Lieutenant Olin O. Odom Junior twenty six, B-17 navigator-bombardier

Creator

Preview

Identifier

20034325

Description

Former TWC Student Back from German Prison Camp. Lt. Olin O. Odom, Jr. 26, B-17 navigator-bombardier, who spent 10 months in Stalag Luft 3, 70 miles from Berlin, got back to Fort Worth Thursday. Odom told how after making a bomb run on Munich April 24, 1944, his ship was attacked and destroyed by German fighters. "I jumped at 23,000 feet, opened my chute at 3,000," he said. "No frost bites that way." German infantry grabbed him when he hit the ground, and it was there that he met the only decent German he encountered. "They stripped me of all my possessions, including my wedding ring, but a luftwaffe major who happened along made them give the wedding band back," Odom said. It was solitary confinement for a while, questioning and threats for military information, then steadily decreasing food at Stalag Luft 3. He lined his two blankets with newspapers in an effort to stay warm at night. When he got out of the camp and Russian forces took him to the U.S. military authorities at Moscow, Odom weight 106 pounds against a normal 155. He was flown back to the States via Italy, and after reporting to Washing he went immediately to Cisco to his wife, the former Miss Betty Clark, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. F.E. Clark of that city, and their 2 year old son, Olin III. Odom learned of the death of his father, Rev. O.O. Odom, veteran Central Texas Methodist pastor, last November only after getting back to this country. His mother lives at Handley, and a sister, Mrs. Carl E. Graner in Ft. Worth. Odom is shown wearing his military uniform. Published Fort Worth Star-Telegram Evening Edition May 1, 1945.

Archival Date

1945-05-17

Collection Name

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection

Collection Number

AR406-6-556

Original Format

Negatives, Black & White

File Format

JPG

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License

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Subjects

Military personnel