Bio

Researching 824th Bombardment Squadron out of Torretta Air Field in Italy. My grandfather, T/Sgt. John F. Hahn was the tail gunner on Ship #17, Serial # 42-52655. The B-24H was nicknamed "The Feather Merchants". The ship's 15th and final mission was on June 13, 1944. This is the account of their final mission. I only hope to learn more as I continue my tireless research. John Hahn’s War I would be embarrassed to know or share with you just how many hours that I have spent researching my grandfather John Hahn’s war. It’s been a labor of love that has been going on for years. So many hours of research resulting in a dead ends or only small miniscule facts, but I loved doing it. I would have made a terrible cop or detective. What I do promise you the reader is that I will only share with you facts. John Hahn’s story is a big part of my family’s history and far too often these stories get watered down, over indulged, lost or forgotten. I have committed to keeping everything written based on only the well documented facts from official reports, briefings, interrogations and documented accounts from crew members and family members. Otherwise, this would be just be a fictional story and that I will not allow. Everything that is written below is 100% factual. My research will continue and as it does I hope to learn more about my grandfather and the nine others that he flew with during World War 2 in Europe. The 484th Heavy Bombardment Group completed training at Harvard AAF in February 1944 and then deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in Southern Italy. It departed the United States in early March and arrived in April at Torretto Airfield, Italy, where it was assigned to Fifteenth Air Force. April 1944 – April 1945. The 484th attacked such targets as oil refineries, oil storage plants, aircraft factories, heavy industry, and communications in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Rumania, and Yugoslavia. When WWII came along John Hahn joined the United States Army Air Forces. He initially wanted to be a pilot, but his eyesight didn’t meet the requirements, so he became a tail gunner on a B-24H Bomber. As a child I would ask him about the war, about the airplane that he and his friends flew on and what was it like. Even still today it fascinates me. My father Tim also taught me to know where "the line" was and not to dare cross this line. My grandfather had been through so much during the war and a young eager to learn grandson would not want to stir up painful memories. I remember the day that I asked him about being shot down in his B-24, immediately I had a sinking feeling that I might have just crossed the line. I remember my dad was in the kitchen along with my uncle Mark and uncle John and so was my cousin Michael Felts. That evening in his kitchen John shared with us a glimpse into what his war was like and we listened. June 13, 1944 Five weeks after D-Day The 15th and final mission of “The Feather Merchants” Innsbruck, Austria This mission suffered the highest loss out of all of the bombardment group's 208 missions 6 Ships 60 casualties The 484th Bombardment Group received a received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for its persistent action. The Mission 　 With only 30 minutes away from their initial target of railroad marshalling yards in Munich, Germany, the group encountered what was described to be heavy and accurate flak as well as fighter attacks by more than thirty Messerschmitt and Flock Wolfe single engine fighters. The attacks came in both head on and by way of tail end passes. So well-coordinated were these attacks that fifteen and twenty passes were made simultaneously by fighters flying either three or four abreast or in six line astern. The attacks were extremely aggressive, in some instances fighters came within eight feet of the allied bombers. In the running fight, which lasted about twenty minutes, the group lost three bombers. Due to heavy cloud cover, the group was diverted to railroad marshalling yards as a secondary target, in Innsbruck, Austria. Once again the bombing group encountered what was described as heavy and accurate flak as well as heavy enemy fighter resistance. The group successfully dropped its bombs on Innsbruck. However a B-24H, Ship #17 “The Feather Merchants” was very badly shot-up and was not going to make it back to Torretta Air Field. In an effort to stay up in the air for as long as they possibly could, all of the crew began to jettison whatever wasn’t bolted down to the ship to lighten the aircraft’s load. The longer they stayed in the air the further they would be from the Nazi’s. Having this lighter weight would also help with the plane’s maneuverability.　 The Feather Merchants were escorted by another ship. Ship #20 of the 824th Squadron "The Guardian Angel" which was another B-24H was flying by her side. Piloted by Lowell K. Davis, The Guardian Angel stayed with The Feather Merchants until the badly damaged plane made her crash landing into the Adriatic. Prior to ditching the aircraft pilot Lieutenant Robert Bedwell, informed his crew that if anyone wanted to parachute out of the plane instead of taking part in the crash landing that was about take place that now would be the time and that he would radio their position for them. All of the men elected to stay with each other and their doomed aircraft. All of the fuel tanks were damaged, thus they ran out of fuel. The crew was ordered to their crash positions prior to the pilot’s attempt to crash land unto the ocean. Ocean landings were taught to flight crews during flight school, but for obvious reasons these landings were never practiced and only lectured on and discussed. In the past, B-24’s that have attempted this daring maneuver had mixed results from the outcome. The hope was that the airplane would skid to an eventual halt on top of the water and would float long enough for all of the 10 crew members to safety exit the aircraft and into one of their two dinghies. Some past water landings ended in with this desired outcome, others were not as fortunate. A B-24’s attempting a water landing could come to a stop and immediately sink, a wing could dip into the water causing the ship to spin out of control with its crew members being tossed about. Planes had also suffered the fate of flipping end over end. Other planes would tear apart upon hitting the water. All of the crew was aware of these possibilities. Before the plane skidded onto the water the last thing that John remembered saying was "I love you Mary." When the aircraft hot the water John was knocked unconscious. He awoke to a plane quickly filling up with sea water. At this same time John’s wife Mary and their first born son Tim were living with Tim’s Uncle Joe and Aunt Donna in Indianapolis. Mary suddenly awoke on that same day and told Uncle Joe "John is in some kind of danger; something is wrong." A few days later Mary received telegram that said that John was missing in action. Later, they figured in the time difference and determined that she awoke at the same time that the plane was going down and John was saying those words.　 