Wesley and his crew fly across the Atlantic Ocean on the day of the D-Day invasion, and started flying missions together on July 6, 1944.
It didn’t take long for the realities of war to set in.
One of the things Wesley talks about in this episode is the smell of fear that their bodies exuded when they knew they would be flying over heavily defended areas. It soaked their flight suits and permeated their barracks.
One of the distractions that were offered to the troops was the radio in their barracks, and the American Forces Network, established with the Armed Forces Radio Service in 1942. You can find many recordings from the AFRS uploaded online, but below you can find an ad-free compilation on archive.org that I’ve specially selected.
It starts with “Who’s Sorry Now” by Dinah Shore, has other music from Bing Crosby and Vaughn Monroe, and also includes episodes of the Gracie Fields Show, Command Performance, Fred Allen, and more.
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