The Web Site for Central Florida Retirees
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The Web Site for Central Florida Retirees |
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MySunCountry Vet of the Month |
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Paul "Bud" Haedike - Dunnellon, FL (Click on pictures to enlarge) |
USAAF B-17 Toggalier / Bombardier - 8th Air Force in Europe WWII |
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Paul "Bud" Haedike by B-17 Bomber at Planes of Fame Museum in Minneapolis (Click on pictures to enlarge) |
Paul Haedike (more commonly known as "Bud"), was born on May 30, 1925, on the northwest side of Chicago. He attended Luther Institute, a high school located about a block or so from where Michael Jordan played basketball for the Chicago Bulls. After his 18th birthday he received his draft notice, and on July 19, 1943, was inducted into the army. |
Eighth Aif Force |
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After taking various tests he was able to get into the Air Force, where he became a Toggalier (same position in the plane as the Bombardier; the difference being that, when he went overseas, there was no more precision bombing - just pattern bombing). He did not need to use the bombsight, but followed the lead ship instructions. When that lead plane opened its bomb bay doors, the other planes in the squadron did likewise. He was stationed at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri, Lowry Field in Denver, Colorado, Kingman Field in Kingman, Arizona and Biggs Field in El Paso, Texas, before he went overseas in January of 1945. In England he was assigned to the 452nd Bomb Group, which was part of the 730th Bomb Squadron of the 8th Air Force. Bud flew 23 missions before war's end. On his very first mission he and his crew were shot down, but crash-landed in friendly territory in Belgium. Five days later they were back at Deopham Green Air Base , located near Norwich, England. |
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Bud "In Full Gear" |
"In full gear" publicity photos were taken of the various airmen in uniform to be sent back to the hometown newspapers. This helped boost morale and kept the folks informed about what the boys fighting the war were doing to preserve our freedom. |
730th Squadron
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Bud with crew members at Deopham Green |
This is Bud and his fellow crew members in England. Back row:
Art Black -Tail Gunner (deceased), Bud Haedike -
Bombardier/Toggalier Front row: Bill Thomas - Radio Man |
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This photo illustrates B-17's over their target in bomb-dropping formation. Bud kept a detailed log of all the missions he flew, including the size of the bombs and the location of the drops. Some of the cities he bombed were Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Dresden and Dusseldorf. The B-17 could take a tremendous amount of damage without crashing, and brought back many crews alive and well accounted for. However, the 8th Air Force still had the highest percentage of casualties of any military group during WWII: Approximately 28,000 men died. |
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Bud has indicated there was great fear among the young airmen. "The first time I felt I was in a war was when I saw the flak that was being shot at us," he said. "We were scared, and anyone who says they weren't is a lousy liar." On the other hand, if the 8th Air Force hadn't regularly bombed enemy railroad yards and industrial sites, the war would probably have continued for at least another year! |
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Food being dropped by B-17's to the starving Dutch peopleSee follow-up story on next page |
In early May, 1945, the Germans made a desperate attempt at retaliation by blowing-up all the dikes in Holland. Many Dutch people were dying from all the flooding, so "Mercy Missions" were flown to bring the citizens of Holland much-needed food. In contrast to elevations of 20-30,000 feet (normal missions), Bud said the B-17's flew-in at 200 feet to drop their packages. From May 1-3 over 400 B-17's dropped 800 tons of K-Rations to the Dutch people. Click to see story about the missions | |
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Bud with parents Paul and Ida back home in Chicago after war's end in 1945 |
While on a 30-day furlough Bud was preparing himself to complete his
tour of duty in the Pacific Theater, but the Japanese surrendered. Bud
was relieved and his father was ecstatic that his son would not have to
go over to the Pacific war zone.
Bud was awarded 4 Air Medals, the Presidential Citation, 3 European Theater Of Operations Battle Stars, & various other awards for his service during the war. |
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Bud and Muriel married in 1947 |
While on leave, Bud said to his sister Doris, "Fix me up with a date!" Laughs Bud today, "I didn't know she was going to fix me up for 55 years."
The "date of his life" was with Muriel Wiedbush. Muriel was born on July 27th, 1928, in Forest Park, a western suburb of Chicago. While attending Luther Institute, the same high school that Bud attended, Muriel became acquainted with Doris Haedike, Bud's little sister. "He was a war hero," stated Muriel, "so my parents, who were friends of his parents, did not object to my dating him." The date obviously went well because Bud and Muriel were married on June 21, 1947 in Forest Park, Illinois. |
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Bud attended Eureka College, which happened to be the very same
college that former U.S. President Ronald Reagan attended. Bud was a
member of Reagan's very same TKE fraternity chapter as well. But after
only six months of college he decided to find a job and move on with his
life. After various office jobs, he took a job with the Illinois Bell
Telephone Company where he worked for several years. He started working
for Johnson's Wax in 1949 as a salesman, then became Area Manager, and
retired in 1984 as a Regional Sales Manager.
Bud and Muriel have now been married for over 55 years. Over the years Muriel has mostly been an at-home mom. Bud and Muriel's six children, 20 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren are their pride and joy. |
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