Rolland Haggart Bushner

Military
media-17326.jpeg UPL 17326 1LT Rolland H. Bushner
25th BG
Bushner had flown a full 35 mission tour with the 466th BG then another 21 weather recon missions with the 25th BG

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Object Number - UPL 17326 - 1LT Rolland H. Bushner 25th BG Bushner had flown a full 35 mission tour with the 466th BG then another 21 weather recon missions with the 25th BG

Missions: 1944 - Aug 9 Saarbrucken; 12 Mourmelon sur Marne; 14 Dole/Tauaux/ 16 Madgeburg; 24 Hanover; 26 Dulmen; 30 Mainz; Sep 9 Mainz; 10 Ulm; 11 Madgeburg; Oct 5 Lippstadt; 7 Madgeburg; 9 Koblenz; 22 Hamm; 26 Bottrop; 30 Hamburg; Nov 5 Karlsruhe; 10 Hanau; 26 Bielefeld; 29 Bielefeld; 30 Neuenkerchen; Dec 5 Munster; 6 Bielefeld; 10 Bingen; 11 Karslruhe; 12 Aschaffenburg; 23 Dahlen; 24 Gerolstein; 25 Prum; 31 Icoglenz; 1945 - Jan 1 Koblenz; 3 Zweibrucken; 16 Dresden; 31 Brunswick; Feb 6 Madgeburg; Mar 15 Ireland; 17 No. Atlantic; 22 No Sea; 25 Paris; 27 Hannover; 28 No Atlantic; 31 No Atlantic; Apr 1 No Atlantic; 2 No Sea; 6 United Kingdom; 8 Denmark; 9 Berlin; 10 France; 11 France; 12 Denmark; 13 France; 19 Denmark; 20 No Atlantic; 21 No Sea; 26 Cherbourg; May 5 No Atlantic



AM w 4Oak Leaf Cluster

Connections

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Units served with

A B-26 Marauder of the 654th Bomb Squadron, 25th Bomb Group, parked on a runway. Handwritten on reverse: '654 BS.'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Reconnaissance
Three little girls hold up a balloon celebrating the 100th mission of the 466th Bomb Group in front of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-95592) nicknamed "Black Cat". Handwritten caption on reverse: 'On our 100 Mission party Day- 18 Aug 1944, Attlebridge, 466th- wouldn't it be something if we could identify these girls? How could I do it?'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 36319349
  • Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 12078683
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
  • Role/Job: Flight Engineer
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 34669919
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Blockbuster
  • Unit: 466th Bomb Group 491st Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron 853rd Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron

Missions

  • Date: 6 February 1945
  • Date: 31 January 1945
  • Date: 16 January 1945
  • Date: 1 January 1945
A B-17 Flying Fortress (EP-E, serial number 42-31767) nicknamed "Our Gal Sal" of the 100th Bomb Group at Mount Farm. Image by Robert Astrella, 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group. Written on slide casing: 'Our Gal Sal EP-E, 231767 at Mount Farm.'
  • Date: 31 December 1944

Places

Aerial photograph of Attlebridge airfield, looking north, the fuel store and a T2 hangar are in the upper centre, 31 January 1946. Photograph taken by No. 90 Squadron, sortie number RAF/3G/TUD/UK/51. English Heritage (RAF Photography).
  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Joplin, Missouri 13 December 1920

Other

466th BG Combat Tour

Attlebridge, Norwich, Norfolk NR9, UK 9 August 1944 - 6 February 1945 35 missions flying B-24's

Other

25th BG Combat Tour

Watton, Thetford, Norfolk IP25, UK 15 March 1945 - 5 May 1945 21 Missions DH 98 Mosquitos "When our 35 missions were complete, my crew went home and I volunteered for a squadron flying unarmed weather recon missions in British Mosquitos. I was lucky, crewing up with what I think was the best navigator-weather observer in the 8th AF. He could look down at a crossroads through a hole in the clouds and identify our location. Upon returning from a mission he would report on the scrambler phone to 8th AF HQ to help in planning the missions the following day. The Mosquito was wonderful airplane made of wood that could fly up to 37,000 feet and with two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines/ While I was at Watton, two or three of our weater recon ships failed to return to base. The mystery was solved when one of our returning pilots reported being chased by a German jet. He used full power to escape and after returning to base the engines were disassembled and inspected and proved undamaged!

