U.S. Army Air Corps Technical Sgt. Albin A. Rogers said bombing the refineries in Europe were the most important of the 35 to 40 missions he flew. (Photo by Petra Chesner Schlatter)

Bucks County resident saw 35-40 air missions
aboard B-24 bombers during World War II.

By Petra Chesner Schlatter
BucksLocalNews.com Editor

U.S. Army Air Corps Technical Sgt. Albin A. Rogers saw 35 to 40 air missions in Europe during World War II. He enlisted at age 19 at Grand Central Terminal, New York City.

Though he trained as a pilot, his job was to “watch the fuel consumption, take care that the engines performed correctly and to make any possible repair to damage that I could to keep the plane flying.”

Rogers was a flight engineer. He said the engineer probably knew more than anybody else on the plane, including the pilot. “He just had to fly it right.”

He flew in B-24s, which were dubbed “The Real American Bomber.” The plane was also called “The Liberator” and was a heavy bomber like a B-17.

Rogers was born in 1923 in Newark, N.J., and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. He will celebrate his 85th birthday on June 17. Rogers and his wife, Anna, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year. They have lived in Yardley Borough since 1966.

He is a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus and is an active parishioner at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church in Yardley.

Rogers started as a private and advanced to the rank of technical sergeant with five stripes. He was trained on B-17s before he went to B-24s “because they didn’t have any engineers for B-24’s.”

The Tuskegee Airmen, a group of specially trained black men, ‘flew cover.’ “They were fighter pilots. They were very good,” Rogers emphasized.

“Basically, we bombed targets in Austria, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia and northern Italy. After Ploesti in Romania —that was after the Ploesti raids — the biggest targets were Vienna and Linz in Austria; Regensburg, Germany; the refineries in Poland, and in northern Germany.

“The worst was Vienna because they had concentrated all their Flak guns as they kept retreating. As they kept retreating, the targets became more dangerous. That’s where we lost more planes to Flak than fighters. Flak is anti-aircraft.

“The biggest gun they had was the 88-mm. That was an 88-mm gun that could be used on ground and air targets. Flak was a German gun — a deadly weapon.”

Rogers said the most important missions were “where we destroyed the refineries because they needed fuel and oil, and we knocked everything out. They had planes, but they couldn’t fly anymore because they didn’t have anymore fuel or any other materials used in flying oil, jet fuel, etc.

“We knocked the refineries out — that was part of the plan between Churchill and Eisenhower: to hit Germany through ‘The Underbelly.’ We hit them from down below. The ones from England came from the north. That’s why they called it ‘The Underbelly of Europe.’”

Beside The Flak, Rodgers said, the next thing that was dangerous was the cold.

“It was like about 60 degrees below zero or colder when you were up 26,000 feet or higher,” he noted.

“The other thing was flying over the Alps was rather dangerous — especially in winter if you had to bail out or something. There was no way you could survive.”

Rogers was in the 484th Bomb Squadron. There were four squadrons in a group.
“We tried to put up a maximum of 48 planes from the group,” hey says. “Each squadron would put up 12 planes for a maximum effort.

“We were part of the 15th Air Force, 49th Wing. We were stationed at Torretta Airfield in Cerignola, Italy. We were part of the 15th Air Force located in Foggia, Italy.”

After more than 40 years, Rogers still keeps his draft card in his wallet. He was more interested in flying rather than being in the infantry.

When asked to talk about the Nazis, Rogers said, “World domination was just a wild dream that Hitler had. The Nazis were a culture of death,” he said.

Today, Rogers is active in the Yardley-Makefield VFW Post 6393 and the Knowles-Doyle American Legion Post 317. With the VFW, he has been a service officer for about 10 years. He has been the local VFW’s chaplain since 2006. He recently became chaplain of the local American Legion.

Labels: Army, World War II, Yardley

Tom Zogorski (above) trained some of America’s elite flyers while
serving at Childress Air Force Base in Childress, Tex. Zogorski
(below) looks over some photos from his time in the service.
(Photo by Peter Ciferri)


Bucks County resident found that training bombardiers
during World War II could be a dangerous task.

By Peter Ciferri
BucksLocalNews.com Editor

A cross-wind sweeps across a shortened runway, an inexperienced student pilot overcorrects for takeoff and you suddenly find yourself co-pilot of a small plane spinning 360-degrees, landing gear and one wing collapsing against the ground.

Moments like this were among the challenges 1st Lt. Tom Zogorski of Newtown faced while serving as an instructor at Childress Air Force Base in Childress, Tex. during World War II.

