Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

November 18, 1944:

To remember Bud Emmer's 27th birthday on this day. He was a POW, somewhere in Germany at this time.

Sadly, in the evening of this day, Bud's younger brother, PFC Raymond Phillip Emmer would be killed by enemy mortar fire in the woods just west of Udenbreth, Germany. Ray was a member of a heavy weapons unit of H Company, 2nd Batallion, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division. He was in a foxhole with his buddy, William B. Williams. Ray was buried in Europe and in 1948 the remains of both Emmer boys would be returned to St. Louis and buried with military honors at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery. With the passing of their parents in 1975 the family is together at the family burial plot.

'Lest We Forget.........

Tripp

Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

February 17, 1945:

To quietly remember, February 15, 1945....70 years ago when Bud Emmer took his last mortal breaths in the arms of fellow POW ("kriegefangen") F/O Leonard A. Walker, RAAF as they awaited transport from the German transit camp, Dulag Luft Wetzlar.

Capt. Wallace N. Emmer, USAAF had been badly burned six months earlier when his P-51D was hit by a burst of 88mm German AAA fire. His condition was somewhat improved and he was being transferred to permanent hospital. This chance encounter of an Aussie and a Yank will be remembered in 2015 as family members meet again to reflect and remember these two Allied servicemen, these two brothers-in-arms.

Thank you, Len. Thank you, Bud.


Tripp

Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

A memory of that day 71 years ago 9 Aug 44 when Bud awoke that morning and watched his tentmate and best friend, Maj. Don M. Beerbower depart to lead the morning mission of the 353FS as its CO.....he would not return .....shot down and killed over a German airfield by accurate ground fire on a 2nd pass.

Bud was shocked and wanted revenge, but his orders were to lead the afternoon mission as RED ONE on an armed recce sweep to a different area. With no intercepts the formation headed back to RIPSAW (ALG 2 near Criqueville, France). At approx 11,000ft a lucky 88mm burst caught Bud's fuselage tank and his stricken a/c suffered an explosion and fire. Bud was burned in the cockpit but managed to bail out (Lt. Ted Sedvert reported seeing a parachute). Bud's wingman on this mission was new pilot Jack Miller who did not know that Bud had bailed out. Jack followed FT-G "ARSON'S REWARD" as it spiraled down in flames.

That's how it was.....9 Aug 44. 'Lest We Forget


Tripp

Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

To remember Bud Emmer's 27th birthday on this day. No birthday cake for Bud. He was still recovering from burns suffered in the explosion of his P-51D FT-G "Arson's Reward" on 9 Aug 44. Now he was a POW, somewhere in Germany.

Sadly, in the evening of this day, Bud's younger brother, PFC Raymond Phillip Emmer would be killed by enemy mortar fire in the woods just west of Udenbreth, Germany. Ray was a member of a heavy weapons unit of H Company, 2nd Batallion, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division, in Omar Bradley's First Army. He was in a foxhole with his buddy, William B. Williams and was desperately upset because a letter had arrived from his mother telling him that Bud had been shot down---Ray believed that his older brother was dead. Ray was buried in Europe and in 1948 the remains of both Emmer boys would be returned to St. Louis by their father and buried with military honors at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery. With the passing of their parents in Oct. 1975 the family is together at the family burial plot.

'Lest We Forget.........

Tripp

Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

To remember this sad day, with reverence & respect, when Capt. Wallace N. "Bud" Emmer, USAAF died at Dulag Luft Wetzlar, POW camp in Germany. He was leaving the camp on his way to the hospital in Hohemark when an air raid took place. It was at this moment that Bud, in the company of RAF Bomber Command Halifax navigator Leonard A. Walker, succumbed to myocarditis in his weakened conditions from the burns he received in the explosion of his P-51D "Arson's Reward" FT-G near Rouen, France. A lucky 88mm round caught RED ONE (attack element leader) just after they had changed altitude.

Len Walker always remembered the unknown "kriege" who died in his arms and the Emmer family had been looking for him for many years (since 1991). We are grateful for locating Len's dear daughter Tiana who has been very helpful to us in researching the events of this day....71 years ago. The only way that we could confirm the connection was the letter from Sr. Allied POW Col. Charles W. Stark, USAAF who wrote to Bud's parents on Feb. 18, 1945 to relay details of Bud's passing.

Remembering Bud & Len....comrades in arms. 'Lest We Forget......

Tripp

Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

Remembering once again this day 72 years ago when Bud's Mustang FT-G "Arson's Reward" was hit by groundfire from a German 88mm AA gun. He
got out of his burning P-51 and parachuted to safety but was badly burned on the legs & arms in the explosion of his fuselage fuel tank.

Bud was captured and moved from camp to camp.

