January - March 2017

News that Americans hungered for came on May 8th, 1945, when President Harry Truman announced that Nazi Germany had unconditionally surrendered to Allied Forces the day before. In less than three weeks, war-weary bombers appeared in the skies over Bangor on their way home through Dow Field. The first group of twenty homebound bombers landed on Friday, May 25th, refueled after their 1,600 mile flight from Greenland, and left for Bradley Field in Connecticut. Each bomber carried its flight crew and as many of the ground crew, usually 10-12 "anxious to get home soldiers," as was safe. Once at Bradley, the Army Air Forces issued each airman a 30-day furlough while telling each to prepare for duty in the Pacific. The AAF then flew many of the bombers to various depots where they planned to retrofit them for Pacific war duty; the war with Japan raged on.