Died

Landrum, SC 29356, USA 27 December 2011 Rolland Haggart "Bush" Bushner died Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at the Smith-Phayer Hospice House in Landrum, SC. He was 91. Many knew this slight, cheerful, unassuming man, but few knew about his remarkable life — a life that took him across the globe to serve his country in war and peace. Bush was born on Dec.13, 1920 in Joplin, Mo. His mother was Grace Hawbaker Haggart and his father was Harold Park Haggart. Later, following his mother's second marriage, to Richard H. Bushner, Bush adopted his stepfather's name. He attended Joplin Junior College from 1938-40 and obtained a bachelor of music degree in piano from Kansas State Teachers College in Pittsburg in 1942. Bushner later in life.Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Bush learned to fly in a civilian pilot training program and subsequently volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Force, where he served in the 2nd Division's 466 Bomb Group. With his crew of nine men, Lt. Bushner piloted B-24 Liberator bombers on 35 missions over Germany and occupied France during 1944-45. Only one in four B-24 crewmen survived a full 35-mission tour. But rather than punching a ticket home, Bush volunteered to fly weather reconnaissance missions over Germany in an unarmed British-made de Havilland DH98 Mosquito. Made mostly of wood, with massive Rolls-Royce engines, the two-seat Mosquito was perhaps the fastest piston-driven aircraft of the war. Bush flew the equivalent of a half-tour in the Mosquito before the war came to an end. One can hardly imagine making the transition from wartime pilot to classical pianist, but Bush did it. Returning to the states in 1945, he attended New York's prestigious Julliard School of Music. But service to country once again beckoned, and after a single term at Julliard, he joined the U.S. Foreign Service. Thus began a long and distinguished career as a diplomat. During the 18-year period immediately following the war, Bush served in a variety of settings and capacities. In Tokyo, he was assigned to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) U.S. Political Advisor's office, 1946-48. There followed a series of assignments where he served as political reporting officer at U.S. embassies in Bangkok, Thailand (1948-52); Pusan, Korea (1952-53); Tehran, Iran (1953-55); and the American Consulate in Khorramshahr, Iran (1955-56), where he opened the new U.S. Consulate. Returning stateside, he spent three years at the State Department as Thailand Desk Officer and one year at the U.S. Air Force War College in Montgomery, Ala. His final assignment for the Department of State was as Counselor for Political Affairs at the American Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia from 1960 to 1963. In 1963, Bush left the State Department to accept a position with the nonprofit, nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), considered to be the nation's most influential foreign policy think-tank, headquartered in New York City. As director of committees on foreign relations from 1963 to 1987, his job was to arrange for statesmen and foreign affairs experts to address some 36 CFR affiliated committees scattered across the nation. During this period, he earned a master's degree in Government from New York University in 1976. During his CFR years, while living in an 1883-vintage home in New Jersey, Bush developed an interest in antique automobiles, and in 1972 he bought a 1926 Packard 8 Touring car, Series 236. This was followed in 1974 by the purchase of a 1933 Packard club sedan, which had been sitting in an icehouse for 17 years. He spent much of the next 20 years lovingly restoring the grand vehicle. Over the years, his classic car collection would grow to include a '54 Packard, '57 Chrysler Imperial, ‘60s era MG, '66 Lincoln Continental convertible, and '69 Buick Riviera. For Tryon locals, however, perhaps Bush's most recognizable vehicle was an old multicolored Volkswagen Beetle that he drove around town for a number of years. In 1987, Bush came across an article in a retirement newsletter that touted Tryon, NC as a good place to spend retirement. He bought a home here and lived out a happy retirement. Bush's Tryon home reflected his unique experiences. The baby grand piano, photos and awards from World War II, unique furnishings and eclectic artwork from across the globe, letters from dignitaries and heads of state, and his stunning collection of antique automobiles all stood as a testament to a long journey on a road less traveled. He was active even in his final months. In August, the Smoky Mountain AACA sponsored him on an Honor Air flight to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. As a measure of their esteem, 60 club members greeted him upon his return flight to Asheville. The following month, the club honored him as Outstanding Member of the Year. Rolland Bushner was active in three regions of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA): New Jersey, Sparkle City and Great Smoky Mountain. He also belonged to the Blue Ridge Packard Club, Foothills MOPAR Club, the Riviera Owners Association, the Southeast British Motor Car Owners Club and the Southern Region Lincoln and Continental Car Club. He was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and a friend of the Congregational Church of Tryon.

Enlisted

Pittsburg State University, 1701 South Broadway Street, Pittsburg, KS 66762, USA Bachelors Degree Music - Piano (then known as Kansas State Teachers College - Pittsburg)

Revisions

Date
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources

Report on Mission No 150 - Bielefeld, Germany - 6 December 1944
466th BG Archives - NARA Research provided by Brad Sullivan

Date
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources

Written Interview with Rolland Bushner - 17 Sept 2003

Date
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources

466th BG Historian
findagrave.com

Date
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources

466th BG Historian

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self

Rolland Haggart Bushner: Gallery (2 items)