Remembering, with sadness the loss to his parents Blanche & Viv Emmer.
Honoring their sacrifice...the loss of both of their sons in WWII service.

Tripp

Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

Remembering, with sadness Nov. 18, 1944. Capt. Wallace N. Emmer, USAAF had been shot down on 9 Aug and was a kriegegefange in a POW camp in Germany. On Nov. 18th, Bud's younger brother, Ray, was with his unit in Germany, just a short distance inside the German-Belgian border in the woods west of the town of Udenbreth.

According to his buddy & trenchmate, William B. Williams, Ray was outside the trench when German mortar shells descended on their 30-cal machine gun position. Ray was hit by shrapnel as a fragment pierced his left thigh. Williams hauled him back into the trench but Ray only gave a brief groan and was gone....in those dark hours in enemy territory....on his brother, Bud's, birthday. A letter from my grandmother to my uncle relayed the word to him while he was also in the air service and the tragedy was confirmed.....

Both boys would be "brought home" later and buried in the family plot in St. Louis.....the parents, Viv and Blanche Emmer lost both of their boys in WWII.......they are still dearly missed by their family.

Tripp

Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

We remember with pride Capt. Wallace N. "Bud/Wally" Emmer, USAAF who died on Feb. 15, 1945 in the arms of his fellow POW, Royal Australian Air Force F/O Navigator, Leonard A. Walker, as they were preparing to depart the POW transit camp Dulag Luft Wetzlar, bound for a German hospital. Apparenntly, the concussion from nearby bomb blasts of an Allied raid hastened Capt. Emmer's death from myocarditis.


To remember those days in February, 1945 when the war in the European Theater was moving to a rapid conclusion with Allied forces rapidly advancing towards Berlin from the west and the east. The Battle of the Bulge in SE Belgium was over and the German salient had been flanked and defeated.

Any news reaching the krieges (kriegegefangenen---POWs) in the many Dulags & Stalags, POW camps, was hopeful that they would soon be liberated. Around the time of Feb. 12-14, during an air raid alert at the camp, B-17 ball turret gunner Don Beal from Utah noticed a kriege limping towards the air raid shelter. Beal offered his shoulder to the airman and they got him to a bench to wait out the raid. During that time they talked and the airman talked of going home and looking forward to a turkey dinner with his family. After the "All Clear" signal was given, the two parted ways. A few days later Beal learned that the airman had died while in the process of leaving the camp.....30...40...50 years passed until Beal was in the home of a cousin in Riverside, CA and they were chatting in the cousin's home-office. Photos and mementos from the cousin's military service were displayed on the wall and the two started comparing notes....realizing that both had served in the U.S. Army Air Force. Ed Regis as a P-51 fighter pilot and Don Beal as a B-17 ball turret gunner. They also learned that both had been captured by the Germans and had been in various POW camps. Beal related to Regis how something unusual had occurred near the end of his time in the Dulag.....and he proceeded to tell Regis about encountering the airman, helping him...and then the sadness of hearing how he had died just a few days later while leaving the camp. Regis sat upright and told Beal to go over to the wall and look at the photo (of the 353rd Fighter Squadron at Tonopah NV in July '43).
Regis then said "Do you see that airman?"........

Beal pointed straight at the leader of D Flight......Bud Emmer......and Bud was Ed Regis' flight leader before Ed was captured in April '44.

In the coming months we hope to learn more about Bud's final minutes of life from the records of F/O Leonard A. Walker, courtesy of his daughter, Tiana Adair.


Rest in Peace, Bud----you are missed by your family.


Tripp

Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

Remembering this day, August 9, 1944----73 years ago when Bud's P-51D "Arson's Reward" FT-G was hit be accurate AA fire near Rouen, France. He bailed out of his burning aircraft as his wingman, Jack Miller, followed it down. Only a few years ago, when I spoke with Jack, was he finally aware that Bud had gotten out of his a/c and parachuted safely to the ground while suffering burns on his hands and legs from the fire in the cockpit.

Bud was captured and would spend the next six months and six days as a "kriege" before his death at Dulag Luft Wetzlar on 15 Feb 45 during an air raid.

RIP Bud....you are dearly missed.

Tripp and your family

Re: Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group
 

One of the wonderful memories from D Flight of the 353FS, the Fighting Cobras!! Just recently, on Feb. 15th we remembered D flt. leader, Wallace "Bud" Emmer, who died 75 years ago at Dulag Luft Wetzlar.

Also, we found the son of SSgt Fred Borst, the groundcrew of the 353FS who painted many of the noseart for the squadron's a/c. I sent messages to the son, but never received a reply. Has anyone encountered the son of 353FS groundcrew Fred Borst? There are many families of the 353FS that would love to see more info about the noseart painted by Fred Borst. Any help appreciated!!
Tripp