The pilot in this story was a young member of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps, and as one of the more experienced instructors at the base, Zogorski was assigned to train the flight’s bombardier. But neither he nor the pilot ever expected the wild ride.

“That’s about the most excitement I think I ever had,” Zogorski said. “The plane went down on one wing and it spun around in circles.”

Tom Zogorski, his cousin Stanley and John Marker of Dolington, were the first Newtown residents drafted into World War II, receiving the call on April 1, 1941. Tom was sent to Ft. Meade, Md., where he would go through basic training and field artillery training, but it wasn’t until his graduation in May of 1943 that Zogorski would truly find his role in the war effort.

Zogorski says he had never piloted an aircraft and had only been a passenger in a few light airplanes when the Army Air Corps selected him for bombardier training, but after six months of target practice, it was clear the Newtown native was among the best in his class.

Flying at anywhere from 4,000 to 13,000 feet in a Beechcraft AT-11, Zogorski came within about 90 feet of his targets, compiling a “circular air” average of over 30 feet better than the class average. Not bad, especially considering a Beechcraft can reach a maximum speed of 225 m.p.h.

“It takes practice to become proficient. It’s very sensitive adjustments that you have to make,” Zogorski said of the knobs used to align the plane and synchronize speeds for an accurate drop. “What you’re doing is making your plane fly on a course that will take you over your target.”

As a student, Tom was training partners with Walter Yerkes Jr., a 17-year-old from Southampton, who Zogorski didn’t know before training. He soon discovered they lived minutes apart their entire lives.

“It was nice to know somebody from the same area,” Zogorski remembered.

As a flight commander training America’s elite for combat, Tom looked back on a man from his training, Charles Eikner, whom he called “a top-notch instructor.” Zogorski said he still stays in contact with Eikner, who lives in Texas, and was happy to teach his students everything Eikner had taught him.

“He just had a knack for teaching,” he said. “I certainly passed on everything he told me that I thought was worth passing along.”

Zogorski says dropping the 5-foot-long bombs filled with sand and black powder was “like a job” for most of his students, but added that it wasn’t a job everyone in the Air Corps could handle.

“A lot of them just couldn’t do it,” Zogorski said. “You just had to tell them, ‘You’re at the end, we just can’t have you anymore.’” He says those soldiers would be reassigned to ground duties like maintaining the base and its planes.

The role of flight commander meant Zogorski was responsible for approving bombardier students before their graduation, and he says the most important thing he looked for was a soldier who could maintain a level head, executing procedure without getting too nervous. And sometimes those decisions weren’t cut and dry.

“I had one student, a real good student, but every time he went up in the air he would get airsick,” Zogorski recalled. “He had a big sheep jacket on and he would puke inside his jacket … You can’t hide that.”

Zogorski says he knew the student was an excellent bombardier, so provisions had to be made to ensure his graduation. “I told him, ‘Take a bag with you, puke in the bag and throw it out the window and everything will be fine.’ He did that every damn time and I passed him.”

Mishaps in training didn’t always have a slapstick ending, however. Zogorski was somber as he remembered four men who died when their plane clipped another during training exercises, and while he did not oversee those students, the bond of brotherhood was clear in his voice.

But through it all, Zogorski says he was always comfortable in the bombardier’s front row seat, a glass enclosure that looks directly out the nose of the plane. “You had a good bird’s eye view; you were the first one there,” he joked, adding, “It was just a routine thing: You got in the airplane and you took off.”

Labels: Army, Newtown, World War II

Pfc. Danny Quill (top) was with the 91st Division. James Wilkinson, division
command sergeant major of the 91st Division, pins Quill with the insignia
of the 362nd Infantry Unit, the unit Quill fought in during World War II.
(Photo by Jeff Werner)

Longtime Yardley resident who now makes his home in
Morrisville took part in one of World War II’s largest, bloodiest
and most bitter battles — the fight over Monte Cassino in Italy.

By Petra Chesner Schlatter
BucksLocalNews.com Staff Editor

U.S. Army Pfc. Danny Quill, a longtime Yardley resident who now makes his home in Morrisville, has the distinction of being the recipient of three bronze stars and has been described as a "valiant soldier" with the 91st Division.

Quill participated in one of World War II’s largest, bloodiest and most bitter battles – the fight over Monte Cassino in Italy.

Quill celebrated his 93rd birthday on Feb.10. For his 91st birthday in 2006, the Yardley community rolled out the red carpet for a celebration with 150 friends and relatives.

