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Lt. John R. Bozek
723rd Squadron
I was a navigator on James Boger's crew. We were transported on the Liberty ship, Richard Jordan Gatling, as part of a convoy.
We arrived in Naples, Italy in mid-October, 1944 and got to the 450th later in the month. We were assigned to the 723rd Bomb Squadron of the group.
The 4 officers were lodged in one tent and the 6 sergeants were lodged in other quarters some distance away.
There appeared to be a shortage of navigators and I therefore flew with other crews, as necessary on the combat missions.
Therefore, my combat mission flying was accelerated. My first mission was flown in early November and the last in early April of 1945.
I was the first one of Boger's crew to complete his tour and to leave for the states.
Various crew members had their pictures taken in front of our tent. That tent was the one occupied by the officers of the crew.
We paid some local to pour the cement floor. Ditto as to the construction of the lower wall, made of tufa block, hewn from the ground.
On this rested a steel pipe framework. The tent itself went on that. The heating system was very crude, using aviation gas for fuel.
It was very effective aside from the times of minor gas explosions or the tent material catching fire.
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Information courtesy of John Bozek
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