Paul Ritenour
January 13, 1924 - January 1, 1998
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
Joseph F. Brock (P)
Howard R. Carlson (CP)
Carl Rippel (B)
Frank Snyder (N)
Dimitri V. Metro (E)
L. E 'Sparky' Barger
Irving D. 'Hap' Holiday
C. E. 'Pop' Holler
Wayland Martin
Paul E. Ritenour (TG)
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
Dimitir V. Metro (E) looking out the top escape hatch.
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
L. E. 'Sparky' Barger (G)
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
C. E. 'Pop' Holler in top turret
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
Paul Ritenour (TG) standing at the left
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
Paul Ritenour sitting atop his tail turret
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
778th Squadron area
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
778th Squadron area
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
Tent area
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
Tent area
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
Dump sabotage
Courtesy of Tom Ritenour
White U dropping bombs. We flew our last mission in this ship to Linz, Austria
Cpl. Ritenour Describes Flight Over the Alps
“Our last mission I’ll never forget,” Cpl. Paul E. Ritenour, tail turret gunner on a B-24 Liberator, based in Italy, wrote to his parents in describing the beauty of that trip. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Ritenour, 1318 S. 21st Street.
“We arose about 3:30. After the briefing we conducted preflight on our equipment and plane
“We took off and after we got into formation started across the Adriatic. The clouds were beautiful as they were treacherous. We finally got above them. It got very cold. We crossed northern Italy and into the mountains. For over an hour there wasn’t anything visible underneath us but clouds. The sun shining and the reflection was blinding. It was a sight that few people see except those who fly . . . It dazzles my imagination. Mom and Dad, you can tell your church friends that if one believes in God, just one ride like that would surely greatly change his mind. . . .
“We got about 17,000 feet and the formations started forming vapor trails. It was pretty, but very cold. As we got on the “bomb run” out P-38 escort crossed away above us. They were forming vapor trails too. It was a beautiful sight. Those guys way up there also give a feeling of security. It also proves what Uncle Sam has really got.
“We bombed the target through clouds by instruments. Incidentally we hit it too. But of course we couldn’t see it. We had little flak, not much . . .
“The mountains in northern Italy and southern Germany and Austria, the Alps, are very beautiful, but also treacherous to airmen.”