Pride of the Nation
Cover of 9 Lives by Aaron Elson

PX Store

Kassel Mission

 4piece Coaster Sets

4 ½ inch stone drink coasters imprinted with 445th logo.  Each white coaster is finished with a bull nose edge and protective cork backing.  Durable enough for everyday use yet nice enough for display in the optional hardwood holder or as a wall grouping.  High quality.
                 U.S. Sales:                                           Outside U.S.
            Coasters   $39.95                                 Coasters   $49.95
            Holder      $12.95                                 Holder       $17.95

U.S. purchases

Outside U.S. purchases


445th Bomb Group Polo Shirts
* 100% cotton pique
* 20,000 stitch embroidered
* Extra high quality and durable

Order via Paypal or send a check made payable to "KMHS" to:
    Duane Giesler
    220 Mary Lane
    Mankato, MN 56001

Please note quantity, sizes, shipping address and phone number for all orders.

US Sales - $39.95, Outside US Sales $53.95. Add $5.00 for 2X

U.S. purchases
Polo Shirt Sizes
 Outside U.S. purchases
Polo Shirt Sizes

See Also: 445th Bomb Group Mugs | Caps | T-Shirts | Patches

  Rudolph Birsic's Unit History of the 445th Bomb Group, revised edition

   The first revision in 63 years of this classic unit history includes the 1947 original printing as well as the 1950 supplement. It contains more than 240 photographs, 4,400 names of personnel assigned to the unit, and updates on the 280-mission listing of targets bombed. Birsic was the adjutant of the 445th.

Paperback: 364 pages, Binding: Perfect, Publisher: Michael Simpton

  The history of the 445th Bomb Group is available through the KMHS PX at the   special reduced price of $89.95, which includes shipping and handling. This   represents a 10% savings on the regular price.

         

Pride of the Nation

Pride of the Nation: the story of that disastrous mission and the reconciliation of former enemies years later

September 27, 1944: Should be a milk run. . . The only thing is, 150 elite Luftwaffe Stormgruppe fighters surprise you. Chances are you won't be coming back.

The 8th United States Army Air Force suffers its worst bomb group loss in history when it sends 35 Liberator bombers of the 445th Bomb Group, 2nd Air Division toward Kassel.

Four make it home.

This documentary is part of the commitment by the Joseph G. Dzenowagis family to preserve the history of the 2nd Air Division 8th USAAF and its English friends in WWII. DVD/VHS - 88 minutes


US Sales: $33 incl. S&H

 Europe Sales: $35 incl. S&H


Cover of 9 Lives by Aaron Elson

9 Lives, by Aaron Elson (Paperback, 184 pages)

    In 1999, oral historian Aaron Elson visited the German village of Heimboldshausen, where a buddy of his father's was killed during World War 2. Aaron's father was a tanker, so what's he doing writing about the Kassel Mission? He lined up two German historians to meet him in the village, and one of those historians was Walter Hassenpflug. The rest, as they say, is history.

    When Aaron returned to the U.S., he began interviewing Kassel Mission survivors. Several of those interviews are on this site, and others are on his original web site, tankbooks.com. In "9 Lives," he includes narratives drawn from three of those interviews, with Kay Brainard Hutchins, George Collar and Frank Bertram. Actually, he never did interview Bertram, who spoke for almost three hours into a tape recorder and sent Aaron the tapes, which he then transcribed. Also included are narratives drawn from six other fascinating interviews.

US Sales Only: $14.95 incl S & H

The Kassel Cassettes - An oral history audiobook

21 hours on 21 CDs

Interviews with survivors of one of World War II's most spectacular air battles.

"Listening to these interviews opens an entirely new dimension into the Kassel Mission. Nothing compares to hearing the voices of these airmen as they describe their experiences." - Linda Alice Dewey, President, KMHS

US Sales Only
$28.95 inc. S & H
  
Europe Sales
$36.95 inc. S & H


  Personal 445th Bomb Group Combat Mission Histories

  Created by Mike Simpson, Originated by Dick Gelvin

  US Sales Only: $90.00  including shipping and handling     (16% goes to KMHS!)

 

          

KMHS / 445th Bomb Group Ceramic Mugs
* Colorful design and wide handles for easy lifting
* Available in time for the Holidays. Order yours today!

U.S Sales : $19.90 includes S&H:

On domestic orders of more than two mugs, email us for shipping charges.




Europe Sales: $25.76 includes S&H

Cap  

445th Bomb Group Caps

Everybody’s favorite, 445th caps — white with gold braid — best of the best with the colorful, beautifully embroidered patch showing a B-24, all designed by Ira Weinstein of the Kassel Mission.

US Sales: $20.35 inc S & H
 
Europe Sales: $24.55 + $9.55 S & H

Patch  

445th Bomb Group Embroidered Patches


Add to jackets, blazers, caps, etc.
US Sales: $11.02 inc S & H
 
Europe Sales: $11.49 + $1.49 S & H


T-Shirts
T-shirt Back View 		   

445th Bomb Group T-Shirts: Ladies and Mens

Ladies and men's styles
Steel gray, Hanes cotton pre-shrunk, good quality.
Design by Dave Shafer from a photo his dad took of the 445th, this time flying across the flag.

Sizes: Women's S-2XL , Men's M-2XL

Please select your choice:

US Sales
$23 + $9 S & H

Europe Sales
$23 + $14 S & H

  OUT OF STOCK Books:

Not Home for Christmas by John Meurs (Paperback, 544 pages)

When author John Meurs was a nine-year-old schoolboy living in Nazi-occupied Holland, an American B-17 bomber crashed behind his house near the village of Apeldoorn. The date was Sunday, November 26, 1944. Meurs always wanted to know more about what happened in the air on that Thanksgiving Sunday. So, more than sixty years later he started researching the B-17. He quickly found that the bomber was part of the 8th Air Force Air Combat Command. Meurs findings intrigued him and after discovering many interesting facts, Meurs focused his research on the 34 heavy bombers of the Mighty Eighth that were lost that day. He collected the personal stories of veterans who lived through it, families of veterans lost, and witnesses of the crashes. These first-hand recollections, captured in this book, provide a compelling and terrifying account of the reality of war. Thanks to the noble men of the Mighty Eighth who would not be home for Christmas in 1944 and their comrades in arms, many people the world over now live in peace and freedom. Five chapters of this book are dedicated to crews of the 445th Bomb Group -- Boykin, Barringer, Harris, Snow and McPartland -- all of which were missing in action after the mission of Sunday, Nov. 26, 1944.


Ray Parker Book

TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK

"Down In Flames"

Lt. Ray Parker reveals an incredible World War II story. Shot down over France, Ray is taken prisoner by the Germans. But he continues his struggle against the enemy by running an underground newspaper for the 9,000 downed allied airmen at Stalag Luft 1. Ray shares for the first time his tale of hope, fear and unrelenting courage in the face of the enemy.

"Once I started reading "Down in Flames," I couldn't put it down. It's well written and kept me turning the pages. Ray Parker was head writer on my Daily CBS-tv show, "House Party," but he never talked about bombing missions over Germany during World War II and surviving a Nazi prison camp. What a Surprise! I can certainly recommend this book."

- Art Linkletter, host of "House Party" and "Kids Say the Darndest Things"