With great interest, I read the remark earlier in this guestbook about the new novel about the B17 pilot and ordered the book (The Triumph & the Glory)from amazon.com. What a great story! It reminded me of all of the heroism and sacrifice so many men like the crew of the Belle displayed in order to preserve freedom for us all.

Hello: I am trying to find out about my uncle, Frederick Dahl,age 19, from Philadelphia Pennsylvania, who served as a navigator in WWII on a B-17 and was shot down and killed over Germany.

Tom Ormiston,
If you haven't already done so please do take some time out to come along to the Tower Museum on the camp. Give me a call on 01462 835787 to arrange a convenient date & time.
Steve Pena. Curator Bassingbourn Tower Museum.
http://members.aol.com/an6530/museum.htm

I am a serving serviceman with the British Army in Bassingbourn. A visit to any war cemetary brings home the reason why we must remember those who went before us. We owe them everything! We should not let our children forget.

To anyone who may be interested, I recently visited the American War Cemetary at Madingly, Cambridge and it is a credit to all who lie there.

great page about great men!
this information helps us later born to understand and
be thankful for what they did for the world.

Dear Men of the B-17,
My name is Cory and I am 16 years old. I know I can't know how it felt over there every day but, from what I read and from reading my second cousin letters(who was lossed),who was in the 3rd army.I can get a vague picture. What I wanted to say is that I am thankful for the costs you put on the line each day that you were over there. I thank you for what you did and am proud to call myself an American.I wish I could say thank you to all of you one by one.
sincerely yours,
Cory W. Aron

Dear Men of the B-17:

I was five year old when you were flying missions over Nazi held Europe. I was too young to understand then, but through the years have read widely about your heroism and bravery. I have been moved by your devotion to duty and to your shipmates. I think that I understand somewhat having served as a Radioman in the cruiser Macon during the Korean War era.

I own numerous books and several prints of B-17 and about spectacular missions over Nazi Germany. I attend airshows and stand quietly in the shadow of the B-17 if I'm fortunate enough to be in the company of one; or a B-24 or other warbird of the era to look deeply with glazed eyes for images I cannot bring into focus, for sounds of voices and engines I've never heard, for quite contemplation the intention of which is to bond with you, the aircrews of the B-17 as you did your duty ... day after day in the face of overwhelming odds.

My spirit is with you and those of your members who fell from the skies over Europe, who wasted away in POW camps, and who have gone before you.

I revere you, one and all. May God Bless you!

Robert Dickinson

My grandfather (Leon W. Bryant) was a tail-gunner in a B-17 in the 401st Squadron 91st Bomb Group. I was back home for a visit last weekend and was looking through some of his papers from the war, one of particular interest was documentation of the missions he flew. He turned 81 on October 1st and I would love to have any information available about his group and crew. I'm in the process of getting copies of all of his papers. When I was little he gave my sister and I some of his pictures from the war, which I treasure, but he's reluctant to talk about the time he served in Bassingbourn. It's important to me that my generation and future generations understand the sacrafices of all the men and women who served during World War II. It is my fear that the future generations will never fully understand and appreciate what these brave men and women did for the world.

I think this is a great site and hope it continues.

Thanks,
Wendi S. (Bryant) Earhart

I am curious to know if anyone could offer any information (stories, facts, thoughts....) of my grandfather, 2nd Lt. John C. Pullen, pilot of the Mary Lou, 323rd. I visited Bassingborn this past May and enjoyed learning more about him, his crew, and the entire 91st. My grandfather rarely talked about his experiences, and only recently did he start to open up. Unfortunately to all who knew him, he passed away a few days ago. I would very much like to learn more about a man whom I've mainly known only as a grandfather.

Also, I would like to extend my thanks to Mr. Penna for his hospitality and generosity during my visit to Bassingborn, and to Jim and Suzi for this great web-site. Thank you all.

I was with the 91st Bomb Group, 401st Bomb Squadron, from Dec 1, 1943 to Jul 20, 1944. I flew 28 combat missions and was shot down on my 29th, a mission to Liepzig, Germany, on Jul 20, 1944. On that date our group lost 8 Flying Fortresses. I, along with many others who have done so, have just completed my own book, named "Destiny's Child", covering my experiences during WWII, focusing mainly on my combat missions and life as a Prisoner of War of the German Laffewaffe. I would like to hear from others whom had shared the same or similiar experiences as myself.