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Description
Oral History interview of Edward Safford. Interview conducted by DeCristofaro, Alexa at Edgewater, FL.
Log
8:10 Notice received from the draft board; 9:25 Introduction to the military; 12:51 IQ test and acceptance to the Army Air Corps; 13:25 Shipped to Atlantic City, NJ; 14:15 Basic training; 15:46 Shipped out to Seymour Johnson Field, NC; 17:35 Shipped out to Salt Lake City, UT; 17:39 Specialty Training: Radio school; 19:50 Specialty Training: Gunner school. Kingman AZ; 21:20 Shipped out to Ardmore, OK; 22:00 Bombing crew formed; 22:56 Notice given of oversea deployment; 23:05 B17 assigned in Grand Island, NE; 23:25 Flight to Europe: Refuel in Prescow, ME; 23:36 Flight to Europe: Goose Bay. Labrador; 24:42 Flight to Europe: Flight to Ireland; 25:15 Flight to Europe: Engine trouble. SOS sent; 27:15 Flight to Europe: Return to Goose Bay; 27:40 Flight to Europe: Left for Ireland; 28:10 Arrives to RAF Framlingham, England; 29:00 1st Bombing Mission: Pas-de-Calais, France; 30:40 2nd Bombing Mission: Berlin, Germany; 32:12 Shuttle Mission: England to USSR to Italy; 34:03 Post-mission interrogation by intelligence; 35:25 Flag Notice system for bombing missions explained; 36:50 Typical post-mission in Framlingham; 39:00 Weather Mission; 40:00 Weather Mission: Engine Failure, Fire; 42:20 Weather Mission: B17 Crew Bails Out; 43:00 FLAK Farm: Bournemouth, England; 46:50 Bombing Superstitions: Flying as a Spare; 48:30 Bombing Superstitions: Berlin, Germany; 53:20 32nd Mission to Hamburg, Germany; 55:45 Returns from overseas, arrives in New York City; 57:40 Shipped out to Reno, NV; 60:00 Shipped out to Fort Worth, TX; 1:00:25 Put into the base Motor Pool; 1:01:03 Shipped out to Camp Dix, NJ; 1:02:00 Honorably discharged from the service.
Date of Birth
1923-01-11
Place of Birth
Grovenors Corners (N.Y.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
New York
War or Conflict
World War II;
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1943-11-11
Type
Audio; Sound
1945-04-30
Entrance into Service
Drafted
Branch of Service
U.S. Air Force
Unit of Service
390th Bomber Group
Location of Service
Atlantic City (N.J.); Seymour Johnson Field (N.C.); Salt Lake City (Utah); Kingman (Ariz.); Ardmore (Okla.); Grand Island (Neb.); Prescow (Me.); Goose Bay; Framlingham (England); Pas-de-Calais (France); Berlin (Germany); Bournemouth (England); Hamburg (Germany); Reno (Nev.); Fort Worth (Tex.); Camp Dix (N.J.)
Highest Rank
Technical Sergeant; TSgt
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
Unspecified
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Air Medal
Achievements
B17 Radio Operator, Gunner
Note
Not applicable
City of Birth
Grovenors Corners
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
DeCristofaro, Alexa
Interview Date
2-27-2013
Location of Interview
Edgewater, FL.
Subjects
Safford, Edward R.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives; United States. Air Force
Collection Description
Contains logs, audio and video recordings of interviews with Central Florida's veterans as part of a history class project for the students at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The UCF Community Veterans History Project(CVHP) started in fall 2010. It collects, preserves, and makes accessible to the public the experiences of Central Florida's veterans so that future generations will better understand the realities of conflict. It is a collaborative endeavor supported by multiple departments and offices at UCF. The veterans' histories are archived and made digitally available through the UCF library and selected materials are contributed to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES; University of Central Florida
Contributors
DeCristofaro, Alexa
Length of Interview
63 Minutes
Publisher
Department of History, University of Central Florida
Type
audio
Rights
All rights are held by the respective holding institution. This material is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. For permission to reproduce and/or for copyright information contact Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, (407) 823-2576. http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/
Repository
University of Central Florida Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
Contributing Project
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Document Type
Interview
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Safford, Edward R. interview" (2013). Veterans Oral Histories. 183.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/183