Lieutenant Colonel Kermit D. Wooldridge
Branch of Service
Honored by
Frances Bekafigo, Daughter
Activity During World War II
Fought with the 525th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group.
B17 Bomber pilot in 1943 - 25 combat missions completed - European Theater.
Flew in the infamous Schweinfurt raid.
B17 Bomber pilot in 1943 - 25 combat missions completed - European Theater.
Flew in the infamous Schweinfurt raid.
U.S. Army Air Force
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters
B-17 Flying Fortress
Dedication
Kermit D. Wooldridge (Woody) enlisted in the Army as a very young man in 1934 with minimal education. A man with
very little future, he soon found himself in the midst of the most important war America would ever fight. He volunteered
for pilot training when the war broke out and began the first of 25 combat missions as pilot of the B-17 over Nazi occupied
Europe on June 29, 1943.
His words from a diary entry dated July 17, 1943.
Target - Hanover, Germany
"About 45 enemy fighters came at us from nowhere. All hell broke loose. (We took) a good hit in the rudder - the elevator
and two control cables were hit. The air was so thick with flak you could walk on it. A burst hit under my #2 engine and
blew it to hell, and the whole gas tank was blown out the top. I called the engineer to see if anyone was hurt and he came
back with the report that the Navigator and Bombardier had bailed out. With the magnificent work of my copilot Tex we
made it back to the base. There were over 400 bullet holes in the ship, yet no one left on board was hit. I thank God for
that miracle."
Kermit Wooldridge was lucky and did make all 25 missions but losses were enormous and his squadron had been
completely wiped out 4 times.
He remained in the Army for 24 years, retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 1958. He then did something that he never dreamed of
doing back in 1934. He attended college at the University of Tampa and became a math and industrial arts teacher in
Florida.
CLICK HERE to read more from Lt. Col. Wooldridge's personal diary.
very little future, he soon found himself in the midst of the most important war America would ever fight. He volunteered
for pilot training when the war broke out and began the first of 25 combat missions as pilot of the B-17 over Nazi occupied
Europe on June 29, 1943.
His words from a diary entry dated July 17, 1943.
Target - Hanover, Germany
"About 45 enemy fighters came at us from nowhere. All hell broke loose. (We took) a good hit in the rudder - the elevator
and two control cables were hit. The air was so thick with flak you could walk on it. A burst hit under my #2 engine and
blew it to hell, and the whole gas tank was blown out the top. I called the engineer to see if anyone was hurt and he came
back with the report that the Navigator and Bombardier had bailed out. With the magnificent work of my copilot Tex we
made it back to the base. There were over 400 bullet holes in the ship, yet no one left on board was hit. I thank God for
that miracle."
Kermit Wooldridge was lucky and did make all 25 missions but losses were enormous and his squadron had been
completely wiped out 4 times.
He remained in the Army for 24 years, retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 1958. He then did something that he never dreamed of
doing back in 1934. He attended college at the University of Tampa and became a math and industrial arts teacher in
Florida.
CLICK HERE to read more from Lt. Col. Wooldridge's personal diary.
Tipton, Oklahoma
Hometown
1st. Lt. Kermit D. Wooldridge and his
crew pose in front of a B-17 Flying
Fortress in 1943. 'Woody' is on the left.
crew pose in front of a B-17 Flying
Fortress in 1943. 'Woody' is on the left.
1st. Lt. Kermit D. Wooldridge after completing his
25th and final mission December 13, 1943.
25th and final mission December 13, 1943.
At home with his wife after completing his 25th and
final mission.
final mission.
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