Oral History Interview with John Bennett Lee, October 28, 2011

Oral History Interview with John Bennett Lee, October 28, 2011

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Track One 1:51:21

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Bennett Lee. Lee joined the Army Air Forces soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He discusses the training he received to become a fighter pilot. Lee was sent to England in October 1944 to fly P-51s. He completed 52 missions over Europe with the 79th Fighter Squadron. Lee describes what it was like to fly a P-51 and details some of the highlights his of missions. He details one mission in which he encountered German ME-262 jet fighters and discusses how one of his fellow airmen … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 51 min., 21 sec.)

Creation Information

Lee, John October 28, 2011.

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 John Bennett Lee. Lee joined the Army Air Forces soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He discusses the training he received to become a fighter pilot. Lee was sent to England in October 1944 to fly P-51s. He completed 52 missions over Europe with the 79th Fighter Squadron. Lee describes what it was like to fly a P-51 and details some of the highlights his of missions. He details one mission in which he encountered German ME-262 jet fighters and discusses how one of his fellow airmen destroyed eight planes. Lee mentions seeing the last performance of Glenn Miller. He left the service in December 1945.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 51 min., 21 sec.)

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

Sound

Identifier

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

Accession or Local Control No: OH03385
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1609899

Relationships

Oral History Interview with John Bennett Lee, October 28, 2011, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1606092

Collections

This recording 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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