Good evening ladies & gentlemen.

 

This post is about a grouping that tells a story about a young man and his family.

 

The research done was minimal so the story comes almost exclusively from the documentation that came with it.

 

I am sure that some of my conclusions and parts of the time line will be flawed.

 

With that in mind I welcome any help with any incorrect assumptions.

 

I don't know if anyone has done this before but what I'm going attempt to do is several fold:

 

1. Establish the progression of events using what a family gets after they receive the "Dreaded Telegram".

 

2. What a family goes through emotionally after they receive the "Dreaded Telegram".

 

3. Use a sequence of pictured items to tie point 1 and 2 together and tell their story.

 

This story is not going to start at the "beginning" but at the beginning of the end, the day the "dreaded telegram" arrives.

 

Should this story peek your interest please stay with me as it will take more than one day to arrive at it's end.

This story is about a young patriot from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

His name is Homer J. Mitts Jr. named after his father.

 

From what I can find out he lost his mother before joining the service.

 

He has a brother Russel who is in the Coast Guard and 2 sisters.

 

Because of the material involved his sister Jean will take a more prominent role than the other siblings.

 

Here is a picture, with a well worn (from handling) tin frame, of Homer in better days before the war.

A telegram like this is commonly followed up with a letter from the War Department with a vague definition of what MIA means with an emphasis that the missing person could well be alive and well.

 

So what does a family do, what happens after such a telegram and follow up letter ?

 

The very next day there is a story in the local paper.

 

 

 

 

During the 1940s the local newspaper went to everyone and once the news got out of Homer's missing in action the letters started to come in.

 

From an emotional aspect the letters are all positive with hopes and prayers that Homer is a POW.

 

Despite this positivity Homer's father is deeply worried to the point of loosing weight.

 

There are letters from 2 family members to Jean (who was working out of town for the Tennessee Valley Authority) asking her to write her father because he is so sick with worry.

 

Here are the letters in the group that were generated from the news article or Jean's endeavors to find out what is known about her brother's status.

Here is a letter addressed to Homer Sr. from his local representative Estes Kefauver 3rd District Tennessee United States Congressman.

 

He expresses his sympathies and hits the nail on the head "We know how you must be anxiously waiting for further word of him (Homer Jr.)"

 

Of course Homer Sr. is fraught with anxiety.

During these days and weeks before anything conclusive is known correspondence is returned.

 

There is a letter from the father and another from Jean, both are marked "Return Mail Reported Missing" 323rd Sq. 91st Bomb Gp.

 

As the telegram above stated: Homer has been missing since 8/17/43.

 

On August 17, 1943 the 323rd Bomb Squadron lost every bomber in their unit on the disastrous Schweinfurt raid.

 

Homer was the ball turret gunner or waist gunner (conflicting info.) on a B-17F named "V-Packet" shot down by Lt Arthur Beese in an FW-190A of JG 26/1.

 

In both the letters sister and father ask him if they have given their new plane a name.

 

His sister mentions "Hell's Belles" as one of his planes that was lost on a previous mission.

 

 

 

It's interesting when you read their letters to Homer.

 

Their tone is as if nothing could ever go wrong.

 

Here is a close up of the MISSING nomenclature.

 

 

Homer graduated from H.S. in 1940 (more later) and went to work for Gilman Paint & Varnish Co.

 

Mr Gilman, president of the company sends Homer Sr. a letter expressing his certainty that Jr. will"come back to us"

 

There is also a letter from the secretary of Sr.'s church.

 

She writes "Let us still hope he may be in the land of the living. If not let us trust in the God & Father of us all who doeth all things well."

 

A hard pill to swallow for Sr. who I'm sure was having a crisis of faith.

During this time Jean is not idle.

 

She has managed to get in touch with several women and men who are related in one way or another to finding information on her brother.

 

The women were all related to other crew members of "V-Packet"

 

Mrs. von der Hyde was the wife of the pilot, Mrs. Wannemacher the mother of ball turret gunner William W. and the aunt of John Klopolsky waist gunner.

 

Here is a picture of the letters that were left.

 

 

 

Here is a letter from the pilot's wife.

 

She is very troubled that Mrs. Brown, the wife of the bombardier, has received word that her husband is a POW of the German's but she has not yet heard anything.

 

Despite the fact that it doesn't look good she brings up several positive scenarios on why she hasn't received word and cites credible sources.

 

Her main source is Lt. Faringer the crew's original navigator who had been grounded from the mission.

 

I can only imagine what was going on in her head worrying over the pro's and con's of a loved one's dilemma and whether she would see him again.

 

This exchange between Jean and the pilot's wife was one of many exchanges she had with several people.

 

There is evidence that there were more contacts with other people but for some reason these letters have been lost.

