My father Lt. Ernest Anders Erickson kept many things from his years in the Air Corps. It's a truly amazing collection of photographs, documents, equipment and hundreds of letters and postcards. He often sent home things to his folks in Bismarck, North Dakota between 1942 and 1945, his years in the Air Corps. In late 1943 through 1945 he piloted various planes and after his combat flying became a flight instructor.

From February through October 1944 Ernest Anders piloted B-17s out of Horham Airfield in England on thirty five missions over German occupied Europe.

His parents Clara and Frank Erickson kept everything safe and sound that they received for decades. My dad retrieved much of it over the years. I certainly enjoyed seeing the photographs whenever I had the opportunity. After my father passed in 2013 I began to seriously delve into this incredible archive. Much of it I have already posted here on this site.

Along the way of archiving my father's collection I came across a thick envelope of 'The Stars and Stripes' newspapers that contained thirty copies dating from March 29th through August 28th, 1944. These dates coincide with Ernest Anders thirty five missions that he and crew accomplished between March 27th and their final and 35th mission on August 26th, 1944.

I will post many of the 1944 Stars & Stripes Newspapers here on the site with additional corresponding photographs and documents.

Below are details of my father's 4th mission over Augsburg, Germany on April 13th, 1944, also his hand written mission notes from that day and a beauty of a photograph of my father and the 'Lili of the Lamplight'(44-6085) crew at Horham Airfield.

The front page of The Stars and Stripes Newspaper dated April 14th, 1944 reported the previous days 8th Air Force bombing activities over nine countries in Europe that Ernest Anders and crew contributed flying with the 334th Squadron.

The headline reads quite straight forward:
'4,000 Planes Batter Nazis In 9 Countries - US Heavies Strike From Britain & Italy'

Mission #4 - April 13th, 1944
Aboard the B-17 - To Hell Or Glory (42-38123)
Augsburg, Germany
To Hell Or Glory (42-38123) received extensive battle damage

626 bombers and 871 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany. The bombers claim 22-13-34 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 42-8-10 in the air and 35-0-21 on the ground. 38 bombers and 9 fighters are lost. The bombers also drop 5.2 million leaflets on Germany. This mission is flown in conjunction with a raid on Hungary by 500+ Fifteenth Air Force bombers and a Ninth Air Force B-26 raid in S The Netherlands.

207 of 243 B-17s bomb aviation industry targets at Augsburg and 20 hit the city of Augsburg. 18 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 178 damaged. The casualties are 3 killed in action, 16 wounded in action and 170 missing in action.

The 3rd Bomb Division was made up of 94th, 95th, 96th, 100th, 385th, 388th, 390th, 447th, and the 453rd Bomb Groups. German fighter attacks on 1st Bomb Division and 3rd Bomb Group were the heaviest since January 11th, 1944. As envisioned by the Allied planners, the Luftwaffe was being drawn up to attack the bomber stream exposing the Luftwaffe to destruction by the fighters and bomber crews. All contributing to the goal of air superiority prior to D-Day, June 6th, 1944. At this point in time the invasion was scheduled for May 17th, 1944.

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE (SHAEF):
General of the Army Dwight D Eisenhower formally assumes direction of air operations out of the England. This gives Eisenhower direction over the Allied Expeditionary Air Force, Royal Air Force Bomber Command, and US Strategic Air Forces in Europe. The Fifteenth Air Force retains some degree of independence along with the US 1st Army Group, British 21 Army Group, and Allied Naval Forces.