Oliver enlisted in the Army Air Forces during the Second World War. Assigned to the 322nd Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group, he was with them when they were shipped to England in the late summer/ early autumn of 1942. Between November 14, 1942 and June 26, 1943, he was credited with flying 25 combat missions in B-17's, as a ball turret gunner and then as a tail gunner. There were three aborted missions, he was not given credit for.
The 91st Bomb Group was the group in which the "Memphis Belle" was assigned. It became famous when William Wyler produced his film promoting the American daylight precision bombing campaign, "Memphis Belle", which was released in 1944. Oliver flew missions in the same formation as the Memphis Belle, and would have participated in the same aerial combat against German fighters. He flew as a tail gunner in 42-2990 "Dame Satan", which appears in the Wyler film, on May 17, 1943, the day that Robert Knight Morgan flew his 25th mission. The "Memphis Belle" flew its 25th mission on May 19th, 1943, with a different crew. Oliver did not fly that day, but flew on May 29th, 1943, in which a B-17 from the 305th Bomb Group was shot down. Footage of that aircraft going down, with men parachuting out of the stricken bomber is one of the most vivid scenes in the Wyler film - and it occurred in actual combat.
Contributor: James Szpajcher (51164044)April 2022
The 91st Bomb Group was the group in which the "Memphis Belle" was assigned. It became famous when William Wyler produced his film promoting the American daylight precision bombing campaign, "Memphis Belle", which was released in 1944. Oliver flew missions in the same formation as the Memphis Belle, and would have participated in the same aerial combat against German fighters. He flew as a tail gunner in 42-2990 "Dame Satan", which appears in the Wyler film, on May 17, 1943, the day that Robert Knight Morgan flew his 25th mission. The "Memphis Belle" flew its 25th mission on May 19th, 1943, with a different crew. Oliver did not fly that day, but flew on May 29th, 1943, in which a B-17 from the 305th Bomb Group was shot down. Footage of that aircraft going down, with men parachuting out of the stricken bomber is one of the most vivid scenes in the Wyler film - and it occurred in actual combat.
Contributor: James Szpajcher (51164044)April 2022
Oliver enlisted in the Army Air Forces during the Second World War. Assigned to the 322nd Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group, he was with them when they were shipped to England in the late summer/ early autumn of 1942. Between November 14, 1942 and June 26, 1943, he was credited with flying 25 combat missions in B-17's, as a ball turret gunner and then as a tail gunner. There were three aborted missions, he was not given credit for.
The 91st Bomb Group was the group in which the "Memphis Belle" was assigned. It became famous when William Wyler produced his film promoting the American daylight precision bombing campaign, "Memphis Belle", which was released in 1944. Oliver flew missions in the same formation as the Memphis Belle, and would have participated in the same aerial combat against German fighters. He flew as a tail gunner in 42-2990 "Dame Satan", which appears in the Wyler film, on May 17, 1943, the day that Robert Knight Morgan flew his 25th mission. The "Memphis Belle" flew its 25th mission on May 19th, 1943, with a different crew. Oliver did not fly that day, but flew on May 29th, 1943, in which a B-17 from the 305th Bomb Group was shot down. Footage of that aircraft going down, with men parachuting out of the stricken bomber is one of the most vivid scenes in the Wyler film - and it occurred in actual combat.
Contributor: James Szpajcher (51164044)April 2022
The 91st Bomb Group was the group in which the "Memphis Belle" was assigned. It became famous when William Wyler produced his film promoting the American daylight precision bombing campaign, "Memphis Belle", which was released in 1944. Oliver flew missions in the same formation as the Memphis Belle, and would have participated in the same aerial combat against German fighters. He flew as a tail gunner in 42-2990 "Dame Satan", which appears in the Wyler film, on May 17, 1943, the day that Robert Knight Morgan flew his 25th mission. The "Memphis Belle" flew its 25th mission on May 19th, 1943, with a different crew. Oliver did not fly that day, but flew on May 29th, 1943, in which a B-17 from the 305th Bomb Group was shot down. Footage of that aircraft going down, with men parachuting out of the stricken bomber is one of the most vivid scenes in the Wyler film - and it occurred in actual combat.
Contributor: James Szpajcher (51164044)April 2022
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