The crew worked together getting into themselves and each other into one of their two dinghies. As the crew worked towards their escape and made it into their life rafts one crew member saw that anther crew member was still in the quickly sinking ship. Thus far my research has not revealed which of the crew was the one who selflessly swam back to the ship, dove and swam into the ship to save another and drowned in the process. At this point in time (March or 2018) my research has only revealed to me that top turret gunner Nathan Conn of Mississippi, Leonard D. Long of Illinois and side gunner & radio operator Vincent Willour had all three died prior to the crew’s eventual rescue. With the exception of the plane’s pilot and co-pilot, all of the crew members had suffered injuries from either the flak, from the intense aerial fighting that they incurred during their flight or from the intense and hard landing that they subjected to. Some of these injuries were quite severe. John’s left knee was severely wounded by shrapnel and would never be the same. The crew of seven spent the first 22 hours adrift in a life raft. John Hahn and some, if not all, of the crew were suffering from exposure, shock and severe wounds. While floating adrift in their raft, side gunner and engineer, Harry Solis was suffering from a severely injured leg that was hit by shrapnel as well. Many years later Harry told John’s son Tim that John had spent almost the entire time while at sea holding Harry’s leg together so that it fuse. I do know that one of the crew members died at some point while drifting at sea and the crew was forced to bury him at sea. After having spent these 22 hours at sea, a ship was spotted off in the distance. The weary crew shot up a flare in hopes of signaling the ship. The ship slowly made its way to the crew. It wasn’t until the ship was close that the Nazi swastika on the ship’s side revealed itself. The seven remaining crew’s heart sank. The crew was helped aboard this German hospital ship. The injured five crew members were given first aid by this German crew. John’s severely injured knee was operated on; I am unsure as to what procedure was done. They were given no anesthetic, as it was to be saved that in case they needed it for themselves or other Germans.　. Haven been give nothing for the pain during this procedure, a German crew member did offer his hand for John to squeeze while the medical procedure took place. I remember John saying that this man offering his hand for him to squeeze meant a lot to him. He told me that he wanted to show his appreciation and his gratitude to this man and tried to give this man his wedding ring as a way of saying thanks, but he didn’t because he passed out during this medical procedure because of the extreme pain. When he regained consciousness that man was no longer there and the ring was halfway off. Hank Ronson of The 824th Squadron recalled the German treatment of the crew in “The Torretta Flyer” publication #11 in the winter of 1984. “Too frequently when war stories are told they beastly, atrocity or the animal nature of man. When I was with the 824th Squadron, I learned of an event which was the extreme opposite of this which may be of interest to the Association membership.” “We had a T/Sgt. who was in charge of the parachute room. He was not flying at the time but was a former crew member.” “As the story goes, during a mission his crew was badly shot-up. While time has erased some of the details, I recall that there were some casualties and serious injuries involved. The aircraft was also seriously damaged and it was necessary for the crew to ditch in the Adriatic. The surviving crew members were picked up by a German hospital boat. Our airmen were made comfortable and wounds treated. The captain of the ship spoke perfect English or so was related. As part of his interrogation, he offered our airmen the alternative of being taken back to Germany as prisoners or to be returned to the waters in their life rafts. The crew requested to return to their life rafts. As was related to me, the men were given blankets and hot beverages.” “A most amazing thing happened. The German captain radioed our authorities and provided the crew’s location.” The pilot, Lieutenant Robert Bedwell was the one who in fact brokered this deal with the ship’s captain if they could simply return to their life rafts. The ship’s captain allowed this as an option and all seven crew members elected to return to the sea in their dingy. Radioing their position told both the German’s and the Allies the whereabouts of the crew’s rafts. Thus, they could have been met by a German fighter or an Allied aircraft or ship. The surviving airmen spent the next two hours once again alone at sea still suffering from their wounds. Then they were spotted by an allied plane. The plane waved it’s wings, which is a universal sign of acknowledgement. Shortly after being spotted by this plane, the crew was picked up by a British PBY Catalina flying boat. John recalled how funny these men spoke. They said "Step lively mates" as the loaded them into their plane.　 When John was hospitalized in England he weighed 110lbs after the whole ordeal. He returned home to wife beloved wife Mary and held his 2 ½ year son for the first time in October of 1945. John and Mary Hahn went on to have 5 more children: Mary Jane, Patty, Kathy, Ann Marie and John. The Hahn’s children blessed Joh and Mary with many grandchildren whom were all dearly loved and cherished. After the war John joined The Indianapolis Fire Department and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Rarely did John speak of the war, as a young boy I would often ask him about it, but I was told by my father Tim not to ask frequently as well as to be very cautious about what I say and how I say it. I was a curious boy who was deeply intrigued by what my grandfather did and experienced during the war. I had great admiration and tremendous respect for him. In some ways, I feel as though even though I am 41 years old today-that I’m still that little boy　who loves and respects my grandfather who did so much for our country.　 In reading narratives, official reports pertaining to these bombing missions and reading firsthand accounts by the men of 848th Bombardment Squadron I am amazed at what these brave young men endured, what each one of them were subjected to and how they overcame these adversities. Regular young American boys, barely out of high school, who were thrown into a war of which the outcome and fate of the entire world rested on. Written by: Matthew Timothy Hahn March 3rd, 2018