| Title |
Simon K. Benson, Provo, Utah: an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann, August 29, 2002: Saving the Legacy tape no. 526 |
| Alternative Title |
Simon K. Benson, Saving the legacy: an oral history of Utah's World War II veterans, ACCN 2070, American West Center, University of Utah |
| Creator |
Benson, Simon K., 1923-2003 |
| Contributor |
University of Utah. American West Center; Bahlmann, Benjamin J. |
| Publisher |
Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah |
| Date |
2002-08-29 |
| Date Digital |
2015-12-16 |
| Access Rights |
I acknowledge and agree that all information I obtain as a result of accessing any oral history provided by the University of Utah's Marriott Library shall be used only for historical or scholarly or academic research purposes, and not for commercial purposes. I understand that any other use of the materials is not authorized by the University of Utah and may exceed the scope of permission granted to the University of Utah by the interviewer or interviewee. I may request permission for other uses, in writing to Special Collections at the Marriott Library, which the University of Utah may choose grant, in its sole discretion. I agree to defend, indemnify and hold the University of Utah and its Marriott Library harmless for and against any actions or claims that relate to my improper use of materials provided by the University of Utah. |
| Spatial Coverage |
England; Germany |
| Subject |
Benson, Simon K., 1923-2003--Interviews; Veterans--Utah--Biography; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American |
| Description |
Transcript (59 pages) of an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann with Simon K. Benson on August 29, 2002. From tape number 526 in the "Saving the Legacy" Oral History Project |
| Collection Number and Name |
Accn2070, Saving the Legacy oral history project, 2001-2010 |
| Abstract |
Benson (b. 1923) grew up in Parowan, Utah. He discusses his family, farming, schooling, and work. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps, was inducted at Fort Douglas, and sent to Pullman, Washington, for civilian flight training in March 1943. From there, his training included: pre-flight at Santa Ana, California; basic flight at Marana Air Base in Tucson, Arizona; and advanced training at Pecos, Texas. He was sent to Yuma, Arizona, for B-17 gunnery training before joining his crew in Lincoln, Nebraska. Transported across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary in March 1945, he joined the 8th Air Force, 94th Bombardment Group, 410th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) at Bury St. Edmund, England. His first mission was in April 1945. He completed six missions before the war ended. After the war, he helped ship supplies into Germany and other war-affected countries. He returned home during the summer of 1946 for discharge. Benson worked as a school teacher in civilian life. Interviewed by Benjamin Bahlmann. 59 pages. |
| Type |
Text |
| Genre |
oral histories (literary works) |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Extent |
59 pages |
| Language |
eng |
| Rights |
 |
| Scanning Technician |
Mazi Rakhsha |
| Conversion Specifications |
Original scanned with Kirtas 2400 and saved as 400 ppi uncompressed TIFF. PDF generated by Adobe Acrobat Pro X for CONTENTdm display |
| ARK |
ark:/87278/s6rf7x5w |
| Topic |
Personal narratives--American; Veterans; World War (1939-1945) |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1027634 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6rf7x5w |
| Title |
Page 25 |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1027599 |
| OCR Text |
Show IM K.BEN 0 T 29 2002 monoplane featuring retractable main landing gear and wing trailing-edge flap , both electrically actuated. In 1940, the US Army Air Corps ordered thirty-three modified T- 50s as multi-engine advanced trainers under the designation AT-8. Later upgraded versions were designated AT-17. In 1942, the Air Corps adopted another version of the Bobcat for operational use as a light personnel transport. The operational plane were technically transports rather than trainers and were given the designation UC-78. Airmen probably used the different Air Corps designations for the Bobcat interchangeably. By the end of World War II, Cessna had produced more than 4,600 Bobcats for the Air Corps, sixty-seven of which were transferred to the US Navy as JRC- 1s. In addition, 822 Bobcats had been produced for the Royal Canadian Air Force as Crane 1s.] BB: Did you want to fly multiengine or did you want to fly single-engine? SKB: I liked the multiengine a lot. BB: So you weren't into aerobatics so much. You preferred the mellow side of flying. SKB: Well, I like aerobatics, but if one engine went I still wanted an engine that could carry on. It happened. BB: Were there any events about your time in Pecos that stand out in your mind? SKB: I didn't have any accidents or anything. We had some storms. I went from there to Yuma, Arizona, to transition into B-17. [Editor's note: When Mr. Benson successfully completed advanced training at Pecos he and the other successful cadets would have received their pilot wings and finally received commissions as second lieutenants in the USAAF. A graduation ceremony was usually held, attended by the cadets' families. The men marched in review, received their commissions and pilot's wings. US Army officers were required to buy their own uniforms, so at some point the graduating cadets would 25 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6rf7x5w/1027599 |
