On this day in 1944 the Germans began shelling theWirtz-Bastogne crossroad in an attempt to push the 101st Airborne out of the defense of Bastogne. They failed. .Temperature went down to below freezing in the bitter cold of that Belgian winter and the 101st was down to eating K rations. Those...

Since I started this thread on instructors who have have combat experience versus those who have not, 100% of the replies were in favor of instructors who have never been to combat. Many state that they would rather have an instructor who was skilled at instructing suggesting that once you have...

Remembering an Instructor I remember my bombing instructor at Big Springs. He was a burly fellow with a booming voice and a gruff, in your face manner. He had flown a tour with the Bloody 100th Bomb Group over Berlin and. lived to tell the tale, Now I had inherited him. He always yelled,...

When I went to flight school in WW II every instructor we had was a combat veteran who returned after a full combat tour of duty was completed to instruct. My Bomb instructor was a bombardier with the "Bloody 100th" Bomb Group. He flew 25 missions, most of them England to Berlin with no...

This letter came this morning. It makes having a website worthwhile. Dear Art, My name is Cheryl (Monson) Guthrie, Bob's niece. Firstly, I can barely contain myself as I am overwhelmed with emotion finding and reading your website. After he passed away, the War pictures and treasures were found,...

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

Read, "The War Ended, But the Dying Went On". It is one of the stories on my website. Arthur Kramer 344th BG 494th BS England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany Visit my WW II B-26 website at: http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

Many experts in military law consider the term military justice a contradiction in terms. For example, you are charged with a crime by the military. The judge is military, The prosecuting attourney is military, your defense attourney is military and the entire jury is military. There is no...

It was now the 21st. The sky was heavly overcast with a lot of ground fog as well and freezing temperatures. We all walked around looking at the sky for any sign of a break in the weather. Then we all descended on the Metro office where our weatherman 1st.Lt. Paul Forant (Boston) was working up...

It was now the 21st. The sky was heavlky overcast with a lot of ground fog as well and freezing temperatures. We all walked around looking at the sky for any sign of a break in the weather. Then we all descended on the Metro office where our weatherman 1st.Lt. Paul Forant (Boston) was working up...

There has been some talk of men who wanted combat but due to "timing" or "luck" they missed out. Well if you are in a unit that won't get into the fight, just try this. Go to your CO and say," Sir, I hear the 344th is moving out to the ETO. I want to go with them. Here is my transfer request....

On this day in 1944 German units had St. Vith under fire. They were delayed until the 21st. thereby slowing their advance and contributing to their defeat. American losses were heavy. Lest we forget. Arthur Kramer 344th BG 494th BS England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany Visit my WW II B-26...

SHOULD YOU OPEN FIRE? Easy question right? Are you sure? Let's take a case in point. You are sitting in the top turret of a bomber. You spot a formation of fighters coming toward you. They are clearly the P-51 fighter escort you have been waiting for. "About time they showed up", you are...

What then? The war in central Europe (ETO) could have gotten our full resouces, D Day would have been a year earlier and the war would have been over a lot sooner, German troops in No. Africa and the MTO would have simply been isolated and would died on the vine. Why not? Regards,

Flight Simulators as used on PC's should not be called simulators because they simulate too damned little. Call them flight trainers. That is a far more accurate description by far. Except the ones that are just games. Call them flight games. After all else has failed, always resort to reality no...

This has to be the most acitve and responsive threads in the history of this NG. And it has only been around for about two weeks if that. I guess it goes to the very core of widespread aviation interests generating passion, flames as well as thoughtful gentlemanly responses. And it all started...

Their heroic record speaks for itself. And it seems that the only ones who question that are back-biting, carping, do-nothings who themselves have no record of acheivement. Arthur Kramer Visit my WW II B-26 website at: http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

Subject: Long-range Spitfires and daylight Bomber Command raids (was: #1 Jet of World War II) From: (Peter Stickney) Date: 8/21/03 7:27 PM Pacific Daylight Time I'll disagree here. You want two pilots so they can take turns flying tight formation. For night...

TEST Arthur Kramer Visit my WW II B-26 website at: http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING IN MARAUDERS When we were all in cadet school at Big Spring, what we talked about most was what type of aircraft we would be assigned to; B-17, B-24, B-25, A-20 or the grand prize of all; the fast, hot B-26 Martin Marauder. As the term went on and we approached graduation...