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June 6, 2008

Oroville Mercury Register December 18, 1943

Drobish Cadet At Cal-Aero
Bangor-Air Cadet Harry Boardman Drobish is attending Calaero school near Ontario, where he took nine weeks of primary training before the school was retained for the next nine weeks of basic instruction. Joy Drobish, a sister, is at University of Redlands, and they see each other frequently. Both are near Riverside where their Grandmother Drobish lives, and where they spend many weekends. Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Drobish, their parents, expect to spend Christmas and New Year in Riverside and the family will be together for both holiday weekends.

Chico Air Cadet Killed At Orland
Chico-(U.P.)- Aviation Cadet Linus H. Harter, Jr., Kansas City, Mo., was killed yesterday while attempting to takeoff from an auxiliary airfield at Orland, Chico Army airfield officers announced today. His parents reside in Kidder, Mo. The body is at the Nugent Funeral Home from which funeral arrangements will be announced..

From a Looking Back on Oroville’s Heroes, June 4, 2004

ALLIES INVADE FRANCE
Nazi Attack Due Soon, Invasion of France Gets off to successful start
Beach Heads Taken in Normandy, Troops Penetrate 10 Miles Inland, Battle Reports Conflict, Paratroopers Catch Germans By Surprise.

Oroville Mercury Register June 6, 1944
Local Churches Open Doors To Day of Prayer
Doors of all Oroville churches were opened wide this morning to remain open throughout the day and evening and residents of the community were invited to enter at any hour for prayer and meditation. Chimes rang out and prayer hymns for worship were played from noon until 1 o’clock on the organ at the First Congregational Church. Similar music will sound there between the hours of 5 and 6 pm. And from 7:30 pm. Through out the evening. Prayer sheets will be given for guidance in their worship to all who enter the church. Special prayer services will be conducted at 7:30p.m. at the Assembly of God Church. Special D-Day services, with an hour of prayer, will be held in St. Thomas Catholic Church at 7:30p.m. The Rev. Father Patrick Donnelly announced. A mass to pray for success of the invasion will be held at 7:45 a.m. tomorrow, and the church will be open every day for private prayer.”

OMR July 17, 1944
Missing Flier Is Rescued
Chico-Up)- 2nd Lt. Anthony M. Sumares, 20, missing on a training flight since Friday, was found safe yesterday 60 miles north of Battle Mountain, Nev., where he had made a forced landing in a single seat fighter plane, Chico Army Air Field officials announced today. Officers said that Sumares was suffering from exposure and shock but sustained no serious injury. The plane was damaged slightly. What forced Sumares to make the unscheduled landing has not been determined officers said. Sumares was to be returned to the Chico field, his home base, today. His home is in Oakland. Capt. James Fishburn, of Chico, early Sunday morning, spotted the youthful pilot who was waving a white silk scarf as he plodded along the desert. Saturday Fishburn spotted Samures’ plane but did not see the pilot. It later developed Samures left his plane shortly after the crash landing and hiked until he found a cattle water hole. He was able to keep alive until found by using that water. Friday night he returned to his plane and slept in his parachute but Saturday night, after again returning to the water hole, he explained he was “too tired” for the walk back.

Stu’s Notes: D-Day, our nation celebrated and prayed, finally we were on the shores of Europe. Although for years we had been invading Islands all over the Pacific in which many thousands of our young men died. I have yet to find any great excitement in the newspaper on such a large scale as D-Day. Daryl and I are still finding more and more about our army airdromes. Peter Maki Oroville Veterans Memorial Park committee member at large will be given the task of finding the relatives of Air Cadet Linus H. Harter, as Peter lives in Missouri. Well knowing Peter he might be living, who knows where, he’s a wondering man. It would be nice if we could find relatives of this young man who lived here and died here. I’ve found very little about the 40 young men that died flying in and out of Chico. I hope someone in Chico could help me search the Chico Record, 1943-45. The stories are probably there. My friend Tim Timmons one of Oroville’s Heroes, surely remembers this day 64 years ago, as he was there, parachuting behind enemy lines with the 101st Airborne, 501st Regiment, he was seriously hurt on the first day, but the men he trained fought well and were a big part of the success at Normandy. Many of his men were killed by the end of the war as D-Day was just the start of 11 months of hard fighting. Oroville’s Sus Gomez drove landing boats in the war but I don’t know if he was at Normandy. I must find out.