Crosswind - Class 43-K Primary - 29 Palms Air Academy - J - Pages 16 and 17 - 1943

My Grandfather, Lewis Wells, was a Bomber Pilot in World War II, flying B-17's with the 8th Air Force, 95th Bomb Group, 334th Bomb Squadron out of Horham, England.

 

Before flying his 35 missions, he was in training for 15 months at various schools and Army Air Force bases. (Santa Ana - Twentynine Palms - Lancaster - Marfa - Sioux City - Lincoln)

 

This 'yearbook' was a momento of his time spent in Primary Training at Twentynine Palms, California, where he learned to pilot his first aircraft, the PT-17 Stearman bi-plane.

 

When interviewing him about his experiences he stated that he learned after the war that only 5% of those he was with in Primary went on to complete a full tour of duty unscathed (Due to washouts

and deaths in training or being captured, injured or killed in combat).

 

My grandfather's wife, Helen who had become friends with two of the pilots on this page, Arthur Vincent and Layton Vermie, later heard about their fate in a letter from Arthur's sister, Clara. Though long, I can't help feeling the loss every time I read it and it brings home the reality of the war:

 

December 15, 1944 – Clara Vincent (Dodge City, Kansas)

to Helen (Pleasant Grove)

Dear Mrs. Wells:

We were all so happy to hear from you again, we have spoken

many times of your friendliness and hospitality while we were in your

apartment, and we had wondered where you were stationed. So many

things have happened since that happy time we spent with you.

 

Yes, Laurel Grace went with Art (Vince to you) he bought a ‘41

Mercury Coach and they loaded up bags, baggage and BABY and left for

Salt Lake City at the end of his furlough, then they were sent to Colorado

Springs and arrived there Xmas Day. They rented a Cabin at the Rodeo

Courts and Art drove back and forth to Peterson Field which was not far.

He drew B-24 for his ship.

 

We visited them the first week in March and

all of us were together again and we did a bit of sight seeing around

Manitou and Colorado Springs, it was delightful weather while we were

there so had a nice time. We met all of the crew and liked them

immensely. Laurel Grace and Duffy had a swell time and gave little

dinners for the boys and took them on sight seeing trips and when their

wives and mothers came to visit, she took them shopping when the boys

were busy so the boys just spoiled them both.

 

Duffy thought that crew was just to amuse him and they greatly improved L.G.’s dancing as they

would all go and give her a whirl, she laughs about 3 of the officers going

with her to choose a formal for one of the important dances and how each

had definite ideas of what she should have - but she compromised on

white formal and red roses. Then the last week they were sent to the

staging area at Topeka Field-that is where my husband’s folks all live or

very near so L.G., Tom, Virginia and I left as soon as Art called and we

stayed until they left for overseas, had a week and after the boys were

restricted to camp we could stay out with them until midnight. We grew

so very fond of all the crew as we were the only folks any of them had as

the married boys had sent their wives home, so they treated us royally,

the Pilot (he had patrolled the gulf for 10 months for submarines and had

the most hours of any of the pilots) was really a swell fellow, a bit older

than the others and he was a Southern Gentleman in every sense of the

word, had a soft voice, commanded respect, handsome and wonderful

manners, he was doing more to rub the Western Kansas off of Art and

making an officer and a gentleman of him as well as a flying officer than

the Cadet schools had done, but the Bombardier was the one who was a

pal-his Dad was a Major in the Marines and nearly disowned Tommy

Yandoh when he joined up with the Army Air force, he had served in the

African invasion as a gunner and then back to the States to the

Bombardier School, he was from New York State. We took him with us

to Kansas City and to all the relatives for feeds, we liked him so much.

 

They left Topeka for overseas April 8, first stop was Miami, then

Trinidad then different places in South America where Art met a school

friend from Bucklin Kansas at Berlin, Brazil, then to Ascension Island,

and to a couple of places in Africa and then to England. The first night

he was in England he met Layton Vermie in an Officer’s Club-such a

reunion, – poor Yondoh wrote us that night with a definitely lost tone then

Art’s crew went to Ireland for their last training phase (He sent me

a beautiful Irish linen table cloth, it has a laundry mark but will be an

heirloom for generations – large for family dinners).

 

Art never saw Vermie again for Vermie was reported missing May 19 and I don’t think

Art ever learned about that for he wrote once that he could not find

Vemie after he returned to England but would try again and then Art was

reported missing June 23 and then Sept. 25 we had word from the War

Dept that report thru the German Government and International Red

Cross that he died June 23 and as that was the day he was listed as

missing they were forced to put him on the death list.

