The Saga of Sunshine

by mark

My dad, Angelo Melchiorre, served in the Army Air Corp during WWII as a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator named Sunshine. On March 29, 1944 Sunshine was forced to land in enemy territory. My dad and the rest of the crew spent the next 13 months in a German POW camp.

Sunshine

Read the story: The Saga of Sunshine

Keywords: 719th Squadron, 449th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, Combat #5, Serial# 42-52106 , Grottaglie, Venegono Inferiore, Varese, Italy, Italia, Stalag Luft #1, Barth, Germany, WWII, World War II

Tagged as: history

  • Sergio

    Dear Mark,
    It was a pleasure for me to read the story of the Sunshine and of your father. In 1944 when the plane landed I was 10 years old and I live there with my family. The exact name of the area is Venegono Inferiore, in the Province of Varese, Italy, about 40km. north-west of Milan and about 20km. south of Switzerland. I did remember that enormous plane, compared to the Italian Savoia-Marchetti 3-engine ones at the time. As I am a radioamateur since 1957 (my prefix is: I2GAG). If you would like to send me your e-mail address, I would be pleased to attach 3 original photographs of the B.24 Liberators taken on the Venegono air strip just after landed! I would be very interested in learning which kind of radio was the Sunshine equipped with. I do not know whether you still speak some Italian, anyhow I wish you all the best for you and your family from Italy.

    Ciao! Sergio

  • Sergio Gaggiani

    Milano, Italy 23/12/2007

    Tanti Auguri Mark di Buon Natale e Nuovo Anno,
    a te e famiglia, e anche a tutti i parenti Melchiorre,
    di America e anche a quelli che abitano in italia.

    Sergio

    (Google translated text:
    Mark, Good wishes for a Merry Christmas and New Year, to yourself, your family, and all the Melchiorre relatives in America and those who live in italy.)

  • Sergio Gaggiani

    Milano, Italia, 15 marzo 2008
    Un Augurio di una Buona Pasqua, che sia di Pace e prosperita’
    a tutte le Comunita’ del Sito WEB (family.melchiorre.com)

    Saluti a tutti

    Sergio Gaggiani (I2GAG)

    Rough translation: A happy and prosperous Easter to all the Melchiorre family.

  • Mary Lee Scala

    Sergio,
    I’m Mark’s mother. It was so interesting to read your story about my husbands airplane and thank you for your Holiday greetings to us.
    May you have a good year. God Bless You.
    Mary Lee

  • tom tersillo

    my dad aldo tersillo was in the 449th 719, his plane was lonesome he was part of the orinanal 449th north africa. grottaglie, he met my mom there married her and brought her to the states, he passed away sept 1 2006, im looking for any info on ther 449th im part of the 2nd generation group,

  • Denise Guttenberg

    I loved stumbling across your story. I’m pretty sure that the Samuel Guttenberg, navigator, in your story is my father-in-law. I know that he was a B-24 navigator and was a POW in Germany for about a year. He passed away in 2001, but is survived by his wife, four children, and 3 grandchildren. His family home in New Orleans was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. (At the time of the storm, his widow and daughter still lived in the house.) The house was very close to one of the levee breaches, so there was 8 to 9 feet of water in the entire neighborhood for about 3 weeks. Their house was one story, so needless to say, everything was destroyed. (Not much survives when it sits in water for 3 weeks.) Can I get a reprint of your story. I have printed it from the internet, but would love a better copy, along with copies of anything else you care to share. It will be wonderful to share this with his widow and pass on the story to my two sons. Sam was a man of very few words, especially when it came to his wartime experiences. You’re a great story teller. Thanks for sharing.

  • Mary Lee Scala

    Denise,
    I’ve just checked into our Melchiorre Family site and saw your letter about your father-in-law. Angelo, the tail gunner, was my husband. He died in 1972. He also never talked about his war experiences. I just recently talked with someone who said he used to talk to one of his brothers about things but he is also dead so I have no way of knowing for sure if he did or not.
    My son Mark who created this site lives in Calif. He was visiting with me this past week and just left this morning. Had I seen this earlier I could have asked him if he replied to you. While he was here we got out a box of everything containing his Dad’s war records, story’s, pictures, books and prints about their captivity and rescue. A crew member, Malcom Harper, is still alive and lives in Calif. Several years ago when I visited Calif. I met him. We used to keep in touch about once a year but it’s been at least 2 years since we last talked. He also never talked about their experiences.
    There was one crew member that was separated from the rest and taken to Austria. I believe he was the radio operator. He lived about 20 miles from us and his family and ours visited back and forth often while my husband lived. He also never talked about his experiences.
    I’ll check back on the site sometime and if I have any other info that I think would interest you, I can see that you get it.
    I think family history is important to pass on to other generations.

