DON GELHAUS
By Ryan Leavenworth
The men and women who served in World War II are the finest patriots our country has ever seen. The years between 1940 and 1946 were a true test of our country's ability to come together and fight to preserve all of the rights and freedoms this country was based upon. The men and women who proudly served our country succeeded in their test and proved to the rest of the world that the United States of America was not going to allow our freedom to be compromised. Don Gelhaus is a true example of the dedicated American who would risk his life to preserve the ideals of this great country.
Don Gelhaus was a graduate of Rosalia High School in 1940. He was attending Gonzaga University on a football scholarship when he decided he wanted to become a pilot. In the fall of 1941 Gelhaus received his pilot's license through the Civilian Pilot Training program. Upon receiving his pilot's license, he committed himself to the United States Air Force. In January 1943, he was called to active duty. He was more than happy to go to war to fight for the country he loved so much.
After attending Fighter Pilot Training he was sent to England to help fight against the Nazi regime in Europe. He served in the 9th Air Force 367th Fighter Group. He took part in one of the most dangerous but vitally important parts of the war, that is, low level bombing and strafing. Mr. Gelhaus commented that they would fly so low they would sometimes find small arms bullets in their planes. He flew the twin-engine P-38 Lightning for his first twenty-six missions.
From December 16, 1944 through January 28, 1945, Gelhaus was involved in The Battle of the Bulge, which was Hitler's last great offensive against the Allied Forces. He and his squadron had assigned targets to hit. After they hit those targets if they had enough fuel and ammunition left they were allowed to hit targets of opportunity, or any target they thought was worth going after.
On February 16, 1945, the 393rd flew their first mission in a P-47 Thunderbolt. Mr. Gelhaus' plane carried the name Green Devil. Whenever he mentioned his plane, he was always quick to mention his ground crew who helped so much to keep him in the air.
One of the most memorable P-47 missions he flew was on March 19, 1945. It was an attack on a castle and complex at Ziegenberg, which was the German Army Headquarters for their entire Western Front. The 367th Fighter Group was to converge on the castle for the first strike at 1330 hours. During that time several high-ranking German officers, including General Von Rundstedt, the Nazi leader of the German western front, were reported to be inside the compound. As it turned out, Von Rundstedt had been replaced by Field Marshal Albert Kesselring who survived the attack by rushing to an underground bunker built into the castle. After the war, when he was being interviewed by high ranking American officers, Kesselring whined about the United States attacking a position where he was known to be. The U.S. response to his complaint was, "It was war."
On March 19th of that war, Lieutenant Diefendorf led the P-47s of the 392nd Squadron in a dive bombing attack on the Castle from seven thousand feet, followed by Major Matheson leading the 394th Squadron in a similar attack on the castle and adjoining town of Ziegenberg in which many of the German western front staff lived. Each plane of the 392nd and 394th carried two one-thousand pound bombs.
Gelhaus' Squadron, the 393rd, followed carrying napalm bombs to burn up what was left. It was a mission of three separate attacks. Each squadron flew sixteen airplanes. Four days later, March 23rd, Major Chester Slingerland, who was Commanding Officer of the 393rd Squadron, was shot down and killed by ground fire on a mission near Griesheim, Germany.
The 367th Fighter Group was stationed at Eschborn Air Force Base West of Frankfurt when the war in Europe ended. Six of the 393rd Squadron pilots who had flown the Ziegenberg Castle raid drove the thirty miles north to visit and photograph the destruction.
Gelhaus and his 367th fighter group helped the Allies gain total air superiority in Europe so the Germans couldn't even move except during times of bad weather and at night. On the other hand, the Allies were able to get around with relative impunity.
Another one of Mr. Gelhaus' most vivid memories was that of a Nazi concentration camp. He got to see first-hand the horror and atrocities that took place in those camps.
"People are now trying to say that stuff never happened. But I was there, I saw it, and it was all too real."
Gelhaus' efforts contributed greatly to Hitler's demise. On May 9th, 1945, all hostilities ceased; the Americans had struck victory in Europe. His 367th fighter group received two Presidential Unit Citations, two Belgium Army Order of the Day Citations, and many letters of commendation.
I asked Don Gelhaus if he ever felt afraid. His answer was, "Yes. But you have to be brave at those times. Bravery doesn't mean you aren't afraid to do something. Bravery means you do it in spite of being afraid."
There were millions of men and women who took an active role in helping our country, whether it be troops in the Pacific or Atlantic Theater of Operations or the millions of men and women who helped at home to make certain the Allied troops always had the supplies they needed to survive. Our country will forever be in a debt of gratitude for those brave and patriotic individuals. As Americans we need to make sure to show our appreciation to those men and women so their accomplishments and sacrifices will be remembered forever.