Julius Busse, who was with the 368th Fighter Squadron in World War II, looks at a B-24 parked at the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport. He was one of eight World War II veterans who visited the airport to see the aircraft and share stories about how the planes performed in combat flights. PETER CIHELKA/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

Veterans revisit their past

World War II veterans take a look at vintage aircraft--and reminisce about their service--at Warrenton-Fauquier Airport

Date published: 10/24/2009

By CATHY DYSON

The men who did their part to defeat the Nazi war machine praised the planes that took them into battle, almost five miles off the ground.

"The B-24 was a great airplane, and it's good to see one out on the runway today," said Walt Harris, an 88-year-old from Fairfax who was a co-pilot on 14 bombing missions during World War II.

Yesterday, Harris was among eight veterans who got in vans from retirement communities, or their own vehicles, and drove from Northern Virginia or Richmond to southern Fauquier County.

There, at the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport, they had another look at the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator, the planes known for being durable and dependable during the Great War.

The aircraft, as well as a P-51 Mustang, will be at the airport through tomorrow afternoon for the Wings of Freedom Tour, which honors the crews that flew them and attempts to educate younger Americans about their role in the war.

World War II veterans can go through the mammoth machines for free--and donations from SAIC, a Washington corporation, will cover the cost of their flights, if they want to take another ride. Others interested in lumbering over the skies above Fauquier in the restored aircraft will have to pay.

Frank Bolt, a veteran from Manassas, joked that he didn't want to board the B-24 again.

"Hell, no," he said, laughing. "I've spent all the time I want to in that damn plane."

He was a turret gunner aboard the bomber. "I didn't shoot any planes, but I scared the hell out of them," he said.

Most of the veterans who gathered in the airport hangar were with the 8th Air Force, whose bombing missions helped destroy Ger-man planes, manufacturing plants and fuel depots. Their efforts paved the way for D-Day and the ultimate Allied victory, according to a History Channel special the veterans watched.

"What makes it even more special is that we have people here today who flew those planes," said David Fields, who does volunteer work for the tour sponsor, the Collings Foundation in Massachusetts.

Fields passed the microphone to the former pilots and gunners, who talked about their missions and the men who never made it home.

"The odds were, you wouldn't make it," recalled Bob Noziglia, who survived 31 missions aboard a B-17, including two on D-Day.

The public is invited to look at the restored World War II aircraft that are part of the "Wings of Freedom Tour." The planes will be at the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport in Midland all weekend. HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. COST: $12 for adults and $6 for kids to tour the planes; no charge for World War II veterans. Rides are $425 per half hour for a bomber ride and $2,200 per half-hour, or $3,200 per hour, for a ride in a Mustang, a two-seat fighter. BOOK A FLIGHT at the airport or by calling 978/562-3255. AIRPORT is in southern Fauquier County. Take Route 17 north to a right on Route 28 in Bealeton. Go 3 miles to a right on Germantown Road, which becomes Midland Road. Follow it to the airport.

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Date published: 10/24/2009