Oral History Interview with Garvin Kowalke, January 23, 2001

Listen Online transcript

Jump to Track:

  1. Track One 0:41:60
  2. Track Two 0:41:30
  3. Track Three 0:22:40

Description

Interview with Garvin Kowalke, a pilot during World War II. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, going to Air Cadet training to become a pilot, and training on various aircraft (AT-17, UC-78, P-36, P-33, T-6, BT-13, B-17, B-29) before becoming a B-29 pilot; he shipped out to Guam and flew standard and fire bombing runs over Japan. He discusses having to ditch the plane on the way back to Guam once when the engines failed, seeing another B-29 crew have to bail out over Toyko Bay and get picked up by a U.S. submarine that was in the Bay, … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording : digital

Creation Information

Cox, Floyd & Kowalke, Garvin January 23, 2001.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 203 times. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Who

People and organizations associated with either the creation of this audio recording or its content.

Interviewer

Interviewee

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this sound as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this recording useful in their work.

Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

About | Browse this Partner

Contact Us

Corrections Questions

What

Descriptive information to help identify this audio recording. Follow the links below to find similar items on the Portal.

Description

Interview with Garvin Kowalke, a pilot during World War II. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, going to Air Cadet training to become a pilot, and training on various aircraft (AT-17, UC-78, P-36, P-33, T-6, BT-13, B-17, B-29) before becoming a B-29 pilot; he shipped out to Guam and flew standard and fire bombing runs over Japan. He discusses having to ditch the plane on the way back to Guam once when the engines failed, seeing another B-29 crew have to bail out over Toyko Bay and get picked up by a U.S. submarine that was in the Bay, getting pulled down to the fires when they were trying to hide in the smoke to avoid Japanese fighter planes, and getting caught in a storm by Mount Fujiyama, as well as collecting data such wind direction, speed, and temperature over Hiroshima for future bombing runs, which turned out to be for the bombers who dropped the atomic bomb. He also talks about flying over Hiroshima two days after the bombing and gauging how high the radiation levels were at different altitudes. He also talks about being in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, becoming a B-57 pilot, and adopting a baby boy from Germany after the war, then a little girl while he was stationed in Hawaii after the Korean War.

Physical Description

1 sound recording : digital

Language

Item Type

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

About | Browse this Collection

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

About | Browse this Collection

Texas Oral History Collection

The Texas Oral History Collection is a group of oral history interviews from a variety of people discussing their lives in Texas.

About | Browse this Collection

World War Two Collection

These materials focus on World War II and the immediate postwar period of the late 1940s. In addition to materials created during the time period, materials may include modern studies and commemorative works about the era.

About | Browse this Collection

What responsibilities do I have when using this audio recording?

Digital Files

When

Dates and time periods associated with this audio recording.

Creation Date

  • January 23, 2001

Covered Time Period

Added to The Portal to Texas History

  • Feb. 12, 2012, 11:09 a.m.

Description Last Updated

  • Dec. 8, 2023, 3:43 p.m.

Usage Statistics

When was this recording last used?

Yesterday: 0
Past 30 days: 0
Total Uses: 203
More Statistics

Where

Geographical information about where this audio recording originated or about its content.

Place Name

Map Information

  • map marker Place Name coordinates. (May be approximate.)
  • Repositioning map may be required for optimal printing.

Mapped Locations

Interact With This Audio Recording

Here are some suggestions for what to do next.

Citations, Rights, Re-Use

Links for Robots

Helpful links in machine-readable formats.

Archival Resource Key (ARK)

International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF)

Metadata Formats

Images

WebVTT

URLs

Stats

Cox, Floyd & Kowalke, Garvin. Oral History Interview with Garvin Kowalke, January 23, 2001, audio recording, January 23, 2001; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth204472/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation.

Back to Top of Screen