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Jimmy Stewart: Flying High Without a Scandal! a BIOGRAPHICAL BOOK REVIEW by HAP CHANDLER (491St) and ANDY LOW (453Rd)

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Jimmy Stewart: Flying High Without a Scandal! a BIOGRAPHICAL BOOK REVIEW by HAP CHANDLER (491St) and ANDY LOW (453Rd) Volume 36 Number 1 Spring 1997 Jimmy Stewart: Flying High Without a Scandal! A BIOGRAPHICAL BOOK REVIEW BY HAP CHANDLER (491st) AND ANDY LOW (453rd) n February of 1941, Metro Goldwyn Mayer gave one of its greatest farewell parties to Academy Award winning super- Istar Jimmy Stewart. Louis B. Mayer,legendary chief of the studio, "wanted to fly the flag at half mast." Mayer had used his considerable persuasive talents to convince Stewart that his best interest would be served by remaining in Hollywood. Stewart demurred, and nine months before Pearl Harbor he enlisted as a private at age 32, well beyond draft age. In Octo- ber 1943 he would lead the 703rd Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group to Tibenham, England and combat with the United States 8th Air Force. After qualifying and initially assigned as a B-24 instructor pilot, he sought assignment to an overseas combat unit. Col. Robert Terrell, Commander of the 445th Bomb Group,selected Stewart to command the 703rd Squadron. As its commander he led sixteen of the squadron's aircraft to England in October, 1943. Over the next twenty-one months he flew a complete tour of missions as a command pilot. By the end of the war he was a colonel in the 2nd Combat Bomb Wing of the 2nd Air Division, which consisted of the 445th, 453rd, and 389th Bomb Groups. He brought this wing home from England on the Queen Eliza- beth. Legend has it that Stewart personally shook the hand of every man in his organization as they debarked in New York. You will find many prominent members of the Second Air Division Association in the course of Stewart's career, including Andy Low, his roommate at the 453rd BG; Gen. Robert Terrell of the 445th who brought him to England; Ramsay Potts, com- mander of the 453rd when Jimmy was transferred there to be- come Group Operations Officer after 20 combat missions with the 445th; and Gen.Ted Timberlake, under whom he served as Executive Officer of the 2nd Wing. Stewart earned a reputation as an officer who had a special regard for his men. Walter Strawinslci thinks this was noticeable when he was not flying:"Stewart was known as being one of the few officers who never left the airfield tower until every single MAJOR JIMMY STEWART is awarded another Oak Leaf Cluster to his plane returned ... Jimmy would never move until every single Air Medal for completing 20 combat missions as Commander of the plane was back on the ground and accounted for. It was the kind 703rd Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group in March 1944 before being of small detail that was very important among the men, and transferred to the 453rd BG and later to the 2nd Combat Bomb Wing they all tucked it away." Walter Matthau, another "Hollywood (389th, 445th, and 453rd Bomb Groups)to complete his tour of duty. (continued on page 3) DIRECTORY HONORARY PRESIDENT JORDAN UTTAL 7824 Meadow Park Drive, Apt. 101, Dallas, TX 75230 OFFICERS President NEAL SORENSEN 132 Peninsula Road, Medicine Lake, MN 55441-4112 Executive Vice President OAK MACKEY 6406 East Presidio, Mesa, AZ 85215-0972 Vice President Membership EVELYN COHEN Bldg. 6, Apt. 410. 9355 State Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19114-4015 Vice President Communications JOHN S. deCANI 226 West Rittenhouse Sq. #1715, Philadelphia, PA 19103 TABLE OF CONTENTS Treasurer E.(BILL) NOTHSTEIN 40 Meadow Drive, Spencerport, NY 14559 President's Message 467th Poop from Group Secretary and Director of Administrative Services DAVID G. PATTERSON NEAL SORENSEN 3 WALTER MUNDY 25 28 Squire Court, Alamo, CA 94507 Vice President's Message 489th Notes 2ADA Representative JAMES DAVIS 20 Board of Governors E.(BUD) KOORNDYK OAK MACKEY 5 5184 N. Quail Crest Drive, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 The Editor's Comments 491st Ringmaster Reports HAP CHANDLER 20 GROUP VICE PRESIDENTS RAY PYTEL 4 Headquarters RAY STRONG 492nd Happy Warrior Happenings 320 Burlage Circle, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Report on the Memorial Trust W.H. "BILL" BEASLEY 19 44th Bomb Group RICHARD (DICK) BUTLER E. BUD KOORNDYK 6 16494 Wagon Wheel Drive, Riverside, CA 92506-5850 Your Heritage League 93rd Bomb Group ALFRED ASCH ARTICLES & STORIES 6205 Meadow Court, Rockville, MD 20852 CRAIG BEASLEY 24 Another Update 389th Bomb Group FELIX LEETON News from Across the Pond 7 & 8 7325 Bonanza Place, Greenwell Springs, LA 70739 JORDAN UTTAL 5 50th Annual 2ADA Convention 35 & 36 392nd Bomb Group J. FRED THOMAS The Past, Present and Future of the 8932 Biscayne Court #1318E, Huntington Beach, CA 92646 Bulletin Board 32 445th Bomb Group RAY PYTEL Memorial Trust of the 2nd Air Division PO. Box 484, Elkhorn, WI 53121-0484 New Members 32 TOM EATON 6 446th Bomb Group AUD RISLEY Folded Wings 33 Hello from Norwich 682 Slade Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120 LINDA BERUBE 8 448th Bomb Group CHARLES McBRIDE 2ADA Film Library 34 18 Seaview Dr. No. Rolling Hills Est., CA 90274 The PX Page 37 The Metz Mission Was a Good Mission 453rd Bomb Group JAY JEFFRIES WILLARD E NESTER 9 17161 Westport Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 Letters 38 Profile: Patricia "Pat" Knights Everson 458th Bomb Group E.A.(RICK) ROKICKI 365 Mae Road, Glen Burma, MD 21061 GROUP REPORTS PAUL HOMAN 12 466th Bomb Group EARL WASSOM Division Headquarters In Retrospect 548 Brentmoor Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101-3773 RAY STRONG 22 JAMES F. KENNEDY 16 467th Bomb Group WALTER J. MUNDY 23020 Basin Harbor Court, Tehachapi, CA 93562 44th News Kassel /2ADA Midwest Regional Reunion 489th Bomb Group JAMES DAVIS DICK BUTLER 18 GEORGE COLLAR 21 2519 Shell, Midland, TX 79750 Open Letter to the 93rd And He Didn't Even Wear a White Hat! 491st Bomb Group FC.(HAP) CHANDLER JR. ALFRED ASCH 17 18 Willow Glen NE, Atlanta, GA 30342-2023 ERIC HAWKINSON 23 389th Green Dragon Flares 492nd Bomb Group W.H.(BILL) BEASLEY The Castle Air Museum FELIX LEETON 1525 South Garfield Street, Denver, CO 80210-3022 25 CHARLES SILL & JOHN ERICKSON 27 JOURNAL 392nd Bomb Group The Kalamazoo Air Zoo J. FRED THOMAS 28 Editor RAY PYTEL DICK GIESING 27 PO. Box 484, Elkhorn, WI 53121-0484 445th Bomb Group Tel 414-723-6381 • Fax 414-723-7981 Madingley, the Home of Our Heroes RAY PYTEL 13 JOHN "HARD" KNOX 33 HERITAGE LEAGUE 446th Bungay Bull President CRAIG A. BEASLEY The American Military Cemetery 3459 Celebration Drive, West Valley City, UT 84120 AUD RISLEY 14 The 448th Speaks at Madingley 2ND AIR DIVISION MEMORIAL ROOM PAULINE ANDERSON CATER LEE 33 Trust Librarian DEREK S. HILLS 11 2ADA Fulbright American Trust Librarian LINDA J. BERUBE News of the 453rd from Flame leap Jane Windham, Flight Engineer, Second Air Division Memorial Room JAY JEFFRIES & JULIAN WILSON Killed in Crash 71 Bar Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 3A0, England 31 458th Bomb Group JIM RUSSELL 33 MEMORIAL TRUST BOARD OF GOVERNORS RICK THOMAS C. EATON, Chairman RoKicKi 15 50 Years of 2ADA Past Presidents 3 Upper King Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 1RL, England 466th Attlebridge Tales and Conventions DAVID J. HASTINGS, Vice Chairman EARL WASSOM 29 Back Cover "Westering," Salhouse. Norwich, Norfolk NR13 6R0, England ROBIN BERRINGTON, Cultural Attache, U.S. Embassy 24 Grosvenor Sq., London, W1A 1AE, England THE SECOND AIR DIVISION ASSOCIATION traces its initial meeting to 1948 in Chicago, Illinois. It was organized MRS. FRANCES DAVIES as a nonprofit corporation in the State of Illinois on January original Board of Directors were 57 Church Lane, Eaton, Norwich NR4 6NY, England 10, 1950. Members of the Second Air Division veterans Marilyn Fritz, Howard W. Moore, Jordan R. Uttal, and Percy C. Young. The association's ROGER A. FREEMAN purpose is to advocate and support an adequate, effective and efficient May's Barn, Dedham, Nr. Colchester, Essex, England C07 6EW Army, Navy and Air Force at all times; to perpetu- ate the friendships and memories of service together in the Second Air Division, 8th Air Force in England during World EDWARD 0. INMAN War II; to support financially, and in any other way, the Memorial Trust of the 2nd Air Division as represented by the 2nd Director of the Duxford Imperial War Museum Air Division Memorial Duxford Airfield. Cambridge CB2 40R. England Room of the Norwich Central Library; and to undertake such other activities as may from time to time be deemed appropriate by the membership. ALFRED A. JENNER 15 Ransom Rd., Norwich, Norfolk NR1 4A-1, England REGULAR (Voting) MEMBERSHIP in the association is limited to those personnel, military and civilian, American or PAUL R. KING British, who at any time served with the Headquarters organization of the 2nd Bomb Wing, 2nd Bomb Division or 2nd Noverre House, Norwich NR2 1RH, England Air Division during World War ll and any person who served with any bomb group or fighter group or any other unit of E.(BUD) KOORNDYK the Second Air Division assigned or attached. Provisions are also made for Associate (Non-Voting) memberships. 5184 N. Quail Crest Drive, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA PROFESSOR HOWARD TEMPERLEY Please submit all material for publication to the editor by the 15th of December, March, June, or September. School of English and American Studies We make every effort to mail your Joumal within 45 days of the deadline listed above. Your receipt of the Journal will University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7T.J. England be anywhere from one to four weeks later, depending on the U.S. Postal Service — especially your own post office. LT. COL. W.D. WUEST If you don't get your Journal by the next deadline, contact Evelyn Cohen immediately.
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