Oral History Interview with Clarence Wolgemuth, October 14, 2011

Oral History Interview with Clarence Wolgemuth, October 14, 2011

PDF Version Also Available for Download.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clarence Wolgemuth. Wolgemuth joined the Army Air Forces in September 1942 and received basic training at Fort Meade. He received flight training in California and Arizona. He was sent to Port Moresby in April 1944 and crash landed in a jungle while on a training mission there. Natives took him in until he was rescued by his unit four days later. While there, he contracted malaria, experiencing his first symptoms several months later. Upon completion of his training, he was assigned to the 80th Fighter Squadron. He participated … continued below

Physical Description

50 p.

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this text as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this text 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.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clarence Wolgemuth. Wolgemuth joined the Army Air Forces in September 1942 and received basic training at Fort Meade. He received flight training in California and Arizona. He was sent to Port Moresby in April 1944 and crash landed in a jungle while on a training mission there. Natives took him in until he was rescued by his unit four days later. While there, he contracted malaria, experiencing his first symptoms several months later. Upon completion of his training, he was assigned to the 80th Fighter Squadron. He participated in 108 combat missions throughout the Pacific, both escorting B-17s and dropping bombs out of his P-38. On the night of 26 December 1944, Wolgemuth was one of 70 pilots sent on an impromptu strafing mission after a Japanese naval force was sighted off Mindoro. During the Battle of Manila, he dropped napalm to drive the Japanese out of the mountains. By the end of the war he had a total of 650 flying hours. His longest flight was over 8 hours, which was made possible after Charles Lindbergh came and gave demonstrations on maximizing the range of the P-38. Wolgemuth returned home in August of 1945 and went on to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

Physical Description

50 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

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

Accession or Local Control No: OH03348
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1606056

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Clarence Wolgemuth, October 14, 2011 - ark:/67531/metapth1609863

Collections

This text 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.

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.

Related Items