Hollister
– Members of the group shield their eyes against the windstorm
created by B-24 Liberator’s four whirling propellers slicing
through the air. They dash to the aircraft, climb in through its
belly and strap themselves in, some next to the .50-caliber machine
guns aimed out both sides of the plane. T
heir faces betray anticipation, and a just a touch of nerves.
The massive bomber – 67 feet long with a wingspan of 110 feet –
slowly rolls to the runway, speeds up and leaps into the sky.
Hollister – Members of the group shield their eyes against the windstorm created by B-24 Liberator’s four whirling propellers slicing through the air. They dash to the aircraft, climb in through its belly and strap themselves in, some next to the .50-caliber machine guns aimed out both sides of the plane. Their faces betray anticipation, and a just a touch of nerves. The massive bomber – 67 feet long with a wingspan of 110 feet – slowly rolls to the runway, speeds up and leaps into the sky.
But there will be no bullets fired nor bombs dropped – no encounter with the German Luftwaffe, no run-ins with Japanese Zero fighter planes. The war is long over, World War II at least, and rather than flying over Europe or Japan, the B-24 is hurtling west from Monterey, bound for the Hollister Municipal Airport.
The B-24 Liberator is one of three WWII bombers that will be at the airport this weekend, a traveling museum that gives people a chance to see, tour and – if they have $425 to spend – ride in the aircraft that a generation of young men flew into war. The Wings of Freedom Tour, organized by the Massachusetts -based Collings Foundation, includes the Consolidated B-24, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a North American B-25 Mitchell. They are among the last remaining airworthy bombers left from the WWII era.
Jon Bomarito, a Monterey County resident, was aboard the B-24, nicknamed Witchcraft, Friday when it made the 15-minute flight from Monterey Peninsula Airport to Hollister. He said the short flight – during which passengers were free to explore the aircraft’s front and rear gun turrets, side guns, flight deck and bomb bay – was “exhilarating.” Bomarito said that, during the trip, he had time to reflect on the sacrifice of the men who fought in the skies during the second world war. Many of them were Bomarito’s age, 21, or even younger.
“I have to say I have a new found respect,” he said. “I don’t know if I, raised in my own world here, could handle it.”
Salinas Resident Ray Puck, who wandered around Friday looking at the aircraft as if they were old friends, had no choice but to handle it more than 60 years ago. In 1944 Puck, now 83, headed off to the European Theater when he was in his 20s. He was a bombardier and navigator on a B-17.
“They’re great planes,” he said. “Stable planes.”
Puck, who flew more than 50 missions, recalled a sortie over southern France where they were to drop two 2,000 pound bombs on a target. One of the bombs released, Puck said, but then he was called into the bomb bay.
“They called me, ‘We have a problem,'” he said.
Climbing into the bomb bay, which was open leaving only a narrow strip of metal to walk on, Puck immediately saw the problem. The second bomb was stuck.
“I stepped gently on the nose of the bomb and off it went,” he said.
But stories like those shared by Puck are quickly disappearing throughout the United States. The young men who fought against Germany’s Third Reich and the Empire of Japan have grown old now and are passing away at a rate of more than a thousand every day. Soon all that will remain of their sacrifice are the words written in history books, the medals they earned, the photographs and a few planes, like those in the Wings Freedom Tour. That’s why the Collings Foundation takes its bombers to more than 100 cities each year. To keep their memory alive for future generations who enjoy the freedom they fought and many died for.
“Only nine B-17s are airworthy in the United States, the B-25 is one of only a handful flying, and the B-24 is the sole example left flying in the world,” said Bob Collings, who started the foundation. “The Wings of Freedom Tour is unique for the fact that these WWII treasures can jump out of the history books and come alive before your eyes.”
The three bombers will be open for walk-throughs at the Hollister Municipal Airport today and Sunday. Tours of the aircraft are $8 for adults and $4 for kids. Flights, which last about 30 minutes, cost $425.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at
lr****@fr***********.com