  • Sergio Gaggiani

    Milano 21 Giugno 2009
    Gentil Signora Mary Lee Scala
    Solamente in questi giorni mi sono accorto della lettera del 27/3/08,
    a me indirizzata e la ringrazio.
    Dal 1963 sono ritornato a vivere a Milano mia citta’ natale, con mia
    moglie Mary.
    Venegono Inferiore dove era atterrato Angelo con il suo B24, si trova
    a circa 40 Km a Nord Ovet della citta’ di Milano.
    Qui riposano i miei cari genitori e parenti ed il cimitero, non dista piu
    du 500 metri dal campo di aviazione, che ora e’ un campo civile e non piu’
    militare.
    Un augurio a Lei di un buon estate di vacanza ed un saluto a suo figlio Marco.
    Sergio Gaggiani

    Milan, June 21, 2009
    Gentle Ms. Mary Lee Scala
    Only these days I found the letter dated 27/3/08, to me. Thank you.
    Since 1963, I returned to live in Milan my city ‘hometown,’ to my
    wife Mary.
    Lower Venegono where Angelo had landed with his B24, is
    about 40 km north of the city Ovet ‘di Milano.
    There lie my dear parents and relatives and the cemetery is not more
    than 500 m from the field of aviation, and that now ‘civil’ and no longer military.
    Best wishes to you for a good summer holiday and a greeting to his son Marco. —Sergio Gaggiani

  • Mary Lee Scala

    Dear Sergio,
    I was delighted to hear from you. Hope all is well with you and your family.
    One of my Grandsons was in Italy about 2 years ago and I believe he is planning to go back in late summer or early fall. We’ll have to find out if you live any where close to where he will be going. I’ll get some information from him the next time I see him.
    I would love to have a picture of you and your family.
    Praying all is well with your family and that you and yours also have a good summer.
    I’m expecting a call from Mark tonight and I will give him your greeting. He calls every Sunday night.
    Peace to you and yours. Mary Lee Scala

  • Yvette Puff Gonzalez

    My father was the John D Puff. One of the crew. I was so pleased to have been able to read the story of the crew. My Dad passed away last year so this was very meaningful to me. We (all Americans) should be proud of them.

  • http://www.gmpat.it Stefano Zaghetto

    Dear Mark,
    I’m an italian modeler, and I like to study the story of airplanes.
    I’m very happy to discovered this site, dedicated to your father, because his history is crossed to the story of my friend Lello, one of the two man who captured the “Sunshine” when landed at Venegono on april 30, 1944. Lello, a radio operator and Guido, and engineer of Siai Marchetti S79, were the first to run to the B24, and when one of the crew opened the door asked: “Switzerland?”, Guido said “No, Italy!” and stopped the crew with his Beretta. Few minutes after came others, one of these was the S79′s pilot Ottone Sponza. Later came German soldiers and the story changed…
    I live in Padua, and Lello, 89 years old, lives nearby, 2 chilometers from me.
    On 26 september we will open the modelling contest “Più Piccoli del Vero 2009″, where Lello and other veterans will be special guests. You can see us on
    http://www.gmpat.it . Lello is on page http://www.gmpat.it/operazionegobbo.htm
    Your work dedicated to your father on this site is very important!
    I hope that you can read this message, I will be proud to present Lello to you and your family for any questions.
    You can contact me via email.
    Please sorry for my English…

    Best regards

    Stefano.

  • Mary Lee Scala

    Stefano,
    What modern technology can do! Who would ever think that years after my husbands plane landed and he became a prisoner of war that I would be hearing from someone who knew all the details about his plane landing on enemy territory and knew one of the men who first arrived at the plane. I sincerely thank you for getting in touch with my son, Mark. Thanks also for the pictures of your friend who met the plane. War is war and one does what they must do. Give my regards to Lello.
    Mark heard last year from a man who was 10yrs. old when Mark’s fathers plane landed close to where he was. He said it was the biggest plane he’d ever seen. Thanks for your uplifting comments to my son, Mark.

    Peace to you.
    Mary Lee Scala

  • Trevis Butcher

    I found this to be an great site to share WWII history with my Kids, my son would like to quote part of the Poem “There is a Mission Today” however the contest he would like to present it in requires a photo copy of a publication that it is printed in. Please share any information you might have of where this may have been published at one time.

    Thanks

    Trevis (trevisbutcher@gmail.com)

  • Paige Wiltse Petersen

    Mark, Thanks for the wonderful story. My dad Henry Alexander Wiltse was the Bombardier of the original crew of Sunshine, and he and Sidney (Red) Stephens brought her over from the US (Florida) To Battaglia. Just before your dad became part of her crew, my dad and his crew were transferred to the 448th and moved to England.
    Sunshine played a vital role in the raids over Ploesti, and I have some bomb run photos of that day that were taken by my dad during the bomb drops.
    Sunshine was a very vital part of alot of men’s lives as she was the “Best plane in the AAC”. Dad and “Uncle Red” said that if it wasn’t for her they never would have made it home.
    Thank you for keeping their memory alive..
    Paige Wiltse Petersen

  • Maria McEwen

    Any suggestion you may have re: the following search would be appreciated:

    I am seeking to connect with families, friends, etc. of Marshal Tito’s Yugoslav partisans who helped my uncle and his B-24 crew to march out of Yugoslavia after they crash-landed near Zagreb on 4/23/1944.

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