Did you read part 1 of the story?
After D-Day, Andy was occupied daily with “glide and dive bombing mostly seeking opportunity targets.” In late June he and his closest friend were on a seek and destroy mission. “Perkins saw several trucks, got permission and we went down to strafe them. He hit a high tension wire or something and blew up. Sure hated to see that. One other day our squadron strafed and burned up about eight trucks. And another day we destroyed at least seventeen 190's camouflaged in a cow pasture near Caen.”
Andy later reports shooting down some of “Jerry's pilotless planes that were on a direct route to London to do some damage.” In late July he passed the 200 hour mark of flying combat, but seemed more interested in recording that “GG George is going to marry some English girl. After Harris, who had way over 200 hours and was due to go home in a week, got jumped and taken down by a Gerry, GG said what the hell I might as well marry her.”
By August, Andy was strafing with impunity with no mention of his earlier reluctance. “Flew over Brest. Controller told us to look for 500 Jerries on the ground so we buzzed the countryside for about a half hour in the designated area but all we saw were Frenchmen waving at us like mad. They sure are funny. You can be strafing on one side of the road and they stand on the other side totally unconcerned and waving.”
On September 8, 1944, Andy comments: “Haven't written anything lately because I'm sweating out a ride home. Just waiting for final orders. My last mission flown.” The orders arrived but before departing Andy went on a “buzz job” of Paris in a C-47. “We flew so low we could look up at the Eiffel Tower.”
Andy departed from Gurock, Scotland, and after six and a half days landed in the United States. “The trip back was much more pleasant. Liked the direction better.”
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So how do you keep Andy down on the farm once he's buzzed Paris? Apparently, quite easily. You see, Andy never again stepped inside a plane and rarely ever left his farm. He married Jean, they had seven children, and he never spoke of his war experiences. This diary was the first any of his family learned of his exploits.
