Alexander F. Scheller

by Anthony Scheller
(Newburgh IN USA)

My dad Alexander F. Scheller was the Tail turret gunner on Walter Call Crew. 513 Bomb Squad 376 Bomb Group and later to 745 Bomb Squad and 456 Bomb Group.
My Dad is in Stage 6 Alzhemer's but I talked to him a lot in my adult years before he came down with it and started to lose his memory and I got some of his story.
My dad left for Europe from Camp Patrick Henry October 21st 1944 on Ship called the Cole a liberty Ship. The convoy had 400 ships. In a Africa port they transferred to a French boat. He arrived in Naples Italy on November 9th 1944. His first camp was in Brindisi Italy then on to Foggia Italy.

Dads first mission was on December 2nd 1944 destination Florisdorf oil refinery in Austria. Dad said they did see flack.
On one Mission on take off a Plane cut in front of dads plane Walter Call pilot got caught in dirty air and the plane started to go down. Walter got control just in time dad in his tail turret position said it seems he could of reached out and touched the Tree tops. This was his seventh mission destination Vienna Austria.
One mission was on Christmas Day 1944 I believe they bombed the marshalling yards in Innsbruck Austria.
One mission they bombed a oil refinery again in Austria Dad said it seemed like he could see the smoke from the fire half way back to Italy.
One mission he said the most flack he said he seen is when a B-24 was apparently operated by The Germans and did not know the call letters and did not respond and someone in the Bomb Group shot it down. But not before it radioed their Altitude.
One mission he said they had to crank down landing gear something Hydaulics leaked and only had enough for the application of the Brakes on landing.
He said on time his suit warmer outlet went out he said he nearly froze to death once they were over friendly territory he was able to plug in somewhere else. He said when he peed it froze before it hit the floor. That what he said anyway. My dad did get a week vacation on the Isle of Capri. "Not a bad vacation".
In his mission book it said something about a fire but I could hardly read it thinking it was on plane he said no was on Train in Box car it was so cold that they built a fire in the box car and it burned a hole in the floor of the car he laughed about that. My Dad Mustered out at Scott Air Base on December 17th 1945 arrived home the Same day.