Oral history interview of John Edward Powers

Collection:: Veterans History Project: Oral History Interviews
Title:: Oral history interview of John Edward Powers
Creator:: Tozzer, Newell Bryant
Powers, John E., 1917-2004
Date of Original:: 2004-01-21
Subject:: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
B-17 bomber
B-24 (Bomber)
Stark, Jesse
Rutgers College
United States. Army Air Forces. Air Force, 8th
United States. Army Air Forces. Bombardment Group, 493rd
International Business Machines Corporation
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation
Operation Manna
Operation Chowhound
Consolidated B-24 Liberator (Bomber)
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (Heavy Bomber)
Location:: United Kingdom, England, Ipswich, 52.0579495, 1.1526345
United States, Colorado, Pueblo, 38.2544472, -104.609141
United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
United States, Georgia, Atlanta Metropolitan Area, 33.8498, 84.4383
United States, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Brunswick, 40.48622, -74.45182
United States, New York, Kings County, Brooklyn, 40.6501, -73.94958
Medium:: video recordings (physical artifacts)
mini-dv
Type:: Moving Image
Format:: video/quicktime
Description:: In this interview, John Powers describes his experiences in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He was already married and had a child, but wanted to fly and wanted to "get some Nazis." He tried the Navy, but they turned him down, so he enlisted in the Army Air Forces. After training, he was sent to England. He and the interviewer list the bombing missions he flew, as well as humanitarian flights, dropping food and returning French POWs from Austria to France. He describes his post-war career.
John Powers was in the U.S. Army Air Forces in Europe during World War II.
JOHN EDWARD POWERS WWII Oral Histories January 21, 2004 Atlanta History Center Interviewer: Newell Tozzer Transcriber: Joyce Dumas [Transcriber's note: Names of places on Page 15 can be checked against the mission list and the author of the book on the Holland food drop should go on Page 16.] [Tape 1, Side A] Interviewer: I'm Newell Tozzer. This is the twenty-first of January, 2004. And we are at the Atlanta History Center on the Veteran's History Project, interviewing veterans of World War Two. Mr. Powers, would tell your name, rank, serial number. Tell us about…tell your name and where you were born. And your…oh, am I supposed to have [inaudible]? Frances: No, you're [inaudible]. Interviewer: You can tell me [inaudible] your birthday, the day you were born. Powers: I was born on June seventeenth…June twenty-second, nineteen seventeen. Born in Buffalo, New York. And as a child was…family moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey. . . . Grew up in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Went to high school and . . . Rutgers. Interviewer: Rutgers University? Powers: Rutgers. Interviewer: Or Rutgers, New Jersey. Powers: New Jersey. Interviewer: Rutgers, New Jersey. Powers: And then I eventually went to war. I decided I wanted to be . . . well, . . . I wanted to get the Nazis. [laughs] I was still married, had a child and could have looked for a deferment, but I elected to become a pilot. And so I went to [inaudible]. Interviewer: Did you enlist in the Air Force then? Powers: I joined the Air Force, right. Actually, I [inaudible] I wanted to get into the Navy because I had a boat and all that sort of thing. I went to try to become a pilot, but they turned me down for [inaudible] position. So, I went to a place in New York City. I can talk to Jessie Stark. I'll never forget his name. And I'd go for, oh I guess, six months or something like that taking lessons how to speak properly and so I went back and the Navy wouldn't take me, but the Air Force did. And so I joined the Air Force, which was nice because I did a lot of [inaudible] cadet and go [inaudible] as a young boy I could go up the hills [inaudible]. I couldn't do it now. [laughs] Interviewer: So you enlisted in Brooklyn or where did you enlist in the Air Force? Powers: New York City. Interviewer: New York City. Powers: New York City. At that time… Interviewer: [inaudible] Powers: At that time, I was working for Standard Oil…excuse me. Pardon me. The Bank of New York. I was working for the Bank of New York. And I went ahead and enlisted and then [inaudible] I never came back to aviation again. Interviewer: I figure you were twenty-four, twenty-five years old. A