Harold Lewis Gann

Many thanks to the present day Carpetbagger Association, B-24 Bomber website, and especially, Lt. John Windle, Co-pilot of the “Wonnell Crew”, for the invaluable information, copies of documents, and specifics contained in my Tribute to Harold L. Gann. My one regret is that not one of his children cares enough about Harold to learn “how” and “why” his character was shaped.

       Harold was born September 21, 1924 to Charles Roscoe and Gertrude Rosetta. (Gentry) Gann. He was the fourth of seven children born in the old Gann homestead located in Sale Creek , Tennessee . He was born in "hard" times, not only because of economics, but because his father was a harsh, cruel disciplinarian. Looking at his face in photographs, you see a troubled youngster. His mother died when he was only ten years old and life got even worse for the four oldest children.

       Despite his harsh home life, he was a good student. He graduated from Sale Creek High School in 1942, then to Business School in Chattanooga . Secretly, he yearned for a way to get away from the tyranny of his father. World War II offered that opportunity. In April 1943, at age 18, he enlisted in the Army Air Corp at Ft. Oglethorpe , Georgia . He had no idea what was in store for him but it would change his life forever

       Harold received his Basic Training then assigned to the 307th Technical Training as Flight Engineer at Keesler Field , Mississippi . After Flexible Gunnery Training in Laredo , Texas , he went to March Field , CA , and on to Hamilton Field , CA to become part of a B-24-J Liberator Bomber crew. The crew consisted of Lt. Thomas S. Wonnell, Pilot; Lt. John J. Windle Copilot; Leslie P. Baumann, Navigator; Donald G. Coale, Bombardier; Colbert D. Fountain, Radio-Operator; Doyle R. Herring, Engineer- John T. Gault, Tail Gunner; and Harold L. Gann, Engineer and Turret Gunner. They were "The Wonnell Crew'!

       They then flew into Grenier Field , New Hampshire aboard Bomber B-24J SN: 42-5153-1 I obtained a photo of the crew taken at Grenier Field prior to embarking towards the winds of war. Harold's youthful face would, in a few months, become that of a rugged warrior. They ferried the plane by the northward route, landing in Iceland , Greenland , Labrador , then to Scotland , and finally reached their destination. On August 5, 1944 , they touched down at their base of operations, Harrington Field # 179, ( Norfolk ) England in the European Theater.  The ferried plane was shot down in Holland in 1945 with a different crew aboard. The crew would play an important role in the aerial and ground war waged against Hitler's Nazi regime.

       The crew was assigned to the Mighty 8th Air Force, 492d Bomb Group, 857th Bomb Squadron, better known as "CARPETBAGGERS", a "SPECIAL OPERATIONS" organization. They aided in "evasion" and "escape" of Allied Forces, assisted the 'French Resistance", by dropping and picking up OSS agents, supplies, and munitions. Gas hauls provided fuel for Patton's Army. They were "Pathfinders", where a single B-24J with "Mickey" radar, flew ahead of Britain 's Royal Air Force bombers, "marking" the targets. Their missions were "Top Secret" and took them to France , Norway , Belgium , and over Germany (and maybe elsewhere). As of this writing, some documents are still classified; however, I have obtained a military training documentary video of their actions.

       All Carpetbagger planes were painted dull black and had only an AAF marking, tail number, and no nose-art. The aircraft had 4 Pratt & Whitney engines, each producing 1,200 horsepower. They flew up to an altitude of 28,000 feet at a maximum speed of 290 MPH. Normally, its armament consisted of ten .50 cal. machine guns, and could carry 8,000 pounds of bombs. When configured for their mission, the plane was stripped of all unnecessary gear. The bottom turret was removed, and hinged plywood covered a metal door. This was the “Joe Hole”; Joe being a male or female agent. When Joe was to be parachuted in to enemy territory, he or she was placed in the "hole", the parachute static line was attached to the plane and they were "dropped' at altitudes of 300-600 feet.  .

       Their missions usually began at 2200 hours ( 11 PM for you civilians) and usually terminated before day break. Each crew flew their required 25 missions-if they were lucky. The dangerous operations took its toll on the planes and crew. They knew if they were shot down, they must destroy every piece of evidence; the lives of the agents were at stake. Pre-flight briefings were intense and post flight interrogations were demanding. After each mission debriefing, they signed for and received drinks of hard liquor to calm their nerves. Their actions were monitored closely. Any evidence of not following strict orders necessitated extreme measures by the AAF.

       On May 8, 1945 , VE Day brought a close to operations. On July 7, 1945, the crew departed Harrington Field, flew to Kirtland Field, New Mexico and the squadron was "deactivated" Oct 17of the same year. TSgt Harold L. Gann, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross (as well as other awards) was a seasoned warrior at the young age of 20 years.

       Harold became known as "Ace". He linked up with his brother, “Chuck”, and the two embarked on escapades known only to them. Chuck had also gone into the Army but found himself in Fort Leavenworth ( Kansas ) Prison for bigamy. He told the Gann family that he chose to go to the front lines in Europe to get out of prison. He survived. Now, two Gann’s free of a harsh father and war roamed the country.

       They saw no need to return to Sale Creek for about three years; they had enough preaching and brutality. Hard drinking, hard fighting, and hard times went with them wherever they traveled. Ace was, indeed, the "King of the Hill" and it is unknown how many shootings, knifings, or fights he was involved in, but you can bet he gave more than he received. Chuck-he just shot them.

       Somewhere along the line, he was in Sale Creek and his uncle, Eddie Gann, was looking for him to settle a difference-with fists. Eddie found Ace in Charlie's garage and started inside. Ace picked up a tire iron and said, "Eddie Gann, you had better make peace with me before you come any closer". Apparently he did or changed his mind! Another time, a fellow saw Charlie and told him that Harold had gotten whipped the night before. Charlie responded, "Well then, he must have been drunk”.

