Dayton Valor

Random, sudden death was an ever-present danger for Bernard and Frank Hollenkamp. The brothers from the aviation center town of Dayton, Ohio, were among the legions of over three million Army Air Force soldiers who served in World War II. They were exclusive members of the Air Force that saw combat, as for every man that had a combat role there were sixteen soldiers with non-combat roles around the globe. Both flew on missions in heavy bombers, Bernard as a pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress and Frank as a tailgunner on the B-24 Liberator and B-32 Dominator. This narrative defines the men's path to entering the service, the astonishingly dangerous training involved in their flying combat functions and the details of their combat missions.

Bernard flew for the 8th Air Force out of England in 1943 at a time when your chances of being killed or captured were about three out of four. His diary is included, revealing the gamut of experiences and emotions involved in his flying training and overseas service. Frank served on the other side of the world in the Pacific in the 5th Air Force, where going down on long missions over the open ocean and capture by the Japanese were terrifyingly real possibilities. He would be one of only a few men who would fly combat missions in the very short life of the B-32 bomber in action.

Dayton Valor recounts the incredible places those men saw, the people they met and observed, their role in history, and their harrowing experiences in the war. The fact that one brother did not come home reveals the loving connection between the two men as the remaining brother dealt with the tragedy.