The 489th Bombardment Squadron in Corsica


The Beach at Alesani, Corsica

The guys spent much of their free time down at the beach when the weather was nice. In the life raft is a gunner named Richardson, Bill Devine and my dad, Quentin Kaiser. Richardson became a bombardier after they asked for volunteers due to a shortage of bombardiers. My dad declined despite the fact it would up his rank and pay.
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing- absolute nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing..."From "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame.



This is a C-47 buzzing the guys on the beach at Alesani, Corsica. The men swam and sunbathed naked here so maybe it's a good thing this picture is out of focus.



Here's my dad in one of the life rafts where the Alesani River flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea and just hanging out at the beach in the summer of 1944.



My father took this photo of three B-25s buzzing the beach at Alesani, Corsica.



My dad caught these seven guys getting ready to shove-off in their motorized life rafts.


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