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Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society Newsletter Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society Newsletter WantIssue to #135 help — July separate— 2019 Issue #135 — July — 2019 The C/DPHS is an association of individuals THE real history from hearsay? dedicated to the preservation of the history of our community. To the preservation of the region's oral CLAYTON/DEER PARK history, literary history, social history, graphic and pictorial history, and our history as represented by HISTORICAL SOCIETY the region’s artifacts and structures. To the preservation of this history for future generations. Illustration from the March 28, 1918 edition of the To the art of making this common heritage accessible to the public. And to the act of collaborating with other individuals and Mortarboard organizations sharing similar goals. © C/DPHS Twenty-Six Missions: .m., The Robert Willis Grove Story by Wally Lee Parker With the assistance of Gordon Grove, Mike Paulick, Charles Stewart, Ken Westby, and many others. Side Annex of the Old Station Fire on “A” Street. (Part Four) Farm Implement News. Free — Take One — Take Free Second Saturday of month,each beginning at 10:00a … to England … toward an unknowable future is hard to say. But of two things we can be sure. Their in- It was the 27 th of August, 1942. With struments told them they were headed toward NEW VENUE FORNEWMEETINGS — EVERYONE’S WELCOME. VENUE the chill waters of the North Atlantic some the European war at an indicated 185 miles per Join the 9,000 feet below, a loose formation of nine hour. And in prior weeks the 92 nd Bombard- brand-new B-17F Flying Fortresses winged ment Group’s other three squadrons — the toward the gathering dawn. Those onboard 325 th , 326 th and 327 th — had traveled this still awake would have seen the last greenish same route. So at least a few things would be Clayton/Deer Park Behind (south side) Deer Park’s HallCity — The West glimmers of that night’s Aurora Borealis fade familiar once the 407 th reached its assigned into an otherwise empty sky. Whether Willis base in England. Grove or any of the young airmen could sleep Each of the squadron’s Fortresses Historical Society. as the 407 th Bombardment Squadron droned was stuffed with as many pounds of tools and page 1881 Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society Newsletter Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society Newsletter Issue #135 — July — 2019 Issue #135 — July — 2019 spare parts allowable. In one aircraft that as- made sense, not a small amount of grumbling was causing attacking fighters to open fire too sorted cargo included nine cases of bourbon seems to have occurred within the 92 nd . soon and breakaway too early. This unfamili- whiskey — all of which had to be jettisoned Grumbling aside, one morning just arity is a common explanation why the Luft- mid-ocean after one of the bomber’s engines over a month later Willis Grove found himself waffe wasn’t as effective early on in the war died and everything nonessential was dropped preparing for the real thing. as it should have been. But statistics seem to Photo from the Gordon Grove collection. to lessen the load on the remaining three. suggest they learned soon enough. The 92 nd ’s B-17s were the first heavy … the October 9 th raid on Lille ... As for the gunners on the Fortresses, bombers to fly the North Atlantic route in a the manner in which the interceptors dropped single hop. Their bomb bays had been fitted On the afternoon of October 9 th , away after an attack reportedly led crewmen to with auxiliary tanks so each plane could carry 1942, reports of a massive aerial raid into oc- believe they’d downed the attackers when an extra 500 gallons of fuel — the objective cupied France peppered the various afternoon actually few if any of the planes had been hit being to cross the 2,100 miles between the editions of the Spokane Chronicle . Rehashing Initially the airmen were shocked by how airfields at Gander, Newfoundland and Prest- the prior day’s events, the front page of the quickly each enemy fighter came into and then wich, Scotland without having to stop in next morning’s Spokesmen-Review blared “U. back out of range — just a few seconds. But Greenland to refuel as previous flights of B- S. Daylight Raid on Lille is Colossal Blow the Americans would also learn. 