Harlyn Glen Turner
Military"Iowans of the Mighty Eighth", Chapter 22 "Biographies", by Charles D Taylor.
19 year-old gunner Harlyn Turner crossed the Atlantic on the 'Queen Mary' while the rest of his crew made the journey by air. They were re-united at a staging area in England and immediately sent on for combat briefings by experienced aircrew in Northern Ireland; 'quite hairy, nothing like the Hollywood version'. Assigned to the 707th Sqdn 446th BG they were greeted on arrival by an air-raid, German fighters attacking the bombers as they landed back at base.
After the customary two training flights his crew were scheduled to fly their very own B-24 'Piccadilly Commando' on 9th May 1944. They were still in the parking area preparing for take-off when an incendiary exploded in the bomb bay and set the plane on fire. The crew were lucky to escape without injury but the plane was a write-off and the cause of the accident never established. They were then given 'Little Rollo' and took part in the D-Day operation, a day Harlyn would never forget, ever thankful that he was in the air and not on the ground.
July 12th was another day he would always remember, the day of their 30th - and final- mission and also the day his daughter was born. Over Munich they lost an engine forcing the plane out of formation. Fortunately just as the German fighters were closing in a flock of
p-38's and P-51's came to the rescue and 'Little Rollo' was able to limp back to England and safety. Instead of returning home at the end of the tour he was selected to carry on as gunnery instructor for three months 'the new crews viewed us as heroes' much the same as had he training in Ireland just a few months earlier. During this period, on a pass to London, a V-1 landed on the hotel where he was staying and he took the hint and quickly returned to base.
After the war - his brother serving in the Pacific has also survived - Harlyn stayed on in the Air Force on B-29's for 26 years before retiring as a Master Sergeant. Settling afterwards in Dubuque Iowa he took a job as foreman in the Dubuque Packing Plant, enjoying being with his family, 'fishing and hunting, playing cards and a good cold beer from time to time'.
Post war: Aboard B-29 44-62076 "Hogan's Goat" 343BS, 98BG, 92BW, 15AF.
""While searching for the downed B-29 crew of Kenneth Jones from the 23rd Reconnaissance Squadron, our B-29 aircraft "Hogan's Goat" started to develop electrical problems. First we had problems with the radar and then the navigation equipment went haywire. Our radioman couldn't contact anyone. We soon realized we were lost somewhere over the Pacific Ocean and almost out of fuel because we had been flying for well over 20 hours. We needed to prepare for ditching at sea. While we were preparing for ditching, the navigator called on the intercom and reported he saw a small atoll (Fais Island) up ahead. This was a miracle since we hadn't seen any land since leaving Guam. That day in November 1948, God was definitely our co-pilot.""
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 446th Bomb Group 707th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-?
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Flixton
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Potosi, WI | 7 August 1924 | |
Enlisted |
Camp Dodge, Herrold, IA | 28 November 1942 | Camp Dodge Herrold Iowa |
Dubuque, IA, USA | Son of Coleen Turner. |
Revisions
Information compiled by historian Helen Millgate, sourced from The Beachbell Echo, newsletter of the 446th Bomb Group Association.
"Iowans of the Mighty Eighth", Chapter 22 "Biographies", by Charles D Taylor.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / www.446bg.com/