Letter from William E. Gernert to Richard T. Gernert, February 5, 1943

[top left] Logo: Plane and 4-pronged propeller in red ink, circled clockwise by the words NAVIGATOR, GUNNER, PILOT, BOMBARDIER in red ink; in black ink circling the previous, reads "KEEP 'EM FLYING IN COMBAT TEAMS" [end top left]

[top center] Letterhead: ARMY AIR FORCES COMBAT CREW SCHOOL TARRANT FIELD GROUP II [end top center]

[right] Handwritten: Feb. 5, 1943; Letterhead: Fort Worth, Texas [end right]

Dear Dick- 

first reported to Tarrant. About two days after I reported in I went to base operations and checked out a BC-1 (single eng. basic combat) for a hop. A Sergeant went along with me. First thing to go wrong was the hydraulic system- so I pumped the wheels up. We flew for about an hour and were coming into the traffic pattern when I found I had to pump them down again. Well I caume in for a wheel landing and had just rolled to a stop when a plane flashed by on my right and took 3 feet of my wing off- spinning me "like the button on a privy door." A pursuit ship had landed behind me and had overrun me. I sweated it out for several days but finally found that the accident board placed no blame on me. Thus I got off to a bad start out here. All in all however the work has been mighty interesting. Our schedule is 24 hrs. per 7 days per and leaves no [underlined] time for entertainment. I haven't been uptown since Xmas except to pick Mom's baggage up. I'm flying B24's- soloed yesterday and what a sweet ship it is. Wish you were around so I could take you for a ride. Maybe I'll get the chance in a few months, depending upon which direction I go. I figure on pulling stakes by the middle of summer. We leave here Feb. 22 but don't worry about our new address. Send your letters to this place [added above] Tarrant + [end added above] they'll be forwarded.- Say- congratulations on your silver bars- go after those railroad tracks now. [hand drawn Captain's bars resembling a large H] Have you run into any of my classmates out there? Should be a couple in that vicinity by now. I've lost almost a dozen already. Tom Lauer was

[large K crossed out] killed in a cr [word blocked by hole punch] k up a month ago- Joe Bell also. Halsell had a pile of rails fall on him. I won't go into detail any further.- Juk you know got married- to the girl he was going with all last year. You might run into Red Byrne someday- he's B-24 copilot. The Air Corps is a swell branch 'cause you're always running into old friends. Tom Hawley came in on a B17 the other day from Sebring, Fla. And others have dropped in from time to time. Guess I'd better quit for now- up at 5:30 in the morning. Keep smilin' fellow and write when you can. Sure think of you- and miss you. 

[right] Your Brud- Bill -William E Gernert [triple underlined] 1st D. [end triple underlined] AC [arrow pointing to "1st D"] effective Jan 29, 1943 [end right]

[bottom left] P.S. I'll race you for Captaincy $10.00 to the winner O.K.? [end bottom left]