July 2012 Mission Update! News from the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum |
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Museum Staff
President and CEO
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Let the Mighty 8th be a part of your legacy
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For more information about Planned Gifts and the Mighty Eighth Foundation, please contact Pam Vining |
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Support the Mighty Eighth
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Follow this QR Code to view a video by B-24 Pilot Paul Grassey
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Flying Fortress 5K Run
The 3rd annual Flying Fortress 5K is to benefit the restoration of the Museum's B-17, the "City of Savannah". The 5K (3.1 mile) course will make its way through the campus of JCB, Inc., starting and finishing at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum.
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Flying Legends Summer Camp
by Jaime Hanna
Our weekly summer camp is off to a great start! The kids have had an excellent time learning about the history and the men of the Eighth Air Force as well as doing hands on activities such as learning the science of flight, tasting foods POWs would have eaten (powdered milk NOT a favorite!) and escaping and evading like a downed airman. One of their favorite days was learning about each man's job on a B-17 and a B-24. The children chose which position they would like and made their own wings to reflect that. They then made and decorated their own goggles and pilot's scarf and got to try on a real A-2 jacket to get in the spirit. Many kids continued to wear their scarves and wings each day to camp! We have several weeks of camp left and we look forward to teaching more kids the importance of history while making sure they have fun learning!
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Daniel Peters - Museum Volunteer
by Heather Thies
Daniel Peters was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was raised in the lovely seacoast town of Rockport, Massachusetts. As a child, Dan was active in the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Sea Scouts. In November of 1966, Dan was drafted into the Army. He served in Vietnam from 1967 - 1968 in the 14th Cavalry as a radio operator. He was there during the Tet Offensive. After Vietnam, Danny joined the Air Force Reserves. He served from 1973 until 1993, participating in both Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
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Legacy of Honor
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum's Legacy of Honor Program.
Please help us to keep admission free for World War II Veterans by donating $10 to the "Legacy of Honor Program"
Follow the link below to make your donation.
Legacy of Honor Program
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We Need Your Support
The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum does not receive funding from the local, state, or federal government. We depend solely on grants, support from corporations, and individual donations from Museum supporters. If you are interested in helping us upgrade and develop exhibits, expand our Character Counts character education program, and continue the historic restoration on our B-17 Flying Fortress City of Savannah, please visit our website:
http://mightyeighth.org/support-the-museum/contribute-to-the-museum/ or contact:
Meghan Lowe
Director of Development
912-748-8888 ext. 165
mlowe@mightyeighth.org
We appreciate any gifts to help the Museum carry out its mission!
Become a Member! Become a member of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum and help support "one of the world's most powerful museum experiences." As a member of the Mighty Eighth, you are entitled to unlimited admission for one year, subscription to the Museum e-newsletter, a 10% discount at the Museum Gift Store, a personalized membership card, and access to the Mighty Eighth's Members Only Online Forum. Memberships range from $25 to $1,000 for individuals and families! For more information, please visit our membership website: http://mightyeighth.org/support-the-museum/membership/ or contact: Danira Beckmann Membership Coordinator 912-748-8888 ext. 101 dbeckmann@mightyeighth.org Please also consider having your employer become a corporate member! Corporate Membership information can be found at: http://mightyeighth.org/corporate-membership-page/ Our Newest Corporate Member is: 
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Chroma Systems Solutions Donation to bring life to B-17 Restoration
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Chroma Reps & B-17 Restoration Members
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On Tuesday, June 26, 2012, California based Chroma Systems Solutions contributed two Modular DC Power Supplies to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum's B-17, City of Savannah Restoration Project. This equipment will provide power to the aircrafts radio room, turrets, flaps on the wings along with its landing lights and interior lighting. The Museum demonstrated the use of this power supply by operating the B-17's chin turret. The equipment being donated by Choma Systems Solutions to this project totals over fifteen thousand dollars.
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Museum Gift Store
Summer is in full swing. We have great items to entertain the children as well as the adults on those lazy, hazy days.
If your children enjoy models, choose from the e-z build for the beginners to the more complex for the advanced modelers. We have a great selection of books and puzzles. If you're sitting by the pool, the lake or on the beach, sip your drinks out of our Tervis Tumblers. They'll keep your beverage cold for a long time. Don't forget to carry a great book to read on your vacation. From "Masters of the Air" to "Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot", we have it.
During the month of July, all Mighty Eighth Jackets and Sweatshirts are 30% OFF!
