Lawrence W. Bachman (Larry), Lt., B-24 Pilot/Co-pilot, United States Army Air Forces, Eighth Air Force, 2nd Division, 392nd Bomb Group (Wendling Air Base, England); also AT-6 Pilot Instructor, Korean War



b. Aug 20, 1923, Grew up 5928 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN; Enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Aviation cadet: College Training Detachment, Arkansas; Primary Flight Training: Muskogee, OK; Basic Flight Training: Coffeyville, KS; Advanced Flight Training: Altus, OK; Taught instrument flying; Crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary; USAAF, 8th Air Force, 2nd Div., 392 Bomb Group, 577 Bomb Squadron, Wendling, England. B-24 Co-Pilot (B. Ray Shaw Crew), Larry flew as the command pilot from the right seat on most missions. Mission 1: Dec. 6, 1944 to Biefeld, Germany. Of 10 planes, only his made it back to base. Mission 4: Dec 29, 1944 to Neufeld, Germany. Two antiaircraft shells hit the plane, fuel lines and fuel pumps were hit, and fuel leaked massively into the plane. He then flew 60 mi. on one engine to France. Larry was credited with 30 missions. According to Larry he flew 25 missions and was credited with 5 more because some were very hazardous (See p. 7 of The Greatest Generation of Silver Wings.) He flew the B-24 "Wimpy's Queen / YMCA Flying Service" and they were the alternate lead plane on most missions. Brother Roy was killed in Luzon, Philippines. Life after WWII: Bachman's Floral, AT-6 Instructor in the Reserves, Zuhruh Shriner, Pres. 8th AFHS-Mn. Many great-grandchildren.

Larry Bachman's 8th AFHS-MN Presentations webpage

https://sites.google.com/site/8thafhsmn/pictures/larry-bachman-b-24-pil…

See his biographical chapter in Don Ward's 2004 book The Greatest Generation of Silver Wings ISBN 0-9654964-0-8