Interview with Curtis Bryson Hill, August 26, 2003

Partial Transcript: This is August twenty-six, two thousand and three. We're at the Oldham County History Center in La Grange, Kentucky. We're interviewing Curtis B. Hill.

Segment Synopsis: Curtis Hill is introduced. He talks about the places he grew up in Kentucky and what he did after high school. He discusses being drafted into the army in 1942, being assigned to the air force, and beginning his training.

Keywords: Aerial gunners; Airplanes; Atlantic City (N.J.); BB guns; Battery radios; Bluegrass Ordinance Depot; Construction foreman; Drafted; Farms; Fort Thomas (Ky.); Greenville (S.C.); High school; Machine guns; Madison County (Ky.); Shooting; Union (Ky.); Winchester (Ky.)

Subjects: Pearl Harbor (Hawaii); World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans

Partial Transcript: And from there we were shipped to, uh, Denver, Colorado through lu--Lowry Field for armament training.

Segment Synopsis: Hill discusses his training in Denver, Colorado where he learned about guns and bombs. He talks about his job of removing fuses from bombs. He talks about whether he was able to communicate with his family during the war.

Keywords: "V-mail"; .50 caliber machine guns; Bombs; Cannons; Communication; Denver (Colo.); Family; Lowry Air Force Base (Denver, Colo.); Prison camps; Victory mail

Subjects: Families.; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons

Partial Transcript: How long did you stay at Lowry?

Segment Synopsis: Hill talks about his flight training in Barksdale Field in Louisiana. He discusses his journey overseas through various countries on his way to his base in England.

Keywords: Airplanes; Barksdale Air Force Base (La.); Bombs; Damage; Flight training; Fort Benning (Ga); Greenland; Iceland; London (England); Martin B-26 Marauders; Poker; Presque Isle Air Force Base (Me.); Raids; Scotland

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American

Partial Transcript: Tell us about, uh, some of the missions.

Segment Synopsis: Hill talks about his missions overseas. He discusses whether he knew anyone killed during the war.

Keywords: Army air force; Barracks; Belfast (Ireland); Bombing; Bridges; Friends; German aerial gunners; Germany; Missions; Railroad yards; Saint-Omer (France); Shot down

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--France; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American

Partial Transcript: What was it like on a, on a B-26?

Segment Synopsis: Hill describes flying on a B-26 bomber. He talks about the food he ate while in England.

Keywords: Cold; Food; Frostbite; K-rations; Kitchen rations; Martin B-26 Marauder; Meals; Norway; RAF pilots; Royal Air Force pilots

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American

Partial Transcript: When you got ready to go on a mission, did you know the, the destination ahead of time?

Segment Synopsis: Hill discusses being a tail gunner on missions overseas. He talks about the gear he wore and a superstition he had about his parachute. He discusses whether he ever shot down an enemy plane.

Keywords: Ammunition; Briefing rooms; Destinations; Fighter escorts; Fighter support; Flak jackets; Flak suits; Germans; Guns; Missions; Parachutes; Radios; Shot down; Superstitions; Tail gunners; Waist gunners

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American

Partial Transcript: Tell us about the, the trip that you were shot down.

Segment Synopsis: Hill discusses his experience being shot down and captured by gunners at Saint-Omer, France.

Keywords: Air Force; Anti-Aircraft Battery; Captured; French people; Gunners; Police stations; Quiet; Saint-Omer (France); Shot down

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American

Partial Transcript: And they, from there they took us to a place, uh, uh, uh, oh, a penitentiary in, uh, Lille, France.

Segment Synopsis: Hill discusses his experience of being captured and sent to an interrogation center in Frankfurt, Germany before being transported to a prison camp in Krems, Austria.

Keywords: Cologne (Germany); Crews; Food; Frankfurt (Germany); Guards; Interrogation centers; Krems (Austria); Lille (France); Penitentiaries; Prison camps; World War I

Subjects: Krems an der Donau (Austria); World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons

Partial Transcript: The name of the camp that you stayed at was?

Segment Synopsis: Hill discusses his experience at the prison camp Stalag XVII-B, including the barracks, food, and routines.

Keywords: Barracks; Bunks; Clothes; Cold; Food; Meals; Red Cross parcels; Roll call; Routines; Soup; Stalag 17-B; Weight loss

Subjects: Krems an der Donau (Austria); World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons

Partial Transcript: And then before the war was over when the Russians were came--come into the, uh, eastern part of Austria and they got, when they got within thirty, forty, fifty miles of Vienna...

Segment Synopsis: Hill discusses being forced to walk from the prison camp in Austria to Germany.

Keywords: 13th Armor Division; Escapes; Food; German guards; Krems (Austria); Labor camps; Political prisoners; Russians; Walking; World War I veterans

Subjects: Krems an der Donau (Austria); World War, 1939-1945--Jews; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons

Partial Transcript: Overall, how did your guards treat you?

Segment Synopsis: Hill discusses being rescued by the Armored Tank Division, going to a processing center in Reims, France, and being sent to Camp Lucky Strike in Le Havre, France.

Keywords: Armored Tank Division; Barracks chiefs; Brothers; C-47 transport planes; Camp Lucky Strike; Crystal radios; Douglas C-47 Skytrains; Family; Food; Fruit cocktails; German Air Force; Guards; Le Havre (France); Mail; Reims (France); Rescued; Treatment

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons

Partial Transcript: We came back by boat.

Segment Synopsis: Hill talks about his journey back to the United States. He discusses whether he stayed in the military after his return.

Keywords: Camp Atterbury (Ind.); Convoys; Furloughs; German POWs; German Prisoners of War; Houston (Tex.); Japan; Kelly Air Force Base (Tex.); Kelly Field Annex (Tex.); Louisville (Ky.); Miami (Fla.); NCOs; Non-Commissioned Officers; Prison camps; Promotions; San Antonio (Tex.); U-boats

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American

Partial Transcript: But it, it's been, uh, been an interesting life.

Segment Synopsis: Hill talks about his life after returning from the war, including getting his GED and attending the University of Louisville. He talks about his family.

Keywords: Bus drivers; Children; GED; General Educational Development; Grandchildren; High school diplomas; Insurance companies; Marriage; Retirement; School; University of Louisville (Ky.); Wives; Working

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans

Partial Transcript: What, uh--you've got a group of former prisoners?

Segment Synopsis: Hill talks about a club for the former prisoners of Stalag XVII-B that he is a member of. He shows a schematic of the prison camp and talks more about his experiences there. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Barbed wire; Building 29; Cigarettes; Clubs; Crew members; Guards; Killed; Reunions; Schematics; Stalag 17-B; Stalag XVII-B

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans