1st Lt. Howard W. Beaver
79th Troop Carrier Squadron
Howard Wesley Beaver
He was born on July 30, 1917 in Fairbury, Jefferson County, Nebraska. His parents were Alfrieda Overgard and Glen Wesley Beaver. Howard was their only child. He was raised in Nebraska.
After Howard graduated from High School, he enlisted in the 27th Infantry in the Army known as the Wolfhounds in 1937. He was assigned to Hawaii for the next 3 years as a motor pool driver and eventually was the Regimental Dispatcher. He returned to the US in January, 1940 and joined the Army Reserves. He went back to Nebraska to farm and raise cattle on his dad's ranch. He also worked as a mail carrier in Kearney, Nebraska.
In February, 1941 he was reactivated and assigned to the Cooks and Bakers School as well as the Mess Sergeants' School. He eventually became an instructor there and was in charge of the mess hall for the holding prison at Fort Leavenworth for the next 6 months.
Howard Beaver served with the 27th Infanry at Hawaii before the war.
Invitation for the dance honoring the Class of 43-E who graduated. Invited by Class of 43-F. And 'Happy Birthday' matches.
Lt. Howard W. Beaver, Army Serial Number O-680156. Pilot in the 79th Troop Carrir Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group.
In February, 1941 he was reactivated and assigned to the Cooks and Bakers School as well as the Mess Sergeants' School. He eventually became an instructor there and was in charge of the mess hall for the holding prison at Fort Leavenworth for the next 6 months.
He was then accepted into the Aviation Cadet Flight Training Program in Nashville, Tennessee where he met his future wife, Lyda Mae Livingston.
In 1942 he was with the Air Force and started his flight training. The first flight logged in his logbook is on November 13, 1942. A local flight at Muskogee in a PT-19. Exactly 13 days later, on the 26th, he logged his first minutes flying solo.
On January 11 1943 he flew his last minutes in the PT-19 and was certified. He had 28;05 hours dual and 31;59 solo hours.
His next flight would be on January 20 at S.A.A.F. This time the type of aircraft was the BT-13A. On February 3 he acted for the first time as dual instructor. He kept flying the BT-13A till March 19, 1943. He logged 15:20 hours dual, 48:25 solo and 10:25 as instructor. The flights included cross country flights, by daylight and by night.
On March 30 1943 Howard started flying at Altus. First with a Curtis AT-9 and then the Cessna AT-17. Transition, formation, instrument day and night flights were part of the deal. His training ended May 21, 1943. His logbook shows that he had 12:55 hours dual, 64:00 hours solo, 46:40 hours as co-pilot, 13:30 hours on the Link trainer and 20:25 hours instruments. A total of 13:35 hours. Flight Certified.
He earned a commission as a 2nd Lt in the Army Air Corps and was assigned to Austin, Texas to receive further training on C-47 transports. He and Lyda were married in Alliance, Nebraska.
Howard Beaver during training.
He was assigned to the 79th Troop Carrier Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group and got training in single and double glider towing, paratrooper training and formation flying.
On December 29 he left the USA for England where he arrives on January 17, 1944.
On June 6, 1944, he was in the first group to drop paratroopers over Normandy. He then returned to England and towed troop-laden gliders on the 7th of June to reinforce the paratroopers.
He flew wih 1st Lt. Robert Stoddart (pilot), T/Sgt. Ivan Thede (crew chief) and T/Sgt Howard G. Wilson during those missions with C-47 # 42-100522. On the first mission they flew in position 15 of the serial, carrying paratroopers of the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion.
In July he moved to Italy to participate on the invasion of southern France and flew missions on August 15 and 16. Later that month he returned with his outfit to England.
A crew photo taken sometime before the Holland operation. Left to right: 1st Lt. Robert S. Stoddart Jr., 1st Lt. Howard W. Beaver, T/Sgt. Ivan W. Thede and T/Sgt. Howard G. Wilson.
On September 17, Stoddart and Thede were Killed in Action when their plane crashed on the Drop Zone in Holland.
Lt. Beaver had received his own plane and was not flying with this crew on the Holland operation. But he had flown the previous months with them, including D-Day. The loss of these men was felt throughout the entire 79th Troop Carrier Squadron.
The next combat operation was Market Garden. On this operation he flew five missions to Holland. Starting on the 17th and continuing the following days. The flight of September 19 was not completed. On this operation, Lt. Beaver flew with an another crew and aircraft as the previous operations. Luck for him as his old aircraft was shot down. Lt. Stoddart and T/Sgt. Thede lost their lives in the crash. Lt. Beaver had his own aircraft and crew, C-47 # 42-24041.
17 September – drop 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
18 September – Glider tow 327th Glider Infantry Regiment
19 September – Glider tow, 327th Glider Infantry Regiment
23 September – Glider tow, 907th Glider Field Artillery
December brought the German offensive in the Ardennes and on December 23 he flew his first resupply mission to that area. Followed by one follow up mission to Bastogne.
The last combat mission was the Rhine mission, operation Varsity. Lt. Beaver flew with 42-24041 with the following crew; 2nd Lt. Richard Manetta, (copilot), T/Sgt. Raymond Hopkins (crew chief) and S/Sgt. Lytle Lindeberg (radio operator). Two glider were towed to LZ-S near Wesel.
Like all other Troop Carrier flying personnel he must have flown countless resupply missions and evacuation missions. In the end he flew ex POW’s and displaced persons to their homeland, including Denmark where his mother’s roots were.
Left: Lt. Howard W. Beaver, 79th Troop Carrier Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group, poses with his ship. Above: Like all other Troop Carrier units, the 79th Troop Carrier Squadron flew many resupply mission and evacuated many wounded back to England. This photo shows Lt. Howard Beaver's C-47, tail number 42-24041. The plane was lost in 1950.
He continued flying C-47s, C-46s, and C-82's during his assignments at Langley Field, West Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina and Scott AFB, Illinois in 1949. After going to Communications school, he became the Commanding Officer of the Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron. He initiated and trained personnel to operate early warning sites in Fortuna, North Dakota in 1950 and Horonomaki, Japan in 1951. He was a Captain when he and his family lived in Omazaki, Japan and they were the only American family within 300 miles. He and his family returned to the USA in 1954 to Williamsburg ,Virginia as a Major. He was the Deputy Commander of the Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron and Wing Communications and Electronics Officer at O'Hare Field, Chicago, Illinois. In 1955, he was transferred to Stewart AFB, New York because O'Hare was closing as a military base and becoming a commercial airport. He was in command of the Boston Air Defense Sector at Stewart AFB, Newburgh, New York. He quit flying at this time due to his eyes. He went into Civil Service and worked at Ent AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado for Defense Communications Organization which was later transferred to Scott AFB, Belleville, Illinois. He had a total of 35 years working for the military as either active or civil service. He had served in both WW II & the Korean War & had also served in both the Army & the Army Air Corps (later to be renamed the US Air Force).
After retiring, he started a business of water hauling and also drove the shuttle bus between Scott AFB and Lambert Field, St Louis and also drove a bus for day care children.
He died March 3, 1991 at Scott Air Force Base Hospital, Belleville, Illinois. He was buried with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, Missouri with his wife Lyda.
Avery special THANK YOU to Jim Beaver an Pam Keck for their help and friendship.