 

The range of emotions and the fight to be positive, evidenced in what correspondence is present, is palatable.

 

In a post card that Jean sends to her brother Russell, you can clearly see this.

 

It's dated October 4th, almost 2 months since the failed mission and references the letter from the pilot's wife pictured in the last post.

 

She cites a letter received from the grounded navigator as well.

 

What she garners from them is "twice as much hope about Jr. (Homer) but follows up by telling him about their father's health (worried sick) at the lack of any news.

 

 

 

 

Great group-- I am hooked.

 

I look forward to the "Rest of the Story"!

 

Scott

This next post is interesting in the fact that it shows Jean's determination in finding out all she can and most important connect with those who are suffering through a similar trial.

 

In an effort to make contact with the next of kin she must have sent out a shot gun blast of letters to folks with last names and geographical locations that match those of the crew.

 

She receives a letter from a Wannemacher who is a distant relation but steers her to another who might help her out.

 

There is no internet in 1943 and Jean is tracking people down through the mail in a hit or miss fashion.

 

Finally she gets a letter, dated Sept. 3, 1943 from Mrs Wannemacher, the ball turret gunner's mom.

 

In the first line of the letter she recounts the circuitous route Jean's letter took to get to her.

 

She affirms Jean's anxiety but goes on to paint the situation in a positive light.

 

Her mother's intuition tells her the boys are POWs and as bad as that might seem "God will take care of them".

 

She tells Jean to pray for the day Germany is conquered and the boys come home to good food and loving care.

 

"Never for one minute must you loose faith in the fact that they will be back."

 

In closing she directs Jean to an enclosed news article which proves her point, that a positive outcome is in sight.

 

Faith is the evidence of things not seen and the substance of things hoped for.

 

 

 

In her quest for comfort for her and her father Jean left no stone unturned.

 

She even gets in touch with another Tennessean who is in the 95th Bomb Group.

 

His advice is to rely on the Red Cross for information and gives several reasons as to why.

By the way Van Arsdale was wounded in action.

 

This next letter, I'm not sure of the connection with the family, from S/Sgt Moriarty has interesting information.

 

After expressing his sympathies the Sgt. gives several positive reasons why Homer is still alive.

 

The majority of planes forced down over enemy territory have crews that land safely.

 

A couple of reasons for not getting info. from the German's is that they hold back info. on those they capture.

 

The other reason is is that he has escaped.

 

He cites more positive information (intelligence sources) in that after 1hr of hiding the chances of finding friendlies in occupied countries is 50/50 and after 4hrs it's 90/10.

 

He recounts an encounter he recently had with an airman who was, for 3 months, guided out of harms way by the French underground.

 

And assures Jean that if Homer has been captured the Germans treat American prisoners well.

 

Moriarty was later himself MIA.

 

 

 

Homer's younger brother, Russell, is in the Coast Guard.

 

During this time of unsurety and doubt Russell has different problems.

 

Apparently the men in the C.G. were being called "Land Lubbers" and Russell had to fight for his honor.

 

Fighting off the women in Texas was his other major concern.

Awesome post. I wonder how in the world she figured out how to send out the letters "like a shotgun blast" in those times...

Everyone takes stressful news differently and Russell must have kept it inside.

 

There are several letters he wrote after news of his brother and in only one does he breech the subject.

 

He doesn't even mention his brother by name but brings the subject up in a round about way.

 

Has the family heard anything "from any of the boys parents" and " have you heard anymore from the wife of one of the P.O.W.'s".

 

The only evidence of any emotion is the last line of the paragraph "I sure hope we hear good news soon".

 

 

 

 

 

In the middle of all this uncertainty life goes on and a reality starts to set in.

 

An official letter from the War Department concerning benefits the next of kin are entitled to when a family member in the service is not able to provide financially.

 

It appears that Homer's family was dependent on his income.

 

Full of legal jargon the letter is quite ambiguous.

 

I wonder what they thought when they got it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who was Homer J. Mitts?

 

He was born at 5 PM the 28th of May 1921.

 

His father is Homer J. Mitts and his mother is Katherin Golen (Mitts).

 

At the time he had 2 older sisters and his mother stayed home to raise them.

 

Here is a period copy of his birth certificate.

Like most young boys of the time he carried a pocket knife.

 

 

 

He graduated from Chattanooga High School in 1940 and went to work for a paint company.

 

He was well liked at work.

 

Here is his graduation picture.

 

 

 

And he had a girlfriend named June.

 

Here they are enjoying themselves at Rock City in Chattanooga.

 

 

 

Once in the service he was a prolific writer and wrote over 55 letters (that I know of) home to his father and sister.

 

There is no mention of his mother since the birth certificate.

 

 

 

 

He also seems to have a sense of humor.