The inspiration and compilation of the updated text for Flight Surgeon grew out of the whole litany of war stories William Gaillard had heard as a child from both his parents and their nearby relatives...all of whom were either military war veterans or former civilian ancillary staff members who had directly supported the war effort.

Over the years, he had learned that his father had kept a day-to-day war diary of his medical detachment in England. He had always heard about it, but had never actually seen it...let alone, read it.

Shortly after his mother passed away in July 2001, Mr. Gaillard finally discovered Dr. Gaillard’s actual war diary originals (two volumes, no less) after their having been concealed for some sixty-odd years. They also contained the former flight surgeon’s secret reports, letters, analyses, footnotes, corrections, and additions that are now dovetailed into the present manuscript.

Ostensibly, if you are a physician/MD, Nurse, or EMT, or other health care professional, you will find this account to be of particular, instructive benefit relative to today’s medicine; and, if you’re not, you’ll enjoy it anyway simply for the marvelous adventure that it tells.  It is to be savored by all.

Ernest Gaillard, Jr., MD was born December 12, 1913 to parents Ernest Gaillard, Sr. and Irene Keller Gaillard in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Gaillard attended the University of Kentucky, Lexington, from 1930 to 1934 graduating with a BS Degree in Chemistry. He later attended the University of Louisville Medical School achieving his MD in 1938, interning and practicing medicine until Pearl Harbor. When war broke out so did the selective draft of doctors and he was deployed to USAAF in England where he met and married the former Dorothy Mignonne Nash of Colchester & St. Osyth, Essex, in January 1944. He returned to the United States to both teach general surgery and to bring into being a limited private practice in proctology and colon surgery at Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, California. This lasted for some thirty-two years from 1948 until his retirement as a fully-certified, nationally-renown specialist Diplomate in his field in 1980-81. Dr. Gaillard continues to reside in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego, California with his daughter, Cheryle Gaillard Tkach.

William N. Gaillard was born at high noon April 20, 1952 at the old Scripps Hospital, La Jolla, California, graciously interrupting his father’s otherwise uneventful cafeteria luncheon in the process. He attended the University of Southern California from 1970 to 1974 graduating with a BA degree in International Relations and Economics. He spent some twenty years in intensive, Middle Eastern petrochemical engineering and construction contract work. Later, he participated in several proprietary designs and developments for the Department of Defense. These were in aid of advanced weapons, ordnance and targeting systems for the US Army’s Apache AH-64A “Tank Killer” Attack Helicopter. This was the same series of gunships recently deployed to the Gulf. He is quite active politically and has operated as a freelance contract technical and prose writer, editor and research/military historian since October 1994. Mr. Gaillard lives and works in Redondo Beach, California. 

30 May 1944 ... Thirty ships were dispatched from this command leading the division with Colonel Gross in command.  The designated target was the Dessault Aircraft Assembly Plant near Leipzig, Germany.  Bombing altitude was 25,000 feet and outside air temperature was –29º Centigrade.  The lead and high group got the bombs away right on the nose and the strike photos showed the bombs of the lead group right on the MPI and the bombs of the high group scattered over their MPI.  The group was under hostile attack by ME-109’s on the bomb run and two ships were knocked out of formation.  They were Lieut. Lapinski and Lieut. Burton.  These ships have not returned to this base.  Friendly fighters were apparently engaged in enemy activity elsewhere as they were not in evidence in the target area.  Lieut. Monahan was heard calling as the ships were coming out of Germany but his whereabouts are unknown at present.  There were no wounded or killed and the remaining ships landed safely at this base.

Lieutenant Yates, 535^th Squadron, was between the IP and the target and engines #1 & #2 were knocked out.  #1 was feathered. But #2 windmilled all the way home.  The co-pilot, 2^nd Lt. Robert E. Klutho, O-815923, and the top turret gunner, S/Sgt. James E. Dixon, 35448138, bailed out right after the ship was hit.  The remainder of the crew was under repeated hostile attack and did violent evasive action with two starboard engines and an air speed of about 100 miles an hour.  They destroyed three enemy aircraft and probably more.  Lieut. Yates used maximum power (2500 RPM and 50 inches of mercury) on his two good engines for 1½ hours and eased it back slowly while over the Channel.  Six of the machine guns went out of commission while under attack.  The ball turret was salvoed and equipment was thrown out to lighten the ship.  He landed wheels down without hydraulics on two engines and ground looped at the end of the runway.  Lieut. Yates and crew are excited and shaken but in good condition.  They are being admitted to the sick quarters for sedation this evening.

