Biographies of Participating Historians & Scholars

Brian Hugh Mahoney, MLS, himself a son of a WW II combat flier and leader, has long been a serious amateur historian and has recently professionalized his interest in narrative artifacts and records with graduate studies concentrated on archival practice. Because he is very well traveled in both East Anglia (UK) where the US 8th Air Force was based and in its major target areas across Europe, he is frequently consulted for guidance by parties looking for historical authenticity in trips of historically informed, personal closure. He is in regular correspondence with veterans from both sides of the conflict, assists in documentary interviews, and aids researchers on both sides of the Atlantic. He self-published the serially co-authored presentation of his late father's WW II retrospective, Reluctant Witness: Memoirs of the Last Year of the European Airwar 1944-45. Brian received his Masters in Library Science from Queens College (2009), and his BA in Philosophy from Cornell University (1978).

Paul is the historian for the 492nd Bomb Group's official website, 492ndBombGroup.com. Paul Arnett is a petroleum engineer by trade. Together with his computer nerd brother David, they built and manage the website for the 492nd BG, which is quite likely the most robust military unit website in existence. It thoroughly documents the missions, crews, aircraft and personnel of the 492nd Bomb Group at North Pickenham. Paul has probably learned more about the 492nd than most of the men who served in it and has extensive knowledge on the 8th Air Force and World War II in general.

Allan Blue was the first author to write about the forgotten 492nd Bomb Group. His interest in the group came about quite by accident. A brother had served in the sister 491st Bomb Group and had been killed on one of their missions. He came to East Anglia to uncover the last days of his brother's life. While doing his research, he learned about the hard luck 492nd Bomb Group and a lifelong passion was ignited. Allan was also an expert on B-24 aircraft and their variants. He was generally regarded as the foremost expert on the B-24 Liberator bomber and was often asked to serve as a consultant with authors and filmmakers. Allan Blue passed away on April 2, 2016.

Russell Ives is a British amateur historian. His interest was piqued many years ago when in 1975 he and a friend "discovered" the wreckage of a B-24 liberator in the Pennine Mountains near his home of Yorkshire. They had come across the remains of the last flight of the Pitsenbarger crew from the old 492nd BG. The story was well known in the villages of Holme and Harrington. Russell's interest grew from just this one crew to doing research on the entire 492nd BG, with the result of "89 Days" being published in 1998, followed by "I Come From California" in 2001. Russell has served in the RAF and actually flew in the last squadron of four engine heavy bombers still in use from WWII, flying the Avro Shackleton. He also flew Phantom Jets & Whirlwind MK10 Helicopters while serving in the RAF.

Charles Bastien was a co-pilot who served in the 492nd BG. He was a member of the Grettum-Nelson CREW 714. He was in the same squadron as CREW 713 and was a witness to 2 key events in CREW 713's history. He witnessed firsthand their disastrous 7th mission and was in the crowd the day they pulled into their hardstand after their 30th and final mission. We interviewed Mr. Bastien in 2008 and his interview is a key element of the story line of the film. He wrote the book "32 Co-Pilots" to reflect the group's history from the standpoint of the co-pilots from 32 crews who were transferred into the 492nd BG early in March of 1944 when the group was still training stateside at Alamogordo, NM. Charles Bastien passed away in December, 2012.

Robin Janton was an Ohio native who has written a history of one squadron from the 492nd BG, the 859th Bomb Squadron. This entire squadron was transferred, planes, crews, officers, and ground personnel to the 467th BG when the original 492nd BG was disbanded in August of 1944. His father, the late Robert Janton, was a crew chief who worked on many a B-24 liberator from the 859th Bomb Squadron. He achieved a remarkable record of success in "keeping ‘em flying". Robin is a veteran of the US Army, serving from 1964-1966 with the 1st Cavalry Division and 2nd Infantry Division in Korea. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1963 and passed away on April 29, 2016.

