Escort 4 - Sole Surviving Pilot Of The "lost Squadron", Read Brad McManus's war journal and ask him questions Options

[AirShowBuzz]

Seven short months after the harrowing attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the "Europe First" policy, which led to the creation of Operation Bolero: a daring plan to fly fighters and bombers in stages refueling in Labrador, Greenland and Iceland to support war ravaged Europe.

On July 4, 1942 a boyish 24-year old Lt. Brad McManus landed his P-38 as part of Tomcat Yellow and Tomcat Green, at Goose Bay. Overcast conditions kept them there for two days, but their departure on the 6th became an eerie foreshadowing of what would become "The Lost Squadron."

Now 89, Mr. McManus is online as Escort IV and will respond to any questions you may have.

The Complete Photo Album
http://www.airshowbuzz.com/forums/index.ph...q=sc&cat=36

[AirShowBuzz]

*Click photos to enlarge*

[Moggy]

Mr McManus,

In view of all the preparation going into Bolero 2, could you tell us what preparing for a crossing meant in 1942 ?

Will you be joining Glacier Girl in Duxford or Oshkosh?

[acepilot2b]

Mr. McManus,

I am a 12 year old Boy Scout and I'm guessing it was hard to stay warm for all that time. So my question is how did you stay warm? I see you built a fire but how did you start the fire? Did anyone get frostbite?

Thank you. You are a real hero.

Acepilot2b
(my mom won't let me use my real name)

[RTDE3]

Mr. McManus,
First of all I would like to Thank You for your service to our Country!
I have been following the story of this plane ever since I saw a picture of it on a cover of a magazine back around 1992 or 3.
I am very happy that it was saved & restored and I think it is great that Operation Bolero is taking place. I plan on following along.
My Question for you is; How deep did you expect to find the planes when this salvage mission started back in 1992? Did you think you would be able to still see them sitting there with just some ice & snow on top of them? At 268 feet deep you must have wondered where did they go? Good Luck on your trip & have fun! God Bless you & all the WW2 Vets!
Sincerely, Rob Taylor

[Don Poore]

Mr. McManus,
I am the FAA DAR that did the final inspection and the issuance of an Airworthiness Certificate for P-38F (Glacier Girl) in Middlesboro. I was honored to be asked by Bob Cardin to do that. I met you there at the initial flight in Middlesboro. What a great day that was. I wanted to thank you for your sevice to our country and all that served in WW II. There were a lot of those vets there that day and to see many of them with a tear in their eyes as Glacier Girl broke ground was a very humbling experience. That was the memory that stands out for me.
I am excited to see the mission finally being completed for you and the memory of those that were involved in the first mission.
Thanks,
USAF Vet
Don

[AirShowBuzz]

[Bud]

Mr McManus,

In view of all the preparation going into Bolero 2, could you tell us what preparing for a crossing meant in 1942 ?

Will you be joining Glacier Girl in Duxford or Oshkosh?

[Escort IV]

I appreciate all the kind words and questions.

How did we prepare?
We trained together with the B-17s and flew formation for a month before our departure. It was a very exciting period and it was very successful up until the crash. We enjoyed the experience, especially flying formation with the bombers. It was their job to lead us across the North Atlantic because they carried the heavy communication equipment.

How did we stay warm?
We wore heavy fleece lined leather jackets and two to three pairs of gloves; one thin layer, wool, under a pair of leather gloves. Of course we also wore Air Force boots that were fleece lined, a leather helmet with ear sets and oxygen mask. We were extremely cold while flying…temperatures varied from freezing to twenty below zero. Very cold.

When we landed the temperature on the ground wasn’t all that bad. The temperature varied from freezing to a little below. Two B-17 crewmen took a couple of oxygen tanks and converted them into heaters that kept the B-17 hull fairly warm. We did have a fire and did cook a little. It wasn’t as bad as it was up in the air.

Recovery
One of the things about this discovery was the location of the planes. We knew the place, the exact latitude and longitude of where we went down, but we didn’t calculate that they moved 50-100 feet in the ice each year. So they were drilling holes and couldn’t find them until the radar located the planes a mile away from the original site.
Rumor was a German U2 had radioed the wrong coordinates to us but it was never proven.

I will unfortunately not be able to attend Duxford, but I'm looking forward to flying in formation again with Jim Beasley. He is going to fly my wife and I in his plane alongside Glacier Girl for the first few miles of the trip.

I appreciate greatly the kind words. Thank you.

