Colonel Harry Mumford (deceased)

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Col. Mumford was born in Missouri on Feb. 26, 1918, moving later to El Paso, Texas. Col. Mumford attended the University of Texas in El Paso, but left to join the Army Air Corps in early 1940. By March of 1943, in what Grif calls 'a questionable state of readiness', the group flew the South Atlantic route to England, while the ground crews were shipped via the North Atlantic. The 95th first set up shop in Alconbury, then Framlingham, before ending up at their final home base of Horham. On March 4th, 1944 Col Mumford would lead a squadron of B-17 Flying Fortress bombers on the first bombing mission over Berlin. Of the 850 heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force dedicated to this mission, only 33 aircraft of the 13th Combat Wing (95th and 100th Bomb Groups), led by the 95th and Grif Mumford, bombed the primary target, overcoming such obstacles as inclement weather, extreme cold, enemy fighters, and heavy antiaircraft fire. High over the skies of Germany, on its way to Berlin, the most heavily protected city in the world at the time and the capital of the Nazi regime, Col. H. Griffin 'Grif' Mumford commanded that squadron and had the unenviable task of deciding whether to turn his aircraft around or continue on the first daylight bombing raid of Berlin after receiving a radio message to abort the mission. The squadron bombed berlin and returned to their base at Horham, England - the colonel was hailed as a hero and awarded the Silver Star. Col. Mumford died July 7th 2007 at Marin General Hospital after having suffered a fall earlier that the week. He was 89.

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