Living WWII Crew Member Gives Insider Perspective on Liberty Letters
“Queen Elizabeth talked to us over the fence,” says ball turret gunner Glenn Phillippe
With the launch of Liberty Letters: The World War II Story of Ellison Miles, we were honored to talk with the only living member of Ellison Miles’ crew, Glenn Phillippe, who served as Captain Miles’ ball turret gunner aboard their B-17 plane, the Woolaroc. It is easy to see how Glenn’s humor and kind nature endeared him to his wartime comrades, and made him a beloved member of the Woolaroc crew.
Below are some excerpts of the “untold stories” Glenn shared with us from his crew’s time together in Europe. Thank you, again, to Glenn, for giving us a glimpse into some of the more lighthearted moments he and his crew members experienced together while at war.
On why he enlisted…
- Patriotism. Also, in Arkansas the enlisted men looked pretty neat in their boots and socks, so I thought I’d join them.
On weather…
- The weather was severe – you had to have a heated suit, gloves, and shoes under your flak clothes. On one mission, my feet froze, and the doctors talked about amputating my toes. I said, “let’s wait and see” – thank goodness, because I never had to lose any toes!
On what Ellison wasn’t good at…
- Ellison would always ask the crew to fix his bicycle tire – that was probably just an excuse to visit us and see what we were up to. We would tease him that we’d need to get a new pilot, and he would tease us right back. We’d tell him, “You keep the airplane flying, and we’ll keep your bicycle running.”
On Gerrys…
- When we landed in Greenwich, Scotland, women would ask if you were Gerry (German). We had our heads shaved except for a “V” in the back of our head – V was for Victory.
On mischief…
- We were drinking one day with an English guy who had a horse and buggy. We brought his horse and buggy back to base and tied it behind the barracks. The English guy told our Commander, and he made us give them back.
On writing and wine…
- One guy from Kentucky couldn’t read or write – he couldn’t write his name, so he’d sign “X” for his payroll signature. He built a still in the barracks. We weren’t getting canned peaches for a while because he was using them to make wine.
On famous neighbors…
- Across the fence from us was Queen Elizabeth’s summer home. She would be on her black horse and would talk to us over the fence, thanking us for being there.
On Ellison’s nickname…
- In public, we called him “Captain” or “Lieutenant,” but in private or just with the crew, we called him “Pappy,” because he was always looking after us.
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