very young man. Powers: I was the old man in our group, really. Interviewer: You were? Powers: Well see, most of the people… Interviewer: I can't believe that. Powers: I know, but I…most of the guys were about what? Twenty-two, twenty. Interviewer: Well, where were you first sent? When you enlisted in the Air Force where we you first sent? Powers: Fort…[coughs] [inaudible]. I'm trying to think where…where was I? Interviewer: You weren't immediately sent overseas? Powers: Oh no. I had to go through training school. So I went to training school [inaudible] young person [inaudible] aviation cadet, you've got to go through all the training and that sort of thing, which was several months, that sort of thing. And then I got…then I got [inaudible] Pueblo [phonetic] to go to B-24 school and I flew B-24 school. I went…sent overseas, to England and our group was…all of a sudden was changed from B-24s to B-17s. That was very interesting because months and months of training and that sort of thing. We went through school when we to [inaudible] airport there and they told me, “You need to get in a B-17.” Went through one week checking in about how you could [inaudible] B-17. Okay. We did one day of that. The next night, I started to fly a B-17. And I never knew anything about a B-17, but I had one day of ground school. We [inaudible]. We flew it around a little while. A guy showed me how to push the buttons and that sort of thing. [inaudible] went out and flew, went out and flew for about fifteen minutes, came in and made three touch-and-gos and a full stop. And the guy said, “You are now a B-17 pilot.” [laughs] Interviewer: That was your training. Powers: That was the training. [laughs] Which [inaudible]. Interviewer: They trusted you. Powers: Oh, no. The guys [inaudible] never good enough. We just…soon lots of guys were…[inaudible] said they couldn't make it. But I was one of the lucky enough, I think. [laughs] Interviewer: You must have been good. Powers: I thought that was pretty good. Interviewer: Tell us where you were sent on missions. Powers: [inaudible] third group, were sent to Ipswich, England. That's where all our groups went, Four Ninety Third Bomb Group in Ipswich. And I flew [inaudible] missions. Twenty-three missions. Twenty-four. [paper rattling] I flew twenty…I'm sorry for digging for a piece of paper. Interviewer: This is your military record. Did you have that? Is that a copy of your record? Powers: Yes. Interviewer: How interesting. Powers: Just give me one second. Interviewer: Would you like Mrs. Powers to read some of that maybe? You could read some of his record…[inaudible] some of his military record. You could read it for the [inaudible]. [inaudible] you could read it. Because I'm sure that's interesting material. Thought maybe she could read some of it for you. Powers: Okay, so after we got to [inaudible] prisoners back to Paris. For two trips of [inaudible] nineteen [inaudible] guys. You take nineteen bodies in that little B-17. [inaudible] from Austria to France. And that was fun because. Those four guys had been in jail for many years. It was the first time of the two flights I had, everybody on the flight stuffed in a little B-17 and we got [inaudible] from Austria back to France and I made the mistake of…[inaudible] everybody that we're coming over France. I thought the guys were gonna tear the airplane apart, jumping down and [inaudible]. [laughs] The second time, I didn't tell anybody. [laughs] Interviewer: That was smart. Powers: And then we pulled into the…in France and that was also [inaudible] ceremonies as we finished. We'd have a formation afterward with the [inaudible] people. Our group was…had some general and that sort of thing saying Hi to us. [inaudible] before the guys get release. The only thing could…the only thing I couldn't get used to was…to trips like that…having two grown men giving a kiss on both of your cheeks. [laughs] But [inaudible] after the first mission, [inaudible] we couldn't, because of war though, we couldn't get back to the United…London. So we spent a couple nights in France. Interviewer: This was after the war? Powers: Just [inaudible]. Just the next day after…oh, a couple weeks after. Interviewer: A couple of weeks. It's nineteen forty-five. [inaudible] So this would have been the summer of nineteen forty-five? Powers: Yes, it was. May sixteenth, forty-five. [inaudible] to Austria to France…Paris. And so we were stuck there because of [inaudible] so we had…we thought we'd go to downtown and [inaudible] café and that sort of thing. Interviewer: Well, you were in Paris. Powers: Yes, we had a nice place, a little café. And my navigator, [inaudible] Cassidy, the poor guy has passed away. But he had a copy of [inaudible], and so he was talking to the manager of this café place. [inaudible] And he said, “Francois!” [laughs] [inaudible] Well, I don't know how we ever got back home. [inaudible] how we got the airplane next day [inaudible]. But that was interesting, really. Did something good. And that's what I liked about the fact I…dropping food [inaudible]. Interviewer: When was that? Because we were just talking about when you went to Austria. Powers: That was a couple days before we stopped…food…food drops. Interviewer: That's what this book is about. The food drops. Powers: [inaudible] Interviewer: Is this book about the food drops? Powers: No. No. Mrs. Powers: [inaudible] Interviewer: It's about the food drops. [inaudible] This is about the food drops. Well, let's talk about the food drops. Operation Manna…Chow Hound. Powers: Chow Hound. Interviewer: The Allied food droppings. April and May, nineteen forty-five. I've never heard of that and I've read a lot about World War Two. I have heard that food was dropped there. Tell me about it. Powers: There were sixteen…six food drops. And fortunately I got three of them…food drops. I would have taken them all but the other guys kept hanging around [inaudible]. And then one of the things I did get [inaudible]. Poor guy [inaudible], this guy got killed. [inaudible sentence] And he made [inaudible]. Which I wouldn't give any of this for anything. [inaudible] this was a Dutch…all in German, I mean, not Dutch. And so I really loved having done something after dropping bombs [inaudible] dropped food. Interviewer: What a wonderful contrast. Powers: We were…a big plus, we didn't get killed. [laughs] Almost. And we [inaudible] this is typical [inaudible]. Interviewer: Of dropping the food? Powers: Drop food. Interviewer: That's wonderful. We'll get a picture of that for the camera. If you hold it up for us, please, we'll get a picture for the camera. Good. That's good. That's good. How long did you do these wonderful food drops? Powers: Oh, just within a month, in May…May of forty-five. Interviewer: May of forty-five. Powers: And all one right after another. Interviewer: So you changed from dropping bombs on the enemy… Powers: Yeah. Interviewer: …to feeding the people in Holland… Powers: Right. Interviewer: In the lovely poem that starts off this book, [reading] “Swaps [inaudible] of swallows bringing food, visions of victory, thoughts of freedom for the starving, for the [inaudible], the discouraged ones. They all laugh and cry and cheered at every place. But this was a miracle. Salvation from above. Manna rained bringing relief, true blessing, mighty moment. We waited months to see it.” And that's by a lady in the Hague, nineteen forty-five. That's a beautiful thing that she wrote about what you did. No wonder you feel that you did something wonderful. Powers: Yeah, I thought so, too. Yes, that's what it looks like. Interviewer: The food drop. Could you hold it up for the camera? [voice off tape] Well, you saved lives, I'm sure. Powers: Yeah. Interviewer: [inaudible] shoot these. Powers: What's that? Interviewer: Your wife told me to ask you an important question. Tell us about the bombing runs over Germany and the tulip fields. Tell us about the tulip fields, cause that would be in Holland, wouldn't it? Powers: Yeah, I've got some of those pictures right here. Interviewer: So, while you were dropping food, did you see the tulip fields? Powers: Yes. The thing we liked when we came [coughs] across the channel, and very low, five or six hundred feet and we came across the water and then see the [inaudible] troops and we could see pulled…tulips were pulled out of the ground. “God bless you, boys.” I'll tell you, that'll tear you apart, I'll tell you. Interviewer: Of course it did. Wow. You mean they had spelled that out? Powers: [inaudible] Interviewer: They had spelled out, “God bless you, boys” in tulips. Powers: Un-huh. Interviewer: And you could see it. [inaudible] Powers: And all our guys went ape, I mean [inaudible], you know. Interviewer: Of course they did. Wow. Powers: Our bombardier…he said so many bad words about [inaudible] Nazis. He said, “We've got food now. We've got food for people.” And so, the guys went crazy. Everybody went crazy about it. And we think we did some good about that sort