LEWISTON — The Battle of the Atlantic, at its height from mid-1940 through the end of 1943, is often credited as a dominating factor through World War II. Because every effort in Europe depended on the constant arrival of supplies, the Germans made a full-throttle effort to block the shipping routes.

In the end the Allies were victorious, but at the cost of 36,200 sailors and 36,000 merchant seamen’s lives. The 8th Army Air Corps, at the loss of thousands of lives, protected England and Europe from the air and ultimately aided in achieving victory in Europe.

Sixteen College of the Ozarks students and seven WWII veterans who participated in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Air War traveled to England from May 17-28 to commemorate its 70th anniversary.

Among the WWII veteran trip participants was Harold Gilbert of Lewiston. College of the Ozarks students Nichole Russell and Kirk Metzger had the opportunity to accompany Gilbert and record his stories. On May 19, they posted this reflection about him on a blog their group kept during this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

“Harold Gilbert not only impacted our lives, but the lives of others around us while we visited the Parham Airfield. Known by everyone here as ‘Pop,’ Mr. Gilbert flew a B-17 Heavy Bomber with the 549th squadron of the 385th Bomb Group during WWII. Pop participated in 26 combat missions, only two with his original crew, and acted first as a waist gunner and tail gunner, and later a ball turret gunner.

“After a beautiful breakfast at the hotel, we headed straight to Parham Airfield. We were greeted by the Parham Airfield volunteers when we first arrived and were given a presentation on the 390th Bomb Group, which the museum at Parham honored. The 390th Bomb Group at Parham specifically flew B-17 plans, which Pop flew during his time in service. We were even able to see a picture of the same bomber that he flew.

“We were able to walk through a part of the museum which was completely dedicated to B-17 planes. Uniforms, equipment, pictures and even a model of the B-17 were on display. While viewing this memorabilia, Pop would comment on the different outfits and equipment we saw.

“He told us a little bit about his experiences while flying, in particular the extremely cold conditions and how the model plane display was better than what he flew because it had windows. Pop had to manage a .50 caliber gun without a window to break the freezing wind. He said he had a mask and heated equipment, but that only did so much. In the middle of one of Pop’s stories, a volunteer stopped and told us what a great veteran we had. He said he could have listened to Pop all day and reminded us what an amazing opportunity it was to hear his stories.

“On the way to Parham Airfield, Pop realized we were very close to Great Ashfield, the town where his base was located. This being his first time back to England after his service, he had not yet been able to visit the plaque the Great Ashfield congregation presented to the 385th Bomb Group at the local church. We were able to go into Great Ashfield and find the church where the plaque was placed, and Pop was able to get out and see it for the very first time.

“Pop was already so filled with joy to be back in England, but to be able to go back to the town where he served and see a monument in his Bomb Group’s honor only made his joyful spirit double in size.

We had already learned so much from Pop, and this was only the first official day of our trip.”

The contingent arrived in Cambridge then visited nearby Parham Airfield. The group also visited the Cambridge American Cemetery, where the graves of 3,812 American military dead and 5,127 names of missing Americans from the air war over Europe and the Battle of the Atlantic are found. They toured London, the Churchill Museum and the famous Cabinet War Rooms, from where the Prime Minister directed the war effort. In Liverpool, the students and veterans took part in the special commemoration activities for the Battle of the Atlantic’s 70th anniversary.

This trip was part of the College of the Ozarks Patriotic Education Travel Program, wherein students travel with veterans to their fields of battle in order to learn about history and sacrifice from the men and women who lived it. During the trips, students thoroughly document the veterans’ stories through photography, voice recorders, personal journals and a group blog.

For more information on the Patriotic Education Travel Program or to read the trip blog, visit www.cofo.edu.

Copy the Story Link