Mr. Shaver, a native of Rowan County, N.C., recounts his experiences during World War II. He describes his enlistment in the U.S. Army Air Corp in 1942, and training at various U.S. bases before being assigned to a base in England where he served as flight engineer on a B-17 (the "Pistol Packin Mama"), that made bombing raids over Germany. He details how his plane was shot down over Holland (Nov. 5, 1943) during his third mission and his capture and escape from German troops. The remainder of the interview is occupied with his flight through Holland, Belgium, and France with the aid of underground elements in those occupied countries. He also relates his eventual crossing of the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain and his return to the U.S. where he had been officially declared dead.
Gift of Kenneth David Shaver, Sr.
Encoded by Apex Data Services
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1941-1945