of thing. [paper rattling] [inaudible] that's what they gave us. Interviewer: Thank you. This is what some of the Dutch people gave you. Powers: Yeah. I think that…that's another copy. Interviewer: All right. [inaudible] This looks like the original. You want to leave the original here at the History Center? Powers: It's yours. You've got it. Interviewer: Thank you. We'll treasure it. Powers: It has a whole bunch of… Interviewer: Well, after um… Powers: We flew trips like…flew trips like that. You can look at those if you want to at leisure. Interviewer: Well, we want…maybe we want to show them on this film. Are these new pictures or [inaudible]. Mrs. Powers: Of the gardens. Interviewer: Oh, in Holland? Mrs. Powers: Yes. [inaudible] every year, two years, I think. They're new ones. We were over there three years ago. [inaudible] Powers: I went…a couple of years ago we went to a celebration in Valkenberg and a couple other places. [inaudible] some of the kids around there locally. They all looked so cute that time. Interviewer: [inaudible] Powers: That's one of those… Interviewer: Mr. Powers, do you keep up with any of your old buddies? Powers: [inaudible] But getting less and less. Interviewer: Have you gone to reunions in years gone by? Powers: Yeah, I have. But… Interviewer: In the last fifty years, have you gone to some reunions? Powers: Back a few years ago, [inaudible] great looking guys [inaudible] and they're all like me. [laughs] Interviewer: [inaudible] you still worry about it. Powers: That's just not that… Interviewer: Keep on going. Powers: So I keep going. Interviewer: Good. Powers: [inaudible] talking to people all the time, you know. They keep [inaudible] e-mail and the rest of it… Interviewer: So you e-mail your friends. Powers: Oh, yes. Interviewer: Good. Powers: Yes. We keep it [inaudible] a whole bunch of us who can hardly walk. I'm sorry, but… Interviewer: You're gonna keep on. Powers: Oh, you got to keep going anyhow. Interviewer: After the Holland manna dropping, the wonderful Operation Manna Chow Hound, after that…that was forty-five, for a few months in forty-five. The war was over. Any other war experiences before we leave the war. Any other war experiences you want to go over. Powers: Well, it's just…[inaudible] we followed the British, French prisoners which [inaudible] following right behind that. But then… Interviewer: And you went, you flew as an American pilot, lead pilot. Powers: Lead pilot, right. Interviewer: You were the lead pilot. You flew into Austria. Powers: Flew to Austria. Interviewer: To get [inaudible]… Powers: That's the only [inaudible]. Interviewer: Prisoners, French prisoners who'd been released. Powers: Been released, that's right. Interviewer: From Auschwitz? Powers: Austria. Austria, had to take them back to [inaudible]… Interviewer: Austria. Powers: …to France. And they…and that's… Interviewer: And that's when they were so thrilled. Powers: Of course, they forced me to do a second one. And so that was very good. Well, like I say, three, four [inaudible] and two…helped two guys out of prisons. I mean, oh boy. Interviewer: How long did that go on, for maybe a month or so? Powers: Oh no. Just a few days. Interviewer: Just a few days. Powers: Oh no. Just…just for the week. They did…a few other groups did the same thing. [inaudible] a week, they did everything out of…[inaudible] people in Austria back into France. Interviewer: Then what happened? Powers: Well, I was gonna stay in the Air Force for a while and I decided, tried that for a while and I didn't want it. Had a chance to go back. I went to…first [inaudible] New Jersey as a pilot. And so I went to [inaudible] Jersey as a pilot and then…flew a couple [inaudible]. Interviewer: Really? Powers: Before I…before we got a chance to go with Lockheed and changed to jets and that sort of thing. And then I retired and eventually from Lockheed. I [inaudible] jets and Hercules [phonetic] and all that sort of thing. So it's been many, many years of [inaudible] airports and airlines. Interviewer: Back to the war. What German cities did you fly over? Powers: [laughs] Berlin. Interviewer: Berlin? Powers: Berlin, Hamburg. Interviewer: What about Dresden? Powers: If you'll give me a second, [inaudible] for a minute, I'll give you…[paper rattling]. Interviewer: Certainly. Powers: Oh, where is it? Interviewer: [inaudible] trying to remember. Powers: [inaudible] Interviewer: Oh, [inaudible] [laughter] Yes, hold that one up. We'd love to have… Frances: That's very