"Our squadron turned over in the time that I was there roughly--now this is losses from combat--we turned over about four times. (Audio Interview, Part 1, 26:07.2)

George J. Laben

George Laben while home on leave, Crown Point, Indiana [3/1945] War: World War II, 1939-1946; Cold War Era, 1945-1991; Cold War Era, 1945-1991 Branch: Air Force Unit: 2nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 343rd Group, 10th Air Force Service Location: China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater; United States Rank: Lieutenant Colonel Place of Birth: St. Anne, IL

In seventeen months stationed in India and Burma during World War II, George Laben flew 245 missions in a C-47 transport plane, an aircraft he still praises for its maneuverability and general ease of flying. He dodged Japanese planes by flying low enough to the ground to be mistaken for ground cover, and never lost a plane or a crew member, even though the overall losses in his squadron were enormous. Occasionally, he flew night missions undercover for the OSS, dropping off men (in parachutes) and supplies, and on one memorable flight, a half-dozen unauthorized bombs. Laben readily admits he never took off without feeling some discomfort, though he always believed he would make it back home from every flight.