Life in the Ground Crew

One of the biggest elements that a bomb group kept running smoothly during World War II was the ground crews. Men who did their best to keep airplanes in good condition, even in a climate where it was difficult to do so. Men who took care of mission logistics, making sure that the airplanes were loaded with the appropriate explosives for a mission, that parachutes were in working order, communications were set up properly and so much more.

Glen C. Brown of the 386th Squadron, 312th Bomb Group was on the line one day with the rest of his ground crew when they heard explosions. Brown, who was a member of the 386th’s Armament Section, typically loaded bombs onto the A-20s and maintained the machine guns. While he had the others were working, a batch of Japanese planes attacked the airfield. “…we decided, unanimously, that there were more interesting places…