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Harry C. Fockler
723rd Squadron
This picture was taken in August 1944 when Harry was promoted to 1st Lt.
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This picture was taken in “Broadway Bill’s in Rome in August 1944.
Left to Right: - unknown infantry officer, Harry Fockler - 723rd navigator, Ted Brus - 723rd pilot, unknown officer, George Garoian - 723rd co-pilot.
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This photo is one of me and an infantry officer, both of us two sheets in the wind.
Shortly after this photo was taken, we were duking it out in the middle of the Via Veneto in Rome and the MPs had to break it up.
He was using very vulgar language about what a soft, cushie job Air Corps men had just sitting back at 20,000 feet and dropping bombs
while the poor Infantry doughboys were slogging it out in the mud on the ground.
He obviously had never faced flak that you could walk on, or 100 fighters lined up in front of you and zipping through the formation with blazing guns and cannon.
Of course I had no idea what the infantry guys faced day in and day out.
Now I know the fight was stupid on both our parts, but at twenty I wasn’t very wise, and I was drunk.
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Army Cemetery in Bari, Italy in 1944.
Our bombardier was buried there after his plane crashed on October 14, 1944.
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Pictures courtesy of Harry C. Fockler, 723rd Squadron
Link to Crew Picture
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