Merlin H Dyvig
Military"Iowans of the Mighty Eighth", Chapter 22 "Biographies", by Charles D Taylor.
Merlin Dyvig served as a tail gunner with the Bomb Squadron of the 95th Bomb Group, flying missions out of Horham, England. On his 10th mission over Wilhelmshaven in November 1944 one engine caught fire and he was instructed to bail out from 26,000 ft. He landed among a hostile group of German soldiers; he passed around packets of cigarettes and the situation improved somewhat...He ended up at Stalag Luft 1V where two men would share one bowl and one knife and the food always contained worms. Red Cross parcels saved them. As the Russians advanced the men were evacuated and forced marched to Mooseburg where they were liberated by Patton April 29 1945. He later said ' The best thing that ever happened to me was being captured and in a POW camp. No matter how bad things may get in life it will never be as bad as that'.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: No No Nannette : Cadet Nurse the 2nd
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 336th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Humboldt, Iowa | ||
Other Lives in |
Webster County, IA, USA |
Revisions
Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia ;
- http://95thbg.org/95th_db_pages/left_formation_code/gethonoroll.php
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia