George Sandall was born in Bourne in Lincolnshire. He and his family immigrated to the USA in 1926.



Sandall joined the USAAF in January 1942. He began navigation training at San Marcos, Texas. In November of that year Sandall was then posted to Moses Lake, Washington, where he was assigned to familiarisation training with B-17 crews. Landing in England (via Iceland) in January, 1944, Sandall and his crew were assigned to the 379th Bombardment Group based at Kimbolton, as replacements. Sandall's new squadron, the 527th, had still yet to have a crew successfully complete an operational tour, and the minimum combat mission requirement had just been upgraded from 25 to 30!



Sandall and his crew nicknamed their aircraft "Little Audrey", they flew with the Group every day, weather permitting. When not flying combat missions they flew practices which although unpopular undoubtedly paid dividends, as the Group became noted for it’s effectiveness and particularly for it’s ability to maintain tight defensive formations over enemy territory.



Sandall later went on to fly with other crews as a Lead Navigator, directing raids on Berlin and some of the V-1 sites on the French Coast. By the end of his combat missions Sandall was flying two sorties per day, culminating with his thirtieth over Calais on the 5th June, 1944. Returning from that raid the crew counted 79 holes in their aircraft, the result of very heavy and accurate enemy flak artillery.



1st Lieutenant Sandall was awarded the Air Medal after completion of his first five missions and had a further five Oak Leaf Clusters added for completing his tour of thirty. He was also decorated with the award of two Distinguished Flying Crosses.



Sandall was later transferred to the British Air Transport Command, based at Lytham St.Annes, tasked with ferrying B-17’s back to the United States. Shortly afterwards Sandall was then posted back to the USA, and was then assigned to the U.S Air Transport Command stationed at Long Beach, California. Here he was employed in ferrying aircraft again, this time to Australia, until released from service in November, 1945.