 

Two of the crew – the engineer and radio man were reported German prisoners – so we

had high hopes that we would hear the same good news in time – if one

might conceive prisoner of war as good news. Freda Vermie writes us

that all of the crew of the B-17 have been accounted except Vermie but

she does not hear that he is dead but that is a long long wait. Thanks to

Laurel Grace we had every home address of the crew and so we wrote to

each other all summer and that has helped us so much, when the war is

over and the boys return from prison camp, we are going to go to

Springfield, Mo. and visit with the radio man for what details he can give

us.

 

It still just doesn’t seem possible that anything could happen to Art, he has always been so full of life but the whole crew were just such swell

fellows it seems a pity for the country to lose them for the next generation

is going to need that type of men to keep things moving. We rec’d the

Purple Heart last week and L.G. has been getting papers to sign, so you

can see that it must be true.

 

(One of Tom’s sisters goes to a medium in Kansas City for

advice often and she insists that he is well and

safe but working in an underground factory for

the German government – forced labor – but

that we will hear eventually – my husband

clings to that ray of hope – I wish it eased mine

but I know how Art would hate that and I just

don’t have faith but of course I really do not

know about spiritualism and I am the kind that

would have never visualized radio or airplanes

or even a mouse trap)

 

Sunday afternoon

I have been trying to write you at odd

moments at the office as you can see at a glance

from this garbled affair. We moved to Dodge

City in September, my husband had been

employed at the Dodge City Airbase for over a

year and was driving almost 100 miles a day

round trip from Copeland. I started to work at

the Base Sept 21, you will laugh when I tell you

I am called “Secretary” to the Civilian Training

Co-ordinator but I am listed as a Clerk typist

(junior) and I made a CAF-2 rating in Civil

Service – was surprised at myself for it had been

so many years since I had done this type of

work. I like it very much, my work is routine

work, but I have lots of posting and enjoyed

research work, I interview new employees and

try to make them feel welcomed and part of this

great concern of “Keep ‘em Flying.”

 

I am learning so many things but Military

Correspondence is my biggest bug bear at the present and these ever

lasting inspectors! Also I am the only person in the office who is over 35

years of age. Even the men’s wives are young girls just out of school on

their first jobs – BUT they all treat me swell, tho they haven’t offered me

a cigarette so I know I am definitely dated. I do admire the young

women of this generation, the way they are following their husbands,

living in crowded places, holding downjobs and making homes wherever

they are. I am sure the women were not so self reliant during the last war

as a general rule.

 

Virginia is making a very good adjustment to this larger H.S.

and finds the same type of school friends here

that she left at Copeland. I went with her this

afternoon to the Vesper Services, she sang with

the High School Chorus. It was very nice.

Laurel Grace is going to Copeland

High School, she had never finished her Senior

year, her mother keeps Duffy, they come here

nearly every weekend and stay at least one night

with us.

 

Duffy is so pretty and sweet, has red

curly hair, he does not want to leave us, he

especially likes men in uniform. L.G. says she

sometimes can’t hardly stay in school but she

keeps thinking how proud Art would be of her

if she gets her diploma.

 

Another young girl, whose husband was a gunner on a B-17 and

crashed over Austria in April is back with her

parents with her year and a half old daughter

and she is finishing her high school, she is

taking more subjects than L.G. but the two girls

have a lot in common and help each other over

hard places for after all they are just not classed

as giddy young teenagers.

 

Tell your husband how very happy we

were to hear about him and you and the Baby

and we pray that he will return home safely.

Arthur thought so much of you and Vermie.

Did you know that Vermie drew B-17 for his

ship and was sent to Louisiana for training?

Freda did not go with him to Salt Lake City and

he was just sick about it when Art and L.G.

arrived in a car and they were able to get an apartment, but Art was

transferred to Colorado a couple of weeks before Vermie was but Freda

was with him for 3 months. She wrote to both Laurel Grace and I – tho

my correspondence is in need of a private secretary all by itself.

 

We do not feel very festive this Xmas as Tommy and Ellen can’t

come. We are invited to Holly but don’t know if we can go. We see

Tommy often as he fires passenger trains into Dodge from La Junta,

Colo.

Thanks so very much for writing to us. It has cheered us a lot.

I have a beautiful poinsettia by me which one of the clubs at Copeland

sent me. My friends there have been wonderful this summer and fall, one

hates to have sorrow or trouble to learn how many, many friends they

really have, but it is indeed a comfort.

 

Do write us again and give our very best wishes to Lewis.

