大象传媒

This contribution to People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk and submitted to the website with the permission and on behalf of Mrs Daphne Dennis
I was aged 13 and my Brother David aged 8 when in June 1943 we were living in an old railway carriage at Green Lane, Rackheath, near Norwich. Our house in Sussex Street had been made uninhabitable because of the bombing. When we were down in the air raid shelters we often used to suck on acid drops, we were told they would stop us feeling thirsty, but of course the quantities were very small because of sweet rationing and I do remember my Grandmother spent a lot of time in our house under the table praying. Unfortunately her prayers did not prevent our house from being so badly damaged that we had to move out. A kindly friend offered us a railway carriage in which to stay.
On June 6th a mission led by Captain (then Lieutenant) Harry Conley was returning from across the North Sea towards the East coast of England near Norwich when the last engine went. He was commanding a squadron of 18 B-17 bombers for the Americans first massive air attack on Germany. Some 200 B-17s in four groups had attacked and wiped out the submarine pens at Kiel, at the base of the Danish peninsula, but at tremendous cost; from 95th Bombardment group (H) 334th Bomb Squadron, 34 planes did not return. The Germans concentrated on the front and rear of the attacking force and out of Harry Conley's squadron his was the only plane to return home, barely. Harry was piloting his Fortress, Blondie 3 at the rear of the formation, the tail end Charlie group, when the plane's nose was blown out, her tail and engines damaged and a Messerschmitt had raked the bottom of the planes so that it looked like a sieve, according later to Harry Conley.
Flying in over Eastern England, Blondie was out of gas, her fourth engine had been shot out and so over a field of barley at Rackheath at about midday she crash landed on two engines. My Brother and I both heard and saw the flying Fortress come to the ground, people close at hand rushed towards the stricken plane, none of the crew were hurt as a result of the landing, but two of the crew had suffered minor injuries in action. Harry Conley later said "after the local civilians had ascertained that none of us were seriously injured, they very kindly provided us with tea, sandwiches, cigarettes and beer. They were a most hospitable and friendly group of people".
The Son of the farmer on whose land our railway carriage was situated in which my family and I were temporarily staying was very close to where Blondie crash landed, he found some items amongst the wreckage and debris from the plane and out of these various pieces of metal for me he created a small ring which I still have.
Between late 1942 when Lt. Conley arrived in England to fly B-17s and the Christmas of 1944 he flew some 80 missions, before returning home to other duties. He received 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses and crash landed 3 airplanes Blondies 1, 2 and 3. On D Day June 6th 1944 Harry Conley led his unit of 54 bombers over Normandy four times.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.