Youngstown airbase honors memory of WWII bomber

By William K. Alcorn

Olney flew the Tail Wind on 23 of his first 30 missions.

VIENNA — In early 1944, James Olney was piloting a B-24 Liberator bomber on daylight combat missions over Germany.

“Our fighter planes couldn’t provide us protection all the way. We had some pretty tough missions,” said Olney, of Canfield.

On March 6, 1944, he flew his B-25 on the first daylight bombing raid on Berlin. When we came back, two pilots just walked in and turned in their wings and quit,” he said.

Olney’s plane, dubbed Tail Wind, had 62 flack holes in it.

“Miraculously, no one on board was hit,” he said.

The memory of the of the Tail Wind was honored Sunday during a ceremony at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station when a Tail Wind “nose art” decal was placed on the nose of one of the 910th Airlift Wing’s C-130 Hercules cargo transport planes.

Olney, who requested the honor, attended with family and friends.

The nose art, a decal about 3 feet long and 11 inches high, depicts the words “Tail Wind,” which look as if they are being blown by the wind, and has tornadoes separating the letters.

It was created by Air Force Reserve T/Sgt. Scott Obermiyer of Brookfield, a member of the 910th Maintenance Squadron.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.