Brad McManus

[Doorknob1968]

Mr McManus

Myself and my family would first like to thank you for your service, and thank all the men and women who have served and are serving today.

I have been a avid follower of this recovery/restoration since it was first announced. I have been blessed to see this beautiful aircraft fly on many occasion and can only dream of what it must have been like to be flying one of these aircraft in Operation Bolero. To know now that this aircraft is setting out to finally complete the mission it started so long ago, brings tears of joy to my eyes.

Too myself as I am sure many others this event is a great tribute to not only you but all the men and women that have served out Country, as well as all the men and women that served with our Allies. This is a historic event. One of Pride and Honor that represents the hard work and efforts of many people past and present.

It means a lot to me to see this event take place, to witness history in the making as it was so long ago, there are not words I can use to describe what feelings I have or what I will feel this afternoon when I watch Glacier Girl fly out of Middlesboro to begin her journey.

I was wanting to ask you your insight and feelings on this Mission that is about to take place, what does it mean to you knowing that after so many years of hard work and dedication by all that have worked with and supported the Glacier Girl project, it can finally be said "Mission Accomplished"?

Thank you for your time, and thank you for your service!
Jeff

[maddog11]

Mr. McManus,
I can't thank you enough for your service and for the time you are spending to help this country remember what our country is all about. My father served in the Air Corp 1942-1945 in Combat Cargo in a C-47, and earlier in B-26 & B-25. The B-25 in North Africa. He is still with us today and is following your progress. He knew the Co-pilot on the B-17 that joined you on the ice in Greenland and was with him in formation when he was shot down by a Zero in the C47. He is looking through his logbooks now to find the mans name (John was his first name). He would like to talk with you sometime to see if you know of any family members of John's that are still alive. Please feel free to e-mail us at sanchezandco@bellsouth.net.
Thanks again for all you have done.
Paul Sanchez

[sagamore]

Brad McManus:

Let's say you lost an engine on your P-38 and had to drop back from the B-17's. Did you have enough cross-country navigation by
then to make it to the next stop?

By the way: In our 20's and even today (I am now 75) you and I look like brothers, close to fraternal twins. Not so surprising. All the
McManuses with few exceptions came from County Fermanagh in Ulster. And there are still very few of us on the planet. Glad your
Irish (good) luck was on board even when you landed upside down.

James J McManus
Madison, Georgia

[crow759]

Mr McManus-
First a big "Thank You" for your service to this country and for sharing your memories and photos. Of particular interest to me are your photos of the NORTHLAND. I've been collecting photos of the ship for a while now and am in the process of building a model of her for an veteran,who served on board. Your photos have some unique details that up to this time have had me guessing,but your shots cleared a few things up. I was wondering if you had any other photos or recollections of being on board,that you would be willing to share. Thanks again for sharing these wonderful photos.
Regards.

[Katieann]

My uncle, Clarence Parizek from Dysart, Iowa was one of the soldiers of the Lost Squadron. As children, when visiting my maternal Grandmother's home in Dysart, my siblings and I would read with fascination "Uncle Shorty's" Diary. A cousin, who is the proud owner of the diary, made sure we had copies of it, and we all cherish our copy.

We unfortunately never met him, as he died at the age of 28 during the war, when his plane was shot down over the Baltic Sea. Even though they never recovered his body, his name is on the family grave stone. I visit the cemetary in Dysart every Memorial Day weekend. As a child I stayed summers with my Grandmother, and we would walk to the cemetary several times a week to take fresh flowers from her garden to put at the gravesite of Uncle Shorty and my Grandfather. She most certainly planted seeds in this former Iowa girl!

My brother who flies his own plane, had the opportunity to see the plane at the Oshkosh show in 2007. He saw and took pictures of the exhibit, and some of the pictures included our uncle. This is truly a piece of history and to know our uncle was a part of it brings it even closer to our hearts. Thank you for having so much information and sharing it with the world.

It would be of great interest to know more about all members of the Lost Squadron.

Best Regards,

Kathy Kircher

[Cascade]

Dear Mr. McManus,

I am so happy to find this site and the information you have shared. There is a photo posted here of seven young men sitting on the wing of one of the planes. My father is the man in the front wearing light colored pants. His name is Charles Spielman. I grew up hearing the stories of this landing and I have recently been scanning the web for new information.

It is good to hear you are doing well. Daddy passed away in 1984 from a heart condition . . . I sure wish he was here to talk to about finding all this wonderful documentation you have provided.

Be well and THANKS,
Sylvia Spielman