Homer Cole, Pittsburg, has had a long, happy life and feels richly blessed. But, back on April 10, 1945, his future didn’t look so bright.
“I thought the world had come to an end,” said Cole, recalling the day that his B-17 Flying Fortress was nearly shot down over Germany.
A Pittsburg High School graduate, he started attending Kansas State Teachers’ College, now Pittsburg State University, in 1943.
“I went June, July and August, and got drafted in September,” Cole said. “I was 18.”
Staff Sgt. Cole served with the 487th Bomb Group, and was stationed at an Eighth Air Force station near Suffolk, England, about 72 miles from London. Cole said the bombing missions over Germany were about a 14-hour trip.
“I started out as a ball turret gunner, then became a tail gunner — I never saw where we were going, I could only see where we’d been,” he said. “Four of us in the crew were 18, and the officers were 21.”
Cole flew a total of 19 missions, the first being on March 2, 1945, over Dresden. He was on other flights over Brunswick, Frankfurt, Dortmund and Hamburg, as well as several other cities.
On April 10, 1945, the plane’s target was Brandenburg, deep in the heart of Germany. Cole’s plane was flying behind the lead plane, and encountered heavy air-craft fire. The pilot, engineer and radio man.
“My flak went through my helmet and just nicked my skull,” Cole said.
The plane was badly damaged. The B-17 had four engines, two on each side, and both engines on the left side were knocked out.
“We counted 124 holes in that plane,” Cole said. “We were carrying 20 bombs, and the flak hit everything except them.”
The plane limped back, flying only 300 feet off the ground. Fortunately, it was not pursued by German fighter planes.
“Those German planes could only stay in the air about 45 minutes,” Cole said.
To aid the plane, Cole and the others threw off all the excess weight they could, including the ball turret.
“It had 16 bolts holding it on, and it was really something to get those off with a teeny wrench,” Cole said. “I wondered about where that thing hit, because it weighed 1,800 pounds.”
They also through out their guns, flak suits, ammunition and rubber life rafts.
“We finally made a forced landing in Brussels, Belgium,” Cole said.
But that was a challenge in itself, because the planes hydraulic system had also been knocked out, leaving it without breaks.
“We had to rig a parachute out the back to stop it,” Cole said.
His plane and crew were very lucky.
“We usually lost three to five planes on every mission,” Cole said.
He is one of only two surviving members of the nine-man flight crew. The other, co-pilot Johnny Johnson, lives in Washington State.
For his service, he earned the Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Purple Heart, Air Combat Medal, European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal and Air Medal with Three Oakleaf Clusters.
Cole’s three brothers also served their country — Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Cole, Pvt. Charles Cole and Seaman Second Class James W. Cole.
After returning home, he completed his college education. He played basketball at the university, then coached basketball, football and baseball at Goddard worked for McNally’s for three years, served as Joplin, Mo., parks and recreation director from 1954 to 1960, managed a bowling alley at Seventh and Rangeline in Joplin, and then managed alleys at Shawnee and Okmulgee, Okla.
“Then Ted Hoffman called and asked me to become a partner with him in Holiday Lanes in Pittsburg,” Cole said. “On Jan. 1, 1966, we took it over, and five years later I bought Ted out.”
His wife, Evelyn, did all the book work for the bowling alley. It was a busy job, especially with tournaments every year bringing bowlers from as far away as Dallas, Texas, and Davenport, Iowa.
“I had 550 teams in the men’s tournament, and my wife had 350 teams in the women’s tournament,” Cole said.
They sold out the business in December 1984.
“I tell people that I don’t miss the bowling alley, but I miss the people,” he said. “I had three kids coming there, ornery as they could be, they all became doctors and they’ve all operated on me.”
Cole served on the Pittsburg City Commission from 1987 to 1991, including a term as mayor.
“Then I went on 12 boards,” he said. “Now I’m only on two, one at PSU and the Elks Lodge. The thing I like about the Elks is that we’re all for the kids in everything we do.”
He was also the driving force in getting the Homer Cole Community Center, which has frequent educational programs, monthly music/dance nights for senior citizens and numerous community club meetings. It also serves as a congregate meal site for senior citizens.
“The city gave me nine days to raise $33,000 for a matching grant,” Cole said. “We got $29,000 pledged, so they decided to go ahead with it.”
Again, he says that he has had a good life.
“I consider myself lucky,” Cole said. “The people of Pittsburg, if you’re honest and treat them right, they’ll do anything for you. It’s a great town to raise a family.”
|
|
|
Homer Cole, Pittsburg, has had a long, happy life and feels richly blessed. But, back on April 10, 1945, his future didn’t look so bright.
