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Maj. R. W. Stivers
100th BG Photo Archives
Personal Recollections by Robert Stivers to Jack O'Leary in 1994:
"Jack, I hasten to correct your understanding of what I
said. We were there at Thorpe Abbotts at the time you recite;
3-12/45, but I had left the 349th Bomb Squadron. The 349th was my
first assignment in the 100th (BG). I left to be C.O. 418th and at
3-12/45 I was probably Group Opns and Air Exec. Shortly after the
war ended I flew DeGaulle's Air Staff to Washington to join him in
presenting decorations to U.S. personnel for contributions in freeing
"La Belle France". We went from Orly in Paris to Azores to Bermuda
to Washington National and returned the same way. While on 10 day
leave our plane, the "Silver Dollar", disappeared from the airfield.
The Pentagon Material Command located it at an airfield in Kansas City.
The crew had to return early and fly out to get it. At the time I
was living outside Cincinnati. Having left several days early to
rescue the plane, I stopped at Lemken Airport in Cincy to say goodbye to
my wife and son James, about 11/2 years-the same one you spoke to.
After returning to T/A I was sent to Stuttgart, Germany with an Airborne
Engineer Battalion to convert the base for 100th BG Occupation A.F.
With the defeat of Japan that project was scrapped and I almost did not
get to return with the 100th (BG) to the Z of I - USA. I saved
very little from my service and like your father, spoke very little
about it. I got out at the first opportunity and though I was
offered a regular commission, I did not even go into the active Reserve
units, or in any veterans organizations. When I flew DeG's Air
Staff, I picked the crew. My co-pilot was Danny Naar (Denzil) who
was a Capt. or 1st Lt. at the time. He was in the 349th. He
got a B-17 caught in prop wash into a spin while climbing to altitude
with a full load of gas and bombs; he brought it out of the spin,
climbed back into formation, flew the mission and landed. The
plane was so badly twisted and strained that it never flew again.
I figured that with that kind of skill and/or luck, he deserved to be on
my crew. ~ Regards, Bob Stivers
Missions of Major Robert W. Stivers, Command Pilot, by
date, target, lead pilot, aircraft, position in 100th BG Formation
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