Biographical Notes re Robert H. (Bob) Weisburn, Chapter # 3, A Change Of Direction


Biographical Notes re Robert H. (Bob) Weisburn
CHAPTER # 3 — A CHANGE OF DIRECTION From Santa Ana I was sent to Demming, New Mexico, for advanced bombardier training. Colonel Patty Ryan — the father of Bombardiers — was the CO. We were assigned to class 45-2B, with a scheduled graduation date of January 13, 1945. Lt. Owen Riley, from Angels Camp, California, was my instructor. We flew in AT-11s, a twin engine plane with a bomb sight and auto pilot, 10 M38-A2 practice bombs weighing 100 pounds each. There were three students and an instructor on each mission.
I graduated as a 2nd Lt., volunteered for B-29s, and was sent to Smoky Hill AFB, Salina, Kansas. There I met my crew — Aircraft Commander, 1st Lt. Bob Hardie; Copilot, Flight Officer Hicks; and Flight Engineer, 2nd Lt. Jim Mahan. We flew and trained together and were on the flight line, preparing for takeoff on our last training mission when an officer came out of operations and said the war was over. We shut that B-29 down and were in town celebrating before they had time to close the gate. I put in for separation and was in the hospital with a terrible cold when they notified me to report to personnel for immediate processing for separation. From there, I went to Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio, for separation and them home to Canton, Ohio as a civilian. I stayed in the Reserves and took on-the-job training as a Tool and Die Maker. After two and a half years of that I quit and took an assembly job at Babcock Printing in Canton, Ohio. Soon thereafter, I got a piece of cast iron in my eye and became concerned about my future in this type of work.

			1st Lt. Bob Hardie, B-29 A/C Smoky Hill Air Base, Salina, KS 1945
	When my eye had cleared up, I reupped for the Air Corps with the rank of Buck Sergeant, three stripes, with the provision that they would send me to Jet Engine Specialist school. Through some error, I ended up at a Radio School and had to convince them that I was scheduled to go to Jet Engine Specialist school. Their response was to ship me to Eglin Field Florida, assigned to the 3200th Test Fighter Group.

		Left: Lt. Bob Weisburn poses in front of his 1946 Indian Chief motorcycle at Canton, Ohio, 1946
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