We will celebrate our independence on July 4th. Our staff wishes you and your family a happy and safe 4th of July.
Happy Birthday, America.
Shop the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum Gift Store Today!
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Piggy Back Pilot: Glen Rojohn
by Dr. Vivian Rogers-Price
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This Colt .25 Caliber Automatic Pistol, manufactured in late 1919, was Glenn Rojohn's personal side arm. David Graham recently donated it to the Museum.
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On 31 December 1944 the 100th Bomb Group took heavy casualties coming off the target over Hamburg, Germany. When one of the group's aircraft went down in flames, two B-17s tried to fill the gap at the same time and slammed together, one on top of the other, in a jarring mid-air collision. The bombers remained mostly intact but jammed together. Amazingly, they maintained forward flight, although the pilot and co-pilot of the lower plane, 1st Lt. William MacNab and 2nd Lt. Nelson Vaughn in 43-38457, had been killed. The upper B-17, 42-31987 The Little Skipper, was piloted by 1st Lt. Glenn Rojohn. Rojohn shut down his own damaged and burning engines and, using the three remaining engines of the lower plane and the flight controls of his own, held the two bombers steady long enough for four men to bail out of the lower plane and six to exit his. Knowing that the two aircraft would spin out of control if he left his seat to jump, Rojohn ordered his Co-Pilot, 2nd Lt. William Leek to bail out. Leek refused, and by sheer strength the two men wrestled the coupled planes around and headed back towards Germany. Rojohn and Leek successfully belly-landed the joined planes near Wilhelmshaven. Upon impact Rojohn's "Little Skipper" slid off the lower B-17 and skidded another hundred yards. Three men from Rojohn's crew and five from MacNab's died that day. Rojohn, Leek, and four other members of their crew were taken prisoner and remained POWs for the rest of the war. The four men of MacNab's crew who had bailed out likewise survived as POWs.
Fifty years after his "Piggy Back" Flight, Rojohn returned to Germany and renewed contact with those who had captured him. On his mission to Hamburg, Rojohn had carried his personal side arm, a Colt .25 Caliber Automatic Pistol, with him and his German captors had confiscated it. Now during Rojohn's 1994 visit it was returned to him. Subsequently, Rojohn gave it to his personal friend, David Graham, who recently donated it to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum.
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What does freedom mean to you?
They came of age during the Great Depression, fought to preserve freedom in World War II and went on to build Modern America. Ordinary men and women whose everyday lives of duty, achievement and courage gave us the world we have today.
In WWII, 16 million Americans answered the call to defend liberty. More than 400,000 did not return. This Fourth of July, tell us what freedom means to you.
Post your comments and thoughts on our Facebook page
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This Month in 8th Air Force History
July 4-12, 1942. First 8th Air Force Operations, 12 A-20's hit 4 Dutch and French airfields.
Early July, 1943. Group markings adopted for 8th Air Force aircraft.
July 24-25, 1944. Operation Cobra-Breakout from Normandy
By July 1944 the Allies were bogged down in the hellish war of the hedgerows in France. LTC Omar Bradley devised Operation Cobra to orchestrate a breakout from Normandy. The plan called for saturation bombing to create a breach in the German defenses through which the allies would pour. The focal point of the attack would be just north of the town of St Loew's. Spaatz and Doolittle protested the plan, believing that heavy bombers could be more efficiently used against targets in Germany, but Bradley prevailed. On July 24th 1,584 bombers were dispatched against German troops. With ground haze preventing several formations from bombing, only 4887 aircraft were effective on the target. Bradley recalled the mission but the word did not reach all units. Accidental release of bombs over Allied lines wounded or killed over 100 men, including LTG Leslie McNair. Despite these unintended results, a second attempt was made the next day. For three hours 1,503 B-17 and B-24 bombers pummeled the target with 3,395 tons of bombs. Again, two short drop incidents resulted in the deaths of 102 troops with many others wounded. However, the Germans did not escape lightly. General Bayerlen's Panzer Lehr, which had only recently arrived in the sector, was literally blown to pieces. 45 ton Panther tanks were torn apart and German infantrymen were buried alive in their shelters. The few shell-shocked survivors either surrendered without a fight or fled. American armored divisions began sweeping southwards and westwards. Within a few days, the war of attrition in France was suddenly and dramatically replaced by a war of mobility. By 28 July, the 8th Air Force returned to normal operations against priority strategic targets in Germany.
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Tell Us What You Think!
You are very important to us. Your comments and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.
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