D-Day Memorial Stories
in honor of
Maj. Norman K. Arvidson

Chapter 6
WW II stories told by Norman K. Arvidson
Page 1 of 1

Part of Norm’s training for the Army Air Force was at Marfa Air Base near San Antonio, Texas. While there, he attended a church service and was invited by one of the parishioners to his ranch for a bar-b-q. He was very impressed by the size of the ranch, the kindness of the people and especially the great food.

Stationed at Greenham Commons before and after D-Day he watched as the nose of a towed glider being lifted off the ground pulled loose from the rest of the structure, killing all the men on board. Those on the ground were given baskets to help pick up pieces of glider wreckage, the pilot and the paratroopers involved.

Flying over the Channel on his second D-Day mission, he could see men and tanks in the water with bodies floating, and realized what an awesome struggle those ground troops had. He saw the battleship SS Texas on the water and later learned that a Little Falls man, Arnie Kowalzek, had been a meteorologist (airographer) assigned aboard that ship.

 Norman Arvidson received the DFC for being the only pilot to get his plane to Bastogne on Christmas Eve to make a much needed supply drop. His son, Ross, talked with a man at work in Denver who said that his dad was at Bastogne and they waited all day for needed supplies, finally one plane flew in and made a drop. Ross asked if the dad could remember any markings on the plane and the son said, “Yes, no name but a big 3X which was Norm’s plane. When the crew returned to their base, the mess hall had kept a Christmas dinner waiting for them. Fog and antiaircraft fire kept other planes from completing their mission.

Left: January 13, 1945, Norman Arvidson receives DFC from Generals Williams, Brereton and Beach.

He came back from missions several times with bullet holes in the wings and fuselage and once with the tail nearly shot off. By morning, the mechanics and crew chiefs had the planes in flying condition. Norm marveled at their ability.

Norman’s cousin and childhood playmate, Eugene Nelson, was involved in the ground invasion of France. He was wounded in some of the fierce combat that ensued and was later hospitalized in England. Learning of this turn of events in news from home, Norm made arrangements to visit him in the hospital. (Editor’s Note: Eugene Nelson has provided his version of this part of the Arvidson Memorial Story. Please take time to review this “Story within the Story” by clicking here. You will have an easy return to this page.)

He and friends decided to take a bus or hitchhike and find whatever means they could to get into London. They had walked around a bit, found a hotel and just got into their room and were taking off their ties to relax when a buzz bomb went over and exploded near by. Without a word to each other, they put the ties back on and got out of London back to their “safe” air base as quickly as possible.

Norm remembered one flight where a pilot and navigator were needed for a mercy flight. When they arrived in Belgium they landed behind a hillock and were told to keep the engines running. They could hear gunfire just over the hills. A person completely swathed was brought out on a stretcher, put into the back of the plane with the doctor reassuring the passenger that he would be OK once back in London. Take off was immediate. Norm never learned who the person was or why the secrecy.

He had a copilot early on who always wanted Norm to take more chances with the plane than Norm was comfortable with. Finally the copilot got his own plane to fly and within a week he totally demolished it. A very expensive lesson.

Norm’s admiration for the army nurses was extremely high as he helped to evacuate detainees in the prison camps of Germany. The nurses helped those people and were so solicitous and kind while the crews of the planes had to avoid looking at them because it was such a sickening experience.

Back in Little F.alls several years after the war, Norm went to the mailbox just as the mailman delivered the mail. Bob Thompson, the mailman, looked at Norm and asked if he had flown on D-Day. When Norm said yes, Bob told him that Norm had been the pilot who pulled his glider on that day. Norm didn’t know Bob, but Bob certainly never forgot the pilot who pulled him.

End of Chapter 6 — Go to Chapter 7

Cover — Introduction — Table of Contents

Chapter — 01 — 02 — 03 — 04 — 05 — 06 — 07 — 08 — 09 — 10

Or Go To

Additional WW II, Korean War and Early Cold War
Classified Reconnaissance Recollections and Related Stories

Or

Home