Edward M. Sion - Through Blue Skies to Hell: Americas Bloody 100th in the Air War over Germany

In course of this project I was assisted by numerous individuals who generously devoted their time and shared their insights on the air war with me. First and foremost, I thank my Uncle, Richard R. Ayesh. Without his combat diary, expertise, advice and guidance, this book would never have been written. I am deeply grateful to Gene Jensen, the pilot of my Uncles crew, who kindly and generously made available his unpublished memoirs (The Chronicles of Gene) relating his war experiences and stories of the many close calls experienced by his crew. I would also like to thank co-pilot Jim Millet for his interest and shared insights on life at Thorpe Abbotts as well as reminiscences of the missions.

I am profoundly grateful to my publisher David Farnsworth and to my editor Steven Smith for their decision to publish the book and for their enthusiastic interest, patience, support and guidance during the entire process. I also thank Ms. Tara Lichterman of Casemate Publishing for her always cheerful assistance.

I am deeply indebted to my friend Jason Homer, illustrator and computer graphics expert who was responsible for many of the maps and illustrations in the book, and to his wife, Jackie Zavodnick, MD, for her unceasing encouragement and patience during the time-consuming effort required to complete the work.

In the United Kingdom, I owe an immense debt of gratitude to Ron and Carol Batley, the curators of the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum at Thorpe Abbotts for their kind hospitality and insights during my visit to Thorpe Abbotts. It is a pleasure to gratefully acknowledge the extensive help of Mr. Tom Oakley, a volunteer at the Museum, who generously and enthusiastically shared his insights, vast store of knowledge and local anecdotes about the 100th Bomb Group, war-time civilian life in the UK generally and in East Anglia specifically (including his own) and many details of the always dangerous assembly into formation off the English coast, as well as wartime incidents at the base.

In the United States, many friends and colleagues have assisted me in the completion of this book.

First, I am pleased to extend my deepest gratitude to Michael Faley, Official Archivist and Historian of the 100th Bomb Group Memorial, and Mr. Jack OLeary for sharing their encyclopedic knowledge of the air war and every aspect of the 100th Bomb Group. They have both given unselfishly of their time to help make this book a reality. I am indebted to Ms. Jan Riddling, archivist and historian of the 100th Bomb Group for providing her insights and expertise, especially on ground crews and for her willingness to serve as a reviewer. I am deeply grateful to Ms. Susan Whitney for her expert advice on writing, organization, and early editorial assistance.

It is a pleasure to thank my colleagues who shared their book publishing experiences and offered much encouragement and insight, usually within local establishments consuming various libations. Among these individuals are Professors William Wagner, and Lawrence Stepelevich, and Dr. Robert Stokes at Villanova University and Dr. Jay Holberg at the University of Arizona. I thank Mr. Jon Seal and Mr. Andreas Parsch for their kind permission to quote their unpublished material. I am indebted to Mr. Fred Preller for making available his expertise on the air war and pointing me to much useful and rare material on operational activities at High Wycombe. I thank the personnel at the National Archives Still Photo Division in College Park, Maryland, especially Rutha Beamon, for their kind assistance with archival photographic materials.

Last but not least, I thank my loving and supportive family who encouraged me every step of the way. I thank my daughter Melanie, a medical student at Georgetown University, who digitized my uncles diary from beginning to end, remarking along the way, Dad, going through this diary is like watching a movie. I thank my son Michael, an MBA student at Penns Wharton School, for his continual interest and his expert assistance with formatting, organization and the intricacies of Microsoft Word. My wife Miriam has been an unswerving source of encouragement and advice throughout the process and helped compile the endnotes.