1944 Timeline

Timeline from 1944 Letters

Read the full text of the Letters. This timeline is at the beginning of the letters file and has links to those events in the letters.

Highlights:

January 1944

• Jan. 2, 1944 Listened to Army Hour about communications
• Jan. 10, 1944 Bud made corporal
• Jan. 11, 1944 Grandparents failing health
• Jan. 14, 1944 Bud’s grandfather dies
• Jan. 16, 1944 Approx. date Bud went home on furlough
• Jan. 25, 1944 Bud back from furlough
• Jan. 27, 1944 Moved to Kearney, Nebraska
• Jan. 31, 1944 Letter to Mrs. Peacock

February 1944

• Feb. 1, 1944 Crew begins flight overseas

Stop over in Gander, New Foundland

Stop over in Nutts Corners, Ireland

Boat to Scotland

Train to Nettishaw Air Base, Thedford, England

• Feb. 3, 1944 Had tooth pulled
• Feb. 5, 1944 Sends first censored letter

March 1944

• Mar. 12, 1944 Letter from Mrs. Peacock
• Mar. 12, 1944 Letter discloses is he “somewhere in England”

388th Bomb Group (H)

561st Bomb Sqdn.

• Mar. 20, 1944 Has flown practice missions last two days
• Mar. 21, 1944 Flew practice mission
• Mar. 15, 1944 Made Sargent (final rank) (reported in March 20 letter)
• Mar. ?, 1944 1st mission was to Bunswick
• Mar. ?, 1944 2nd mission was Calais, V-1 emplacemnts
• Mar. 27, 1944 3rd mission to Bordeaux, France to bomb large German airfield

Plane shot down

• Mar. 28, 1944 Series of letters sent to Bud by Maude, after the crash but before word of crash reached home

April 1944

• April 13, 1944 Family receives telegram stating Blair missing in action as of March 27