nice. Interviewer: When you were a lead pilot? Powers: Yeah. Interviewer: Very good. Powers: You're finished now? Frances: Yes. Powers: [inaudible] [rattling noises] And here are all the missions. Interviewer: [inaudible] These are your missions that you flew. Twenty combat missions. Three food drops and two returning prisoners. Your missions, your target the third of February, forty-five was Berlin, Germany. The sixth of February, forty-five, was Chemnitz, Germany. Then the ninth of February, forty-five, Luenster [phonetic], Germany. The fourteenth of February, forty-five, back to Chemnitz. The fifteenth of February, forty-five, Cottsbus, C-O-T-T-B-U-S. Oh my goodness. The twenty-first is Nuremberg, Germany. Then the twenty-second, Bamberg. The twenty-seventh…the twenty-second is Bamberg. The twenty-seventh of February, forty-five, is Leipzig. The first of March was Olm [phonetic]. The fourth of March, back to Nuremberg. The eighth of March, Gorgemond [phonetic]. The tenth of March…you were a busy man. You were leveling Germany, weren't you? Powers: [laughs] Interviewer: You were leveling German [inaudible]. Powers: Like I say… Interviewer: Tenth of March… Powers: Like I say, [inaudible] attention. [laughs] Interviewer: You got the attention [inaudible] twelfth Singen. The nineteenth F-U-L-D-A, you were the lead. The twenty-fourth of March, Valell [phonetic], Germany. You were the lead. Thirtieth of March, [inaudible] Hamburg, Germany. You were the lead. And this says, combat mission number one hundred and forty. The eighth of March [sic, possibly April] you were the lead again to Grafenwohr. The eleventh of April…excuse me, was Inglestadt [phonetic], you were the lead and the sixteenth of April to Rochefort [phonetic], Czechoslovakia and you were the lead. First pilot lead at aircraft group. Two missions to Linz, Austria, returning French prisoners. You were in the Holland food mission. We're so proud of you for taking care of those people. April and May, forty-five, to Holland…Rotterdam, Holland and Amsterdam, which is just very impressive. Very wonderful. May we copy this. Powers: Sure. Certainly. Certainly. Interviewer: We'll copy that. We'll put it with your record. Powers: [laughs] Interviewer: [inaudible] I'm glad you have that. Well, after all that was completed, what happened? Powers: [inaudible] [laughing] Of course, my friend [inaudible] Underweller, he wrote that book about the food drops and the… Interviewer: Well, tell me this. This is before you enlisted, but where were you on Pearl Harbor Day, on December seventh, forty-one? Where were you then? You were a young man? Powers: I couldn't tell you that. Interviewer: You don't remember? Powers: Can't tell you that. Interviewer: Well, tell me… [Tape 1, Side B] Interviewer: That was May, nineteen forty-five. Victory in Europe Day. Celebrating I hope. Powers: Oh yeah. We went to the [inaudible] and [inaudible] completely drunk Power. [laughs] This was a wild group. Interviewer: That's your group? How wonderful to have a book about it, pictorial history. Also, four hundred and ninety-third bomb group. That's your group. Powers: That's our group, right. Interviewer: Wow. Powers: And I'm in that thing. Interviewer: Oh, I'm sure you are, being the lead pilot. Powers: Some of the other…it was…everything was lost somehow. I had a…[inaudible] because of [inaudible], Powers model painted on the side of airplanes. Interviewer: Oh. A pretty girl. Powers: Yeah, really [whistles]. And of course, I [inaudible] guy named Green, I could hear [inaudible]. Green had lost [inaudible] the airplane overseas [inaudible]. So I know he got a picture of us. There's one of the boys I had…that's not [inaudible], but that's [inaudible]. Interviewer: That's the girl, huh? Powers: That's what [inaudible]. But I can't find my Powers' model. [laughs] Interviewer: [inaudible] Did you partake in the preparation for D-Day, June 6, nineteen forty-four? Did you…did you bomb the preparations for the invasion of Europe? D-Day. [inaudible] I know you were in England, getting ready but…I guess all of these missions that we just read about…let's see, they're leading up to D-Day. No, these are forty…nineteen forty-five and D-Day was forty-four. So. Maybe you were flying or…well, this is before the end of the war. The war didn't end until May. And this is February, March and April. The war was over in May. That's when they capitulated. Powers: Don't ask me. I…we're kind of busy. Interviewer: Oh, yes. I'm sure you were busy getting