Once he became an empty-nester, DRU resumed a fascination with cars from his pre-family days. Gone were the pragmatic VW Microbus (’56 and ’60) and GMC truck. and a succession of vehicles began that perhaps Kris can recite for us.
Most notable among these was his Ford 1930 Model A, which he worked to restore in the late 90’s and beyond.
Training photo: 838th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, 1943. Allan Underwood in top row, 4th from left.
Despite reservations about the military-industrial complex, and the disproportionate weight given to war storytelling, the story of Allan Underwood is worth telling. The details are provided by a web site for the 487th Bomb Group, which as of this writing is still holding reunions. As the site explains, the toll on U.S. airmen was considerable; the air battles cost 26,000 lives and 18,000- wounded — 10% of all U.S. deaths in the war. This group flew B-24H/J and B17G aircraft, and it lost 33 aircraft. Its bases of operation were farflung, including locations in Nebraska, New Mexico, Florida and New Jersey. In Europe, the base was Station 137 in Lavenham, Suffolk, England.
Like his four brothers, Allan was born in Nogales. As a young man, he moved to Los Angeles where he completed one year of college, and worked in a semiskilled occupation in the building of aircraft. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in Phoenix on 21 January 1943. The version of the story I know does not include details of his training, but we know this about air crew training:
Marker at Arlington Nat’l Cemetery (credit Ross Underwood)
Becoming a USAAF pilot during WWII wasn’t an easy, simple or quick procedure. To illustrate how difficult and dangerous the task was, consider that 324,647 cadets entered training between January 1941 and August 1945. 132,993 washed out or were killed during training. This attrition rate of nearly 40%, was due primarily to physical problems, accidents or inability to master the rigorous academic requirements. –WRAFS Museum, Arkansas
Allan’s experience would have been highly compressed. The group’s first combat mission was not flown until its control was transferred to England’s Eighth Air Force. That event took place in 7 May 1944.
Missions flown were not limited to Germany. For instance, the group flew numerous missions to attack V-weapon installations in France, marshalling points in Belgium and airfields in Holland.
From here, Paul Webber, who researched the history for the 487th Bomb Group Association, takes the story:
After training, he was assigned as navigator on the heavy bomber crew of Second Lieutenant Charlton A. Deuschle, in the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. This Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137, near the village of Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
Lt. Underwood and seven of his crew mates were killed in action on 5 August 1944 while on a mission to bomb an aircraft factory at Magdeburg, Germany. Their aircraft, B-17G 43-38007 [which the crew dubbed “The Moldy Fig”], was shot down by flak during the bomb run, and crashed near Lostau, Germany, 13 kilometers southwest of Burg, Germany, just northeast of Magdeburg. Pilot Lt Deuschle and gunner Sgt Robert J. Crooker survived and became prisoners of war. The dead were buried initially at the village cemetery in Lostau. (Lostau is a village and a former municipality in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 Jan 2010, it is part of the municipality Möser). After the war, Underwood’s remains were returned to the United States and re-interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. He is buried in Section 11, Site 253 LH.
There are a few other details. Survivor Sgt Crooker, who told relatives that he was “severely mistreated by German civilians” while he served as a POW, reported that their B-17G took a direct flak hit on the right wing and in its bomb bay 1-2 minutes before the start of the bombing run. Part of the wing came off and the aircraft exploded, all in a matter of seconds.
German civilian losses from Eighth Air Force strategic bombing, while not associated with this particular mission, were at times consequential. For instance, a raid two months later on Duisburg, about 250 miles from the crash site, caused a firestorm and killed 2,500. Duisburg was a logistics center for the Nazis and a center for chemical, steel and iron industry at the time.
The war stories from Bill, John and Robert have not been a major part of family lore — at least not so far. From what has been determined so far, the Underwood boys were loyal, disciplined and answered a calling that — as wartime callings go — had a moral high ground.
Sister Kris recently went through newspapers that DRU saved — all without comment or annotation by him, so far as I could detect. Since tomorrow would have been his birthday, I thought all would be fascinated to read an account of a Borneo (now part of Malasia) raid he flew, reportedly, in July 1945. The story appeared in his local newspaper on the front page of theNogales International. The “Crusaders” were a nickname for the42nd Bombardment Groupof the Army Air Force. This force was part of the Battle of North Borneo, well described in Wikipedia.
Don Underwood in Attack on North Borneo
HEADQUARTERS 13 AAF, PHILIPPINES July 19 Second Lieutenant Don R. Underwood, pilot of a B-25 of “The Crusaders,” medium bombardment group of the 13th AAF, recently participated in a minumum altitude attack in support of ground action on Labuan, North Borneo [Google Map].
Australian Troops in Labuan North Borneo 1945
Their target was a small pocket of Nip troops and the area was so small that they could not strafe for fear of hitting their own troops. The accuracy and effectiveness of their bombing was reported the next day when the Australian troops moved in to mop up.
A total of 397 Nip dead were counted and 18 slightly dazed Japs were taken prisoner, along with one giesha [sic] girl.
Lieutenant Underwood has completed over 13 missions over enemy targets in the Halmaheras [Google Map], the Celebes [Google Map], Borneo and the Philippines since joining his organization in April 1945.
Lieutenant Underwood is the son of Mrs. Ellen C. Underwood of 106 Alameda Street, Nogales. –Nogales International, 1945-07-20.
When thisbelated factoidappeared as a correction in the NYT, I wanted to pick up the phone and call the house in Tucson where I still picture him sitting. From that spare and uncomfortable roost, he would probably have given a glancing, indirect account of how friendly fire incidents were discussed and reported in the World War II theater where he served as an Army Air Force B-25 pilot. It was a mistaken B-25 strike that killed the NYT reporter and U.S. troops on that day in 1942. Or he would have simply said, “Yes,” in a tone of voice that hinted at horrors he witnessed, or feared, and, silently, “Speak of it no more this day.”
There are a few other details. Survivor Sgt Crooker, who told relatives that he was “severely mistreated by German civilians” while he served as a POW, reported that their B-17G took a direct flak hit on the right wing and in its bomb bay 1-2 minutes before the start of the bombing run. Part of the wing came off and the aircraft exploded, all in a matter of seconds.
