398th Bomb Group
Memorial
Association


S/Sgt. James Lafayette Holloway's Diary
Tail Gunner 601st Squadron

31 May 1945 to 6 Dec 1945

May 31, 1945, we left jolly old England for the U.S.A. in the same plane we used in our raid on Berlin, by way of Wales; Iceland; Greenland; and on to Bradley Field, Connecticut. Guess who joined us as we prepared to leave England? None other than our red headed navigator. It is a wonder we didn’t end up in Russia. He had received a minor wound in the neck and spent time in the hospital and rest camp while we flew the last 2/3rds of our missions

After a 30 day leave at home, we reported to Tampa Army Air Field. The crew was broken up there and I was sent to Thomasville, Georgia as an armor gunner on P-51 fighters at a training base.

August 14, 1945, Victory in Japan, and the end of World War II.

When the P-51 fighter base was shut down I was sent to Jacksonville, Florida. This may not be known by all at this late date, but during World War II there was no U.S. Air Force, but rather a branch of the Army, per: Army Air Force. Because of this it was possible to shift me from the Army Air Force to the straight Army without my say so.

My new home was Camp Blanding, a separation center at that time, and made me a Mess Sergeant of all things, as I didn’t have enough points to get my discharge.

My turn finally came and I received my discharge papers on December 6, 1945. I had decided to hitch hike to California and five days later I arrived there. My war was over.

James Lafayette Holloway
army serial # 39923016

Notes:
  • S/Sgt. James Lafayette Holloway was the tail gunner on James Womeldurf's 601st Squadron crew.
  • The above transcription was provided by James Lafayette Holloway.
  • This transcription is a careful reproduction of the original except for occasional spelling and punctuation changes. In some circumstances, based on relevancy, some material may not have been transcribed.
  • Clarification of acronyms or special words or guesses of certain words are shown in brackets [ ].

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