A TRIBUTE TO MY GRANDFATHER FREDERIC N. HERNANDEZ Diary Entries
Wartime Diary Entries
Taken from my grandfather's "Flying for Victory" diary
(Cities may be misspelled due to my inability to decipher my grandfather's handwriting)
1943
October 9 - Organized the crew to fly B24 in combat
October 12 - Started flying as crew. Tennent our pilot
October 19 - Flew practice mission over Utah, Colorado, Montana, North & South Dakota
and back.
October 21 - Crew sent to Casper, Wyoming for more training. Stayed here until December.
1944
March 18 - Kalewa and Kaleymo dump area. 6 hrs. and 10 min.
First combat mission over Burma. Excited as hell. Lots of fires.
March 19 - R.R. yards. 18 hrs. in air. Lost 3 B-24s. 2700 miles.
April 3 - Yenangyaung - BBP workshops. 7 hrs. 05 min. Went over high as hell 19,000'.
Some ack ack - Target very difficult to see.
April 23/24 - Moulmein - jetties. Night - black as hell. Didn't drop. Couldn't see target.
Left Sunday night and returned Monday morning. 10 hrs. 20 min.
April 25 - Monywa - R.R. yards. Hit right in there. Only one to do it. 6 hrs. 30min.
April 29 - Kongyi - Dump area 6 hrs. 20 min.
May 4 - Mandalay R.R. yards. Had trouble with racks but salvoed right on it. 7 hrs. 16 min.
May 8 - Moirang
May 9 - Ninglhoukhong - gave support to ground troops. Flew over Imphal. 6 hrs. 30 min.
May 15/16 - Myitkyina - more of a nuisance raid. 8 hrs. 25 min. took off 15th, landed on 16th.
May 20 - Yenangyaung. BOC plant. Flew higher 'n hell again and all over the place. Had to
drop on Akyab. 8 hrs. 20 min.
May 23 - Homalin. 7 hrs. 40 min.
June 8 - Banghok - laid mines in river. Hell of a long mission. Spurrel & Pitts (pilot/co-pilot?)
14 hrs. 20 min. Played gin rummy and slept.
June 11 - 24 - Monsoon!
July 4 - flew the Hump into China - cold as hell - had waist gun - My son born while over
Hump - Crew bailed out on way back. 4 hrs. 20 min.
July 5 - Hit down drafts and got hell scared out of us!
July 11 - Canton (China) Turned back with engine trouble - 1st mission with 14th AF.
Lost 2 engines. 1 hr. 30 min.
July 14 - Yochow (China) Paluchi Airdrome - night - got lost - No. 1 engine blew cylinder.
Salvoed bombs - threw out ammo. Nearly bailed out. 9 hrs. 30 min.
July 15 - raining and black as hell!
July 16 - Changsha (China) Japs just moved in and we were told to level city - Overran lead
Sqdrn. - Glover lead bombardier - Good job. 9 hrs. 45 min.
July 17 - Changsha - again hit city. Bad weather. 13 bombs piled up against side. Had to throw
'em out - funny feeling with no chute. 9 hrs. 00 min. pins were out of bombs. Real
dangerous as bombs could explode.
July 25 - Yochow (China) jumped by Zeros - one came very close - one of best missions ever
Pulled - P-40s got 8 Zeros and we 2. Got some stick time. 8 hrs. 40 min.
August 3 - Yochow - R.R. yards - again jumped by Zeros. Got 2 Zeros 9 hrs. 00 min.
October 22 - Moulmein - docks had 1/2 hr. air battle with Zeros. Lost 3 B-24s. Fired the right
waist gun - fun as hell 11 hrs. 40 min.
October 23 - Thailand
October 29 - Bangkok Thailand - docks and supplies - lots of ack-ack. Several planes hit.
November 7 - searched sea for a B-24 crew that went down. Monotonous as hell. 10 hrs. 20
minutes.
November 8 - went to Tavoy (Siam) to look for a Jap convoy. Told to rid ourselves of bombs
went back to drop on Basseium. Major Gandy jumped by Zeros 13 hrs. 30 min.
December 19 - Maymo Burma went to within 1 hr. of target. Had to turn back when No. 4
engine feathered. 7 hrs. 20 min.
December 23 - Taungup, Burma. Ammo dumps. Difficult target to see, but hit it. Easy mission.
Col. Bronson along. 8 hrs. 25 min.
1945
January 10 - Target bridge over (illegible) R.R. 9 hrs. 10 min. Bullseye!
January 21 - Ramree Island (Siam) easy - bullseye. Flattop and more ships. 8 hrs 45 min.
January 23 - Mandalay (Burma) - R.R. yards 14,000 ft. bullseye. 10 hrs. 20 min.
January 26 - Rangoon - docks. Good mission. Ack-ack light. 12 hrs. 40 min. real cold.
21,000 ft.
February 10 - Burma - R.R. yards and trains. Strafed with nose turret.
February 11 - Came home!!!
