| A TRIBUTE TO MY GRANDFATHER FREDERIC N. HERNANDEZ DIARY ENTRIES |
| WARTIME DIARY ENTRIES Taken from my grandfather's "Flying for Victory" diary (Cities may be misspelled due to my inability to decipher my grandfather's handwriting) |
| HOME SERVICE MEDALS WARTIME PHOTOGRAPHS CREW MEMBER PHOTOGRAPHS MISCELLANEOUS (PAGE 1) MISCELLANEOUS (PAGE 2) MISCELLANEOUS (PAGE 3) LINKS |
1943
October 9 - Organized the crew to fly B24 in combat
October 12 - Started flying as crew. Tennent our pilot
October 19 - Flew practice mission over Utah, Colorado, Montana, North & South Dakota and back.
October 21 - Crew sent to Casper, Wyoming for more training. Stayed here until December.
1944
March 18 - Kalewa and Kaleymo dump area. 6 hrs. and 10 min.
First combat mission over Burma. Excited as hell. Lots of fires.
March 19 - R.R. yards. 18 hrs. in air. Lost 3 B-24s. 2700 miles.
April 3 - Yenangyaung - BBP workshops. 7 hrs. 05 min. Went over high as hell 19,000'.
Some ack ack - Target very difficult to see.
April 23/24 - Moulmein - jetties. Night - black as hell. Didn't drop. Couldn't see target.
Left Sunday night and returned Monday morning. 10 hrs. 20 min.
April 25 - Monywa - R.R. yards. Hit right in there. Only one to do it. 6 hrs. 30min.
April 29 - Kongyi - Dump area 6 hrs. 20 min.
May 4 - Mandalay R.R. yards. Had trouble with racks but salvoed right on it. 7 hrs. 16 min.
May 8 - Moirang
May 9 - Ninglhoukhong - gave support to ground troops. Flew over Imphal. 6 hrs. 30 min.
May 15/16 - Myitkyina - more of a nuisance raid. 8 hrs. 25 min. took off 15th, landed on 16th.
May 20 - Yenangyaung. BOC plant. Flew higher 'n hell again and all over the place. Had to
drop on Akyab. 8 hrs. 20 min.
May 23 - Homalin. 7 hrs. 40 min.
June 8 - Banghok - laid mines in river. Hell of a long mission. Spurrel & Pitts (pilot/co-pilot?)
14 hrs. 20 min. Played gin rummy and slept.
June 11 - 24 - Monsoon!
July 4 - flew the Hump into China - cold as hell - had waist gun - My son born while over
Hump - Crew bailed out on way back. 4 hrs. 20 min.
July 5 - Hit down drafts and got hell scared out of us!
July 11 - Canton (China) Turned back with engine trouble - 1st mission with 14th AF.
Lost 2 engines. 1 hr. 30 min.
July 14 - Yochow (China) Paluchi Airdrome - night - got lost - No. 1 engine blew cylinder.
Salvoed bombs - threw out ammo. Nearly bailed out. 9 hrs. 30 min.
July 15 - raining and black as hell!
July 16 - Changsha (China) Japs just moved in and we were told to level city - Overran lead
Sqdrn. - Glover lead bombardier - Good job. 9 hrs. 45 min.
July 17 - Changsha - again hit city. Bad weather. 13 bombs piled up against side. Had to throw
'em out - funny feeling with no chute. 9 hrs. 00 min. pins were out of bombs. Real
dangerous as bombs could explode.
July 25 - Yochow (China) jumped by Zeros - one came very close - one of best missions ever
Pulled - P-40s got 8 Zeros and we 2. Got some stick time. 8 hrs. 40 min.
August 3 - Yochow - R.R. yards - again jumped by Zeros. Got 2 Zeros 9 hrs. 00 min.
October 22 - Moulmein - docks had 1/2 hr. air battle with Zeros. Lost 3 B-24s. Fired the right
waist gun - fun as hell 11 hrs. 40 min.
October 23 - Thailand
October 29 - Bangkok Thailand - docks and supplies - lots of ack-ack. Several planes hit.
November 7 - searched sea for a B-24 crew that went down. Monotonous as hell. 10 hrs. 20
minutes.
November 8 - went to Tavoy (Siam) to look for a Jap convoy. Told to rid ourselves of bombs
went back to drop on Basseium. Major Gandy jumped by Zeros 13 hrs. 30 min.
December 19 - Maymo Burma went to within 1 hr. of target. Had to turn back when No. 4
engine feathered. 7 hrs. 20 min.
December 23 - Taungup, Burma. Ammo dumps. Difficult target to see, but hit it. Easy mission.
Col. Bronson along. 8 hrs. 25 min.
1945
January 10 - Target bridge over (illegible) R.R. 9 hrs. 10 min. Bullseye!
January 21 - Ramree Island (Siam) easy - bullseye. Flattop and more ships. 8 hrs 45 min.
January 23 - Mandalay (Burma) - R.R. yards 14,000 ft. bullseye. 10 hrs. 20 min.
