Another Anniversary, Sort Of
Sixty-seven years ago today, The Boomerang, a B-24-J Liberator bomber, piloted by (single at the time) 2nd Lt. Charles W. Arnett, flew its third bombing mission over Germany. As the crew neared their target, they faced a squadron of top-notch Nazi Messerschmitt fighters. In one fly-by, the Luftwaffe took out eight Liberators including the Boomerang, damaging three of her engines.
I could skim over my husband's story for you, of how he knew before he took off from England that they were not coming back, how he prepared himself for death but kept hoping, of his crash-landing, capture, and a 50-year reunion pilgrimage to Holland. I've spent half a day reviewing his story with awe, pride and joy. You can get as much of his story as you have time for. Just go to: arnett.492bg.com and in a few short seconds your computer should add all the rest of the stuff to bring up my favorite picture of Charles. From there, you can browse as much or as little as you wish. There's also a 15 minute clip from Baby Boomerang, dealing with the 19th of May, 1944, and 1994. The quality is much better on the DVD, but the essentials are there.
Anna Arnett