Luther lists that he was drafted in WWII at the age of 22.
Not all draftees went into the infantry. For instance Luther was drafted into
the Army Air Forces and was inducted on October 12, 1942.
After stateside training as a gunner on heavy bombers, this
young aviator was sent overseas to England as part of the 8th AAF.
Specifically Luther was assigned to the 612th Squadron of the 401st
Bomb Group based near London.
As a staff sergeant, Luther’s job on the B-17 was that of
tail gunner. The compartment was cramped and cold with hardly any room to move.
Many gunners did not wear their parachutes since there was simply no room. Some
kept the parachute at the door behind the gunner and would somehow have to be
strapped on even when the bomber was falling out of the sky after being hit.
Luther flew 35 missions over occupied Europe in a B-17 named
“Dynamite John.” On one mission, two of the bombers engines had been shot out
so the crew was ordered to throw out everything they could to lighten the
aircraft. Luckily, the B-17 made it safely back to base. He says that he
remembers that they had a special breakfast the next morning, stewed kidney or
beans on toast!
Luther was discharged on September 17, 1945. He had been
awarded the Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters and the Good Conduct medal.
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