“They had a big party at the Elks (Lodge 2023 in Morrisville),” Quill said. “Three came from my old outfit and celebrated my birthday with me.”

Those three special military guests, representing the 91st Division, flew in from the west coast especially for the occasion. They presented Quill with gifts of appreciation for his service to the nation and to the division.

“I cannot tell you how honored I am to be here tonight,” said Division Command Sgt. Maj. James Wilkinson, who had delivered greetings in 2006 from the major general of the 91st. “We wanted you to know that the 91st never forgets a veteran of our rank.”

Wilkinson had attended the event with Catherine Pauley, public affairs operations NCO, and Maj. Kerrie Hurd, public affairs operations officer.

“You are a member of what today is called the Greatest Generation, but I want you to know that another great generation still serves the American people in the 91st,” Wilkinson had continued.
Wilkinson had said that the 91st had been mobilized for the “Global War on Terrorism since January 2003” and that soldiers had been deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. The 91st is the oldest division of the U.S. Army.

Members of the 91st Division during World War II earned 33 Distinguished Service Crosses and 564 Silver Stars for heroism. One of the Medal of Honor recipients served in Quill’s regiment, the 362nd Infantry.

“You are linked to all the history of our great division and we want you to know how proud we are of your service and the legacy that you and your brothers in arms left for those of us who still serve proudly in the 91st,” Wilkinson aid. “You have a place in our history, but more importantly you have a place in our hearts.”

In a gesture of respect and thanks for Quill’s service Wilkinson had presented Quill with a letter from Maj. Gen. Bruce E. Zukaukas, the commanding general of the 91st Division, expressing a debt of gratitude for Quill’s selfless service.

The 2006 birthday celebration was a surprise. “Who the hell ever expected something like that?” Quill had said about the three representatives from the 91st who flew across the country to celebrate with him.

“See what he gave me?” Quill said, proudly holding up a military decoration given to him by Wilkinson. “Just before he left, he took it off his tie and gave it to me.

“I don’t know whether I deserved all that or not,” said Quill.

Two years later, Quill talked in an interview about missing his fellow soldiers upon his return home from World War II. “We all left and I didn’t see any others. There wasn’t anyone around here that served with me. I joined the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) the American Legion.
“I guess I’m the oldest. My buddies treat me great. I can’t find anybody like ‘em.”

Quill is well-known and well-loved in Yardley as the outgoing singer of traditional Irish music. He said on Feb. 15, he would be heading to the Legion for a party at 8 p.m. “I will probably sing, ‘Danny Boy.’ I am going to raise Cain!”

On Memorial Day in Yardley, Quill rides in the parade on Yardley Borough’s South Main Street. “I love the parade. Everybody knows me. I worked in Pennsbury schools. All of them (students) are grown up now and they have children. When I come through the Yardley parade, they’re yelling, ‘Danny Boy!! Danny Boy!!” Before working for the school district as a custodian for 11 years, Quill was a rose grower for 40 years with Heacock Florist in Yardley.

On the more solemn Veteran’s Day, Quill said he thinks of “what happened during the war, why I was in the war, and coming home, and how everybody treated us. God Bless the ones that didn’t come home.

“I wish they were here with me to have the good time, but they can’t be here…I have a good time on Veteran’s Day. I go over to the Vets’ (building). They have a party. They have all the veterans down from the manor. I sing ‘Danny Boy’ and ‘Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral (The Irish Lullaby)’.

“My wife (Ann Burke Quill) and I used to go to the Vets’ when she was living. She’d play the piano and I would sing on meeting nights and for little parties. She was Irish -- a beautiful lady. I miss her.”

At the end of the war, Quill was anxious to get home. His future wife was waiting for him. They were married in 1946.

Today, the former rose grower prides himself on being a top seller of red poppies around Memorial Day. He and his fellow veterans set up a table each year in McCaffrey’s Supermarket in Yardley. “Last year, I sold over 5,000.”

When asked why he devotes so much of his time selling poppies, Quill said, “I think of those boys and I like to do it. I’m doing it for a good cause. I like to raise money for disabled vets. I’ve seen a lot of them wounded.”

Each year around Memorial Day, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) members and American Legion Auxiliary volunteers distribute millions of bright red poppies in exchange for contributions to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans.

At age 93, Quill still keeps busy raising funds for the community and putting smiles on people’s faces when he greets them.

For Yardley’s Garden of Reflection, the memorial built in remembrance of those who perished in 9-11, Quill sold chances and collected donations for the cause. He raised “thousands and thousands of dollars.” Quill has also raised money for cancer research.

