Oral History Interview with Walter Crafford, September 13, 2007

Oral History Interview with Walter Crafford, September 13, 2007

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Crafford. Crafford was born in Bridgeport, Nebraska in 1919 and graduated from high school in 1937. He was employed at a Consolidated Aircraft plant making B-24 bombers until 1942 at which time he joined the US Army Air Forces. Upon completing his pilot training he was sent to Pueblo, Colorado for crew selection and training. In December 1943 the crew was sent to Herrington, Kansas to pick up a new B-24 which they ultimately named Salty Sal featuring the picture of a (Alberto) Vargas girl as the … continued below

Physical Description

35 p.

Creation Information

Crafford, Walter September 13, 2007.

Context

This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Crafford, Walter

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Crafford. Crafford was born in Bridgeport, Nebraska in 1919 and graduated from high school in 1937. He was employed at a Consolidated Aircraft plant making B-24 bombers until 1942 at which time he joined the US Army Air Forces. Upon completing his pilot training he was sent to Pueblo, Colorado for crew selection and training. In December 1943 the crew was sent to Herrington, Kansas to pick up a new B-24 which they ultimately named Salty Sal featuring the picture of a (Alberto) Vargas girl as the nose art. Flying from Hawaii they joined the 7th Air Force, 30th Bomb Group at O’Hara Airfield on the island of Abemama. Crafford flew thirteen bombing missions over the heavily fortified island of Truk. Returning to the United States during November 1944, he was attending engineering school at Chanute Field, Illinois when Japan surrendered. He was discharged shortly thereafter.

Physical Description

35 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH01950
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1605234

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Walter Crafford, September 13, 2007 - ark:/67531/metapth1609044

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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