The war time diary of a B-17 navigator

A mission by mission account of flying and surviving as the navigator on a B-17 in WWII is being circulated on-line at a range of sites.

Joel Punches’ account is a shock at a number of levels, including his observations of daily life in the UK at war, which starts with a delivery flight across the Greenland ice cap by a kid from Nebraska who was worried his beard wasn’t growing, had apparently not seen a big city until they buzz a friend’s home in Chicago en route, and who completed his training at ground school in between bombing raids.

It ends with his being shot down in early 1944 and evading capture until the war is over.

This diary was originally posted on Scribd.com and linked to with additional details by Steeljaw Scribe at his own blog, under a free single use copyright. It is compelling reading.