Corporal Donald Earlywine
Corporal Donald Earlywine planes for which he served as ground crew. It is difficult to find official records of the day-to-day activities of ground crew members. There are anecdotal stories told by 344th ground crew members that can be assumed to be common to most.
Corporal Earlywine’s family was able to submit some excellent pictures and memorabilia but limited anecdotal accounts. The pictures shown below indicate that Earlywine served the 344th BG 495th BS. It is safe to assume that anecdotes told by other 495th ground crew such as Dick Reese and Santo Endrizzi would be similar or identical to Donald’s experience.
Some of the ground crew specialized in mounting bombs and loading machine gun ammunition while some specialized in fueling and general maintenance. Others spent most of their time patching and replacing flak damaged sheet metal or repairing and replacing parts of the air frame. Others like Sergeant Santo Endrizzi kept the engines running. It has yet to be discovered as to what Corporal Earlwine’s specific role was.
Earlywine is pictured with two others in front of
Group Record- Feudin Wagin was delivered from the Martin Omaha plant. Next listed at Scott Field, Illinois (ATC) from 7/2/44, Selman Army Air Field, Monroe, Louisiana (ATC) on 9/2/44, and Napier Field, Alabama (ATC) on 10/2/44. Then went to the 3rd AF staging area at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia (from 12/2/44). Flown overseas to the UK via the Southern Ferry Route (Listed as Caribbean Wing), departing the USA on 23/2/44. The record card then lists, SOXO A (Europe) on 23/2/44, and, SOXO R (Europe) on 8/3/44. Served with the 344th BG / 495th BS, coded Y5-U, and flew 25 missions, until 24/7/44 when it was sent to a service group after suffering Cat. B damage. Returned to the 344th BG after repairs, assigned to the 494th BS and coded K9-K. Flew an additional 24 missions and survived the war.
Earlywine was also assigned to 42-95875 Bunny’s Honey Y5-Q 71-D
Group Record- Built at the Glenn L Martin factory at Baltimore, Maryland as a B-26B-50-MA. Accepted by the Army Air Force on 22/11/43. Next flown to the 3rd AF staging area at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia (from 16/12/43). Flown overseas to the UK via the Southern Ferry Route (Listed as Carribean Wing), departing the USA on 25/12/43. The aircraft record card then lists, SOXO A (Europe – 8th AF) on 23/12/43, and SOXO R (Europe – 8th AF) from 15/1/44. Entered service with the 344th BG / 495th BS and coded Y5-Q. Aircraft assigned to Lt Col. Emannual “The Chief” Schifani, the 495th BS operations officer. Damaged during August 1944 and sent to the service squadron for repairs after flying 36 combat missions. Returned to the 344th BG, was assigned to the 497th BS and recoded 7I-D. Flew an additional 27 combat missions with the 497th BS from 26/2/45 to 16/4/45. Condemned for salvage FEA on 28/12/45.
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Almost everyone knows about D-Day or Operation Overlord. Most have seen pictures of allied aircraft from that day and perhaps noticed the “tiger stripes” on all the aircraft, large and small. There was a concern that all friendly aircraft be readily identified and painting the “tiger stripes” on the aircraft was a good way to do that. Still, the exact date of the invasion was a tightly held secret until the last moment. It was incumbent on the ground crew to paint the stripes on all aircraft almost overnight to be ready for June 6, 1944. It is almost certain that Corporal Donald Earlywine took part in this task.
According to Dick Reese- My Engineering Officer, Captain Jack Terrill called me in and told me about a major project he wanted me to head up and supervise. He showed me blue prints of a new design to be painted on all aircraft, and that the job had to be completed within a week. He then directed me to a tent that held gallons and gallons of black and white paint and instructed me to find a way to go into the nearest town and purchase as many large paint brushes, small brooms and anything that could function as a paint brush. I was to begin the painting in two days and was to prepare each aircraft for the new design and instruct the ground crew how to paint this new design. This design was to be painted around the middle of the fuselage and around the middle of left and right wing. In two days after dropping off dozens of cans of paint at each aircraft and with the new design indicated in each aircraft the painting began by ground crews of each aircraft. In two days, the job of the new design was completed throughout the squadron. On the morning of June 6 and through the following weeks we could see our new design in the air, on every allied aircraft flying towards France and the enemy. The “Invasion Stripes” Black and White were flying to victory. My crowning experience as the squadron artist of the 495 BS of the 344 BG supervising the painting of “invasion stripes”. From a humble beginning of “slippage marks” to leather jackets to nose art and finally “Invasion Stripes” my squadron artist career came to a close. From discharge to college, to advertising agency owner with full time employer of 40 people; administration people, salespeople, artists, writers, production people, but none of this matched the excitement and thrills of when I saw overhead squadron after squadron of aircraft flying high in the sky with the dramatic “Black and White Invasion Stripes”.
The ground crew was responsible for the infrastructure of the base. There’s a good chance that this anecdote included Earlywine.
Santo Endrizzi– Since I also spoke french, the Commanding Officer, Lucius Clay, told me to take fifteen guys and go take a roof off of a building that was too far from camp and put it on a building in the center of camp whose roof had been destroyed by a bomb. We made a nice, dry mess hall and had a big party when Clay’s father came for a visit. His father later became the General of the Occupational Army of Germany and Austria.
Another anecdote from Endrizzi that may have included Donald Earlywine- One day two B26s collided over the main road. I was in the back of the truck with other ground crew members and did not know what was happening. The driver suddenly stopped and he realized he better run as the fifty caliber bullets were exploding from the heat of the crash. I was hanging off the back of the truck with one leg trying to get back in the truck when the driver started up again. It caused my leg to sustain an injury. It was a very scary moment. The ambulance and emergency teams at the crash when the planes exploded. Many were killed. It was a horrible scene with fire, smoke, and human body parts all around. Note- Even 70 years after the occurrence Santo retold the story with tears in his eyes.
A booklet that the family of Earlywine found with his memorabilia
