USAF pilots of german descent

[mayfair35]

When WW II broke out, it was said that 40% of the Americans had some German ancestors. My grandfather came over in 1880, my father born in 1892 fought in France, and I in WW II. I assure you that none of my fellow pilots, many of German extraction had the slightest concern that we were fighting Germans. We WERE NOT German-Americans but Americans. None of that hyphenated someone that is so popular today!

My wife's Uncles, sons of a German emigrant, all fought in WW I and 3 were wounded in action. The difference between then and now was that emigrants were coming here for a better life. To be a citizen, they had to renounce any alligance to their former country, again not as it is today with the dual citizenship and thus divided loyalty.

The above is not to say that there was no "fondness" of many American citizens who had close relatives still in Germany. Such was the case with my wife's parents but they were not the ones fighting, it was their children who as such considered themselves Americans. Still when I graduated as a pilot and was escorted to all the local taverns in our town, many of our parents' acquaintances of German background, congratulated me and hoped I would slaughter all those yellow b-------. They often mentioned that there were a lot of fine German people whom they hoped I would not have to fight against. As history says, we were patriotic young Americans who were responding to our country's call in its period of need and an enemy was an enemy!

Bill Margetts, a fellow pilot in the 325th FG of German extraction, had to crash land in Czechoslovakia and became a POW. During his interrogation by a German who had lived in Detroit, an attempt was made to make him feel sorry he was fighting against relatives. Bill handled the sessions very well and pointed out that it was Germany who first declared war against the USA.

Cordially, Art Fiedler