03/16/2024
Monday, March 18 will mark the 79th anniversary of a dark milestone in my father's life. Rodney Alverson Williams served in the 8th Air Force in Europe.
During WWII he was a gunner aboard a B-17. In late 1944 his crew was assigned to service in England.
On March 18, 1945, the B-17G "Lady Jane II" lifted off from her base at Deenethorpe, England; she never returned. The story is one of deep tragedy and survival, of sacrifice, and of the love the crew had for each other as brothers in arms.
The bomber was severely damaged by flak as she flew over the target in Germany; as she limped out of Berlin and headed back to her base, she was set upon by a group of Hitler's secret weapon, the Me 262 jet fighter. This was the first time in history that an entire group of jet pursuit aircraft had fought as a unit in combat.
The bomber was struck in the number 2 engine and erupted in flames. Most of the crew bailed out; somewhat mysteriously, one did not. Three crew members were senselessly shot after they landed safely in their parachutes. The book delves deeply into that tragedy.
Rod was 33 years old in '45, the oldest member of the Lady Jane II's crew. His crew mates were about 20 years of age. He never spoke about this experience although I was vaguely aware of it.
The surviving crew members spent a couple of months in a German POW camp as the war ended. He was profoundly effected by this experience. Today we call this "PTSD". It wasn't deeply understood back in the 1950's and had significant impact on my family.
My friend Robert w. Jacobs served in Vietnam and in later years was very active with POW/MIA recovery and research. Bob and I met in junior high school in the early 60's and were close friends until his passing in 2017.
He worked tirelessly with my sister, Lorraine, and together they researched the story of the Mission which inspired the writing of the book.
Lorraine is a colleague and friend of the book's author, Lisa Vans. Thanks to my sister's inspired and dedicated efforts Rod was awarded the Purple Heart in 2017.
Lisa A. Vans is a veteran of the US Army Military Police Corps. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Nevada and is a lifelong lover of military history.
This post is not a promo for the book. Rod's PTSD severely affected him and our family. I want to honor his memory and the crew of Lady Jane II.
