Tag: Marshall R. Peterson Jr.

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Rendezvous With The Gestapo

As his body plummeted towards the Normandy landscape at 250 feet per second, Sgt. Hilliard was likely praying to God that his chute would open. He had been trained to clear the plane before pulling the cord. Sgt. Hilliard saw for only an instant that several of his crew mates managed to jump out of the damaged aircraft before it began its downward spiral and broke in two. Glancing up, he figured enough time had gone by to clear the damaged bomber. He pulled the cord and felt a rush of excitement and relief when the chute opened and caught the wind to slow down his descent. Those feelings were short-lived. Now he realized that he was at risk of being shot by the Luftwaffe attack fighters such as the Messerschmitt Me-109s and the Fw-190s or killed by the German’s anti-aircraft guns’ flak which had crippled his aircraft and worst of all, he had absolutely no control over the situation.

Hilton G. Hilliard. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Permission to use by Ann Hilliard Ussery.
Hilton G. Hilliard. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Permission to use by Ann Hilliard Ussery.

This is the story and fate of the top turret gunner, Hilton G. Hilliard (1920−1985), and the crew on the B-17F heavy bomber which was shot down over France on the evening of 29 May 1943. Read More Rendezvous With The Gestapo

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Luck Runs Out

Many of you may remember the blog I wrote in March 2018 (yes, it has been four years) about the story of top turret gunner, T/Sgt Hilton Hilliard (1920−1985), and his adventures in France and Germany after his B-17 heavy bomber was shot down in May 1943 on a bombing run to the U-boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, France (click here to read the blog, Rendezvous with the Gestapo). After parachuting into the French countryside, Hilliard and one other crew member, left waist gunner T/Sgt George Smith (1921−1983), began their quest together to evade the Germans and return to England.

I wrote the blog about Hilton Hilliard after learning the story from his daughter, Ann. After the blog was published, I heard from several relatives of the men who survived the downing of the “Queen of the Skies.” Greg Smith, son of George Smith, was one of those who contacted me, and I have followed Greg’s journey that began almost forty years ago to piece together his father’s wartime “adventures.” (Remember, most of the men, including George Smith, did not talk about their wartime experiences after returning from the war.)

Today, Greg will share with you his father’s story that he has been able to assemble through meticulous research and frankly, some luck. Here is a narrative by the son of a World War II left waist gunner. Read More Luck Runs Out