17s had done. from Air .” As with many wartime headlines, The 92 nd ’s groundcrews and heavy the real story was very different. … a mid-air collision … equipment had already crossed the Atlantic by Located near the border with Bel- ship and were waiting on the far side. gium in northern France, the city of Lille’s The October 9 th raid was one of sev- In the weeks prior to the flight over, population at the beginning of World War Ⅱ eral instances in which the 8 th Army Air nd the aircrews had first transferred from Florida Robert Willis Grove was around 200,000. As the crow flies, down- Force’s declaration that the 92 Group would to Westover Army Airfield near Springfield, town Lille was about 175 miles from the be allowed to “fly some combat missions while Photo probably taken while nd Massachusetts, and then to Dow Army Air- nd 92 ’s airfield at Bovingdon. The primary training replacement crews ” was acted upon. field at Bangor, Maine. While at Bangor, the 92 Bombardment Squadron stationed at targets for the October 9 th raid were the rail- The following account of Willis Grove’s par- 92 nd exchanged its well-worn B-17Es for the Bovingdon. Chalk on bomb appears to read road, engineering, and manufacturing facilities ticipation in that raid, and the mid-air collision much more capable B-17Fs. They also once “From Sgt. Grove.” located around the city’s perimeter. most every story about the raid references, has again engaged in antisubmarine patrols, this Several notable firsts were involved been drawn from multiple sources — the most time in the waters off Boston. ment. The 92 nd ‘s assigned job at the airfield in this raid. Consisting of a mixed force of 84 valuable being first-person narratives penned As recorded in J. Kemp McLaugh- was to staff the 8 th Army Air Force’s first B-17 Flying Fortresses and 24 B-24 Libera- by certain of the men aboard the three aircraft lin’s book, The Mighty Eighth in WWⅡ: A Combat Crew Replacement Center (CCRC) tors, this was the first time over 100 heavy directly involved in this notable sliver of histo- Memoir , the only act of war undertaken by the — that designation meaning their task was to bombers were assembled for a single attack. ry. What we don’t have is Willis’s own recol- 407 th during this period was the possible continue the training of arriving personnel This was the first time the 8 th Air Force’s B-24 lections of that event. wounding of a whale by machinegun fire — prior to said personnel’s transfer to actual Liberators were sent over occupied Europe. Regarding the last, there’s nothing that loosed through the nose of a craft by one combat units. With this reallocation came the And this was the first time B-17s from the remarkable in that. As Willis’s son, Gordon, of the squadron’s bombardiers. Though the stipulation that the 92 nd would “fly some com- 407 th Squadron were sent into action. noted, his father seldom talked about his part memoir doesn’t identify which bombardier, bat missions while training replacement The initial claim of massive damage in the war — a reluctance not uncommon then Lieutenant McLaughlin, as one of the crews .” as reported in Spokane’s newspapers proved among that era’s combat veterans. group’s pilots, doubtless knew. As part of its revised mission, the wildly exaggerated. Most of the bombs fell Documents supplied by Gordon After landing in Scotland, the 407 th 92 nd was ordered to relinquish its freshly ac- wide of the mark, and only two enemy fighters Grove indicate that on October 1 st , eight days flew south to England to join the rest of the quired B-17Fs to the 97 th Bombardment Group were downed. Four American bombers were before the raid on Lille, Willis was elevated 92 nd Bombardment Group at their new home — the 97 th having ten days earlier engaged in lost, and 48 damaged — two beyond repair. from the rank of Sergeant to that of Staff Ser- base near the small village of Bovingdon, the 8 th Air Force’s first heavy bomber sortie Ten airmen were wounded and 29 reported geant. Documents gathered from other some 20 miles northwest of London. into occupied Europe. In exchange for its missing in action. sources indicate that Willis was assigned as Among the first news received after brand-new bombers, the 92 nd was given the This was the first time most of these bombardier on a B-17E named Phyllis — tail landing at Bovingdon was this disappoint- 97 th ’s well-worn B-17Es. While the exchange airmen had to deal with lethal countermeas- number 19020 — for the October 9 th raid. ures. Meanwhile the Luftwaffe was busy try- Phyllis, previously among the 97 th Bombard- Page 1881 illustration from 1943’s “Pilot Operating Instructions for Army Models B-17.” ing to learn how to down the American bomb- ment Group’s aircraft, was one of the older ‘E’ United States Army Air Forces.

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