Joseph Bobrowicz

Bobrowicz, born on March 8, 1925, enlisted in the Army Air Corps on July 3, 1943, and reported for active duty on July 21, 1943. His initial training took place in Miami Beach, Florida, followed by an assignment to the 89th College Training Detachment at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he received his first flight instructions. He then relocated to Santa Ana, California, for cadet classification, with the intention of becoming a pilot, navigator, or bombardier. However, he was "washed out" of the pilot training program.

Undeterred, Bobrowicz was reassigned to Kingman, Arizona, for aerial gunnery training, where he earned his aircrew wings. He then reported to MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida, for advanced training as a tail gunner on a B-17 crew. In November 1944, Bobrowicz and his crew received orders to fly a new B-17 to England. They departed the United States on November 10, 1944, and arrived at Mendlesham, England, Station #156, on November 27, 1944, to begin combat operations with the 34th Bomb Group, 18th Squadron of the 8th Air Force. His serial number was 36757997, and he held the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Bobrowicz participated in numerous dangerous missions over enemy territory as a tail gunner. He completed a total of 35 combat missions, including engagements in the Ardennes and the Rhineland. Notably, he painted the nose art on B-17G-80-BO#43-38138, which he named “OLE TIMER.” His bravery and service were recognized with the Air Medal, accompanied by five Oak Leaf Clusters, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign (EAME) Ribbon with three Bronze Stars. He meticulously documented his wartime experiences in a diary, recording each of his 35 missions.

Bobrowicz completed his tour of duty on March 31, 1945, and departed England for the United States on a Liberty Ship, arriving in New York on May 16, 1945. He received an honorable discharge from the United States Armed Forces on October 18, 1945. Decades later, on May 26, 2024, Bobrowicz recorded a broadcast of his wartime experiences in partnership with the 34th Bomb Group Museum in Mendlesham, England, at the Mid Suffolk Light Rail Museum in Mendlesham, Suffolk, UK.