ready and training. Were you in England long? You were in England a long time. Powers: Not really. Just…I only just…oh yes, while I was in Las Vegas, that's everything that…yeah. Interviewer: Halton's Hellcats. That's your group. Powers: Right. Interviewer: Four hundred and ninety-third bomb group. You all really had work to do. Were you ever shot down? Powers: No. Of course… Interviewer: Were you ever shot down? Powers: No. Of course, if the airplane was shot you'd see…it's [inaudible] was shot. You see that picture right there. Interviewer: This one right here? Powers: And that was a…well, it's the same picture. You can have it if you want. We were very fortunate. Interviewer: Now look. There are mentions of you on all these pages: one thirty-one, one thirty-three. Here we are. [reading] “This is Lieutenant John E. Powers' crew.” Here is a picture of your crew. “Crew in the eight hundred and sixty-three bomb squadron.” And his…John. “Standing, John Powers…John E. Powers, pilot.” Now see, you just haven't bragged on yourself like we needed to hear about. [reading] “On fifteen May, Powers was decorated for sustained leadership…sustained leadership in three raids, on the nineteenth of March and eighth and the eleventh of April. On nineteen March, he served as the lead crew pilot of the four hundred and ninety-third B squadron on the mission to Fulda. The weather on this occasion was marked by [inaudible] clouds which made piloting difficult and the target area of the formation encountered moderate, accurate tracking, anti-craft fire, which damaged ten aircraft in the group. Despite these hampering forces, Powers led his formation over the target and bombed the Marshalling Yards with good results. Ninety-seven percent of the bombs fell within two thousand feet of the NPI. Again, on eight April, Powers demonstrated outstanding leadership on the mission to Grafenwohr and also on the mission to Inglestadt on eleven April. Fifty-one percent of the bombs fell within five hundred feet and ninety-eight percent within a thousand feet of the NPI.” Well, this is a very… Powers: We had a good…had a good team. Had a good team. Interviewer: Well, you were the leader. Powers: I know, but the group…one person didn't lead the whole group. It's the team goes together. Interviewer: [inaudible] And you were still in a B-17? Yeah, you were in a B-17, but here it says, [reading] “Lieutenant John Powers, lead pilot.” Here is a picture of your crew. A wing and a prayer. Powers: [laughs] Interviewer: “Some of these [inaudible] returned to England on thirtieth of March with major damage inflicted by enemy fire and flak. The damage to the starboard tail on John Powers' B-17 in the eight hundred sixty-third bomb squadron can clearly be seen in the photo on left. Powers' crew smile rather self-consciously for the camera in front of the gaping hole.” Here's a picture of that. Your crew in front of the hole on your plane. And here's the names of all the people, you and all the people and here's this huge hole where the Germans… Powers: The part of that thing was…the [inaudible] elevator jammed, so I couldn't get back…couldn't [inaudible]. Caused the elevator flaps to [inaudible]. I couldn't do anything. It was all jammed. So, it was very interesting trying to get home. To make the thing turn, that's the only thing. But we're lucky. [laughs] Interviewer: Well, you were a good pilot. You were lucky, but you were a good pilot, obviously. Here's the picture of your crew in April of forty-five, so that was right before VE Day. What does it mean to be a lead pilot? That you led all the other planes? What does it mean to be the lead pilot? Powers: In a formation, one seventy-nine pilots in a group…and there's nine and nine. That's the formation…you're going into…on a…on a…going in to the lead pilot. I was going with bombs and that sort of thing. So you…you had a [inaudible]…nine, nine, nine. I was the lead group. So nine with nineteen, nineteen. Plus [inaudible] bodies. Interviewer: All the crew members. Powers: The crew, yeah. About twenty people. And so we went looking for everybody. [laughs] Interviewer: And you had to take care of them. Trying to take care of everybody. Powers: That's right. Interviewer: What did you do if one plane was shot down? Powers: It's too bad. You kept your fingers crossed, that's all. And that's it. You couldn't do anything about it. Other people would fill in the hole. Interviewer: That [inaudible] my question. They filled in. Powers: Another moved right