By 1942, World War II in Europe was in full swing, and the 8th Air Force, with its mix of B-17 and B-24 bombers, was targeting key installations throughout the theater.
Like many men during World War II, DeSales Glover wanted to serve his country. The problem was that he was only 14 years old.
“He came home from school one day and said he wanted to enlist,” his mother said. “I thought he was only kidding, but he said he had tried to enlist in the Navy. Then he tried for the Air Corps. I think he told them he was 17 or 18. I signed the papers for him. He said he wanted to do his share in the war. He liked it after he got in, especially after his squadron flew the Atlantic.”
Glover joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in October 1942. During training, he graduated from the Gunnery School at Tyndall Field in Florida, where he was in the same class as Clark Gable. After completing his final training at Tonopah, Nevada in December 1943, he became a member of Crew 33, assigned to the 753 Bombardment Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, with the 8th Air Force at Royal Air Force Horsham St Faith near Norwich, England. He was a B-24 gunner under the command of Lt. George Spaven.
His name appears on a crew manifest for a mission over Friedrichshafen on March 3rd, 1944, and another on March 6th to Berlin. The Berlin mission was aborted as their Liberator had supercharger problems on 3 of its engines.
In mid-April 1944, Glover made the mistake of divulging his actual age to the rest of the crew and was relieved of duty. On their next mission, Crew 33 was shot down over Hoetmar, Germany.
The Last Flight of Flak Magnet
On April 22, 1944, Crew 33 took off for Hamm, Germany, on a B-24 Liberator dubbed “Flak Magnet.” It would be their last mission. As they approached the target, Flak Magnet was true to its name and took five rounds to the aircraft. A section of the bomber’s roof was gone, and fuel was pouring out from the ruptured wing tanks. The crew began to bail out, and Spaven headed west in an attempt to return to England.
Luftwaffe Major Heinz Baer in his FW-190 saw the bomber heading away and fired a burst into the ship, mortally wounding Spaven. The rest of the crew bailed out, and the bomber went down. All the crew members were captured, with the three officers being sent to Stalag Luft III, of “The Great Escape” fame.
Waiting On A Decision
Glover was relieved of duty and awaited his fate while the Army verified his age. Before being grounded, he flew six combat missions and was awarded the Air Medal. While in England, Sergeant Glover commented, “I hate to quit the Army and give up flying. But when I’m old enough, I hope to re-enlist for pilot training.”
The decision was made. Glover was given an honorable discharge and sent home.
Shortly after World War II, Glover reenlisted and served for more than 20 years in the Air Force, a career that included deployments to Korea and Vietnam. He retired as a Master Sergeant in the late 1960s at the age of 40.
After retiring from the USAF, Glover worked for Del Monte Foods in California and then for Anheuser-Busch in Upstate New York in 1982. Sergeant Glover retired from his civilian job in the early 1990s and relocated to an area near Pensacola, Florida, as he preferred to live near military bases. Glover passed away on January 24, 1998, at the age of 70, and lies at rest at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola.
