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 with the 95th Bomb Group (Heavy) 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 the collection and 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 7th mission over Hamm, Germany, a No Ball (V-1 Installations) mission aboard the B-17 - 'Gen’ril Oop' (42-31993) on April 22nd 1944 and his 8th mission over Friedrichshafen, Lowenthal, Manzell, Germanalso aboard the B-17 - 'The Doodle Bug' (42-107047). Also featured below are his hand written mission notes from both days.

Final image below is Lt. Ernest Anders Erickson at Horham Airfield in June of 1944. He is sitting in a P-47 Thunderbolt about to take it for a spin over the English countryside.

The front page of The Stars and Stripes newspaper dated April 25th, 1944 reported the previous days activities and in which Lt. Erickson and crew contributed a successful bombing run with the 334th Squadron.

The headlines read quite a bit of activity:

'Landings Cut Off 60,000 New Guinea Japs
Record Pacific Force Makes Triple Invasion
Of Isle's North Coast
North - South Attacks Renewed
Heavies Hit in Rumania And Reich
Co - Ordinated Thrust One Of War's Biggest;
Nazis Tell of Fierce Battles

Mission #7 - April 22nd, 1944
Hamm, Germany
aboard the B-17 - Gen’ril Oop (42-31993)

803 bombers and 859 fighters are dispatched to hit a marshalling yard at Hamm, Germany. The bombers claim 20-6-8 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 40-2-16. 15 bombers and 13 fighters are lost. 459 of 526 B-17s bomb the primary, 20 hit Bonn, 19 hit Soest, 15 hit Hamm City and 1 hits a target of opportunity. 8 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 138 are damaged. The casualties are 7 wounded in action and 89 missing in action.

Mission #8 - April 24th, 1944
aboard the B-17 - The Doodle Bug (42-107047)
Friedrichshafen, Lowenthal, Manzell, Germany

754 bombers and 867 fighters are dispatched to bomb airfields, aircraft production industries and targets of opportunity in Germany. The bombers claim 20-1-36 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 124-6-58 fighters. 40 bombers and 17 fighters are lost. Of 281 B-17s dispatched, 109 hit Erding Air Depot, 84 hit aviation industry targets at Oberpfaffenhofen, 57 hit Lansberg Airfield and 18 hit targets of opportunity; 27 B-17s are lost and 112 damaged; casualties are 4 killed in action, 22 wounded in action and 260 missing in action.

243 B-17s are dispatched to bomb aviation industry targets at Friedrichshafen/Lowenthal (98 bomb) and Friedrichshafen/Manzell (58 bomb), industrial areas at Friedrichshafen/Manzell (58 bomb) and Neckarsulm (15 bomb). 3 B-17s also hit targets of opportunity. 9 B-17s are lost and 119 damaged. The casualties are 7 killed in action, 4 wounded in action and 71 missing in action.