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On August 1, 1943, one-hundred and seventy-seven four engine bombers took off from the Libyan Desert in North Africa. They headed out on the longest mission in the history of aviation. Due to mechanical failures some returned to their home bases prematurely. But one-hundred and sixty-six Liberators made it to the target to destroy the oil pumping and refining complexes to deny the Nazis of needed petroleum - - even for a short time.
On that fateful day fifty-three of the Liberators with five-hundred and thirty men on board did not return to their bases. Of the five-hundred and thirty men only one-hundred and thirty men lived - - most were severely wounded - - and were placed in a prisoner of war camp.
Eight months later more Liberators were sent to completely destroy those oil complexes. It took twenty-seven more bombing missions - - more than four-hundred bombers (Liberators and Flying Fortresses) and more than four-thousand men were shot down, and finally on August 23, 1944, those oil complexes were put out of service. Of the four-thousand men shot down only a little more than eleven-hundred lived to come home to their families. All these men will reunite their bond in a reunion in Philadelphia in 1999.
Of the one-hundred, thirty men who survived Tidal Wave - - the tree top mission - - only forty-four are alive as of this writing. It is hoped that many of these survivors will attend this reunion of a vanishing breed of stalwart airmen. (Three passed away this year alone.)
This awesome meeting of America's heroes will be held at the Hilton Hotel in King of Prussia, PA beginning on July 28, 1999, and conclude with a memorial service of the fifty-sixth anniversary day of Tidal Wave on August 1, 1999.
The memorial service will be conducted in Valley Forge National Park on the morning of Saturday, July 31, 1999, with the rain date of August 1, 1999. This memorial service will conclude with an aerial display of various formations of airplanes. Each formation will be performing the missing man salute to the many men who fought for Freedom and to salute those who did not return from those feircely fought air battles.
The planners of this once-in-a-lifetime reunion are seeking volunteers from the aviation community to volunteer their time and their airplanes to fly in the various four plane missing man formations over Valley Forge Park to salute America's Heroes of yesteryear - - to let those who died know they have not been forgotten and that they did not die in vain. The plan is to have the smaller airplanes fly over first with the larger and modern military planes fly over last. The Pentagon ahs been contacted to present their salute at the conclusion of this aerial display of honor. The FAA has been contacted and their tentative approval has been received.
The first few days of the reunion will be to visit Lancaster County Dutch Sites, laying a wreath on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Penns Landing and a visit to the Liberty Bell and the various Independence Hall Buildings.
For more information on this remarkable gathering of Eagles please contact the host and Chairman, William (Bill) Fili at (610) 565-5035, e-mail Basino@verizon.net.
