Joseph lives in Larksville, Pennsylvania, son of Louis and Grace Feistl he has an older sister and a younger brother. After leaving High School, Joseph enlisted in the Air Corps in 1940. He joined Fort Slocum where he followed his training, after which he was posted to Panama in the canal area for two years, but at the Entered the war of the United States it is transferred to the Netherlands Antilles. He is decorated with the Air Medal during a patrol against submarines.
The United States landed in Africa in November 1942 and the situation changes, Joseph is moved to Dakar, Tunis and Alger where he stays until July 1943 and gets his first leave after three and a half years of service !
He stayed in Larksville and joined the 416th Bomb Group based at Laurel Army Airfield in Mississippi in November 1943, the unit was equipped with B-25 bombers, he remained on site until January 1944 and on February 1 the unit was transferred to Station 170 at Wethersfield, Essex, where she was assigned to the 9th US Air Force and was one of the first units to receive Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers. In the first weeks the crews carry out training missions to adapt to the changes between the two types of bombers. From March 1944, the missions are targeted at V1 sites in the north of France.
Joseph begins on March 4, 1944 on mission, this is the second mission of the 416th Bomb Group.
Joseph performs five other missions between the months of March and April.
On March 19, during his third mission, he was wounded without any gravity by projectiles reaching his bomber.
April 23 as the day rises Joseph attends the briefing of his new mission. This is the bombing of a site of V1 "Noball (XI / A / 85)" in the Pas-de-Calais.
37 bombers are assigned to the mission, ie 32 A-20G and 5 A-20J.
|