Interview with James T. Wortham, March 7, 1985

Interview Summary

Colonel James T. Wortham volunteered for the Air Force and served as an airfield controller at the Goxhill and Halesworth bases in England. He discusses his duties guiding planes, disposing of bombs, and providing ground security. He also describes American aircraft and German weaponry, including butterfly bombs and V-1 and V-2 rockets. Wortham recounts pilots' stories of major air raids, such as the attack on a ball bearing plant in Schweinfurt, and recalls the landings of several severely damaged bombers. He describes the bombing and strafing he witnessed from the ground, and briefly mentions a German prisoner and British "ack-ack girls" (young women who manned the searchlights and anti-aircraft guns).

Interview Keyword

military service experience War Veterans World War II World War II veterans

Interview LC Subject

Air bases--England--Goxhill Air bases--England--Halesworth World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, German World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe World War, 1939-1945--Europe World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945. Wortham, James T. Wortham, James T.--Interviews

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.