Page 48 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Fall 2019- Online Magazine

Dennis Kern WWII Bomber Pilot and

Ranch Manager

by LaVila Henry
T he unheated cabin where few moments of this time was the

temperatures at that altitude were
far below zero made it easier to training of some Brazilian air cadets
whose limited English often announced,
bump throttles with a closed fist rather ‘Hello, Waco Tower, I’m coming in.’
than to press with an open palm. The When you heard this, you had better
acrid smell and the brilliant flashes scatter, because they were going to be
followed closely by the concussion of first.”
the bursting anti-aircraft shells filled
the sky. The rat-a-tat-tat of Herman In Temple, Texas, his preparation
Goering’s yellow-nosed fighters, and the progressed to an AT-17 and then to
pleading screams of dying men rang in advanced schooling in Del Rio. There,
his ears. “Thank you, Lord for bearing the exercises included a stripped-down
us up on angel’s wings and affording us B-26 bomber. In four short months,
living grace, not the other.” Dennis had progressed from soloing
Dennis Kern graduated from Spearman in the PT-19 to soloing in a 4000HP
bomber. In March 1944, he graduated
High School at the age of 15. During as a 2nd Lieutenant. His additional
his sophomore year at West Texas instruction was completed by D-Day
University December 1941, he learned on June 6th, but he and others were
of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The next held over because of a lack of aircraft.
spring a couple of “flyboys” from the Shortly, along with 18,000 other
Army Air Corps came to the WT campus service personnel, he boarded the SS
and said, “Come fly with us,” and he Ile de France in Trenton, New Jersey
took up the challenge. At the ripe old for an eventful ride to Europe. Upon
age of 19, in the city of Lubbock, Texas, disembarking in Glasgow, Scotland, he
Dennis Kern was inducted into the Army remembers the captain’s commendation
Air Corps.
that “this was the worst bunch he had
His new journey took him from ever hauled.”
Lubbock to Wichita Falls Airbase and After arriving in Chartres, France,
then to Oklahoma City University to the war began for Dennis. Paris had
mold him into a soldier and a cadet. At been liberated a few days earlier,
Lackland Air Base in San Antonio, he and he prepared for mission number
received his pre-flight instruction. The one. Amazingly, Dennis completed
unbearable heat of July and August was, 47 bombing missions in his Martin
occasionally and thankfully, interrupted Marauder B-26 bomber during the
by a dip in the river. An added increment winter of 1944 and into the spring of
to the requirements was to run two miles 1945. He was in the Battle of the Bulge
in twelve minutes or wash out. Finally, and bombed Eastern France, Belgium
after accomplishing each prerequisite, and Germany during that time.
primary flight training came. Location:
Cuero, Texas. “I learned to fly a PT-19 He kept a short diary of each mission,
trainer upside down until the carburetor and here is his entry from Mission 14:
quit, and then I rolled over and hoped the
engine would catch again.” Date: December 26, 1944
Ship: Black Fury
By fall Dennis was at Waco Airfield Target: Houffalize, Belgium
for basic training. His BT-13 trainer
was something like a lawn mower on “Another ride in the old cat. She gets
steroids. Dennis recalls, “A memorable a little more beaten up every time ---

48 Amarillo Senior Link