       Once when Ace and Chuck were home, and they went up toward Dayton , TN to a tavern called the 'Dead Rat". A patron started a fight with Ace and invited him outside. The man pulled a gun on Ace, who took it away from him and shot him. Ace and Chuck borrowed C.Y. Thurman's car, took the man to the Rhea County Hospital , and told the medical folks, "This guy has been shot". When the man was taken inside, Ace and Chuck left, went to the Bus Station, pooled their money, and bought tickets to a destination as far away as possible Ace called C.Y. and told him to send someone to get his car. They left town and went as far as Elyria , Ohio .

       Both men married and stayed away for years and no one knew where they were. They returned with families and decided to take them to Lookout Mountain . As they traveled south, a smart-alec driver tried to force them off the road. They had a faster car and gave chase. The man turned off on Falling Water Road hoping to lose them. He finally decided he would evade them by turning into a wooded area. Bad idea! They followed, pulled behind him, and while one of them gave the guy a whipping, the other pulled every wire out of the man's car.

       I always liked Harold even though I was never around him too much. Once when he was home, all of the men (and me) went rabbit hunting. After we returned to our house, Harold had a nice shotgun and asked me if I wanted to shoot it. Naturally I did! He told me to aim at an electric pole. I backed up to the house to brace my 12 year old body and fired. The recoil almost dislocated my shoulder-it hurt! He laughed and laughed! He said, "That was 00 (double-ought)-Buckshot". There's only 9 shot in a shell and you got 5 of them in the pole"! That didn't help my shoulder any but I was proud that he was pleased with my shooting.

       It is surprising that any of the children even returned home. Three of them lived here; Viola, Harold, and Charles lived out of state. On occasions, Harold and Charles would visit with their families. They were rough characters and Charlie always had some “preaching” for them. Harold resented it because he knew the real Charlie Gann.  

            Several instances sealed Harold’s ill feelings toward his dad. One of Harold’s children died and he was financially stricken. He called Charlie requesting a loan to bury his child. The request was denied and the division between them widened. Still, Harold wanted his children to know something good about the family. Harold brought his son, Allen, down for a visit. He had told Allen about the fishing holes in the creek where Charlie had taken him. Apparently this was one bright spot in their relationship. Harold told his Dad, “Allen would like to go up and fish in the creek”! Charlie responded, “Well, you know where it is”! Harold and Allen left town.

       He held a fiercely, strong resentment towards his father. Charlie had been active in the local Masonic Lodge. Ace also became a Mason. When Chuck relayed the news to Charlie, Charlie commented "he guessed they would take anybody then". What a hypocrite! Harold had every reason not to come home for the funeral of Charlie and his stepmother, Mildred

       Little is known about his life except he was married, fathered 9 children, and was eventually divorced. He settled in the Cincinnati area. He worked in heavy construction as a supervisor and was proud to have played a major role in construction of the Cincinnati Reds baseball stadium, the gigantic General Electric Plant, and the Greater Cincinnati Airport. When he had time off, he enjoyed fishing. The cold, hard winters aged him and the stress brought on heart problems.

       In 1979, 1 went to Cincinnati and located him. That is a story of its own. Ace was protected by his friends. I spent the night with him after spending hours in the New Center Cafe. I learned a lot about him but no mention of his war experiences. He had become an old man before his time. His friends, who became his family, were the owners and patrons of the "bar". Having a wife who never understood him, she became an ex-wife who had poisoned the minds of their children. He felt his children had forsaken him; the lost closeness of his son, Allen, hurt him deeply.  He had provided for his children but his home life, and a lot of mental baggage gave him reason to drink.

       The subject of Granddaddy came up. Harold at first said, “He was a hard taskmaster”! With a few more Stroh’s beers under his belt, he declared, “Charlie Gann was a hard Son of a Bitch’! The true feeling had come out and well-said! Harold said he might consider coming home as long as his dad “did not preach to him” and those are the exact words I relayed to my Grandparents. Harold did not come home for the funeral of either of them. He did come home a year or so before he died.

       Ace was considered, by some, to be an alcoholic. Perhaps he was, but none of them cared as to "why". He drank partly because of boredom but the true reason was living in hell at the Gann's, followed by the terrible ordeals of war and loss of his children’s love. He turned to something he enjoyed-something to deaden the memories and pain, even if just overnight-beer.  

       We got the message that he had passed away on June 27, 1994 . Mom, Dad, and I drove up from Sale Creek for the funeral. Another of his sisters went up also. Those attending the service were us, one or two of his daughters, his ex-wife, owners of the New Center Cafe, and quite a few patrons of the bar who reeked of alcohol. I had absolutely no problem with that-they were his friends; more faithful than his family. I read a poem he had penned during the war and added one of my own. He was laid to rest in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Carthage , Ohio . He was 69 years old.

       Whatever he was it was a culmination of a cruel upbringing, war, a demanding occupation, broken marriage, and apparent desertion by his children. Did his children not attempt to find out what made him tick? Were they content in having their minds bent by someone else? I don't know. But Harold Gann deserved to be loved by someone besides his brothers, sisters, and nephew. I honestly loved and admired him! He was both unique and special. After having spent the last three months finding out about his war experiences (which no one else knew about), I can tell you I am proud of the man! Harold Lewis Gann was a better man than his father ever hoped to be!!! I have attempted to contact his son, Allen, but so far no response. If I could only get him to read this, maybe-just maybe- he would be proud of "Ace". I certainly am!!!

Rexford C. Alexander

September 18, 1999

September 4, 2004

Compiled and Submitted by Rexford C. Alexander
rexcalex@bellsouth.net