum was
salvages, or his carcass was just used as fill, but either way,
Willie, and by association, you and your crew, and all the other
airplanes and crews who left something over there have left a Western
Europe that's seen a longer periop of peace tha any other time in
their history. We, adn they, may not always agree, but nobody in
France, or Germany, or the Britsh Isles, or the Low Countries, or
anywhere else, is going to sleep tonight worried about their neigbors
invading, or resolving some perceived slight by force of arms.
That is a legacy that was worth fighting for.

(A pacifistic Germany! Who'd have thought it?)

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster

[ArtKramr]

>Subject: Re: IN REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIE THE WOLF
>From: (Peter Stickney)

>ArtKramr) writes:
>> When the war ended they took Willie away, placed demolition charges under
>his
>> spars and blew him up. Then they bulldozed him into a ditch. And he lies
>buried
>> over there to this day. I can't help but feel that with Willie a small part
>of
>> each of us will always lie over there with him.
>
>I can see how you'd feel that way, Art. But consider this -
>Willie's a part of Europe now.

I guess all of us who fought there are a small part of Europe now.

Regards,


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

[Peter Stickney]

In article >,
(ArtKramr) writes:
>>Subject: Re: IN REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIE THE WOLF
>>From: (Peter Stickney)
>
>>ArtKramr) writes:
>>> When the war ended they took Willie away, placed demolition charges under
>>his
>>> spars and blew him up. Then they bulldozed him into a ditch. And he lies
>>buried
>>> over there to this day. I can't help but feel that with Willie a small part
>>of
>>> each of us will always lie over there with him.
>>
>>I can see how you'd feel that way, Art. But consider this -
>>Willie's a part of Europe now.
>
> I guess all of us who fought there are a small part of Europe now.

You are, whether they like it or not. The work you guys (FOr you
guys, I mean all the Allied soldiers, sailers, and Airmen did changed
teh character of a Continent more profoundly than any other
event. (Even Ghenghis Khan, or the Ottoman Turks didn't effect that
much change). Western Europe has had no war on its soil for nearly 60
years. That's unprecedented.

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster

[[email protected]]

(Peter Stickney) wrote:

>In article >,
> (ArtKramr) writes:
>> When the war ended they took Willie away, placed demolition charges under his
>> spars and blew him up. Then they bulldozed him into a ditch. And he lies buried
>> over there to this day. I can't help but feel that with Willie a small part of
>> each of us will always lie over there with him.
>
>I can see how you'd feel that way, Art. But consider this -
>Willie's a part of Europe now. I don't know if the Aluminum was
>salvages, or his carcass was just used as fill, but either way,
>Willie, and by association, you and your crew, and all the other
>airplanes and crews who left something over there have left a Western
>Europe that's seen a longer periop of peace tha any other time in
>their history. We, adn they, may not always agree, but nobody in
>France, or Germany, or the Britsh Isles, or the Low Countries, or
>anywhere else, is going to sleep tonight worried about their neigbors
>invading, or resolving some perceived slight by force of arms.
>That is a legacy that was worth fighting for.
>
>(A pacifistic Germany! Who'd have thought it?)



Gotta agree...
--

-Gord.

[George Z. Bush]

Gord Beaman wrote:
> (Peter Stickney) wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> (ArtKramr) writes:
>>> When the war ended they took Willie away, placed demolition charges under
>>> his spars and blew him up. Then they bulldozed him into a ditch. And he
>>> lies buried over there to this day. I can't help but feel that with Willie
>>> a small part of each of us will always lie over there with him.
>>
>> I can see how you'd feel that way, Art. But consider this -
>> Willie's a part of Europe now. I don't know if the Aluminum was
>> salvages, or his carcass was just used as fill, but either way,
>> Willie, and by association, you and your crew, and all the other
>> airplanes and crews who left something over there have left a Western
>> Europe that's seen a longer periop of peace tha any other time in
>> their history. We, adn they, may not always agree, but nobody in
>> France, or Germany, or the Britsh Isles, or the Low Countries, or
>> anywhere else, is going to sleep tonight worried about their neigbors
>> invading, or resolving some perceived slight by force of arms.
>> That is a legacy that was worth fighting for.
>>
>> (A pacifistic Germany! Who'd have thought it?)
>
>
>
> Gotta agree...

Come to think of it, me, too. Now, if we can just figure out how to calm these
terrorists down, the whole world might be a better place in which to live, and
not just Europe.


George Z.

[The CO]

"ArtKramr" > wrote in message
...
> >Subject: Re: IN REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIE THE WOLF
>>From: "Simcoe Warrior"
>>Date: 8/9/2004 1:57 PM Pacific Standard Time
>>Message-id: >

> Very interesting. Our nose art was designed ny Walt Disney studios.
> Note that
> the rendition of the wolf is very different on the RCAF planes as on
> our
> Marauder. I have no idea who came up with the name Willie the Wolf.
> Probably
> Disney I guess.

I've got a pic (somewhere) of a Brit Liberator with wolf nose art. I
*think* it was 614SQN
but don't quote me on that. I'll see if I can find it..

The CO

[The CO]

"Andrew Chaplin" > wrote in message
...

> Was not the Commonwealth phonetic alphabet "W" for "William" at the
> time? It would not be a stretch for crew to link it to a wolf.

Actually I think it was one of the few that carried over into the ICAO
phonetic.
I'll have to look it up (if I can find a copy somewhere) but I'm fairly
sure it was 'whisky'.

The CO

[ArtKramr]

>Subject: Re: IN REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIE THE WOLF
>From: "The CO"
>Date: 8/9/2004 11:57 PM Pacific Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>
>"ArtKramr" > wrote in message
...
>
>> I'd love to see it if you can find it.
>
>I reckon it's at home. I'll have a look tonight.
>
>> But deep in my heart there was only one
>> Willie the Wolf. (sigh)
>
>Of course. Even as a sometime (civilian) flyer there was a feeling
>that aircraft are somehow just a little more than the metal they are
>made of. Same with ships I guess.
>The old Cessna 150 I learned to fly in in the early 70's is (apparently)
>still
>mustering cattle way out west somewhere... I'd really love to get my
>hands
>on it....
>
>The CO


There are onlyt two of us left now, my pilot and myself. But whenever we get
together we often talk of Willie.



Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer