Humanity During Conflict: Mighty Eighth Airmen Interactions With Civilians & Soldiers In Europe.

This series, Humanity During Conflict, allows patrons to experience the memories of airmen from the Mighty Eighth of their time spent in Europe. The airmen presented in this project were selected from the oral history collection at the Roger A. Freeman Research Centre. The project consisted of six sections, with each web-page dealing with stories pertaining to a specific country or topic. Each section provides readers with a brief introduction to the airmen & their stories. Following each web-page, there is a link to a pdf that further expands upon the stories & cites the transcripts & interviews used.

Section 1: Stories from England

Earl Eugene Wassom was born in Oklahoma on September 20, 1923. After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Earl waited several months before enlisting in August of 1942. Eventually graduating from flight school as a B-17 pilot, Earl & his crew made their way to Europe in July of 1944. During their time in England, the crew met a young English boy named Eddie Brighty & he managed to bond with the airmen. This friendship was cemented further when the crew surprised Eddie with a brand new bicycle for Christmas. Earl managed to track down  Eddie when he & his wife revisited England in 1990 & had a brief reunion with him.

Norman Grant was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 6, 1920. Originally Norman wanted to enlist in the Naval Air Force after the bombing at Pearl Harbour, but he did not qualify since he did not have a college degree. While the Navy eventually lowered their requirements to join, Norman enlisted with the Army Air Force on September 2, 1942. After training, Norman was put into the 493rd Bomb Group & was deployed to England & conducted his first mission on June 6, 1944 (D-Day). During his time at the air base, Norman came to know Lord & Lady Neat as they lived in the surrounding area. Norman recounts his visit to their estate & of the “clash” of class culture during the dinner party.

Photo Caption: Head-shot of Norman Grant. Norman Grant Collection | National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force.

To read more about Norman, Earl, & other selected airmen, click on the link below. The stories are further expanded upon & they include the page numbers & sections they can be found in the transcripts & oral histories.

Humanity During War Section 1

By: Michael Elmore