R E S T R I C T E D

DB #152, Hq AAF Sta. 167, APO 557,
Wednesday, 30 May 1944, cont’d.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES:

Enemy fighter pilots near Dessau yesterday thought they had a sure thing when their first attack killed the #2 engine on the Fortress “Me and My Gal” and knocked the bomber way out of formation.  They underestimated her pilot, 2^nd Lt. Howard R. Yates, 535^th Bomb Sq., and the game crewmen who stuck with him through 20 minutes of almost unbelievable evasive action.  While the ME-109’s cut in and out with their wing cannon blasting, Yates put his massive buggy through everything in and out of the book, including slow rolls and wing-overs. His control work not only left the Jerries with the worst possible target, but set his gunners up for the kind of shooting that that destroyed three of the attackers.  When four Lightnings (P-38’s) finally showed up to cover him, Yates had both left wing engines out, a windmilling prop on hand, and a three-hour trip home ahead of him.  He made the distance on an additional airspeed of 100 MPH.

R E S T R I C T E D

5 June 1944 ... Thirty-nine aircraft from this command took off this date forming a complete combat wing with thirteen planes in each group. Target was the coastal defense area near Caen, France, 2½ miles off the French coast.  This mission is undoubtedly in aid of preparation for tomorrow’s anticipated festivities and group dance with the Wehrmacht.

Briefing was scheduled unexpectedly at 0400 when a cold front lifted.  Takeoff was to be at 0530 hours but was delayed for 50 minutes because the bombs were not loaded.  All the ships carried 500 lb., armor-piercing bombs which was the first time this type of bomb has been carried.  Bombing altitude was 25,000 feet and the air temperature was –32º Centigrade.  The IP was near Le Havre and fighter escort was good.  No flak or fighters were encountered.  Visual bombing was done.  The only objects noted was a convoy of about 25 German trucks heading south.  Strike photos showed bombing results as excellent.  There were no killed or wounded and all ships returned safely to this base.

6 June 1944 ... (Tuesday) Today was D--Day!!  The day we have all been waiting for.  We were gotten out of the sack at 0300 hours and alerted for enemy action.  Everybody on the base was under arms, tense and excited.  The station defense was out in force and most of us were more afraid of trigger-happy defense boys than we were of enemy action.  Briefing was at 0100 for pilots only and the target was secret.  The crews were stationed in the ships and did not know the target until the engines had started.  The group put up forty-­eight ships on two different missions and the first group hit coastal targets from 15,000 feet by PFF, and the targets were just north of the Cherbourg area.  Crews reported large numbers of invasion craft and small naval ships.  No hostile action other than enemy gunfire from the coast was seen. The radio reported intense shelling of the Le Havre area and allied paratroops landing from the Seine Estuary and north to the Dunkirk/Pas-de-Calais area.  Warnings were issued to the civil population of occupied countries by General Eisenhower giving instructions about what to do and what not to do. We are all standing by at the moment for anticipated counter invasion and there is to be another briefing later in the day.  The irony of it all is that the invasion of Europe had to occur on my day off.  It sure is rough in the E.T.O! Also of some interest is the fact that the medical department, which was disarmed by the Geneva Con­vention, when alerted came out with all kinds of weapons, including a pocket full of rocks.

29 July 1944 ... Thirty-six aircraft from this command took off at 0545 hours for Marienburg, Germany, same target as yester­day, and the synthetic oil plant was hit again.  The lead group, led by Lt. Colonel Fitzgerald, bombed visually.  The high group led by Lt. Barnacle, and the low group led by Lt. Martyniak, bombed by PFF on the smoke of the other group.  Twenty 250 lb. bombs were carried.  Bombing altitude was 25,000 feet and the outside air temperature was –28º Centigrade.  Bombing results are un­known, but are thought to be within the target area.  Flak was intense and accurate; no fighters attacked, but were noted by other wings and a few ships were seen to go down with para­chutes opening.  The ships landed at this with very poor visibility and four ships landed at North Creake, two at Hethel, and one at Attlebridge.  Two ships were two hours late and one landed at Attlebridge and the other here.  Lieut. Quinn salvoed his bombs and returned early with another group due to the fact he had one engine out.  Lieut. Weaver aborted due to mechanical trouble.  There were no killed, wounded or missing and only one minor burn was reported.

The P-51 aircraft that recently made the trans­continental record, flown by Howard Hughes, was sent to the E. T. O. with the specific instructions that its performance in combat be observed.  The man who flew it over here has just been released from the hospital, the wing of the plane having fallen off after being airborne less than 20 minutes.

A Mosquito pilot flew a stripped down re­connaissance Mosquito and reported that he had encountered a jet-propelled German aircraft.  He reported that it was at least 100 miles an hour faster than his aircraft and estimated its speed at about 500 - 600 miles an hour on the level.  Purportedly, this R.A.F. pilot has been placed under some form of sedation.