into the next spot. So occasionally some people get hit right in the belly…right in the middle…right in the belly of it and [inaudible]. It's not very nice but it does happen. Interviewer: Yeah. And did some of them end up in prisoner camps? Powers: Some were in prison camps. Some of them could bail out. Yes. If they're fortunate to bail out, rather than blow up. And that's what happened to my…Powers' model. Interviewer: Your plane? Powers: Yeah. Mrs. Powers: The Powers' model of it. Powers: I got in Green…some [inaudible]. Never forget him for that. [laughs] Interviewer: Powers' models was the most famous models when I was growing up. Very famous models. So. You ah…settled down to working in commercial aviation. Powers: Yes, I was. [inaudible] Actually, what we'd call corporate flying. Not for airlines, but like I flew [inaudible] Jersey, IBM and then jets for Lockheed and that sort of thing. But not for…not for… Interviewer: How long did you stay in the Air Force after the war? Not long. Powers: I stayed [inaudible] about…I'm trying to think…three or five months. I was gonna go stay in and then I found out people came back…[inaudible] a nice little job and pretty soon [inaudible] hire [inaudible] so I got bump, bump, bump, bump [inaudible]. And so I said, this is not for me. [inaudible] so I got out of the thing. A lot of [inaudible] guys coming back from…majors and all the rest of it. I had…I kept going downhill. So, I let them to go for me. I want to be around [inaudible]. Interviewer: Well, you'd been the lead pilot. You wanted to stay in the lead. Powers: Yeah. Well, you didn't have a chance with the other guys, a higher rate…rank made it. So…which was only fair, I can understand that. Interviewer: So then through…through Lockheed, you ended up in Atlanta? Is Lockheed what brought you to Atlanta? Powers: Yes. And I was lucky because of that. Interviewer: Yes. Powers: [laughs] Unknown: [inaudible] Interviewer: I see. The jet start program at Lockheed. Powers: I'm a lucky son of a gun. [laughs] Interviewer: When did you get to Atlanta? Powers: [inaudible] fifty-four? Interviewer: Nineteen fifty-four? Powers: No. Thirty years before that…[inaudible]. I don't know. Mrs. Powers: When the jet star program started. Interviewer: Well, we are very lucky to have you here in Atlanta and to have you talk to us for this Veterans History Project. We are very honored and [inaudible] to remember everything that you did. And we are very grateful to you. Is there…are there other memories that you want to tell us about. Powers: Oh, yes. Interviewer: Tell us about any other memories. Powers: No, just…this is…this is about the kids in that…at the bomb group celebration. [inaudible] look at that. Look at that cute little…that's in Valkenberg. Look at that little girl. Mrs. Powers: The reunion. Interviewer: That was when you went back to Holland. Powers: Yeah, [inaudible] and I were there. Aren't they cute? Interviewer: Yes. She's darling. Just darling. Powers: [inaudible] I was just lucky that I was part of dropping food. I just…I felt so good I could do something about that. It was a great… Interviewer: Experience for you. Powers: I'd like to have done all six of them. The other guys got mad at me. [laughs] [inaudible] Interviewer: Why did they get mad at you? Powers: Because they wanted a chance [inaudible]. Somebody else wanted to take a chance. In other words, the other guys wanted to be a [inaudible] or a pilot on something like that. I wanted to do all of it but they wouldn't let me do it. [inaudible], “Give me a chance. I want to do it, too.” Which was good sense. Interviewer: And they were probably jealous that you were dropping food? Powers: No, not…[inaudible] misunderstand. Our group…all the groups were gonna fly food, okay? And there were six missions of dropping food and I could make three of the food drops. But the other guys made the rest of them….to drop food. And I…if I took everybody, [inaudible] nobody else to do it. Am I making sense? Interviewer: Yes. [inaudible] Powers: The other guys said, “Wait a minute. Now wait a minute. I want to do it now.” Cause everybody wanted to help the Dutch. Interviewer: Wonderful people. Powers: Oh, yes. Interviewer: Wonderful people. Powers: [inaudible sentence]. People like that. Interviewer: The author of this book. Powers: Yes, he shows some of the picture [inaudible]. Interviewer: Of the drop. Powers: Yeah. Interviewer: Well, we certainly appreciate hearing these remarkable experiences. Powers: [inaudible