WWII flier recalls experiences in combat, POW ordeals for Wisc. squadron

 

 

(1)
Former U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Frank Speer holds a photo showing him as a P-51 pilot during World War II.

(2)
Retired 1st Lt. Frank Speer with a copy of a painting depicting his plane shooting down a Messerschmitt over Germany. The original hangs in the Pentagon.

Photos by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa


1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa
Public Affairs Officer
Timmerman Composite Squadron
Wisconsin Wing

WISCONSIN —Clad in an original uniform he wore during World War II, retired U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Frank Speer spoke to more than 50 members and guests of 10th Senior Support and Timmerman Composite Squadron on March 1 about his experiences in battle and as a prisoner of war.

Following his father — an Army infantryman during World War I — into military service, Speer joined the Army Air Force Aviation cadet program in January 1942. After training in Texas as a fighter pilot, he received his wings, was commissioned in the Army Air Corps and then sent to Florida for a week of ground training.

Speer flew a P-51 with the 54th and 57th Fighter Squadrons from October 1943-February 1944. He was then sent to England, where he underwent combat flight training for a month. In April 1944 began flying fighter combat missions over Germany fighter after being assigned to the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group.

On May 29, 1944, during his 17th mission, he was shot down near the Polish border and taken prisoner. He recounted those days to his enrapt audience in the Timmerman squadron’s hangar, describing the food the prisoners had to endure, his captors’ interrogation tactics and the jokes the prisoners would play on the German officers.

Three times he tried to escape his German captors, Speer told his listeners. He also described 77-hour marches to Mooseberg in subzero temperatures, an ordeal he said eventually rendered him totally disabled —though his wife never knew that, he joked, displaying the sense of humor that must have helped keep going during his POW experiences.

During the third such marc, Speer and a companion escaped the Germans’ clutches. They made their way to allied forces near Mooseberg, outside Munich, on April 29, 1945, and returned stateside in June.

Speer concluded his career with the Army Air Force in December 1946. Credited with shooting down two enemy aircraft as well as destroying four on the ground, he was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, as well as his campaign medals.

He has authored four books about his wartime experiences. An artist’s rendition of his shooting down a German Messerschmitt hangs at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and is frequently taken on the road as part of the Air Force Art Program.