World War II and Kentuckians: Voices of a Generation
Introduction
Campaigns
The Warriors
Women in War
The Homefront
The Enemy
Bombing the Reich: Paul J. Reynolds and the "Roarin' Bill"
For the Allied air crews of World War II, every trip across the English Channel proved time and time again that fate smiled on only a select few. One of those favored few was Paul J. Reynolds, who served as the bombadier on board a B-17 Flying Fortress. Reynolds completed an astounding 35 missions over Europe, earning himself and his crew the right to return home. This page contains photos provided by Mr. Reynolds that have been reproduced with his permission exclusively for this site. We wish to thank him and his family for their wonderful support of this project. Our words cannot convey the deep appreciation that Prof. Baldwin and all of the students for his generosity. He and his wife, the late Mabel Reynolds, gave freely of their time in interviews on several occasions, and have shared not only their memories, but their photographs and documents as well. We thank you.
Right:
Navigator Paul J. Reynolds circa 1943 at Air Cadet School, Vernon Texas
Below:
Greetings from Uncle Sam! Men received letters such as these to prepare them for induction into the US Military.
Below:
Click below to hear about bombing Berlin.
Above:
War Rationing was part of everyday American life during the war. Books such as these became commonplace.
Below:
An affordable way to get away from the stress of action was to join an airman's club. This one was setup by the British government for Allied servicemen
Of his unit, Mr Reynolds stated:
"I was in the 95th Bomb Group and we were the most decorated combat unit in the Second World War; as far as flying is concerned. We had three presidential citations. Our planes shot down the first Me262 (German jet fighter) during the war. That was in 1945."
"They drafted me on May 29th, 1942. I received notice from the draft board to go to the service. Well, I went over in 1944. There was approximately 100 missions of our 95th Bomb Group. I flew a third of them. You would fly and then get some rest."
Left:
Crew # FD-BJ-14 prepares to leave for England in August 1944. Mr. Reynolds is second from right on the back row.
Below:
Three crew members of the "Roarin' Bill" get a quick snapshot taken beside their B-17. The crew depended heavily upon one another for survival over the skies of Europe.
Click below to hear Mr. Reynolds describing his view of the Germans and their tactics.
Left:
Wedding bells rang in August 1943 for Mr. Reynolds and his bride, the former Mabel Carr. Paul J. and Mabel spent many years together, raising a family in the small town of Morehead, sharing their lives until her death in early 2004.
