The Silver King's War

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This episode is Part One of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from Europe in May 1945.  The European Theater of Operations war is days from its end.  Stanley's Unit has been living near Venlo, Holland, which is near the German border and the 397th Bomb Group's HQ. Sara Belle, the King's mother, has news of a letter from Jim Fomby's father. The senior Fomby hasn't heard from his son, the co-pilot of Festi's Boys.

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This episode is Part Three of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris, in April 1945.  Spring is finally sunny and warm.  Stanley and his guys play baseball and swim in a nearby canal.  His unit moves to Venlo, Holland.  The King celebrates his 22nd birthday with cards and packages from home, and a timely liquor ration.

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This episode is Part Two of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris,  in April 1945.  Stanley is optimistic about the war's end in Europe.  D-Day in early June 1944 seems long ago.  Our hero is busy with full days as the Acting Squadron Bombardier.  It's a job that requires a captaincy.  And, with the news of FDR's death at Warm Springs, Georgia, Stanley acknowledges the loss of a legendary world leader.

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This episode is Part One of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris, in April 1945.  Morale is high as the Air Corps is working hard and the German army is retreating. The mail service is steady.  And Stanley shares a recent adventure with his crew when engine trouble required them to land in Germany, near an American field hospital in Koblenz.  

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This episode is Part Three of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris, in March 1945.  Stanley's still dreaming about his R&R on the French Riviera in Cannes. The mail is good, his silver bars arrived, and his rotation as Duty Bombardier is significant.  His unit remains busy and he's struggling with the disappearance of his "Festi Boys," who didn't return from a February 15 mission.  They are MIA (Missing In Action).

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This episode (publication date: June 23, 2022, the centennial birthdate of Stanley's wife, Shirley June Gordon, in Chicago, Illinois)) is Part Two of The Silver King's letters from A-72, north of Paris.  Stanley's Riviera return is an understandable let-down.  However, the mail is streaming in now and he's working hard as he continues to be the lead bombardier for a six-ship element that's flying support for the advancing Allied infantry forces.  He's waiting on his silver bars and more cheese.  He has 18 missions. 

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This episode (publication date: Father's Day, June 19, 2022) is Part One of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from his Army Air Corps base, A-72, north of Paris, in March 1945.  March is an intense month that begins with 7 days of rest and recreation on the French Riviera in Cannes.  His HQ hotel is the Martinez for $1 per day.   He has 14.5 missions.

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This episode is Part Two of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris,  in February 1945.  The mail & package  delivery service is much better.  Stanley reports a promotion: he's now the lead bombardier for a six-ship element.  He has nine missions. And, as we know, is just days from his silver bars as a First Lieutenant, Air Corps, in the Army of the United States.

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This episode is part one of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from February 1945 at A-72 north of Paris. It's a cold winter. The King has a very recent (January 15) letter from home. The family news is good: his sister, Leona, and niece, Margie, are healthy.  Stanley's missing home, feeling far away, and happy to report that the Russians are forty miles from Berlin.

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This episode is part three of The Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from January 1945 at A-72 north of Paris. It's cold and the King is soothing the family's concerns about war-time mail service. The latest letter from home, written December 27, is filled with  Sara Belle's motherly curiosity about Stanley's early December Paris visit. 

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