Sincerely your friend,

Clara Vincent

P.S. Art was commissioned in Ireland, he was offered his 2nd Lieut. at

Colorado Springs as their crew rated so highly (received one of the first

five new ships that were flown in fromWillow Run, Michigan – only 15

new ones came for that class of 90 crews – Art said it was because of

“J.D.” the pilot but he said Art had had the third highest grades in the

class of 168 pilots and co-pilots so I think it was because the whole crew

were tops) – they were advised to wait for their promotion until they were

overseas and so Art received his in Ireland.

 

Art was 23 on D-Day, he wrote that he had 4 hours sleep in 48 hours as he was so busy celebrating

his birthday, it was not quite the way he would have liked for a party but

he wouldn’t have missed the Big Show for anything.

 

I have tried to tell you some of the things that have happened this past year, if we are

fortunate enough to get a good message we’ll remember you at once.

I keep thinking of things to tell you, Art’s crew had their plane

so badly shot up that they barely arrived in England but could not reach

Home Base – said no one was hurt – Thank God – but badly scared and

were to be issued another plane – we do not think they could have made

more than one or two missions after that, they went down approximately

2 miles east of Brussels so the Wing Commander wrote us that they

encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire and were seen to drop out of

formation and disappear in the undercast. The telegram said over France

but the letter gave the time as 8:30 P.M. and we thought they were on

their return trip.

 

We hope to see you again someday.

Our address is: 1709 Avenue -

Dodge City, Kansas

 

 

he has always been so full of life but the whole crew were just such swell

fellows it seems a pity for the country to lose them for the next generation

is going to need that type of men to keep things moving. We rec’d the

Purple Heart last week and L.G. has been getting papers to sign, so you

can see that it must be true.

(One of Tom’s sisters goes to a medium in Kansas City for

advice often and she insists that he is well and

safe but working in an underground factory for

the German government – forced labor – but

that we will hear eventually – my husband

clings to that ray of hope – I wish it eased mine

but I know how Art would hate that and I just

don’t have faith but of course I really do not

know about spiritualism and I am the kind that

would have never visualized radio or airplanes

or even a mouse trap)

Sunday afternoon

I have been trying to write you at odd

moments at the office as you can see at a glance

from this garbled affair. We moved to Dodge

City in September, my husband had been

employed at the Dodge City Airbase for over a

year and was driving almost 100 miles a day

round trip from Copeland. I started to work at

the Base Sept 21, you will laugh when I tell you

I am called “Secretary” to the Civilian Training

Co-ordinator but I am listed as a Clerk typist

(junior) and I made a CAF-2 rating in Civil

Service – was surprised at myself for it had been

so many years since I had done this type of

work. I like it very much, my work is routine

work, but I have lots of posting and enjoyed

research work, I interview new employees and

try to make them feel welcomed and part of this

great concern of “Keep ‘em Flying.” I am

learning so many things but Military

Correspondence is my biggest bug bear at the present and these ever

lasting inspectors! Also I am the only person in the office who is over 35

years of age. Even the men’s wives are young girls just out of school on

their first jobs – BUT they all treat me swell, tho they haven’t offered me

a cigarette so I know I am definitely dated. I do admire the young

women of this generation, the way they are following their husbands,

living in crowded places, holding downjobs and making homes wherever

they are. I am sure the women were not so self reliant during the last war

as a general rule.

Virginia is making a very good adjustment to this larger H.S.

and finds the same type of school friends here

that she left at Copeland. I went with her this

afternoon to the Vesper Services, she sang with

the High School Chorus. It was very nice.

Laurel Grace is going to Copeland

High School, she had never finished her Senior

year, her mother keeps Duffy, they come here

nearly every weekend and stay at least one night

with us. Duffy is so pretty and sweet, has red

curly hair, he does not want to leave us, he

especially likes men in uniform. L.G. says she

sometimes can’t hardly stay in school but she

keeps thinking how proud Art would be of her

if she gets her diploma. Another young girl,

whose husband was a gunner on a B-17 and

crashed over Austria in April is back with her

parents with her year and a half old daughter

and she is finishing her high school, she is

taking more subjects than L.G. but the two girls

have a lot in common and help each other over

hard places for after all they are just not classed

as giddy young teenagers.

Tell your husband how very happy we

were to hear about him and you and the Baby

and we pray that he will return home safely.

Arthur thought so much of you and Vermie.

Did you know that Vermie drew B-17 for his

ship and was sent to Louisiana for training?

Freda did not go with him to Salt Lake City and

he was just sick about it when Art and L.G.

arrived in a car and they were able to get an apartment, but Art was

transferred to Colorado a couple of weeks before Vermie was but Freda

was with him for 3 months. She wrote to both Laurel Grace and I – tho

my correspondence is in need of a private secretary all by itself.

Done