The Silver King's War

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This is episode fifteen in the final review of The Silver King's War. It's October 1945.  Stanley has arrived at the U. S. Army Air Corps Separation Center at Fort McPherson, Georgia. Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer & creator of this podcast series, reviews his father's final days & paperwork to leave active duty.  His total flying time from training through war's end is 550 hours.  He receives a letter from President Harry Truman to confirm his appointment to the Reserve Officer Training Corps.

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This is episode fourteen in the final review of The Silver King's War.  It's September 1945. Stanley makes his second Atlantic Crossing, this one from Antwerp, Belgium, to New York Harbor.  The European war ended in early May and his four-month wait is finally over.  When he reaches the states, Stanley learns that he's not quite done with the Air Corps. President Harry Truman has mandated an Organized Reserve Corps to ensure the nation's readiness for future military service. Initially proposed as a volunteer role, Stanley reads a War Department Memo to confirm his mandated commitment.

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This is episode thirteen in the final review of The Silver King's War. It's August 1945.  Stanley has been waiting for news about when he'll ship for home.  During his wait, the war in the Pacific ends with the delivery of atomic weapons over Japan (Hiroshima & Nagasaki) on August 6 & 9.  Japan agrees to an unconditional surrender on August 14.  The Silver King now has 85 points and he'll ride a ship from Antwerp, Belgium, to New York Harbor in late September.  

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This is episode twelve in the final review of The Silver King's War.  It's mid-May 1945.  Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer & creator of the podcast series, reviews his father's war. Stanley is cooling off from his front-page temple bulletin status as he celebrates letters from his pilot & co-pilot, Jack Festi & Jim Fomby, Jr. They're alive, safe & well. The ETO war is over and Stanley & his guys travel to Brussels on a three-day pass.  He writes ten May letters and leads the second box in an air show review for Ike & Zhukov. 

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This is episode eleven in the final review of The Silver King's War.  It's April 1945 (first published on Father's Day 2023).  Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer and creator of this podcast series, reviews his father's war. The month is full of adventures and revelations.  Stanley & his crew made an emergency landing near an American field hospital near Koblenz, Germany.  The King has new friends and a special interest in a New Orleans nurse, Elaine Miller. He's also been Acting Duty Officer for his squadron.  FDR dies during April & Stanley turns 22 late in the month. The  war in Europe ends with Germany's surrender on May 8.

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This is the tenth episode of the final review of The Silver King's War. It's March 1945 and the busiest month of Stanley's war.  Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer and creator of this podcast series, reviews his father's war.  Stanley, who finally has his silver bars as a First Lieutenant, flew 13 missions in 31 days and earned his third Oak-Leaf Cluster.  Packed between those days was a week in Cannes on the French Riviera. He was now a man in love.

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This is episode nine in the final review of The Silver King's War.  It's January 1945.  The weather is bitter cold and flying is limited as Stanley sits by the fire to write letters home and enjoy Ida Mae's chocolate-chip cookies. Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer and creator of this podcast series, reviews his father's war as Stanley completes one year as a Second Lieutenant.  His promotion to First Lieutenant is official in early February.  Before the month ends, "Festi's Boys" are Missing in Action.  They went on a mission and didn't come home.

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This is episode eight in the final review of The Silver King's War.  Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer and creator of this podcast series, reviews his father's war as a B-26 Bombardier.  The A-72 base supported Pathfinder missions to guide bomber crews to success via the Oboe System.  The German Army began a surprise counter attack in Belgium's Ardennes Forest at day break on December 16.   Their early, deep and desperate incursions, described as a "Last Gamble," were an attempt to capture the port of Antwerp and cut allied supply lines.  The 597th Bomber Squadron flew intense air support to help repel the Axis army of older men and young boys.   

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This is episode seven (first published on Memorial Day 2023) of the final review of The Silver King's War.  Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer and creator of this podcast series, reviews his father's war.  It's late October 1944.  Stanley & his crew have arrived at A-72 north of Paris. The 597th unit history for December 1944, records The King's first mission: A clear, enemy-free night ride on November 5. Target: the Homburg, Germany, ordnance depot.

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This is episode six in the final review of The Silver King's War.  Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer and creator of this podcast series, reviews his father's war.  It's late June 1944.  Stanley's training to fly the B-26, Martin Marauder, at Barksdale Army Air Base, in Shreveport, Louisiana. Barksdale is home to the 2nd Bomb Wing, which flew with Billy Mitchell during his 1921 flying exhibition with Glenn L. Martin.  The King & his crew will ship to Hunter Field in Georgia as it prepares to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to the European Theater of Operations.

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