I Will Tell No War Stories: What Our Fathers Left Unsaid About World War II

Mansfield’s (Chasing Eden) father, Pincus, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in his teens. He served as a machine gunner on heavy bombers in Europe. In 1944, he flew during 19 operations before he was wounded, hospitalized, and sent home for rehabilitation. He married and raised a family on Long Island, never speaking about his wartime experiences or attending service reunions. A year before Pincus died, the author found scribbled flight notes and decided to track his father’s time in the military. His historical research puts American bombing missions into context, from daily commuting from rural England to high-stakes battles ranging over France, Belgium, and Germany. It wasn’t slogging like the infantry, but the skies held a grinding war of attrition. Luck was important, as Luftwaffe flak shells, fighter bullets, and rockets struck randomly. Half of Pincus’s gunner unit (and friends) were killed, wounded, or deemed missing in action. Physically and mentally, members of the U.S. Air Force were pioneering the destruction of enemy infrastructure and collateral damage.