Charlie Wolfe's combat diary lay hidden in an attic trunk until 1991. He had been with the 376th Heavy Bombardment Group in North Africa and Italy -- one of the most highly decorated bomber units of World War II. Charlie never spoke of his service tour. Missions to Regensburg, Wiener-Neustadt, Casinno, Steyr, Anzio Beachhead, Ploesti -- all of the big ones -- as well as dozens of battles less remembered where men were still blown out of the sky to flaming death or to be captured as prisoners of war. Charlie was bombardier on a B24 Liberator, the bomber with the greatest range and heaviest bomb load at that time, and our most produced bomber. The brief notations in his diary whetted an appetite for more information, which was found at annual reunions of the 376th where scores of men who flew with Charlie were interviewed. What emerged is the gripping saga of one bomber crew who fought boredom, terror, enemy aircraft, flak, mud and death of comrades whose ships were torn apart over the skies of North Africa, Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy, France, Hungary, Austria and Germany. The shared memories of surviving members of the 376th filled in the brief words of Charlie's diary and present a powerful story of a bomber crew's day by day struggles to complete their mission and stay alive. To face such odds once would be terrifying, yet they faced them fifty times. Bombardier's Diary is a look back to a slice of time in the greatest war of this century.
McCollom became hooked on the B24 Liberator ever since one flew over his home in Pennsylvania when he was 12. He discovered Charlie Wolfe's diary in 1991 and discovered that he had been a bombardier on a Liberator in one of the most highly decorated bomber groups of WWII and started to hunt down everything he could find about that ship and th 376th Heavy Bombardment Group.
This item is eligible for simple returns within 30 days of delivery. Return shipping is the responsibility of the customer. See our returns policy for further details.
