At 101, Dunedin World War II veteran reflects on service during ‘Victory in Europe Day’
DUNEDIN, Fla. - May 8, 1944, is a day Bob Russell remembers well. A fighter/bomber pilot with the U.S. Army Air Corps in Europe, he was in a hospital room near Belgium recovering from being shot down when he heard the news that the Germans had surrendered.
"There wasn't much celebration. We were just ready to come home," Russell told FOX 13.
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The backstory:
While the Japanese had not yet surrendered in the Pacific region, May 8 marked the end of World War II in Europe with Victory in Europe Day (V.E. Day). There is another day that is equally important to Russell, however. It was the moment that lit his patriotic fire.
When news broke of the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, he knew that it was his calling to serve.
"We were all very patriotic then," he said. "Much more so than we are today."
His memory remains sharp at 101 years old.
"I'm going after 102," he told FOX 13 with a determined chuckle.
Barely three years after enlisting, he'd found himself piloting a P-47 Thunderbolt in the Army Air Corps. He flew cover for General George Patton's troops on the ground in Europe during the Battle of the Bulge in late 1944.
"We were trying to keep the German Army out of Berlin," he recalled.
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He did just that, flying low-level bombing and strafing runs at tree-top level while dodging enemy fire. His memory is rivaled only by his confidence when asked if he was a pretty good pilot; "The best," he snaps back with a wry smile and another chuckle.
He would need those sharp piloting skills on his 13th and final mission. Shot down by an explosive German shell, he managed to pull off a perfect emergency landing, landing on the belly of his plane with no landing gear and Nazi forces on the ground around him. His knee was badly damaged by shrapnel, but that didn't keep him from running to safety once he landed.
He told FOX 13 he can't believe it's been 80 years.
Big picture view:
But, opening doors of reflection often reveal the weight of the unknown. He's often haunted by the unintended victims down below who just happened to be near their targets. So, heavy remains his heart.
"I was always hoping we never hit any children," he said with a long pause. "But we probably did, you know," as he wiped a wet eye.
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Russell and everyone in his 405th fighter squadron received air medals for containing German forces during the historic Battle of the Bulge, which was a resounding battlefield success. But, it did not come without tremendous loss.
By the numbers:
Between December 16, 1944, and January 23, 1945, the United States suffered 81,000 casualties with 19,246 killed, 23,000 captured and 38,000 injured, according to the National Archives. A handful of Russell's friends in the 405th were among those who didn't get to come home.
He thinks of each of them often.
"It's, uh... [wipes tear] a lot of good kids," he said.
He was just 20 at the time, as were most of his squadron pals. But, there's no mistaking youth for lack of character during war.
Russell reflects on all of them fondly.
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"Of all the places I've been, it was the greatest group of people I ever associated with," he told FOX 13 of his 405th Fighter Squadron.
Another reminder that this was a generation of great sacrifice, but even greater valor, with a young Bob Russell leading the way.
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