“I thought the world had come to an end,” said Cole, recalling the day that his B-17 Flying Fortress was nearly shot down over Germany.
A Pittsburg High School graduate, he started attending Kansas State Teachers’ College, now Pittsburg State University, in 1943.
“I went June, July and August, and got drafted in September,” Cole said. “I was 18.”
Staff Sgt. Cole served with the 487th Bomb Group, and was stationed at an Eighth Air Force station near Suffolk, England, about 72 miles from London. Cole said the bombing missions over Germany were about a 14-hour trip.
“I started out as a ball turret gunner, then became a tail gunner — I never saw where we were going, I could only see where we’d been,” he said. “Four of us in the crew were 18, and the officers were 21.”
Cole flew a total of 19 missions, the first being on March 2, 1945, over Dresden. He was on other flights over Brunswick, Frankfurt, Dortmund and Hamburg, as well as several other cities.
On April 10, 1945, the plane’s target was Brandenburg, deep in the heart of Germany. Cole’s plane was flying behind the lead plane, and encountered heavy air-craft fire. The pilot, engineer and radio man.
“My flak went through my helmet and just nicked my skull,” Cole said.
The plane was badly damaged. The B-17 had four engines, two on each side, and both engines on the left side were knocked out.
“We counted 124 holes in that plane,” Cole said. “We were carrying 20 bombs, and the flak hit everything except them.”
The plane limped back, flying only 300 feet off the ground. Fortunately, it was not pursued by German fighter planes.
“Those German planes could only stay in the air about 45 minutes,” Cole said.
To aid the plane, Cole and the others threw off all the excess weight they could, including the ball turret.
“It had 16 bolts holding it on, and it was really something to get those off with a teeny wrench,” Cole said. “I wondered about where that thing hit, because it weighed 1,800 pounds.”
They also through out their guns, flak suits, ammunition and rubber life rafts.
“We finally made a forced landing in Brussels, Belgium,” Cole said.
But that was a challenge in itself, because the planes hydraulic system had also been knocked out, leaving it without breaks.
“We had to rig a parachute out the back to stop it,” Cole said.
His plane and crew were very lucky.
“We usually lost three to five planes on every mission,” Cole said.
He is one of only two surviving members of the nine-man flight crew. The other, co-pilot Johnny Johnson, lives in Washington State.
For his service, he earned the Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Purple Heart, Air Combat Medal, European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal and Air Medal with Three Oakleaf Clusters.
Cole’s three brothers also served their country — Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Cole, Pvt. Charles Cole and Seaman Second Class James W. Cole.
After returning home, he completed his college education. He played basketball at the university, then coached basketball, football and baseball at Goddard worked for McNally’s for three years, served as Joplin, Mo., parks and recreation director from 1954 to 1960, managed a bowling alley at Seventh and Rangeline in Joplin, and then managed alleys at Shawnee and Okmulgee, Okla.
“Then Ted Hoffman called and asked me to become a partner with him in Holiday Lanes in Pittsburg,” Cole said. “On Jan. 1, 1966, we took it over, and five years later I bought Ted out.”
His wife, Evelyn, did all the book work for the bowling alley. It was a busy job, especially with tournaments every year bringing bowlers from as far away as Dallas, Texas, and Davenport, Iowa.
“I had 550 teams in the men’s tournament, and my wife had 350 teams in the women’s tournament,” Cole said.
They sold out the business in December 1984.
“I tell people that I don’t miss the bowling alley, but I miss the people,” he said. “I had three kids coming there, ornery as they could be, they all became doctors and they’ve all operated on me.”
Cole served on the Pittsburg City Commission from 1987 to 1991, including a term as mayor.
“Then I went on 12 boards,” he said. “Now I’m only on two, one at PSU and the Elks Lodge. The thing I like about the Elks is that we’re all for the kids in everything we do.”
He was also the driving force in getting the Homer Cole Community Center, which has frequent educational programs, monthly music/dance nights for senior citizens and numerous community club meetings. It also serves as a congregate meal site for senior citizens.
“The city gave me nine days to raise $33,000 for a matching grant,” Cole said. “We got $29,000 pledged, so they decided to go ahead with it.”
Again, he says that he has had a good life.
“I consider myself lucky,” Cole said. “The people of Pittsburg, if you’re honest and treat them right, they’ll do anything for you. It’s a great town to raise a family.”
