Book Review: Dewayne 'Ben' Bennett Offers Signed Copies

My friend Dewayne 'Ben' Bennett, former B-17 pilot and active historian who still leads visitors on tours down at the Pima, Arizona Air Museum, has a book for sale that I highly recommend. Ben has a great sense of humor and tells the story of how an Iowa farm boy ended up piloting a four-engine bomber over Europe. You can purchase the book on the 384th Bomb Group website or I also noticed today that Ben is offering one on eBay for a bargain.

Stories of a B-17 Bomber Pilot by Dewayne "Ben" Bennett

In Ben's own words:

"I flew combat in the 384th bombardment group in the 545th squadron out of Grafton Underwood, England. Some of these stories have added humor and some reflect the true combat situations. My name is Dewayne “Ben” Bennett and I’m the author of this little endeavor for which I’m very proud. I became known and answer to the name of “The Squawkin’ Chicken Skipper” because the name of our B-17 airplane was the “Squawkin Chicken.” Along with my crew we flew 31 combat missions over the war-torn countries of Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, and Poland. Thankfully we all survived. This little book is 6 by 9 inches, contains 93 pages and is a paperback. We will personalize it to you or a friend before we send it out. If you have any questions please send me an e-mail and I’ll answer it immediately. "

For price and availability, contact: Dewayne "Ben" Bennett (Clicking on Ben's hyperlinked name will put you in touch with him)

Ben currently has a book up for auction on eBay. He'll sign and personalize it to boot. The eBay auction is at http://cgi.ebay.com/STORIES-OF-A-B-17-PILOT_W0QQitemZ200130424838QQihZ010QQcategoryZ4717QQcmdZViewItem

Here is your chance to pick up a little piece of aviation history by a great man and a living legend.

The painting below is of Ben's plane. I featured it in a recent post.

A Few More B-17 Pictures

A few more photos of the B-17G 'Sentimental Journey' that flew into Idaho Falls last month.

The bombardier's perch in the nose, with the B-17G's chin turrets. These turrets were added after the B-17F proved vulnerable to frontal attacks.

The ball turret gunner's position under the ship. The ball turret gunner protected the underside of the ship from his rotating position.

Shot of the tail gunner's position on the aircraft. The top turret is visible atop the aircraft. The photo below was shot from the top turret gunner's position, facing the rear. The twin fifties are visible on either side of the Plexiglass in both photos. The strange color in the photo below is the result of the polarization of the Plexiglass.

Oregon Trip

A cow-loading chute out in the middle of the Oregon Outback.

We had a good time in Oregon visiting with my parents, who live in Ashland, and my brother, who lives near Dallas, Texas and also came to visit. Here are some photos from the trip, for your viewing pleasure.

We visited the town of Jacksonville, Oregon, settled in the first few years of the California Gold Rush. Many of the downtown buildings were built in the 1850's.

We left Ashland at four a.m. Pacific Time (five a.m. Mountain) and arrived home in Idaho Falls at about eight p.m. Mountain Time, for a travel time of fifteen hours. The shot below is typical of the country after you leave the desert and go along the river canyon.

One of the strangest things we saw on the drive is this tree. We pass it twice a year, but this time I stopped and took some photos. The tree is along the side of the road and has hundreds of shoes tied onto its branches. I have absolutely no idea why. The Indians used to tie things on trees but I don't have the slightest idea why this tree is 'the shoe tree'.

Back From Oregon

We arrived back from Oregon this evening. It is almost exactly 800 miles from door to door. I will post some interesting photos from the trip tomorrow, totally off-topic but still, hopefully, of some interest to readers.

North Carolina Airman, B-17 Pilot, Gets His DFC 63 Years Later

Vincent Fonke, far right, gets his Distinguished Flying Cross from Lt. Gen. Christopher Kelley (Fayetteville Observer Photo)


Thanks to Richard Havers for alerting me to this feel-good story about a deserving Air Corps veteran.

"It took nearly 63 years to be recognized for his heroic efforts flying a B-17 bomber over Germany in World War II, and 85-year-old Vincent Fonke might never have been lauded at all, except for a persistent and curious young captain who heard Fonke’s story years after the war.

Fonke, who lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross at a ceremony Friday morning in a Pope Air Force Base hangar. About 300 airmen, veterans and relatives — including his wife, Belle, and his seven surviving children — watched.

“I never dreamed anything like this could happen,” Fonke said. “I’m overwhelmed.”

The Distinguished Flying Cross, established in 1926, is presented for heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight in combat.

Fonke was flying a B-17 bomber — one of the Flying Fortresses of the 324th Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group — on the morning of Aug. 16, 1944. His convoy was attacked over Eisenach, and six planes were shot down.

Fonke leveled his plane after taking a hit. He saw a fire between two engines on the wing.

“That made my hair stand up straight because all the fuel was in the wings,” he said.

But Fonke didn’t bail out. He rang an alarm bell and ordered his men to jump. He held the craft steady until they were safely gone.

Fonke was captured by the Germans and held in several prisoner of war camps. He was liberated by the U.S. 3rd Army in April 1945.

Fonke spent 30 years in the Air Force before retiring as a colonel.

Years after World War II, Fonke spoke publicly for the first time about his ordeal to a group of graduating soldiers. A young captain in the audience pledged to find documentation in the national archives of the attack on Fonke’s convoy.

That persistence, along with testimony from the plane’s surviving tail gunner, led U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge to pursue the medal Fonke received Friday. Etheridge is a Democrat from Lillington.
“Sometimes the exploits of our heroes fall though the cracks and don’t get the decorations they deserve,” Etheridge said.

The crowd gave Fonke a standing ovation as Lt. Gen. Christopher Kelly, vice commander of Air Mobility Command, pinned on the medal.

As the applause continued, Fonke stood alone in the middle of the stage, shaking his head gently, a slightly embarrassed grin on his face.

“He never lost the intense spirit and pride of being an American airman flying for his country,” Kelly said.

Eric Sinclair of Dunn, a former state commander of the American Legion, was among the veterans watching the ceremony. As with Fonke, Sinclair started in the Air Force as a mechanic.
“I never got as high as he did,” said Sinclair, who served 10 years and finished as a master sergeant.

“You wonder sometimes why it takes so long for things like this to happen,” Sinclair said, “but it’s well-deserved.”

This story was written by Staff writer Gregory Phillips of the Fayetteville Observer.

Happy Birthday to John Havers

A very happy belated 80th birthday to John Havers of England. John is a fellow aviation historian who has written some wonderful books about civil aviation in Britain. I have several of his books in my personal collection, and read and enjoy the stories in them greatly.

John has dedicated his life to aviation and his efforts to preserve the stories of civil and military aviation is an inspiration to me and other writers.

Happy birthday, John!

What the ..... ???!!!

This photo is from the National Archives. It shows a B-17 with a nose-mounted engine. That's about all I can tell you about it. Anyone know about this obviously experimental program?

Very little time for posting this week. Today Oregon is cool, in the sixties.

I contacted aviation artist Bill Phillips and his wife, who live in Ashland, about visiting, but they were booked for the week. Bill's my favorite aviation artist. He did the cover of Untold Valor and his work has a special quality because of his Christian beliefs. Bill puts planes in beautiful skies and glowing sunsets, as if to contrast the sadness and stress of war with the eternal beauty of the earth.