Flying museums offer insight into World War II
Hollister – Members of the group shield their eyes against the windstorm created by B-24 Liberator’s four whirling propellers slicing through the air. They dash to the aircraft, climb in through its belly and strap themselves in, some next to the .50-caliber machine guns aimed out both sides of the plane. Their faces betray anticipation, and a just a touch of nerves. The massive bomber – 67 feet long with a wingspan of 110 feet – slowly rolls to the runway, speeds up and leaps into the sky.
But there will be no bullets fired nor bombs dropped – no encounter with the German Luftwaffe, no run-ins with Japanese Zero fighter pilots. The war is long over, World War II at least, and rather than flying over Europe or Japan, the B-24 is hurtling west from Monterey, bound for the Hollister Municipal Airport.
The B-24 Liberator is one of three WWII bombers that will be at the airport this weekend, a traveling museum that gives people a chance to see, tour and – if they have $425 to spend – ride in the aircraft that a generation of young men flew into war. The Wings of Freedom Tour, organized by the Massachusetts -based Collings Foundation, includes the Consolidated B-24, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a North American B-25 Mitchell. They are among the last remaining airworthy bombers left from the WWII era.
Jon Bomarito, a Monterey County resident, was aboard the B-24, nicknamed Witchcraft, Friday when it made the 15-minute flight from Monterey Peninsula Airport to Hollister. Bomarito said that, during the trip, he had time to reflect on the sacrifice of the men who fought in the skies during the second world war.
Salinas resident Ray Puck, who wandered around Friday looking at the aircraft, had no choice but to handle it almost 60 years ago. In 1944 Puck, now 83, headed off to the European Theater when he was 21 years old. He was a bombardier and navigator on a B-17.
Puck, who flew more than 50 missions, recalled a sortie over southern France where they were to drop two 2,000 pound bombs on a target. One of the bombs released, Puck said, but then he was called into the bomb bay.
“They told me, ‘We have a problem,'” he said.
Climbing into the bomb bay, Puck immediately saw the problem. The second bomb was stuck.
“I stepped gently on the nose of the bomb and off it went,” he said.
But stories like those shared by Puck are quickly disappearing throughout the United States. The young men who fought against Germany’s Third Reich and the Empire of Japan have grown old now and are passing away at a rate of more than a thousand every day. Soon all that will remain of their sacrifice are the words written in history books, the medals they earned, the photographs and a few planes, like those in the Wings Freedom Tour. That’s why the Collings Foundation takes its bombers to more than 100 cities each year: To keep their memory alive for future generations who enjoy the freedom they fought and many died for.
“Only nine B-17s are airworthy in the United States, the B-25 is one of only a handful flying, and the B-24 is the sole example left flying in the world,” said Bob Collings, who started the foundation. “The Wings of Freedom Tour is unique for the fact that these WWII treasures can jump out of the history books and come alive before your eyes.”
The three bombers will be open for walk-throughs at the Hollister Municipal Airport today and Sunday. Tours of the aircraft are $8 for adults and $4 for kids. Flights, which last about 30 minutes, cost $425.