One of Quill’s favorite pastimes is visiting McCaffrey’s Supermarket — just to see friends and to be around people. When he walks through the store, the employees greet him by name. The store is located down the street from his former residence.

Jim Murphy of Levittown often drives Quill to the store. “He’s the best friend I have. I have no license or cars. He takes me all over.”

What does freedom mean to Quill? “To be happy go-lucky, love everybody and have a good time — and good health. That’s freedom to me.”

Having served in World War II, Quill has been outspoken about the Iraq War. “I think it’s a shame. I just wish they’d settle it and come home.”

What advice would he give to people serving in Iraq and Afghanistan? “Be careful. Good luck and God bless them.”

Labels: Army, World War II, Yardley

From the left: French guardsman, Capt. Ray Cuary, Private Boyd Kilgore,
PFC John McRee, Sgt. Victor Contartini, Sgt. Joseph Chamberlain, Capt.
George Tauge and a French guardsman. (Photo courtesy of Hopewell Valley Veterans Association)

Namesake of Hopewell Twp.’s Memorial Field took part in a mission to
transport Charles de Gaulle from Algeria to France after World War II

By Janine Logue
BucksLocalNews.com Editor

For six United States soldiers, World War II was a chance for them to change history by ensuring the safe passage of a political refugee from Africa back to France.

One of those six soldiers was Sgt. Joseph Skillman Chamberlain, a resident of Titusville, member of the United States Military Police and Hopewell Township’s Joe Chamberlain Memorial Field’s namesake.

The political refugee was Charles de Gaulle, an outspoken and dedicated leader in the fight to free France from German occupation.

World War II was a time of great political unrest in France. Many in the French government, including de Gaulle, who was minister of war, and French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud, wanted to resist the Germans and fight against Nazism.

Unfortunately for both men, Henri-Philippe Petain overthrew Reynaud in June of 1940, before any definitive action could be taken against Germany.

Under Petain’s command, the French government began to seek alliance with Germany.
Not a man who easily gave up, de Gaulle fled to England where he gave a radio address to the French people. In his address, de Gaulle urged the people of France to continue the fight against the Germans.

Winston Churchill, Britain’s newly-appointed prime minister, openly recognized de Gaulle as the leader of the “Free French.”

Petain, who not only held a political grudge against de Gaulle, but also a personal grudge stemming from earlier friendship, responded to the de Gaulle’s radio address by publicly denouncing him and on July 4, 1940, court-martialing and sentencing him, in absentia, to four years in prison. Less than a month later, Petain court-martialed de Gaulle again, this time sentencing him to death.

Despite a death sentence hanging over his head, de Gaulle spent the next three years trying to organize a Nazi resistance movement in France. However, in 1943, the Gestapo arrested two of de Gaulle’s major collaborators and the resistance movement fell apart.

By this time, de Gaulle had fled to Algeria, where he formed the French Committee of National Liberation, later renamed to the Provisional Government of the French Republic.

By 1944, the USA and Britain had both agreed that de Gaulle should be involved in the administration of the liberated sections of France.

It was important to bring de Gaulle back to France from Algeria, but parts of France, including Paris, were still under German control. The assassination of de Gaulle by German forces could have far devastating effects on the morale of the French resistance soldiers.

Because of this risk, USA forces were used to safeguard de Gaulle’s passage back to France.
On Aug. 20, 1944, with an escort of six men — including Sgt. Chamberlain — from the United States Military Police’s 795th Battalion, de Gaulle was safely returned to his native France for the first time in over four years.

Shortly after returning to his homeland, de Gaulle was able to represent France at the signing of the final instrument of surrender with Germany.

Thanks to Sgt. Chamberlain and the men who worked along side him in 1944, de Gaulle was able to continue a political career in France that eventually led to the independence of 13 French African colonies.

After Sgt. Chamberlain completed his Algerian mission and returned home, he decided to focus his energies on more local needs by donating a baseball field to his local community.
According to Sgt. Chamberlain’s brother, Bob Chamberlain, the sergeant continued to maintain the field years after he had donated it to the community and asked only that the township provide fuel for his tractors.

The field, which was dedicated and named for Sgt. Chamberlain shortly after his death in 1970, is located behind the Hopewell Township Municipal Complex and is still in use today.

Bob Chamberlain, talking about the dedication ceremony, said “I threw the first pitch out after they named the field after him [Sgt. Chamberlain]. His wife was supposed to do it but she handed me the ball saying ‘I can’t do this.’”

Labels: Hopewell, Military Police, World War II