sentence] [laughing] Interviewer: [inaudible] so long? Powers: No, I'm just laughing. [inaudible] Think I misunderstood you. Interviewer: Have you been back? You said that you all, Mr. and Mrs. Powers, went back together to Holland a few years ago. Those pictures of the children. Have you been back any time since World War Two? Powers: No, we've… Mrs. Powers: I think we've been twice. Powers: We've been to Austria and we went to a bunch of other places. But…never back to Holland again, no. Interviewer: But once to Holland. Mrs. Powers: No, we've been to Holland three times. Interviewer: Holland three times. [inaudible] Anything else? We don't want to miss anything. Powers: We had a big celebration at Valkenberg. And that's… Interviewer: [inaudible] This was where now? This celebration? Powers: Valkenberg. Interviewer: Right. Powers: And that's our…[inaudible] groups and some have never been there. Interviewer: And this was a reunion. Looks like a wonderful reunion. Powers: Yeah. Interviewer: See if I can see when that was. Two…two thousand. That wasn't very long ago. Rotterdam. Rotterdam. Two thousand. May, two thousand. Powers: And that's another picture of the group. [inaudible] Interviewer: Up there's your group. Up there in that corner. Wonderful. This is in grateful commemoration of that operation, of Manna Chow Hound. And it says, [reading] “Thanks, liberators.” I bet this was two thousand, also. Powers: Oh, yes. Interviewer: This is the year two thousand, too. Powers: Yeah, cause [inaudible] there. Interviewer: Not four years ago. [reading] “In grateful commemoration for the life-saving food drop operation from the twenty-ninth of May to the eighth of April, nineteen forty-five.” Well, that's a wonderful group of men there. And I think you ought to hold up this picture that you're so proud of. You can do that? No, I'll hold it up for you. That's the picture of the plane dropping the manna, food. Powers: It's the…Paris…that's Paris. Interviewer: [inaudible] Powers: [inaudible] And we're all behind that thing. And here's a…that's me. Interviewer: These are old, old, old pictures. Wonderful old pictures from World War Two. Is this you? Bet that's you. Powers: Oh. Lord knows. That's when I was a cadet. Interviewer: Wonderful old, old pictures. When you were very young. Well, you certainly have some experiences that are important to us. Powers: [inaudible] in nineteen forty-five. [laughs] There you go. Interviewer: [inaudible] nineteen forty-three. Oh, here's the food drop again. [inaudible] Powers: Oh, that's [inaudible]. Interviewer: This one? Powers: No, no. Interviewer: This one? Powers: [inaudible] one of the officers…that's…[inaudible] one of the officers gave Evelyn a big hug on the side. Interviewer: Oh, that's cute. Cute picture of you. Mrs. Powers there. Powers: [laughs] One more with us…[inaudible]. We went around…and I call…this is why Evelyn had to go with me. And this is her Cadillac. Interviewer: Oh, wonderful. This was in Holland in [inaudible] Cadillac. Powers: [laughs] She had to get in the back of that thing. Interviewer: Who drove it? Powers: [inaudible sentence] I mean Holland. [laughs] So I call it…she had a [inaudible]. That's her… Interviewer: Her Cadillac. Powers: They were trying to help. That's another cute one, I think. Interviewer: Well, the Dutch people are still grateful to you, I know that. Powers: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Interviewer: Wonderful that you all have been able to go back. Powers: That's right. Very fortunate. Interviewer: Thank you. Powers: Thank you. I enjoyed it. Putting up with this [inaudible] when I couldn't… Interviewer: Well, we're just so grateful to you for coming and bringing your treasurers, your historical treasurers. Powers: Okay, now I want you to come through here and tell me what you want to keep copies of or whatever you…we respond [inaudible] and it's really enjoyable. Interviewer: [inaudible] Powers: Yeah, like I say, I grabbed that. [laughs] [end of tape]
Metadata URL:: http://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/cdm/ref/collection/VHPohr/id/288
Additional Rights Information:: This material is protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.
Extent:: 55:48
Original Collection:: Veterans History Project oral history recordings
Veterans History Project collection, MSS 1010, Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Center
Holding Institution:: Atlanta History Center
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