WW II Family History -

[Changeup]

My Dad, Martin Bertram was also one of Jim Shurig's co-pilots, and Jim knew my mom, Laurel Jacobson ( Aussie girl, married at 16) in Australia.  My Dad's flight record with the 71st squadron shows 47 combat missions, many of the same one's on your Grampa's record.  If you'll send me your email, via PM , I can send a pdf of Dad's missions.  Dad is mentioned by William J. Smith in the story "Buzzing an Australian Train" at http://www.pacificwrecks.com/people/veterans/smith.html .  I was fascinated to read the above accounts of Jim's record.  Thanks, Brent

I wish I would have known this a little sooner.  A couple of years ago, another gentlemen who flew with gramps called our house.  I put him in touch with Gramps and they visited every week for two hours on Friday's at 1PM.  I asked Gramps why 1PM and he said "Damage Assessment meeting"...apparently the 71st had their weekly photo recon, after-action-report meetings on Fridays at 1PM, lol.

[brentb636]

Over the years since Dad passed away ( 1994), the resources on the internet have grown immensely.  It IS too bad that we couldn't be having this kind of discussion 20 years ago, with our family still around to fill in the many blanks .  My mother passed away in Dec 2010, and I wish now that I'd grilled her more thoroughly about Jim Shurig and the other pilots she knew from those early days.  She was only 16 when she married my dad, but she worked in the Air Intelligence Office , frequently saw both General Kenney and General MacArthur.  What an education for a young Aussie girl. <3

[brentb636]

A song that Dad taught us , and we'd all sing along while driving down the road ( much to Mom's mortification).

"We've been over Buna, we've been over Lae,
We've been out to sea after ships.
Our gunners all stink, our pilots all drink,
Our navvies never know where they are....
Our bombadiers can't hit a barrel of "ROSES"..
Oh, Shanty, don't send me so far !!! "

"ROSES" ???

[Changeup]

A song that Dad taught us , and we'd all sing along while driving down the road ( much to Mom's mortification).

"We've been over Buna, we've been over Lae,
We've been out to sea after ships.
Our gunners all stink, our pilots all drink,
Our navvies never know where they are....
Our bombadiers can't hit a barrel of "ROSES"..
Oh, Shanty, don't send me so far !!! "

"ROSES" ???

That's familiar.  I'll have to look that up.