January 26 - Rangoon - docks. Good mission. Ack-ack light. 12 hrs. 40 min. real cold.
21,000 ft.
February 10 - Burma - R.R. yards and trains. Strafed with nose turret.
February 11 - Came home!!!
October 9 - Organized the crew to fly B24 in combat
October 12 - Started flying as crew. Tennent our pilot
October 19 - Flew practice mission over Utah, Colorado, Montana, North & South Dakota and back.
October 21 - Crew sent to Casper, Wyoming for more training. Stayed here until December.
1944
March 18 - Kalewa and Kaleymo dump area. 6 hrs. and 10 min.
First combat mission over Burma. Excited as hell. Lots of fires.
March 19 - R.R. yards. 18 hrs. in air. Lost 3 B-24s. 2700 miles.
April 3 - Yenangyaung - BBP workshops. 7 hrs. 05 min. Went over high as hell 19,000'.
Some ack ack - Target very difficult to see.
April 23/24 - Moulmein - jetties. Night - black as hell. Didn't drop. Couldn't see target.
Left Sunday night and returned Monday morning. 10 hrs. 20 min.
April 25 - Monywa - R.R. yards. Hit right in there. Only one to do it. 6 hrs. 30min.
April 29 - Kongyi - Dump area 6 hrs. 20 min.
May 4 - Mandalay R.R. yards. Had trouble with racks but salvoed right on it. 7 hrs. 16 min.
May 8 - Moirang
May 9 - Ninglhoukhong - gave support to ground troops. Flew over Imphal. 6 hrs. 30 min.
May 15/16 - Myitkyina - more of a nuisance raid. 8 hrs. 25 min. took off 15th, landed on 16th.
May 20 - Yenangyaung. BOC plant. Flew higher 'n hell again and all over the place. Had to
drop on Akyab. 8 hrs. 20 min.
May 23 - Homalin. 7 hrs. 40 min.
June 8 - Banghok - laid mines in river. Hell of a long mission. Spurrel & Pitts (pilot/co-pilot?)
14 hrs. 20 min. Played gin rummy and slept.
June 11 - 24 - Monsoon!
July 4 - flew the Hump into China - cold as hell - had waist gun - My son born while over
Hump - Crew bailed out on way back. 4 hrs. 20 min.
July 5 - Hit down drafts and got hell scared out of us!
July 11 - Canton (China) Turned back with engine trouble - 1st mission with 14th AF.
Lost 2 engines. 1 hr. 30 min.
July 14 - Yochow (China) Paluchi Airdrome - night - got lost - No. 1 engine blew cylinder.
Salvoed bombs - threw out ammo. Nearly bailed out. 9 hrs. 30 min.
July 15 - raining and black as hell!
July 16 - Changsha (China) Japs just moved in and we were told to level city - Overran lead
Sqdrn. - Glover lead bombardier - Good job. 9 hrs. 45 min.
July 17 - Changsha - again hit city. Bad weather. 13 bombs piled up against side. Had to throw
'em out - funny feeling with no chute. 9 hrs. 00 min. pins were out of bombs. Real
dangerous as bombs could explode.
July 25 - Yochow (China) jumped by Zeros - one came very close - one of best missions ever
Pulled - P-40s got 8 Zeros and we 2. Got some stick time. 8 hrs. 40 min.
August 3 - Yochow - R.R. yards - again jumped by Zeros. Got 2 Zeros 9 hrs. 00 min.
October 22 - Moulmein - docks had 1/2 hr. air battle with Zeros. Lost 3 B-24s. Fired the right
waist gun - fun as hell 11 hrs. 40 min.
October 23 - Thailand
October 29 - Bangkok Thailand - docks and supplies - lots of ack-ack. Several planes hit.
November 7 - searched sea for a B-24 crew that went down. Monotonous as hell. 10 hrs. 20
minutes.
November 8 - went to Tavoy (Siam) to look for a Jap convoy. Told to rid ourselves of bombs
went back to drop on Basseium. Major Gandy jumped by Zeros 13 hrs. 30 min.
December 19 - Maymo Burma went to within 1 hr. of target. Had to turn back when No. 4
engine feathered. 7 hrs. 20 min.
December 23 - Taungup, Burma. Ammo dumps. Difficult target to see, but hit it. Easy mission.
Col. Bronson along. 8 hrs. 25 min.
1945
January 10 - Target bridge over (illegible) R.R. 9 hrs. 10 min. Bullseye!
January 21 - Ramree Island (Siam) easy - bullseye. Flattop and more ships. 8 hrs 45 min.
January 23 - Mandalay (Burma) - R.R. yards 14,000 ft. bullseye. 10 hrs. 20 min.
January 26 - Rangoon - docks. Good mission. Ack-ack light. 12 hrs. 40 min. real cold.
21,000 ft.
February 10 - Burma - R.R. yards and trains. Strafed with nose turret.
February 11 - Came home!!!