Peter is an engineer with over twenty years experience in passenger aircraft cabin safety. He is a private pilot and a trustee on the board of directors of the 44th Bomb Group Museum, at Shipdham Airfield. Peter has written 15 books on various B-24 Liberator Bomb Groups that served in the 2nd Air Division. Eighth Air Force. East Anglia. England. Liberator Publishing was created specifically to produce books pertaining to WWII aerodromes of the USAAF in Norfolk. It was founded in 2005 with the aim of bringing this era and this section of British shared history with the American Armed Forces, to a wider and non-enthusiast audience. Its aim over the next few years is to produce a series of these photograph based, informative books that appeal to all, covering all the USAAF Bomber bases across the county. Peter earned his degree in Engineering Design from Letchworth Polytechnic in 1966.

Rick was born on September 15, 1944. On that day, his father Nello Centore was a POW in Germany. Nello Centore was the engineer/top turret gunner for the Val Preda Crew 601 of the 856th Bomb Squadron of the 492nd BG. They were shot down on the toughest mission the 492nd flew in its brief life, the June 20th raid to Politz, Germany. Rick enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1963 and became a helicopter avionics technician. He deployed to Viet Nam in 1965 and during his tour of duty he flew combat missions as a door gunner and was awarded the Air Medal. After returning to civilian life, Rick worked for over 40 years as an industrial electrician and technician. He has had an interest in military history and aviation for most of his life. He volunteers as a docent and aircraft restorer at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut where he and his fellow volunteers are currently at work restoring an A-26 Invader bomber from WWII.

Christine is the daughter of Ruth Register, and the granddaughter of Edith Christianson. In the early 40's Ruth Register married a young man, Francis Register. Francis went off to become a dashing naval pilot, but was killed early in the War. Ruth decided not to grieve forever, but instead joined the Red Cross. She was sent to the European Theater of Operations where she was assigned to the 492nd BG. The letters she wrote home to her mother, Edith and the letters Edith in turn wrote back to her, make for an often unseen look into the War. A look into the war as seen from a woman's point of view. It is a remarkable story and a window into how the folks back home fought the War on the home front. Christine Woods is employed in the public relations industry in Texas.

Dennis Toth has worked in the film industry for over 40 years and is currently employed by R & R Consulting. He co-authored the paper "Independent Film Funding: A Structured Approach" for the Spring 2012 (Volume 18, Number 1) issue of The Journal of Structured Finance. As part of this project, he wrote the Film Fund-amental blog column on the R&R web site. 'This was part of our efforts to create a level of high visibility for the project as well as to increase the awareness of the R&R name within the independent film community'. Dennis has also written film reviews for the Columbus Guardian, was an adjunct professor at The Columbus College of Art & Design and served as the Coordinator of Film and A/V Programs at The Columbus Museum of Art, from1978 to 1992. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio.

For 32 years Steven worked at the General Motors Willow Run Hydra-Matic/Powertrain Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan. This was formerly known as the Ford Willow Run B-24 Bomber Plant during WWII. This was the famed plant which; when running at peak capacity, was capable of producing a complete B-24 Liberator bomber every hour for 24 hours non-stop. A truly remarkable achievement. During his 32 years with GM, Steven served as the Plant Historian regarding WWII production of the B-24. He still holds this unofficial honor to this day. "What an awesome feeling to have worked in the plant where I walked among the ghosts and memories within the hallowed walls where 8,685 Liberators were manufactured." Sadly, the plant was demolished in 2010. During the same period and then some, he was both a moderator and prolific writer on the now defunct and excellent armyairforces.com website. Steven is currently an Admin on the Second Air Division Heritage League Facebook Group and the Willow Run Village People Facebook Group. He is also a "lifetime" member of the Yankee Air Museum. He lives in retirement in Michigan with his wife, surrounded by grandkids and cheers on Notre Dame football every Fall.

In addition to the scholars listed above, CREW 713 owes a large debt of gratitude to two individuals from England who have preserved the memory of the 492nd Bomb Group in North Pickenham. I would be remiss in not thanking Allan Sirrell and Tony Wallis for their support and encouragement.